The relentless, hushed patter of footsteps echoed in my room as I circled around the center table positioned in front of my bed.
Before long, Sera returned from her flight, politely knocking on the glass window.
I was confident that by now, she must have thoroughly explored the entire city.
With a smile, I welcod her in, and she gracefully settled on my bed.
Taking a seat next to her on the bed, I summoned two baskets laden with fruits and atballs from inside the dinsional storage of my smart bracelet.
Picking up a handful of atballs and fruit berries, I started feeding Sera.
I knew she was perfectly capable of eating on her own, but feeding her with my own hands like this made feel comfortable. Besides, Sera seed to like it too.
Well, in truth, she liked anything that gave her a sense of significance. Basically, she liked feeling important.
She liked it when I gently patted her head and lulled her to sleep. She liked being fed. She liked it when I ruffled her crimson and silver feathers. She liked it when I grood her plumage.
Truly, a princess's behavior.
So either she was exceptionally clingy or perhaps, she had inherited my very own narcissism. I doubt that it was the latter.
I an, our souls were linked, so it would be rather strange if she didn't adopt my most distinctive trait – narcissism.
Heh.
Sighing, I shook my head and started thinking about other things. I still had too much to think about.
Aside from investigating and finding the person responsible for the fractures in my mories, I needed to think about my parents.
Reynold and Yennefer would be ho any mont now. I needed to think of a good excuse that I could give them.
I an, after all, I had to justify why I was here despite being unofficially banished from the West.
Besides, there was one more thing that had been pestering since the evening earlier.
After I killed that vampire in the café — well, to be precise, when Alia killed her — she was on the verge of telling sothing.
What was she about to say? Before she could finish her sentence, Alia shot an arrow and silenced her forever.
She told not to trust her. Did she an Alia? She had to an her.
But there's a very real possibility that the vampire was just trying to create strife between us.
Perhaps her goal was to sow confusion in my mind and strike when my guard was down.
However, even she must have realized that any kind of resistance in those final monts was entirely futile.
So, what was her plan? Was she genuinely trying to alert about sothing? But why? Why would a dying vampire try to help a human?
Even if Alia posed a threat to , a vampire like Sofiana had no real reason to make – her killer – aware of that fact.
I rember when I warned Sofiana and asked her to let us go, she responded by saying, "That girl shouldn't be allowed to live"—
referring to Alia.
But why? Why was Alia so important? I'm fairly certain there's sothing in my mories about Alia.
While peeking in my head, Sofiana saw it. She saw sothing that made her shift her focus from to Alia.
Even though I lack evidence, my instincts are urging to heed the vampire's warning.
...This is difficult for . For so reason, I wanted to trust Alia. I an, I'll still trust her, but not blindly. I'll keep an eye open and use caution around her.
"Arghhh!"
Scratching my head, I sprang up from my bed and groaned in frustration.
All of this mystery would be solved if I could just take a look inside my head.
Unfortunately, the only relic capable of accomplishing sothing like that was in my possession, linked to .
Yes, I thought about using it on myself, but I knew all too well it couldn't be used in such a manner.
After all, at one point in the novel, Nero tried to do just that. He wanted to erase so painful mories by employing the Enigma Sightstone on himself.
But, as I ntioned earlier, it didn't work. He couldn't even activate it on himself.
Quite ironic, isn't it? In the novel, Nero yearned to forget, while here, I needed to rember.
Mockingly scoffing at the twisted humor of fate and its God, I walked over to a study desk tucked into the corner of this large room.
"Kriek~?"
Sera chirped confusedly when I didn't return to her side, as if she was calling and asking if I was fine.
I offered her a reassuring smile. "No, I'm fine, Sera. Go ahead and rest. I'll wake you up if I want anything."
As if she was waiting for my command, Sera nestled beneath the cozy blankets of the bed and gently closed her eyes, drifting into a peaceful slumber.
Smiling at her once more, I turned around and summoned a bunch of journals. One by one, I put them all on the desk.
After arranging them in front of , I called out to my smart bracelet, "Athena."
Instantly, a chanical yet distinct feminine rang out in my ears.
[Is there sothing you need my assistance with, first-year cadet, Sir Lucas?]
"Yes actually," I replied. "Athena, I want you to scan these journals. Analyze their content thoroughly and tell when the author's personality started changing. I also want you to provide with any other details you find worth telling ."
[Are these your journals, sir?]
"Yes, Athena. These are my journals."
[If you don't mind asking, what is your objective, sir?]
"Investigation. I want you to pinpoint when my personality started changing in an unnatural manner. Is that possible?"
[If it happened abruptly, then yes. There could be a few ways like analyzing the writing style, event details, and more such things.]
"Good," I nodded before sitting in front of the desk and opening the first journal. "Let us get to work then."
†
It took just over an hour to go through all the journals and let my smart bracelet scan every page.
I personally skimd through most of the content.
I didn't need to read every entry manually; I had asked Athena to analyze and provide with a summary of everything.
Currently, Athena was analyzing the collected data, searching for any clues about my personality change that I might have overlooked before.
Finally, as I continued to lean back in my chair and spin it, Athena's AI voice echoed in my ears.
[Sir, I believe I've found it.]
Tham, Tham, Tham—!!!
A smile crept across my face as I heard that, but before I could ask Athena to make her report, a loud, disruptive banging erupted at my door.
Tham, Tham, Tham—!!!
"Who is it?!" I yelled, visibly angry.
The door swung open and in ca a butler impeccably dressed in a formal black suit.
He looked at with sweat dripping down his forehead, bowed a little, and said, "Ah, young master Lucas... His Lordship and Her Ladyship have returned. They are waiting for you in the dining room downstairs, along with young master Adel."
At first, I only wanted to scold the butler a little for his loud door-pounding earlier, but after hearing his news, I felt a strong urge to downright strangle him instead.
But suppressing my irritation, I put on a cheerful smile and yelled, "Rise and shine, Sera! It's dinner ti!"
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