Shaking off the inexplicable chill creeping over him, Noel looked around the room.

It was certainly larger and more luxurious than the annex. Even at a glance, every piece of furniture was crafted from the finest wood, and the silk wallpaper adorning the walls was clearly expensive. Thankfully, it seemed the butler had at least placed Chase in a decent room.

Yet all that splendor was wasted on Chase, who sat blankly curled up atop the enormous bed in the middle of the room.

Why is he sitting like that? He’s making the person who came to torment him feel uncomfortable...

Watching Chase hug his small knees tightly to his chest and bury his face between them, Noel clicked his tongue inwardly.

“I said I wasn’t eating...”

Just then, a drained voice drifted softly out of the darkness.

Even though he had heard Noel’s footsteps, Chase did not so much as lift his head.

For a moment, Noel was seized by the fear that Chase might be ill. The boy was already thin, and now he was starving himself on top of it. No wonder he had no energy.

But Noel quickly remembered his duty and steeled himself.

Who are you feeling sorry for right now? Get a grip, Noel. Your own life is the one about to be cut short!

He was gripped by an instinctive sense of danger. If this turned into a heartwarming scene of him kindly bringing Chase a meal, that oblivious System might immediately announce that he had failed the quest.

Noel steadied his breathing and spoke as coldly as he could.

“Hey! What are you doing holed up in your room without even eating?”

“...Huh? Noel...?”

Only then, as though finally recognizing Noel’s voice, did Chase slowly raise his head.

Chase blinked as he stared at him. He had clearly assumed it was an attendant, and his face was full of bewilderment at finding someone wholly unexpected standing in his room.

For some reason, Noel felt awkward meeting that gaze head-on. Avoiding it, he strode over to the window, seized the thick blackout curtains, and flung them wide open.

Swish!

With a loud rustle, clear, dazzling sunlight poured freely into the room. Seeing Chase’s condition again beneath the light, Noel swallowed a brief sigh.

Damn it. Even on a second look, he seems like he’d collapse the moment someone poked him.

His tangled hair and bloodless lips stood out far too clearly. Noel had not realized just how bad it was when he had only seen the top of Chase’s small head in the garden, but up close, he still looked terrible.

Noel’s suppressed conscience began pricking at him, but there was nothing he could do.

Pretending not to care, Noel slammed the silver tray he had brought onto the table with a bang.

“What, are you too good for your food? Do you think someone will pay attention to you if you starve yourself and mope in your room? Fine, eat this crap. It suits you!”

Though his words came out brusquely, the movement with which he set down the plate was careful enough to keep the food from spilling. Without realizing it, he had controlled his strength in case the hot meat juices splashed or the plate slid off the tray.

The moment he finished, welcome words appeared in midair.

Ding!

[Provision of a meager meal completed twice!]

[Congratulations. You have cleared ‘Sub-Mission: One Step Toward Awakening the Main Villain!’]

Yes, I did it!

Noel cheered inwardly.

I knew my calculations were right. Compared to an extravagant meal, a single plate of steak was perfectly ‘meager.’

While he was privately reveling in his success, Chase had already slipped down from the bed and was standing before the table. He had approached without making even a footstep, startling Noel so badly that he nearly toppled backward.

“...Is this for me?”

Chase’s voice remained subdued. His gaze moved back and forth between the plate of meat and Noel’s face. That same clear, innocent smile hovered on his lips.

The moment Noel faced the child’s guileless smile, his conscience began needling him yet again. Was I always this overflowing with conscience? He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as a fresh wave of guilt washed over him.

He could not afford to ruin this over a useless emotion. Chase had not even said anything, yet Noel whipped his head aside like a guilty thief. Then he raised his voice even louder and snapped brusquely,

“If you don’t want it, throw it out in the yard! I’m only giving it to you because if the child Father brought home starves to death right before my eyes, it’ll reflect badly on me too.”

The instant he finished speaking, Noel turned his back without hesitation and left the room. If he stayed even one second longer, his clumsy villain act felt liable to be exposed.

Chase stared silently at the door that had slammed shut. The smile gradually faded from his lips, and he slowly lowered his gaze to the table.

The only thing on the broad silver tray was a solitary piece of meat with no garnish whatsoever. Noel had tossed it down and called the unimpressive arrangement a “meager meal,” but it looked different through Chase’s eyes.

After all, there were circumstances known only to Chase, circumstances Noel could never have imagined.

The butler’s claim that Chase ate the same luxurious food as Noel had been an outright lie. He had merely made up an answer on the spot out of wariness toward Noel. In truth, he had simply instructed the attendants to see to Chase’s meals themselves.

There was no chance the attendants would devote any care to a child who had escaped their master’s notice. The meals they had brought to Chase’s room were scarcely fit to eat.

The stone-cold soup gave off a sour, spoiled stench, while the rice balls had hardened until they were little different from rocks.

It was better than being abandoned in a forest teeming with monsters, but the neglected, poorly managed meals made his lack of care painfully obvious. Chase’s senses were already unusually acute, and the smell of spoiled food made him so nauseated that he sent it back every time.

The people here did not openly abuse Chase by beating him or deliberately feeding him rotten food, but they treated him entirely like a ghost. No one spoke to him. No one cared whether he was hungry.

But that was all right. To him, it was only natural.

The meat before him, however, was different.

It radiated intense heat as though it had just come off the fire. The outside was seared crisp, while the inside was moist and glistening with juices.

When the rich, sweet aroma of butter and garlic brushed his nose, the appetite that had lain dead for so long surged violently to life.

Did he put poison in it to make a fool of me? Or was it made with spoiled ingredients?

As always, Chase assumed the worst. After all, that was how the world had always treated him.

Behind every kindness offered without reason, even greater pain had invariably lain in wait.

But just as he was about to sink into a mire of suspicion, Noel’s behavior moments ago came back to him.

The harsh words. The hand that had nevertheless cleared away the darkness for him. The careful movement with which he had set down the food without disturbing it, even as he pretended to be angry.

More than anything, there was the trouble he had taken to carry the hot food all the way to this secluded room himself when he could easily have sent a servant.

He’s a strange person... so maybe it’ll be all right...?

In truth, it was no different from a gamble. He might eat the food only to end up violently vomiting it back up. But right now, he wanted to try trusting Noel.

Swallowing dryly, Chase carefully picked up the fork. He cut off a tiny piece of meat and placed it in his mouth.

There was no taste of bitter herbs, nor any rancid odor. Only the warm, savory juices of perfectly cooked meat lingered on the tip of his tongue.

“...It’s delicious.”

Without a doubt, it was the first proper, delicious meal he had ever eaten in his life.

Noel truly was a strange person.

Meanwhile, after leaving Chase’s room, Noel walked down the corridor and rubbed a hand over his chest.

“Whew, I survived. I seriously thought my heart was going to explode.”

His legs nearly gave out beneath him, almost sending him crumpling onto the marble floor. He had been tense the entire time, afraid he might suddenly start coughing up blood.

Now that he had cleared the quest, he probably would not have to cough up blood again for a while. Just as he was about to continue on with lighter steps, relieved by the Sub-Mission’s success—

Ding!

The familiar translucent blue window filled his vision.

[Sub-Mission: Two Steps Toward Awakening the Main Villain!]

[Objective: Drench Chase %^@# with water. (Success upon completing this twice)]

[Progress: 0/2]

[Success: Advance two steps toward Quest Completion]

[Failure: Coughing up blood]

Noel stopped dead at the wholly unexpected development.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Aren’t you supposed to give me a chance to breathe?”

Are you kidding me? Why the hell are you suddenly giving me another mission?! A scream burst from him at the absurdity of the situation that had just been dumped in his lap.

He had only just given food to a child who had been minding his own business, and now he was supposed to openly throw water on him? What, did it want him to slap him with a glass of water? What was this, some trashy morning soap opera?

[There are no instructions requiring you to ‘slap him with a glass of water.’]

“No! That’s just an expression! Are you even allowed to throw missions at me without warning like this?”

Unable to ignore the quest, Noel furrowed his brow deeply and glared into empty space. At the same moment, the words in the System window slowly changed.

Chapter 11

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