The Miracle Ring
"Ughhh... Has this thing gone mad..." The crown prince clutched his left hand and groaned. It was all because of the ring that had been buzzing incessantly since earlier. "Why won't it stop..."
But the more serious problem was that the ring's vibration showed no sign of stopping even after a long while. A soul summoned by the Miracle Ring could never remain long in the world of the living. Without a body, it could only exist in an incomplete state. That was why the time a summoned soul could stay in this world was at most ten minutes at the shortest, and even at the longest, one hour.
"Hnnngh...!" Yet this ring was signaling through its vibration that the soul had already been lingering in the living world for three hours.
Asking the emperor yielded the same result—he had no idea what was happening either. Since the ring had been made at the request of a Ma-in, it couldn't possibly be broken. That meant the soul was truly continuing to remain in this world.
"Who on earth is Han A-rum...?" The name displayed by the ring was Han A-rum—the name of the soul Schluss Heinkel had summoned. The moment that name appeared, every means available had been used to uncover the person's identity, but...
"Your Highness. As for the individual named Han A-rum—" "You couldn't find anything." "Yes, that is correct. There has never been anyone by that name in the past either. If it were an elf or beastkin who is not an imperial citizen, then perhaps..." "Enough. Get out."
The information obtained amounted to nothing. All that was learned was the fact that no one named Han A-rum had ever existed in this empire. Moreover, the form of the name resembled none of the languages on the continent, so it didn't seem likely to belong to a beastkin or elf either.
"Hnn... What the hell is this..." Only after the retainer left did the crown prince let out the groan he had been holding back. The vibration was faint enough that others couldn't easily notice it from the outside, but because it spread not only through his finger but throughout his entire body, the sensation was distinctly odd. If he had to describe it... it felt as though something was poking deep inside his body. In any case, it was bizarre.
"I can't even take it off... Damn it..." The moment the ring's vibration would stop was when the soul returned to the afterlife. To clearly investigate this unprecedented situation—where a bodiless soul had been wandering the living world for over three hours—it was essential to accurately record the duration of its stay. That meant he had to keep wearing this ring at all times.
"Haa... Whew." By now, he seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to the vibration and could suppress his groans. Though the flush that had risen to his cheeks remained unchanged. The crown prince let out a deep sigh and returned to his usual neat posture.
'It feels like I'm getting a little addicted...' The vibration that had been nothing but bewildering at first no longer felt uncomfortable. In fact, he wanted to keep feeling it. Finding himself somewhat perverted, the crown prince felt a sense of depravity. What would happen if rumors spread that the crown prince enjoyed the ring's vibration?
"Ugh... Uheheh..." Just imagining it sent chills down his spine.
"Hmph! Yulia!" "You've returned, Sister Erika."
The one who flung the door open as if to break it was Erika. Yulia closed the book she had been reading and greeted her sister—the one who seemed endlessly childish in her eyes.
"Hehe. What book are you reading? Romeo and... Juliet?" Erika tilted her head as she peered at the cover. It was a title she had never heard before. Perhaps it was a recent new release.
"What kind of book is it?" "The setting is a bit strange, but the main content is a love story." "A love story..."
At Yulia's smile, Erika felt a sense of crisis. Yulia, who had never once spoken about love before. She might have reached an age where she was starting to take interest in such things, but there must have been a decisive event that triggered it. That event was none other than meeting Schluss Heinkel. Ever since Yulia met that good-for-nothing man, she had clearly become strange. Sometimes she would space out while eating as if lost in thought. Or she would persistently grill the maids about Schluss's recent activities. Or ask Erika how things were going between them... In any case, it was nothing but unwelcome developments.
"Yulia." "Yes, Sister." "You know, last time. When Schluss Heinkel came to our house." "Yes..." "Did that man say anything strange to you back then? You can be honest with your sister."
"Hmm..." As Erika approached with her hand on her chest, Yulia averted her gaze as if troubled. She couldn't possibly say that Schluss was someone she had known in her past life.
"He didn't say anything at all." "Really?" "Yes. Really." It was the truth. Without any particular conversation, Schluss had only gritted his teeth and left. Even so, Erika couldn't let go of her suspicious gaze. Regardless of whether the answer was true or not, she was certain that Yulia was hiding something. Yulia's lie was so clumsy that it was easy to notice. Then what exactly was she hiding? Erika decided to probe a little.
"Then, Yulia, would it be alright if I asked what you think of Schluss Heinkel?" "Pardon? What I think of Schluss?" "..."
Erika had clearly called him by his full name, but only the given name came back from Yulia's mouth. As if calling someone close to her. That too was displeasing, and Erika's lips pouted.
"I don't have any particularly deep thoughts." "Even so, if you had to say something?" "Hmm, then..." Yulia fidgeted with her fingers and organized her thoughts. What did I think of Schluss again? Since she couldn't be completely honest, Yulia carefully chose her words.
"He's an interesting person. And..." Yulia gently closed her eyes. The moment she opened them to continue speaking, she witnessed an unbelievable sight.
'Huh?' The scenery around her had completely changed. It was a completely alien space she had never seen before. A space that could even be called an entirely different world. Sitting on what looked unmistakably like a bed, Yulia was covered by a white blanket. When she turned her head, there was a man sitting on a chair. He was clearly a stranger, yet for some reason he resembled Schluss, so she didn't feel any rejection. Rather, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. The man was holding Yulia's hand with a warm smile. Her hand, which had become so thin and emaciated. My hands shouldn't be this withered yet, right? A chill ran down her spine, and it was at that moment that she woke from the dream.
The surrounding scenery returned to normal, and Erika's gentle voice reached her ears. "And?" "...Someone I miss." As if entranced, the words flowed automatically from Yulia's mouth. It had been an unconscious utterance, enough to surprise even Yulia herself.
"Yulia?" Erika exclaimed in surprise and pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. Only then did Yulia realize. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. What had that vision been? And what were these tears? She didn't know, but— "Ah, I'm fine. Something just... got in my eye..." Her eyes only kept shedding tears. Yulia wiped her eyes repeatedly without understanding why, feeling an inexplicable frustration deep in her chest...
* "Something like that happened." Erika let out a deep sigh and slumped over the table. Hearing the story, Iris forced a smile as if troubled. Yulia, her younger sister, kept reacting strangely whenever Schluss was mentioned, and today she suddenly burst into tears...? The reason seemed obvious.
"It's all because of Schluss Heinkel! It's his fault! Ever since that guy came to our house, Yulia's been acting weird!" "From what I see, isn't it simply that Yulia has developed feelings for Schluss...? Why would that be Schluss's fault?" "F-feelings? Yulia? No! That can't be! Schluss must have said something strange to our Yulia and made her waver! He definitely has ulterior motives toward our Yulia. Ugh!" Erika shuddered in disgust. Yulia might be thirteen now, but her body hadn't grown beyond that of a ten-year-old. To approach such a Yulia with ill intentions... They might have to add pedophilia to Schluss's list of crimes.
Meanwhile, Iris— 'Hmm? That doesn't seem right, though?' She tilted her head inwardly, puzzled. Schluss was clearly deeply in love with his attendant Emilia. So Erika must be mistaken. Iris considered telling her directly, but— 'No. I think I'll just not tell her.' She firmly closed her parted lips again. Even if she spoke, there was no guarantee Erika would be convinced, and more than anything, it seemed more fun to let Erika keep misunderstanding.
"Augh. Anyway, he's a creepy guy. I can't believe someone like that keeps sacrificing his own life to save people." "Well. People are two-faced, after all." "But did you see it? The ring on Schluss's ring finger?" "Yes, I saw it."
When the topic shifted, Iris's eyes sparkled. A ring that hadn't been there before had recently appeared on Schluss's ring finger. Given its silver color and plain design, it didn't seem like an engagement ring, so it must be a wedding ring. Had he already exchanged rings with Emilia? It seemed like he was handling things well enough without her help, and Iris felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
"Huh?" "What is it, Erika?" "Come to think of it, I heard the crown prince has also been wearing a ring recently? On his left ring finger." "Could that ring possibly be..." "They said it was silver with no particular patterns..." Erika's voice trailed off. She felt like she knew what this implied. Schluss had started wearing the ring after visiting the imperial palace to receive his medal. The rumor that the crown prince was wearing a ring had also begun circulating right after the award ceremony. Could this really be a coincidence?
"Schluss didn't receive any title or anything, right?" "Yeah. I believe he only received the Black Eagle Medal." Erika and Iris's eyes met. They were thinking the same thing. If someone had accomplished the tremendous feat of eliminating the empire's enemy, they would surely receive compensation beyond just a medal. In most cases, that compensation would be a title. But Schluss had left the imperial palace without receiving any title. That meant Schluss had received his reward in a different form... And that reward, could it possibly be— "N-no way. There's no chance the crown prince would marry a commoner." "R-right? That couldn't happen, could it?"
Even as the two laughed while facing each other, they couldn't completely shake off their tension. The crown prince, famous for being easygoing, really might marry a commoner if he took a liking to them... And if it were Schluss, he might shamelessly demand marriage to the crown prince...