The Terminally Ill Prince is the Mad Dog of the Underworld (Novel) - Chapter 4

Chapter 4. The Terminally Ill Young Master

Read it only at Utoon.net!
Discord

The dim light of dawn squeezed through the curtains, illuminating the sleeping objects.

While distantly hearing the sounds of the bustling morning awakening, I was staring into the void of an unfamiliar room.

“Ah.”

When focus returned to my blurry vision, my wandering mind returned as well.

‘So you’re telling me that I, Mad Dog Karzan, was reborn as a noble young master?’

My past life felt as vivid as if it happened yesterday. It felt like waking up after a very long sleep.

But perhaps because too many memories flooded in like a tide, the seventeen years I’d lived as the boy called Allenbert now felt hazy like last night’s dream.

Unable to distinguish which was me and which was the uninvited guest, I sat dazed for a while before suddenly turning my head side to side and getting out of bed.

I had ranted about being reborn as a dog to bite Ivan’s throat, but who knew it would actually happen?

“This is truly maddening.”

It felt incredibly awkward to hear such a smooth, pleasant voice coming from my mouth.

“Boss, please never sing. We thought it was a ghost wailing.”

“While Karzan is a fine man, his voice is terrible.”

I used to wonder why they complained so much about my voice, but now I understood why.

‘First, I need to sort out the situation.’

I suspected that while I was delirious with fever, somehow Karzan’s deeply sleeping memories were revived.

The exact mechanism? How would I know?

‘So this body’s original name is Allenbert Grünewald. Age 17.’

If my memory serves, this should be a duchy in either the central or southern kingdom.

And…

‘That’s all I can remember?’

So where exactly is Grünewald, and what’s my father’s name? It was frustrating how the memories felt just out of reach. Just as I recovered from one bout of amnesia, I found myself in another.

“This is crazy, good grief…”

Isn’t it a kind of madness to remember your past life but not your current one? If I can’t even remember my parents’ names, how is that any different from when I was orphan Karzan?

‘Is Ivan dead?’

That too, I couldn’t know.

I’d completely forgotten how I managed to cut that sturdy jewel box. Well, having been asleep for 17 years, it’s no wonder such delicate memories wouldn’t remain.

‘Let’s at least see what I look like.’

Just as I was looking around for a mirror.

“Y-young master! Good heavens! You’ve truly awakened! Oh, this is the Lord’s blessing, a miracle!”

A young man with a disheveled appearance, as if he’d run here from sleep, came rushing toward me with a fuss.

“Are you feeling alright? Any pain? May I examine you for a momeeeent!”

“Whoa, you startled me!”

So he was a doctor. As if someone had threatened to kill him if the young master died, his eyes were brimming with tears.

“W-whoa, you say?”

Noticing the doctor’s confusion at my unrefined vocabulary, I quickly caught myself.

“Ah, my apologies. Perhaps I’m still dazed, having just awakened after so long.”

Though I spent my entire life in back alleys and the underworld.

Even in the underground world, we occasionally had dealings with high-ranking people. Pretending to be a young master wasn’t particularly difficult.

“Oh yes, of course. Young master, you’ve been asleep for days with fever. You mustn’t overexert yourself, please lie down and let me…”

“Lie down? Why?”

“Well… I need to examine you…”

Judging by the doctor’s expression wondering what was wrong with me, this Allenbert must have been quite a docile young master normally.

Anyway, that’s no longer who I am.

I sat arrogantly in a chair beside the rather luxurious bed, crossing my legs.

“By the way, doctor. What should I call you?”

“P-pardon?”

Looking at the young doctor’s bewildered face, I made up a plausible excuse.

“You see, I can’t seem to remember.”

Of course, this was half true. What I couldn’t remember were this young master’s memories.

“I barely remember my name, but I can’t recall where this is or what kind of person I was.”

“Ah…!”

Judging by the doctor’s dismayed expression, perhaps from spending his life only studying, he seemed unable to hide his emotions at all.

“T-then I must inform the master immediately!”

“Wait.”

I grabbed the doctor’s arm.

“May I ask something first?”

The doctor answered while breaking into a cold sweat as I held his arm.

“Of course, young master.”

“It seems I suffered from quite a severe fever. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Is it contagious? Any aftereffects?”

“The contagious period ends after three days of symptoms. There are no reported aftereffects.”

Watching the doctor who had unknowingly become subject to his patient’s questioning, I asked again.

“Now, what was your name again?”

“Josef, young master.”

“Ah, hearing it now, I think I remember something.”

The doctor’s face brightened at this.

“Oh wonderful. Then please ask anything you’re curious about.”

That’s quite helpful.

“Josef. Where exactly are we?”

“This is one of the foremost cities in the Kingdom of Litvaloir in the central continent, and the capital of the Duchy of Grünewald.”

The Kingdom of Litvaloir? That name I certainly remembered.

“Which child am I? Who are my father and mother?”

“Young master is the fifth child of the House of Grünewald.”

“I’m not an illegitimate child or anything?”

“Pardon? Ah, of course not. You are undoubtedly the Duke’s legitimate son.”

“That’s a relief.”

Just in case.

“Above you are three elder brothers and one elder sister.”

“Am I the youngest?”

“No, you have one younger brother.”

“So I’m the fourth son among five sons and one daughter of House Grünewald.”

“Correct. Your father is the great Duke Georg Grünewald, and your mother is Lusatia Grünewald, the fourth wife.”

“…Fourth wife?”

The fourth wife? Our father must have been quite something. Among the nobles I knew, he had the most wives.

I couldn’t tell if he was a womanizer or if he was that power-hungry. Nobles were generally a breed with more secrets and stench than even us underworld folk.

“By the way, Josef. Looking at you somehow warms my heart. You must have taken care of me sincerely.”

When I spoke these insincere words, moisture welled up in Josef’s small eyes.

“Th-thank you for your kind words. Of course, I did my best to treat you…”

“So it seems I wasn’t in very good health.”

What good could come from seeing a doctor’s face often? Indeed, even when I grabbed the doctor earlier, I couldn’t muster much strength. It felt like there wasn’t much muscle to begin with, beyond what could be explained by a few days of hunger.

“Yes. Regrettably, you were rather sickly.”

“How strange. These hands have never properly held a sword.”

Looking down at my hands as I spoke, Josef hesitated to answer.

“Well, about that.”

“Please, Josef.”

“…Actually, young master has long remained confined to his room, consuming only rice porridge. You only allowed a few people, including myself, into your quarters.”

“Why?”

At this point, Josef’s lips finally sealed.

‘Internal affairs of the nobility.’

There were many things in this world too difficult to handle. That’s why I didn’t press further.

Though he had been swayed by my momentum until now, pushing any further would surely make Josef defensive. That wouldn’t be wise.

Besides, I could roughly gauge the situation from this much.

‘An abandoned child, eh.’

The fact that a novice doctor who seemed to be the chief physician’s assistant was in charge of me.

The decoration and size of the bedroom, though luxurious, seemed oddly lacking for a ‘precious young master of a ducal house,’ and the ambiguous rank of fourth son bothered me.

Most critically, the fact that the Duke had allowed his precious son to remain shut away in his room was the biggest issue.

“There must be circumstances. I’m sorry.”

I didn’t miss the small flash of guilt that crossed Josef’s face.

“No need to apologize, young master. Visually, there appear to be no major physical issues.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Then I’ll call for your attendant.”

“Attendant?”

“When I asked urgently on my way here, I was told he had asked for understanding that he’d be slightly late today. Since we didn’t know when you would wake up…”

Judging by how he defended the attendant, this person’s reputation couldn’t be too bad.

“I won’t reprimand him, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Josef blinked as if still unable to adjust to the situation, then bowed to me.

“I’ll take my leave. I’ll prepare medicine to help restore your strength.”

“Thank you.”

Watching Josef’s retreating figure as he practically fled, I suddenly sighed.

‘What happened here?’

Allenbert seems to have been a loner shut away on his own isolated island. Like me before grandfather took me in.

‘Ah. Come to think of it, I was looking for a mirror.’

Only then could I finally see my reflection in the mirror on the desk.

“Wow, this is crazy…”

In a word, it was shocking.

Platinum hair like molten precious metal poured over me. White, soft skin. Features as beautiful as if carefully carved… All of these were perfectly arranged on a small, sharp face.

And what about the hair texture? It was puzzling how it hadn’t even become matted despite not being washed for days.

“Disgustingly handsome. To stay cooped up in a room with this face, something must be wrong with his head.”

While I’m crazy too, this Allenbert wasn’t in his right mind either. The sense of kinship I’d felt toward him was melting away like snow.

“Lucky b*st*rd.”

Mad Dog Karzan was manly enough, but he’d never been called handsome anywhere.

‘Only got fake compliments when buying drinks. Those b*st*rds.’

Meanwhile, this Allenbert whatever young master was truly beautiful like a sculpture. Even if he’d been born in the back alleys, he could have made a living with that face.

‘But those eyes are quite unpleasant.’

The eyes were clouded, and the gaze was weakly drooping, giving an impression of frailty.

I could understand why that young doctor found my changed demeanor strange.

“You lived like a fool, Allenbert.”

I thought of the boy who, despite being born with so much, had to hide alone in his room.

‘Though I was briefly annoyed while looking in the mirror.’

I didn’t want to mock him as weak without knowing his story. I know well enough that both nobles and orphans have their own hardships.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. In my mind’s eye, Karzan and Allenbert’s faces appeared side by side.

Seventeen years since reincarnation. I reflected on the glory and shame of a life I had forgotten for so long.

‘How pathetic, Karzan. How did you not even know what you left behind?’

I wonder what happened to everyone. Are they safe?

It’s been seventeen whole years. Surely they haven’t all died? The kids I looked after must be adults now. How far have I come from grandfather’s grave? Did those who betrayed me live well? So much time has passed.

And…

‘…Ah. Emotions are burning up.’

I looked at the fire rising in my chest. A dark red flame – who knew such a color of fire existed?

‘Stay calm.’

When I opened my eyes again, the boy in the mirror had become a man with sharp, deep eyes.

“…”

Those eyes are quite something. How did he manage to go around with such eyes.

But having walked countless nights with just a blade, it was natural for a cold killing intent to dwell in those eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul.

I relaxed my eyes again. Noble gentlemen might wet themselves if they saw that look. That would be troublesome.

‘I am Allenbert.’

Karzan died long ago. Don’t forget that.

…However, if the shadows of the underworld extend to this duchy as well, Karzan will never truly be dead, even in death.

“Well then.”

Let’s do something. What should I do first?

‘First, I need to find the pieces of lost memories and put the puzzle together.’

Only then can I know what to do next.

And one more thing.

‘There must be an underworld here too.’

If so, in this life I might need to follow the footsteps the Dark King walked. The path of a powerful figure straddling both light and shadow, the master behind the black curtain.

Because I keenly felt that my downfall was the foolishness of thinking I had to choose between light and darkness.

‘It will be a difficult path.’

But hardship is my friend.

I closed my eyes amid mysterious premonitions, whether fate or coincidence.