Chapter 95: To Be Able to Do Anything
- Reira ☾⋆⁺₊✧ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
- Oct 8, 2025
- 8 min read
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“He was definitely here…”
Fenrir trailed off, glancing around cautiously.
Cabelenus stared at the empty spot before turning his head toward Gazeff.
“He couldn’t have gone far, so release the men.”
“Since he likely hasn’t left the castle, we’ll be able to locate him quickly.”
“I’ll look as well.”
“You should rest.”
“I’m Michael’s mother. I can’t just stand by like this—!”
Alicia staggered for a moment.
“Alicia!”
Cabelenus quickly supported Alicia and frowned.
Alicia bit her lip hard enough to feel the pain and straightened herself.
“I’m fine. It’s really nothing.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find him, no matter what. Right now, your rest is the priority.”
“But—”
“Moving in your current state won’t help. You know that.”
Alicia’s eyes trembled at the coldly delivered judgment.
Her face had already gone pale.
Cabelenus held Alicia close.
“You don’t have to bear this alone anymore.”
“...”
“You’re not the only one responsible for protecting Michael.”
Cabelenus’s grip tightened.
Alicia hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“…I’ll trust you.”
“As much as you want.”
A faint smile spread across Cabelenus’s lips.
Leaning on him for support, Alicia straightened herself.
"I know the places Michael often goes. Please start by searching there first."
“I understand. I’ll do that, so you should get some rest. I’ll take you to your room.”
“If it’s alright, may I support you instead?”
Cabelenus raised an eyebrow at Fenrir, who had stepped forward.
“You?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to have at least one more person who knows the castle’s layout well? It would be wiser for Your Highness to move rather than me.”
"Getting to the room won’t take long—"
“That sounds best. Please do it that way.”
“Alicia.”
“Finding Michael is the priority right now.”
Alicia shook her head resolutely.
Cabelenus gazed at her and let out a sigh.
“…I understand. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
The moment Cabelenus released Alicia from his arms, Fenrir quickly stepped in to support her.
“I shall escort the lady to her room and then join the search immediately.”
Fenrir forced a harmless smile, aware of where Cabelenus’s gaze was.
Cabelenus glared at Fenrir’s hand holding Alicia’s arm, then finally turned his head.
・・・・・
Tap, tap, tap—.
Michael ran blindly, covering his ears.
Every time he heard the grotesque sound, a shiver ran down his spine.
It felt as if the strength in his legs could give out at any moment.
But he couldn’t stop.
If he hesitated even for a moment, it felt like the monstrous creature making that grotesque sound would devour him.
‘You’re a liar, Mister. You clearly said you’d protect me back then.’
The tears Michael had held back trickled down his cheeks.
He desperately wished someone would run to him and embrace him, but there was no sign of anyone.
Even the servants who usually came and went were nowhere to be seen.
“Ah!”
After running for who knows how long, something caught at his feet.
Michael, having tumbled and rolled across the floor, carefully lifted his wet face.
He could no longer hear the monster’s sound.
Michael blinked slowly and then turned his head gradually.
The scenery he was finally able to look around at felt completely unfamiliar.
"…Where am I?"
This was Schwarhan Castle, the place he had been wandering through without restraint until now.
But the scenery currently before him was unlike anything he had ever seen.
Kriiiiiiiik—.
At that moment, the monster’s sound came from behind him.
Michael, wide-eyed like a startled rabbit, turned around.
“Rex.”
Michael’s cheeks flushed when he spotted Rex, his fur thick and fluffy.
Though he couldn’t speak, Rex was a good friend.
Michael quickly hurried over to Rex.
Rex watched Michael for a moment, then turned away.
“How on earth did you get out?”
“Where are you going right now?”
“Are you going to Mister?”
Even though he knew no answer would come, Michael kept chattering away.
Otherwise, he didn’t think he could overcome the gloom that had settled over the place.
“Huh? You want to go this way?”
Rex gently tugged at Michael’s sleeve with his teeth.
Michael squinted as he stared down the dark path ahead.
“I don’t think this is the right way… hmm. Okay. I’ll go! So stop tugging like that!”
Rex’s fangs were sharp.
If he used even a little force, the clothes his mum had dressed him in would get ruined.
Michael awkwardly took a step in the direction Rex was pulling.
Only then did Rex release the sleeve he had been holding and turn around.
“…How long do we have to keep going?”
It felt like they were heading somewhere stranger and stranger.
Michael frowned, but no answer came back.
In the pitch-black darkness, the only thing he could trust was Rex’s back.
"It’s no good, Rex. Let’s go back. No matter how I think about it, this place is…”
Michael couldn’t continue speaking and swallowed hard.
In the darkness, Rex’s eyes, as he turned his head, were a vivid gold.
“Rex, your eyes look just like Mister’s—”
KABOOM—!
It was then.
With a violent rumble, the ground shook.
Michael instinctively crouched and steadied himself.
Thanks to that, he didn’t fall, but he couldn’t feel at ease.
Creeeaaak—.
The space around him was spinning.
“Rex, something’s wrong here! We need to get out… Rex?”
Michael blinked.
Rex was nowhere to be seen.
The moment he realised that, Michael hurriedly tried to retrace his steps.
But the path was already blocked.
Tears welled up in Michael’s eyes.
“Mum! Mum! Mum!”
Fear washed over him, and the only thing that came to mind was his mum's face.
Michael kept pounding on the firmly shut door, calling out to her.
But there was no answer.
He was still alone.
“Mum…”
His hand, which had been knocking on the door, went limp.
He sank down helplessly just like that.
The sound of the monster echoed once again.
・・・・・
“Thank you for supporting me.”
“Are you not feeling well?”
“Just a little.”
Alicia awkwardly pursed her lips, then quickly covered her face with both hands.
With Michael’s whereabouts unknown, she couldn’t even control her expression.
“You seem uneasy.”
“Any parent would be anxious if their child disappeared.”
“Not all parents in this world are good, though.”
“...”
Fenrir poured water into a glass and handed it to Alicia.
“That’s unexpected. Honestly, I thought you’d insist on doing things your way.”
“I know I’d only get in the way and not be of any help.”
Alicia gave a bitter smile.
Her condition was worsening by the day.
With this body, she couldn’t even run properly anymore.
"You're quite rational."
"I’m just trying to be rational."
Alicia downed the water Fenrir handed her in one gulp.
But that alone wasn’t enough to calm the turmoil boiling inside her.
“It’s because there are others who can protect Michael besides me.”
Alicia fidgeted with the empty glass.
Even though her nerves had become sharper than a needle’s tip, she could keep her composure because she wasn’t alone.
Now, there was someone she could rely on.
“He should be found soon.”
“Of course. He will be.”
Although she nodded readily, Alicia’s hands were noticeably trembling.
Fenrir didn’t know what to say to comfort her, so he just stood there awkwardly.
“Even if I stay here, I don’t think I’d be of much help. I’ll step out so you can rest—”
“You said earlier that Michael was crying, right?”
“Pardon?”
“If I remember correctly, you definitely said that Michael was crying. Right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Do you happen to know why he was crying?”
Alicia lifted her head.
The whites of her eyes were streaked with red veins.
She was struggling to hold back her tears.
Fenrir hesitated for a moment, then spoke cautiously.
“By any chance, was there anything that could have caused the child to disappear?”
"What do you mean by 'disappear'?"
“Actually, when I met the child earlier, he seemed to react very sensitively to the word ‘mum.’”
“...”
“Of course, it could be my imagination. I tend to be a bit sensitive about things like this, so…”
Seeing Alicia’s eyes redden even more, Fenrir found it even harder to speak.
Fenrir bit his lip nervously, then roughly ran his hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry for speaking so freely without knowing the full situation.”
“No, I wasn’t trying to blame you. I’m just thinking things over, that’s all.”
“Thinking?”
“Michael isn’t the kind of child who would cry alone.”
For Michael, everything revolved around Alicia.
No matter whether it was something happy or sad, he was honest only in front of her.
If there was something worth crying over, he shouldn’t be crying alone; he would be crying in Alicia’s arms.
“Do you really not know why Michael was crying?”
“He just said it was something private.”
Fenrir smiled awkwardly.
In retrospect, even now, the child’s haughty glare seemed surprisingly bold.
“Then, was there anything else unusual?”
“Unusual?”
“Please, tell me anything. If Michael cried, there must be a reason.”
“I only saw him briefly, so it probably won’t be much help.”
“Anything is fine. I’m counting on you.”
There was no way to resist such a desperate gaze.
Fenrir propped his chin on his hand, straining to recall a faint memory.
“Since he was crying in a secluded corner, it must have been something sad, right?”
“Something sad?”
“According to what you said, a child who wouldn’t normally cry by himself was crying alone, which suggests it’s likely he has a secret he can’t share with anyone.”
“Until this morning, there were no signs of that.”
“Then it’s likely that something happened after that.”
Fenrir nodded lightly.
He hadn’t expected to play detective here, but Alicia’s hopeful gaze wasn’t unpleasant.
“Was there anything else?”
“Well, it was such a brief meeting to begin with… Ah! That’s right! Come to think of it, I did personally meet someone who seemed a little suspicious."
"Who are you talking about?"
“It's the man who once had a conversation with the young lady in the study. Silver-haired, rather handsome—”
“James Nixon.”
Alicia answered swiftly, barely pausing to breathe.
She was already rising to her feet.
Flustered, Fenir stepped in front of her.
“Where are you going?”
“To James.”
Alicia clenched her teeth.
James held a grudge against her.
And that grudge could very easily be directed at Michael as well.
“He probably left already. Judging by the fact that he was carrying a suitcase, it seemed like he was in a hurry to go."
“Did he leave with a suitcase?”
“Yes. I happened to run into him at that time.”
“I see.”
Alicia gave a slight nod and resumed walking.
Fenrir followed her as she walked.
“He’s already gone. I’ll inform His Highness about him, so the lady should get some rest—”
“He couldn’t have left. This is Schwarhan Castle, after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that he cannot leave here without the permission of the Grand Duke of Schwarhan.”
Indeed, she was impressive.
Fenrir almost laughed aloud without realising it.
The woman’s delicate face belied her eyes, which flashed with a savage intensity.
She understood perfectly that this was the land of predators.
“Are you going after him?”
“I need to find out what he did to Michael. I might not be able to run around searching for Michael, but I can at least interrogate him.”
"Would you like some help?"
"Depending on the situation, it might be necessary."
Alicia lightly nodded as her gaze fell on his waist.
At the end of her line of sight was a sword.
"If you require it, I can lend you a hand anytime."
“No. I don’t need a hand.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just lend me the sword.”
Alicia’s eyes grew cold.
Being able to do anything for Michael wasn’t just empty words.
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