Chapter 1 - 1. The Birth of the World.
On a night when rain poured down fiercely.
"Hang in there, madam…!"
"Aaaargh!!!"
In an old mansion that could be called a castle, a woman's scream of agony echoed.
"Just a little more, madam…!"
A woman in white, addressing the lady as "madam," encouraged her to push. Finally…
"Waaaah~!"
The loud cry of a newborn baby filled the air.
"Madam! It's a boy! A boy! Look at this!"
"… My… child…?"
The woman, who had black hair and dark eyes typical of East Asian features, gasped for breath as she spoke.
"Yes! Your child, madam! The baby boy you've been longing for, Master Ginger!"
"Ginger… Ginger… Yes… Let me hold…"
"Hold him… madam…?"
Just as the woman who was called "madam" reached out to hold the baby called "master," her hand fell limp.
Suddenly, as if a flame had gone out.
"… Madam…? Madam…!!"
"Move aside! One… two… three… four…"
A life abruptly extinguished.
The baby's loud cries resonated.
This was the birth of Ginger Albert Siberia.
"Master Ginger! Wake up!"
A child with white hair and golden eyes, looking as if he was crafted like a doll, stirred under the blanket.
"Mmm… Nanny… Just a bit more…"
The child resembled a puppy, like a golden retriever or malamute pup. Seeing this, the woman called "nanny" hesitated for a moment, but then shook her head, pulled off the blanket, and spoke.
"No! You must eat breakfast! It's time to get up!"
"… Mmm… That's mean…"
The child's soft, adorable voice matched his delicate appearance. Even as he complained, he started to get up, adjusting to the blanket being pulled away.
"Hurry! I'll go get the washing water, so get ready!"
Though he was called "master," the boy got up from bed and began to tidy it himself, as if it were second nature.
His room was bare and cold, not what one would expect for someone called "young master."
The only furnishings were a bed and a fireplace. That was all.
"… Brr… It's cold again today…"
Despite shivering slightly from the chill, the boy seemed used to it, patting his cheeks lightly to shake off the drowsiness.
"Another day of refreshing cold! Oh, land of Siberia!"
"There you go again. Didn't I tell you not to mimic me?"
"But you say that all the time, nanny."
"I only say it when it's freezing, remember?"
"But I'm cold."
"Oh, come here quickly. You need to get ready for breakfast."
"… Okay."
The boy, though reluctant, shuffled over to his nanny.
'… I really don't want to go…'
Inside, he was already dreading it.
"Ah! Nanny…! You're too rough!"
"Rough? Don't be silly! There, all done!"
After washing his face and getting dressed, the boy looked every bit the young master of a noble family.
"All right. Off you go!"
"Yes!"
With a lively response, the boy stepped out of the room. At this point, most people would wonder: isn't a nanny supposed to accompany a young child everywhere?
Unfortunately, Ginger's nanny couldn't do that.
She had far too many duties assigned to her.
'… How do they expect me to look after Master Ginger with all this work…'
The nanny, once again, found herself irritated with the Count of Siberia who burdened her with so many tasks.
Yet she couldn't express her complaints. She knew the reason behind it all.
"Ah… How long will he remain fixated on that… Madam… please, watch over Master Ginger…"
As she muttered to herself, she glanced up at the sky.
But the sky seemed indifferent to her prayers, not even showing a glimpse of sunlight, only a dark, ominous gray.
At that moment, the boy was walking toward the dining hall.
But he wasn't looking forward to it.
It was because of the looks he received.
Even a child could tell that the stares directed at him were not friendly.
In this mansion, aside from his nanny and one other person, there was no one who looked upon him kindly.
Thus, he walked quickly, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone.
He didn't know what they might do to him.
Or rather, he had already experienced their bullying a few times.
'Once, water suddenly fell on me from above, or I tripped on something on the ground…'
Although the incidents hadn't happened in dangerous places, the boy had been through enough of them.
'The Count saw it all and didn't say a word to them… I must have done something wrong.'
That was the best explanation the boy could think of.
He believed that he must have done something wrong, that this was why the Count, the servants, and even the others treated him poorly.
"Fa… I mean, Count! I'm here!"
"… Come in."
At those words, the boy opened the door and entered. His gaze met the Count in the center, a woman on his left, and a man sitting nearby.
As he entered, he greeted them with a textbook-perfect bow.
"Good morning! Count! Sister! Brother Hughes!"
"Yes, good morning, Ginger."
"Ugh, my mood is ruined."
"Hmph!"
"… I told you to speak to everyone respectfully."
Except for one person, the rest did not welcome him warmly. The woman called "sister" quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Oh, Father, please. I asked him to address us that way. We're family, after all."
The man seated at the center lowered his voice as he responded.
"Raiha. Do you really consider 'that' my son?"
"Father!"
"Enough."
"When will this…!"
"Silence. Do you wish to be punished?"
"…! Really…!"
"I… I'm sorry, Count! It was my mistake! Please forgive me…"
As the tension grew, the boy quickly spoke up. He thought it was all his fault.
'Because of me…!'
He blamed himself. His mind was filled with that thought, and he hurriedly ate, hoping to escape the situation.
Even though he had done nothing wrong, he was smart enough to sense the source of the anger directed at him.
He had already realized that he was the cause of their resentment.
"… Hmph. Servants, bring the food."
The man in the center, the Count, ordered his meal with an indifferent tone, as if he had lost all interest—or rather, as if it didn't even merit his attention.
"… "
In silence, the four of them ate, as if under a spell of quiet.
Finally, someone broke the silence.
"You there, illegitimate child."
"Y-yes!"
The Count had spoken.
Calling his own child "illegitimate" would be shocking to any outsider, but they addressed each other naturally, as if it were routine.
"Today, we're going to the monster extermination grounds. Understood?"
"… What…? Me…?"
"Yes. Just follow. I don't recall giving you the right to refuse."
"Father!"
"Enough. It's decided. Your nanny, Lagria, will come along too."
"My… nanny, too…?"
Only eight years old, the boy was exceptionally well-mannered, a genius for his age, but going to a monster extermination site was a premature choice.
After all, monsters were creatures that harmed people, known for their terrifying appearance.
People often used "the monster will take you" to scare children, after all.
"Yes. You'll watch the extermination from the back row."
"… He's just a child… Father. He's our youngest!"
"Quiet. It's already decided. He will watch."
'… He's lost his mind…!'
Raiha could only think her father had gone mad.
Who would throw their own child into such danger? He wasn't even a lion's cub.
Actually, it was something even more primal than that, though the boy couldn't know it.
Instead, he seemed excited.
"Really…?"
"… Ginger…?"
"Yes. Don't make me repeat myself."
"Wow…! Going out with Fath… I mean, the Count…!"
"Don't get it wrong. I'm not taking you out; I'm showing you what you need to see."
With those words, the Count finished his meal.
"Yes…! Yes! Understood!!"
The boy started eating quickly, thinking he was simply going out with his father, the Count.
"… Foolish. He doesn't even realize he's not going for fun."
"Hugh…!"
"What? Did I say something wrong? He'll be lucky if he survives. At least we'll get rid of that thorn in our side."
"… You…"
"Hmph. You should let go, too. Nothing Father said was wrong, right? That one is a demon."
"…"
Raiha looked at Hugh as if to ask if he was serious, and he simply returned her gaze with a "what's the big deal?" expression.
While the two glared at each other, the boy, oblivious to their exchange, finished his meal and smiled brightly.
"Thank you for the meal! See you later!!"
With that, he hopped off his chair and ran back to his room.
The boy was simply eager to go out and play with his father and nanny.
However, the sun still did not shine.