Chapter 220
Chapter 220
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Two Souls in One Body
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seren burst into tears and poured out her story...
It wasn't the kind of thing that was easy to understand overall.
Words from a panicked person generally lack any coherence.
Still, I got the gist.
"...So, there were two souls in one body?"
The moment Seren nodded while sniffling, my expression had no choice but to turn serious.
The first thought that flashed through my mind upon hearing this was a possibility that any citizen living on the continent would universally consider.
"Hey. You're not possibly from the Dark Cult—"
"No."
Seren said with a tear-streaked face.
"I know the Dark Cult has a forbidden ritual to transfer souls. But that's not what this is."
"......"
"I know it's hard to believe. Still......"
Seren's lips, which had been fumbling, finally closed.
She looked extremely unstable, and it seemed like she was still hiding something to the end.
However, that wasn't the only reason I couldn't take her words at face value.
Of course, silently believing someone in a situation like this could be seen as proof of friendship or trust...
Truthfully, the bond I've built with Seren isn't particularly deep.
So, the worst possibility I could think of right now...
'Seren's body has already been taken over by a cultist, and that cultist either knows I'm a High Priest or at least suspects it?'
Something like that.
Of course, as the worst imaginable scenario, the probability isn't high.
Seren is, first of all, blood of a Great Family, and among them, the high-ranking Goodspring Family. She even possesses a considerable number of Blessings.
That means she inherently has strong resistance to the Dark Cult's forbidden rituals.
Even if her body had been taken over, the odds of them noticing the evil instrument hidden within me are even lower.
Not even the likes of the Sky-Splitting Sword, middle-name holders, Royal Knights leader Lena, Iron-Blooded Duke, or Purgatory Lord had realized it.
"Young Master?"
Still, I need to confirm it first.
"So, to sum up what you're saying, the 'real Seren' is the one talking to me now, and the prickly one I've seen until now was 'Siyeon,' who possessed your body?"
"Yes."
"Hmm......"
The name Siyeon wasn't familiar.
In the vast grasslands of the continent's eastern region, where countless minority tribes live, could there be someone with a similar name?
I don't know.
'But......'
Unexpectedly, I'd heard a similar naming convention before.
I might be the only one on the current continent who knows of such a person.
Naturally, it's my third martial brother.
'The person who possessed Seren's body is from the same world as my third martial brother?'
What are the odds of that?
No idea.
I have no idea, but strangely, it didn't feel impossible.
The world I live in seems far crazier than I could imagine.
"But why were you crying? Shouldn't you be happy instead?"
"Huh?"
"The guy who took over your body is dead. From the 'real Seren's' perspective, you've finally gotten your body back. Instead of dancing for joy, why are you holed up here bawling your eyes out?"
"......"
Seren was still crouched down, burying her face in her knees. Her snow-white hair cascaded down like a curtain.
Soon, a mumbling voice leaked out from behind that curtain of hair.
"Because Siyeon is a hero."
"What does that mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. A hero is someone who saves people in crisis and accomplishes what ordinary people can't. Siyeon......"
The whispering voice continued.
"He showed me that the Goodspring Family isn't the whole world. He proved that it wasn't the family that was wrong, but me. He taught me that what matters isn't others' evaluations, but my own thoughts. I saw it all."
"Not Seren... Does that Siyeon guy know about your existence too?"
"Relatively recently. After Siyeon awakened the power of a forgotten god. But that power is dangerous. After using it, he loses consciousness for a long time."
"Ah. So it was you showing that spaced-out side back at the Bednicker main house?"
"......"
Seren's shoulders twitched, which was answer enough.
"So, what's his exact status now? Has he completely left your body?"
"No. I can definitely feel his presence inside me. It's a sensory thing, so there's no proof..."
"Then if he hasn't vanished, why were you so panicked?"
"What if he never wakes up like this?"
Seren sniffled again.
"What if Siyeon is dead? I don't know any way to wake a dormant soul..."
"Hmm."
This girl.
So that's why she'd been holed up in her room. To avoid running into others.
Because the Seren Goodspring that I and most leaders remembered had no connection to words like timid or frail.
Separately...
I couldn't quite understand the real Seren's thinking right in front of me.
Lending her body to someone else because she lacked the courage to live herself, and just watching?
At least to me, that would be torture.
'Still.'
That's how I see it now.
Recalling the days when I hadn't received even a single Blessing, it's no wonder she'd think that way.
If a demon had come to me back then and offered a Blessing in exchange for my body, I might have hesitated a bit.
"Have you tried anything?"
"Of course!"
Whoa.
Seren suddenly lifted her head and looked at me.
"Siyeon loved hot baths, especially with rose petals floating in them! He'd stay in the tub for up to two hours—"
Her voice, which had spiked in volume, gradually lowered.
"...I recreated the exact same temperature and atmosphere, stayed in the tub for three hours, but there was no reaction at all. My skin pruned up, and I nearly passed out from dizziness."
"That's too bad."
"What? That I didn't die?"
"No."
Why does this girl think like that?
How to put it.
It's like her thought process condenses every circuit of misfortune in the world.
I wagged my finger pretentiously.
"This is probably a mental issue. Instead of stimulating the body, you need to spark something in the mind."
"Oh, really?"
"That's what I'm saying. I read about it in some newspaper once. There was a man in a vegetative state for ten years. He didn't respond to renowned doctors, pharmacists' prescriptions, or bishops' holy power. His wife, half-given up, took him back to his hometown soil, and at that moment, his eyes snapped open."
"Wow......"
Seren lifted her head slightly. Her blue eyes and snow-white eyebrows curved in a kind expression.
"It's like a miracle! So romantic!"
"Not a miracle, and not romantic."
"Huh?"
"That man had lived in his hometown for decades. A place full of experiences, and even more forgotten memories. And the human brain actually remembers everything, even what we think we've forgotten."
"......?"
Seren looked confused, not grasping my point.
"Frustrating. The instant he set foot in his hometown, his brain reacted to the scenery, smells, sounds, sunlight on his skin, the feel of the wind. Dormant memories stirred, reactivating his brain, and naturally, he woke up."
Of course, I don't know if it's true, but it's more convincing than lumping it as a miracle.
Seren gave me a slightly ambiguous look.
"...Young Master, you have no romance in you."
"What did you say?"
"But I get what you're saying. The essence of home..."
As Seren pondered with a troubled expression, my gaze turned back to the hall beyond the window.
The banquet atmosphere had now fully ripened.
Hector still seemed to be leading it...
At that moment, the banquet lighting shifted slightly.
The chandeliers grew much brighter, and the gentle background music changed.
No trumpet sounds, but a slightly passionate feel. The highlight was the piano.
A grand piano sat in the center of the hall.
"Her Highness the Princess arrives—!"
That voice sounds familiar?
The same guy who made a fuss when the Purgatory Lord appeared.
While I was lost in pointless thoughts, a woman appeared in the center of the banquet.
Her face, haughtily sweeping over the focused gazes, exuded undeniable elegance and poise.
A woman with red hair.
Yes. A woman.
Naturally, as the Sixth Princess, she looked much older than Ferris or Glenn, but that's not unusual for the imperial family.
After all, imperial bloodline rank isn't based on age.
In other words...
She was in a position with virtually no chance of becoming emperor.
No, with Ferris in her state, her rank might have risen a notch?
"Uh......"
Then Seren let out a surprised voice.
I tilted my head.
"Why? Do you know the Sixth Princess?"
"Oh, no, not that......"
Seren's gaze wasn't on the princess, but elsewhere.
Judging by the direction, what she was looking at was...
"The piano?"
"Yes! Siyeon loved the piano and was amazing at it! His fingers moved so fluidly, like a pianist's, playing solo pieces I'd never heard before. It was so elegant and beautiful......!"
"......"
Is this narcissism or not?
As I pondered philosophically, Seren continued.
"...It was probably music from Siyeon's hometown. What if hearing his hometown music wakes him up...?"
"Hmm......"
It was a terribly difficult request, but oddly, a melody flashed in my mind at that moment.
Naturally, it was a tune my third martial brother often hummed.
If those two really are from the same world, wouldn't this get a reaction?
I'm nobility riffraff too.
Of course, I received cultural education from my family, so I can read sheet music and play keys.
The key issue is how to naturally play the piano in this situation.
That's not hard either.
Just ignore the 'naturally' part.
"Wait here a sec."
I left Seren and returned to the hall. Some nobles shot sly glances, and bolder ones approached outright.
Ignoring most of them, I headed to the center of the hall.
Hector and the princess happened to be standing there.
"Ah. It's Young Master Ruan."
The princess, noticing my approach, smiled softly and warmly.
I debated how to respond, then just said something vague.
"I greet Your Highness the Princess."
"Hehe. The honor is mine. Meeting the most famous leader in the capital these days."
"Yeah, well......"
"Oh my. No need to be so tense."
I'm not tense, you wench.
But this princess.
For some reason, she started spouting nonsense.
"You seemed uninterested in the banquet, yet you rushed straight to see me. Thank you. I'm a little touched?"
"Ah, yes."
As I nodded half-heartedly, Hector's eyes behind her intensified.
'What.'
When I asked with a glance, Hector desperately mouthed.
'Be, po.'
Polite?
As I raised my right hand slightly, Hector paled and shook his head frantically.
"I've heard Young Master Ruan is the hero who made the greatest contribution in this incident. Your Family Head must be pleased. Including these two here, Young Master Hiiro and—"
"Sorry to interrupt."
I pointed to the piano.
"May I play that for a bit?"
The princess's expression stiffened briefly at my words, but then relaxed as if realizing something.
"Ah— Are you going to play for me? Hehe... How cute."
What the hell.
Too lazy to clear up the unknown princess's misunderstanding, I just passed by and sat at the piano.
Then I lightly swept my fingers over the keys.
"Oh my......"
"Wow—."
The surroundings buzzed slightly.
I felt hotter interest than expected, and saw the princess with an expectant face.
I smiled faintly and began to play.
Mi Re Do Re Mi Mi Mi.
Re Re Re. Mi Mi Mi.
Mi Re Do Re Mi Mi Mi.
Re Re Mi Re Do.
......
......
The surroundings fell silent.
Naturally, not in awe of my playing.
Ignoring the stiff reactions, I looked toward Seren.
Seren, who had been watching with a shocked face, had her eyes glaze over slightly...
Then, like a snapped thread, her head drooped.
After a short time, when her head lifted again.
"...Ha."
Her downcast eyes now slanted upward, and a crooked smirk between sneer and mockery curled at her lips.
Seren looked at me briefly with a dumbfounded attitude, sighed deeply, then circled her temple with a finger.
Good. Success.