Ch.3From Newborn to Servant #3

No. Why am I trembling like someone who’s been electrocuted just from holding a baby’s hand?

Mind reading would have been nice, but unfortunately, I don’t have that skill. I did consider swapping one of the skills I gained coming here for mind reading, but concluded that wouldn’t be right. In other words, that’s just ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

“Oh my.”

Helena Krauser.

Despite her fragile mental state, she appeared outwardly steady with unwavering actions, but she was a woman whose mind had completely collapsed after stabbing her master with a sword. If asked whether she completely fell apart afterward, that wasn’t exactly the case either.

She wanted to be free from her duties. However, her circumstances wouldn’t allow it. The kingdom needed her strength.

So, the solution was to create a situation where her strength wasn’t needed. In other words, if she brought the continent to its knees before the kingdom, she would be free. Once the unification was complete, no one could bind her anymore.

Helena’s shattered mental state had reached such a disconnected, error-filled conclusion, and in the process of realizing it, she was destined to engulf the entire continent in a massive conflagration. Much like mutual destruction through global nuclear war.

That’s why Hypnos sent me somewhere I could easily interact with Helena. I never expected to end up in the Krauser family’s service, but it was certainly a convenient position for making contact.

Look. Someone from the Duchess’s household who would normally be difficult to even face has rolled right in.

“My goodness… how can something be this soft…”

I wondered why she was trembling with such delight, but it seemed she simply enjoyed soft things. Since the Observer could only provide information about which woman would destroy the world and why, I had to gather these minor details through direct experience.

I wasn’t sure if I could remember everything, but I made a mental note: Helena likes soft things.

“Aww. Awww!”

I wanted to speak to her directly, but a one-year-old baby babbling in the common language would cause quite a commotion. So I tried my best to communicate through baby babble and body language.

Now I released her finger and flailed my arms as if asking to be held. I made proper eye contact, expecting anyone with normal intelligence to understand my intention.

“Ah… perhaps you want me to hold you?”

Fortunately, Helena understood my gesture as expected. I wanted to shout loudly in approval, but I feared that might suggest I had the intelligence to understand language.

I wanted to spend my time as a baby as peacefully as possible while maintaining my sanity. I had to protect my baby persona.

Anyway, Helena looked quite flustered watching me continue to babble at her. She seemed to pace anxiously for about five minutes, but eventually gathered her resolve and carefully picked me up.

“Wow, w-wow…”

Her holding technique was clearly that of a novice, but the firmness in her arms was hardly childlike. I’d heard she’d been training with swords since childhood, and the effects were evident.

A child with noticeable muscle strength? She’s quite skilled.

“Kyaa!”

Since she’d done what I wanted by holding me, I smiled broadly to show approval. A baby’s face can’t really be considered handsome or ugly, so I had no reservations about smiling as shamelessly as possible.

The girl who had first picked me up with soft exclamations of wonder now beamed with sparkling eyes. Her lips curled up slightly, but her face looked extremely comfortable.

Yes. You probably didn’t want to be born this way either. Having such a fragile mental state must be difficult for you.

I smiled brightly as if I completely understood Helena’s feelings and gently brushed the hair touching her cheek. I had no choice but to touch her cheek since it was within reach, though I would have preferred to gently stroke the back of her head.

“Could it be… are you trying to comfort me?”

She was a girl with perfect outward composure and expression control. Even her own parents probably didn’t know what was in her heart, but I did. So I smiled as widely as possible and made a sound as if to answer yes.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Ah…! Really, you really are. How can a child who can’t even speak…”

To outside observers, it would probably just look like I was playing along. The baby’s voice might have coincidentally sounded appropriate, not truly understanding and responding to her words.

But Helena seemed to believe I was comforting her. Perhaps she simply wanted to believe it, which suggested how cornered her mental state was.

Enough to reveal her true feelings and tears to a child who couldn’t speak.

“I would have been content just living quietly. But I couldn’t ignore the expectations of many people, starting with my father the Duke… so I’ve been forcing myself to endure, and now you’re telling me that even someone like me is okay.”

Seeing her pour out unexpected thoughts like this, she seemed to have quite an imagination. Or perhaps her mind was truly unwell.

“Aww. Awww.”

Didn’t someone once say that simply listening attentively to someone is half the battle?

Hoping for Helena to stabilize, I recalled those words and occasionally responded to her laments. Most of my responses were just babbles like “aww” and “woowoo,” but what did it matter? As long as she was happy with it.

“How strange. Even though you’re a baby… you really seem to understand everything I’m saying.”

As the therapy session progressed quite well, Helena voiced her perfectly reasonable doubt with a smile. The fact that she was thinking rationally again showed she had stabilized considerably. Otherwise, she would still be treating me like her therapist.

“I wonder what you’ll be like when you grow up? The people of Altram have always been extremely loyal, so you’ll likely be the same. Or perhaps you’ll become sharp-tempered like my sibling.”

Helena smiled with a hint of melancholy as she carried on a conversation with herself. I thought she was discussing rather heavy topics for a baby. Though my soul was adult enough to understand…

Wait.

Come to think of it, this was the first I’d heard about Helena having a sibling. Even my parents had only occasionally mentioned Duke Krauser or Helena, never mentioning any sibling.

A sibling never mentioned even in private spaces. And Helena’s monologue.

Based on these two pieces of information and reasonable deduction, Helena’s sibling was clearly a troublemaker. Otherwise, Helena wouldn’t describe them as “sharp-tempered.”

And if they were a troublemaker, they would likely cause problems, so it seemed prudent to be cautious from now on.

◎◎◎

After about an hour of monologue, Zion Altram fell asleep in Helena’s arms, breathing softly. It was the result of mental fatigue from just listening.

A more developed body wouldn’t have dozed off so easily, but Zion was currently a baby. Mental fatigue affected him differently.

As a result, Helena smiled wryly and, as she was about to lay Zion on the bed, she seemed possessed as she kissed the baby’s wide forehead.

“Oh my! What am I…”

If considered as an expression of affection toward a baby, it wasn’t particularly strange. However, Helena blushed bright red, fidgeted uncomfortably, carefully placed Zion on the bed, and then hurriedly left the room as if she were a criminal.

“My lady, did you enjoy seeing Zion?”

Helena composed herself during the brief walk down the corridor, so by the time she knocked on the door of the reception room where Chess was waiting, she had regained her usual composure.

Perhaps that’s why Chess also asked with an extremely calm face. He showed no sign of knowing that Helena had been flustered just moments ago.

“Yes. He was a very adorable baby. I could see the resemblance between him and you, Chess.”

“Haha. Is that so? I’m honored that you would compliment my son like this.”

“You’re being too dramatic.”

The girl naturally sat in the seat Chess offered, showing a hint of embarrassment. Sitting in the chair that Chess had pulled out for her was only natural for someone of the Krauser household.

It might seem somewhat presumptuous, but Helena understood from experience that showing excessive humility now would cause more commotion. The loyalty of the Altram family ran deep.

“Um… Chess.”

Helena took a sip of the tea Chess had brewed himself before slowly speaking. It was a cup with temperature and aroma perfectly suited to the girl’s taste, truly overflowing with delicacy.

“Yes. Please speak.”

“The child in the bedroom… Zion, was it? Will he also work for the Krauser Duchy in the future?”

“Well… barring any special circumstances, that is certainly the plan.”

Teaching the joy and history of serving the Krauser Duchy was natural. However, if his son firmly chose his own path afterward, Chess was willing to support that decision.

While his pride and determination to serve the Krauser Duchy across generations was as strong as diamond, he didn’t want to force that path on his child.

However, if the Krausers strongly desired the child’s service… even Chess wasn’t sure what conclusion he would reach.

“Perhaps you’ve taken a liking to Zion?”

He asked a somewhat probing question without realizing it, but Helena waved her hands in apparent embarrassment as she answered.

“Ah, that…! Of course I like the child, but I don’t want to force him to follow me! You know as well as I do how shallow such forced loyalty would be, Chess.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

At least she doesn’t seem to be thinking of taking him by force, which is reassuring.

Chess was inwardly relieved to see that Helena’s consideration remained intact, but soon changed his mind when he saw the girl speaking like a normal child her age with flushed cheeks.

“Let me say again… I do like that child. But I want him to think carefully and choose to join me of his own accord. If he wants to take a different path, I’d like to respect that.”

I can’t let this opportunity pass!

Chess still intended to respect his son’s will, but he resolved to emphasize Helena’s excellence as much as possible, engaging in a partial brainwashing operation. He believed that future talent should serve the future Duke.

“If that’s the case… I will do my best to emphasize your excellence to him, my lady. So that Zion will want to follow you of his own accord.”

“What? But, wouldn’t that be brainwashing…”

“Brainwashing? Absolutely not! If I teach him about your greatness and that of the Krauser Duchy, Zion will surely develop loyalty and pride! Just as I did, and our ancestors before me.”

It’s nice that you’re taking my side, but your enthusiasm seems a bit excessive.

Helena wasn’t sure whether to be happy or sad about this, but decided to smile gently and gloss over the matter for now.