The 72-hour countdown was ticking in the corner of my vision like a rhythmic heartbeat. The King's fate was sealed, but my own was still balanced on a knife's edge. I walked toward the hidden room, the heavy stone door grinding open to reveal the three children huddled together.
Seeing them like that, wide-eyed, silent, and waiting for a monster that might never come, made my chest tighten. I felt a surge of guilt. I was building a revolution, but I wished they didn't have to know the reality of a bloodbath. They were my "pieces," yes, but they were also just children who deserved a sun that didn't smell like ozone and iron.
"It's okay now," I said, my voice softening as I reached my hand out to them. "You can come out."
Olivia was the first to move, her small fingers catching the edge of my sleeve. "Mister... they won't come back, right? The scary men?"
"Of course not," I said, forced a proud, confident smile onto my face. I stood tall, masking the bone-deep exhaustion that made my 21 Strength body feel like it was made of lead. "Your Mister handled everything. The job is done."
Ezekiel looked up, his hand gently stroking Liam's blonde hair. "Mister... Liam has just been looking blank. He hasn't said a word since you left."
I looked at the young Prince. His eyes were fixed on a point somewhere past the wall, hollow and distant. In my past life, this was the look of a man who had seen his world burn. At his age, he should have been complaining about history lessons, not reliving the trauma of a growth-stunting curse.
"I see," I whispered, kneeling to pick him up. He was dangerously light. "Maybe he was just reminded of something he'd rather forget. Let's go and rest now. All of you."
As I carried Liam toward the living quarters, with Ezekiel and Olivia trailing closely behind, it struck me how small they really were. Despite their high stats and their "monstrous" potential, they didn't look like teenagers. They looked like children. I suppose when the world steals your childhood, your soul stops growing until someone gives you a reason to feel safe again.
I tucked them into their beds, the 150 TP still shimmering in the air before me. The King was dying, the Royal Guard was mobilizing, and I had three days to turn these traumatized kids into a force that could survive a God.
I sat at the mahogany desk in my room, pulling up the Auron System.
"Auron," I whispered, my eyes hardening. "I have 72 hours. Let's spend the points."
The Mastermind's Allocation (150 TP):
Option A: The Soul-Breaker (100 TP): Use the points to force-break the first "Black Chain" on Liam. Risk: It will alert the Royal Sorcerers immediately, but Liam will regain his true adult form and a massive power boost.
Option B: The Vanguard Shield (100 TP): Spend the points to unlock [Aurelion Battle-Art: Lion's Roar] for Ezekiel. This will allow him to protect the estate alone while you focus on the King.
Option C: The Hidden Archive (100 TP): Spend the points to unlock the [Secret Records of the 21st Century] within the Guide Book. This might reveal the real reason your brother Sebastian had to fake his death.
Option C was a tempting treat, a sweet, forbidden fruit but it felt like a death sentence. I hungered for the truth about my brother, but that could wait. Survival came first. I decided on Option A, but the weight of the day was pulling at my eyelids. Tomorrow. It would have to wait for tomorrow. I needed to rest.
The next thing I knew, the sun was high in the sky, its morning rays piercing through the gaps in the curtains. I blinked, my vision clearing to find the butler standing at the foot of my bed, watching me. There was something in his gaze... was that sadness? He looked so profoundly mournful that it stopped my heart for a beat. I wanted to reach out, to demand his secret, to ask what had happened four years ago that turned a brother into a ghost. Questions flooded my mind like a dam breaking.
[ERROR]!
[Your mind is wandering. The Mastermind Effect has activated.]
Instantly, the emotional static vanished. The warmth of curiosity was replaced by a clinical, icy focus. The power of my Class had overridden my sentimentality. There was no more time to waste on "why" when I had to deal with "how."
"Sebastian," I said, my voice steady and devoid of the morning's grogginess. "Go and get Liam for me. Do not bring Olivia. I think I've found a way to break the curse myself."
"Yes, Master Erik," he replied, bowing with the flawless grace of a seasoned professional.
It wasn't long before he returned with the boy. Up close, the little prince was strikingly handsome, his skin like porcelain and his eyelashes impossibly long. I leaned in, peering into his eyes. I had thought they were blue, but as I looked closer, I saw it: a deep, royal shimmer. No, not blue... they were violet. A hint of purple that marked his true, forbidden bloodline.
"Butler, set up a barrier," I commanded, there could be a mana-leakage. "The most powerful one you can manage. I don't want a single ripple reaching the Capital. If the Royal Sorcerers notice even a heartbeat of a mistake, we're finished."
I reminded myself of the stakes. One slip, and the entire Aurelion estate would be under siege before noon. Now, everything was set.
"Let's do this," I whispered
I didn't hesitate. I pressed Option A.
Instantly, the room was swallowed by a violent, swirling vortex of dark light and a sickening, milky-red aura. It looked like clotted blood and shadows.
"AHHH!"
Liam's scream ripped through the air, a sound of pure, unadulterated agony. The curse had been rooted in his soul for so long that tearing it out felt like peeling away his very being. I watched him thrash, his small face contorting. I couldn't let this continue. If his mind broke now, I wouldn't have a King; I'd have a hollow shell.
No. I have to take it.
I frantically swiped through the Guide Book, my eyes scanning the text until they landed on a hidden sub-routine: [Path of the Martyr: Synaptic Pain Transfer]. I didn't wait to read the warnings. I triggered the effect immediately.
The change was instantaneous. Liam's body went limp, his screams dying into a soft whimper as the red light snapped toward me like a whip.
Then, the world exploded.
It felt like molten lead was being poured into my veins. My 100 Intelligence was a curse now, making me feel every micro-second of the agony with terrifying clarity.
"Young Master!"
Sebastian's voice echoed through the room, distorted and distant as if he were shouting from underwater. My vision began to twirl, the floor and ceiling swapping places in a dizzying spin. I could feel warmth trailing down my face—thick, metallic, and hot. Blood was leaking from my eyes, my ears, and my mouth, staining my white collar a deep, irreversible crimson.
I looked at Liam one last time. He was pale, but the black mist had retreated. He had fainted, his breathing finally steady. He was safe.
"Sebastian..." I coughed, a spray of red hitting the floor. "Move Liam... to the bed."
I tried to turn toward the sofa, my hand reaching for the velvet cushions, but the world finally went black. My 21 Strength had reached its absolute limit. I collapsed before I could take another step, falling into a darkness that even my Mastermind logic couldn't penetrate.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Condition Met: The First Chain is Shattered.
Reward: Liam Smith's Potential Unlocked.
Penalty: Host Body is in [Critical Condition].
Time Remaining until the King's Sleep: 68 Hours.