The World of this Fantasy Novel is in Crisis

That crazy old man never valued human life—Cain had always known that. But hearing it spoken out loud still left him shaken.

“…Are you sure?”

One of the reasons Cain had assumed he was being used for something different from the other kids was because he was still alive.

Cain had never gotten along with the other children. He’d never shown affection toward the school or respect for the teacher. If he disappeared, no one would question it. He was the only one who hated this place enough to run away.

And yet, the old man had left him alone until now. That’s why Cain had believed the old man hadn’t brought him here just to use him indiscriminately. But maybe he’d been wrong.

Satin gave a strained smile. It felt like he was trying to reassure him, which made Cain uneasy. He was about to snap at him—ask what the hell he was smiling about—when Satin spoke first.

“It was the teacher’s experiment that made me lose my memory. Just like we suspected.”

“But,” Satin continued,

“Rufus and the other kids think it was just an accident. Like, I hit my head or something, not the magic itself.”

Of course they did. Unless someone was already suspicious of the old man being a dark mage, the idea that magic could erase someone’s memory wouldn’t even occur to them.

“But I don’t think it was an accident. It really was a side effect of the spell.”

“Did the old man actually say that?”

“Not directly. But he didn’t deny it either.”

“There has to be a reason he told you that.”

“Yeah. It was like he was asking if I’d still follow him… even knowing what he’s doing.”

“A test.”

“Mm-hm. Exactly.”

Satin licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry.

“I think… the teacher wants to try the same spell again. The one he used on me.”

Again.

That word struck Cain as odd. There was no reason for the old man to have used some random new spell on Tim for no reason. His research wasn’t that scatterbrained.

“Then what was the mouse for?”

“The mouse—no, not the mouse, Tim. Tim and I were under different conditions.”

Satin wouldn’t meet Cain’s gaze when he said the word conditions.

‘Is he feeling guilty?’

Not over Tim’s death, but over saying that he and Tim weren’t the same. As Cain quietly studied Satin’s expression, he suddenly understood.

‘No… that’s not it.’

Satin’s gaze, which had wandered aimlessly, brushed past Cain for a split second. The one he felt guilty toward right now wasn’t Tim.

It was Cain.

Different conditions from Tim… a shared condition with Satin. Cain realized what the old man’s current goal was. What he meant when he said he was targeting Cain.

“He wants to run the experiment on someone who shares your conditions. To see if the same result comes out. Since the mouse failed.”

“Yeah.”

Satin nodded.

There were probably biological similarities between Cain and Satin, but the “conditions” the old man referred to must have meant something else—like magical aptitude.

The experiment with Tim had failed. Satin had suffered side effects but survived. If the old man had improved the formula, the logical next step would be testing it on someone with the same attributes. Cain couldn’t deny the logic in that.

Satin muttered, watching Cain’s reaction closely.

“So the teacher told me to… get closer to you.”

Cain frowned and looked up, prompting Satin to rub his brow awkwardly before continuing.

“He said I should try to make you let your guard down. Make you admire me… or envy me, like the other kids do.”

“So he knows I hate you.”

“Yeah.”

“Good. That means the old man has no clue we’re already working together.”

Satin looked miserable, but as far as Cain was concerned, this was a good development.

If the target was Cain, it meant the other kids were safe. Of course, Cain valued his own life more than theirs— But that didn’t mean he was okay with watching them die.

The fact that the old man hadn’t ordered Satin to drag Cain in right away, but instead told him to try to break down his guard, was actually a good sign. No one could say for sure what kind of magical experiment was being prepared, but there was at least a chance it wouldn’t be entirely one-sided.

Now that I think about it, Tim met with that old man alone several times too.

Maybe the magic required a degree of closeness. That would make sense if it was a spell affecting the mind. But Cain couldn’t say for certain. His knowledge of magic came from books, and only just enough to get by—trying to guess more than that was pushing it.

As Cain stood there deep in thought, Satin asked hesitantly,

“Are you really okay?”

“With what?”

“You could die… like Tim did.”

“I’m trying to avoid dying. That’s what we’re talking about right now, isn’t it? Unless you plan to sell me out or something, it’s not something I need to worry about just yet.”

Cain kept his tone light, but Satin’s face remained dark. The silence was getting uncomfortable, so Cain threw out a sarcastic jab.

“What, planning to betray me?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what the hell are you so worried about?”

“I don’t know the boundaries.”

“Boundaries?”

Satin fidgeted, playing with the back of his hair. After a pause, he finally spoke.

“If something dangerous happens… I’d have to forget the plan and save you.”

“Well, that’s very reassuring.”

His words came out sharp and cynical, like usual, but deep down he was caught off guard.

The reason they were trying to report the old man to the temple was to survive this place. That was true for both of them. It’d be great if all the kids made it out alive, but realistically, that wasn’t guaranteed.

If it came down to it, Cain had no intention of saving Satin. Even if Satin died, Cain wanted to live. They weren’t friends. There was no loyalty or emotional bond between them.

But now Satin was saying he’d throw out the plan if it meant saving Cain. That stirred up a weird feeling— Like suddenly being handed a debt you never meant to owe.

Satin didn’t seem to know what Cain was thinking. He just kept fretting.

“If we pretend to go along with him, and things get really dangerous… I’ll try to avoid anything like that, but still.”

It seemed that boundaries referred to the line between acting as the old man’s loyal servant and being Cain’s secret ally.

“If you die, then I…”

Satin trailed off and shut his mouth.

A strange expression.

Cain stared at him. There was no other way to describe it. His lips were saying he was worried—but his expression? Hard to read. Cain couldn’t tell what he was really thinking.

After a pause, Cain spoke with a light, dismissive tone.

“Don’t think too hard about it. There’s no special bond between you and me.”

“Like I said before, an adult should—”

Cain raised a hand. Satin flinched and shut up.

“Who keeps calling who a kid? You and I aren’t that far apart, you know.”

Satin didn’t respond. Maybe he didn’t have a comeback.

“For now, just go along with the old man’s plan. Whoever it is, someone has to get into the lab.”

“And if it really does—”

“If it gets dangerous, I’ll get myself out of it.”

***

The day Rufus had spoken of finally arrived.

When a wagon pulled by two horses stopped in front of the school, all the children rushed out to see it. Satin slipped out with the crowd, but didn’t go too close. He stopped near the front steps to get a read on the atmosphere.

Robin was the first to run up, and he came back beaming. His chubby cheeks were puffed out—he must’ve been given something by the coachman.

“What’re you eating?”

“Candy. Doesn’t taste all that good though.”

He said that while covering his mouth, but it wasn’t convincing at all. Satin had no intention of stealing someone’s half-eaten candy, so he just nodded.

“Do we usually get this many supplies?”

There were more items than expected, but besides Rufus and the coachman, there was only one laborer helping unload. The worker was already scrambling to haul heavy-looking sacks and crates.

Robin, who clearly wasn’t seeing this for the first time, shrugged like it was nothing.

“There’s a lot of mouths to feed.”

“These people are from Cloverland, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is Cloverland far from here?”

“Well…”

Robin started to answer but then stopped, looking up at Satin with narrowed eyes. Maybe the question sounded like it had some kind of hidden motive.

Satin gave an awkward smile as he made an excuse.

“I’m just curious. I’ve never seen anything outside the school before.”

Robin, remembering that Satin had amnesia, nodded and asked,

“Do you want to go outside?”

“I’m not sure. It’s kind of scary…”

He didn’t mean it completely, but it wasn’t a total lie either. Ever since arriving here, Satin had never stepped beyond the school grounds. So the city beyond the walls… he was both curious and not.

If the plan he and Cain had worked out succeeded, the teacher would likely die. That’s how it had gone in the novel too.

Even if the future changed and he didn’t die, he couldn’t go on like this. There’s no way the temple would overlook a dark mage who kidnapped children and impersonated a teacher while committing atrocities.

And when that happened… what would he do? There was nowhere for him to go. The thought made Satin feel unsettled, restless.

How did I ever blurt out that I wanted to enter a novel, anyway?

Now, looking back, he felt a twinge of regret. No one else knew, but he still felt oddly embarrassed.

“It’s complicated,” he muttered.

As he scratched his cheek with a sheepish expression, Robin nodded again. Maybe he didn’t understand the thoughts, but he could sense the feeling.

Shifting the candy from his left cheek to his right, Robin said,

“It’s not that far.”

“Could you walk there?”

“No, it’s not that close… takes about half a day by carriage.”

A carriage was slower than a car, but still far faster than walking.

“What if there’s something urgent? What if we have to go out for something?”