If I could use this, I’d be able to find out what was happening around the mansion.
I might even uncover Lucas’s secrets or the weaknesses of the Black Sea Swords.
I closed my eyes and searched for the mana sleeping somewhere within my body.
Even if drawing mana from nature was too difficult, utilizing the mana I already possessed might be possible.
‘Ah, there it is.’
I had worried that because I was born in a completely different body, the mana rings I had built up over time might have vanished.
Thank goodness.
My mana rings, also known as circles, were intact.
The only problem was how much of this mana I could safely release.
When I regressed to age seven, my body had nearly burned up from opening just a single circle.
‘Maybe a fraction of a single circle would be fine?’
Just as I was about to cautiously open the circle…
Click.
I heard the door click open.
I whipped my head around.
A massive shadow loomed in the darkness.
Through my vision, which was sharper than most, I saw Warren’s expressionless face.
He walked in silently and stood beside the crib, looking down at me.
I held my breath and stared back at him.
‘What is he doing here at this hour?
Is he here to kill me?
Did he figure out who I am?’
I couldn’t move a muscle.
Even in my previous life, at the absolute peak of my power, I had never been able to defeat Warren.
There was no way I could face him now, trapped in a baby’s body that screamed in pain at the mere attempt to gather mana.
Warren’s violet eyes remained fixed on me, unblinking, for what felt like an eternity.
Having held my breath the entire time, I…
“Hee-hoo.”
I gasped for air, feeling like my lungs were about to burst.
Surely it was just my imagination that the corners of his eyes seemed to soften, if only a fraction.
“Heeew.
Heeeew.”
As I panted, Warren suddenly thrust his index finger right in front of my face.
What was he doing?
Was he planning to crush my windpipe with a single finger?
I squirmed frantically to get away, somehow managing to roll over onto my stomach.
Propping my hands on the mattress, I struggled to push myself up.
“Ugh…
ugh.”
Just pushing my upper body up was a monumental effort, forcing those pathetic, babyish grunts from my throat.
After an agonizing struggle,
I finally managed to prop myself up.
Striking a pose like a roaring, ferocious beast, I glared up at Warren.
Warren’s lips twitched.
He was probably annoyed that I had dodged his attack.
He thrust his index finger in front of my face once more.
Carefully lifting one hand, I snatched his finger in a tight grip.
‘How dare he try to kill me, the Punisher of Darkness, with a single finger.
If I’m going down, I’m snapping this finger first!’
“Yaaah!” (Hyah!)
Channeling all my battle spirit, I squeezed his finger and tried to snap it backward, but—
Plop…
The single arm supporting my weight gave out, and I face-planted onto the mattress.
Damn it.
Was this how I was going to die?
Even if death was inevitable, being struck down from behind was an absolute disgrace.
Mustering every ounce of strength left in my tiny body, I rolled back over to face Warren head-on.
For some reason, Warren was staring down at his index finger with a look of immense satisfaction.
‘Satisfied?
No way.
As if a monster like him is capable of feeling such an emotion.’
It was impossible.
He was probably just stunned by the sheer, unexpected strength I had used to try and break his finger.
Warren stared at his finger for a moment longer, cast a brief glance at me, and then slipped out of the room as silently as he had entered.
Having fully expected tonight to be the end of this lifetime, I let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief and closed my eyes.
Exhausted from the sheer physical exertion, a heavy wave of drowsiness washed over me, dragging me into a deep sleep almost instantly.