The Wet Nurse's Secret
A colossal light.
It flooded across the Duke Bellemian's eyes like an ocean of blinding radiance.
The overwhelming brightness should have forced him to squint, yet he remained utterly composed. If anything, his gaze widened even further, as though eager to absorb every last flicker.
*So this is the light...*
A shudder ran through him.
If only this light could be harnessed...!
“Overwhelming talent indeed.”
The corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
***
The artifact revealed five glowing images.
The first depicted a warrior’s form, muscles rippling with power. The second showed an arm wrapped in raw muscle. The third illustrated mana surging like waves inside a vessel. The fourth captured a staff crackling with unleashed magic. The fifth portrayed a robed figure in deep meditation, eyes closed.
After the images materialized, Luke’s face betrayed a flash of astonishment. Had he worn a blank expression instead, he would have appeared far too childish.
Before he could fully process the reaction, Bellemian burst into loud laughter.
“HAHAHA! What a blessing our Serverki family has received!”
The clan as a whole would call it a blessing, yet for Luke personally it felt more like a curse. Nine siblings and sisters—his half-brothers and half-sisters—would now actively watch him, each one hoping to expose any weakness.
Still, Luke was ready to endure every glare.
*I will overcome all of it.*
As the vow formed in his mind, the sound of applause filled the chamber.
*Clap. Clap. Clap.*
The nine siblings and Duke Bellemian began to clap, a gesture of celebration. Yet the emotion behind it varied wildly; only a handful truly rejoiced.
“Now that the youngest’s talent has been revealed, let us all gather for a meal. We shall continue the discussion after we have eaten.”
The moment the words left the Duke’s lips, he turned and strode toward the dining hall prepared in an adjacent chamber.
Luke moved to follow—until he felt countless eyes lock onto him.
*…How hostile.*
Every single person in the room stared straight at him.
Within the sea of varied gazes, Luke never flinched.
The siblings’ eyes widened in surprise at his composure.
At that exact instant, someone approached with heavy footsteps and reached out to ruffle his hair.
Before anyone else could intervene, their hands were inches from touching.
Luke suddenly seized the approaching fingers in a crushing grip.
*Crack!*
The superhuman strength he had tested minutes earlier in his room slammed down with merciless force.
The owner of the hand jolted, startled, yet a knowing smile tugged at his lips as he recalled the very images just shown.
“Why, what is this? Luke. Until now you have hidden behind your nurse like a shadow. Now that your talent has been confirmed, you suddenly become bold? As your elder brother, I am deeply moved.”
He spoke with casual familiarity, channeling mana to counter Luke’s strength without the slightest intention of holding back. This was none other than his eldest brother, Amian Serverki—the notorious problem child and rogue eldest son of the Serverki clan.
The moment of mutual support—Luke’s raw physical power against Amian’s mana—erupted.
Suddenly a third voice sliced through the tension.
“Whoa, easy, big brother. Calm down.”
He looked vaguely like Amian but carried a more refined, haggard air and round spectacles. This was the second son, Eden Serverki.
“Luke, calm yourself as well.”
Just as Eden stepped in to mediate, Amian’s gaze snapped toward him.
“Interfering quite freely, aren’t you, Eden?”
Amian’s mana surged hotter.
“Both you interrupting suddenly and the youngest’s sudden wide-eyed display… I must say, I’m not pleased. According to family tradition, perhaps it’s time one of us was removed.”
“Brother… are you serious?”
The argument was about to explode.
“Enough.”
Someone stepped directly in front of the three of them.
“Both of you, stand down.”
The man who blocked their path had blood-soaked hair.
The moment he emerged, the air around Amian—the most hot-tempered of them all—evaporated. He simply clicked his tongue quietly at the newcomer.
Luke’s eyes moved to the woman who had intervened on his behalf.
He was the third child and eldest daughter of the Serverki family—Terre Serverki.
Ten years from now, the one who would help destroy the ducal mansion.
Precisely the bloodthirsty sibling killer who would slaughter every sibling and the Duke in Imperial Year 700.
And in the Sacred Souls world, one of the Eight Talents—the Calamity of Raging Lightning.
The realization sent an involuntary shiver through Luke’s frame.
“…I’m fine.”
He kept his tone flat.
Terre smiled at the corner of her mouth.
“I’m glad, Luke.”
She ruffled his blonde hair, then extended her hand.
“Let’s go, Luke.”
Luke stared at the offered hand in quiet surprise.
Terre had always been like this—especially kind to him.
Luke had once suspected her kindness, but in his childlike past life he had simply followed her lead.
“…Yes.”
He took her hand.
But the Luke who had already awakened to his previous life knew the truth.
She had protected him now, yet ten years from now she would become the very sister killer who ended him.
***
Luke sat beside Terre and surveyed the room.
When his gaze shifted, he saw the half-siblings sharing his blood—those mixed through the paternal line.
*…Completely isolated. Mother is gone, and I have no siblings.*
Duke Bellemian had taken four wives. The fourth had been Luke’s mother, who had died giving birth to him.
Therefore Luke had no pillar of support.
Oh, but one existed. Perhaps the perfect ally. Still, her motives remained unknown.
*…Elise.*
He briefly thought of the nurse, then brushed the notion aside.
Right now he had to focus on the siblings before him.
*What now?*
The Serverki tradition demanded that siblings devour one another like marrow and bone until only the fittest remained.
In such an environment, survival was no simple matter.
Then…
*I will grow stronger.*
For now, that was the only path.
Terre set a plate of meat in front of him.
“Eat, Luke. The youngest must eat a lot.”
“…Thank you.”
Luke’s somewhat stiff tone drew a soft chuckle from Terre.
“You do speak a little too formally, Luke. If you let me treat you more comfortably…”
As she spoke, she added another helping.
Luke found her behavior puzzling.
Before the talent reveal, he had avoided all siblings as much as possible, hiding behind his nurse, Ellis, and watching from afar.
He had been a bit of an outsider.
Yet Terre had occasionally slipped him snacks when their eyes met.
And remarkably, the food had never been spoiled or poisoned.
An incomprehensible, unknowable kindness.
Following Terre’s lead, the two children sitting opposite him began to speak in hushed tones.
“Luke! Want some of this?”
“Try this bread! It’s delicious!”
They were none other than Jace Serverki and Aris Serverki—the eighth and ninth children, two and one years older than Luke.
In the harsh Serverki household, these two were the purest, untouched souls.
Whether to call them naive or to praise their purity.
They never bullied their siblings despite the others’ cruelty. Because of the clan’s background, their kindness shone even brighter.
Unfortunately, Luke knew their future.
Neither would survive the clan’s annihilation.
He accepted the dishes Jace offered and the bread Aris passed to him.
After a moment of silent staring, he began to eat.
No poison here. These two were far too kind to resort to such tricks.
*Nom. Nom.*
Countless eyes shot toward him.
“Hmph.”
“Hm.”
“Hm.”
They glanced sideways without speaking, content to keep their secrets hidden.
The meal continued in uneasy silence.
***
After the meal ended, Luke returned to his room.
As he walked, Terre ruffled his hair one last time and bid him farewell. Jace and Aris lingered at his side, offering their own goodbyes. The other siblings merely shot him sidelong glances, no words exchanged.
The unspoken competition felt more threatening than outright hostility.
In his room, Luke recalled the duties ahead.
Soon the Duke would call him for instruction.
There was no reason to refuse. Skill improvement was vital now.
Yet there was one crucial matter he had to clarify.
Luke sat at the desk in his room and pulled out a notebook.
He began writing with the meticulous precision of a veteran gamer.
*Ten years from now, in Repelheim Empire’s capital Bertora, Terre Serverki will commit slaughter and clash with another of the Eight Talents, turning the city into rubble. At the moment the empire reaches its 700th year, the two terrorists will ignite imperial fury. Public bounties will be issued. Amid the chaos, the game’s near-final boss—the outline of the Eight Talents—will finally take shape.*
He recorded the outline of the future boss. *In Imperial Year 700, within the empire’s turmoil, the protagonist known as The One Stained in Darkness emerges. During the brutal duel between Terre Serverki and another of the Eight Talents in the devastated capital, a new figure suddenly appears, desperately fighting for survival. This protagonist will struggle against a world already on the brink of destruction.*
Luke jotted down the protagonist’s path and the true reason the world would end. He mapped hidden pieces across regions and the locations of major NPCs.
Every detail was written in his own cryptic shorthand, each stroke deliberate.
Finally, Luke closed the notebook with a satisfied exhale and set it neatly on the bookshelf.
The remaining task he had to address without delay was…
“Nurse.”
*Knock.*
He summoned Ellis, who had been temporarily absent.
The door opened and she entered at once. Luke looked at her and spoke.
“Yes, young master.”
“I have a request.”
Luke took both of her hands and rested his head against them.
“I know everything.”
“…Young master?”
Ellis tilted her head in confusion.
Luke continued.
“Nurse, you are a witch.”
Ellis’s eyes flew wide open.
***
From the moment he awakened to his previous life, Luke had secretly kept stealing glances at his nurse Ellis.
He had no choice.
Her appearance was identical to the witch he had endured for countless hours in the game—except for a few details.
Black eyes, black-and-gold hair, the Calamity of Mixed Hearts, Elise Bystana.
The woman standing before him was Ellis Bystana in all but golden eyes and blonde hair.
*Why is she here? Her name… and the fact she first appeared in the Sacred Souls world… Elise Bystana and the nurse Ellis are the same person.*
Her youthful appearance, the name Elise—especially the certainty that ten years from now Elise Bystana would debut from the ruins of the Serverki mansion.
The nurse Ellis was undoubtedly one of the Eight Talents, the near-final boss, Elise Bystana.
Even so, Luke had dared to ask because, in the ten years of his memories, she had always been endlessly kind and gentle toward him.
“…Young master. You must have read a fascinating fairy tale about witches.”
Despite Luke’s certainty, Ellis denied it.
“I don’t know which fairy tale, but I am not a witch. How could I possibly be…?”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
Luke did not hesitate.
He dashed straight to the window, staring into Ellis’s golden eyes.
“Am I going to jump?”
“…Young master?”
“I’m sorry, Nurse. But if I don’t do this, I fear you won’t admit it!”
Luke made no further hesitation.
He flung himself out the window.