082. Affection (5)

“…What happens to you then?”

The meaning behind his words was clear.

Separation.

He was speaking of the complete absorption of the soul. Owen hastily posed another question.

“You said I become you, and you become me… but what happens afterward? Even after death? Does reincarnation even exist?”

[Who knows? I’ve never died before.]

Everything was uncertain.

It was unsettling not to have any definitive answers.

But as much as it filled him with unease, there was no alternative to what the man was suggesting.

This was the only path forward.

[If I can inhabit another body as a soul, then perhaps it’s possible.]

He offered his own conjecture.

[Although, it doesn’t seem like our souls will ever truly separate.]

“….”

[Are you afraid?]

When Owen remained silent, the man asked the question outright.

Owen nodded, unable to deny it.

He was indeed afraid.

[Afraid that I’ll disappear entirely? That you’ll devour me? Or is it the reverse—you fear being consumed by my memories?]

Each sharp remark pierced Owen’s defenses.

He was afraid.

Afraid of the guilt that would come from the disappearance of the man who originally owned this body.

Afraid of the overwhelming influence that might arise from the memories and soul he was about to inherit.

He feared the ways he might change—and the uncertain future that awaited them both.

[Neither of those scenarios will happen. You don’t need to worry about it.]

Seeing Owen’s long silence, the man continued.

[If that were going to happen, the signs would have shown by now. But they haven’t, have they?]

The man’s firm voice brought Owen some measure of reassurance.

He was right.

If Owen had been destined to be swept up in the man’s memories, it would have happened long ago.

In truth, some parts of his past had already influenced Owen—most notably the abuse and violence.

But beyond that, Owen hadn’t been deeply affected.

His way of speaking, etiquette, physical habits, and mannerisms were naturally influenced, but not his worldview or values.

[You’ll take everything I have, but you’re not weak enough to be consumed by it. If you were, I wouldn’t have made the decision to merge in the first place.]

“That makes sense.”

[Of course. You’re taking on the role of the head of the Verdun household. It can’t just go to anyone. The only parts of me that might influence you are my deficiencies.]

The man spoke candidly about his most painful and vulnerable aspects, words only possible because he knew they were becoming one.

[They’re significant and horrible because they’ve dominated so much of me. No matter how much you try to rid yourself of them, they’ll linger.]

He chuckled bitterly, mocking himself.

Seeing his subdued demeanor, Owen listened quietly.

[You’ve already experienced it, haven’t you? When it rains, the memories come flooding back. It’s not as bad if there are others around. But if you’re alone during a sudden rainstorm or thunder, it’s overwhelming, isn’t it?]

Though Owen had already experienced it, hearing it from the man made it feel even heavier.

Owen Verdun had lived a life so harrowing that he could crumble under something as trivial as the weather.

[Still, it doesn’t seem like you’re having nightmares.]

“No. Though I don’t sleep much anyway.”

[That’s just part of being a Swordmaster. Your body doesn’t require much rest.]

“Ah….”

As expected of the protagonist, his stamina and physical condition were exceptional, even if his mental health left much to be desired.

[You’re heading to the Forest of Mist next week, aren’t you?]

The topic shifted.

Owen nodded in response.

“Yes, I believe it’s at the saintess’s request.”

[To be precise, it’s the soul within the saintess’s body that’s asking for it.]

“…You knew?”

[I can see everything you’re doing outside. And I can also sense the soul inhabiting the other body.]

“Does that mean….”

Owen finally realized how Bella had come to know of the situation.

“So the original Bella must have told her?”

[More like tried to persuade her. To stop looking, since the person she was searching for no longer exists.]

“Not that it worked….”

Trailing off, Owen seemed to have a thought, raising his head with a look of determination.

Then he made a request.

“In case something happens, could you leave the memories from the last few months intact?”

[And if my presence keeps her from giving up, what then?]

“She won’t give up just because you disappear.”

[You’ve got a point.]

The man quickly conceded.

[Then, once everything is resolved, I’ll pass along those remaining memories.]

“Thank you.”

[It’s nothing worth thanking me for. On another note, once the barrier is cast, the hunting tournaments will be gone by autumn, won’t they?]

The conversation turned once more, and Owen nodded.

“Yes. Normally, there would be another hunting tournament in October, but I don’t think it will happen this time.”

In the northernmost reaches of the continent, within the Marquessate of Ceres, lay the Forest of Snow, the largest forest in the empire and home to countless monsters. Hunting tournaments were traditionally held there.

But during the spring’s tournament, Bella’s awakening had burned the entire forest to the ground, making it impossible to host another.

With the forest under restoration and the monsters gone, there was no reason to hold the tournament anymore.

Furthermore, if Bella placed a barrier on the Forest of Mist and later did the same for the Forest of Snow, there would be no justification for continuing the tradition.

“The Taylor County, which had fewer monsters, won’t be able to use that as an excuse to request imperial support anymore either.”

Taylor County, located just south of the Marquessate of Ceres, included the eastern part of the Forest of Mist within its borders.

Unlike the vast and dangerous Forest of Snow, the Forest of Mist was small—barely a fifth of its size—and had far fewer monsters.

Yet the Taylor family had long used the presence of monsters as a pretext to request support from the imperial family.

The requested support often included knights as well as magic stones and mana crystals, making it obvious to everyone that the family was exaggerating the threat.

Still, the imperial family had provided some assistance, albeit begrudgingly, since the Taylor County lacked the prestige of hosting a hunting tournament like the Marquessate of Ceres.

[They’ll probably try to use the saintess somehow, but I doubt she’ll cooperate willingly.]

“…That seems to be the case.”

If there was one good thing about Bella changing from her original character in ‘The Flower of the Empire,’ it was this.

In the original story, Bella, who craved familial love, generously showered the Taylors with kindness and care.

However, they only exploited her and never truly considered her family.

“…Even so, I intend to find a way.”

[A way to extract the soul from the saintess’s body?]

“A safe way to send her back. With the Mage Tower Lord’s help, I’ve learned of an ancient magic circle that can open dimensions.”

But even with that knowledge, Bella had to return.

‘Bella’ didn’t want to remain in this body.

Moreover, Bella still hadn’t given up on Owen.

In such circumstances, the only kindness Owen could offer was to find a safe way to send Bella back to her original world.

[Then we’ll need to obtain an ancient spellbook.]

“Yes. The Mage Tower Lord is already working hard on that.”

[You seem to have gotten quite close, considering how easily you’re receiving help.]

“He’s a good person, Kyle.”

Owen replied with a statement that carried a double meaning.

Kyle was a good person, which was why they became close, and also why Kyle was willing to help him so readily.

[How can you be so sure?]

The man seemed intrigued by Owen’s unwavering trust.

[You can’t guarantee it. To you, he was just a character in a book, wasn’t he?]

“…So, you’ve figured it out.”

[Just as you’ve come to know my memories, I’ve come to understand yours.]

Owen had suspected as much.

But hearing outright that the man knew everything about his memories left him feeling strange.

“And yet, you don’t seem fazed. If you’ve read my memories, you must know… this place is nothing more than the world of a novel.”

[What difference does it make?]

“…”

[Whether it’s the world of a novel or not, it exists. That’s all that matters.]

Owen had thought the man might find it meaningless—or perhaps grow angry.

After all, if someone told Owen that Earth was just an illusionary dream world, he would have been shocked.

Yet, the man remained unperturbed.

This realization struck Owen anew:

To this man, the world itself held no intrinsic value.

What mattered to him wasn’t the meaning or reason for the world’s existence, but his duty as the head of the Verdun household.

[Frankly, it’s harder for me to understand you. Shouldn’t you have been the one struggling to accept this? This place being a novel’s setting?]

“I was able to see Lucia.”

[…That’s extreme.]

The man clicked his tongue slowly.

When Owen blinked at the reaction, reminiscent of Kyle’s, the man shook his head.

[Now I understand why the Mage Tower Lord reacts to you the way he does. You’re quite excessive.]

“I don’t see it that way.”

[And that’s the problem. The issue is how you could genuinely care for, consider friends, or even love people you originally thought were just characters. How is that possible?]

His question was valid.

Most people would have spent a long time struggling to accept the world as reality, unable to reconcile it with the novel they knew.

Even if they accepted it, treating the characters as real humans or forming genuine relationships with them would have required significant effort.

That was why Bella had called Owen crazy—a lunatic.

A normal person wouldn’t immediately feel a connection, let alone consider befriending or falling in love with fictional characters.

The notion of feeling true affection or love for beings who were supposedly just characters would seem absurd.

“I’ve read the novel over a hundred times.”

But Owen had only one answer to give.

“To me, they were the most reliable and well-known people I could ever imagine.”

Combining Earth and this world, there were no individuals Owen understood better than Kyle and Lucia.

Likewise, there was no world Owen knew better than ‘The Flower of the Empire.’

“What does it matter if this place was once fiction or an illusion? It’s my reality now.”

Dream or fantasy, it didn’t matter.

As long as he could remain here, it would become his reality.

[…So that’s why they called you a lunatic.]

“And I didn’t deny it. Because it’s true.”

[Well, fortunately, this place is real.]

“That’s good to hear.”

[Yes. For you, it’s a blessing.]