Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Brother
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“I want to eat meat. Not the tough beast meat from Northsweden—something tender.”
“You’re picky.”
“This is nothing. You should see how finicky my peers among the noble ladies are. I’m holding back because I’m a Northsweden woman.”
Deia puffed out her chest proudly, harboring a strange sense of pride about living in the harsh north.
It was an emotion I couldn’t comprehend, so I just shook my head and ignored her as we walked the streets.
Graypond was undoubtedly a bustling district and a major city. Lovern Academy’s Lovern was fairly large, but it paled in comparison.
The disorderly footsteps of people, the rumble of carriage wheels, the haggling of merchants—it was all white noise you’d hear anywhere, but in such overwhelming numbers, it grated on the nerves.
Even when I quickened my pace slightly, Deia kept her mouth agape, head swiveling this way and that.
Having spent her first twenty-four years cooped up in a backwater like Northsweden, everything must seem novel to her.
She tilted her head with a hiss, then trotted up beside me, matching my stride and giggling.
“I think I was born in the wrong place. I’m a city girl at heart. The air alone suits me perfectly.”
“...It’s been less than ten minutes since we entered the city.”
“That’s what makes it so certain, right? Like recognizing your fated one?”
“Where’d that Northsweden tough girl go?”
“People evolve. I can feel my body rejoicing at being alive here.”
I eyed her pitifully as she stretched out her arms and deeply inhaled through her nose.
“Having lived as a spinster until twenty-four, how do you even know what meeting your fated one feels like?”
“You little...”
She bit her lip hard, clenched her fist, and glared at me. Then, as if the tension drained from her, she sighed and replied.
“Sigh... I’ve got some trauma, that’s why I haven’t.”
“...Sorry. That was thoughtless.”
It felt like indulging a real little sister’s whining, so I unwittingly apologized for my careless words.
The reason she harbored disgust toward others was Dayus, after all.
Seeing that, Deia waved her hand dismissively.
“Whatever, you’re not that bastard anyway.”
“...”
After that, conversation between us ceased. Thinking about it, this was our usual dynamic with Dayus and Deia.
Graypond had briefly turned her into a girl, but cold reality soon set in.
Right on cue, we arrived at the restaurant. We entered Mersen’s, where a warm wooden sign read “Open.”
“Welcome!”
The lively greeting of the server mingled with the buzz of crowded patrons.
Seeing the crowd, Deia let out an impressed “Ooh” and scanned the room with expectant eyes.
“Table for two? Right this way!”
The server led us to a rather secluded spot. It looked like they’d just hastily cleared the previous guests’ table.
“Here’s the menu! Call me when you’re ready to order!”
The server handed over a broad menu. I took it and passed it to Deia first.
“Look first.”
“...”
She shot me a displeased glance but snatched the menu anyway.
Soon enough, she was absorbed in it, deliberating intensely.
“Roast beef with cheese fondue? Wow, what’s this?”
“...”
“And this one pairs well with salad, right? Feels healthy. Probably loaded with asparagus.”
“...”
“They’re doing a keychain giveaway with set menus. Wow, unimaginable back in Northsweden.”
I silently watched her fuss over the menu for a solid ten minutes, chattering to herself.
Finally catching my gaze over the menu, Deia flushed and averted her eyes awkwardly.
“I’ll have the cheese fondue roast beef.”
“...Then let’s get the set. B set.”
“Huh?”
I’d skimmed the menu and called the server to order. Adding simple drinks, I crossed my arms and regarded Deia.
She stared back with a sulky expression.
“Aren’t you picking too carelessly? You don’t even know what else is in the B set.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s all the same anyway.”
“...”
Silence fell between us again. In my past life, I could’ve scrolled my phone, but here...
Still, it wasn’t like there was nothing to see.
Being a big city, ghosts overflowed the place. Not malevolent spirits that could harm, but plenty wandered with lingering regrets.
The food arrived, its savory aroma teasing my nose and stomach.
Even in the game, characters raved about this place—the presentation alone was top-notch.
“Here’s your set keychain!”
Along with the food, they left a keychain. I subtly slid the one with a tiny bear charm toward Deia.
“Take it.”
“...”
“I don’t need it.”
I quietly started on the accompanying salad. Shrimp inside made it decent.
Deia stared blankly at me before dubiously pocketing the keychain.
“You didn’t order the set just to give me this, did you?”
“No.”
“...”
Though she eyed me suspiciously, once she dunked the meat in cheese fondue and tasted it, she was hooked and devoured her meal.
After eating,
we stopped by a nearby café.
I suggested walking to aid digestion, but Deia wanted dessert, so we settled there instead.
“Wow, this Graypond? The meat’s juiciness was insane.”
“As long as it was good.”
I’d struggled to point out the mess she’d smeared around her mouth while she ate carelessly, utterly distracted.
“You’re different from usual.”
As I said, propping my chin, Deia flinched mid-sip of coffee and glanced at me slyly.
She might prefer I not pry, but we couldn’t just waste time like this.
Tomorrow, I’d face the king’s final trial.
So, cutting straight to it, Deia tapped the floating ice in her coffee with her straw and whispered softly.
“Can’t you just let it slide as me being excited about Graypond?”
“If that’s what you want, sure.”
I had no intention of digging deeper if she didn’t want it.
As I calmly sipped my coffee, Deia fiddled with her cup, then spoke with resolved determination.
“Your name.”
“...”
“What’s your real name?”
Slowly setting down my cup, I answered flatly.
“Kim Shin-woo.”
“Kim... Shin-woo?”
“Yeah. Sounds unique here, but it was common where I’m from.”
“Kim Shin-woo...”
Murmuring my name as if savoring it, Deia pressed on.
“Real age? Twenty-eight?”
“Twenty-five.”
“One year older. Still makes you oppa.”
That caught me off guard.
I hadn’t expected Deia to ask about me so intently.
Gaining momentum, she fired questions one after another.
Unleashing a bundle of pent-up curiosities.
“Were you a necromancer there too?”
“Something like that. Seeing ghosts is my constitution, not Dayus’s.”
“I see.”
The conversation stretched longer than expected. When my throat grew sore from talking, we reordered coffee and sweet cake for a sugar boost.
Still, Deia’s questions didn’t stop.
“Any siblings?”
“Only child.”
“Oh? Married then?”
“No girlfriend even.”
“And you called me a spinster earlier?!”
I didn’t bother replying.
I’d never had a girlfriend, but I wasn’t unpopular.
Girls had confessed occasionally, drawn to my quiet demeanor.
But seeing ghosts, I couldn’t accept lightly.
Dating was a prime way to incur resentment.
“Then.”
After a barrage of questions, Deia paused before continuing.
“Is Dayus still inside you now?”
For the first time, I couldn’t answer immediately.
Deia noticed but her eyes wouldn’t let me dodge.
Nor did I intend to lie.
“Dayus Verdi has found repose.”
Having resolved the Emily incident with me, Deia knew what that meant.
From there, I calmly recounted my story with Dayus.
By the time I possessed him, Dayus was already dead.
He’d tried to kill me.
In the end, I confronted him and gave him a proper funeral.
“He was a pitiful man, but not one deserving pity.”
“...”
“Still, in the end, he departed regretting his life.”
I didn’t say he sought forgiveness or was a good person.
Deia wouldn’t empathize anyway.
Just that he grieved.
That he regretted his actions toward others.
“What does that matter?”
But Deia ground her teeth and retorted.
“Whether that bastard regretted, repented, or begged me crying—it doesn’t matter. Good riddance. He was nothing I needed.”
Her rage was justified, so I just nodded silently.
“And sorry, but to me, you look the same. But your actions in Northsweden and today... you’re clearly a different person.”
“...”
“I’ll admit you’re several, dozens of times cooler than Dayus. Makes me wish you were really family.”
But Deia added,
“Still, in the end, you’re Dayus. That damn face is like a trauma etched in me.”
“I understand.”
No matter the soul, the body was Dayus’s.
Asking her to accept that would be brutally selfish.
“Sorry for snapping. Seeing that face just pisses me off involuntarily.”
“Natural.”
Her equally natural reaction earned my understanding, and Deia gave a wry smile.
“You sound just like a real big brother.”
“I’ll strive to be.”
“...”
My unexpected reply left her gaping at me blankly.
“My family was broken from early childhood. Shattered before I could do anything.”
A mother who loathed me for seeing ghosts.
A father who fled in fear.
My grandmother consoled me, but she passed while I was in the military.
I hoped to see her ghost, but she never appeared.
“To me, family was already ruined—something I could never have.”
It was also something I’d always envied.
“You might not want it, but I’ll work to be a brother you can boast about.”
It was my final promise to Dayus Verdi, too.
Deia stared dazedly before chuckling and turning to the window.
A bitter smile lingered on her lips.
“We both have wounds and longings for family.”
“Indeed.”
I nodded, and Deia cautiously met my eyes. Her lips trembled as she forced a smile.
She couldn’t yet smile brightly at Dayus’s face.
Yet, with an awkward grin, she voiced her honest feelings.
“I wish you really were my brother.”