Unable to come to a conclusion on who planned the assassination on Modret after a round of questioning, Donald could only let the servants go.
However, from then on, things changed.
The guards surrounding his manor had tripled, and the servants serving them were scrutinized thoroughly before being accepted into their home.
Aside from that, Modret now stayed with his mother in her room, no longer being left alone.
A few weeks had passed, and his mother was like a hawk—constantly watching over him.
It was overwhelming, but Modret had no complaints.
…
That day, after he regained consciousness, he realized something strange that filled him with puzzlement.
The ring that Jarvis had given him had mysteriously disappeared. Modret didn't know why, but he finally understood that unsettling feeling he'd had while he was with her.
He exhaled slightly. 'Why would she try to kill me for no reason? At least be reasonable.'
The fairy floating gently beside him nodded and offered her suggestion.
{Perhaps this has to do with the schemes of the royal family. Stopping you from partaking in the inheritance? Or maybe she sees you as a threat?}
Modret felt her reasoning was plausible. However… 'Seeing a newborn baby as a threat?' He was bemused but didn't dwell on the thought.
Having been in this world for a few weeks, Modret had gotten used to the quiet, peaceful atmosphere. Aside from the danger from before, nothing of the sort had happened, and he was relatively safe.
At the same time, he was looking for a way to have his revenge and get answers. Just then, he heard hushed whispers coming from behind the door.
He crawled slightly and reached the door to listen. Surprisingly, Modret's growth seemed accelerated, allowing him to crawl even though he was only a few weeks old. Not knowing how the people of this world would view such a feat, he chose to keep it hidden for the meantime.
Naturally, it wasn't something worth revealing.
"I heard Amara awakened and has been accepted into the inner circle of the royal family." Reaching the door, he could hear the voices of two servants whispering.
"Yes, surprisingly, she awakened a D-grade earth control ability. How lucky…" the voice of the second lady was filled with envy.
Modret absorbed the information and gradually crawled back to his bed. This wasn't the first time he had heard such things, and it confirmed his guess that this world was a world of ability awakeners.
It seemed that at a particular age, people were able to awaken. After that age, awakening became far harder than normal, and as time progressed, it became increasingly difficult—until it was nearly impossible.
'Abilities, huh?' Modret muttered with a smile, then turned his attention to the system.
[name: Modret Axarel.]
[Status: Injured. While unborn, you were poisoned to death. Though you managed to survive, you have been crippled and are currently unable to awaken an ability.]
[Ability: Unawakened]
[Bloodline: ???]
[Shadow Fragments: 35/1000]
[Remark: A pitiful soul cast into a terrifying world filled with deception and schemes. The world has abandoned you completely, but the shadows embrace you without question...]
After gaining 10 shadow fragments, Modret discovered he could obtain them whenever he killed a creature. Unable to approach higher-tier creatures like the snake from before, he killed the little insects he could find, bringing his shadow fragments up by 25.
'How stressful. Why doesn't she send a couple more snakes? Would save me the trouble of trying to gather shadow fragments,' Modret cursed under his breath at how useless his aunt was at assassinating a target.
How could she let him roam freely?
{Such an amusing thought. Be careful what you wish for.}
The fairy chimed in, her voice filled with cheekiness. Modret just rolled his eyes, turning to the side—he couldn't be bothered to deal with her.
'I know what I wish for, and it's to quickly spin a roulette and awaken an ability. Then I'll have a measure of protection for myself. The previous situation was uncertain.' Modret still couldn't tell what had awakened within him back then.
He didn't believe in uncertainties, relying solely on his own strength.
Now he was training to develop his vocal cords and learn to speak, then begin communicating with his parents to learn more about how to increase his strength.
'Take things one step at a time,' Modret thought internally, closing his eyes for a bit and pondering on what other treasures Noctis had given him. After spending a few weeks in this world, they still hadn't appeared.
Could it be that he hadn't gotten anything? Or as Noctis had said, they were particularly special?
Modret didn't know what to believe.
…
While Modret was lost in thought, time passed, and soon Anna gently stepped into the room. She smiled sweetly, seeing Modret's wide eyes glancing around in curiosity before finally landing on her.
Picking him up, she muttered lightly, "Gotten heavier again?" She smiled faintly, then spun with Modret in her hands.
'Damn, so dizzy. How do babies enjoy this?' Modret grumbled inwardly and silently endured.
After she was done, she nursed him, then walked to the side and sat cross-legged, closing her eyes.
Modret glanced at her silently, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Wisps of transparent liquid floated gently beside her, sinking into her body. Her expression was tranquil, as though she wasn't feeling anything.
'This should be related to the term 'awakened',' Modret guessed in his heart. This was another reason he wanted to urgently develop his vocal cords—he was curious about the process his mother was engrossed in.
The fairy floating beside him also joined in on the thought.
{That's right. Perhaps she's cultivating her ability. I'm curious though—what grade of ability did she awaken?}
Modret was also curious about this, but there was no way to find out for now. He stared at his mother and the process she was engaged in.
It seemed similar to cultivation, and every time she did it, he felt as though she changed somehow—but he couldn't tell how.
He frowned, staring at his mother as she continuously absorbed wisps of mana into her body.
Time passed swiftly, and soon a few hours had gone by. Done with her meditation, she nursed Modret and then laid him on the bed, lying beside him and hugging him gently, drifting off to sleep…