075. Crossing (3)

“You’ll try to kick me out of this body no matter what. So why should I bother cooperating with you? It doesn’t benefit me in any way.”

Owen presented his reasoning rather logically, though it seemed to anger Bella even more.

“You think you’re the only one who can do that?”

Owen merely raised an eyebrow at her furious tone, curious about what she meant.

Bella grit her teeth before speaking with determination.

“I’ll do the same.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m going to absorb Bella’s soul.”

Owen’s expression hardened at her declaration.

“Didn’t you say your situation was different?”

“It is different. ‘Bella’ doesn’t want me to take over her body. That’s how a normal person would feel.”

“And yet.”

“And yet, what?”

Bella’s smile was sharp, her usual bright demeanor twisting into something darker. Her silver eyes glinted with barely restrained rage and desire.

“Did you really think that just because ‘Bella’ doesn’t want it, I’d meekly follow her wishes?”

“You…”

“Just because I look like ‘Bella,’ did you think I’d act like her?”

Bella’s smirk deepened, her voice laced with derision.

“I’m staying in this world. No matter what I have to do.”

* * *

With those words, Bella left the room, stating that today’s conversation was over and that Owen could see himself out.

Left alone with the still-slumbering Kyle, Owen quietly replayed the conversation in his mind.

‘She’s willing to stay, no matter the means…’

It wasn’t hard to understand what Bella had meant.

Even if it meant killing ‘Bella,’ she intended to remain.

Owen considered himself fortunate to have received an opportunity from ‘Owen,’ but Bella didn’t have the same luck.

That meant only one of them could remain in the end…

And Bella seemed determined to consume the original ‘Bella,’ one way or another.

If ‘Bella’ wouldn’t give up willingly, Bella would force it.

Despite this realization, Owen couldn’t bring himself to argue with her. He couldn’t demand she leave that body, especially since he didn’t even know how to do that.

Nor did he know what would happen to Bella if she lost the body.

If her soul, without a vessel, were to simply fade away, it would be irreversible.

‘…I need to find a way.’

So, he needed a solution.

A way to separate Bella from her host body without ending her life.

If ‘Bella’ had been willing to cooperate with her or if Bella had been more inclined toward peace, things wouldn’t have reached this point.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t the reality.

Bella wanted Owen, and Owen wanted Lucia’s happiness.

These two desires could not coexist.

Which meant Owen would have to disrupt what Bella wanted.

He had to, in order to secure what he wished for.

‘But how did Bella find out?’

Even though he had reached a conclusion, one question still bothered him.

How had Bella discovered the nature of her situation?

No matter how much she experienced possession, realizing that another person had gone through the same thing wasn’t an easy leap to make.

After all, he hadn’t known that Bella was a possessor when he arrived.

‘Maybe I should ask him…’

The only potential source of answers was ‘Owen.’

Owen had a sense that ‘Owen’ might know the answer to this question.

“…Kyle.”

Just as Owen resolved to wake Kyle and seek out answers, he found himself meeting Kyle’s eyes.

They were clear and sharp, not the eyes of someone who had just awoken from sleep.

There was no lingering drowsiness from the sleeping herb.

“Oh.”

“…How long have you been awake?”

Owen asked cautiously, and Kyle shrugged nonchalantly.

“For a while now. Or rather, for quite a long time?”

“….”

Had he heard everything?

Owen felt a twinge of anxiety as he studied Kyle’s expression.

Kyle, noticing his unease, offered a clarification.

“I started listening around the part where you mentioned that the sleeping herb came from the Celid Marquess’s heir. No wonder it was so potent—it’s illegal.”

It seemed Kyle had been listening from the latter part of their conversation.

But even so, that wasn’t necessarily a relief.

Considering what had been discussed near the end, he couldn’t dismiss it as harmless.

“So, the Saintess is in league with the Celid heir? And the reason is… you?”

“…Yes.”

He couldn’t deny it anymore.

Whatever came out of Kyle’s mouth now, it was clear he wasn’t guessing—he was confirming what he already knew.

“She said some strange things, didn’t she? About you merging with him, and her absorbing the Saintess’s soul.”

“….”

He must sound like a madman.

Owen thought so to himself.

To a normal person in this world, the conversation between him and Bella must have sounded utterly bizarre.

It was a wonder if they didn’t think of them both as lunatics.

“Explain it to me. What’s going on?”

At Kyle’s request, Owen let out a low hum.

Where should he start?

From the beginning?

Or should he filter out some parts and focus on what was essential?

“I think I deserve to hear the whole truth. After all, you called me a friend, didn’t you?”

As he deliberated, Kyle’s words broke through his thoughts.

Owen nodded.

“I did.”

“So, be honest with me. Who are you?”

For some reason, hearing that question from Kyle felt different than when Bella had asked it.

It caught him off guard.

It felt as though his insides were being laid bare, exposed for Kyle to see.

“…I am…”

After a long silence, Owen chose his words carefully.

“I’m not the Duke of Verdun you used to know.”

It was frustrating that this was the best he could come up with, but there was no other way. He wasn’t exactly eloquent, and this was his best attempt.

“What does that mean?”

Kyle’s sharp blue eyes fixed on him, cold and piercing, making Owen feel the chill of that gaze. He swallowed and continued.

“I took over the body that should have belonged to the real Duke of Verdun. My soul ended up possessing him. Hard to believe, I know.”

“It’s a bit of a stretch, sure. But it’s the only explanation for that conversation you had with the Saintess, isn’t it?”

Kyle processed the unbelievable story quickly, seeming to grant it a measure of trust based solely on the bizarre conversation between Bella and Owen.

“So, when did this happen?”

Kyle pressed further, digging for more details.

“…This past April.”

“So, even before the hunting tournament? Before we became friends?”

“That’s right.”

Kyle exhaled slowly, his blue eyes, which had been so cold moments ago, softened suddenly.

“Then that’s all I need to know.”

“Wait… what?”

“I doubt you’re the type to just take over a body without any regard. Am I wrong?”

“Well, no, but…”

Was this really enough for him?

Seeing Owen’s confusion, Kyle gave a small, amused smile.

“If my friend suddenly turned into a different person overnight, that would be an issue. But it seems that’s not the case. Come to think of it, you did feel a little different than before.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah. You seemed less… aristocratic, I suppose.”

“Well, that’s…”

Had it been that obvious?

Owen furrowed his brows slightly. It hadn’t seemed that others had noticed the change so clearly.

“No need to frown like that. It’s a good thing.”

“You’re saying that as if you’re sure.”

“Yeah. Anyway, was the reason the Saintess drugged me with the sleeping herb because she knew you weren’t the original Owen?”

“That seems to be the case.”

“And she’s not the original Saintess either, is she?”

At Kyle’s question, Owen nodded.

“She’s in a similar situation to me.”

“Then why are the two of you at odds? Usually, people in the same boat would work together.”

“She wants to force me out of this body so she can bring back the original owner.”

“And does the original owner agree to that?”

“He agreed with me.”

Kyle nodded, as if he had expected that answer.

“So, he gave you permission to stay in the body?”

“You heard that earlier, right? He wants to become one with me.”

“Yeah, I heard. But I still don’t get what that means.”

“It means that our souls will merge… though I guess that still sounds complicated?”

Owen tried to elaborate, but Kyle frowned, still finding it difficult to grasp.

“I don’t really understand what you’re saying, but if the original owner agreed, that’s all that matters, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Well then, if you’re both okay with it, that’s that.”

Kyle didn’t fully grasp the concept, but he seemed satisfied that there was mutual agreement, nodding in acceptance.

Owen followed suit, nodding slowly, even though he still felt uncertain about whether it really was that simple.

Kyle continued speaking.

“So, to sum up: you and the original owner have agreed to coexist, while the Saintess hasn’t done the same.”

“Uh… yeah, that’s basically it…”

It was strange to hear the situation summarized so plainly.

Owen blinked in surprise as Kyle pressed on with his thoughts.

“So, the original Saintess isn’t on board with her?”

“Seems that way.”

“And she wants to see her body’s original owner again?”

“That’s right…?”

“Then all she needs to do is give up, right?”

Was it really that simple?

Well, technically, yes, but…

Owen stared blankly at Kyle, who had boiled the entire convoluted situation down to a single straightforward solution.

“In theory… yeah.”

“Then we just need to find a way. If it’s possible for a soul to survive outside a body, maybe she’d agree to leave.”

“That’s not something I can guarantee.”

It was too uncertain to be sure.

Bella’s ultimate goal was ‘Owen.’ If she knew she could leave the body and still survive, it might help a little, but it was no guarantee that she would willingly leave.

“Why? Does she absolutely have to see the original owner of your body?”

“Probably.”

“Why is she so insistent about it?”

“Hmm, maybe because she’s really fond of him?”

“Huh… I don’t get it. Who was the original Saintess, anyway?”

Owen hesitated for a moment before answering Kyle’s question.

“A fan of my body’s original owner.”

“A fan…?”

“Someone who admires and adores another deeply.”

“And that’s… what, exactly?”

Kyle looked as though he’d heard something truly bizarre.

Well, that was understandable.

After all, the concept of a ‘fan’ didn’t exist in this world.

“It’s a thing from my original world.”

“Wait, so you and the Saintess both came from different worlds?”

“Different worlds…?”

Owen tried to sidestep the question, but Kyle brought up the idea of different dimensions, looking at Owen as if it was obvious.

“Yeah, different worlds. That’s what we call them. You didn’t know?”

“Well, I…”

That wasn’t a concept people normally think about, at least not back on Earth.

“The universe is made up of multiple dimensions, isn’t it?”

“You know about the concept of the universe…?”

“Why wouldn’t I? As a mage, that’s basic knowledge.”

“…”

This world’s mages truly were something else.

It seemed they took on the research and roles of various fields that would have been separated back on Earth.

“Anyway, there are records about this, rare as they may be. Stories of people crossing between dimensions or coming from other worlds.”

Kyle added, noticing Owen’s surprised expression.

“So, what I’m saying is, if we dig through old records, we might find a way to cross dimensions and return to your original world.”