Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Ulpi's Growth
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Huh?
The moment I saw tears falling from Yelena's eyes, my thoughts froze.
What had I done wrong?
But after desperately combing through my memories, it didn't seem to be my fault.
It looked like all those emotions she'd been holding back had finally burst out without her even realizing it.
"Good grief, what's gotten into me..."
Watching Yelena force a smile while wiping at her eyes filled me with an inexplicable pang of pity.
'Come to think of it, she's only just turned twenty.'
Younger than Cassius was now, and even younger than I'd been in my previous life.
She wasn't one of those typical webnovel protagonists who'd been possessed, reincarnated, or regressed, either.
She'd literally only experienced this world for twenty years.
Having to grow up fast from a young age just to keep her crumbling family afloat...
In truth, she'd matured even earlier than most other noble ladies.
Maybe even more than some commoners.
'...When I put it like that, she seems kinda pitiful.'
I'd been seeing her too much as just a character from the story.
No matter how I'd ended up possessed in a novel, the Yelena standing before me was undeniably a real person.
A wave of guilt washed over me for keeping her at arm's length, obsessing over my own safety under the flimsy excuse of foreknowledge.
"You must've had it rough, carrying that secret all by yourself."
"Uh..."
In the end, I comforted her with genuine concern.
Her face, which had been fighting back the tears, crumpled bit by bit.
"Ugh..."
Finally, she couldn't hold them in anymore.
I let her cry it out for a good while.
Come to think of it, she probably hadn't shed tears like this since reaching a certain age.
It wasn't just a matter of etiquette. Crying felt like surrendering to weakness—a massive demerit when you were fighting to hold a family together.
Besides, as an unmarried noble lady, anyone gunning for the viscountcy would've dismissed her outright.
Having battled them practically alone, she'd no doubt buried her feelings as deeply as possible.
"Hic... Your Highness..."
"What's wrong?"
"Hic! When your wife's like this, hic! You come over and comfort her...!"
"Uh, uh... R-right..."
Her sudden demand caught me so off guard I couldn't even think to argue. I just sat down beside her.
Then I awkwardly started stroking her hair.
'Is this how you do it...?'
"You've done well all this time. Yelena."
"Le... Lena..."
"...Lena."
"Waaah!!"
The moment I used her nickname and patted her head, Yelena broke into full-on sobs.
I'd never seen her wail like this even in the original story. It left me utterly flustered.
Of course, it also drove home just how much she'd been through.
Even mid-sob, she belatedly tried to muffle herself, probably worried about being overheard outside. I stopped her.
"I've cleared everyone out."
She needed to let it all out now, or she wouldn't cry again for a long time.
Swallowing it down halfway would just leave the emotions festering...
And so, Yelena kept crying as I stroked her head for a while longer.
"Hic! Hnng..."
"All done now?"
"Yeees..."
By the time Yelena finally stopped, my shirt was soaked through at the chest.
She hadn't exactly clung to me—it was just that, exhausted from crying, she'd leaned her head against me.
Honestly, it was an incredibly awkward position, but I couldn't coldly push her away... so I just put up with it as best I could.
'How the hell did things end up like this?'
All I'd wanted was to understand some anomaly that hadn't appeared in the original story.
Somehow, I'd learned a secret that only came out late in the plot, and even witnessed—and comforted—an unmapped crying scene from Yelena.
At this point, there was no denying the story had veered wildly off track.
"Khrng!"
Was it the animal spirits rubbing off on her, or a sign she had no more secrets to hide?
Yelena blew her nose with gusto, then shot me a sullen look.
"...Did I mess up somehow?"
"Huh? No... My eyes are just swollen from all the crying."
Good, then.
"Anyway, please don't tell a soul I cried today, Your Highness."
"Who'd I even tell? What good would it do me?"
"I bet you'd find a way to use it."
"That so? Hmm... wonder what I could leverage it for..."
"Aaaah!"
"I won't, so quit hitting me. That hurts."
"This isn't hitting! You're built like a tank..."
As we traded light jabs, I could feel our rapport had grown far more comfortable.
Yelena seemed to feel it too—her rigidly straight back and posture now relaxed softly against the sofa.
"So, what exactly made you think my involvement ties into your ability?"
"Ah."
Finally remembering our conversation, Yelena's cheeks tinted pink.
"Um... how much do you know about spirits' habits and such?"
"About as much as anyone else. Mainly that they exist based on certain natural environments or elements."
"Right. So they're mostly in forests, rivers, mountains, and the like. But... they're not completely absent from human settlements. There's even one right here in this mansion."
"Is that right."
"Yes. And last night's incident... I think it happened because that one assimilated strongly with me."
"In that case, it's probably got a form similar to a dog."
In the original story, Yelena spent most of her time confined in the Winterguard mansion, so spirits barely got a mention.
This was yet another deviation from canon.
"Exactly—more like a wolf, actually. And it used to be about the size of a wolf pup. But when I saw it earlier... it'd grown bigger."
"...What? I was under the impression spirits don't grow."
This wasn't some hidden secret.
It was common knowledge—anyone who'd cracked a book or followed spirit research would know.
"That's what I thought too. But... Ulpi's different."
"Ulpi? You name it that?"
"...Yeah. Why?"
"Cute."
"What...?"
"So, Ulpi's growth is deeply tied to last night's assimilation, right?"
"Yes. And the things Ulpi did when it came in last night were pretty limited. Mostly..."
Mid-sentence, Yelena's voice trailed off as realization dawned.
Even if it hadn't been her conscious choice, describing what her body had done seemed too embarrassing.
I filled in for her.
"Right—mostly hanging around with me. Though the cause and effect could be flipped?"
"Flipped?"
"Yeah. Like, Ulpi grew for some reason first, then assimilated using its boosted power."
Not that the assimilation caused the growth, but that the growth enabled the assimilation.
She clearly hadn't considered that—her expression turned blank, like a dazed puppy.
"Huh, you're right... But I suspected you were involved because of Ulpi's behavior before."
"Behavior?"
"Yeah. Whenever Ulpi vanished, I'd search around... and it was often near you. Even though you had no idea Ulpi existed."
"Hmm..."
Now that she mentioned it, there had been the occasional chill in the mansion—no draft, just a sudden coolness brushing my skin here and there.
If that was Ulpi lingering... it added up.
"Assuming that's the case... then regardless of cause and effect, it's clear I've had an influence. Even if it grew first and then assimilated, the growth itself could've stemmed from me."
"Yes, exactly."
I followed so far. But the real question remained.
Exactly how had I influenced this spirit called Ulpi?
'The prime suspect... has to be the Winterguard power.'
Truth was, its origins were murky.
No matter how I dug through Cassius's memories, there was nothing on how he'd gained it or where it came from.
Family histories in the mansion, even records only the head could access—nothing.
But what if it was a spirit power?
'Spirits' core abilities... all revolve around reshaping the environment.'
A fire spirit could ignite flames in empty space; an earth spirit, raise thick walls of soil.
Wind spirits whipped up gales; water spirits conjured liquid from nothing.
The Winterguard power worked the same way.
Freezing weapons, body parts, or surroundings solid from thin air.
Not just any ice, either—it could be tuned to deal serious damage.
'Come to think of it, Yelena doesn't know about the Winterguard power.'
It was a secret, but only among those in the know.
Too many knew for true secrecy, but the exact abilities and history? Buried deep.
Especially the origins...
Telling her might jog something.
"Yele... Lena, the Winterguards have a special power passed down through the bloodline. It might be connected."
"A special... power?"
"Yeah. Like this."
I picked up a pen and held it out to her.
Focusing my mind and channeling the power, the pen began to slowly freeze over.
"This is...?"
"This is the Winterguard power. The ability to freeze things. More precisely, anything frozen gains enhanced destructive force. I suspect it's linked to spirits—or Ulpi. What do you think?"
"Uh... so..."
Yelena started stammering something out—
"Kyaa!"
—when suddenly she shrieked and threw her arms around me?
'...?'
"U-Ulpi!"
She called out to the empty air.
The spirit must've entered the room. And sure enough, a chill emanated from near the frozen pen.
"Ulpi's here?"
"Huh? Y-yes... Ah, so that means..."
"Looks like the Winterguard power really is tied to Ulpi."
This could be our ticket to uncovering the power's origins.