082. Affection (5)
“…What will become of you then?”
His words were clear.
Parting.
It was about the absorption of a complete soul.
Owen urgently posed a question.
“You said it’s about me becoming you, and you becoming me… And then, what happens next? If we die, will it still be the same? Or, is there a concept of reincarnation?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t died either.”
Everything was uncertain.
The lack of certainty made him anxious.
But as he had no choice but to do as he was told.
“Given that you can enter another body in a soul state, it might be possible.”
He soon brought up such speculation.
[It doesn’t seem like our souls will separate.]
“…”
[Are you anxious?]
When Owen fell silent, he prodded further.
Unable to deny it, Owen nodded.
It was true.
He was anxious.
“Am I going to disappear completely? So, are you going to devour me? Or, on the contrary, will you be consumed by my memories?”
Piercing words followed.
Owen was anxious.
The fear of losing who he originally was, and consequently, the guilt that would engulf him.
And the fear of being greatly influenced by the memories and soul he might inherit.
He was afraid of the changes in himself and his uncertain future in some way.
“None of that will happen. So, there’s no need to worry.”
As Owen remained silent for a long time, he continued.
“If such a thing were to happen, there would have been signs long ago, right? But that wasn’t the case.”
With a firm voice, Owen belatedly nodded in agreement.
His words were correct.
If he were to be influenced by the memories of “Owen,” he should have been influenced long before.
And indeed, some parts of his past had influenced Owen.
It was the abuse and violence.
However, in other aspects, it didn’t have a significant impact.
His way of speaking, manners, how he used his body, habits, were influenced from the start, but not his way of thinking or values.
“You may have everything of mine, but you are not weak enough to be swallowed up by it. If you were, I wouldn’t have made the decision so easily.”
“That’s right.”
“Yes. As the one to take on the role of the Duke of Verdin, it can’t be just anyone. The parts you will be most influenced by are probably my deficiencies.”
He openly brought up his most painful and vulnerable aspects.
Perhaps he could bring up this conversation knowing that he and Owen would eventually become the same entity.
“It occupies the most significant part of me, so it’s huge and dreadful. It’s not a trace that can be easily peeled off no matter how hard you try.”
He chuckled at himself.
As he looked at his dejected figure, the conversation calmly continued.
“You probably already know from experience. It keeps coming back whenever it rains. But it’s a bit less severe when you’re with people. It might be tough to be alone on days with sudden rain or thunderstorms, getting wet in the rain, but.”
Although he already knew from experience, listening to what he said made him feel even gloomier.
Owen Verdin lived such a life.
So dreadful that it could crumble to nothing with just the weather.
“But you don’t seem to have nightmares, do you?”
“No. I don’t sleep that much.”
“Think of it as the fate of a swordsman. Not needing much sleep means your body doesn’t require it.”
“Ah…”
His physical condition and stamina were unbelievably good, to the point that it wouldn’t deteriorate even with such mental health.
“The plan is to go to the Misty Forest next week.”
The topic of conversation shifted.
Owen nodded in response to the new topic that was brought up.
“Yes, it seems like the Saintess requested it.”
“More precisely, it must have been another soul inhabiting the Saintess who desired it.”
“…Did you know?”
“I can see everything you do outside. And I can also recognize the soul in the other person’s body.”
“So that means…”
Owen finally realized how Bella had learned about his situation.
“It seems ‘Bella’ on that side informed her. Or rather, she was trying to persuade. Since the person they were looking for is no longer there, they should give up.”
“It was futile, but…,” Owen mumbled, then suddenly looked up as if a thought had occurred to him.
And then he made a request.
“In case of any eventuality, could you leave the memories of the last few months?”
“Why bother if they won’t give up just because I remain?”
“Because you are not someone who would give up just because I disappear.”
“It does seem that way.”
He readily agreed and answered positively.
[Then, if the remaining memories resolve everything, make sure to pass them on at that time.]
“Thank you.”
[It’s not something you hear every day. Rather, once the barrier is set up, it seems the hunting competition will disappear starting from this autumn.]
In response, Owen nodded this time.
“Normally, the hunting competition should have taken place again in October, but it seems unlikely now.”
In the north, at the northernmost point of the continent and the northernmost territory of Freion, lay the viscount territory of Keres.
And within the viscount territory of Keres, the northernmost place was the ‘Forest of Snow’.
The ‘Forest of Snow’ was the largest forest on the continent, with a high presence of monsters, making it the usual location for the hunting competition.
However, Bella had set the forest ablaze when she awakened during the spring hunting competition, rendering it impossible to hold any more competitions.
With the forest being restored and the monsters gone, there was no need to hold the competition. Furthermore, if Bella set up a barrier in the Misty Forest and then in the Forest of Snow after its restoration, there would be no reason to maintain the hunting competition.
“The Viscount Taylor’s territory, where monsters were relatively scarce, won’t be able to use that as an excuse for support anymore.”
The Viscount Taylor’s territory was located just below the Keres Viscount’s territory, with the ‘Misty Forest’ lying to the east of the viscount’s territory.
Compared to the ‘Forest of Snow’, the Misty Forest was a relatively ordinary forest, covering only a fifth of the area, with monsters appearing less frequently.
Nevertheless, the Viscount Taylor always used the excuse of monsters to request support from the royal family. The support requests included not only knights but also magic stones and mana stones, making it clear to everyone that they were just using it as an excuse.
Despite that, the royal family provided fewer magic stones and mana stones to the Taylor Viscount’s territory because, unlike the Keres Viscount’s territory, no hunting competition took place there.
“That’s probably the case. So they might try to use the saint, but she might not comply so easily.”
“It seems so.”
The only good thing about the change in Bella from the original was this.
In “The Empire’s Flower,” Bella, who had a strong family bond, willingly showed kindness and consideration to the Taylor Viscount, treating them well. However, they only used Bella and never truly considered her as family.
“…Nevertheless, I will find a way.”
“A method to extract the soul from the saint’s body?”
“A way to safely send her back. With the help of the Matopju, I discovered a way to open a dimensional gate within the ancient magic circle.”
But even so, Bella had to go back.
Because ‘Bella’ didn’t want to remain in her body.
And besides that, Bella still couldn’t let go of Owen.
In this situation, the only kindness Owen could offer was to suggest a way to safely bring Bella back to her original world.
“In that case, we’ll need to acquire the ancient magic book.”
“Yes, Matopju is working hard on that matter.”
“They seem to have become quite close. Getting help so easily.”
“Because Kyle is a good person.”
Owen expressed it in an ambiguous manner.
From Noble mtl dot com
Kyle was a good person, so they became close, implying that Kyle was a good person who readily helped them.
“How can you be so sure?”
He found Owen’s attitude quite intriguing and asked.
“You can’t be certain. At most, you would have been a character in a book.”
“…I see you’ve found out.”
“Now that you know all my memories, it’s only natural for me to get to know you as well.”
He had suspected as much.
But it still felt strange that he had now fully learned all of his memories.
“Yet you seem unfazed. If you’ve read my memories, you must have realized that this place was just a world in a novel.”
“What significance does that hold?”
“…”
“Whether it’s a world in a novel or not, this place is still a real world. That’s enough.”
He thought he might feel empty.
Or angry.
If someone were to say that Earth was just a fleeting dream world, Owen would have been shocked.
But he remained unfazed.
Thanks to that, Owen realized once again.
To him, this world held truly no value.
What mattered to him was not the world’s purpose or meaning.
It was only the duty-bound role of the Duke of Verdin that had been erased.
“I find it hard to understand your perspective. Shouldn’t you have been bewildered and unable to accept it? If this place is just from a novel.”
“I could see Lucia.”
“…Quite something.”
He clicked his tongue slowly.
For some reason, he blinked at Owen’s similar reaction and even lowered his head.
I understand why Matapju is reacting that way. You’re a bit extreme.
“I’m not sure, really….”
That’s the more serious part. The crucial point is whether you sincerely cherish, consider as friends, and come to love the people you thought were characters. How was that possible?
His question was valid.
An ordinary person would have spent a long time just wandering around unable to accept the world of the novel.
Even if they did accept it, it would have taken a great effort to see the characters as entirely the same as real people.
That’s why Bella thought Owen was crazy and a lunatic.
Ordinary people never immediately feel familiar with characters in a novel, never consider making them friends, and most importantly, never love them.
At best, they might feel a sense of friendship and love towards a being that seems to be just a character.
“I’ve read the novel over a hundred times.”
However, there was only one answer Owen could give to that question.
“They were more trustworthy, more familiar to me than anyone else.”
Combining Earth and this place, there would be no one I know as well as Kyle and Lucia.
Also, there could be no world that Owen knew as well as ＜The Flower of the Empire＞.
“What if it was all lies and illusions? Now this place is my reality.”
It was fine if it was a dream, or an illusion.
As long as I could stay here, even if it wasn’t real, it would become my reality.
[So you heard the crazy guy remark.]
“That’s why I didn’t deny it. Because it’s the truth.”
[Fortunately, this place is real.]
“That’s good news.”
[Indeed. It’s a blessing for you.]