…

*Shouting*

-Uhhhh...what the hell is this?

It had been seven months since Fate had been moved to the back, east-wing of the manor. The one who had brought him food all this time was a young maid with dark-brown hair and glasses. His meals were still the same, flavorless nutrient jel and he was given three of these a day.

-The food’s usually here before I even open my eyes or when I turn around so what’s with all the noise outside? It can’t just be that woman out there, but I’ve never met anyone else in this wing…

Fate got up from his small bed on the floor, which was made up of several blankets and some wooden pallets. When he had gotten to this room, his bed had just been a couple of blankets laid out on the floor, making this room look like a prison cell. His room only had a few other effects which were a pile of empty nutrient-jel jars which the servants never came back for, the remains of some old wooden crates and planks, and ropes that were strung around what appeared to be a pulley which was connected to large curtains. It was likely that there was a window, but the ropes kept Fate from being able to open the curtains given his current height.

Fate: *Yawn*

-I can think of a few reasons for this kind of commotion to happen in a remote section like this, but the most likely one should be happening one or two months later...Could Mother’s new baby...my new sibling, be earlier than expected?

He had been moved a few days after his mother’s pregnancy had been announced and it had only been seven months since then. A healthy baby, if born on time, should be born within nine months unless something went wrong.

-Then again, I can’t apply the common medical knowledge of a homeschool slacker, who wasn’t interested in anything but novels, to this situation. I’m in a world of magic and fantasy, so something like an early birth shouldn’t be that unexpected I guess…

Fate walked to the door, shivering slightly with every step.

-I really wish that I could somehow heat this floor…

The room was surprisingly cold, compared to the rest of the mansion at least. Fate pressed his ear to the door, carefully listening for anything that could fill in his gap in knowledge.

???: “I heard…*mutter*...it’s early!”

-I didn’t rule out the possibility that it was.

???: “To think that she had two children…*mutter*...the Goddess smiles upon her indeed!”

???: “Ignorant cow, the lady said that it is never to be referred to as her…*whisper*child*whisper*!”

-So she’s disavowed me already? I suppose given that she had another child...Father must not have been caring with his...illicit actions...I got shoved to the wind because Mother is a human rabbit, hooray…”

???: “Quickly, put the food in its room before it wakes up! We need to get to the…*mutter* to catch a glimpse of our future…*mutter*!”

-Oh crap!

Fate quickly took his ear away from the door and made a mad dash towards his bed. Barely having enough time to get back under the first blanket and get in place before the brown-haired woman entered the room.

???: “...I could’ve sworn that I heard...Oh well, I’ll just leave this here for when...it wakes up…!”

???: “Hurry!!!”

???: “Shhhh!”

Fate peeked an eye out from under the covers and saw the brown-haired woman in front of his bed with the jel and a plump, older woman next to the doorway.

???: “It’s awake!”

???: “Quick, run! Whatever disease it has, the lady said it’s deadly and that we’re not to go near it at all costs!!!”

The younger woman quickly darted out of the room, bumping into the older one, before the older woman retreated from the doorway and slammed the door shut.

-So she told all the servants that I harbor a disease? The way they were talking, made this ‘disease’ sound like ‘Black Death,’ just how much hyperbole did Mother use when describing this ‘disease’ I’m supposed to have contracted? I’ve been here for quite a while and have seen very few people, but I thought she just told them not to be near me, not that I had a dangerous disease…

Fate: *Sigh* “Guess I know now…”

Fate’s speech, though articulated, was still childish sounding in pitch. Regardless, it now seemed apparent that Agatha would do whatever it took to keep Fate out of her life.

Fate: “Journal, Status Page.”

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

• Name: Fate
• HP: 54.52/54.52
• MP: 7.55/7.55
• Level: 0
• Race: Human
• Age: 1 year-old(1 year, 8 months (19+ years old)))
• Job: None
• Previous Jobs: None
• Titles: 【Familiar of Fate】

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

• Stats:
  • Strength: 6.79
  • Endurance: 12.0
  • Wisdom: 4.5
  • Intelligence: 5.01
  • Stamina: 8.997
  • Agility: 7.83
  • Fortune: 1.0
  • Magic: 3.273

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

• Passive Skills:『Balance (Lv.2)』
• Active Skills: None
• Unique Skills: None
• Equipment: Fate’s Journal(Soul-bound)

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

-Damn, my 【Endurance】has stagnated these last few months. There’s nothing to lift here and I can’t get the servants to bring in anything, not only because it would look weird, but also because they think I’m some sort of human personification of disease!

In the last three months, barely any progress had been made, as Fate had none of the ‘resources’ he would require were within his grasp.

-I just need to make something heavy!

…….

Issac: “Come on, my love! Breathe!!!”

Agatha: *Grunts* “AGGHHhHH!!!”

Issac: “Priest, is my beloved going to be alright?! Answer me now!!!”

The priest, who had visited Fate last year, was constantly emitting a soothing glow. However, they looked extremely tired and distressed.

Priest: “My lord, rest…*grunts*...assured! I will make sure...she is...safe and that *grunts*...her child is born without...worry!!!”

Jacob: “My lord, please leave the room!”

Issac: “I am your lord, how dare you speak back to me…!”

Jacob hurriedly shoved his lordship out of the small room and blocked the door.

Agatha: “AGGGHHHhhGHH!!! M-My...y child shall be...BOrN...blessed by the...AGHHHH...Goddess herself!!! HA HA HA HA AHA HA HA HA HAAAA HAAA!!!!!!”

Agatha cackled madly, but it was masked by the door, making it sound from the other side as if she was still just screaming. This was why Jacob had forced Issac out of the room, for fear that he would simply treat her as if she were going insane.

Jacob: “My lady, push!!!”

Agatha: “AGGHHHHGHHHH!!!”

Agatha had stopped writhing in agony and a new sound resounded throughout the small room and down the hall.

“Waaaaaahhhh!!!”

It was the cry of the second son of the Schneider Household. The priest seemingly collapsed, Jacob took it upon himself to carry the baby to his Ladyship’s arms and to open the door to let his Lord back in.

Issac: “Goddess be praised...he’s beautiful…”

Agatha cradled the newborn in her arms as if this child was the most precious thing in the world to her. Issac made a face that seemed thankful, but at the same time, jealous. Agatha held the newborn close to her head and began to whisper in its ear.

Agatha: “You are...my first true child...Blessed be the Goddess…Curse the filth that came before you…”

Issac: “My Agate?”

Issac now looked worried, as it seemed that she would not look away from the child. It was normal for a parent to care a great deal about their own child when it was just born, but this level seemed abnormal.

Agatha: “I shall name you...Atlas…”

Issac: “My love, couldn’t we wait to pick names late ...hmm?...My Agate?”

Agatha had passed out, holding the child in her arms. Jacob stood in the corner as lord hugged his child and wife, an odd expression passing across his face before fading.

Jacob: "I suppose the lord shall care more about this child than he did the last..."

…….

-Done!

Fate had been working for the last few hours on a ‘weight,’ which took the form of a wooden plank that had empty jars strung to it, using some bits of the ropes that Fate had managed to bite through.

-Seriously, it took a long time to chew through that rope! Still though, what I needed for my training, I managed to make in a few hours...I couldn’t do it before because the servants might hear it...So I guess I should be thankful to my new sibling.

With his new ‘pseudo-dumbbell’ constructed, Fate resumed his training.