As long as one inhabits another's body, the soul can never fully settle.
It must be forcibly bound to the flesh, but over ti, that bond weakens.
Using divine power excessively shortens the ti a soul can remain in a borrowed body.
That was why, back when I lived as Amy, my body had gradually grown weaker.
But according to the records Daedire brought, Eden had sohow prolonged his ti in soone else’s body.
How was that possible?
No—there was a more fundantal question.
I had only been able to beco soone else because of Pebula’s power.
Yet Eden seed to be even freer than I was, switching bodies as he pleased.
How had he managed it?
The clarity I thought I had gained was once again thrown into chaos.
But now wasn’t the ti to dwell on it.
"So, what exactly are you trying to say?" Cruello asked.
"I'm basing this on the case of Marchioness Somon. What if all of these people were actually the sa person?"
My heart dropped.
If this went in the wrong direction, Amy might get dragged into this, too.
I wanted to gauge Cruello’s expression, but I fought to keep my own reaction in check.
Daedire continued.
"To be precise, I’m suggesting the existence of a being that steals other people’s bodies and lives in their place."
"If such a thing is possible, then that would be true immortality," Cruello muttered.
"It aligns perfectly with the goals of the Recanon Church as well. Unfortunately, this is only a hypothesis, and I don’t have concrete proof to support it."
She took a sip of her tea.
"However, there is one recorded case where soone abruptly changed—almost as if they had beco a different person."
"...Amy?"
"Yes. So if you would like to investigate further, I would appreciate any information you could provide about her, Your Grace."
Cruello remained silent.
As the silence stretched, the sound of my own heartbeat filled the void.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was so loud, I was convinced they could hear it, too.
Desperate to steady myself, I lifted my teacup.
And then, at last—
"It wasn’t her."
“...Eden isn’t the one.”
Cruello’s words overlapped in my mind.
I neither drank nor set down my cup, caught in a strange sensation.
The unwavering trust he once had in Eden—he still had that sa blind faith in Amy.
How could he still believe in people like this?
He had already experienced what it ant to have his trust shattered.
It was baffling, and at the sa ti, it was reassuring.
Cruello trusted .
I swallowed my tea, forcing down the lump of anxiety along with it.
"I see," Daedire said. "In any case, she wasn’t part of the White Desert bloodline, and her symptoms manifested too early."
She discarded her hypothesis without the slightest hint of regret.
Then, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° rising from her seat, she said, "That concludes everything I had to say. I’ll take my leave now."
"Ah, yes."
"Lady Siora, if you don’t mind, would you escort out? I have sothing to ask you in private."
I glanced at Cruello before giving her a nod.
Daedire walked slowly, as if adjusting her pace to match mine.
Her footsteps echoed steadily down the hallway.
For soone who had claid to have a question, she was unusually quiet.
I didn’t push her.
I had a feeling I knew what this was about.
It wasn’t until we were well away from the drawing room that Daedire finally spoke.
"To be frank, there was one more suspicious person in His Grace’s inner circle."
"You could just say outright that I'm the suspicious one."
"I apologize, but yes. According to my investigation, your personality has changed, and there’s barely any traceable history of your movents."
"Do I look like I’m part of the Black Serpent?"
"No, you do not."
Well, if she did, then I would have assud her eyes were made of buttons instead of pupils.
Fortunately, Daedire didn’t have button eyes.
"As an investigator, I’ve learned that intuition often proves more accurate than pure logic. More often than not, that’s how things turn out."
"And?"
"I had a passing thought. If there’s one person who has been using different bodies over the years... why assu there’s only one?"
"If there were two, what difference would it make?"
"Hmm. If there were two... perhaps one of them would be on the side of justice?"
Daedire smiled slightly.
"As an investigator, it’s a terribly flimsy theory. But one can only hope. In the end, you could say I was just spinning a story."
She stopped walking.
"I’ll go on from here alone. By the way, I never properly thanked you for helping Julian."
"Speaking of which, where is Julian?"
"He’s currently at my private estate. I’ll bring him back once everything is settled."
As if she had just rembered sothing, Daedire added offhandedly, "If you need more information about the Recanon Church, you might consider paying a visit to His Majesty the Emperor."
"What could I possibly learn from him? Even when the Elders were handed over, he dragged his feet and refused to act."
"There must have been unavoidable circumstances on his part."
"Oh, so nowadays, even turning a blind eye to corruption is considered an ‘unavoidable circumstance’ worth excusing?"
"Think about it. How desperate must he be to the point where he’s starving the Crown Prince to death in confinent?"
Wait.
What?
Daedire didn’t even flinch as she smoothly covered her slip.
"Ah, I misspoke. That was confidential information my father shared with . Could I ask you to keep it a secret?"
"Hold on a second, Da Daedire."
"Well then, I truly must be going now. I sincerely wish you safety in the days ahead, Lady Siora."
With that, Daedire gave a polite bow and walked past .
I let out a quiet scoff before calling out to her.
As she turned back, I looked up at the towering knight—or rather, the amateur novelist.
"Just so you know, I’m young. I haven’t even been alive for thirty years."
Just because I borrowed a few bodies didn’t an I was so ancient relic.
"...I see."
She blinked as if she didn’t quite understand.
Well, if she didn’t get it, then never mind.
I had only said it on a whim, as usual.
I spun on my heel and headed back.
As I returned to the drawing room, my mind filled again with unanswered questions.
Eden. Pebula. Borrowed bodies. Lifespan.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.
Surely Pebula hadn’t granted Eden divine authority, right?
I scowled upward but, in the end, decided to put my faith in my god—at least for now.
After all, Pebula had been reasonable enough to erase my mories of Viga at just the right level.
For now, I would go over the records Daedire had given in painstaking detail.
Before I knew it, I had reached the drawing room.
I swung open the door—and imdiately caught sight of Cruello.
Seated leisurely with one leg crossed over the other, he was tilting a teacup as he calmly examined the docunts.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
He acts like he owns the place.
Cruello didn’t even bother looking up as he asked, “What did she say?”
“She wants us to rescue the Crown Prince since he’s been imprisoned.”
“Oh my. But what more could she possibly offer in return?”
“We’ll take it from the Crown Prince himself, obviously.”
He was still the Crown Prince, after all. His personal wealth had to be worth at least a fairy tale or two.
***
At this point, soone might start wondering if I had so sort of hobby for charity work.
But I needed soone to clean up the Black Serpent Cult once and for all.
The people pulling the strings were still very much alive—who knew what they’d try next?
Just a little more trouble now, and I could live comfortably for the rest of my life.
At least, that was what I told myself.
And yet, as soon as I thought that, another problem ca into focus.
One that was sitting right next to in the carriage.
Cruello.
He was staring out the window, his expression unreadable.
How could I get him to take to Morion?
I knew he had all the keys, but I couldn’t just say that outright.
The best approach would be to lay everything out and threaten him into handing them over.
[Stay silent.]
Ah. Long ti no see.
Funny how when I was desperately searching for a divine sign, not a single word ca through, and now you’re suddenly here.
I pursed my lips in irritation.
If I couldn’t take the shortcut, then I’d have to do this the long way.
“Cruello.”
He turned his gaze toward .
“The key. Where do you think we should look next?”
“......Hmm.”
He shut his mouth briefly before speaking again.
“I’ve been thinking, darling. Do we really need to find the last key?”
“What?”
What kind of nonsense was this, after all this ti?
“You’re worried that soone might use Morion,” he continued.
It’s not a possibility.
I saw it happen.
You saw it happen.
You, Cruello D. White Desert, the sa person currently speaking to .
I bit my tongue and forced out the only response I could give.
“Yes.”
I was going to give myself an ulcer at this rate.
“But most of the keys are already in my hands,” he pointed out. “If I manage them properly, no one else will be able to use Morion. Isn’t that enough?”
So he wasn’t planning on revealing the last key’s location.
Why was he saying this now?
Had he still not given up on reviving Viga?
Or worse—had he fallen under Morion’s influence?
I suddenly felt uneasy, so I spoke more firmly.
“The future is unpredictable. We have to be sure.”
“I see. Certainty is important to you.”
“Of course it is.”
Cruello abruptly tilted his head to the side, watching .
There was sothing strange in his gaze.
Then, in a low voice, he called out to .
“Darling.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t there sothing you want to say to ?”
It wasn’t a particularly loaded question, and yet, my throat closed up.
The opportunity to brush it off ca and went in an instant.
Then, a different question followed.
“...Do you still trust ?”
“...What about you, Cruello?”
That was all I could manage to push past my lips.
Cruello didn’t answer.
He just stared.
And he kept staring.
Right up until the carriage ca to a stop.
When the coachman opened the door, Cruello stepped out first.
I followed after him, my mind tangled in knots.
Forget —why was he acting like this?
It wasn’t as if he had recovered his lost soul fragnts and regained his mories.
...Wait.
Sothing flickered at the edge of my thoughts.
It was almost coming together—
And then—
“What the—?!”
I was suddenly lifted into the air.
Obviously, by Cruello.
“You seed lost in thought,” he said casually. “Keep thinking. I’ll carry you.”
“Who can think properly in a situation like this?! Put down!”
“No.”
How could he say that so confidently?!
I was so dumbfounded that I didn’t even know how to respond.
Was this his body?
...Okay, technically, my body wasn’t really mine either, but still—!
“For no particular reason,” he muttered, holding securely.
“I’ve decided to do whatever I want from now on.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)