Each day, each minute, and each second is hell.
Even breathing, eating, drinking water, and blinking are unbearable.
It’s painful.
I want to die, but I don’t even have the courage to do so.
I have no talent, no strength left to uphold my family, and yet, this wretched, persistent life refuses to let me end it myself.
“……Young Master.”
Hearing the voice of my butler, Argento, I blankly turned my dazed, unfocused eyes toward him.
It’s unbearable.
Even after losing my parents, even after my fiancée left me…
Even after everything I had was taken from me, the world still isn’t satisfied.
It opens its greedy maw, as if demanding every last piece of me.
As if telling me to surrender everything,
It opens its mouth.
A gaping, black abyss.
“……Uncle is here?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
But in truth, the world isn’t actually that cruel.
To be honest, the world doesn’t care about us in the slightest.
It simply watches from the sidelines, indifferent to whatever may happen.
All the malice in the world stems from people.
It was only too late that I realized—
That human malice spreads from one person to another.
“What… what do you mean?”
Luen blankly stared at his uncle, Calcento, and asked again.
Calcento Phil Kalbrandt.
The younger brother of Hamel Phil Kalbrandt, the current head of the family.
He, too, was born with a decent level of magical talent,
but he was always overshadowed by his older brother, Hamel.
Even before Hamel became the family head, Calcento had already known that he would never inherit the position.
No, he knew that he couldn’t.
His older brother was far more talented than he was—a once-in-a-lifetime genius beyond compare.
Calcento knew full well that he could never surpass his brother, neither in talent nor in character.
So he left the family.
Everyone knew that his decision was the right one.
The moment Hamel Phil Kalbrandt took over as the head, he began to fully blossom into his magical potential.
Thanks to him, the Kalbrandt family solidified its standing as a renowned house of magic.
There wasn’t a single person in the empire who didn’t know that the Kalbrandt name had become one of the top three magical families largely because of Hamel.
And now—
With Hamel Phil Kalbrandt and his wife, Luana Hilent…
No, now Luana Phil Kalbrandt—dead in an accident,
And with the revelation that Luen Phil Kalbrandt possessed no magical talent,
After decades away, Calcento had finally returned to the Kalbrandt estate.
“It’s exactly as I said. The Kalbrandt family is in grave danger.”
With a gentle smile, Calcento gazed down at the young and helpless Luen, his voice calm and low.
“The brother once hailed as a genius has died in an unfortunate accident,
and your sister-in-law followed soon after. And now, rumors have begun spreading in high society…
that you, Luen, have no magical talent.”
“That…”
It was undeniable.
With trembling eyes, Luen looked at the man before him.
Despite having left the Kalbrandt family, his uncle seemed to have been living comfortably, his face plump and well-fed—
The complete opposite of his father, Hamel.
“So, what I’m saying is, I will lead the Kalbrandt family until you are old enough to take over.”
Luen already knew.
At this rate, the Kalbrandt family was bound to collapse.
No matter how prestigious the title of a Marquess in the Empire might be, the true foundation of the Kalbrandt family was its reputation as a house of magic.
The mere fact that Luen himself lacked magical talent was enough to shake that foundation.
Of course, the legacy of Kalbrandt was not so fragile as to crumble easily, but still—Luen couldn’t help but feel afraid.
Two hundred years.
His ancestors, including his father, had spent centuries building the Kalbrandt legacy.
And yet, he feared that it could all come crashing down because of him.
He didn’t know how his uncle, who had never once sent word before, had somehow arrived at just the right moment—just when he was worrying about the future.
But right now, in front of him stood a family member he could rely on.
And so, he was about to accept Calcento’s offer.
“J-just… please give me a little time to think.”
But he couldn’t bring himself to grasp his uncle’s outstretched hand.
It wasn’t just the fact that Calcento hadn’t even shown his face at Hamel and Luana’s funeral.
There was something else—something he couldn’t quite explain,
a lingering unease he could feel in his very bones.
Behind that kind, benevolent smile Calcento wore, Luen couldn’t shake the feeling that a snake lay hidden, its mouth greedily open.
For now, Luen was still the official head of the Kalbrandt family.
Even if he was unfit to lead a house of magic, he was still the rightful heir recognized by the Empire.
Even if he were to entrust his position to someone else temporarily, it couldn’t be done without his consent.
Calcento, knowing this, simply maintained his gentle smile and accepted Luen’s words.
With a nod, he stepped back.
Luen let out a small breath and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“…Father, Mother… what am I supposed to do now?”
His parents had always been there to answer his questions, to guide him whenever he was lost.
But now, they were gone.
And so, all he could do was wrap his arms around his trembling shoulders
and let out a deep sigh.
The malice of mankind—
It is darker than any abyss, deeper than any swamp, stickier than any emotion.
Until now, Luen had been sheltered in the warmth of his parents’ protection.
He had been raised in safety, surrounded by their love.
Those who harbored jealousy or resentment toward him had never even been able to come close.
Because of that, he had never once faced true malice directly.
Only now did he realize—
That he had been nothing more than a delicate flower, growing inside a greenhouse.
And now, the walls that had once protected him had been shattered.
The greenhouse had collapsed.
For the first time in his life—
Luen was standing face to face with the malice of mankind.
“Aaaaaaaahhh!!”
Beneath the brilliantly glowing moon—
On this deep, dark night, where the shadows should have only served to make the stars shine brighter—
A wretched scream echoed through the mansion.
Luen could do nothing but stand there, his eyes shaking, staring silently ahead.
“Protect the young master!!”
“You bastard!!”
The high-pitched clang of clashing steel rang through the night, accompanied by the agonized screams of those struck down.
Though the night was dark, the dazzling bursts of magic illuminating the mansion made his head throb.
“……!!”
“Aaargh!!! My leg…!!”
Luen could do nothing but tremble violently.
Because he was afraid.
He had never before seen someone die right before his eyes.
The screams, the bright red blood—everything about it was terrifying to him.
But also—
Because he was furious.
The ones who had been left to him—the loyal servants who had cared for him, the knights who had sworn allegiance to the Kalbrandt family—
They were all being slaughtered by someone’s malice.
By someone’s greed.
The rage burning inside him was overwhelming, beyond his control.
And yet—
Because he was drowning in self-loathing.
Even in a moment like this, he was powerless.
His weak, useless body disgusted him.
A world that gave him no talent, yet took everything from him—it was unbearable.
And the fact that he was even thinking like this—
Made him loathe himself even more.
“Why… Why…!!”
Luen screamed in despair.
A blazing fireball shot towards him.
But as if expecting it, Argento, who stood by his side, swiftly drew his sword and struck it down.
In a low, steady voice, he called out to him.
“Young Master.”
“…Ah, Argento.”
“You must flee.”
The knights of a Marquis family were both loyal and powerful.
The Marquis’s forces could never be weak.
If this had been a simple raid, the situation would never have spiraled this far out of control.
But this was not just a raid.
This was treason—
A rebellion orchestrated by Calcento Phil Kalbrandt to steal the position of head of the Kalbrandt Marquisate.
His people had already infiltrated the mansion.
Among the knights, there were those who had secretly sworn allegiance to Calcento.
And now, those who had abandoned the crumbling Kalbrandt family—who had betrayed Luen—were appearing one after another.
One by one, the loyal knights who had vowed to protect Luen fell, their deaths too swift, too meaningless.
For now, they were barely holding back the enemy using magic—
But Argento knew all too well that it wouldn’t last much longer.
“Argento…?”
“Young Master, you must live and bide your time. That is the only way to reclaim Kalbrandt.”
For over two hundred years, Argento’s family had faithfully served the Kalbrandt household.
And for the sake of its rightful heir—
Argento was prepared to lay down his life.
“B-but…!!”
“Young Master.”
Beyond the glint of his glasses, Argento’s deep brown eyes darkened with unwavering determination.
Seeing this, Luen instinctively fell silent.
He had no choice but to listen.
“Never forget this. You are Kalbrandt’s last hope.”
“And never forget—that greedy Calcento is the one who murdered the Lord and Lady.”
Everything had been part of Calcento’s scheme.
Ever since leaving the family, he had been carefully, meticulously planting his people within Kalbrandt.
All to take it for himself.
Why had the carriage’s wheel broken, when it should have been in perfect condition?
Because one of Calcento’s men had sabotaged it.
Why had Hamel and Luana been unable to use magic to save themselves when they fell from the cliff?
Because one of Calcento’s maids had poisoned them with a toxin that prevented mana from circulating in their bodies.
There were only two ways to transfer the title of head of the family.
One—Luen willingly relinquishes his position and steps down.
And the other—
“Hand over your life willingly, Luen Phil Kalbrandt!!!”
Luen dies—
Leaving the title vacant for Calcento to claim.
[To be continued…]