Maru had now tried opening his eyes. What he was greeted by however was an extravagant roof. Something that you would not be able to see if you were a commoner.

“Where am I?” he wondered.

He tried talking, but couldn’t open his mouth. 

He then tried moving his hands, which he couldn’t do either.

He had now given up. A few hours later, a person entered his room. He looked like a butler with his formal get-up. He had long blonde hair that reached his waist, he had green eyes but also they had a tinge of blue within them. As he was approaching maru’s bed, maru then tried moving his fingers indicating that he was awake... But, the butler then started shouting and ran from the room. Moments later, the duke had entered.

“You’re finally awake, Varkhaz.” 

‘Did he just call me Varkhaz?’ thought maru.

“Alf leave the room. I want to talk alone with my son.”

Maru’s suspicions had been crushed. The duke was referring to Maru as his son.

“Maru. I know you’re confused. Just know this: You are now Varkhaz, and focus on recovering.” He held an expressionless face. His voice was coarse.

He continued, “I will not be able to stay in the estate much longer, reveal to no one that you are Maru. If you have any doubts regarding your duties as Varkhaz ask Alf.. Err.. The butler you saw just before. Though, he doesn’t know either.” 

He made a firm face and told me, “You have to learn to be an aristocrat.”

It’s been a week since I woke up again. It seems as though I can talk to Sarah by thinking about it. Sarah told me that I was out for an entire year, and the duke has been taking care of me. I learned that Alf is a trusted servant of the duke, but I really wonder why I’m in this situation. Everybody I’ve seen thinks I’m Varkhaz: I don’t get this one bit. Have they not seen Varkhaz? What happened?

But one odd detail I’ve noticed is that for a mansion that’s owned by the duke, there was suspiciously less staff than before.

“Young master, are you awake?”

“Come in.” I had to talk to him in a formal way because he wouldn’t take it if I talked in a casual way.

“Young master, how is your body feeling, is there any pain anywhere?” He asked me while inspecting my body in various places. It seems that even though he’s a butler, he’s capable of providing emergency treatment.

“No, not really.” My body has improved quite a lot. Sarah told me that she can heal me actively because my mana regenerates much faster when I’m awake.

“Alright young master, we will serve breakfast in just a moment.” He simply stood by me.

“Okay...”

Another thing that I noticed is the food here is extremely delicious. After all this is a ducal household. Even though I’m eating lavishly, it’s only due to the people that suffer under the feet of nobles. But now... I’m one of those nobles.

All the servants, except for Alf, are cautious with me, even though I haven’t done anything.

They have to recognize the difference between me and varkhaz, shouldn’t they?

“Alf, why are you staring at me?”

“My apologies young master, you were in deep-thought, so I was wondering about what you were thinking about.”

Honestly, I wonder what... Or rather, ‘who’ I am. I need to know what Varkhaz did here. I can’t understand.

“Alf, what happened to me?”

“Young master...” He made a reluctant and regretful face.

“Alf, it’s ok if you don’t want to tell me.” 

“No... Young master, will you allow me to be honest?” He asked me with a stern face.

Honest? Is he asking me whether he can openly talk to me?

“Go ahead.”

“Young master, you were a monster.” His face turned plain, and his eyes contained animosity towards me.

“Monster?”

“Yes.” 

“I don’t really remember anything.. So, if you could explain to me properly, that would be nice.”

“Yes, young master.” And suddenly his face turned back to normal. I could see the light return to his eyes and he smiled at me once more.

- Alf -

Varkhaz wasn’t an ordinary child. From what I have heard from my father, Varkhaz was born normal, but soon was inflicted with a curse. It wasn’t something that could be cured using normal means. Of course the duke family has lots of assets, but even they couldn’t cure Varkhaz with the curse. They had to accept his inevitable death.

“Young master, when you were younger... you had been cursed, which meant that most of your life was in this house. However...” I bit my lips. 

I thought ‘If only my father hadn’t done that...’

“However?”

“You were consumed by the curse... Young master...” 

Varkhaz, he never meant to do those things... But that demonic spirit... It made him do it.

“Alf, if this is hard for you to say, it’s fine not to say.” 

“Alf, in the end, I’m locked together with my sins.” 

I see. ‘He’ who is now my master, is indeed worth serving. I must serve ‘you’. You, who were at the verge of death, managed to survive and accepted taking on the mantle of Varkhaz.

| Alf, are you sure? |

I am, Araenia. I must serve this man.

This man is deserving of my respect. And so, he must know the ‘truth’.

“Young master, I must say this... As soon as you were born, you were inflicted with a curse that would eat your soul away. And in eighteen years, you would have died. Yet, when the master turned fifteen: you were suddenly cured. But, soon after that; you did horrific acts that I can’t state, even if I wanted to. Soon after the duke returned, he found your body in a terrible state in a village.”

“However your curse has been cured which is why you look different to how you looked before.”

“I see.”

- Maru -

“Alf... I’d like to think about things. Could you please go outside..?”

I don’t know what to think of anything anymore... But I know I don’t have a choice to live as Maru anymore. Maru died along with his village that day. Maru is no more. The moment that a commoner is revealed to have magic, he will be executed. And I’m no exception. If Varkhaz was controlled and he truly had no say in what he did, it’s only right that I right his wrongs and become the person that he had to be.