Published at 6th of December 2020 01:18:18 PM
Chapter 80
A vicious cycle of lies creating lies .
Carrying Chiffon on my back, I walk straight ahead . The coldness I felt on my back made me want to cry, but I bite my lips and walk on .
Returning to the inn, the receptionist uncle looked surprised, but sensing the extraneous circumstances, he didn’t say anything . My steps are heavy as I head upstairs . Chocolat understood with a glance, welcoming us into their room . Urged to lay Chiffon on the bed, he touched her skin, as if to check . Affirming that her temperature was far too low for a regular person, Chocolat frowned .
“Nee-sama…! What, happened?”
I can’t explain it well . By the time I got there, Chiffon was already in this state . I did not see what had happened . But in all likeliness, the soul controller, the topic of rumours, is a part of it . All I can do is tell him how I found her . Excluding, the things that I did .
“I’m sorry, if I had come sooner”
“…It’s not Itoksan’s fault . If only I had gone with nee-sama, none of this would have happened… and you can’t assume that she’s dead! If the person Itoksan met can get the soul back, it means we still have hope!”
Even though his blood sister came back in such a state, he’s still levelheaded . Compared to that, I have no idea what to do, just depending on Chocolat .
“That person is probably the one they call the One-winged swordsman . I’m not sure what kind of person he is, but I’ve met him a few times since he’s someone nee-sama knows”
As I thought, they were acquainted .
“Then he tried to take Chiffon away, because he was trying to save her?”
I wonder about that . Chocolat turned his gaze down .
“When I mention the one-winged swordsman, everyone gets scared . An elusive person, and I don’t know what his goal is . Just, he’s merciless towards people in his way”
I recall that time he called me a hindrance . His voice was so cold, I was fearful from the bottom of my heart . The first time we met too, he pointed his sword at me and looked ready to kill me . Was I a hindrance? To kill people just because of that, what nerves he has .
―― Knock, knock .
A knocking sound suddenly echoes in the room .
When Chocolat opened the door to greet them, Al was there .
This morning, I said I had stuff to do before leaving, saying that I’d be back before noon . He might have gotten worried since I was late .
“I came to pick you since you’re late, but are you in the middle of something?”
His teasing face disappeared the moment he saw the ‘sleeping’ Chiffon on the bed . Furrowing his eyebrows while approaching her, he examined her pale, unhealthy face .
“So she’s dead”
“She-she’s not dead yet!”
“It’s the same . Her soul got stolen, right? This is just empty then”
Facing Chocolat, he said so with an unusually serious face . Chocolat looked up at Al bitterly .
“Wait a minute, how could you tell with just a glance?”
To someone who doesn’t know, she just looks like she’s sleeping . But Al was able to conclude that Chiffon was ‘dead’ at first sight . Even for me, I could only tell after noticing the lack of magic flowing in her body . And to say that she’s lost her soul and become empty, it’s as if he’s seen through her .
Al grabbed his head like it was a pain as he said ‘Ah, I didn’t tell you”
“What did you not tell me?”
“My hair isn’t completely white right? If anything, it’s closer to blonde . And yet I have the title of a White Knight . Don’t you think something is weird”
“It’s different…”
“I was born with the blessing of the light . A colour similar to light is white . That’s why, as a white-featured, I was able to earn that title . Do you know what this means?”
On magic, I only know the fundamentals which I learnt earlier . Answering that I didn’t, I swiftly turned to look at Chocolat, to find him looking at Al as if he just found something incredibly rare .
“To have the blessing of light… does that mean that Al is able to use healing magic?!”
“Oi calling me without honorifics huh . Call me Al-san . Hey, if you want, Al-sama[1] is good too?”
“I politely decline . But anyway, if that’s the case–!”
“It’s unfortunate but my magic aptitude is as good as nothing . But I have a somewhat useful constitution . Celia told me before, it’s like she recovers faster when she’s by my side . It works with a touch too”
Following the flow, he patted my head . So that’s why, he often pats my head? …It looks like, Al has such a soft side too .
“But if your soul gets stolen, there’s nothing that I can do . Even if I can quicken healing of injuries, there’s nothing to do about and empty inside”
“That’s not what I want to say . Is Al an idiot?”
“At last, after not using honorifics, you call me an idiot… you’re a noble kid with guts! Then what are you going to do?”
I heard ‘so Al’s an idiot?’ as an ‘alpaca’, I must be really tired . [2]
“I want to maintain nee-sama’s body as it currently is, that’s all”
“Ah, I see . It’d pointless even if you got her soul back, if her body is rotting away . But I can’t maintain it for long, you know?”
How long? Al replied that it’s around one to two days . That answer made Chocolat put on a complicated expression, but as if seeing a glimpse of hope, his expression is brighter than earlier .
But I couldn’t keep up with the situation .
In the first place, these 2 people are moving forward while assuming her soul still exists . It couldn’t be helped that I tried to escape reality with the alpaca .
As for myself, if only my mind was in this world, and the said earth dragon is who I lived as, I would think the soul and mind are different, separate things . I wanted to believe that . I wanted them to think so . But if it’s to save Chiffon, I will have no choice but to accept that existence…–why not accept it! How could my own values, my ego, such feelings and thoughts, ever compare to losing my precious friend . It’d be better to just throw away such useless things . It’s not right to just stubbornly insist that it’s different . That would just make me an inflexible old man . For Chiffon, I’ll change my sense of value . I’ll need to at least resolve myself to that .
“Chocolat, let’s go and get Chiffon’s soul back!”
Chocolat stared blankly at I who just exclaimed so .
“Actually, what’s the full story . True, that lady is beautiful even in a state with her soul pulled out, but, …soul? …Don’t tell me, you don’t plan to find the soul controller, do you?”
It seems he realised that Chiffon is a victim of running into the soul controller . That speeds things up . It saves me the trouble of explaining .
“That’s the plan”
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“Don’t do it, I’ll be killed by Celia!”
Hii, Al let out a small scream .
But, to save Chiffon, I have no choice but to go . Al glared at me, before giving in and turning away .
“Fine . I understand . But make sure that you properly tell Celia . Emphasise the part where I tried to stop you too”
You absolutely have to, he said with an extremely serious look .
It was really difficult to persuade Celia .
“Absolutely not!” she kept emphasizing . “I’m not letting you go somewhere dangerous!” too . As expected of my guardian . But I cannot afford to spend hours slowly explaining . Only by prostrating, after my almost beautiful act of prostration, did she finally give in .
Now, I’m on standby at the back alley to move forward with our plan . Celia went to check up on Al and isn’t with me .
“To be honest, I’m surprised”
Chocolat who was leaning against the wall turned to look at me .
“?”
“I didn’t expect that you’d help us this much”
True, we only met a few days ago . And you could count the number of times we met with one hand . That’s all for the relationship between us, so one may think it’s strange . But for me, they aren’t just passing acquaintances . Chiffon is someone dear to me, a precious friend . That’s why I want to save her .
“That’s why, thank you very much . If I was alone, I don’t think I’d be able to stay composed”
Chocolat is probably suffering the most .
His own sister came back while in a suspended death state . With her soul unreasonably stolen from her . If that happened to Touka, I wouldn’t be able to stay calm either . I might cry out, or overflow with anger . Either way, yelling would only be distracting and a nuisance .
His downturned eyes were moist .
What can we do, at times like this . It’s weird to say it myself, but I’m terrible at comforting others . Even if I want to say some sensible words, I have no idea how to express it .
Instead, I gently stroke Chocolat’s head . As if combing, I stroke his chocolate brown, cat-fur soft hair . That might have been the trigger, for tears to begin falling from those honey-coloured eyes . That figure of a child crying the tears he held back, looked so mature . As I touched his cheeks to wipe his tears away, a teardrop falls and wets my hand .
My heart cried out a little .
Even if I know I shouldn’t, my body naturally moves . Using both hands to wrap his cheeks, I tilt his head upwards, drawing closer to his small face . The tears that came from the corner of his eyes were scooped up by my lips .
“Itoka, san?”
It’s sweet . It was painfully sweet . Even at such times, ‘her’ greed is still showing, how shameful of me .
Probably taking it as my way of comforting, a small hand hesitantly slowly wrapped its arm around my back .
It’s warm .
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―― I’m sorry . For being like this .
About the plan, by deliberately roaming the streets at night, we are aiming to lure out the soul controller . Although he appeared earlier today, generally, he tends to take action at night, and beginning with the innkeeper lady, victims have increased .
The town at night was eerily quiet . Probably because of all the rumours about the soul controller, the streets that were overflowing with people earlier, now has no one in sight . Some buildings and inns have light leaking out, but it feels as if I’ve been left behind by the world .
“If it’s this dark, I wonder if it’ll be fine to take off my hood”
When it’s this dark, everyone’s hair would also look dark .
Taking off my hood, the cool night breeze blows past my cheeks .
In any case, to be roaming around town at night while openly walking around and even drinking blood . I really seem to act like a vampire . The vampire syndrome might not necessarily be wrong anymore . If I want to make it sound cool, it’s Vampire[3] . In the dark of night, Count Dracula attacks a beautiful woman .
But for this condition, I wonder if anything can be done about it . I wonder if I can just endure it until I return home with Touka and the rest .
How about drinking my own blood to ease the thirst . A cycle where I make and drink my own blood . It’s safe for both people and the environment . But, I can’t . Because I don’t have any magic power at all, my blood isn’t appealing at all . Animals don’t receive the spirit’s blessings either so there’s no point… Do I have no choice but to become Count Dracula in this world .
If I explained my situation to Celia and Al, I wonder how they’ll react . They’d probably be afraid . I’m sure, if I said humans look tasty or I want to drink blood, they’d be too scared and disappear from my side . I don’t want that .
But if I don’t find a way to deal with it, something like today might happen again . To drink a random stranger’s blood . It’s one thing if the person has abundant magic power, but if it was a regular person, their blood might bore me, and being insufficient, I might end up biting into their flesh . Just thinking about it is frightening .
―― One-winged swordsman, huh . He said he’s Chiffon’s acquaintance, but I wonder if they met in the 2-year gap . Such an unsociable, curt, taciturn, tall, dangerous man who immediately relies on his sword . But well, it was delicious . It’s the flavour I like . One without any attribute, a mysterious…hmm? Eh? Something feels off . Back then I was desperate so I didn’t realize, but it was not fire, nor water or earth or any attribute-blessed, something sweetly blessed with no other in the world[4] .
…What does this mean?
Do I know that person’s flavour ?
“Hello, Miss . It’s dangerous to be walking around alone at night on such a dark street”
“Eh?”
I was stuck deep in thought and didn’t notice that someone suddenly appeared from behind me . Turning around in surprise, a smiling, middle-aged man wearing an olive-brown tuxedo was standing there . His mixed white and brown hair was swept back . At first glance, he just looks like a gentle-mannered old man, but to appear in the middle of the night on the street that the soul controller is said to be at is way too suspicious .
“Oh, how rare . You are someone who holds a complicated soul”
It was uncomfortable being stared at through a monocle .
I wanted to ask if he had anything to do, but my words were blocked .
… What did this person say? Didn’t he say soul? Holds a complicated soul, plus he already realised that I’m a girl, even though he’s only seen me from behind .
Is this, no way…!!
“Fumu, It’d become great research material . Now, without further ado”
“Wwait! You are the soul controller, aren’t you?”
Taking a small vial out from his chest pocket to try and do something, I rushed to start a conversation with the middle-aged gentleman . Likely not thinking that I’d talk to him, he blinked his small eyes, saying ‘Indeed’, smiling .
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“That indeed seems to be what I’m being called . Although, I am simply collecting materials for research”
To call a soul, material .
But I need to buy time here! I can’t just let my soul get stolen . We need to get as much information out of him as possible . Chocolat and Celia should be able to take care of the rest .
Because I’m just the bait .
Celia initially reacted angrily and disapproved of the plan, but eventually gave in . Even if she said ‘Ito-chan can’t be bait!’, once the soul controller steals my soul and returns satisfied, Chocolat and Celia are the better choices to follow him and raid his base . Unfortunately my battle prowess is pretty insignificant . To make it clear, I’m powerless . But that is exactly why there is a role that I can play . What Celia and Chocolate lack, I have . I just have to bet on that .
“What do you mean, research?”
“Are you interested? Of course you are . It’s something my esteemed self has discovered, after all”
I pretended to be interested to get more information, but it was impossible .
“But it’s unfortunate . I do not have the time to talk . Quietly allow your soul to be stolen”
―― This has to be a lie .
The middle-aged gentleman muttered something and opened the vial .
It happened in an instant .
It was so sudden, I had no time to escape .
Losing consciousness, in my growingly-distant vision, I saw a smile like a clown’s float up .
＊Short story＊
“Oh my oh my, unlike your thoughts, you so easily left your body”
The middle-aged man mumbled surprised, staring triumphantly at the contents of the vial . He had lost all interest in the body which lost its soul, collapsed on the ground .
The act of stealing souls from living people is unexpectedly painstaking . Souls rely on the flesh and exist in the body . In order to not destroy the soul, one needs to take time to slowly extract it . However, the soul shining in the vial has easily left its body . As if this soul has left its own body before .
“You must have had a near-death experience before . Well, it’s good to be saved of the hassle . Umu, what a fascinating soul this is”
The soul, coming from the mouth as a white haze, would enter the vial and change colour according to its attribute .
“In any case, to be colourless and clear is extremely unusual”
I won’t know unless I watch it closely . It might be a risky soul existing there . Coiling around it is a slightly black-like haze . It looks as if it is protecting the soul, yet also looks like it is slowly eroding it .
This is the first time this kind of soul has been seen, the middle-aged man smiled joyfully .
Translation Notes:
[1] ‘San’ is kind of like mister/miss, something you can use on anyone and everyone, while ‘sama’ is for people of a significantly higher position or status than you, something like Master, or milady .
[2] Idiot in jap is ‘baka’-> Al-baka sounds like Alpaca
[3] Says it in English, while previously it was written in jap
[4] That is to say, it is one of a kind in the whole world . In case my phrasing didn’t make sense .