Born as the Hidden Daughter of a Villainess and the Male Lead

<Episode 95>

 

“W-wait a moment!”

In my panic, I grabbed his hand while trying to stop him.

“Ah…!”

I screamed in pain as it came naturally, and I hastily pulled my hands away and groaned.

A thin stream of red blood ran down my skin.

Am I crazy? I saw with my own eyes that his hand was covered in thorns and still grabbed it.

Meanwhile, the spirit who had said the terrifying words about taking my life had an unexpected reaction.

[…]

He was frozen, his hands out in the air, as if he was very stunned by my actions.

[…What did you do now?]

He spoke quietly, as if mumbling.

No, no. The blood flowing from my hand right now wasn’t what was important.

I quickly sat up straight and shouted.

“Just now…what did you call me? R-Rani Hacardella?”

[…Don’t you know your own name?]

The spirit said with a frown so slight that it would be unnoticeable if you didn’t look closely.

[Rose Hacardella. Isn’t that your name?]

“Is ‘Hacardella’ you are talking about the name of the Principality of Water and the family that has ruled the Principality for generations?”

When I asked in a loud voice, overwhelmed by despair and frustration, the spirit blinked and answered obediently.

[Yes, you are a descendant of the spirit master blessed by Naiad.]

“Ha…”

All right. Now, it seemed like all the clues were finally falling into place.

Why did the Spirit King of Wisdom transport me to the point where the Duchy of Hacardella was destroyed?

Why on earth did he put my soul into the body of a dead person…

“Then this person named Rose Hacardella…”

She was my ancestor.

Ha, I thought blankly, laughing out loud. The more I thought about it…the more I feel like I’m going crazy.

“No matter how important the mission is, does it have to be done like this…?”

I burst out laughing, so shocked that I almost went nuts.

None other than…the flesh of an ancestor who had just passed away to put my soul into.

Lore, the spirit king of wisdom, was clearly a completely different person from Arkane.

So, he must have created this ridiculous situation and put me in this body for a reason!

[…The more I look at it, the stranger it seems. It’s my first time seeing a person like you.]

While I was in shock and just burst into laughter for a while, the spirit who told me the shocking truth spoke in a tone that seemed to suggest that he had seen all kinds of strange people in his life.

[Anyway, I can’t give you any more time.]

“Wait a minute, no!”

And then again, I was startled and pushed his hand away as he reached it out as if to take away my soul or my life.

Then the spirit stopped its actions and looked down at me with a look that seemed to say, “What is it?”

Oh, what should I say?

How do I get out of this ridiculous situation?

“…I, I am not the original owner of this body!”

I shut my eyes tightly and shouted, pouring out curses at the Spirit King of Wisdom for doing something so out of his mind.

[…What?]

Then the spirit frowned even more this time and asked back as if he had no idea what he was hearing.

…****, I really hope this spirit has a kinder soul than its appearance suggests.

I pursed my lips and spoke in an earnest tone.

“…I am a soul from a distant future. I entered this woman’s body by borrowing the power of the Spirit King of Wisdom, so I am not the one whose life you want to take away.”

[…]

Silence fell.

I even told him about the Spirit King of Wisdom in a desperate moment, but I don’t know.

I hope this spirit is persuaded…!

[So, what does it matter?]

“…Yes?”

I asked stupidly at the unexpected answer.

The spirit spoke with a calm expression and a cold tone.

[It doesn’t matter whether you are the original soul of that body or not. I have come to take the life of Rose Hacardella, and you are merely a soul inhabiting that human body.]

“No…”

I looked up at him, speechless.

I was dismayed at his attitude, as if he regarded the words I had barely managed to squeeze out, as if they were truly worthless protests, and tried to suppress my fear.

“…This is something I’ve been really curious about for a while now… Who the hell are you? Who are you to say that you would take a human life without hesitation?”

So I asked the question I probably should have asked in the first place.

[…What do humans call it?]

He spoke to me, holding me in his cold pupils that contained not an inch of sentiment.

[The three spirit kings that have existed the longest are called the Primordial Spirits.]

Ah. They are Arkane, the Dark Spirit King and Ilipia, the Spirit King of Life.

[I am one of the primordial spirits, the spirit king of death.]

In the old creation myth, it was said that a third King was born after them, but since even his true name was unknown, he was a legendary being known to people only through word of mouth…

“You are…the Spirit King of Death?”

I asked, muttering in a daze.

[Yeah. You didn’t know until now?]

It was a natural thing.

The Spirit King of Death had so few stories speaking about him, so how could I recognize him at first glance?

Besides, why did the appearance of the Spirit King of Death…resemble Ashmed so much?

[Are all the questions over? We can’t delay any longer.]

But what was important now was not the legendary being that had appeared before my eyes, nor the fact that he had a uniquely similar appearance to the human boy I knew.

“…”

I couldn’t just let the King of Death take my life and die like this.

I came to the past to fulfill a mission.

I need to find the remains of the spirit king’s relic that was destroyed by Arkane, go back to the future I lived in, and save Litera.

“…Then let me ask you again. Can the King of Death, who is called a primordial spirit truly take the lives of the living as he pleases, not the lives of the dead?”

I asked in a firm voice.

[Your opinion has no worth. Creatures like you are fleeting beings, countless of them are born and countless of them pass away every day.]

The Spirit King of Death answered in a tone that was both terribly authoritative and at the same time deeply bored.

[Those beings do not even fall into the category of valuable lives. Even if one or two are lost or exchanged, it has no effect on the providence of this world.]

“……I see. I will not deny the Spirit King’s words.”

How could someone who looked like Ashmed say such disparaging words about humans and their lives so casually?

I clenched my teeth in silent anger.

Although I was one of those creatures that he despised..

“According to the value of life as discussed by the Spirit King of Death, I am but a soul of a mere creature. But do you remember what I said?”

I had a somewhat special back.

“I was sent by no one other than the Spirit King of Wisdom himself, in the body of this woman.”

[…The Spirit King of Wisdom. Are you talking about Lore?]

As if he knew him, the King of Death’s blue eyes, eerily similar to Ashmed’s, glowed coldly as he muttered quietly.

“Yes. I have taken up this woman’s body in order to follow the mission he has given me. So, even if you are the Spirit King who rules over death, is it okay for you to take my life without the permission of the Spirit King of Wisdom?”

[…]

The King of Death remained silent, his mouth tightly shut.

Even if he was a primordial spirit, it seemed like arbitrarily distorting the work of a spirit king of equal status was something to be concerned about.

Then.

I smiled faintly and continued speaking.

“As soon as I leave in this body, the original soul of this body that has disappeared somewhere will inevitably be drawn to it. Then, the King of Death can take the life of that soul.”

Even though she was one of my ancestors… there was no other way.

I calmly said in my heart, praying for the soul of my ancestors who had disappeared to an unknown place.

“So, please watch over me, but do not hinder my mission. All you have to do is take the life of the dead.”

[…How amazing.]

The spirit king of death, who had been listening to my words, suddenly seemed to have come to a realisation and spoke.

[It is the first time that Lore has placed another soul into the body of a dead person, and it is the first time that a human being, no matter how resentful, has dared to state their claim so clearly in front of me.]

He slowly bent down and leaned his face closer to mine.

A dark shadow fell over me.

The instinctive fear that had been broken by the familiar sight rose up again.

But I gritted my teeth and looked straight at him without avoiding his gaze.

[Yes, it is truly amazing.]

A cruel yet blatantly pure curiosity revealed itself in the blue eyes that were so clear that they were almost blinding.