Chapter 10
Disappearance (2)
The disappearance of the maids was something Isaac did not know about.
The aged Jonas had only told him about major events or matters concerning the family—never about the entire household.
He likely didn’t have the time to care about such things either.
At that time, Isaac himself had been trapped in self-loathing and despair due to mana explosions.
His mind wasn’t strong yet, and he had been so consumed by self-pity that he paid no attention to others.
Still, that didn’t mean there were no clues.
“Why don’t you explain it in more detail… Bill?”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the kitchen turned cold.
The maids went pale, and the servant among them turned ashen.
“Ah… Is it uncomfortable to talk in front of so many people? Then let’s have a more… private conversation. Bill?”
“I—I mean… what I said was just… lowly people’s crude jokes…”
“I know. So come along. I’m curious to hear more.”
Bill looked at the maids with a tearful face.
But not a single one stepped in to help him or pity him.
It seemed his usual behavior hadn’t earned him much goodwill.
Isaac led him into an empty reception room and took a seat.
“Sit.”
“N-no, someone like me sitting in front of the young master…”
“Sit. Unless you want to witness the ‘true nature’ of nobility.”
Isaac spoke coldly.
Bill shut his eyes tightly.
That meant Isaac had heard everything.
With stiff movements, Bill sat across from him.
The chair, carved from fine wood and cushioned softly, should have been comfortable—but Bill fidgeted as if sitting on needles.
“Bill. Your name is Bill, correct?”
“Y-yes, th-that’s right.”
“You said three maids disappeared?”
“Y-yes.”
“What are their names?”
“Hilde, Clara, and Enette.”
“When did they go missing?”
“Th-that’s… not exact…”
“Roughly.”
“H-Hilde disappeared about two months ago, then Clara a few weeks later… and Enette vanished this past weekend after attending church.”
Bill kept his gaze lowered, unable to meet Isaac’s eyes.
What kind of gaze does a kid have like this…?
He had seen plenty of madmen, killers, and addicts in the underbelly of Bern City.
But the young master’s eyes gave him chills in a completely different way.
There was refinement in them—but also something abnormal.
If he had to describe it, it was like madness.
More than anything, the thought that this boy might explode at any moment sent a shiver down his spine.
“Do you have any idea why? Whether they disappeared, ran away, or were abducted.”
“……”
Bill glanced at Isaac, then shook his head.
“You can speak honestly. I promise you won’t be punished or thrown out for it.”
“R-really?”
“Yes.”
Isaac nodded.
“Hilde was prideful, always acting like she was some noble. Clara was… a bit loose. And Enette… well, she was just an ordinary girl. Honestly, Clara disappearing after stealing something expensive wouldn’t be surprising. But the others… they didn’t seem like the type.”
“And?”
“If there’s one common reason…”
Bill glanced at Isaac, then lowered his head again.
“…Is it me?”
“I—I mean… just look at Hans. His face was always bruised and scratched. He was always complaining… I don’t know for sure, but if he kept going like that, he wouldn’t have died peacefully—”
Bill snapped his mouth shut.
Idiot. I should slap my own mouth right now.
The one who wouldn’t die peacefully was himself.
Goosebumps rose along his arms.
The young master’s peculiar constitution… the explosions…
Among the servants, such words were practically taboo.
They might gossip among themselves for entertainment—but if the head steward heard such talk, they would be whipped on the spot.
And yet here he was, speaking of it in front of the very person concerned.
This was no different from asking to be killed.
“Bill.”
“……”
“Bill.”
“…Y-yes?”
“Do you want to live?”
“Y-yes! Please spare me! I haven’t even married or had children yet, and the priest said life is given by God—”
Isaac stared at him expressionlessly.
Bill trembled under his gaze.
Now was not the time for pride.
“Then do something for me in exchange for your life.”
“Y-yes?!”
***
Right… those were their names.
Isaac recalled the two maids he had once been close to.
One was Roza, the red-haired maid who had taken his side in the kitchen.
The other was Enette—one of the missing maids.
A blue fireball sliced through the air, circling within the room.
Creation. Compression. Compression. Phase shift.
Recently, with the addition of another mana circuit, he could increase the temperature beyond that of a red fireball while also performing phase shifts.
The blue fireball wasn’t recorded in common grimoires, so its exact class was unknown.
Considering a red fireball was 2nd class, it had to be at least 3rd class or higher.
Thanks to the Panacea left by the doctor, the expansion of his mana circuits had also accelerated.
At this rate, he would soon have five circuits.
Enette was close to Clara…
Enette had not been a talkative girl.
After Hans and even his nanny died from mana explosions, no one wanted to attend to Isaac.
Despite everyone’s objections, the only ones who volunteered were Roza and Enette.
Roza always comforted him with kind words.
Enette spoke little, but quietly remained by his side and cared for him.
One day—
Isaac had fallen into extreme despair over his unresolved condition and the people who had died because of him.
Roza’s kindness did nothing.
Even Enette, who stayed by his side, felt nothing but bothersome.
—Do you even know? Do you know what it feels like to kill someone you cared about with your own hands?!
He must have lashed out at her with words like that.
But unexpectedly, Enette—who rarely spoke about herself—answered.
—I do. I caused Clara’s death with my own hands.
—What…?
—Clara. She was my closest friend.
She didn’t explain exactly what happened.
Only that Clara had died because of her.
—If I had turned back even once… if I had reached out to her… maybe I could have saved her. Young Master, I understand your situation is special. But even without such circumstances, anyone can end up doing things they never wanted to.
Enette didn’t comfort him.
She didn’t say it was okay.
She simply stated a fact.
That even without mana explosions, people inevitably do things they regret.
They commit acts they cannot undo.
—At least once in life, everyone does. Even saints probably do. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need to believe in God so desperately.
That pessimism of hers strangely comforted Isaac.
Whether she intended it or simply spoke out of frustration at his self-pity—he didn’t know.
I should have asked her more back then…
Recalling her words, Isaac moved the blue fireball.
It traced curves, right angles, S-shapes, circles, U-shapes, spirals.
More than ninety percent of combat magic ultimately depended on its role as a projectile.
In other words, if it didn’t hit the target, it was meaningless.
That’s why the most important—and most difficult—aspect of combat magic was phase shifting.
If you could freely control phase shifts, you could strike enemies hiding behind obstacles or barriers.
Conversely, without mastery of phase shifting, even the most powerful magic would be useless against individuals or small monsters—
Unless you were willing to wipe out your allies as well.
There was no such thing as too much practice when it came to phase shifting.
“Phew.”
Isaac wiped the sweat running down his forehead.
As expected, a dull headache and slight dizziness began to set in.
His brain, which had been calculating phase shifts, had reached its limit.
Just then, he sensed someone outside the room.
Fsssh—
The blue fireball dissipated into the air.
Knock, knock—
“Young Master, it’s me. May I come in?”
It was his nanny.
“Yeah, come in.”
Isaac casually picked up a book from the desk and opened it.
“What is it? At this hour. I told you to leave before sunset.”
“My quarters are right next door anyway.”
“I told you to spend more time with Hinder.”
“He’s grown up now. He doesn’t like his mother hovering around him anymore. Seems he’s got a girl he likes in the village. Anyway, how are you feeling? Did you take the potion the physician gave you?”
“Yeah.”
As usual, the nanny checked Isaac’s condition.
Even though Isaac knew her concern didn’t truly help, he answered all her questions.
It was something to be grateful for—having someone worry about you.
He had realized that far too late in his previous life.
This time, he wouldn’t make the same mistake.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat tomorrow?”
“Apple pie.”
“Again?”
“It’s delicious. Everything you bake is.”
“Hehe, alright. Then I’ll show off my skills again.”
The nanny smiled warmly at Isaac’s praise.
“And this.”
“Hm?”
She brought her hands forward from behind her back.
In them was a wooden carving.
“What’s this?”
It wasn’t particularly well made.
It was barely shaped like a human figure, and even that was rough and uneven.
“They said it’s a knight.”
“A knight? Did Hinder make it?”
“No. Hinder isn’t good with his hands at all.”
“Then you carved it?”
Isaac tilted his head.
“No, of course not. I received it from the second young master’s nanny. She asked me to give it to you.”
“Jonas…?”
“Yes. I heard you told him not to come into your room? And you’ve been avoiding him as well. It’s already been half a month. The second young master wants to see you. He wants to play together like before. I understand the danger of the explosions, but… wouldn’t it be alright to at least meet and talk for a little while?”
The nanny asked carefully.
“……”
Isaac stared blankly at the wooden carving in his hand.
Come to think of it, he had been quite skilled with his hands as a child.
He often carved knights, horses, and dragons out of wood and gave them to Jonas as gifts.
Jonas would then make up stories like those in cheap novels and play with the figurines.
Those were nostalgic days.
He wanted to go see Jonas right away.
But Isaac couldn’t bring himself to move.
The probability of his vessel breaking and mana exploding uncontrollably was now quite low.
After surpassing four mana circuits, Isaac had begun to feel certain.
The violent flow of mana that once overwhelmed both body and mind—
It was still fast, but with the circuits branching out like a spiderweb or twigs, it had clearly stabilized.
Even so, the reason he still found it difficult to face Jonas was… his memories.
“…..”
Blurred debris scattered everywhere.
Servants lying collapsed.
Rain falling like blood through shattered windows.
The taste of blood and iron lingering in his mouth.
His younger brother’s eyes, staring at him in disbelief.
Blood pouring endlessly from his brother’s wrist.
The delayed scream.
That dizzying sensation—as if something kept falling, plummeting endlessly.
When he had first returned to the past, seeing Jonas again had filled him with pure joy.
But the more he faced his younger brother, the clearer those memories became.
Not yet…
Isaac stared blankly for a moment before speaking.
“Nanny.”
“Yes?”
“Could you get me a chisel and some carving wood? Might be difficult at this hour…”
“No, not at all. The second young master loves carving, so there are always wood pieces in the shed behind the annex. Shall I bring some?”
The nanny brightened.
“Yes, please.”
Isaac nodded.
***
The desk by the bedroom window was, in a word, a mess.
Wood shavings and sawdust from carving were scattered everywhere.
Half-finished wooden pieces—failed attempts—lay strewn about.
There were at least a dozen of them.
Among them, only one finished carving stood in a corner of the desk.
It was a knight in armor, raising a sword.
The same pose as the crude carving Jonas had made.
“Young Master? Young Master?”
After knocking for a while with no response, Hans carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
“What is all this?”
He was momentarily stunned at the thought of cleaning the room.
Isaac was asleep, slumped over the desk.
“Mm…”
Sensing Hans’ presence, Isaac opened his eyes.
His back felt stiff.
Good thing he was young—if he had slept like this in old age, he might not have been able to walk for days.
Isaac stretched and yawned.
“What? When did you get here?”
“Just now. You didn’t answer no matter how much I knocked.”
“Ah… I see.”
Isaac rubbed his bloodshot eyes.
“Did you not sleep?”
“I think I started dozing off around sunrise.”
He hadn’t even been able to go running because he overslept.
Isaac ruffled his messy hair.
Then his gaze fell on the wooden carving in the corner of the desk.
“Hans. Give that to Jonas.”
“Did you carve it yourself?”
“Yeah. And tell him to wait a little longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“Meeting me. Tell him his older brother is a bit busy right now, so it’s difficult.”
“…Understood.”
Hans stared at Isaac for a moment before nodding.
“Shall I come back later?”
At that moment, a voice came from the doorway.
It was Bill.
“Ah, this fellow said he had something urgent to tell you, Young Master. He claims you gave him an errand. Is that true? He tends to exaggerate.”
“I told you, I’m not exaggerating! It’s important!”
Bill snapped back at Hans’ remark.
“I did ask him to do something.”
“Is that so?”
“Give us some space.”
After dismissing Hans, Isaac spoke privately with Bill.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Isaac kept yawning.
Even with a twelve-year-old’s body, fatigue was still fatigue.
I overdid it.
He rubbed his face.
“So, did you find anything?”
“…Yes. I did. It didn’t take long. There’s a place in one of the southern territories where they’re being given new identities as free citizens.”
Bill lowered his voice.
Isaac nodded silently.
This was it.
His guess—that Enette had caused her friend’s death—had been correct.