<strong>Trantor – Zimming</strong>


    <span>Isaac strode into the study room with chocte cake topped with whip cream in his hand.


    <span>‘I’m so excited!’


    <span>I’ve had a lot of idents with adults these days, so I’ve been hungry all the time.


    <span>“Hmph, I didn’t leave it for you. Just….It’s just that I don’t really like sweets.”


    <span>“Isyac, I enjoyed the sugaw byead you gawe me the othew day.” (<span>Isaac, I enjoyed the sugar bread you gave me the other day.)


    <span>“I, I won’t like you even if youpliment me!”


    <span>His ear reddened as he rushed into the study room. Henry only nced at me before heading for the door without saying much.


    <span>I went in tow to the study room where they were sitting. I sat down and scrutinised Henry from head to toe.


    <span>‘I don’t think there’s any aftereffects.’


    <span>I took a bite of the cake, and my mouth let out an unintentional gasp.


    <span>What is this vour?


    <span>‘It’s so delicious!’


    <span>It was different from all the cake I had eaten so far.


    <span>The refreshing whip cream that didn’t feel too overpowering or buttery when put in one’s mouth.


    <span>The cake was very moist and fluffy with velvet-like chocte inside it.


    <span>The perfect cake melted gently in my mouth as soon as it touched the tongue.


    <span>‘They say the patissier from the west wing owns the hands of God. It’s not just a rumor after all.’


    <span>I was really impressed by the taste of the cake. This was the first time I’ve ever tasted the cake from the west wing. I usually frequent the east hall, where the VIPs usually stayed.


    <span>With both of my hands encasing my cheeks, I said, “Wow, wow!”


    <span>Isaac smiled when he saw me.


    <span>“Is it that delicious?”


    <span>‘When I was a beggar, I’ve starved for more than five days. To soothe the hunger, I would imagine myself eating a delicious chocte cake.’


    <span>The taste was full of warmth that it reminded me of my previous life where I suffered through countless hard times.


    <span>“Thwank you so much….” (<span>Thank you so much….)


    <span>“No, you don’t have to thank me that much.”


    <span>Isaac was rather embarrassed and rolled his eyes as a reply.


    <span>“Would you like to eat the chocte cake <span>tomorrow morning<span> as well?”


    <span>“You’we the best!” (<span>You’re the best!)


    <span>“I’ll give it to you in the evening, too.”


    <span>“You’we so cool!” (<span>You’re so cool!)


    <span>“Oh, I can’t help it. I’ll give it to you <span>the day after tomorrow<span> too.”


    <span>“You’we the gweatest!” (<span>You’re the greatest!)


    <span>Isaac grinned from my empty praises.


    <span>From the sidelines, Henry stared at us as if we’re a pair of clowns.


    <span>***


    <span>Henry and Isaac continued with their homework, as I painted quietly beside them.


    <span>At dusk the maids came to the study room to look for me, but when they saw me with the siblings, they simply smiled and went back.


    <span>I was just trying to spend some time with my siblings.


    <span>Without us realizing, the bright day was reced by the night sky.


    <span>‘Sleepy….’


    <span>Isaac is dozing off too….


    <span>I pinched my cheek to wake myself from the drowsiness.


    <span>“Go to sleep if you’re sleepy.”


    <span>Henry said with his eyes fixed on the book.


    <span>I wish I could go, but I couldn’t leave Henry alone in the castle with Teramore.


    <span>“It’s owkay. Not sleepy.” (<span>It’s okay. Not sleepy.)


    <span>“You’re lying.”


    <span>“….I’ll go wash my face.”


    <span>I jumped off the chair, then whispered to Isaac, who was dozing off.


    <span>I left the study only after I saw Isaac nodding his head with lethargy.


    <span>‘I’m so sleepy’


    <span>My body seemed to be protesting for a quick rest.


    <span>I dragged my body to the washroom with a grumble, but before I could go in a rough hand dragged me away from the entrance.


    <span>‘Ahh!’


    <span>‘Teramore!’


    <span>Before I could react, Teramore had dragged me into a dim room near the washroom. He closed the door, then turned slowly towards me. Teramore’s mouth curled up into a wicked sneer as his eyes set on me.


    <span>“Why? You thought I’d only go after Henry?”


    <span>“I’m not like Henly, if you touch me, it’ll be weveald.” (I<span>’m not like Henry, if you touch me, it’ll be revealed.)


    <span>“You don’t need your hands to make people suffer.”


    <span>Teramore took something out of his pocket.


    <span>Blue Spinel!


    <span>That’s a special instrument used as a sacred tool to extract divine power. The clearer the color, the more extraction can be done.


    <span>Of course, Blue Spinel is considered a precious treasure in the market, but none of the divine power’s wielders have the same line of thought.


    <span>Extracting divine power would drive the wielder crazy, or in the worst case, they might die.


    <span>A normal child like me would lose my mind even with any Spinel.


    <span>‘I rather die and reborn once more, than getting tortured with that Spinel.’


    <span>Teramore approached me, muttering in a low voice.


    <span>“It’s 30 years. Things that I’ve been working on for 30 years have copsed. Just because of a four year old kid!”


    <span>Madness began to cloud his eyes.


    <span>In the evening, the vassals moved out of the study unexpectedly, and they seemed to have been kicked out of their teacher’s seat.


    <span>“Don’te or I’ll scweam.” (<span>Don’te or I’ll scream.)


    <span>“Try it. Let’s see if a person wille faster or you will lose your divine power first.”


    <span>Out of sudden, the door opened. We turned our heads and saw Henry’s figure run in.


    <span>“Let her go.”


    <span>Teramore looked at Henry with a sly smile.


    <span>“You know it is rude to interrupt people, right? I guess you arecking in educationtely.”


    <span>Henry clenched his eyes shut and rushed blindly towards Teramore’s direction.


    <span>Teramore, however, was unbothered as if Henry’s arrival was an insignificant change to his n.


    <span>There was nothing to be afraid of because the genius couldn’t even fight off his trauma.


    <span>But he made a blunder, Henry’s purpose wasn’t to attack him.


    <span>The child instead reached out for the Blue Spinel and threw it into one of the furnitures’ narrow openings.


    <span>“You son of a bitch….!”


    <span>Out of anger, Teramore tried to hit Henry, but I hung tightly onto Teramore’s arms with all my weight.


    <span>“Don’t twouch Henly!” (<span>Don’t touch Henry!)


    <span>He roughly threw me to the floor and raised his hand at Henry once more.


    <span>Then–


    <span>Boom—!!


    <span>The door burst open and a tremendous wave of mana rushed toward Teramore.


    <span>The mana knocked Teramore out to the floor, “Aggghhh!—“


    <span>His scream echoed through the room.


    <span>When I saw him, his arms were twisted to a horrifying angle.


    <span>I quickly turned my head away towards the door.


    <span>Dubbled was standing in front of the entrance. Coldness and anger was radiating off him.


    <span>“Si-sir”


    <span>The duke’s cold eyes swept over me and Henry, who was lying on the floor.


    <span>Teramore tried to get up and looked at the duke. He looked flustered, the dukeing to the room and putting an end to his n, wasn’t part of his calction.


    <span>‘Fool, do you think I would walk around alone after the event?’


    <span>I had expected that Teramore would n some underhand tricks. So to counter whatever Teremore’s had in his hand, I had asked Isaac to call the Duke before I left the study!


    <span>I stayed in the study room untilte at night, but it wasn’t just to protect Henry.


    <span>Turned out I was right, tonight Teramore really did act.


    <span>The Duke came in with Isyac, Nos, and the maids, including Leah, in tow.


    <span>Before I left, I had asked Isyac to call the Duke, nevertheless considering the possibility he wouldn’te, I requested for the maids toe as well.


    <span>“What…….what is happening here….!”


    <span>Leah’s face darkened as she saw the situation in the room.


    <span>‘I’m d you guys have a good timing.’


    <span>With this, no one would dare toy their hands on Henry anymore.


    <span>“Si-sir, this…..so this….! Li-li-listen to me first please.”


    <span>Teramore begged, but the duke didn’t heed his plea.


    <span>Nos rubbed his brow off, a deep frown was spread across his forehead. The senate’s member mistreated a duke’s child. It was a major incident, if the news went out there would be a huge uproar.


    <span>‘In the worst case scenario, there would be civil war?’


    <span>There’s no way he could just let it pass.


    <span>Lea, my maids and Nos, red at Teramore’s sprawling figure.


    <span>The duke walked with heavy steps toward Teramore.


    <span>Teramore tried to scoot back, while cradling his deformed, twisted arm. However, with no support he couldn’t get there and feel down instead, “Thud….!”


    <span>The dark red blood was constantly flowing, bursting out from his open wounds.


    <span>“Your, your excellency…, I, I, I’m not…. It’s all part of the education!”


    <span>The Duke trampled on his already mangled hand as Teramore looked up with an imploring face.


    <span>“Henry.”


    <span>“……”


    <span>“Tell me what happened.”


    <span>He seemed to have noticed that Teramore’s assault wasn’t only once or twice. Teramore’s hand that was going to hit Henry, was raised fixedly, out of habits.


    <span>Henry, who was clenching his trousers tightly, gulped.


    <span>Heavy silence followed for some time, but he kept his silence.


    <span>Only after the Duke once again called out his name, “Henry!”, did he open his mouth.


    <span>“It’s no big deal.”


    <span>“That’s for me to judge.”


    <span>The duke’s eyes were dark. His cold stare made everyone in the room shivered in fear.


    <span>Even I, the innocent bystander was afraid, the guilty Teramore was naturally terrified out of his wits.


    <span>“Yo-Your Excellency, you are mistaken. It’s a misunderstanding. Let me exin. So, this one,….!”


    <span>The duke twisted Teramore’s hand. Teramore painful screams could be heard throughout the residence.


    <span>Wha….


    <span>I stared unblinking with my jaw cked open.


    <span>It’s the first time for me to see divine power’s judgement being used.


    <span>When I heard it, I thought it was a little scary, but the reality was far from what I had imagined.


    <span>It’s a lot of pressure, like a tight squeeze to the lungs.


    <span>If I hadn’t suffered from the Pope’s divine power in my past life, I would’ve been knocked out cold.’


    <span>Henry, who was getting paler, clenched his teeth. Then he said casually.


    <span>“It was just a p in the face.”


    <span>“Little? It’s violence.”


    <span>Henry bited his lips and continues.


    <span>“It’s an opportunity to take on Teramore’s weaknesses. When I be an adult, I am going to use this information to my advantage.”


    <span>“….”


    <span> Only


    <span>“So it’s no big deal–“


    <span>The Duke strode and grabbed Henry’s wrist.


    <span>“Ugh!”


    <span>His wide sleeve slid down his slender arm, revealing a purple bruise.