With parched lips, I barely managed to speak. Simone, who had been looking at me, slowly blinked.
“Seraphina, are you awake now?”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t come out even though it’s already morning.”
Now that I looked, sunlight was filtering through the curtains covering the window. It was morning before I even realized it.
“Ah… What’s on the schedule for today…?”
“We decided to postpone some things. Don’t worry about it.”
“Is that okay?”
“I can’t let you suffer just to catch Aurora.”
Simone’s voice was so gentle that it made me feel strangely ticklish inside.
He poured water into a glass and helped me sit up in bed. With his arm supporting my back, I gulped down the water.
“Thank you…”
“It’s something I should do anyway. Now, let’s see…”
Simone slowly reached his hand toward my forehead. His movement was so natural and unhesitant that I was caught off guard. But he calmly checked my temperature.
“Hmm, it seems like your fever has gone down a lot. Still, you should rest for today.”
Looking at Simone’s kind face, memories from the past flashed through my mind.
‘Things have really changed.’
At first, I was afraid of Raffaelo, but now he felt familiar. Ghieuspe’s words, which once seemed so difficult to grasp, were now understandable to some extent. Even Arkhangelo, who used to be like a prickly hedgehog, was now fun to tease.
And Simone, who had once felt as intimidating as Princess Eva, now…
“Argh!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing….”
Damn it, this is agonizing. Agonizing enough to drive me insane. And yet, I can’t even logically explain why I feel this way…
Unable to say anything to Simone, I simply groaned in frustration before deciding to change the topic.
Looking at his face, a thought naturally came to mind.
“I have something on my mind.”
“Go ahead. Tell me.”
“I like this world.”
It was a rather abrupt statement, but Simone patiently listened.
“I like living as Seraphina. The connections I’ve made here, the magical achievements I’ve accomplished—they’re all precious to me.”
“Yes.”
“But choosing to stay in this world on my own and being forced to stay here are two different things.”
I stared straight into Simone’s deep blue eyes.
“It feels like my place was taken away from me.”
“……….”
“I’m not sad about staying in this world. In fact, I actually like it here. But… it still feels like I was forced into this decision, and that doesn’t sit right with me.”
Watching Seraphina Viviana live normally as Yoo Sera made me think.
I wasn’t particularly angry or devastated that she had taken my body. But… it just didn’t feel great. It was as if someone had told me that I must stay in this world against my will.
It might be a difficult feeling to understand, but Simone listened seriously.
“I see. That must have been upsetting.”
“……….”
“If you were given the choice, what would you do?”
Simone blinked his long eyelashes and asked me,
“Will you choose this world, or will you leave?”
“………..”
It was a difficult question to answer.
Saying I would leave, especially in front of Simone, felt wrong. But honestly, even without considering that, I loved this world enough that I didn’t think I’d want to leave.
“Uh…”
As I hesitated, Simone gave me a gentle smile, as if telling me I didn’t have to answer.
“I was just asking. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll make you love this world even more.”
“Huh?”
His words gave me a strange feeling, but I quickly blinked and responded naturally.
“And I’ve also been thinking about what Aurora said last time.”
“About chasing ideals?”
“Yeah. Honestly, my previous life was far from that kind of life.”
I gave a bitter smile, recalling my old world.
“But the journey of searching for Aurora in this world… it was actually pretty fun.”
“I see. So, your previous life wasn’t very enjoyable?”
“Yeah. It really felt like I was just a cog in society….”
Sensing that this conversation might get long, Simone sat on the chair beside my bed.
“So, I don’t really know. Should I live my life chasing happiness, like Aurora said? Or should I surrender to reality?”
“Is there a reality in this world that forces you to surrender?”
“I’m not sure yet… but once the issues with Aurora and Princess Eva are resolved, maybe I’ll have to return and marry some nobleman I’ve never even met—just like most noble ladies do.”
“…Marriage?”
“I was just giving an unpleasant example.”
“Ah, Sera.”
Simone met my gaze and gave me a peculiar smile.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen.”
“Oh… So you’re also the type to support my ideals?”
“Of course. I want you to have your happy ending.”
It felt like we had talked about happy endings before….
“I don’t fully understand Aurora, but sometimes she does say wise things. Like this time.”
“Hmm…”
“In short, I just want you to live the life you want. I don’t think you need to surrender to reality.”
I lowered my gaze, sinking into deep thought.
I wasn’t sure. I didn’t even know why I felt this way.
No… Maybe I do know.
I had spent too much of my life in my previous world surrendering to reality.
And now, if someone suddenly told me that it was okay to chase my ideals… it would feel like my past self had been wrong all along. I didn’t want to acknowledge that.
“…Was my past self wrong?”
I finally spoke, my voice slow and hesitant.
Above me, Simone’s gentle voice answered,
“At the time, that was probably the best choice for you.”
“Ah…”
“Trust in the person you were back then. Aurora’s words are idealistic, but not everyone can live like Aurora.”
“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
After murmuring a literary quote, I asked again,
“Is it really possible for me to live differently now?”
Honestly, watching my companions had taught me a lot.
Like Arkhangelo, who once questioned whether he had abandoned magic to pursue vocal music, only to realize that singing was truly his passion.
Like Ghieuspe, who disliked the Tower Master but never despised magic itself and knew exactly what his dream was.
And like Raffaelo, who achieved his dream confidently, even though others opposed his chosen profession.
I wanted to find my own dream and live for it, just like them.
In short, I envied the kind of life Aurora described—one driven by purpose.
“Seraphina, do you think you have a purpose as well?”
“…I’m not sure yet,”
I answered hesitantly.
“But I do know that I want to learn what I want to learn and do what I want to do. I don’t want to keep forcing myself to do things I hate.”
In my previous world, I was a math tutor.
And in this world, it would probably be something like a forced political marriage.
“Then why not just live the way you want?”
“Is it really that simple?”
“You have the potential to achieve anything.”
“I think… I might just be afraid of the hardships I’d face on that path.”
“Even so, wouldn’t a life like that be much happier? A challenging dream might be better than a safe reality.”
Then, he added,
“But the most sublime truth, as vast and infinite as God, exists only in the boundless open sea. Thus, even if the wind-blown direction is safer, it is better to die fiercely in that endless sea than to be shamefully cast onto the shore.”
— Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
“Ah!”
“I was just copying the way you talk, Seraphina.”
As Simone and I locked eyes, I burst into laughter.
Who knew hearing someone else speak like me could be so funny?
I wasn’t sure why, but after laughing so hard, I felt courage welling up inside me.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve made up my mind.”
Simone was right.
Rather than a safe reality, I would choose a dream—even if it came with hardships.
Maybe I had been longing for this all along.
“I want to live doing what I truly want here.”
After all, Seraphina Viviana, who had become Yoo Sera, seemed to be doing just fine on her own.
“I won’t surrender to reality anymore.”
“Good. Then, will you love this world even more?”
“Uh…”
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Seraphina, are you feeling better?”
“Ah, Raffaelo.”
It was Raffaelo’s voice. When I told him he could come in, Ghieuspe and Arkhangelo followed him into the room.
“Whoa, Simone, what’s with that expression? My bad, did we interrupt something?”
“Haha, you’re mistaken.”
“Are you alright?”
Ghieuspe asked in his usual blunt tone. I smiled and answered,
“Yes, I’m much better. I think it was just a cold. Sleeping somewhere warm helped a lot.”
“Jeez, I never catch colds, but you do?”
“What does that even mean? Are you saying you think of yourself as a dog or something?”
As we chatted, the atmosphere lightened. Then, Raffaelo spoke up.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Seraphina. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Huh?”
“When I was in the dining hall this morning, I overheard people talking. It might be a bit shocking…”
A sudden unease crept over me. I swallowed nervously.
Then, Raffaelo finally delivered the shocking news.
“In the southern region of the Cassan Empire, several automatons have started malfunctioning. They tried to attack people and had to be contained.”
“Does that mean… Princess Eva has decided to conquer Cassan as well?”
