The library was silent except for the heavy thud of Mikel's boots against the floorboards and the occasional groan of the old wooden shelves.
Mikel paused at the base of the ladder, scanning the upper alcoves with a predatory look.
"I can hear you breathing, runt," Mikel sneered, tapping the flat of his new dagger against the ladder's frame. "Come down and let me cut you a little. Just a scratch. Father says pain makes us stronger, so really, I'm helping you."
"Incorrect," Axel thought, his eyes fixed on the rusted wheel bracket he had sabotaged moments ago. "Pain is a biological warning signal indicating tissue damage. However, gravity is absolute."
Mikel, impatient and lacking the intellectual capacity to check his equipment, holstered the dagger and grabbed the rungs to climb.
One step. Two steps.
The ladder groaned under his weight, the ancient wood protesting the sudden strain. When he reached the sixth rung, about eight feet in the air, he leaned his weight to the left, reaching for the top of the shelf where he assumed Axel was hiding.
CREAAAAK.
The sound was sharp.
The metal stylus Axel had jammed into the bracket held for a second, then cut through the rotten wood completely.
The ladder lost its grip on the rail and swung violently outward. Mikel's eyes went wide, his mouth opening in a silent scream as his center of gravity shifted past the point of no return.
"Wha—"
CRASH.
The ladder slammed into the stone floor sideways. Mikel hit the granite with a thud and his head bounced once against the stone floor. He didn't scream as the air left his lungs in a gasp, and then his eyes rolled back.
Axel waited for a count of three. Then, he stepped out of the shadows.
He didn't run to check on his brother.
He just walked calmly, his hands clasped behind his back, observing the carnage. Mikel was sprawled in the floor, his left leg bent at an unnatural angle, blood trickling from a gash on his forehead.
"Target neutralized," Axel whispered. "Unconscious. Tibial fracture confirmed. Physics 1, Demon 0."
To a normal six-year-old, this would be a scene of horror.
To Axel, it was a loot drop.
He reached for Mikel's belt and unhooked the dagger. It was a fine weapon, forged from dark steel, far too good for a child.
[SYSTEM ALERT: ITEM ACQUIRED][Obsidian Dagger (Rank E)]Description: A standard sidearm for noble children. Sharp enough to cut skin, durable enough to parry minor spells.
"Mine now," Axel murmured, slipping the dagger into the inner pocket of his oversized tunic. "Consider it a tuition fee for the physics lesson."
But he wasn't done. The "Mad Scientist" in him demanded more than just steel.
He pulled out the metal stylus he had used to rig the trap. He pressed the tip against the open wound on Mikel's forehead, collecting a heavy drop of the boy's blood. He then carefully wiped the stylus on a handkerchief and pocketed it.
"Sample A: Pure-blooded Fire Devil," Axel cataloged mentally. "I need to analyze why his body sustains mana and mine rejects it. If I can reverse-engineer his genetic sequence, I might find a patch for myself."
Suddenly, the heavy doors of the library burst open.
"Young Master Mikel?!" a guard shouted, his armor clanking as he ran in, followed by two maids that heard the crash.
Axel's demeanor flipped instantly. The cold, calculating glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by wide, watery panic. He slumped his shoulders, making himself look even smaller, and pinched his thigh hard to force tears into his eyes.
"M-Mikel!" Axel wailed, his voice pitching up into a perfect imitation of terrified distress.
He dropped to his knees, his small hands hovering helplessly over his brother's body. "He... he wanted the book! The high one! I told him the ladder was shaky! I told him!"
The guard skidded to a halt, his face paling as he saw the Archduke's favorite son lying amidst the wreckage.
"He slipped!" Axel sobbed, burying his face in his hands, peering through his fingers to gauge their reaction. "He climbed so fast... and then... bang! Is he dead?"
The guard didn't even look at Axel, in his eyes, Axel was the "trash" of the family, just weak, stupid, and incapable of hurting a fly.
The idea that this frail child had plotted an assassination attempt didn't even cross his mind.
"Get the healer! Now!" the guard barked at the maids.
He then knelt by Mikel. "It's just an accident. The ladder broke. Stupid, rotten wood..."
As the chaos unfolded—maids screaming, guards lifting the groaning Mikel onto a stretcher—Axel was pushed aside.
He stood by the bookshelf, clutching his chest, still hyperventilating for show.
But as the group rushed out of the library, leaving Axel alone in the dust, his sobbing stopped abruptly. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, his expression returning to a bored, cynical flatline.
[SYSTEM ALERT: ENEMY HUMILIATED][Target suffered physical trauma and defeat by a 'weaker' opponent.][REWARD: +15 TYRANNY POINTS]
"Fifteen points for a broken leg?" Axel scoffed internally. "Cheapskate system. But it's a start."
He turned to leave, intending to return to the Annex to analyze his new dagger and blood sample. But as he reached the doorway, he froze.
A sensation crawled up the back of his neck it was something primal. An instinct honed from a previous life of looking over his shoulder for government agents.
Someone was watching.
It wasn't the guards. They had all left.
Axel didn't turn around immediately. That would reveal he had sensed them.
Instead, he acted the part of the traumatized child. He sniffled loudly, rubbed his eyes again, and slowly shuffled out of the room, looking down at his feet.
But in his mind, the [Gamer's Mind] passive skill was screaming.
"Top of the third bookshelf, sector four," he triangulated based on the angle of the gaze. "Someone was there the whole time. They saw the trap and also they saw me loot the body. And they saw the performance."
He walked into the cold hallway, his heart rate remaining steady despite the danger. A cold smile touched his lips, hidden by the shadows of the corridor.
"A witness," Axel thought, licking his lips as he realized the game had just added a multiplayer component. "Or perhaps... a new variable. Good. I need more test subjects.
DISCORD: https://discord.gg/fTkhvM7D