Chapter 5

Duke's heir, Cain Elgrandeur, wakes up early in the morning.

Two hours before breakfast, he gets up and goes jogging along the perimeter of the estate. He started this when he was five, and at first, he could barely make half a lap, but now at six, he can manage about ten laps. One lap is roughly one kilometer, so it's a vast estate.

When he was first spotted by a knight patrolling the grounds, he almost got stopped, but he ignored them and kept running. Eventually, the knight started running alongside him. They became friends, and the knight began teaching him self-defense techniques, footwork, and how to dodge attacks. Now, even though the knight is about twice his height, Cain can knock him down and pin him if he finds an opening. He hasn't been taught how to handle weapons yet because he's still small and lacks the strength.

Cain Elgrandeur's body was exceptional. As one of the target characters in a dating sim, it's no wonder. The more he studied, the more his knowledge grew, and he could feel his thinking becoming clearer. He did some preliminary and review work, but once he learned something, it stuck and he never forgot it. In terms of physical activity, he could feel his stamina building up the more he ran, and he quickly mastered the body movements he learned from the knight.

It was very interesting to see the results of his efforts. He often thought that if he had this brain during his university entrance exams in his previous life, but he shook his head to clear those thoughts, as that was in the past.

Today, he started his run as usual after a light warm-up. His father was leaving the estate early in the morning, so the familiar knight was busy with the gate and farewell, and Cain was running alone.

Huffing and puffing, he could only hear his own breathing and the chirping of birds in the quiet morning. Just as he reached the back of the estate, opposite the main gate, he heard a heavy thud from behind.

Had a cat fallen from the wall, or had someone thrown some trash over? Maybe it was the old gardener who had fallen. Cain stopped and turned around.

There, a boy dressed entirely in black, with his face covered by a hood, lay on the ground.

Cain stopped, took a deep breath to steady his breathing, and approached. The boy staggered to his feet, leaning on the wall and trying to walk.

Cain walked up and tripped the boy, causing him to fall. He then straddled the boy and pulled off the hood.

"...Irvalec..."

When Cain whispered the name, the boy's shoulders trembled, and he glared at Cain with red eyes.

Irvalec was one of the target characters and an assassin. The assassin route was the most tragic scenario, where not only Dianah but all the other target characters died. Cain tried to recall the scenario as he straddled Irvalec and looked up to the upper left to organize his thoughts.

(I remember, the protagonist and Irvalec met when they were young. The protagonist found Irvalec after a failed assassination attempt and took care of him. Irvalec lived a harsh life, relying only on the memory of the protagonist's kindness, and they met again at the magic academy, where his love became twisted...)

Cain shifted his gaze back to Irvalec's face. Despite his young appearance, it was definitely Irvalec from the game's event stills. Red hair, red eyes, and a well-defined face, though he looked pale now.

"Are you hurt?"

"..."

Cain asked, but Irvalec didn't answer. He kept his gaze fixed on Cain, as if looking away would mean losing.

(Ah... Maybe if I hadn't found him, he would have dragged himself to the protagonist's house...)

If he let Irvalec go, the protagonist would have a childhood memory with him. Since the assassin route was the worst, Cain was determined to prevent it.

"Hey, are you hungry?"

"..."

Sighing at Irvalec's silence, Cain stood up and moved off him. Irvalec, now free, lunged at him, but Cain, trained by the knight, easily dodged and threw him to the ground.

"Oof!"

Cain lifted Irvalec's arm and dropped his knee on his shoulder, causing him to cry out.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Sorry, I just dislocated your shoulder. I'll put it back later."

Cain lifted Irvalec's other arm and slung it over his shoulder, dragging him back to the estate. Taking advantage of the reduced staff due to his father's departure, Cain brought Irvalec to his room, stripped him of his all-black assassin's outfit, and dressed him in the most inconspicuous clothes from his own wardrobe. Irvalec, sweating from his injuries and the dislocated shoulder, was laid on the sofa. Cain rang a bell to call a servant and explained that he had found a boy collapsed outside the back gate and brought him in to help, as it was a noble's duty to assist those in need.

The servant relayed the message to a maid, who then told the steward, who informed Cain's mother. She called a doctor, who treated Irvalec for a broken leg, minor cuts, bruises on his back, and a dislocated shoulder, and left with instructions to rest.

"Why did you help me..."

Irvalec glared and asked. His voice was still that of a young boy, though in the game, he had a deeper, more attractive voice. Cain, who had a preference for young boys in his previous life, tried to maintain a serious face.

"Helping those in need is a noble's duty."

Irvalec was now lying on Cain's bed. Cain and his mother had agreed to discuss what to do with him once his father returned. The game didn't specify who Irvalec had failed to assassinate, but it was known that Irvalec, raised as an assassin from a young age, had no qualms about killing until he met the protagonist's kindness. This encounter caused him to struggle with his actions until their reunion, by which time he was mentally broken and determined to kill everyone except the protagonist to be alone with her.

"Have you heard the saying, 'Kindness is never wasted'? It means that when you are kind to others, it comes back to you."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Cain leaned in to speak to Irvalec.

"I helped you because, in the end, it will help me."

"I don't understand..."

"It's okay if you don't understand. For now, just go to sleep. We'll have dinner together when you wake up."

With that, Cain covered Irvalec's eyes with one hand. With his eyes forced shut, Irvalec soon fell into a deep sleep.