Chapter 119: Impostor

We teleported straight inside my room. Everything was exactly the way we had left it—clean and tidy.

It seemed the maids hadn’t slacked off at all. I had honestly expected to find dust, maybe even a few spider webs.

Two months had passed in the blink of an eye. They say time moves fast when you’re busy, and I was starting to understand what they meant.

"We’re finally back," I said with a smile as I sat on the couch far from the bed and crossed my legs.

This mansion still didn’t feel like a home. Not like the home of my parents.

But it brought me a strange sense of relief.

I was still a stranger in this place, after all.

Ezio sighed and sat beside me, leaning his head back against the couch before closing his eyes.

I did the same.

For a few minutes, neither of us said anything. We simply sat there and enjoyed the silence.

Eventually, I decided to ask something that had been bothering me.

"What’s your relationship with my aunt?"

I couldn’t see Ezio, but I felt the couch shift slightly.

He had flinched.

"I thought you forgot about it."

"You wish." I smiled. "Why would I forget when she was desperately trying to beat your ass?"

I was genuinely interested in knowing what their relationship was, especially since Ezio was an extra character in the original story. There wasn’t much written about his past.

"Nothing really important. We just grew up together alongside Lara for some time."

I opened my left eye and looked at him in surprise.

’He grew up with Lara as well?’

"You grew up together?" I asked. "I thought you said you didn’t have friends. You lack the skill to make them, after all."

"Are you saying that I have poor communication skills?" Ezio opened his eyes and glared at me.

"Maybe? What do you think?"

Ezio clicked his tongue before closing his eyes again.

He muttered something about a white-haired monkey.

This was probably the second time he had mentioned it, and I still had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

For some reason, though, I felt offended.

"I’m pretty sure the Schatten assassins don’t leave their territory until they’re turned into proper assassins, so how did you even meet both of them?"

Ezio remained quiet for a moment.

"I was brought outside sometimes by the current family head. I can count the number of times on one hand."

His voice became quieter.

"It was so I could see how the real world looked and learn about the family I would eventually serve."

He paused.

"That’s when I met your aunt. She was still young back then, and our first meeting was rather brief. But for the first time, I saw another kid outside the walls who wasn’t trying to kill me."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"So I cherished that moment for a while."

He paused again.

"Your aunt was a really stubborn one. She sometimes sneaked into the places where the Schatten children were kept just to play with me. I knew there was no way she could get past the best assassins in the world, so they definitely let her in on purpose."

Ezio chuckled.

"It’s funny. The quiet girl from back then grew up to become such an angry woman."

I listened quietly to his words.

Remember how I said a few weeks ago that the Schatten Family was a very harsh family?

This same family didn’t create the best assassins in the world because they simply had some special bloodline.

No.

It was because of how they were trained.

From the moment they were children, they were placed somewhere that had no contact with the outside world.

No sun.

No light.

Just darkness.

Pure, complete darkness.

That place was called the Chamber of Shadows.

It was where Schatten children learned how to survive.

Food and water were limited, and the children were forced to fight over what little they received.

The purpose was simple.

They had to learn that only those who stood above the others would be rewarded.

At first, they were scared.

They couldn’t see anything.

They were surrounded by darkness, unable to even tell where the others were.

Many of them refused to hurt the other children. They still had morals. They knew that killing another human being was wrong.

But hunger and thirst were powerful things.

Even children could eventually abandon their morals when their stomachs were empty.

Sometimes they were given food only three or four times a day.

And to make things worse, the food was never enough for everyone.

So they fought.

They bit, they punched, and they slapped.

Anything to get enough food to fill their stomachs.

Eventually, some of them started killing each other.

It was sick.

Children who were supposed to be playing and enjoying their childhood were instead fighting each other just to survive another day.

But sometimes they didn’t even have time to fight among themselves.

Because monsters would be placed inside the chamber with them.

The children couldn’t see in the darkness.

They couldn’t even see the monsters approaching until it was too late.

All they could hear were the screams.

The sound of claws tearing into flesh.

The sound of jaws snapping shut around their bodies.

They had to adapt to the darkness if they wanted to survive.

They had to awaken.

Since they were exposed to darkness from such a young age, most of them eventually awakened shadow-related powers.

That was the entire purpose of the Chamber of Shadows.

To nurture children who were cold enough to survive even when survival seemed impossible.

So when I thought about what Ezio had gone through, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

He had probably killed countless people just to reach where he was now.

But did he really need my pity?

Wasn’t I the one who created his suffering?

I wrote the book, after all.

I created the Schatten Family.

I created the Chamber of Shadows.

I created the world where children were forced to kill each other.

I had never expected my book to become real.

I never thought I would transmigrate into it.

But now, seeing the characters suffer inside a world I had created myself made me feel sick.

Was I a horrible person?

I didn’t know.

"As for Lara," Ezio continued, "I met her during one of my missions. I was ordered to escort your aunt."

He didn’t say anything after that.

"I see."

I remained silent for a moment before grinning.

"But it seems like there was something going on between you and my aunt."

I nudged his side with my elbow.

"W-What? No." Ezio immediately stuttered before frowning. "Me and that angry woman? Never."

"Me when I lie."

I smiled.

"Shut up."

For the next few minutes, I tried to bribe Ezio into telling me what exactly his relationship with Lady Andromeda was.

But no matter how much food I offered, the fucker refused to budge.

It seemed I was going to have to upgrade my bribing methods.

"The knights are coming. It seems they’ve noticed our presence," Ezio suddenly said.

One of his eyes opened.

Before I could say anything, his body turned into shadows and sank into mine.

"Why are you hiding?"

’I don’t feel like being seen today.’

I shook my head and looked toward the door as I felt several people approaching.

Not long after, there was a knock.

Knock~ Knock~

"Come in."

I stood up.

The door opened, revealing three knights.

It was General Lee and two other knights. One of them was the same knight I had previously asked to dispose of the maid’s body.

"Welcome back, young master."

General Lee bowed, and the two knights behind him followed.

"Thank you. I hope you’ve been taking good care of the mansion."

I stretched my hand toward him.

"Of course, young master. It is our duty."

General Lee smiled as he shook my hand.

Then his eyes widened slightly.

"I see the trip was really helpful. You’ve gotten stronger. Congratulations, young master."

I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. It was dangerous, but it paid off."

General Lee nodded before glancing around the room.

"Where’s the Guardian?"

"Here."

I pointed behind me.

"He’s right here, inside my shadow."

"Oh."

General Lee immediately straightened himself.

"We pay our respects to the Guardian."

The two knights followed his example.

They received no verbal response.

Instead, my shadow simply stirred slightly.

I swear this guy must be feeling himself.

General Lee and the knights stared at my shadow with perplexed expressions, but they quickly dismissed it.

"I have something to give you, young master. It arrived about a week ago."

A refined wooden box appeared in his hands. The insignia of the Laurent Family was engraved on its surface.

"What is in it?" I asked.

"I don’t know, young master. I was strictly prohibited from opening it and was instructed to give it directly to you."

The general handed me the box.

I opened it.

Inside was a letter.

I already understood what it was.

An invitation to the Laurent Estate.

The Rite of Passage.

"Who delivered it?"

"It was a butler from the main family."

"I see. Thank you."

I closed the box.

"You can leave. Also, tell the maids to prepare some food because I’m starving."

"As you wish."

General Lee nodded and turned around.

But just before they left, my eyes met those of the knight I had previously ordered to dispose of the maid’s body.

For a moment, I saw his black eyes change to purple.

My eyebrows furrowed.

The knight stopped and flinched under my gaze.

"I-Is there something wrong, young master?"

I looked at his eyes again.

They were black.

"Ah, no. It’s nothing. You can leave."

I smiled.

"Then excuse me."

The knight bowed before closing the door behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut, I asked Ezio.

"Did you see that?"

’See what?’

"Hmm..."

I remained silent for a moment.

"Never mind."

I guess I was just seeing things.

It was probably because I was tired from the trip.

’You and your lunatic behavior.’

"Shut up if you still want to eat."

...

Months ago, when Idal took over Yves’ body.

The knight that Yves had sent to dispose of the maid’s body walked behind the mansion and toward the lake.

When he reached the water, he spotted the maid’s body floating near the shore.

"Has the young master become just like his siblings?"

He frowned.

"Why would he randomly kill a maid?"

There was disgust in his voice as he stepped into the water.

He walked toward the body and grabbed it.

The maid was floating face down.

He turned her over—her pale face stared back at him.

Her eyes were empty and lifeless.

The knight noticed the red marks around her neck.

"Looks like he drowned her."

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"This is crazy..."

He sighed.

"But what can I do? I get paid for this."

He looked at the body again.

"I just want to make enough money so I can live happily with a loving wife and a bunch of kids on a farm. I’m tired of this shit."

He opened his eyes and reached down to lift the body.

Then he froze.

"Did she just move?"

The knight frowned.

He could have sworn he felt something touch his leg.

He looked down at the water but there was nothing.

"Nah."

He shook his head.

"Who am I kidding? I’m just seeing things."

He reached down again.

But when he looked at the maid’s face, he froze.

Her eyes were no longer lifeless.

They were deep purple.

And they were staring directly at him.

The knight’s entire body began trembling.

Fear flooded his heart.

He wanted to scream.

He wanted to run.

But his body refused to move.

The maid slowly rose from the water.

Her movements were unnatural, almost as if something inside her body was controlling it.

She stared directly into his eyes.

The knight couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

A dead person had come back to life.

Then her mouth opened.

A distorted voice escaped her throat.

"I will borrow your identity for a bit, so don’t mind me."

Her hand shot forward.

She grabbed the knight by the throat and lifted him into the air with one hand.

The knight’s legs kicked helplessly.

He tried to scream.

Nothing came out.

Blood began leaking from his nose, ears, and mouth.

Tears of blood rolled down his face and dripped into the lake below.

The water slowly turned red.

Then something even more bizarre happened.

The maid’s body began to change.

Her flesh twisted, her bones cracked.

Her body stretched and reshaped itself.

The sound of bones breaking echoed across the quiet lakeside.

Yet the maid didn’t react.

She didn’t scream. She didn’t even flinch.

The knight could only watch in horror as her body continued transforming.

Her face changed, her limbs changed, her height changed.

Her entire body slowly took on a completely different appearance—

His appearance.

The maid disappeared.

Standing in front of him was someone who looked exactly like him.

Even the deep purple eyes had disappeared.

They had been replaced by the same black eyes he had always possessed.

Then—

Crack!

The knight’s neck snapped.

His body went limp.

The fake knight held him for another moment before dropping him into the water.

Then something even stranger happened.

The knight’s corpse began changing as well.

His body twisted and shrank.

His clothes fell around a completely different figure.

Within moments, the corpse floating in the lake was no longer the knight.

It was the maid.

The fake knight stared at his reflection in the water.

His face was perfect.

His body was perfect.

Even his voice would be perfect.

No one would notice.

"Perfect."

He lifted the maid’s corpse onto his shoulder and walked toward the mansion.

Nobody stopped him.

Nobody questioned him.

Nobody suspected a thing.

Not General Lee, not the other knights, not the maids.

And certainly not Yves.

An impostor had already entered the mansion.

And no one knew.