Weak.
That was the greatest insult my father, Sebastien von Ebenholtz, could conceive.
Weakness.
He despised anything that bent. Anything that yielded under pressure.
Only those who stood firm—unyielding, unbreakable—had value in his eyes.
And I…
had never been that kind of person.
I didn't break.
I adapted.
I survived.
That was the only reason I was still alive.
***
—I'm hungry.
—I need fresh hearts to restore my mana.
—The younger and purer, the better…—
The voice echoed again.
Not through my ears.
Through my mind.
—You will soon become a knight of the Empire.
—We will help you secure food whenever needed.
—Lexi will come to you soon. Follow her instructions.—
Each word felt… wrong.
Not just in meaning.
In existence.
As if it didn't belong to this world.
Just as Edmon had said…
They weren't coming.
They were already here.
And right now—
one of them stood only a few steps away from me.
***
Should I kill him?
The thought crossed my mind naturally.
Too naturally.
…
No.
I didn't need to.
Under imperial law, this alone was enough.
Possession of coded communication.
Suspicion of contact with unknown entities.
That was more than enough to have him dragged away… interrogated… executed.
But that wasn't what mattered.
Not anymore.
This wasn't about law.
This was about certainty.
***
The cadets returned.
Their footsteps echoed lightly across the stone floor.
I sat casually on the desk, watching them one by one.
Faces full of admiration.
Respect.
Trust.
Then—
I stopped.
Jacob.
The fragment inside me stirred.
A sharp, instinctive reaction.
Like a predator recognizing prey.
—Jacob, was it?
—Y-Yes! Jacob!
His voice cracked slightly.
Fifteen years old.
Still young.
Still… soft.
Or at least, that was what he appeared to be.
—You stay. The rest of you, leave.
—…What?
Confusion spread across their faces.
—Out.
My voice didn't rise.
It didn't need to.
They left.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
Even the professor, who had just arrived, hesitated before stepping back out.
The door closed.
Now—
only the two of us remained.
***
—Jacob.
—Yes…?
I picked up the book.
His eyes trembled.
Fear.
He already knew.
—You understand what this is, don't you?
I opened it.
Read aloud:
—"Let's keep communicating like this. Tell the others. I won't be able to return for five years."
—…
His lips tightened.
His breathing became uneven.
Too obvious.
Too careless.
This place—
was the heart of imperial noble bloodlines.
And yet…
he brought something like this here.
—You're not imperial, are you?
Silence.
The Empire had its own way of classifying races.
Crude.
Biased.
Unreliable.
Because at a glance…
Ezenheim looked human.
Spoke like humans.
Lived like humans.
The only way to truly tell…
was to cut them open.
And even then—
only those who understood mana could see the difference.
—If you were imperial, you wouldn't need codes like this.
I closed the book slowly.
The sound echoed louder than it should have.
—The Intelligence Bureau will dig through your entire life.
His face went pale.
His hands clenched.
—Which side are you on?
No answer.
—Ezenheim?
Still nothing.
But I didn't need him to speak.
The fragment inside me already knew.
It reacted to its own kind.
—Speak.
My voice hardened.
—At this rate, you'll be detained… and executed.
—…
Silence.
Then—
a thought crept in.
Cold.
Uncomfortable.
What if I was wrong?
What if everything—
the fragment…
the voices…
the regression—
was nothing more than madness?
A delusion born from isolation.
From trauma.
From a broken mind.
…
No.
I needed proof.
—Do Ezenheim enjoy eating children's hearts?
The air froze.
Jacob's shoulders trembled.
—And who is "Lexi"? The one coming for your heart?
***
He looked up.
And in that instant—
everything changed.
***
He moved.
Faster than any normal human.
His hand shot forward, grabbing my collar and slamming me back.
His pupils split.
Not metaphorically.
Physically.
Tearing apart into something unnatural.
Dark energy erupted from his body.
[You dare steal our language?]
The words weren't spoken.
They were carved directly into my mind.
[I will tear your heart out.]
I understood it perfectly.
His mouth stretched—
ripping unnaturally toward his ears—
Skin tearing.
Bones shifting.
***
—Tick.
***
Something pulsed inside my chest.
A single beat.
The world slowed.
Not completely.
But enough.
His movement dragged.
Like he was pushing through thick water.
Time wasn't stopped.
Just… bent.
***
Move.
***
My body resisted.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
But it obeyed.
I stepped forward.
Kicked his abdomen.
Felt the impact.
Solid.
Real.
His body folded slightly.
I twisted.
Grabbed the sword.
Drew it in one motion.
The blade felt unfamiliar.
Too slow.
Too heavy.
But enough.
I swung.
***
—Tick.
***
The second beat.
Time snapped back.
***
Slash.
The blade cut cleanly through his neck.
For a moment—
everything was silent.
Then—
Blood exploded outward.
Warm.
Thick.
Violent.
His head lifted from his body.
Spinning.
His corpse collapsed.
Lifeless.
Like any human.
***
—Ha… ha…
My breathing broke.
Too fast.
Too shallow.
My hands trembled—
Then—
something moved.
Near my collarbone.
The fragment.
It stirred.
Hungry.
It crawled.
Through my veins.
Up my arm.
Toward my hand.
—What…?
I couldn't stop it.
It pulled me forward.
Step by step.
Toward the corpse.
And then—
It drank.
The blood vanished.
Swallowed.
Consumed.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
The sound echoed in my ears.
—What the hell… is this thing?
The head rolled across the floor.
Stopped.
Its eyes…
still open.
Still staring.
I stood there.
Surrounded by blood.
And understood.
This wasn't just proof.
This wasn't just survival.
This—
was power.
And it had chosen me.
***
The door burst open.
—AAAAAAH!!
The cadets.
Screaming.
Panic.
Footsteps of guards rushing in.
Weapons drawn.
***
I took a slow breath.
Centered myself.
I had killed a fifteen-year-old.
An Ezenheim.
Did it matter?
No.
I was Maximilian von Ebenholtz.
Heir to the Ebenholtz family.
Son of Sebastien von Ebenholtz.
The Empire's supreme commander.
A bloodline that had ruled for centuries.
Killing one of them—
meant nothing.
And if it did…
then I would make sure it didn't.