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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Wandering Soul (1)
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“Are you just going to read books again today?”
“Then are you planning to play with me instead?”
“...”
The next day, Sei-an truly did visit Prince Idis’s residence again.
Just like the day before, he sat in the library, pulled out even more books than yesterday, and began to read in the same spot.
At the sight, Prince Idis felt not just baffled, but a surge of anger.
It was as if Sei-an had come to see him simply to pass the time before leaving. And to do so right in front of him, no less.
Did this fellow truly not know that others were desperate for even a brief audience with him?
Just then, an unfamiliar figure entered the library.
“Brother Idis.”
“...? Rainy.”
The person who called Prince Idis and quickly ran over was a girl who appeared to be around seventeen years old. It was Rainy, the Second Imperial Princess of the Cezaros Empire.
She was Prince Idis’s only full-blooded sibling, sharing the same mother, and the only sibling he truly cherished.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh! Were we only supposed to meet if there was a reason? Us?”
“Haha! Not exactly, but you’ve never sought me out in the library before, that’s all.”
“I just wanted to see you.”
“I see.”
“But…”
“Hm?”
“Who is that person?”
Princess Rainy, after a brief conversation with Prince Idis, asked about Sei-an, who she had been curious about since entering.
“He’s Count Shurayton’s son.”
“My name is Sei-an.”
“Hmm~”
Princess Rainy didn’t reply to Sei-an’s greeting for a moment. She merely scrutinized him with curious eyes.
Then, with a gentle smile, she uttered a single sentence to Sei-an.
“You’re prettier than a girl.”
Princess Rainy was known for her exceptional beauty and sharp mind, receiving special affection from Prince Idis and Emperor Cezaros, and subtly wielding significant influence within the imperial palace.
To put it kindly, she was lively; to put it harshly, she was famously wild and reckless, fearing nothing in the world.
“...”
Of course, Sei-an couldn’t have known these facts, but from this brief encounter, one thing was clear.
‘She’s the kind of person who’d be exhausting to deal with.’
The best method was to simply pretend not to notice her, to treat her as if she didn’t exist. Sei-an gave Princess Rainy a slight bow and then returned to his seat to read his book.
“...!”
At Sei-an’s behavior, the smile vanished from Princess Rainy’s face for the first time.
“...I, I was just ignored, wasn’t I?”
“Heh.”
“Brother!”
Princess Rainy frowned deeper as she saw Prince Idis let out a small laugh at her words.
“He treats me the same way, so you’ll have to understand.”
“...!”
Princess Rainy’s eyes widened in surprise, and she looked at Sei-an anew.
‘Even Brother?’
Even she, who feared nothing in the world, sometimes couldn’t utter a word or make a move in front of Prince Idis when he was angry.
Moreover, what Prince Idis disliked most was being ignored.
‘And he’s smiling?’
It was astonishing enough that Sei-an could act like that in front of Prince Idis and remain unharmed, but even more so that Prince Idis was smiling about it.
Though he himself didn’t seem to realize it, to Princess Rainy, it was an incredibly peculiar sight.
“Hmm.”
The fact that someone could read so calmly in front of Prince Idis sparked an interest in Princess Rainy as well, and a deep smile graced her lips.
At the same time, her eyes held the look of a child who had found an interesting new toy after a long while.
“...?”
Meanwhile, Sei-an, who was quietly reading, felt an eerie sensation from Princess Rainy’s gaze and quickly looked around, but finding nothing amiss, he could only tilt his head in confusion.
***
“I’m back… huh?”
Returning from the imperial palace, Sei-an found Lucian sitting in his room. He started to greet him but paused, seeing an unfamiliar person beside Lucian.
“Welcome back.”
“Yes. But who is this person next to you?”
“Ha! He really must have lost his memory.”
The man, who appeared to be around Lucian’s age, muttered to himself with a surprised expression at Sei-an’s words.
“This is Cliff, my friend.”
“It’s not the first time, but hello again. I’m Cliff.”
“...I’m Sei-an.”
Sei-an gave a slight bow towards Cliff, who wore a friendly smile on his face, and offered a greeting.
“Ha… haha! Is he really that devilish kid?”
“Cliff!”
“Haha! I’m just surprised.”
Watching Sei-an, Cliff couldn’t stop exclaiming in wonder, as if he found it utterly fascinating.
It had been over seven years since he first saw Sei-an, but the words the boy had uttered the moment he saw him were still vivid.
‘Get lost!’
That was it. The venomous glare the young boy had given him while he was with Lucian was still clear in his memory.
After that, not only towards him but also towards Lucian, the boy had continued to act maliciously, spewing intense hostility, and Cliff had never tried to deal with him again.
Knowing how much Lucian cared for his younger brother, Cliff couldn’t help but dislike Sei-an even more.
“Come sit over here.”
“Okay.”
“Was there anything unusual today?”
“No. I did meet a strange woman, but there was nothing problematic.”
But now, seeing Sei-an conversing so comfortably with Lucian, Cliff was simply astonished.
“But…”
“Hm?”
“It seems that person over there is having some trouble.”
“What?”
“...!”
Cliff, who had been marveling at Sei-an and Lucian, flinched at Sei-an’s sudden gaze upon him.
“Trouble? Are you talking about me?”
“Are you close friends?”
At Cliff’s question, Sei-an turned his head away from him and looked back at Lucian, asking an unexpected question.
“He’s an old friend.”
“Hmm… Then I’ll give you a piece of advice.”
“Advice?”
Sei-an, receiving the answer that he was Lucian’s close friend, finally turned his gaze back to Cliff and slowly continued speaking.
“If you miss or wait for the dead too much, their souls find it difficult to leave the human world.”
“...! What are you talking about?”
At those words, all humor vanished from Cliff’s face, and he stared at Sei-an with a hardened expression.
“Of course, even if they die unjustly, there are times when they cannot leave the side of those they trusted in life.”
“...”
“As if appealing for their grievances to be resolved…”
Sei-an finished speaking, looking at the small light mass slowly circling around Cliff. It was the soul of a deceased person.
And, glancing aside, Sei-an also saw another presence standing in a corner of the room, as if guarding that light.
A presence all too familiar to him. It was the Grim Reaper, guarding the soul circling Cliff, preparing to take it away.
“...”
The Grim Reaper was also silently watching Sei-an, and their eyes met for a moment, but Sei-an was the first to look away.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling to meet the gaze of a Grim Reaper, from whom no emotion could be felt.
Though he himself had been such a Grim Reaper until recently.
“That child… that child is dead?!”
At Sei-an’s words, Cliff looked at him with trembling eyes, as if he had some inkling of what was happening.
“I don’t know who that child is, but it’s certain that one of the people who followed you very closely has died. And very unjustly…”
“...”
At Sei-an’s confident words, Cliff stood dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time.
“What’s going on?”
Lucian approached Cliff and began to ask for details about what had happened.
He was curious about what Sei-an was seeing to say such things, but it was more important to first ask about Cliff’s situation, as he looked truly distraught, as if something serious had occurred.
“You’ve seen Jestin before, too.”
“Jestin? You mean your cousin, Count Devilran’s son…”
“Yes.”
Lucian had indeed seen Jestin a few times. He had often seen Jestin with Cliff when he visited him, so he recognized his face.
Jestin was a child who greatly admired Cliff, and since Cliff had no siblings, he treated his cousin Jestin like a younger brother, and they had a very good relationship.
“What about that child?”
“...He disappeared.”
“Hm?”
“He suddenly vanished from the count’s estate a month ago.”
“...!”
A few months ago, Count Devilran suddenly collapsed, complaining of chest pain.
The healer diagnosed him with a weak heart, stating he wouldn’t easily recover.
Naturally, all eyes turned to Jestin, Count Devilran’s eldest son, as the heir apparent to inherit the count’s family.
“He found all that attention very burdensome.”
“And then?”
“Haa… So when he suddenly disappeared a month ago, everyone thought he had gotten scared of inheriting the count’s estate and run away.”
“...He didn’t seem like such a weak child.”
“He wasn’t.”
Though innocent and young, he wasn’t so weak-willed as to abandon his duties and run away.
“But a letter he wrote was found.”
“A letter?”
“It was a letter stating he didn’t have the confidence to lead the count’s family.”
“...”
So everyone expressed surprise at Jestin’s disappearance, and currently, the focus was shifting to Bellison, Jestin’s half-brother.
“Bellison, you mean…”
“Yes. He’s the son Count Devilran had with his remarried wife after Jestin’s mother passed away.”
Everything seemed to be unfolding that way, but Cliff waited for Jestin until the very end, believing he would surely return.
He had even personally hired people to inquire about Jestin’s whereabouts.
“But Jestin is dead?”
The Jestin he had tried so hard to find was already dead.
Cliff couldn’t simply believe Sei-an’s words. Nor could he believe the talk of a soul hovering around him.
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not is your choice, so do as you please.”
“...”
For a soul that had met such an unjust death and lingered in the human world without following the Grim Reaper, the best way was to resolve its grievance and allow it to follow the Grim Reaper.
However, it was merely a soul that had nothing to do with him. He had offered a word of advice because Cliff was Lucian’s close friend, but he had no intention of explaining every single detail of the situation.
“If I were to say one more thing…”
“...?”
However, the sense of responsibility from his past life as a Grim Reaper, guiding souls, seemed to still hold Sei-an. Seeing the soul sadly circling Cliff, he offered one more piece of advice.
