The mansion guard carried the basket where I had been resting to the owner.
I knew who he was—the First-Rank Duke of the Aio Land Empire.
He had a menacing look: red hair, red eyes, tanned skin, a handsome face, and a dignified posture.
"Master, this infant was left outside the mansion. There's a letter with a royal seal in the basket," the guard reported.
"Hmmm. I warned him before, but he didn't listen," the Duke said, his voice heavy, as he peered at the child.
The baby had fair skin—just like his older brother and his father—but seeing his pitch-black hair and eyes, the Duke let out a depressed sigh.
Sigh.
"Put him here and you may go," the Duke told the guard.
"Oh—what's wrong, darling? Why do you look so sad?" a soft, melodious voice called from upstairs. A beautiful woman descended, elegant and poised. She had red hair and brown eyes.
"Nothing, Celina. It's about…that," the Duke said to the woman—Celina Goldenerod—the Duchess of House Garamount.
"Oh my. They didn't survive?" Celina asked in shock and pity.
"No. But before they died, they sent their newborn son to us," the Duke replied.
"She gave birth before she died? Oh, what a poor child," Celina said, sorrow filling her face. She reached for the baby.
"He's cursed—he had demonic power. Will he be all right, Robert?" Celina asked, holding the infant close.
"He'll be fine. He already absorbed the curse and it transformed into elemental power," the Duke said.
"Oh—so may we keep him, please, darling?" Celina begged, eyes pleading.
"I was about to say the same. From now on, we are his guardians," the Duke answered.
The Duchess brightened and pressed the baby to her bosom.
"Hhh… Finally this long talk is over. Stop suffocating me, woman. I'm hungry—should I start crying?" I thought, and I began to wail.
"Look, look—our baby is so cute when he cries. Maybe he's hungry. I'll feed him. Bye-bye!" Celina chirped, delighted, and carried the child toward a nearby room—after all, he was to be her first.
(A/N: In this world magic exists, so she can produce milk with magic; but this requires mature mana, not virgin girls—you know what I mean.)
After feeding me, Celina placed me in a baby cot that looked transparent and liquid-like—she didn't have a physical cot, so she made one from mana. Then she left a maid to watch over me and went to her room.
(A/N: The baby cot is made of mana. Mana is a form of energy that flows like liquid.)
MC POV:
Finally—alone. Time to recall this world's details. This world is Decaros: home to elves, demons, beastkin, monsters, dwarves, and humans.
It's a world of magic and swords. The human empire is called Aio Land, named after Aio—the first human hero who became the God of Light. The empire is split into territories ruled by dukes; each territory aligns with one elemental power.
Elements: fire, water, air, thunder, earth, and light. This is the House of the Duke of Fire; the region is called Phoenix Fire.
Everyone has a single elemental affinity regardless of race. Elemental ranks range from -F up to SSS+. If two people of same elements have a child, the offspring inherits the higher-ranked element—so nobles, commoners, and everyone tends to marry within the same region to secure stronger elements for their children. That's also why kingdoms split along elemental lines. In this world, human lifespans depend on mana capacity.
The entire empire is ruled by one king older than 5,000 years. His element is Ice and his rank is SS+, the highest ever recorded. Other races have unique elements: elves have Nature, dwarves have Metal, and demons have Dark and worship the God of Evil.
I, too, possess the Dark element. That doesn't mean all Dark users are evil. Some worship the King of Darkness, who taught that darkness isn't inherently evil—without darkness, light loses meaning; without darkness, there's no rest. He defined his own path and became a world hero before disappearing over 10,000 years ago.
Now I'm the Final Boss of this novel. I don't intend to do evil—this soul is mine, and that's why I could absorb the black curse. I can't fully control this power yet, so I must train my mana until I can move properly.
I plan to live peacefully—and build a harem. To do that I must keep my mind sane and become the KING OF DARKNESS. If the original protagonist tries to interfere with my life, I WILL KILL HIM.