Volume 3 Chapter 35 Chasing The Shadow Of The Past I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The damp air of the forest shifted in an instant.
From the shadow of green leaves covering the cliff to the unobstructed, clear blue sky.
The sunlight piercing his skin felt almost unbearably hot.
But more than that…
”Azrael…”
Kian stood at the heart of a bustling bazaar, where tents of primary colors──red, blue, and more──were pitched in abundance.
The street was crowded.
The people weaving around Kian, all clad in white garments with brown skin, chattered away in the Azrael tongue.
The stench of human bodies was faint, replaced by the distinctive smell of swirling dust that tickled the back of his nose.
His eyes, his ears, his nose, his touch──they all screamed that this was a street of fond memories.
His hometown, untouched for over a decade, was too vivid to be a mere illusion.
’Kian, put away that crude sword,’
Suddenly, the voice of ‘glasses’ echoed.
Kian’s attire was the same as before──a shirt paired with bottoms──and the Night Wraith he had kept hidden in his clothes and backpack was entrusted to Natra.
In his left hand, he held a sheathed iron sword.
A tool for self-defense, nothing more.
The ‘glasses’ in his breast pocket continued.
’This one would like you to discard the scent pouch in your right hand as well, but doing so might raise the suspicions of that lizard girl if she sees you leave unscathed. Keep the pouch for now; if trouble arises, you can rely on this one. With me by your side, no ghostly curse will have its hold, and if you lend me your magic power, I shall bestow upon you a treasured sword that can match even the Windsong Blade──a demon blade second to none.’
(If I wear you and my alternate personality takes over, I might be tempted to slay the ghost right away. Rejected. I’ll only ask for your help when I’m truly in danger.)
’Hmph… very well. There are parts that irk me, but I don’t dislike such adventures. If you’re prepared to deal with the ravings of a wraith, then hurry and pursue that young miss. If you wait too long, the humans will vanish from the town.’
The girl referred to as ‘glasses’ stood before Kian to his left.
A girl in white garments seeking sweet fruits at the market stall.
It was Sarah.
A white blouse paired with a white skirt.
She wore a head covering that left not an inch of skin exposed.
Unlike Natra, who often dressed in a manner that revealed the hollows behind her knees during training or intimate moments, evoking a strong sense of sexuality, Sarah did not stir such feelings.
Was it because in his mind, she was already a figure of the past?
He remembered how his heart would race every time he saw the prematurely mature-looking Sarah in his childhood.
(She’s a beautiful girl, but that’s all.)
Her eyes seemed… knowing.
Compared to the well-adorned Aliona, Christy, Rufna, and Natra, she always left a plain impression.
Natra, however, was different since she disliked dressing to allure men.
Yet, she too would don proper makeup and elegant garments when meeting with lords and nobles.
(So Sarah really is the plain one.)
She took the fruit and walked away.
Silently, Kian followed her.
(I can interact with the inhabitants.)
To confirm, he slipped a wallet from a passing man’s pocket, then returned it to its original place.
(But the scenery… it shifts strangely.)
With a sharp ringing in his ears, the view of the town street distorted—then abruptly shifted to the front gates of the Vahid estate.
The white entrance, filled with nostalgia, felt modest compared to Oswald’s grand home.
Yet beyond the gate, the shimmering emerald rooftops of the palace glowed beautifully.
”Kian──? Are you here──?”
It had been a while since he’d heard Sarah’s voice.
Similar to Natra’s, but a bit higher and more childlike.
It seemed Sarah had come to play with Kian.
She must have sneaked out of her room without her maids noticing, to a place where she wouldn’t be seen without her attire.
For some reason, she was waiting motionlessly in front of the Vahid residence, where there was no gatekeeper in sight.
As Kian also waited quietly, Sarah suddenly turned around.
”────”
”…Hello.”
Taking stock, Kian realized Sarah’s eyes were locked on him, and the deserted East Street of Azrael stretched out behind them. He hesitantly called out to her.
He’d braced himself, expecting the ghost to reveal its true nature and attack, but instead, Sarah’s young face lit up with a radiant, “Paaah!”
”No way…! Kian, you’re outside the house! This is amazing! I can’t believe it!”
(There’s no one else here, right?)
Just as he thought that and tried to scan his surroundings again, he noticed something strange—his body had shrunk.
His hands were tiny.
His view was low to the ground.
The shirt and trousers he’d been wearing had transformed into Azrael-style clothes.
He was a child!
A chuckling voice came from his ‘glasses’.
’It seems you’ve been cast as a character in this girl’s memory.’
(You’re still in my breast pocket, huh?)
He found a strange sense of comfort in the folded form of his companion, nestled in his shirt pocket.
”How’s your physical ability?”
(——… No good. My strength is on par with a normal human boy. My magic power is completely gone as well.)
’It’s been stripped away. Since this is an otherworldly realm, neither Natra nor Rufna can supply you with magic power. Right now, you’re just a weak little brat.’
(Weakling? That’s not right.)
Kian clenched the scent pouch Priscilla had given him in his right hand.
(I have my honed skills and knowledge, and the vampire magic you taught me. If I lack strength or magic power, I’ll find another way, or improvise.)
’Ho. You’ve grown tougher. I miss the days when you were a weakling. Ah, my weapon should be no problem to summon, so call for it if you need it, boy.’
”──Kian? Are you even listening?!”
”…”
As he was conversing with ‘glasses’, Sarah’s pouting face suddenly popped into view.
She had her hands clasped behind her back, leaning sideways to peer up at him.
Kian didn’t know what Sarah wanted to tell him, but it seemed like he should probably humor her for now.
(Ghost──Sarah seeks to know my wish… Or does she?)
”Sorry, I wasn’t listening. What was that?”
”I said, I was asking if you wanted some fruit.”
What she offered was a yellowish-green dried fruit.
It was a dried fig she’d bought at the market earlier.
”Thank you, I’ll take it.”
’Wait. You shouldn’t eat what a ghost offers. You’ll be absorbed!’
Kian frowned.
”I’m sorry, but I’ll have to pass.”
”Eh? What do you mean?”
”I don’t want it. My stomach isn’t feeling well. You should eat it yourself.”
Kian regretted his blunt response.
He thought back to how seriously Sarah had chosen her treat.
He should have declined more gently.
He couldn’t help but let his negative feelings towards her show.
He expected her to be upset, but Sarah lowered her bag of figs with a worried expression.
”You say your stomach isn’t well… Are you alright? Maybe you have a fever?”
A cool, brown hand touched his forehead.
Sarah stepped closer, gliding her hand from his forehead to his cheek, finally resting her palm on his neck.
”You don’t seem to have a fever…
”I’m fine. I just lack an appetite.”
”Are you staying at home?”
”No. I hate being home. There are some people I don’t want to see.”
”A… I’m sorry.”
”No, it’s my fault. I was scattering barbs and thorns in my words. You’re just being normal, you haven’t done anything wrong. Really.”
”…”
Sarah looked confused, backing away.
Sensing the awkward silence, Kian quickly followed up with a question.
”Why did you come to the Vahid house today?”
”To see you. I can’t just stay locked up, it’s bad for my health. I need to be out in the sun before I grow mold.”
”Is the monastery on long holidays? That’s why you were staying so close that I’m worried about you?”
”────”
’Don’t probe too deeply. This world is built upon that little girl’s memories, and there are countless inconsistencies. If she notice the inconsistencies, she might go mad.’
Kian flashed Sarah a radiant smile, one she’d never seen from him before.
It was the face he wore when enjoying a romance with a woman from Harleem.
”Sorry. Ah… if you have time, I’d love to go on a date with you.”
”W-Wha—?! D-D-D-DATE!?”
*Poof*
He swore he heard a sound like that.
Sarah frantically glanced around, as if checking for something, before slowly bringing her gaze back to him.
Her dusky cheeks were unmistakably red.
She blinked her long eyelashes, staring down at Kian.
Down at him—yet somehow, she was still looking up at him in an adorably awkward contradiction.
”I want to spend time with you. Is there anything you’d like me to do?”
”D-Do? I mean, I just came here to play with you…”
”Is Lord Shajar at Azrael’s estate?”
”No, he’s at Nakash Harbor. Why?”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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