Sibylius's Apology and Sudden Confession
Did you really believe that? I did exactly as Viol instructed. I drank moderately, went back to my room, and slept. …I had planned to drink low-proof stuff until I passed out, but ridiculously, I didn't get drunk at all. With my divine power that even neutralized anesthetics, plus the massive amount of mana I now had, it was only natural. In the end, I drank the non-intoxicating booze like it was juice until I was stopped, then came back to my room and crashed.
I was sleeping like that when I suddenly sensed a presence and woke up. It felt like someone was approaching my room, so I sat up, thinking it might be Viol. But no.
"Unbelievable. You drink, pass out, and now you're finally waking up?"
Standing in the open doorway was a woman in a black dress with long black hair and black eyes—a witch-like beauty entirely dyed in darkness. It was Sibylius, looking more dressed up than the last time I'd seen her, speaking curtly.
"Thanks to you, I had to wait a whole day."
"…Did the day pass while I was asleep?"
"Yes. I took some time preparing to treat you on Viol's orders, and in the meantime, you were out cold."
So she'd had no choice but to wait until I woke up. I felt bad.
"Sorry for always putting you through unnecessary trouble."
She liked being alone and probably didn't even want to see me much, so I apologized for dragging her out so often because of me.
"It's not like that," Sibylius retorted awkwardly. "Well, it's not that much of a hassle. Say what you will, I've grown quite fond of you."
"You're not just treating me because Viol pays you well, even if you hate it?"
"…Forget I ever said that. If it offended you, I apologize."
Sibylius looked at me awkwardly and continued.
"And I apologize for what happened last time too."
"What incident?"
"When your mother came, I grilled you about ignoring me while only looking at her. I've thought it over, and it was perfectly natural."
Right. It was natural, so I'd wondered why she made such a fuss back then. She'd realized later it was weird and was apologizing now.
"Forget it. I'd already put it behind me, so don't worry about it."
It wasn't a big deal anyway, and it was in the past. I was more interested in the treatment.
"Viol said before bed that she called you to fix my memory issues."
"Yes, that's why I'm here."
"And you said you were late because of preparations, so that means you're all set now?"
I asked hopefully, but
"No."
"What?"
"The mind is a tricky field—even with preparations, it's never enough. Honestly, I'm not sure I can treat you properly."
Then why are you even here? I stared at the brutally honest Sibylius in disbelief. But she continued calmly.
"Normally, the best approach for this is to let it heal naturally. Didn't you go home to recuperate for that reason?"
Back then, I didn't even know if my memory loss was real. But now, I wasn't sure if my memories were intact or what my condition even was.
As I stayed silent, Sibylius asked,
"Has anything recovered since we last parted? Any old forgotten memories resurfacing?"
"…Some fragments have come back."
I gave her a rough rundown. Amid yesterday's chaos, I'd recovered bits that seemed to be from the day I lost my memories.
"Hmm, I see."
Sibylius looked stunned.
"No wonder Ares was acting off that day. She must've been avoiding the incident because of this sensitive truth."
"Probably, right before losing my memories, I was shocked to learn I was adopted and went to my room alone, tumbling down the stairs or something."
I didn't remember the details, but piecing it together, that had to be it.
"In that case, isn't it better to just leave it alone?"
Sibylius frowned in thought.
"Rather than risk side effects from meddling, natural recovery is safer."
"Ah, then no need to treat me. I'll tell Viol, so you can go."
"…No, better safe than sorry."
Sibylius wouldn't leave even when I told her to, glancing around hesitantly.
"I'll stick around just in case."
"Can you stay at the Imperial Palace that long?"
"The emperor herself—Viol—approved it, so no issue."
She answered like that and stayed in my room. Not saying a word, not even sitting—just leaning against the wall, staring at me.
I wondered how long she'd keep it up and stared back silently in exasperation.
"…."
"…."
We stayed like that for a while until
"…Shall we step outside?"
Sibylius broke the awkward silence first, avoiding my gaze.
"Even if we're waiting for natural recovery, doing something outside would help more than nothing."
"Like what?"
"A walk, at least."
"Can I even go out?"
"You're not confined anymore, right? I'll help, so let's go together."
True, I couldn't stay cooped up forever.
"Wait a sec. I'll wash up and come out."
My body didn't smell like booze, but just in case, I headed to clean up—only for
"If it's hard to wash alone, want me to help?"
"No thanks."
I shooed out the weirdly offering Sibylius.
A little later, as Sibylius and I were heading out of the Imperial Palace, we ran into someone we knew.
"Ah, my lord!"
Unable to enter the palace depths where I was, one of the Death Knights had been lingering nearby.
"No issues, I hope…?"
She started to greet me but frowned upon seeing Sibylius beside me.
"Who's this woman?"
"And who might you be?"
Sibylius eyed the Death Knight curiously.
"My escort knight."
"Escort knight? She looks like a Death…."
"There were circumstances!"
I cut off Sibylius loudly. As expected of the grand mage—she'd seen right through her instantly.
"I already know everything. She is my escort, so don't say weird stuff."
I warned Sibylius firmly, then turned to the Death Knight.
"You doing okay? Uh, your name was…?"
"I'm Haim. Have you forgotten me already?"
The Death Knight pouted cutely—she was a beauty with brown bobbed hair.
"The day we first met, you healed me, my lord!"
"Oh, you!"
She was the one who'd collapsed from my holy power. Learning she had a special connection to me among the Death Knights made me glad.
"Sorry, didn't recognize you. But you didn't exactly tell me outright."
"Did I not?"
"You all don't share personal details much."
That was why I hadn't memorized names except for Captain Niobe.
"Ah, where are Niobe and the others?"
"The others couldn't stay by your side, so they went off on their own. The captain returned to Huferion Count Estate."
"Why?"
"She went to question Ares closely, insisting someone with the Holy King's power couldn't possibly be adopted."
…Right, there was that issue too. The fallen Holy Kingdom's Huferion royal family. They served me as lord because I wielded divine power, a power exclusive to the king. But hearing I wasn't blood-related must've baffled them.
Come to think of it, that is weird. Was there some hidden backstory?
As I pondered, someone draped an arm around my shoulder.
"That's enough chit-chat."
It was Sibylius. She pulled me toward her by the shoulder and said,
"I'm treating him right now. You're in the way, so step aside."
"I-is that so?"
With treatment as an excuse, Haim reluctantly backed off. Sibylius and I left the palace and strolled through the Capital City of the empire, taking in the sights.
As the imperial capital, it was incredibly advanced. Magic bridged most technological gaps. There were magic-powered traffic lights for carriages and even modern-looking gadgets here and there.
"It'd be nice if High Priestess Hames were here, but she can't come right now."
As I enjoyed the scenery, Sibylius spoke up.
"She's handling something important."
"What?"
"Subjugating a demon named Red."
"Red? Why's Hames after her?"
"Why else? She threatened you."
Sibylius explained. Hames had insisted on eliminating Red to ensure no more harm came to me, gathering temple forces and heading out. Hairel had exploited her absence—despite being my ally—to scheme.
"Emperor Viol learned the situation and jumped in to help, staying busy. That's when she got word you're adopted and rushed to you."
"That's what happened?"
"They're both swamped for your sake, so best not to bother them."
I was getting way too much care. Nothing I'd done to deserve it—it went beyond gratitude into awkwardness. Unsure how to respond, I stayed quiet.
"Ah, and also."
Sibylius seemed about to share more info when
"I love you."
she suddenly confessed out of nowhere.
"…Didn't you promise you had no reason to love me?"
"…Did you really believe a promise from a wicked half-demon like me?"