Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Everyone Lies as Soon as They Open Their Mouth
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Dawood couldn't even get a word out, just staring blankly at Eliya.
She didn't even wait for a reply before firing off her next sentence in a rapid barrage.
“Teacher is my fiancé, so if you just listen to me, everything will be fine!”
“...Um, Eliya—”
Before Dawood could respond, Eliya cut him off abruptly.
“Th-that, so—! G-get plenty of rest! See you at the next trial!”
It was another rapid-fire sentence.
As if hearing his answer right here and now would make it impossible for her to hold something back.
Eliya, her face flushed bright red, bolted out of the hospital room like she was fleeing. Dawood watched her go, then staggered back to his bed in a trance-like daze.
“Um, Caliban.”
[Yeah.]
Caliban barely managed a reply, suppressing a nauseating sensation.
Good lord.
To think he'd have to witness his own little sister stooping to this level.
It felt like karmic payback for all the times he'd teased this guy before.
“...How on earth is this possible.”
[Uh-huh.]
Yeah, he got the shock.
If some random woman suddenly showed up claiming to be his fiancée and demanding he obey only her to survive, anyone would be left dizzy with disbelief—
“But... was he really the type whose head was so scrambled he even forgot his own fiancée?”
[...]
Caliban clung to his fading consciousness.
No... that's not it.
Absolutely not.
He agreed the guy wasn't all there upstairs, but...
It was obvious Eliya was throwing herself at him, desperate to get close.
But Dawood's motto had always been, “No getting cozy with anyone until the Foreseer and demon problems are resolved.”
[...Dunno.]
“Didn't you say she knew me from before? That I didn't even know about the fiancée...”
[Not knowing is not knowing, kid.]
“...”
Caliban didn't like snapping at the guy's innocent question, but it couldn't be helped.
'A fiancée? What the hell...!'
Caliban inwardly screamed, clutching at a nonexistent nape of his neck.
At least this was better than admitting out loud, as her brother, that his sister was blinded by greed and pulling a scam...!
[...Still, one piece of advice.]
“Yes.”
[Take what other women say to you with a grain of salt... think it over carefully. Whether it's true or not.]
That was the bare minimum of conscience, dropping a hint like that.
But Dawood frowned at the Soul Linker the moment he heard it.
“So you're saying there are people who would lie about something like that?”
[...]
There were.
One bastard who did exactly that to nearly two dozen women without batting an eye.
“Don't joke. What kind of person deserves divine punishment for toying with people's hearts like that?”
[...]
“Eliya and the others... it wouldn't be right to suspect such good people without cause.”
[...]
“It's me who should feel guilty for not even remembering my relationships with them properly.”
Every word was spot on.
Perfectly reasonable...!
'...We're screwed.'
Caliban muttered that in his mind.
At least, there was no way he could just casually reveal that everyone around you, including yourself, was a total nutjob.
Caliban thought that, subtly shifting his own line of sight sideways.
There lay Yuria, next to Dawood, as still as death.
Right now, that white devil inside her body was undoubtedly pulling every trick to keep Dawood's soul trapped.
[...]
He didn't think he'd die, anyway.
This guy had been through worse—no, far worse—and never less than this, and survived every time.
Through all those crises, he'd clawed his way out alive in the end, so he'd pull some scheme and escape this one too.
Just...
'Please, come back soon...!'
God, please.
There had never been a moment when he missed Dawood this badly.
He desperately wanted to stop watching the vessels of demons around him turn uglier by the second...!
The Hero Selection was officially ongoing but had entered a lull.
The public reason was needing time to prepare the second trial at the Crucible of Strife, the next test site.
But those with decent intel knew the real story.
The leaders of the hegemonic nations overseeing the trials had all agreed to postpone it for a few days.
Probably because all their attention was ultimately focused on this one man.
The Emperor and Prime Minister of the Empire, the Great Chieftain of the Tribal Alliance, even the Pontiff of the Holy Kingdom.
“...No abnormalities for now.”
Lucien thought that as she lifted her hands from Dawood's body.
She had channeled holy power through both hands to thoroughly check for any issues inside him.
With his flesh-bound soul now replaced by a spirit body, inspecting this man's spirit and flesh for anomalies was mostly her job.
Of course, Indra Knight from Elpante's medical corps was highly reliable too, but no one could match the precision of clerics when it came to soul-related matters.
“...”
In other words,
Even a cleric of her caliber could only check his current status right now.
No one had come up with a “solution” to restore his original personality yet.
The Tristan Duchess had holed up in the library to find a way, and Prime Minister Sullivan had done the same in a conference room inside the palace to discuss methods.
Lucien herself had no sharp means to help him either.
'...How guilty this makes me feel.'
Lucien glanced at Yuria lying on the next bed over, her eyes deeply sunken.
She didn't want to blame her little sister.
But it was undeniable fact that this man had suffered two major setbacks because of her and her sister.
She and her sister
might have to atone to him for the rest of their lives.
As those thoughts surfaced, Dawood bowed politely and spoke to her.
“Thank you as always, Saintess.”
“...”
She looked down at the man reverently bowing before her with an awkward expression.
The guy who usually barged in casually, demanding things under the pretext of “needing her help,” was now treating her so naturally as the “Saintess”—it was beyond awkward.
“...No need. It's involving my sister too, so it's only natural—”
Lucien tried to continue, but her words cut off.
Dawood was in the middle of putting on his shirt, his muscles rippling vividly right in front of her.
This man... his body had gotten unnecessarily good lately, unlike before.
Word was already spreading among the female students at the academy: “At this point, his looks are at least passable.”
'...Wh-what blasphemy is this...!'
As Lucien thought that and swept a hand over her face, Dawood closed his eyes and bowed his head quietly again.
“My apologies. I showed you an indecent sight.”
“...Why are you apologizing?”
“You, who have clearly reached a sublime realm, must feel nothing from this, but out of an old man's caution...”
“...”
Was this guy doing it on purpose?
Stabbing right at her heart with such casual words.
“By the way, does no abnormalities mean I can engage in somewhat vigorous activity?”
“That is so, but... why do you ask? Is someone trying to make you do something?”
Lucien said coolly.
If anyone was calculating gains and losses to boss this man around, she wouldn't stand for it.
Right now, he needed guards and rest. If some clueless fool pushed their own agenda on him—
“Ah, no, nothing like that.”
Dawood gave a wry smile at her expression.
“I heard you were participating in the Hero Selection with Eliya.”
It came out as if it were the most obvious thing.
“If there's something I promised to do with her, I have to see it through, right?”
Then, a smile crossed his face.
“Because she's precious to me.”
“...”
Lucien clenched her fist.
Her heart twisted. Just that one phrase chilled her veins cold.
She couldn't even say why she felt this way.
She knew full well she had no right to complain about this man's favor going to another woman.
And yet.
“...”
Her chest hurt.
For no reason she could grasp. So painfully she couldn't comprehend it.
The moment she realized he cherished another woman that much, the sensation hit.
She barely pried open her stubborn lips to speak.
“...It could be dangerous, Dawood Campbell.”
“Even so, it has to be done.”
“...”
This man had lost his memories.
So why?
“...Why go that far? What's the reason?”
Without thinking, Lucien voiced the question.
Why, when she had sinned against him so gravely.
Why did others receive such precious favor from a man who'd lost his memories?
What made the difference?
“Of course? Isn't it obvious?”
Again, the reply flowed as if it were the most natural thing.
“I heard Eliya is my fiancée?”
“...”
At the unimaginable reason, Lucien's face went slack, like she'd been hammered in the back of the head.
'...You're kidding...!'
A fiancée? What fiancée...!
Lucien gaped in shock, her mind racing with the words.
This was manipulation.
Taking advantage of a memory-lost man who was easy to fool, shoving in whatever selfish desires.
'...Fine, you want to play it that way...!'
Then she couldn't hold back either.
“Then, I have a perfectly valid reason to stop you from doing that!”
“...Pardon?”
Dawood tilted his head, puzzled. Lucien snapped open her mouth indignantly.
“I-I, before you lost your memories, so...!”
She tried to say it.
But her words jammed up.
“...”
What was she to him, anyway?
Not a lover. Not a girlfriend. Acquaintance was too vague.
If anything, she was a tool he used and discarded whenever he needed something, but she couldn't say that honestly...!
“...Saintess?”
Dawood looked at her curiously. Panic flickered across Lucien's face.
She had to say something...!
“...I-I don't know what's going on, but you don't have to push yourself.”
Dawood gave an embarrassed smile.
“There's no way someone like you, the Saintess, formed any significant bond with a nobody like me. You're one of the most noble people on the continent.”
“...”
“I'm just glad I didn't cause you any trouble by mistake.”
Warm words.
But funny thing was,
One thought popped up.
Precisely because of those words, the most tremendous indecency this man had committed against her came to mind.
“...”
It was so blasphemous it made her shiver, so humiliating, something her usual self would never even consider.
But this situation.
If she didn't stake her claim, she'd lose. Someone else had already made the first move.
So.
“...”
Lucien took a deep breath and pulled something from her pocket.
She always carried it, never knowing when this man might summon her.
A collar.
One closer to a dog's than anything else.
“...Saintess?”
Dawood spoke as she abruptly produced the strange item.
But she squeezed her eyes shut and snapped it around her own neck.
Ah, just taking it out made her whole body convulse.
But she had to.
It was the only way to keep this man from falling for other women's schemes...!
“...I...”
Lucien squeezed her eyes tighter and thrust the collar's handle toward Dawood.
“I was... your pet...”
“...”
Dawood's jaw dropped.
“Y-you, you made me, like this...”
“...”
“So take responsibility! That's what our special relationship is—!”
The final breathless torrent of words hit.
Dawood's face drained pale.
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