Bonus Chapter 4 – Duchess Odette’s Worries
“Yuuki’s past life was a village guardian deity, and Iris’s past life was the villager who reincarnated to follow him…”
That night, after the three of them had been researching in the library—Odette sat in a chair in her room, her head in her hands.
In front of her was a magic tome from her family’s archives. After hearing their story, she had become curious and tried to look up reincarnation. But there was no mention of it in any of her books.
Of course not. Theirs was a reincarnation caused by an ‘Ancient Artifact,’ and Yuuki himself had been an immortal mage—not, in the purest sense, human.
“But… that isn’t the real problem.”
The real problem was that Yuuki was so… reckless.
It had been the same during the Guardian Knight Selection Trial. If he had only wanted to win, he would never have needed to draw the Holy Sword. If they had just attacked with ‘Ancient Magic,’ they could have sealed the specter’s movements. If they’d bought time, the proctor Demeter and General Barnes would have come to their aid. With their help, they could have vanquished the specter.
“And yet… Yuuki drew the Holy Sword. He did it…”
To save Gael Wolfgang.
The longer someone was possessed by a specter, the weaker they became. Eventually, their mana and life force would be completely drained, leading to death. Even if it didn’t go that far, their personality could be destroyed. If they had taken too long to defeat the specter, Gael Wolfgang might have been permanently broken.
“Then again, knowing Yuuki, he might have just been angry at a specter from the Sanctuary Church.”
Giving up on her reading, Odette flopped onto her bed.
“He is truly a troublesome person.”
Odette still didn’t know if their story was true. But she couldn’t believe it was a lie, either. She just had to look at Iris. They had been childhood friends. Odette had watched her grow up and could tell when she was lying—which was almost never.
And Iris’s eyes… they were, without a doubt, the eyes of a girl in love.
That being the case, the story of their past lives gained a great deal of credibility. Which meant the story about Yuuki dying to protect his village was also true.
“—He really was an incredible person, wasn’t he?”
It didn’t matter to Odette that Yuuki had been an immortal mage. The fact that he had laid down his life for his village, and that his people had adored him for two hundred years after his death… that, she thought, was truly amazing.
Odette’s family was a ducal house. They were a prestigious family, connected to the royals, and they ruled over a vast, rich territory. They governed it well enough. But—
“Would any of our people continue to adore a lord for 200 years after his death?”
In that, House Sley had already lost to Yuuki. Thinking about it made Odette smile.
The trouble was that Yuuki held her in such high esteem. It was, frankly, an overestimation. He had said it as they left the library: “I trust you, Odette.” “You’re loyal and have a strong sense of justice.” “You’re the one who should lead the Magic Guild.”
“—It’s difficult when he says things like that.”
And what made it worse was that he meant it. He truly trusted her. He wouldn’t have revealed his true identity to her otherwise.
Of course, Odette trusted him, too. He was a friend she could entrust her back to. He was the first boy she had ever felt that way about.
“…But one day… they will go far away.”
Odette hugged her pillow, pressing it tightly against her face. What is wrong with me? Just the thought of them leaving was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
“…I know. I know it’s for the best.”
An immortal like Yuuki couldn’t stay in one place. If he never aged, people would become suspicious. In fact, that’s what had gotten him killed in his past life. And Iris had no intention of leaving his side. If he went, she would follow.
So, one day, Odette would lose her friends. And the more important Yuuki became to her, the greater the sense of loss would be when he left.
“I have to prepare myself for that day.”
I will become stronger, she thought. As strong as them. While we’re together, I’ll study ‘Ancient Magic’ and master it. I’ll sort things out with my family. I’ll make sure I’m not a burden to them.
If I do all that… then maybe I can stay with them, at least for as long as I want—
“—Wait, why am I planning all this based on going with them?!”
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Odette clutched her head and rolled around on her bed. This is wrong. She was supposed to be thinking about how to get stronger so she’d be okay without them. But somewhere along the line, she had started planning to get stronger and sort out her life so she could follow them.
“C-Calm down, Odette Sley.”
She pressed a hand to the chest of her nightgown and took a deep breath. She sat up, smoothing her golden hair, which had been hopelessly mussed from her rolling.
“…This is all Yuuki’s fault.”
She had to calm down. The orientation was in a few days. Luckily, she and Yuuki were in different groups. A day apart, without even talking, would surely help her get her feelings in order.
It had to. Otherwise… this was bad. At this rate, Yuuki’s presence in her heart would just keep growing and growing—
“I-I’m fine. I’m fine.”
Deciding she needed some fresh air to calm down, Odette went to the window, only to realize she’d forgotten to close the curtains. Her eyes fell on the building next door, Yuuki’s lodging.
Just then, the shadow of a bat flitted past. For a split second, she thought it was Yuuki. She instinctively started to raise her hand to wave—and then collapsed back onto her bed.
“…This is… a serious case.”
It must just be the stress of the upcoming orientation, she tried to convince herself. She pulled the covers over her head. “I’ll be calm once the orientation is over,” she repeated to herself, closing her eyes.
She fell asleep a few minutes later. She couldn’t remember what she dreamed, but for some reason, she woke the next morning in a happy mood.
And so, Odette began to prepare for the orientation. Little did she know that immediately after it ended, she would be setting off on a journey with Yuuki, just the two of them.
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