Chapter 13: The Lost Child [1]

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Upon his return, Louis shared what he had seen with Melisa, shocking the nuns of the orphanage. They had no idea the girl was friends with Selene at all.

“M-Melisa! How could you ever befriend that monster?”

“You disappoint me greatly…”

“Do you know how dangerous that creature is?”

“What if it ended up running inside the orphanage? Would you take responsibility for all the children who could die?”

“I-I’m sorry…” Melisa cried, lowering her head. She could not even respond as the four nuns glared down at her with anger and frustration.

“Please stop.”

Louis disliked their treatment of Melisa. She was someone he considered valuable for his goals. If she was the only person who could speak to Selene and even call her a friend, he could use Melisa’s help to calm the girl and properly recruit her.

“P-Prince Louis?”

All four nuns swallowed hard when they heard the prince’s voice. His sharp golden eyes seemed to stare straight into their souls. The atmosphere suddenly grew incredibly heavy. The faint power of his Spiral manifested, and some children noticed ashes drifting from the ceiling for no apparent reason.

“This child has done nothing wrong,” Louis said calmly. “If anything, what she has done is remarkable. Selene, that ’monster,’ is a girl who could become invaluable to the Kingdom. She possesses the potential to grow into someone capable of devastating an entire country.”

Louis knew from William’s memories exactly how powerful Selene became in the game. She was recruitable mid-game, but only if the protagonist chose the right dialogues and actions. She was a “Berserk-type” character the player usually could not control, yet her immense strength more than compensated.

Selene possessed incredible physical power, rapid regeneration from wounds, and the ability to transform into larger, evolving forms as the story progressed and friendship deepened. Naturally, as a child, she was not romanceable and served more as a little-sister or even daughter figure to the protagonist.

The more gifts—mostly delicious food—one gave her, the more Selene’s trust grew. At Level 10 Friendship, her Trust Value reached 100%, making her the only Berserk-type unit the player could fully command like any other character. She became an incredible and invaluable asset in every playthrough.

In every character tier list, Selene was always ranked S-Tier.

Thus, Louis had to secure her allegiance no matter what.

“W-What do you mean that she has done nothing wrong? But Your Majesty, didn’t she befriend that terrifying man-eating monster?”

“Selene has only killed those who threatened her life,” Louis explained, sipping his tea calmly. “Otherwise, she is harmless and constantly afraid of others. Melisa is an extraordinary child for befriending her—someone with the potential to become an invaluable ally.”

“Y-Your Majesty…” Melisa smiled, feeling a spark of hope. The prince had praised her. It felt like a dream.

Louis gave her a gentle smile, patted her head, and slipped a candy bar into her hand. “There is nothing to feel ashamed of, and nothing to apologize for either, Melisa. Would you like to come with me? Once we find Selene, will you help me recruit her? Of course, you would come with us too.”

“Wow… really?” Melisa asked in awe. “I-I don’t know what to say… I’m not really fit for something like that! I mean… I’m so grateful, I just…” She struggled to process everything.

“That’s fine. You can think it over,” Louis said. “I am willing to offer you a home in the capital with Selene if you help us find her. What’s more, we could even arrange a scholarship to the Academy that opens next year.”

“No way, Melisa, you’re so lucky!”

“Wow!”

“I’m sorry I never played with you…”

“I wish that was me right now!”

The children were amazed by what was happening. Melisa, the girl they had always ignored and discriminated against, was now being offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Even as a child, she understood that if she let this chance slip away, she might never rise above her circumstances.

“I-I accept…! I will help you find Selene, my friend,” Melisa nodded happily. “No matter what!”

“Good! Well said!” Louis nodded approvingly. “Then I welcome you as a member of my troops, Melisa—the youngest so far. Everyone, make sure she feels comfortable.”

“A-Ah, yes, Your Majesty… this is all so sudden,” Catrise muttered. “Welcome to the prince’s troops, little Melisa… At your age you really shouldn’t join as a proper fighter, but I suppose you can be an apprentice in training.”

“If you want, we’re happy to help you train with various weapons until you find the one you like best,” Fernand offered.

“Welcome, little one!” Elises smiled brightly.

“A-Ah… T-Thank you…” Melisa began to cry, overwhelmed by the sudden change in her life. “I never thought befriending her would bring so many good things… I only did it because I saw myself in her. We were both lonely and hated…”

At her words, the four nuns and even some of the children fell silent, realizing how they had treated someone with such a bright future. It was clear that once Melisa became a distinguished person in the capital, she would likely forget about them entirely—and they would have no one to blame but themselves for never showing her kindness.

“I would like to fill out the adoption papers,” Louis said, tapping the table.

“Ah, yes!”

“Right away, Your Majesty…!”

Two nuns hurried upstairs, returned with the documents, and let Louis review them. As a prince, he could bypass laws if he wished, but he chose to do things formally. Adoption required payment—not to “buy” Melisa, but to cover everything the orphanage had spent on her over the years. Louis never fully understood the logic, but he didn’t care.

As expected, the nuns raised the price considerably, yet he paid in cash without hesitation and told them to keep the change. He had earned far more from the bandit hideout raids anyway.

“From now on you are Prince Louis’s adopted daughter, Melisa. Please behave properly in the palace, all right?” one of the nuns said with a nervous smile.

“I’m so happy! Thank you so much, Prince Louis!” Melisa cheered, running to him and hugging him tightly.

“Ah…” Louis made a slightly annoyed face—he disliked physical contact—but he tolerated it. She was just a child, after all. “Yes… I’m glad too. Now you’ll help me find her, right? That was the reason I adopted you, Melisa. Never forget it.”

“I-I… of course…!” Melisa nodded, suddenly nervous under the prince’s golden gaze. “I will do anything I can to convince her…”

“Good!” Louis smiled warmly. “Sorry about all this, Aunt. But it was necessary. We truly need to recruit that girl. Her power is immense, and she’s far too dangerous to leave wild. With Melisa’s help, we can ’tame’ her and turn her into an incredible asset.”

“Huh…” Helena nodded, glancing at the girl. “Louis, are you sure about this? Taking care of a child is a big responsibility, you know?”

“Ah, she’s almost independent, aren’t you? I have plenty of servants, knights, maids, and butlers who can look after her,” Louis shrugged. He had no intention of raising her himself. “You don’t mind, right, Melisa?”

“Not at all!” Melisa nodded eagerly. “I will train hard… so I can become a knight!”

“You want to become a knight? How about a maid instead?” Catrise suggested.

“I want to become a knight to protect Selene and Prince Louis!” Melisa declared with an adorable smile.

“Aw, well, if you insist,” Catrise sighed, gently ruffling her hair.

“Haaa… you’re so impulsive, Louis,” Helena said with a worried glare.

“You may think that, but this was necessary,” Louis replied. “When an opportunity appears, you seize it immediately and worry about the details later.”

“Who even taught you that, young man?” Helena asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nobody,” Louis said with a faint smile. “It’s self-taught.”

“Anyway, Aunt, I should get some sleep. I’m quite tired. Everyone else, prepare for tomorrow. Melisa will be coming with us, so make sure she has proper equipment.”

“I’ve already sent word to the castle servants,” Catrise nodded. “They’ll bring gear fitted to her size tomorrow morning. Your father seemed quite surprised…”

“He responded?” Louis asked. “What did he say?”

“He said he wants to have a talk with you once you return…” Catrise smiled nervously.

“…Hmph,” Louis shrugged. “Whatever.”

Louis retreated to the room the nuns had prepared for him. He looked around, closed and locked the window and door, then carefully placed several Ash Runes on both. He was paranoid about nighttime assassins. Unless he took these precautions, he could never sleep comfortably.

“Watch over me while I sleep. Unless they’re a close servant or Melisa, don’t let anyone else inside,” Louis ordered.

“…”

The silver-skinned zombie could not nod, but it understood. It stood silently in front of the bed as moonlight bathed its headless body. Louis ignored the faint smell of decay. He checked his status one last time, noticing his Level had risen again from 5 to 7.

♢♢♢♢

Name: Louis Drakeheart Yggdrasil

Classification: Sinner (Dragon–Human–Anomaly)

Spiral: Hollow Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, Desecrated Soul Spiral Fragment

Tier: 9 – Flicker of Ash

Fantasy Heart: Level 7/20

Vitality: 133

Strength: 98

Intelligence: 101

Dexterity: 151

Fantasium: 1200

Fantasium Affinity: 99%

Madness Index: 61%

Bonds:

Dragon Family Bond – Mother Benladra (Level 10/10)

Friendship Bond – Mirai (Level 2/10)

Elemental Affinities:

Ash Element: A Rank

Ice Element: A Rank

Void Element: S Rank

Incarnation:

Gravewalker – Tier 9 (Growth: 77%)

Necromancer Fragment – Tier 9

Known Abilities:

Ashen Frost – Tier 9 (Growth: 81%)

Soul Enslavement Fragment – Tier 9

Potential Abilities:

Pending Spiral Resonance

♢♢♢♢

“Pending Spiral Resonance…”

Spiral Resonance could only be performed at the Sinner Academy with a special device. It helped someone with a Spiral see their Potential Abilities and how to unlock them. It didn’t reveal everything, but it showed the ones closest to being learned. Louis would have to wait until he reached the Academy.

“…Only two levels from a fight where I could have died. Definitely not worth it, but this is the only path available. How pitiful.”

Louis smiled faintly and closed his eyes, drifting into a deep, peaceful sleep. Fortunately, no one knocked or tried to enter through the window, and his dreams were calm, free of the traumas that haunted his past.

♢♢♢♢

“Prince Louis! Prince Louis! Time to wake up, Your Majesty!”

“Hm?”

Louis slowly opened his eyes. His long eyelashes and beautiful white-blonde hair made him look almost angelic as he slept. The moment he stirred, he found a little angel and a gentle giantess waiting.

“Melisa? Catrise?”

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Catrise smiled. “Did you sleep well? I didn’t expect you to rest so comfortably on these simple beds.”

“I slept just fine…” Louis sighed, his long hair falling across his face. “Hm?”

“Wow…” Melisa’s eyes sparkled like stars as she gazed at the prince’s breathtaking beauty. Even with bedhead, he was exactly as the rumors claimed—the most beautiful man in the country. “Y-Your Majesty, you’re so beautiful!”

Louis’ face showed clear disinterest. “So what do you need, Melisa?”

“Ah, nothing. I just thought she should wake you up, young master,” Catrise explained. “She was eager to see you… You may not think of yourself as her parent, but you’re the one who adopted her. She’s naturally drawn to you.”

“…Hm.” Louis’s hand moved and patted her head twice. “Good girl. Now go. I need to take a bath. Catrise, prepare the warm water.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Catrise replied with a nod.

“Um…” Melisa muttered.

“…What is it now?” Louis asked. “Do you want more candy?”

“No, it’s just…” Melisa whispered. “T-Thank you…”

“…?”

“Thank you for adopting me, Prince Louis… It really… it really means so much to me…” The girl began to cry, covering her face.

“…”

Louis stared at the tears rolling down her cheeks, his eyes showing complete indifference. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; he was simply trying to understand her emotions.

But he couldn’t.

“That’s quite all right.”

Still, he was well practiced in these situations and knew exactly how to respond, how to mask his true feelings—his emptiness.

He pulled out one of his precious handkerchiefs and gently wiped the tears from her face, offering her a soft, warm smile.

Louis wasn’t sure when he had learned to act this way. After failing to awaken as a Dragon, his life had spiraled into a bleak, emotionless void.

When his mother fell ill, it felt as though his entire being had shattered into countless pieces.

He had learned to pick up those fragments and assemble them into whatever expression, words, or emotional response the situation demanded.

Deep down, though, there was only emptiness.

Or so he liked to believe.

Yet ever since merging with William’s soul, his fractured mind had slowly begun to heal, at least to some extent.

Or rather, a second ego now existed within him that felt things Louis himself did not.

It was strange, but those foreign emotions were gradually seeping in, forcing him to experience feelings he neither wanted nor cared for.

“Are you feeling better?” For once, he let a genuine smile surface, simply because William kept nagging him to do it for the child’s sake, even if it meant nothing to the prince himself.

“Y-Yeah…” Melisa smiled through her tears. “Heheh…!” She giggled, suddenly hugging Louis and kissing his cheek. “You’re like a prince from a fairytale, Your Majesty!”

“…Hey now, don’t do that again,” Louis sighed, stepping away. “I am a prince, all right? So you should respect me as one.”

“O-Oh, I’m sorry…” Melisa apologized quickly.

“I’ll let it slide because you’re adorable,” Louis said with a small chuckle. “Have you eaten?”

“No…” she replied. “I was waiting to have breakfast with you!” Her tiny wings fluttered cutely.

“Hah…” Louis rolled his eyes. “Is it just my imagination, or is she much clingier than I expected?”

Louis groaned inwardly. He had no desire to become a babysitter. The moment this ordeal was over, he planned to leave Melisa’s upbringing to others and only see her a few times a week for training or lessons.

“But wouldn’t that be exactly how your father raised you?”

“…!”

Louis’s eyes twitched as he heard a voice—his own voice—whispering in his ear. He glanced at Melisa, who tilted her head in confusion.

“Prince?”

“…Nothing.”

He quickly opened his shadow storage, took out a few pills, and swallowed two with water, sighing deeply. Melisa noticed his gaze growing unfocused as he clenched his jaw, clearly enduring something.

“A-Are you okay? What are those pills for?”

“I told you it’s nothing! Leave me alone!”

“A-Ah! I… I’m sorry… Sniff…”

Louis waved his hand sharply, scaring the girl away. She fled downstairs in tears.

“Nngh…”

Louis clutched his head in frustration, breathing heavily.

The voices wouldn’t stop.

He had forgotten to take his pills last night because his mind had been elsewhere.

And now…

“You made that poor girl cry. What’s wrong with you?”

“You’re just like your father.”

“You’re worse than garbage.”

“Hey, buddy, how about you kill yourself and start over?”

“You can regress anyway. Why do you care so much about living each life?”

“You’re such a try-hard. You’ll never be as good as Mirai, by the way.”

“Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!!”

Louis roared in fury, kicking the bed into splinters, grabbing a piece of furniture and smashing it, then punching the wall until his knuckles left holes.

“Haaa… Haaa… Haaa…”

“Your Majesty?!”

Catrise came running at the noise, finding Louis gasping on the floor, his eyes glowing red as his distorted Aura flared wildly.

“Have you taken your pills?!”

“I… forgot last night…”

“But Prince! You know they’re necessary to keep your mind clear!”

“I already took two… It’s fine… I can… bear it… I’ve grown used to it.”

Louis forced an awkward smile, but Catrise could see nothing but madness in his eyes.

This was the curse of being a Sinner.

Every Sinner, without exception, developed some form of mental deficiency or illness.

It could appear at any age. Melisa seemed fine now, but she might awaken one at any moment.

“Do you hear voices?” Catrise asked softly. Louis continued staring at the floor.

“N-No…” he lied.

“Prince, you always make me worry so much~”

“I wish you had died~”

“I only care about your mother!”

“Ugh, why do I have to take care of such a useless prince?”

He could hear her—Catrise’s voice—whispering, speaking, screaming at him. Louis’s face twitched. He knew it wasn’t truly her, but over time the voices felt so real, so genuine.

“William! You bastard… Do something!”

As Louis screamed inwardly, a wave of different thoughts flooded his mind. For a moment, everything felt slightly clearer. Slowly, his expression became blank.

“I’m fine.”

Louis touched his face and waved a hand, revealing his calm mask once more. The sudden shift sent chills down Catrise’s spine.

“O-Okay…”

“Am I scary, Catrise?”

“…?”

Catrise looked at her young lord.

“Do I scare you?”

“No, of course not… I was just worried…”

“Hah…”

Louis offered a faint smile and walked away.

“I thought you would understand me, but… you’re the same as everyone else, right?”

“No! I… I do understand you!”

“You don’t. You were scared of me… You saw me as a monster, didn’t you?”

“No, my prince… You’re… you’re the precious child of my Goddess, Queen Benladra. I simply… I was so worried.”

“…”

Louis glanced at her and sighed. The voices were screaming, but he could now distinguish her real voice among them.

“Okay. It’s fine if you’re scared anyway…”

“I’m not scared!”

Catrise rushed forward and wrapped him in her giant arms, resting her head on his shoulder as tears fell.

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep