The pain was unbearable.
Seojin's body convulsed as the effects of the potion coursed through his veins. It felt like he had just downed five bottles of cheap soju in a row.
'How… long has it been…?'
His consciousness had long since begun to fade.
Countless stars floated through the darkness. Each one contained fragments of memories that did not belong to him.
Whenever he reached for one, however, it felt like he was a witch being burned at the stake.
'This time… for sure.'
He reached for another.
It hurt like hell, but knowing what the hell was going on hurt less.
"...!"
A faint amber light seeped through his fingers the moment they touched the star.
His eyes snapped open.
"–Huh?"
He found himself gripping the wrist of a girl, not a star.
She wore a white midi dress with a black ribbon at her chest. Her hair was neatly tied into a bun, the same amber color as her eyes.
"Did I finally die…?"
He smirked.
"Heh. To end up in heaven and be welcomed by an angel... I knew I lived an honorable life."
"I am afraid you remain among the living, my lord."
"Fuck."
His smirk disappeared,
"I would appreciate it if you refrained from such vulgar language."
"..."
"..."
"...Fudge."
Neither of them said anything further.
He remained flat on his back on the bed. The girl continued casting the amber magic he assumed was a healing spell.
His vision gradually cleared.
Up close, she no longer looked like an angel. The slight puffiness around her eyes proved she was but a mortal being.
"Please do not overexert yourself."
The spell ended.
"This should allow you to move around comfortably. However, it is certainly not enough for you to escape the manor again."
He nodded.
'...Manor.'
If he remembered correctly, the children of House Hart remained in their respective manors until they turned sixteen.
It was meant to keep them away from the filthy politics of the outside world.
Step, step.
The girl walked to the window and opened the curtains. Pale daylight poured into the room.
Faaaaaaah—!
He immediately covered his eyes. He had spent so long in darkness that even the weak sunlight stung.
A few seconds later, his eyes adjusted.
The girl began cleaning the room.
She placed his clothes in a woven basket, carried the basin into the bathroom, and set a plate of peeled apple slices beside him.
In that brief moment, Seojin organized the fragments of memory he had gathered from those damned stars.
'Let's see. Her name should be…'
He grabbed a slice of apple.
Munch.
"Iria."
As it turned out, this girl was this manor's sole attendant.
"How long was I out?"
"Five days. I am afraid the month of Bruma had just started, my lord. You have been unconscious for the entirety of that period."
"...Five days?"
"Indeed."
He reached for another slice.
Munch, munch.
Before long, the plate was empty. His stomach growled. Apples were nowhere near enough to satisfy his appetite.
"...Dammit. I'm still hungry."
"I understand."
Iria paused.
"Please attend to your bath first. I shall have breakfast prepared in the meantime. Do come downstairs once you are ready."
"Aight."
Creak.
The door closed.
"And I hope the tea's not bitter this time!"
He raised his voice enough for her to hear.
There was no response. But the footsteps outside stopped for a brief moment before continuing.
"Crap. I almost forgot."
He frowned.
Apparently, that was something Seven Hart said every morning.
'I wonder if the tea's really that bad…'
After contemplating for quite some time, he pushed himself out of bed.
His body felt surprisingly light. He rolled his shoulders, bent his knees, and gave himself a quick test. Even his broken left arm felt almost normal.
But there was one thing he couldn't neglect:
Fwoosh, fwoosh. Whap!
Shadowboxing.
This time, his opponent was a certain rambutan-haired capybara.
"That piece of shit."
Fwoosh!
"Couldn't even say anything coherent except 'fall into hell' typa shit."
He threw a few more punches before he abruptly pulled his fist and stopped, staring at them so intently it could bore a hole through his skin.
"...Strange."
"It feels the same, but somehow it doesn't."
His mind remembered every movement and rhythm from years of his shadowboxing routine, but his current body struggled to reproduce them.
It was a subtle difference.
He lowered his fist.
He then grabbed a towel and entered the adjoining bathroom.
It was larger than his entire bedroom back on Earth. A massive bathtub occupied the center, and a vanity mirror covered nearly half the wall.
He stopped in front of it.
"..."
A boy stared back.
Dark brown hair that appeared almost black beneath the indoor lighting, twice as long as his original hair. The shade of his eyes remained indigo still.
His complexion was pale, but not sickly.
He looked fifteen (Seven), yet somehow, he also looked twenty-one (Seojin). In short, he looked so good he could date himself.
He recalled his comment.
[> "Seojin. Looks like me and a genius like me. Any genius ability works."]
He leaned closer to the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Well, I'm not complaining. I did ask for this."
He washed himself before climbing into the bathtub.
His expression changed.
"...Wait. The skill."
The system had only shown him its name in the forest. He still didn't know what it actually did.
"Status."
> [Basic Information]
Name: Seven Hart (Yoon Seojin)
Age: 15 (21)
Race: Human
> [Skills]
[Self-Proclaimed Genius]
He raised a hand.
Tap.
Surprisingly, he could interact with the interface.
[A genius does not require a skill description. If you are unable to understand it, perhaps you aren't one as you claim to be.]
"...You mothe—!"
— – - 777 - – —
By the time Seojin arrived downstairs, breakfast had already been prepared.
He stopped. There were enough dishes to feed a small army.
"Am I supposed to eat all this…?"
"Yes, my lord."
Iria gestured toward the table.
"You expressed a notable appetite, so I adjusted the preparation accordingly. Should I have prepared more?"
"Nah. It should've been the opposite."
"...?"
Iria tilted her head.
Ignoring her reaction, Seojin pulled out a chair.
'...I should just think of this as my late birthday celebration.'
Food was food.
For someone who hadn't eaten properly in months, this was less a breakfast and more the final feast of a death-row inmate.
'And technically, I really am sentenced to death.'
Munch.
'How fucking ironic.'
Five days ago, he had thought the capybara was the worst thing that could happen to him. But that was just a small appetizer for the nightmare to come.
The name Seven Hart appeared only once in Requiem of Sinfall.
His birth and death shared the same page.
He was the first member of House Hart to be assassinated while still living in his own manor.
"...Six days."
Today was the first day of Bruma, and Seven was supposed to die on the seventh.
He only had six days left.
Munch, munch.
He continued eating, thinking how fucked out his situation really is.
By the time he stopped, the entire banquet had been cleared.
His stomach was still somehow fine. He had one of those enviable bodies that could devour thousands of calories without gaining a pound.
His eyes landed on the only thing remaining.
Tea.
Taking a sip, his face instantly contorted.
"Pwaa! This tastes like shit."
Iria flinched.
"I beg your pardon, my lord. I used less ground tea and doubled the amount of sugar, yet it has turned bitter regardless."
Tak.
He placed the cup back on its saucer.
"You know what? I'll show you how to make proper green tea. Matcha. I've never made it before, but it can't be that hard."
"I do not understand."
Iria tilted her head again, her index finger resting against her cheek.
Seojin stared at her.
'...That reaction.'
She looked genuinely puzzled and didn't recognize the word.
He had suspected something because she looked so much like the cashier, but this reaction made him reconsider.
"Forget it."
He shrugged.
"I see your nonsense seems to have no end, my lord."
Iria returned to her usual composure.
"Mm. I almost forgot. The Vice Commander requested that I notify him immediately once you recovered. He should be waiting for you by now."
"That brick-wall knight?"
"A peculiar description, but accurate enough. He came with an elderly man."
"...An old man?!"
He immediately looked up.
"It seems so. He had a little capybara sitting atop his head. It was quite adorable."
"Adorable...?"
He stood.
Before losing consciousness in the forest, he had heard the old man claim the capybara was his pet.
The whole thing was absurd, especially since his death was approaching.
Still, the mention of the Vice Commander eased some of his concerns.
"Lead the way."
He headed for the door.
"I am afraid I cannot tag along. I must clean up the breakfast first. However, I have already requested a knight as an escort"
Iria gave a polite bow.
"He should be waiting outside."
"..."
"..."
"Aight."
Seojin stepped out.
Creak.
The door closed.
The dining room fell silent.
Iria remained where she stood. She didn't move, nor did she speak a single word.
Instead, her hands tightened around the half-filled cup of tea. Ripples spread across the surface as amber light seeped between her fingers.
Slowly, the tea darkened.
Cracka!
The cup shattered.
Tea spilled onto the floor, mixing with the blood dripping from her wounded palms.
Iria didn't react.
Her gaze remained fixed on the closed door.
"...You idiot."