A grown man being cradled.
But this time, I wasn't that embarrassed.
My mother seems caring enough, though too many concerning things are happening at once.
From the looks of it, she's far too young, somewhere in her twenties, already exhausted and overworked.
I know that feeling all too well.
To make matters worse, I haven't seen a single male figure in the house, and it appears I'm the only son.
I can't tell what day it is; I'm nowhere near a calendar, and the passage of time feels agonizing.
I cannot express enough how frustrating it is to be trapped in this tiny body.
Ever since I awakened here, it's been the same routine for eight long months.
Mother is constantly exhausted and busy, barely taking a break, while the maidservant handles every household chore.
Still, I've started noticing things. At this point, I can crawl around without supervision.
The maidservant's element seems to be ice and water, yet she still needs coal or wood for the stove. I think she can control temperature with her magic.
I've also learned their names. Mother is Natalia. The maidservant, Yuri—a fitting name for the snow season.
Strangely, I sometimes hear words that sound like Russian, though neither of them looks remotely Russian.
It's confusing.
Occasionally, men in black military uniforms visit our home.
Yuri pays them with something called Krevna Solin—blood-earned money from salt.
Taxes, maybe? Rent? I'm not sure.
But even those men don't look Russian.
Pale skin, sharp jawlines, mostly blue eyes.
Huh… maybe I'm wrong…
Honestly, they're intimidating.
I wasn't sure if I was really in a medieval era, because there were hints of modern times here and there. But there's nothing I can do about it yet.
I can't learn much from this tiny body.
Still, out of all that, there's one thing I found interesting, my full name: Arsen Chernov.
From Rin to this.
I feel manlier already.
I hope I have great genes.
Yet boredom was killing me. Mother did give me some toys, they were toy soldiers!
Wait… these things look similar to World War II–era soldiers.
There are even toy tanks and such.
Huh… and we don't have electricity?
There are guns, too? I don't understand, what era am I in?
I just want to grow up already and explore outside!
However, none of that is important. Thinking about things I can't do is a waste of time, so I find myself being a kid again in my room.
Admittedly, it was fun, role-playing with these toy soldiers, making up conflicts and dramatic storylines in my head.
Then I stopped…
As I held these toy soldiers, even if I did have fun…
I couldn't help but look at my mother whenever she was home. She looked unsatisfied and frustrated with her life; the same could be said about the maidservant.
I'm not meant to understand these things at my age.
I lack a child's innocence and ignorance.
Maybe I should've wished for my memories to be wiped upon reincarnation.
Somber man…
This is just mental torture…
By the end of my first year as a baby, I've started to understand their language. I can even utter the word equivalent of "mama" to my mother, and she always responds softly back.
Most of the time, I spend my days sleeping. For now, it's better to let time move faster by skipping through it in sleep.
The maidservant never once neglected me, always giving me soft foods and milk.
Yet, I've never stepped outside even once. Natalia is always busy with work, leaving no time to take me out, and my relentless curiosity about the maidservant only grows stronger with each passing day.
There's one thing that keeps happening to me, something that constantly disrupts my sleep.
It hurts.
Painfully so.
As I sleep in my cradle, my right hand sometimes glows a faint red. I can only see it for an instant, but I've noticed it bears the same Wendigo symbol, the Arsenal crest, though much smaller in size.
On random nights, the pain flares up again, radiating through my right shoulder as if trying to tear my hand away.
I cry nonstop, and the maidservant always panics, checking everything to figure out what's wrong.
But the crest always fades before she can see it, leaving no trace. I'm not sure whether this is something I want anyone else to know about.
Siege Fiend… what are you doing?
Strangely, I haven't had a single dream or nightmare about returning to the Arsenal realm—an event I was completely certain would happen eventually.
The maidservant, however, keeps inspecting me from head to toe for insects, bruises, or anything unusual, yet she's always left worried and confused, unable to find a single thing wrong.
There was a point when the pain kept going on that Natalia had no choice but to call for a doctor, who was wearing a very thick brown uniform fitted for winter.
In this place, winter is the most dominant season; even in summer, it's still cold.
The doctor did a health check on me, and eventually, after a while, he gave the good news that I was a really healthy boy! Natalia and the maidservant were relieved, but still, they couldn't quite decipher what was wrong with my right hand or why I cried every time.
Ultimately, they dismissed it as something that would pass with age.
I'm glad they didn't have the means to know that I have the Arsenal crest.
As time passes, I'm starting to get a clearer understanding of my family situation.
I'm learning the language much quicker than usual—well, I was an adult in my past life, after all.
Though I internally dumb myself down to not raise any suspicion.
There were times when, in the living room, as I slowly wandered around every corner of the house, from the bathroom to the storage room, the kitchen, and my mother's small bedroom—
I would sometimes hear Mom crying on the couch, and Yuri would comfort her through quiet conversations.
Damn, the maidservant is also a maid therapist!
Natalia often has mental breakdowns, and it's difficult to listen to.
From her rants, I learned that she was once a sorceress, forced to live through an unwanted pregnancy. Now she curses herself for putting in all that effort, only to end up as a government office worker handling taxes.
That means two things…
1. Mother has a sorcery crest and an elemental affinity.
2. I had a father, someone who abandoned her after the pregnancy.
3. She's being treated unfairly. In one of her breakdowns, she mentioned being seen as a failure and a shame for bearing a child at a young age.
I didn't learn anything regarding the maidservant, which is a pity.
But one thing was for sure—it made me furious on Natalia's behalf.
Whoever my father was… he's a total scumbag.
Chapter End.