Cold water slammed into him.
Fainyx jolted awake with a sharp inhale as icy liquid drenched his face, hair, clothes, everything.
"…!"
"Finally awake? It's already afternoon and you're still here sleeping." a woman's voice laughed mockingly. "Get up already, brat. Prepare yourself on your own."
Jaren.
She stood near the door, holding the now-empty bucket, clearly pleased with herself.
"And don't think you can laze around all day," she added with a grin.
"This isn't some countryside brat Hahahaha!."
She turned and left, laughing as the door slammed shut behind her.
Fainyx sat there, soaked.
Water dripped from his bangs onto the mattress. His bed was completely wet, blankets heavy and cold.
…She really doesn't know when to stop, does she?
He closed his eyes and focused.
No presence outside the door.
Good.
Without chanting, he released mana.
A gentle wave spread through the room. The water vanished from his clothes, his body, the bed, and the floor. The sheets fluffed up, dry and clean, as if nothing had happened.
He calmly reorganized his bedding.
As he worked, a familiar ache tugged at his chest.
…I miss Estrella.
She would have scolded him gently for sleeping too much. She would have prepared warm clothes, food, and tea without being asked.
His chef. His gardener.
They had left with sad smiles, saying they had completed their work and would return home. He had let them go... He knew they would only suffer here.
Estrella would never leave me by choice.
But her forced leave made everything feel… empty.
After changing, his stomach growled.
I'm hungry again.
He stepped out into the hallway.
As he walked, whispers followed him.
Normally, he would ignore them.
But today he is now interested on what they are saying so he wrapped his ears in mana. He focus it to the maids and servants whispering behind the door of the servants room.
"…Did you hear? That child the duke brought back."
"They say he's an orphan."
"And there's something wrong with his head."
"I heard he bullied the head maid. Poor Jaren, she's been serving this household forever."
Fainyx blinked.
…I Bullied her?
I was the victim though, not her?
He sighed inwardly.
Wow. She really flipped the script... Is that what she said she has plans?
He continued toward the dining room.
The moment he entered, the atmosphere turned cold.
His father sat at the head of the table. Adam and Liam were beside him.
Their gazes landed on Fainyx sharp, distant.
He sensed it instantly.
…It seems the word of lies spread to the duke.
He bowed politely.
The duke spoke.
"I heard a report this morning. Is it true that you hurt and put water on the Head Maid, Jaren?"
Fainyx stiffened.
So this is her plan.
He glanced at his brothers.
Adam's face was emotionless, but his eyes burned with hostility. It seems he favors the head maid.
Ah. That hurts more than the nosebleed. To think I get hated by a named characters ahaha...
"I asked you a question," the duke said firmly. "Is it true?"
Fainyx searched his pockets.
…I didn't bring paper.
He slowly shook his head.
"No?"
The duke frowned.
"There are several witnesses who claim they saw you hit her. Are you lying to me now?"
Witnesses too? She prepared thoroughly.
He stayed silent. He didn't want to explain about what happened to him... It's kind of a hassle. He thought while his head is down.
Adam suddenly stood up.
"Why did you do it?" Adam snapped. "She's been our caretaker since childhood! Do you know how much she's done for this family?"
Fainyx clenched his fists.
It seems no one will listen. If I tell the truth, they'll say I fabricated it instead.
The duke exhaled deeply.
"I'm disappointed," he said. "You are confined to your room for a week. You are not to leave unless permitted."
Ah.
House arrest.
Good thing I hid bread and fruit. It's possible that the head maid won't give me food again.
Fainyx bowed again, though his chest felt heavy... not for himself, but for the untouched food on the table. He's very hungry and looking at the food by the table they didn't notice it.
He turned and left.
As the door closes, the room fell silent.
Liam hesitated before standing.
"Father… I think there might be a misunderstanding. Fainyx wouldn't—"
Adam cut in calmly, "There are witnesses. How is that a misunderstanding?"
"She's our nanny," Adam continued. "You shouldn't doubt her over a stranger."
Liam bit his lip.
"…But—"
"Finish your food," Adam said.
Liam obeyed, but before leaving, he quietly slipped a dessert into a small bag.
I'll give this to him later.
******
Back in his room by the door, Fainyx paused.
Rustling sounds.
Someone's inside.
He cast a concealment spell instantly.
Jaren stood near his cabinet, rummaging through his belongings.
"Tsk," she muttered. "He doesn't even own jewelry how do I even steal something here."
She turned toward the window.
The flower pot.
She sneered.
"What an ugly thing."
She shoved it.
No—!
The pot shattered.
Fainyx rushed forward
"Oh?" Jaren laughed when she noticed him. "Sorry. I thought it was a worthless plant."
She walked past him, amused.
The room was a mess.
Drawers open. Items scattered.
Fainyx knelt beside the broken pot.
The flower was still alive.
…Good.
Relief washed over him.
He took out a spare pot, carefully transferring the flower. It swayed gently when he gave it mana.
He hugged it briefly.
Then—
A sharp pain.
"…Tsk."
A shard sliced his palm. Blood dripped onto the floor.
He set the pot down and searched his bag for medicine.
The door burst open.
"Fainyx! I brought some desserts for you to eat you can have-"
Liam stood frozen, eyes wide as he took in the destroyed room, and the blood.
"Fainyx!? What happened here! Your hand!"
He grabbed Liam's sleeve.
"I'll bring you to the family physician-"
Fainyx shook his head quickly.
"No? Why?"
Liam hesitated.
"But you're bleeding. Who did this? What happened here?"
Fainyx looked away.
They won't believe me. How can I even explain this.
Liam exhaled slowly.
"…Alright. I won't tell them."
He gently took Fainyx's injured hand.
"But let me take care of this, okay?"
Liam rummaged through one of the drawers and found a medical kit.
He quickly returned to Fainyx's side and carefully began cleaning the wounds on the boy's hands. The antiseptic stung sharply, but Fainyx did not react at all.
He sat quietly, expression calm and blank.
Liam blinked in surprise."…You're not even flinching?"
Fainyx remained still.
But inside his mind, he was screaming.
IT HURTS— IT HURTS— IT BURNS!
Still, outwardly, he looked completely unbothered.
Liam stared at him in amazement.
'How can he endure this much pain without reacting?'
While bandaging the wounds, Liam spoke again.
"…What happened here?"
Fainyx hesitated.
Should he say it? Or stay silent?
He lowered his gaze, thinking carefully. After a moment, he finally made up his mind. He really don't want to suffer from that Maid.
When Liam finished wrapping the bandages, Fainyx slowly stood up and searched for his paper and pen. He found them and began writing.
He handed the paper to Liam.
It was the head maid who did this.She also lied about me hitting her.She was the one who hurt me.
Liam froze while reading.
"…Is this true?"
Fainyx nodded.
Liam frowned."…Where did she hurt you, if she really did?"
Fainyx wrote again.
She pulled my hair while I was in my bedroom.When she released me, I hit my face on the floor.That's when my nose broke.
"What?!"
Liam's eyes widened."Is that true? Can I… examine your nose?"
Fainyx didn't resist. He leaned slightly closer.
At first glance, his nose looked normal. But when Liam gently touched it, he felt the faint unevenness of a cracked bone.
He immediately withdrew his hand, shocked.
"…She did this to you…"
A faint ripple of mana suddenly spread from Liam.
Fainyx sensed it.
As expected of a genius, he thought. He can already use mana at this age…
Liam looked at him again."Why didn't you tell anyone about this earlier?"
Fainyx wrote:
I wanted to say it during breakfast.But I forgot to bring my paper.
Liam's gaze turned complicated.
'Why didn't anyone defend him…? He's just a kid…'
It wasn't even possible for someone this small and fragile to attack a grown maid.
His expression hardened with anger as he realized.
"I'll tell Father about this," Liam said firmly. "And I'll inform the butler about your room. Stay here, Fainyx."
Then he turned and left quickly.
*******
Inside the Duke's Office
The Duke of Valencrest sat behind his desk, quill paused mid-air.
A knock echoed through the room.
"Enter."
The door opened, and Liam stepped inside. His posture was straight, but his expression was tense— far more rigid than usual.
The Duke noticed it immediately.
"What is it?" he asked calmly, setting the quill down. "You look troubled."
Liam took a breath, then bowed—deeper than required.
"Father," he said, his voice firm yet strained, "I need to report something important. It concerns Fainyx."
The Duke frowned slightly.
"…Go on."
Liam lifted his head, his eyes sharp.
"I went to Fainyx's room after breakfast," he began. "The condition of the room was abnormal. Drawers were pulled out, furniture disturbed, and several items were broken— as if someone had deliberately searched through his belongings."
The Duke's brows knit together.
"Searched?" he repeated. "By whom?"
Liam didn't hesitate.
"The head maid, Jaren"
.....
Silence fell.
The Duke leaned back slowly in his chair, fingers steepled together.
"That is a serious accusation," he said carefully. "Do you have proof?"
Liam nodded.
"I witnessed her leaving his room earlier. And more importantly—" His voice tightened. "...Fainyx was injured."
The Duke's eyes sharpened.
"Injured how?"
Liam clenched his fists at his sides.
"He had a deep cut on his hand, caused by broken pottery. And his nose..." He paused, jaw tightening. "—his nose is fractured."
The Duke stood up abruptly.
"…Fractured?"
"Yes," Liam said, meeting his gaze. "I confirmed it myself. The bone is cracked. This injury did not come from an accident. And that injury happened yesterday."
The Duke's mana stirred faintly, pressure filling the room.
"And what explanation did Fainyx give?" he asked, voice low.
Liam reached into his pocket and placed a folded paper on the desk.
"He wrote this himself."
The Duke unfolded it and read.
It was the head maid who did this.She lied about me hitting her.She pulled my hair in my room.When she let go, I hit the floor and broke my nose.
The Duke's grip tightened around the paper.
"…He claims she assaulted him first," the Duke said slowly.
"Yes," Liam replied. "And Father—there is more."
The Duke looked up.
"She also lied about feeding him," Liam continued. "He had not eaten at all, since yesterday..."
The Duke's expression darkened.
"That maid reported he refused to eat with us, and also she said she brought him food in his room?"
"That is false," Liam said sharply. "Father, think logically. Fainyx is a child. A small one. Weak-bodied, and..." he swallowed, "—mute. Do you truly believe he could overpower an adult maid?"
The Duke closed his eyes briefly.
The image of the boy standing silently at breakfast... head bowed, Body so thin, flashed through his mind.
"…No," he admitted quietly.
Liam pressed on.
"There were 'witnesses' because she prepared them," he said. "She controls the servant narrative. Everyone believes her because she has been here for years."
The Duke opened his eyes, cold fury settling in.
"And I," he said, voice heavy, "believed her without hearing him."
Liam lowered his head.
"…Father."
The Duke turned away from the desk, staring out the tall window.
"I punished him," he continued. "Confined him to his room. When he was already being abused."
A sharp exhale left him.
"…It seems I failed him again..."
Liam looked up, surprised by the rawness in his father's voice.
The Duke turned back.
"This will not go unanswered," he said firmly. "Summon the head butler. Quietly. I want a full investigation, servant movements, kitchen logs, room access, everything."
"Yes, Father."
"And Liam," the Duke added, his tone softening just slightly. "Thank you for reporting this situation."
Liam hesitated.
"…May I visit Fainyx again later?"
The Duke nodded.
"Of course. And ensure he eats properly. Have food ready for him to eat."
Liam bowed deeply.
"I will."
As Liam turned to leave, the Duke picked up the paper once more.
A small, silent child.
Injured and starving and I punished him.
"…Jaren," he murmured, voice cold as steel. "If this is true…"
The room filled with pressure.
"…you will regret ever laying a hand on my son."
*****
After Liam left, Fainyx stared at the door, stunned.
It was his first time seeing Liam angry. In the game, Liam rarely showed anger.
He let out a small chuckle.
'…To think someone is worried about me.'
A faint warmth spread through his chest.
He then poured a little mana into the new small flower pot beside him. The plant looked weak.
"…What did I even do to deserve this…" he murmured softly.
Then—
Gurgle~
"…Ah. I'm hungry."
He blinked.
"Oh… right. I still haven't eaten."
It seemed the maid Jaren wouldn't give him any food. So he bent down and pulled out the bread and fruits he had hidden under his bed yesterday.
He ate quietly. Not enough to be full, but enough to ease the hunger.
After eating, he glanced out the window.
The garden outside was huge.
Maybe… he could hide there and read some books.
He didn't want to think about what would happen after Liam reported everything. And for now, it seemed no maids or servants were watching him.
He thought about his beginner magic books.
He had actually created a small spell before while he was in the annex, a storage box.It wasn't perfect yet, but it could store small things.
He had created it back in the annex, which was why no one realized he had taken the beginner magic book. if possible if he completed this spell he can hide inside he can also change the space so living things can live there, though it's still incomplete so he only can put some books and also his flower.
He took his flower and stored it inside the storage box as well as his books and one bread. If the maid saw it again, she might destroy it.
Then he quietly left his disheveled room.
As he walked through the halls, he hid whenever someone passed by. He didn't want to be seen.
Hide, then move, then hide again.Then run when the path was clear.
After a few minutes, he finally reached the garden.
It was his first time coming here.
He felt nervous. Someone might be around… but he gathered his courage and stepped inside.
The place was beautiful.
Bushes covered in roses. Flowers of colors he had never seen before. The garden was vast enough to run through freely, and the grass looked soft and clean enough to sit on.
He walked toward the center and saw a statue.
A woman veiled, wearing a crown of flowers. Her eyes were covered with cloth.
He immediately recognized her.
…The Goddess of Love and Fertility, Hymoria.
The main goddess of this world.The one who gives missions to the protagonist, Orion.
She appears in Orion's dreams, granting blessings and appointing him as her apostle to slay demons and save the world.
There were other gods, but she was the only one deeply interested in humans. She pitied them because of the demon threat.
A few years after Orion and his friends graduate, demons would wage war against humanity. The already powerful protagonist would then be tasked to defeat the resurrected Demon King, revived by a cult known as Black Blood.
…And in the end, Orion defeated the Demon king, and gets his happy ending.
Fainyx stared at the statue quietly.
…That has nothing to do with me though.
While reminiscing about the game, he noticed a cluster of trees deeper in the garden.
It looked almost like a forest.
Maybe no one would find him there.
He walked inside.
After some time, he discovered a small open field, smaller than the one near the annex, but still spacious.
The grass was clean and soft. He sat down.
Then he extended his senses, checking for any presence nearby.
Nothing.
Satisfied, he lay down on the grass and looked up at the sky.
He sighed softly.
"…So peaceful."
"…I wish this peace would last..."
He didn't want to return to his room.He didn't want to face his disappointed father or brother either.
He gently touched his nose and winced.
He didn't have a recovery spell yet.And… this injury was evidence against Jaren.
He could heal it — but chose not to.
"…Ah… I want to be a cloud…"
He opened his storage box and took out his flower pot and beginner magic book. Then he began reading quietly.
Before long…his eyes slowly closed.
He fell asleep in the peaceful field.
*******
Liam rushed to the kitchen earlier and ordered simple food to be prepared. Then he hurried excitedly to Fainyx's room.
"Fainyx! It's okay now, I—"
He stopped.
The room was still in shambles.
And Fainyx… was nowhere to be seen.
"…Fainyx?"
No response.
He searched the room quickly. Nothing.
Panic rose in his chest.
He set the food down on the table and ran back to the duke's office.
He burst through the door.
The duke and the butler were speaking seriously when they turned toward him.
"Liam?" the duke asked. "What's the matter?"
Liam struggled to catch his breath.
"…He's missing."
Silence fell.
"…Fainyx isn't in his room."
The duke's expression immediately turned cold and sharp.
"…Is this true?"
"Yes!"
The duke turned to the butler."Mobilize the knights and servants. Search the entire estate."
The butler bowed seriously and left at once.
The duke looked back at Liam, worry faintly visible in his eyes.
"…Where does he usually go?"
Liam lowered his head."…I don't know. He… never leaves his room."
Silence filled the office.
Then the door opened again.
Adam entered.
"…What happened?"
Liam spoke immediately."Fainyx is missing."
Hatred flashed across Adam's face.
"…Why is he not in confinement?"
The duke spoke."The head maid, Jaren, destroyed his room and injured him yesterday."
Adam frowned.
"…That's impossible. He's lying. How could Head Maid Jaren do that? Didn't he hit her first? Maybe he destroyed the room himself."
"That's not true!" Liam shouted.
Adam stared, surprised.
"I saw her leaving his room without a single injury," Liam continued angrily. "When I entered, the room was destroyed, and he was the one injured!"
Adam froze."…What did you say?"
"His hands were cut., and also he has a fractured nose since yesterday! He's pale and weak. How could he even hurt a grown woman? Think about it, big brother!"
Liam turned to the duke.
"…We need a physician. He's an injured kid!"
The duke slowly nodded.
"I will call Michael, the physician. But first… we must find him."
Hours passed.
Afternoon arrived.
Knights and servants searched everywhere, the halls, the annex, the gardens, every corner of the mansion.
But Fainyx was nowhere to be found.
The entire estate fell into chaos.
Meanwhile—
In the quiet forest garden,Fainyx slept peacefully on the grass…
Completely unaware that everyone was desperately searching for him.