...
*creak*

Jacob reentered the room an hour later, after having informed the lady of the young master’s frailty, only to be greeted by an extremely red Fate who was seemingly heaving breaths in his sleep and had blood trickling down his face from his nose.

Jacob: “O-Oh my goddess!”

The child that had appeared to be regaining normalcy a mere hour ago, was breathing heavily and exhibiting much more serious symptoms than before.

-I thought that the child being frail might’ve been myself trying to excuse the chef or mere superstition, but this is much more serious than superstition! I must get the lady and priest!

Jacob dashed out once again, but far more frantically than last time! The other servants were very confused as to what could have happened in the child’s room that could make him take such a pace through the manor?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can still feel the burning sensation in my nose!

-What the hell was that liquid and why did it turn into a sentient cloud of pepper?!

I tried to open my eyes earlier, but I can’t seem to pull myself out of the trance! I can only hope that there isn’t anything wrong with my body!

-Maybe there’s still something I need to do in order to wake up from this pain, but what?! The only thing I can think of that caused this reaction is the mist!

It’s possible that only one with a natural or acquired skill can absorb the substance without any repercussions. If that’s so, then I can’t process that on my own! It might be possible to just spread it through my body until it’s so spread out that it won’t be able to affect me like this…!

-I can’t think of any other way, otherwise, I’ll be stuck with all this mist clogging my nose till I die of pain!

I try focusing on the mist, but it’s already inside my body and I have no way to control it. Instead, I’ll just try moving my body around and see if gravity still applies to this thing!

I shift focus to the individual parts of my body, moving its joints and limbs like those of a mannequin or stick figure.

-First, move knees into a sitting position. Second, stimulate one knee joint and then its attached leg outward a bit. Third, prop the leg up and push from the knee until standing!

It looks like it’s working, but now the substance seems to have started spreading from my nose to my chest when I breathed. So now the pain has gotten to my chest and is still in my nose, but is only slightly more bearable…

-This...f*cking hurts...!

I slowly stretch from side to side, angling my limbs and chest upwards and downwards to spread the mist. From chest to arms, to lower torso, and then to my legs! I can feel the pain lessening a bit more and a new feeling of power begins to flow through me…

-It still hurts, but a lot less. But what is this new feeling that makes me feel like I could take over the world?!

『【Magic】has increased by 0.05!』

The feeling becomes more and more clear, as it feels like body is filling with a burning strength! However, just as quickly as it appeared, it very soon vanished into the recesses of my body, leaving behind a feeling of overwhelming emptiness.

-I guess that black stuff I sucked in during that trance state was actually mana! Though to get what little I did from that sphere and still suffer like that, just shows how weak my body is…

Still, now that the ‘mana’ has been processed, I should hopefully be able to wake up now.

-.........

Fate: “Ug...ag.hhhh…..”

???: “Hahhh, he’s awake!”

-...What?

Jacob: “You’ve done it, priest!”

-...Jacob and….

It looks like a man in a large white cloak, covered in runes and a large crescent on the cloak’s chest area. From what Jacob just said, this man is some sort of priest, presumably some kind of healer for the family.

???: “I’m glad that I was able to make it in time, but a near-death experience just a day after being born...what exactly happened?”

-Near-death experience, then all the pain I felt wasn’t just in my head...

Jacob: “We’re unsure as to how it occurred, but he started to burn up last night and an hour after I left to fetch more towels, he had a large nosebleed.”

-You went... to fetch towels? Then how come it took you that long to get back and notice that?!

‘Priest’: “And all this occurred within the span of a few hours before you contacted me?”

Jacob: “That is unfortunately correct…”

Jacob turns his head toward me slightly, with a dejected expression on his face.

-Is he genuinely sad that I was sick or is he just imagining some sort of hellish nightmare that would ensue if he lost his job?

*clack*

-I hear something…

Jacob: “M-my lady!”

‘Priest’: “Lady Agatha, rest assured that your child is…!”

I see my mother, this noblewoman they refer to as ‘Lady Agatha.’ Her cold glare shifts from Jacob and the priest to me, but she doesn’t seem to have any concern in her eyes at all.

-If she really doesn’t give a sh*t, then why is she here?

I keep trying to close my eyes or look away, but Mother’s gaze keeps drawing my eyes back in her direction.

-This feels awkward as hell. Also, why does it seem like her eyes are glowing?

Her gaze is piercing blue, with her eyes almost seeming to glow. It’s like she’s trying to stare into our soul…

-Wait...this feels...familiar…

I could’ve sworn that this was the exact same feeling I had with Jacob when he served me dinner last night.

-Does this mean both of them possess some sort of ability that can exert this sort of pressure to the exact same extent? Or does it mean that mother somehow shared her gaze with Jacob with some sort of illusion magic?

Her gaze seems to grow more intense as she gazes at the area around my nose, perhaps doubting if the events Jacob lived through were true.

Agatha: “I see, well you have done your service well, priest. Both for myself and my child, I thank you most sincerely.”

She speaks elegantly, but her voice is almost monotone.

-Honestly, it’d be difficult to tell my mother apart from a computer if they both looked the same.

Priest: “Y-yes, lady Agatha. It is truly an honor to have served one who has garnered the blessings of our esteemed goddess, Luna!”

-This guy might be new around noble families...or the ‘blessings’ he mentioned make her an important enough individual that not showing respect would be insane. Then again, it might just be that priests have low standing in this world...still, Luna?

Given the name, Luna, and that symbol of a crescent moon on the priest’s garb would make her the Goddess of the Moon, though I’m not sure what kind of powers would be associated with her.

-Maybe a crescent-slash attack or the power to control the tides? No, wait...that second one sounds like something a water god would be used for, so probably not.

Agatha: “Now, please return to your work. You are a very important member of our family and carry the blessings of our goddess, just as I do.”

The priest seems to almost tear up when hearing those words, before promptly proceeding down the hall at a brisk pace.

Agatha: “...Do you really not know the reason for its condition? Having to treat it as a loved child is a chore I would not wish to repeat.”

Mother’s glare shifts from myself, to Jacob. Finally, giving myself some breathing room from the pressure of her gaze.

-Seriously, what ‘skill’ is that?! Is it something like【Bloodlust】or 【Intimidation】? Again, I don’t know the skills so I can’t be sure, but unless that gaze runs in the family that has to be a skill of some sort!

Jacob: “No, my lady. I did see a loose plank on the side of the crib, but even if the young master moved it, it wouldn’t explain these sudden symptoms.”

Mother shifts her gaze back and forth between me and the side of the crib, where I shifted that plank out of the way. With that gaze of hers, I can’t even come close to guessing what’s running through her mind.

Agatha: “Well, it appears that it did indeed push it out of the way, but strained itself trying to occupy time after dinner and ended up in its previous state. Though, you were right in suggesting that its frailty was one of the inciting factors of the incident…”

-What the hell! How the f*ck did she figure it out, to that degree?!

The more important question being, if she knows we moved the plank and were occupying time, how much does she know and how does she know it? This is either instincts, insight, or some skill...or a bit of all of the above.

Jacob: “But our…*'cough'*... 'experiment’... was not the cause?”

Agatha: “No, my servant. Now, have the carpenter fix that and reinforce the crib...probably better to nail it to the floor as well. Make sure it does not have us waste our generous blessings received from the those in Luna's clergy.”

Mother, turns around, facing away from Jacob and myself.

Jacob: “By your command, my lady.”

Both Jacob and mother proceed out of the room, with Jacob taking a separate corridor, presumably to get the carpenter.

*creak*

The door creaks shut behind them and I finally relax my posture.

-Her gaze is wicked, her eyes are clear blue, she doesn’t recognize me as her child, and her statements are painfully true. Just who is my mother? Will my father be the same way? Will they just adopt a child or have another to spite me?

I can feel my mood plummeting further and further with every second. But my mood and how happy I am are moot concerns right now since they’re going to be reinforcing the crib so I can’t get out.

-Seriously, why did this have to happen? I just managed to get my hands on mana and I've had to suffer through the worst aches I've had in a long time, and "Mother" has become even more suspicious of me to the point where she's basically trying to lock me in bed!

If I’m restricted to the crib, then the only thing I can do is try to find a new way out or...go fishing around in that void for mana that my body has to suffer to absorb.

-I probably need more HP before I can try something like that again. Come to think of it, if mana can harm the body then are all adept magic-casters in this world buff? Then again, I can imagine situations where people willingly let their bodies be consumed by mana and other forces to advance their research, powers, and even their lifespans.

But lifespan increases are usually the territory of alchemists in most stories, like Nicholas Flamel with the philosopher’s stone.

-Damn, I miss Harry Potter books. Then again, I prefer ‘Sorcerer's Stone’ to ‘Philosopher’s Stone.’ Alliteration just works. And come to think of it, what path should pursue? Alchemist, wizard, sorcerer, warrior? I guess it only matters what choices I actually get if any.

I don't know what mechanisms or laws, jobs operate under in this world. They’re probably requirement based though.

-Come to think of it, I don’t even know the specific differences between a sorcerer and a wizard. I think sorcerers had a greater affinity with artificial substances and wizards were more in tune with nature or something?

Regardless, I need to improve my endurance and by extension, my HP. Otherwise, I won’t even be able to handle the mana necessary to even think about becoming a wizard!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Sigh*

It was yet another problem for the lady of the house, Agatha Schneider. This time it was that her child, who she didn’t even recognize as her own, had gotten severely sick and nearly died.

-I didn’t even think to check its stats while I was trying to check the condition of its soul. With this, that child has cost me another favor to our goddess, Luna.

Agatha: “That ungrateful little brat…”

-It has not inherited my blessings from the Goddess...It has not inherited any of my love's splendor...It has only inherited some of my beauty and even then found a way to be disgusting! I cannot see through it...and it's blood, it smells foul! It is pale, sickly, and wears the most disgusting expressions no matter what it does....

The more she thought about, the more confused she was. After all, was a child who could not be seen through with the blessing of their parent’s god common or even rare? No, it was normally impossible unless the marriage had been cursed or one of the spouses untrue.

Agatha: *sigh* “If I can’t control it, then I will be mocked as some sort of incompetent harlot for the rest of my days, by the noble ladies of the other houses.”

Indeed, it did not matter if one understood their child perfectly, but if they could not even control them and their lives then it, at least to Agatha, was a sign of incompetence. Neither noble society nor reality would be kind to her if she proved unable to control her own child.

-I must make use of it, however, as I do not wish to make a fool of my beloved nor of Luna, or myself! I shall do what is necessary to break it, and if it does note prove useful...dispose of it, regardless of how much of my beloved's blood it bears!

She walked away with a blackened expression, and the echoing curses towards her own child ringing through her mind...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Unknown to Fate, his own mother was cursing him so much that it might be mistaken for a satanic ceremony, elsewhere in the mansion.

-I guess I can just not try looking for an opening…

Logically speaking, if the crib is bolted to the floor it won’t creak as much and I’ll be able to exercise in the crib, without much trouble.

『【Wisdom】has increased by 0.1!』

-I guess I was only getting out of the crib before because it felt cramped and if I was working out, it would creak a lot. Now one of the cons will be gone and...I really don’t want to see mother here, again. It always feels like she’s going to kill me every time she looks at me.

I still haven’t figured out whether it’s a skill or if she just has those eyes naturally. If her eyes are natural, there’s a chance I’ll inherit them.

-Those eyes would be cool looking, but people would always run away or fear me everywhere I go. I admit that scaring people is fun, but I won’t make friends or gain allies if I have the scariest face in the world!

If I don’t have allies then I won’t have anyone to help me when the reincarnators come and if I don’t have friends I’ll die alone…

-Wait...since when did I acknowledge the quest to kill the reincarnators? Then again, I think I do want to kill them so...if our goals coincide, I’ll side with the ‘Witch.’

Well, I feel like I’ve thought this through for long enough and clearly, the wisdom stat agrees with my thinking.

-But I guess I’ll have one last stretch outside the crib since I don’t have to worry about being spotted, now that they already know.

I crawled over to the loose plank, moved it out of the way, and lowered myself to the floor.

-Now, what’s the best exercise to raise my body’s endurance?

Push-ups? No, that would be helpful for strength, but I want enough endurance to handle magic. Planking? No, I feel that might be helpful but I might just get tired and smack my face into the floor again.

-Let’s just do sit-ups.

-Sit-ups increase core strength and exercise tears and repairs muscle-fibers. So this should do for a simple exercise. Plus it’s just sitting up, but with like...30% more effort, at least in my book.

I laid down on the floor and began the process of sitting up with my hands behind my head, for cushioning.

Fate: “Guuu…h!

-One!

Fate: “G..uuuu...h!

-Two!

Fate: “G..g..uuuuu...h!!”

-Th..ree!

Fate: “G-g..guuu..uuh!”

-F...fou..r!

『【Endurance】has increased by 0.1!』

-I am not going to stop until I’ve reached the bottleneck for endurance!

If I can just get the bottleneck, then break past it while in the bed it’ll save me the effort of getting back after!

Fate: “G-g..g-g..uuu..uuuuuuu..hh!!”

-F-f..iv...e-e!

Fate: “Gu...a..ggg.hhhh!!!”

-S-si..x…!!

『【Endurance】has increased by 0.1!』

I can feel the sweat beads flowing down my forehead, which means this is all I should do for now. After all, going past the limit with this body might summon mother through some terrifying means.

-I really don’t want to have a fever again…Plus, it’ll be more comfortable once I’m exercising in my bed.

I pull myself up with a bit of difficulty, into my crib. I even left the plank as it was since I’m already labeled a problem-child and the plank is already loose.

Fate: *yawn*

-Time to take a nap and wait for my muscles to heal and for the carpenter to get here.

…………………………………

Fate: “G...uuu..hhhh…”

*creak*

Fate: “Uguhhhhhahhh…”

-Did...somebody…

*yawn*

I see a well-built man with a bushy beard, though he’s...smaller than I thought he’d be…

-Is he a dwarf? I was wondering when I would be able to see a fantasy race, like a beast-person or a spirit, but lo and behold the first fantasy race I met was a dwarf.

I guess dwarves are some of the best craftsmen in novels and anime but aren’t they usually blacksmiths and not carpenters? I see Jacob approach from the doorway, leading another man. The new man is skinny and elderly, like Jacob, but he has more of a refined feel to him.

Jacob: “So this is the crib I informed you about. Mr. Doyle, please grab the young master and the mattress and remove them from the nearby area. Mr. Nevil, please inspect the crib and plan all necessary repairs and additions to ensure the young master’s safety.”

Doyle & Nevil: “Yes sir.”

-So this ‘Mr. Nevil,' is the carpenter, but what is ‘Doyle’ doing here? Is he some sort of assistant since ‘Mr. Nevil' appears to be quite old or does he serve another purpose.

Doyle: “...”

Fate: “!”

Without me realizing, Doyle has popped myself and my mattress out of the crib and walks over to the other end of the room, before lowering the mattress back down.

-Ughhh...I officially managed to find a way to create simple roller coasters for babies...eat your heart out...six flags…!

I feel sick, but it seems I was proven wrong in regards to my internal statement of ‘this might be the last time I get out.’

Doyle laughs at me a bit, then goes over to help ‘Mr. Nevil’ look at my crib. So, I might as well take a nap while I wait for them to get it over with…

*yawn*

------------------------------------------------------

Doyle: “Hey, Nev.”

Nevil: “Doyle, please keep your actions professional. We are here to do a service for the Schneider household, even if it is small.”

Doyle: “Settle down, you old geezer. I was just laughing because he’s so tiny!”

Nevil: “Aren’t all babies small? They grow as they age and there’s no interference from nature most of the time...except for you.”

Doyle was particularly stung by this comment, for he had long been tormented due to the fact that he was shorter than many dwarves his age. Most, if not every dwarf and human of his generation had long surpassed his height and left him feeling inferior and bitter.

Doyle: “You’re right...but at this stage in life, I can take pleasure in knowing that I’m taller than them and that they should look up at me like a mighty king!”

-He’s really having an ego trip at the thought of having someone smaller around, isn’t he?

Nevil contemplated this for a moment, considering that the only reason Doyle volunteered to help him was to get the joy of being taller than someone, even if that someone was a noble’s child and several decades younger than himself.