Chapter 3. I'll Just Die. No, I'll Be Killed!

"Oh, look at our young master! How well he eats and speaks these days!"

Seeing how well he was eating the food given by the nanny, she was once again overwhelmed with emotion and couldn't stop praising Lucas.

"Do you remember? The count was very worried about what was wrong with such a young master Lucas."

"Indeed. He even tried to bring a priest from the temple..."

The nanny's eyes reddened as she recalled that time.

'What a bunch of nonsense.'

But as he sat there quietly eating, his anger began to rise again.

It was as if he had opened his mouth to save these people's money, and they kept urging him to speak again, as if to confirm whether it was a coincidence.

When he threw a few words at them, the people were so delighted that something warm stirred in his heart.

I always thought humans were such deceitful beings, but seeing them smile, cry, and rejoice at the slightest gesture, it didn't match the humans I had seen over the many years.

But now he was getting used to it, and it was quite entertaining to watch their reactions.

"Yay~ All done!"

The nanny's eyes crinkled as she held up the empty bowl and smiled brightly.

'Yeah, I know. All eaten!'

Lucas, as always, tried to hold back the words that were about to burst out.

***

Now, his movements were becoming more natural.

In fact, he had grown a total of ten teeth, including his lower ones.

Whenever he felt frustrated, he tried to bite his tongue to death, but he didn't have the strength to bite through his plump tongue in one go.

Holding the nanny's hand and walking in the garden, the expressions of the servants in the count's mansion were quite a sight.

Just taking a step, they let out a chorus of "Wow~" and even clapped their hands, each adding their own comment.

"Look at our young master! Isn't he a fine figure?"

"Indeed! Look at that jet-black hair. It's like finely woven black silk."

"Hehe, you're right. And his eyes! His pitch-black eyes are so mysterious!"

They didn't forget to heap all sorts of flowery compliments on his hair and eye color.

'What a bunch of fools. Just wait until my jaw grows strong. I'll just die.'

His mind was filled with all sorts of curses, but he couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face.

Hearing their praises and seeing them laugh at the slightest gesture, he didn't feel too bad.

In reality, he was just a baby, holding the nanny's hand and taking small steps in the garden.

***

"Haa... Haa..."

Lucas's face was flushed as he panted heavily.

Beside him, a line of people stood, not knowing what to do.

"Count...! What should we do? The young master's fever isn't going down at all."

"Has the person sent to call the doctor returned yet? Is he still not here?"

"He left an hour ago, so he should be riding back now."

The count, pacing anxiously around the room, kept looking out the window.

"Black... My dear, this is all my fault."

"What are you saying! Don't say such ridiculous things!"

Standing beside her, Blaine, who was crying, raised her voice, and Sibye embraced her tightly.

"I should have paid more attention... I should have..."

"You did nothing wrong. The doctor will be here soon... Our Lucas will be fine."

His hand, holding her shoulder, trembled slightly.

A tear formed in the corner of the child's eye, who was breathing heavily.

'What a bunch of fools. Why is my heart so heavy? Am I going to die like this...?'

He had thought that if his teeth grew in soon, he would just die, but a hint of regret bloomed in his heart.

'If I die like this... It feels a bit unfair...'

But before he could finish his thoughts, he fainted from the high fever.

***

When Lucas opened his eyes the next morning, his body felt much lighter.

Looking around, he saw his parents, with red eyes, leaning against a chair near the crib, fast asleep.

A nanny and a maid were taking turns wiping his body.

The doctor had already been and gone, and a medicine bowl and wet towels were placed nearby.

"Young master?"

At the nanny's voice, his parents, who had been dozing off, jumped up from their seats.

"Lucas? Lucas!"

"Our baby... Our baby..."

Lucas didn't mind the hands that kept touching his cheeks and forehead.

Seeing Lucas's improved condition, they let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Black... I'm so relieved."

Tears welled up in Blaine's eyes, as if she hadn't cried enough yet.

"Our Lucas is a strong child, Blaine."

Sibye's eyes were also red as he patted her shoulder.

'...I thought I was going to die.'

Although he thought this, the warm feeling in his heart wasn't entirely unpleasant.

***

Five years had passed.

At this age, not being able to speak had no real meaning.

His teeth were almost all grown, and he had developed the jaw strength to bite his tongue, yet he still stayed in this house and continued his life.

'A hundred years is like a moment. After this life, I have to live a tedious eternity in the annoying heaven anyway...'

At first, he rationalized that he couldn't die because he lacked the strength, but now that he had the strength to hold a knife, such excuses no longer worked on him.

So, he decided to live this momentary life.

"Our young master is so well-mannered!"

"..."

He hardly spoke and had never done any of the mischievous things that other boys his age did, so people around him praised him for his gentle nature.

In reality, he was holding back from speaking because he feared that all sorts of curses would come out once he opened his mouth.

'What a bunch of annoying humans... Just wait until I grow up!'

Human growth was so slow that even at five years old, his steps were still not perfect.

He went out for a walk every day to practice.

'What's that?'

While the nanny was preparing snacks under a tree, something caught Lucas's eye.

He walked cautiously towards it, bent down, and examined it closely.

'A mana stone? An artifact?'

The red gem in front of him was not well-crafted, but the energy it emitted was not that of an ordinary stone.

He hesitated for a moment, extending his hand.

'What if it's cursed?'

But the thought was fleeting, as his innate desire for gems, being a dragon, couldn't be suppressed.

'...!'

The moment he held the gem in his small hand, he instinctively felt it.

'Mana... Mana is being generated...!'

***

After carefully putting the gem in his pocket and returning to his room, Lucas began to try to control the mana.

He knew that even a tiny grain of mana could be grown through training, though it couldn't exceed the capacity he was born with.

But the mana that had already formed in his body was proof that his five thousand years of dragon life were not in vain.

After a few months, he had managed to form a 3rd Circle of mana in his body, and one corner of his mouth curled up.

In reality, it was just a smirk from a five-year-old.

'With this, I can probably create a small flame.'

Although it was a 3rd Circle, it was a significant achievement that a human couldn't achieve in a short time.

It was the result of training with all the knowledge he possessed.

'Hmm... How much magic do humans use these days...'

A question a magical creature like a dragon had never considered.

Even when he visited the human world for leisure, he had never met a human magician better than a dragon, and even the best magician in the world, the continent, had only reached the 7th or 8th Circle.

'The last proper leisure trip I had... Yeah, it was five hundred years ago.'

While gathering and dispersing mana, he recalled his last proper leisure trip five hundred years ago.

Since then, he had only occasionally visited the human world for short trips, but not a proper one.

His brow furrowed slightly as he sat there, lost in thought.

"Oh, what are you thinking so deeply, young master? You're so cute."

The nanny, who had come in while he was lost in thought, stroked his cheek.

"No, I'm not thinking about anything."

The nanny's smile widened as she kissed his forehead.

'What a bunch of fools. How long do I have to keep this up!'

Every time he answered with his imperfect pronunciation, Lucas felt a small sense of shame.

Seeing his cheeks turn red from shame, the nanny kissed his forehead again and left the room.

***

He turned ten.

Lucas, who had decided not to end this tedious life, had a new plan.

He decided to help his parents, who cherished him so much.

By listening to their conversations, he had a rough idea of where he was, how the country was run, and how they ended up in this situation.

After the previous emperor died of illness, the illegitimate second prince killed the legitimate first prince and became the emperor.

It was something that could happen in any country.

But his parents, who held their beliefs, refused the second prince's offer to protect the legitimate first prince, and as a result, they were exiled to this remote area, far from the capital.

Lucas planned to punish the emperor, who had unjustly exiled his innocent parents, at some point.

5th Circle. It was the result of his hard training since he obtained mana.

Magicians were rare, and it was said that from the 4th Circle, they were treated with great respect...

If he revealed his power now, it might have the opposite effect.

A 5th Circle achieved by a ten-year-old human would be hard for anyone to believe.

'When will a human body fully grow? Seventeen? Eighteen?'

After thinking for a while, Lucas headed to the garden.

Now that he was bigger, the nanny didn't follow him everywhere.

But if he disappeared from the count's mansion, someone would chase after him immediately.

So, the garden was the best place to have some freedom.

"Our young master often gets lost in thought."

"Yeah, what does he think so deeply with that little head? He's so cute!"

How could mere humans understand what was going on in that little human's mind?

No matter what he did or where he went, he couldn't escape the unconditional love in their eyes.

'Since I'm in this situation... I might as well live properly...'

***

At that moment, a figure passing by the count's mansion had a glint in his eye.

'There seems to be a magician here...'

The magical power he felt from the shabby mansion in this rural area was not ordinary.

'Hmm... 4th Circle? No, at least 5th Circle.'

He dismounted at the entrance of the count's mansion.

"Who are you?"

Even a shabby mansion had the necessary staff.

The two guards at the front of the mansion were old and wouldn't be able to do much if someone attacked, but their hands on their sword hilts were firm.

"I'm just a passerby..."

As he finished speaking, he took something out of his pocket.

The shining emblem on the round badge proved he was a royal magician.

"W-What for..."

Magicians were rare and treated with great respect wherever they went.

They were more valuable than any noble.

The guards' expressions softened when they saw the emblem, and he gave them a friendly smile.

"I want to meet the owner of this place."

One of the guards called someone to relay the message, and soon the tightly closed door of the count's mansion opened.