Magic
Seowoo felt as if he had been lost in a long dream.
The boy's words echoing in his final moments.
The events that had passed like a fleeting dream behind his sinking consciousness.
Waking up on the bed in the lodging, Seowoo wiped away the tears that had fallen.
The boy who had lived through such a touching moment had already melted into Seowoo's mind.
"......It has ended."
He hadn't expected such an early farewell.
There was a feeling of relief mixed with a sense of hollowness.
Now, the boy who had become one with Seowoo.
He recalled the emotions and memories he had felt.
From avenging his enemy, to the final reunion, and finally finding peace.
Everything was in his palm, except for the fact that Yuria was alive.
By using the body's control as bait, he instilled caution, provoked tension, and even lured him into facing Gunter directly in battle.
In the final moment when no variables remained, he would pour all his strength to pierce his heart.
"......You had this in mind from the beginning."
The fact that he had crafted a board close to future prediction with a single obsession like madness sent a chill down his spine.
However, the heavens were not indifferent.
The boy's efforts to reach the destination could be rewarded by Yuria's memory briefly returning.
If he had been so happy, the afterglow still lingered in his body.
"It is the same whether or not one is honest..."
The past Yoon Seowoo, and even the current Yoon Seowoo, didn't want to reveal much of themselves.
They were good at maintaining superficial relationships, but had no real attachment.
If this was the case, he should have said something beforehand.
He wanted to reminisce with memories or have a serious conversation, but it was a pity.
However, if there was a result.
Having recovered one memory completely, it was hopeful that finding the remaining one would be sufficient?
Of course, finding the first memory didn't mean the second door would open.
But he could feel it intuitively.
It was enough to have a trigger that could provide stimulation.
The destination was not so far.
It was also necessary to have a little more leeway rather than rushing too much.
After all, there was a saying that the more urgent, the more one should turn back.
"Hmm."
It had only been a short time since waking, so his throat was parched.
Seowoo lifted the blanket as if to drink some water.
"Kuu......"
The blonde noble girl sleeping soundly beside the bed.
It seemed she had deliberately lain down, with her hair disheveled and her attire loose like pajamas.
"......"
What?
Had they slept together...?
The warm heat that the blanket had covered was gone, and a faint cold filled the empty space.
Her eyes, half-asleep even with the small temperature difference.
"Uuh... what's wrong, are you awake...?"
"Ah, yes."
Esid, who had woken up by rubbing her eyes vigorously, stared blankly at Seowoo's face.
"Now you're back...?"
"...Yes."
"...Explain."
"Eh?"
She said while rubbing her eyes.
"...Explain what happened yesterday."
"Understood."
Esid's determined interrogation couldn't be endured.
A short while later.
"Yaah...! Do you know how much I was startled yesterday...?!"
Although he had said he wouldn't intervene in the battle.
If it continued like this, it seemed he would really die, so he was on edge.
"Really, if it had been a little later, I would have gone first."
It was different from simply handling it simply and directly leaving physical scars.
Because each family left remnants of their unique magic, if it was known that Esid had killed him, the situation could become worse.
It was one thing to not care about a new noble, and another to ignite sparks between families.
"If there is something hidden, you should have told me!"
"......I'm sorry."
It was easier to just apologize than to make excuses.
"It's fine, I didn't say I wanted to hear an apology. By the way, what was that yesterday?"
The atmosphere that changed with the hair color change.
The power and speed that hadn't been shown before were similar to those of high-class vampires.
"To be honest, I don't know well either."
It was a word he didn't really want to bring up.
But since it had such an impact, it didn't seem he could easily back down.
"Hmm... I see? Still, you have to overlook this. Since I'm the master, you have no complaints, right?"
"Yes."
Seowoo, who had hesitated for a moment on how to respond, quickly opened his mouth.
"To put it simply, there was another self like a vampire besides the one I am now, like a double personality, and in a critical situation, it seemed that one pushed out."
It wasn't necessary to be detailed.
It was enough to pass on information within a range that could be understood.
"Then can it be used next time too?"
"......I don't know about that. It's hard to give a definite answer."
Esid nodded as if she understood what he wanted to say.
Originally, it was the first time for Seowoo himself.
At the point when the boy became one with Seowoo, it was theoretically possible, but...
Since there was no one to guide the way, it was clear it would be difficult.
"At that time, when he called me 'master', it gave me the creeps."
"...I see."
Even if pretending not to know, the body remembered everything, so his face was burning.
"By the way, why did you sleep here...?"
"Huh? It's natural for family to sleep together, right?"
"...Yes?"
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No, it's correct. But... since men and women are different. It might be a bit awkward...?"
"Completely?"
In fact, if talking about awkwardness, it was on Seowoo's side.
If this continued, Suyeon would come to sense it, and Lucia would obviously get angry.
It was already difficult to hide it in front of him, and he didn't want to be with him while taking risks.
Thud thud.
Surprisingly, despite such worries.
At that moment, the signal of Suyeon's sensing came from the next room.
"Aaah!!"
Seowoo, whose body reacted more than his head, drew aggro with a voice that sounded like Eureka.
"Ait...! My ears were about to fall off! Why are you suddenly making noise?!"
"I'm sorry. I forgot and stopped... "
It was dangerous.
With this, Suyeon would have understood.
She was a sharp-eyed person.
"......What did I forget?"
"Ah... that... so..."
He had blurted it out in haste, but if it was just a one-time thing, it wouldn't end with curses.
"That! Didn't you say you were going to visit Mother, I mean, the Matriarch!"
Seowoo, who had struggled to squeeze out his head, said.
Saying words that squeezed the coffin with his own hands, there was no greater humiliation.
Moreover, it was an opponent that couldn't even be collected.
"Hmm... that's true. But it sounds a bit suspicious."
"Which point...?"
"You're not the type to be so proactive."
"Haha... is that so?"
I need to come to my senses.
Being too pulled along wasn't good either.
"Of course, there was an interest involved... This time, I personally went out to help with the cleanup, and I also understand that you lent a hand when I wasn't in my right mind."
Like using Yuria's temporary leave permit or assigning security.
It wasn't wrong.
"If there is something received, there should also be something to go."
"Good, if that's the case, I'm welcome. But, it's not enough for that yet. It's not enough to introduce you to the family."
"What is lacking...?"
"Magic."
Even if it was at a basic level, if the blood of a noble family was mixed, one had to know how to use the innate magic.
Sylon's dimensional magic.
Dazling's enhancement magic.
For the Blemish family like Earlgrey's sealing magic, it was shadow magic.
"Well, it's a bit ambiguous, but since I have a body condition that can use magic, don't worry too much."
"...I see."
The Blemish blood that had been suppressed by Earlgrey's blood due to the potion Esid had taken was released.
If compared in ratio to Lucia and Esid's blood now, it would be about 6:4.
It was regrettable that he couldn't cross the half wall.
Rather, if they proceeded too hastily, Lucia might notice.
The groundwork should be done in an ambiguous state, which was ideal.
"Why? You don't like it much?"
"No, it's not like that..."
"Then?"
Seowoo, wondering if he could say this, rolled his eyes around.
"It's fine, tell me."
"......Is it really okay?"
"You keep making me say it twice...?"
Her tone was becoming a bit sharp, as if irritation was rising.
"Even if I learn something like magic, can I return to being human?"
Identity was a very important issue for humans as a species.
The current Seowoo who knew how to compromise with reality and the past Seowoo who hated vampires more than anyone else were now mixed.
Although not visible on the surface, internally he was experiencing quite a difficult conflict.
"Why? Now you want to return to being human?"
"......It's not exactly like that."
From her perspective, it could be seen as a change in mindset.
But this was a natural progression that arose as past and present mixed.
It was not that the heart had changed at all.
She just wanted to shake off the vague sense of disgust that suddenly arose, but she couldn't know that.
"Hoo..."
Esid tried to say something to Seowoo but stopped.
When talking about retainers, there were also occasional talks about human identity.
Like suffering from depression or becoming eccentric in personality.
There were even retainers who committed suicide.
Although she couldn't understand with her heart.
Since she had tried to understand with her head as much as possible, she hadn't scolded him.
"I don't know what expectations you had. You can't return to being human at all. Just accept it. It's more comfortable that way."
It was not a metaphorical expression at all.
"Yoon Seowoo, you haven't tasted blood while in the state of a vampire, have you?"
"I haven't yet."
"Is that so? Now I understand a bit. If you try it even once, you won't be able to say such things?"
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, even I, who was born a vampire, can't stand it. How could you be different? Those who were human would have been even more so."
Blood for vampires was on a different dimension from what humans call drugs in the human world.
It transcends the sexual pleasure and neural stimulation that can be felt as human.
The feeling of mixing the mind with a spice called pleasure was something only a vampire wouldn't know.
"You think there are only a few humans who have pondered like you?"
Even humans who were in a panic to die saw the taste of blood once and went mad, and without hesitation, sank their fangs into the necks of their own kind.
After all, stimulation was relative to that extent.
"Instead, the ones who endured and held back would do more and more as time goes on. If you keep suppressing it like now, it will burst someday?"
"...I see. Thank you for your concern."
Seowoo knew he was an ordinary person.
A person who had similar tastes and thoughts as others, only a bit sharper.
That's why.
A short while ago, after hearing Esid's words, conviction settled.
In the given situation, it was the best to acknowledge weakness and accept the rapidly changing flow.
"I'm sorry for the momentary slip of the tongue."
After hearing her words, the feeling of discomfort in his stomach improved.
Yes, there was no room to pay attention to the inner discomfort.
If there was only one predetermined path, he would just go straight.
"I also want to learn magic."