Chapter 112: Illegitimate Child

Chapter 112: Illegitimate Child

He was born, and he cried.

The young child’s world was very small. Before knowledge accumulated and his awareness expanded, there was only one person in his universe: his mother.

In a shabby, dust-filled room, his mother breastfed him through a dry cough. She was the sole provider of food from the world beyond the door.

In his innocence, young Envers reveled in the boundless love his mother provided. She was the only person in the world who truly cared for him.

As he grew older and began to understand the world, new concepts emerged. And, among them, a new perspective on the six warm letters.

A mother who is ignored even by a servant.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

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Envers’ mother educated him with books that the servant threw at them. His eyes were blue, as deep and expansive as the sky. From words like that, he learned.

He was a member of the Duke of Redburn family, born with noble blood.

The nobles had a high status, and the Duke, in particular, was among the most respected figures in the world. So, he had to be a noble person worthy of his blood.

He learned how to fold clothes and do laundry.

He found out that apple peels were good for removing oil and dirt.

The time spent learning with his mother was fun. His world expanded, and he was introduced to even more concepts: status, power, authority, bloodline⋯⋯.

Though he had never seen his father’s face, Envers had vague expectations. The other half that made him, his father. What kind of person would he be, and how would he show his love to Envers?

He hoped that, just like in the storybooks, his father would turn out to be a respectable noble leading others.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

Young Envers also had other questions. If Duke Redburn was such a respectable nobleman, then his wife, Envers’s mother, should also be a noblewoman.

So why was a servant wearing more luxurious clothes than his mother?

Why did this servant look down on his mother while still addressing her with honorifics? Why would he open his eyes wide as if he couldn’t hear anything even though he did?

These were questions that Envers had no way of answering at the time.

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The year when Envers turned 10 years old.

The servant said that it was finally time to meet his father.

Envers first saw his father in a grand bedroom full of red light and shrouded in pink smoke. Nude women laid scattered on a large bed, with vacant eyes.

His father was shaking his back without stopping, even in front of his young son.

It was a scene more revolting and terrifying than sexual. No one felt any pleasure or joy; instead, they all swayed together with stiff, wax-like expressions.

There was neither love nor lust. It was similar to a pit of snakes writhing chaotically against each other.

When Envers asked what he was doing, his father answered briefly with the splashing sound of water, "Mating." This place was a farm where babies were produced. As if a person was just an animal.

“Take him and educate him.”

That was all it took. Envers was hauled away with his arms tightly grabbed.

come to understand. There was no need for further displays of affection beyond feeding chickens and chicks. After all, they were merely animals.

Envers and his mother must have been the same to his father, Duke Redburn.

His mother would have been tossed about like a broken doll in that bed. The thought made him feel sick. He felt that something, that a lot of things were wrong.

A servant dragged Envers to a mansion filled with boys who looked strikingly similar. He instinctively knew they were his brothers.

This was the house of illegitimate children.

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[Redburn Secret Document: Metamorphosis Induction Plan]n n

This procedure is carried out on growing children whose cognitive development is not yet fully established.

1) Inflict lasting trauma to control growth direction

2) Implement brainwashing techniques to evoke specific emotions

The goal is to induce and artificially manifest Metamorphosis with targeted effects.

The desired Metamorphosis was as follows: Prioritize those with enhanced abilities / killing power for Dark Wizards, Succubi, and Wizards.

nn

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Had they been in a normal household, they might have been good brothers.

But soon, a harsh winter descended upon the house of the illegitimate children. For the Duke, it was the harvest season. One morning, the instructor announced:

“You'll be taking the final test. Everyone will fight each other. If you win first place in the battle, you will be the glorious right hand of Duke Redburn, and other incompetent losers will be⋯⋯"

The instructor's unfinished statement sparked a lot of imagination.

As the competition grew fiercer, jealousy turned into hatred. The boys, who had learned that dedicating themselves to the Redburn family was their sole purpose in life, were determined not to be 'incompetent losers.

Was it the same for Roderus, or did he have another motive?

One day, he whispered to Envers.

"⋯⋯⋯ Peasant, I’ve discovered how to use Mana. I'm only telling you this. But since it's a one-time use only, never use it unless absolutely necessary."

Roderus taught him a flawed method to harness Mana. Though imperfect, Envers still believed in him.

Envers thought: If I reach the finals, wouldn't he select both of us if I draw with Roderus? If he must choose only one, concessions could be made.

After all, Roderus had said he would make him the right hand’s right hand.

“Euk, aaaack⋯⋯!!”

In the long-awaited final test, Envers collapsed, vomiting blood due to the improper mana usage.

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He never learned what happened to Roderus after that. Envers only knew what happened to himself.

After a period of recovery, Envers realized his body had been ruined. His ability to sense and manipulate Mana was distorted. The family doctor diagnosed that ‘this boy will never achieve Tuning or Fill.’

Envers' talent had been severely damaged.

He was labeled 'unselected chaff'—a fool who had ruined his body by trying to use Mana recklessly in pursuit of victory.

The scornful glances that once fell on his mother now also turned to Envers.

But it was all right. It was fine. If he tried, he would somehow be able to become a soldier of the family. Or he could study hard and devote himself by using his brain.

So, even if he was ignored, he was fine as long as he could be with his mother. He had been separated from her for a year already, after all.

When Envers was discharged from the hospital, he looked for his mother. But her room was empty. Grabbing a passing servant, he learned she had been kicked out.

Saying that the mother who gave birth to a chaff is not worth being served.

"⋯⋯⋯⋯."

He stood motionless for nearly a day, like a dead man.

The other brothers who had been eliminated with him vanished somewhere, and when he inquired about them, he received the same monotonous answer, ‘They’re working for the house,’ as if from a machine

Even when he asked where his mother had gone, they claimed to not know anything the moment she left the mansion's main gate.

They had no intention to spend their time and effort on chaff.

Then.

Then, if he somehow became strong, reached Metamorphosis, and achieved Sublimation. If he became fucking 'useful'. Then he would be able to bring his mother back.

Everyone who had despised Envers would see him again, and he would be able to confront Big Brother Roderus... and ask if he really had to do that.

When he was old enough, he applied for admission to the Academy and got through.

He grabbed anything—swords, spears, daggers, sticks—and trained relentlessly. He stayed up all night, pushing himself to exhaustion. He didn’t care whether the Crazy Wizard who entered the Academy made a disturbance or not.

He focused solely on becoming stronger.

But on nights with a clear moon, he often looked up at the sky and reminisced about the past. Of Roderus, his brother, sharing cookies with him while gazing at the same moon.

"⋯⋯⋯⋯."

He was overwhelmed by a mixture of hatred, longing, sadness, betrayal, and all kinds of emotions.

Had Roderus become the right hand of Duke Redburn, wielding a rapier for the family? Did the lie that deceived him⋯⋯ really mean that much?

How would he be doing?

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“What the⋯⋯?!”

One morning, when Roderus Redburn woke up from an uncomfortable dream...

He realized that he had transformed into a beautiful /genesisforsaken