**Chapter 3**
—
The most influential noble at present, and the man responsible for the southern region of the Empire—Count Dormund.
Rumors that his delinquent son had been blinded in one eye sent shockwaves through the Imperial capital.
“They say Count Dormund’s son, young master Bill, got beaten up?”
“What? *That* Count Dormund’s son was beaten up?”
“Who on earth would dare lay a hand on the son of the Dormund family?”
It was only natural that attention turned toward the incident.
Count Dormund’s infamous son, Bill Dormund, was notorious even among the worst of the noble brats.
So when the gossip-hungry press and nobles scrambled to uncover the source of the rumor, an unexpected name surfaced.
“They say it was the young master of the Duke of Bayern.”
“The young master of House Bayern?”
“Wait… doesn’t the Bayern heir have a disability?”
“…You’re telling me that the mute Bayern boy beat up Bill Dormund?”
Everyone tilted their heads in disbelief.
And who could blame them?
How could a mute boy, who couldn’t even speak properly, have possibly turned Bill Dormund into a one-eyed man?
As wild speculation and twisted theories ran rampant—
Yonnel, with a smirk tugging at her lips, looked at her son.
“…Thanks to my son, I’ve finally gotten the better of that Count Dormund—even if it’s just through rumor.”
“Huh? What did Oppa do that made you beat that scary man, Mom?”
“Pft. Irene, how many times have I told you he’s not scary?”
“Ehh… But *he* is scary.”
Irene Bayern, Arthur’s little sister, chimed in to the conversation.
Yonnel laughed at her daughter’s response.
Arthur, seated beside her, smiled as well.
‘She’s still as cute as ever, Irene.’
If there was one good thing about returning to the past, it was getting to share meals with his family again.
‘These are the moments I’ve longed for the most… But I won’t get to enjoy them for long.’
Despite returning to the past, nothing had changed.
The House of Bayern was still on the brink of collapse, and betrayal festered both within and outside its walls.
‘If I don’t act, the house will be destroyed again.’
And for a noble who’s lost their house, only two fates remain: death, or a shame worse than death.
Naturally, Arthur had no intention of standing by and letting that happen.
Not only would he prevent that future, but if possible, he intended to kill every last one of those responsible.
‘The surest way to eliminate future threats is to cut them off at the root.’
And among those threats, the most dangerous one was—ironically—right beside him.
Sebastian.
Having reached that conclusion, Arthur raised his voice.
“More steak please, Mr. Butlerrr!”
Sebastian flinched, startled from his thoughts.
But he quickly composed himself and, a beat late, complied with Arthur’s request.
Arthur, watching Sebastian closely, murmured to himself:
‘Cain Dormund… One of the key players in the downfall of House Bayern. If he tries to retaliate over this incident, it’ll definitely be through Sebastian…’
The problem now was: how to eliminate this man.
Just as he was pondering that question and lifting his knife to cut his steak—
Yonnel rose from her seat and came over to his side.
“My son, let Mama cut it for you.”
“Okaay!”
“You need to eat well so you can get better. From the way you fought, if you recover from your illness, you might become a great knight one day.”
Everyone at the table burst into laughter at her playful words.
Everyone except Sebastian.
Watching the scene, Arthur suddenly called out.
“Mom!”
“Yes?”
“I have a wish!”
“A wish?”
Yonnel’s eyes widened.
Arthur’s eyes sparkled as he made his request.
“I want to go to Lake Heinen!”
—
—
Two weeks had passed since Arthur said he wanted to go out.
“An outing, huh…”
Yonnel sighed, lost in thought as she worked through her duties as Duchess.
If it had been any ordinary child, an outing wouldn’t be something to agonize over.
It was perfectly natural for a 15-year-old boy to prefer being outdoors rather than stuck at home.
But her son, Arthur Bayern, had a disability.
He stammered when he spoke, and his intelligence lagged behind boys his age.
Because of that, even something as simple as an outing gave her great concern.
Yet at the same time, she questioned—was it really right to keep him cooped up just because he was disabled?
‘He must be suffocating… being indoors all day. And this is the first time he’s *asked* to do something.’
Arthur was a gentle child.
Whether it was because of his condition or his nature, he was innately kind and always wore a smile for everyone.
Unlike most children, he never asked for anything.
He was always too considerate of others’ feelings, always trying to accommodate them.
And now, for the first time since his disability emerged, he had made a request.
The boy who always just nodded and said “yes” had finally spoken up about something he wanted.
As his mother, denying that request would have broken her heart.
“Alright. Just an outing… And it’s only to Lake Heinen, which is nearby.”
With that decision, Yonnel allowed Arthur to go.
Preparations were made swiftly.
“My son. Be safe, alright?”
“What about you, Mom?”
“I have a lot of work to do, so I can’t go with you. But your little sister Irene will join you.”
Arthur nodded.
“Okaay! I’ll be back soon, Mama!”
“Good. Have fun. And if you need anything, tell Sebastian.”
At her signal, knights of House Bayern approached Arthur and Irene.
As if waiting for it, the luxurious limousine engine started with a hum.
*Whoooosh—*
Irene giggled with delight at the sound of the magic engine activating.
Arthur smiled as he watched her, then muttered to himself.
‘It’s finally time to make a contract with a spirit.’
A few days ago, after absorbing the bloodline powers of Bill Dormund, Arthur had gained the ability to see spirits.
But for some reason, he hadn’t been able to form a contract.
Arthur suspected the location was the issue.
‘To form a contract with a spirit, you need to be close to nature.’
That’s why he had asked his mother for a trip to Lake Heinen.
The largest lake near the Imperial capital—it should be more than enough for a spirit contract.
Thinking about his true purpose for today’s outing, Arthur looked up.
The limousine came to a stop and the door opened.
“We’re here, Oppa! Let’s go!”
Irene, excited, called out. Arthur nodded.
The attendants and knights quickly surveyed the lake’s surroundings.
Though the lake was close to the city, it was still on the outskirts.
Plenty of unpredictable things could happen.
Only after confirming the area was secure did the Bayern siblings begin their outing.
“Oppa, look! Flowers! What’s this one called?”
“Not sure… But it’s pretty.”
“Really? Should I put it in your hair?”
Arthur nodded.
Grinning, Irene gently placed the flower by his ear.
When Arthur tilted his head slightly, Irene burst into laughter.
“Oppa, you look so cute!”
Arthur beamed at her joyful laughter.
Then Irene stood and pulled at his hand.
“Let’s go over there! To the lake!”
Arthur didn’t resist.
That was the very reason they’d come here, after all.
He followed closely behind her to the water’s edge.
“Wow… This lake is so clear.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
“That’s why you wanted to come, right? Because it’s pretty?”
“Yup. That’s right.”
As they chatted, Arthur subtly dipped his hand in the water.
Noticing it, Irene shouted urgently.
“Don’t go in, Oppa! It’s dangerous!”
Though she was still young, Irene knew her brother had a disability.
She tried to stop him in case he fell into the lake—but Arthur acted first.
“It’s okay, Ireeeene.”
Irene widened her eyes as Arthur gently placed a hand on her head.
In that brief moment, he whispered to himself:
‘Is the Spirit of Water here?’
A soft invocation.
But there was no response.
So Arthur awakened the bloodline power engraved within his body.
With a strange vibration, the Bayern bloodline—now fused with the consumed Dormund power—awakened.
And once again, Arthur spoke.
‘Water Spirit, are you here? If you are, will you answer?’
A gentle ripple formed on the lake’s surface.
As Arthur’s eyes lit up at the anomaly, a small fairy-like being suddenly emerged.
\[Did you call me?]
Arthur smiled.
Not only had the spirit appeared, it had spoken. That confirmed it—the location had indeed been the issue.
Having reached that conclusion, Arthur asked the spirit:
‘Yes. Would you be willing to make a contract with me, Undine?’
Undine gave him a skeptical look.
\[…A contract? But I don’t even know your name yet.]
‘Ah! Sorry. I got too excited. That was rude of me. I apologize, Undine.’
He bowed his head deeply.
Undine’s skeptical expression began to soften.
Lifting his head again, Arthur asked once more.
‘My name is Arthur Bayern. Now will you form a contract with me?’
\[…]
Undine blinked.
Who *is* this human?
—
—
Sebastian watched the Bayern siblings splash at the water’s edge, murmuring to himself:
‘This got complicated… real complicated.’
Long ago, he had been a serf taken in by Cain Dormund, the current head of House Dormund.
But under Cain’s orders to spy on House Bayern, he had risen to become their butler—a dramatic twist of fate.
Yet due to recent events, that success now teetered on the brink of collapse.
Because Arthur Bayern, the mute boy, had thoroughly beaten Bill Dormund, the lady of the Dormund house, Kana Dormund, had made a deranged demand.
‘Let’s make that cripple a *real* cripple.’
‘Pardon? But Madam—’
‘That mute turned my son into a one-eyed freak! If we let this slide, what will the nobles in the capital think of us? We *have* to retaliate!’
Trying to calm the furious Kana was impossible.
She had even threatened consequences if Sebastian didn’t comply.
And for Sebastian, that threat was deadly serious.
Though he lived comfortably, the tightrope walk between the two houses constantly kept him on edge.
Kana’s threat had thoroughly shaken him.
‘And anyway, Cain Dormund—my true master—will cut me off the moment things go south.’
He was a man who discarded even his most loyal followers if they made a mistake. A man without blood or tears.
Expecting him to protect a double agent whose identity had been exposed? That was wishful thinking.
Staring at Arthur Bayern, now rising from the water, Sebastian thought bitterly:
‘If only you’d kept playing the cripple. If you were going to be one, you should’ve stayed one. Then this wouldn’t have spiraled out of control.’
Fingering the poison hidden in his coat, he blamed the young master’s foolishness and made up his mind.
In one week—
Arthur Bayern wouldn’t be *half* a cripple.
He would be a *real* one.
By Sebastian’s own hand.
