Chapter 123. Questions and Doubts (1)

Feeling the gradually cooling night air, Oben sensed that a long and tiresome season was coming to an end.

After completing tasks following a summons from the imperial secretariat, the first thing he did upon arriving at his family home was head to the gravesite of his concubine, Milena.

"Master. If you go without stopping by the main house, lady Siliona might feel slighted."

When the old knight following him voiced a reminder, Oben subtly glanced back at him.

"Eharc, is that your long-held experience speaking?"

"Ahem, I've always only loved my wife. I don't give much affection to a concubine."

"That's a harsh truth."

Oben let out a bitter smile at Eharc's unexpected retort.

"Not giving much affection to a concubine, huh."

He knew that this statement was directed at him.

"Anyway, Siliona and I are in a marriage of convenience. Love wouldn't be involved."

"Even if you believe so, lady Siliona might think otherwise."

"You talk a lot today, Eharc. If you're going to chatter, don't bother coming."

With Oben's stern words, Eharc made a gesture of zipping his lips.

Although it didn't quite fit his large frame, Oben merely chuckled and continued heading to the gravesite.

Before long, Milena's grave began to appear in view.

Having asked the servants to maintain it properly, it was clean, but compared to the other Cryphart family members' gravesites, it was much smaller in scale.

"Do you still think it's inadequate? You know well, don't you? No matter how much of a master you may be, lady Milena was a concubine. Because of the family's disdain for the blood of collateral branches..."

"Eharc, have you forgotten what I just told you?"

Quickly clamming his opened mouth, Eharc pressed his lips together.

Walking slowly to the place, Oben intended to lay the brought bouquet as per usual.

"Hmm?"

He noticed a flower that was not his atop the grave.

"It seems there was a visitor before me. Was it Herand?"

At Oben's inquiry, Eharc shook his head from side to side.

"Then who was it?"

"They said Yulian came by."

"...... Yulian?"

Oben was taken aback by the unexpected name.

The fact that Yulian, who hadn't come to the main family since a certain 'incident', had visited this place meant...

"Has he made peace with it?"

One solitary flower left behind by Yulian.

It maintained a reserved dignity, emitting its presence, as if reminiscent of Yulian himself.

Staring at that flower, Oben placed the bouquet he had brought next to it.

"What do you think?"

"What do you mean, Lord Oben?"

"About bringing Yulian back to the family and taking off the name 'Frason'."

At the sudden words of Oben, Eharc cleared his throat.

"Though his reputation has been improving recently, I believe it is still premature."

"Is that so...?"

"May I speak frankly, Sir?"

Had it been earlier, he might have told him to hold his tongue, but seeing the usually straightforward Eharc wearing a rather serious expression, Oben nodded.

"If you had tended to Yulian well from his childhood, relations wouldn't have turned so sour. Are you trying to play the father now?"

"... That's quite a harsh thing to say."

Due to having been together for so long, they had become more than friends.

However, precisely because of that, Eharc's criticism was harsh, and it pained Oben to hear it.

He knew that he was an insufficient father, yet seeing 'Yulian' reminded him of the late Milena, which he couldn't help.

Ultimately, wasn't it he who led to her demise?

Wallowing in such thoughts, Oben had allowed Yulian to grow further apart.

"What I mean is that he should be left alone to open his heart first."

"Quite different from when you used to criticize Yulian."

"Had it been before, I would have thought it was still ridiculous. However!"

However?

"Recently, my thoughts have changed."

"Weren't you always criticizing Yulian, saying he was the royal family's hound?"

"Indeed. Although he is irritating, I thought it couldn't be helped as he was acting on the royal family's orders. Besides..."

Oben looked at Eharc, wondering if he had more to say.

"To be honest, when he grabbed and broke your hand, Sir, I felt a bit relieved."

"Hmm..."

Oben sighed.

To feel his perspective on Yulian shifting like this.

Moreover, if his closest aide spoke this way, there was something of a change happening within Oben himself, akin to what was happening with Yulian.

***

After finding out the reason Yulian acquired the villain characteristic 〈Demon King's Vessel〉, the scenes shown by the 'Soul Stone' faded away like a mirage.

"The memories of the Soul Stone, quite intriguing."

Such an experience was a first.

Here or in the game alike.

Something entirely unheard of.

Due to some strange sentimentality, tingling began in his fingertips, and his eyes reddened for no reason.

But there were no tears to fall.

The tear ducts of the slit-eyed villain were dried up; there wasn't anything to pour out emotionally.

Perhaps it has to be so.

To survive here, full of variables, as 'Yulian'.

'Yulian' must remain 'Yulian'.

I detachedly gazed at the foreign sensation in my hand.

"This is..."

The necklace where the Soul Stone disappeared.

To discard it would probably go against both Yulian's wishes and my own Confucian values.

I decided to put it back in the jewel box and, later on, find another similar jewel to replace its decoration.

"But where is Sombra?"

Looking around, there was no trace of the creeping shadow.

"I'm sure it's around."

The mana vein existing within my body was clearly aware of Sombra's presence.

Could it be that it was still undergoing a healing process after consuming the 'Soul Stone'?

"Waiting is the only option now."

According to the settings, Sombra would heal. But when was uncertain.

All I could do was wait.

'Now, what's next?'

Unfortunately, I had only one way to kill time.

'Yulian's' hobby. Well, it's merely 'my' hobby, after all.

Stepping out of the room, I searched for the butler who knew everything about the household affairs.

"Has anyone watered the potted plants today?"

***

"Since no guests come by, the drawing-room is being used as a garden, I see."

Placing the potted plants here was a great choice. It gets plenty of sunlight, and the room is spacious.

'... Hmm?'

At that moment, I felt something stir within me.

This was certainly Sombra's presence.

"Have you awoken?"

In response to my words, Sombra peeked out from the shadows.

'But, something seems off?'

The color still matched Sombra's typical shadowy hue.

"... It has eyes...."

And not just one, but several.

"Quite grotesque."

Looking at Sombra adorned with numerous eyes, I honestly expressed my impression.

Multiple eyes set in a pitch-black shadow.

It was like the ambiance you'd expect from a 'final boss villain', causing me to click my tongue.

"What caused this...."

Could it be related to the Soul Stone embedded in the heirloom? Even pondering deeply didn't provide answers.

I had never encountered such an experience before, even after playing this game for so long.

― Grrk.

Then, the eyes on Sombra began to close.

Could it possibly be reacting to my words?

'Probably not.'

Sombra is a demon. It didn't seem likely that it had human emotions or understood words.

Its acts of protection were merely for its own survival, something far from emotional reasoning.

Chut, chut──.

Yet the subsequent actions of Sombra truly made me ponder, 'Does this creature possess emotions?'

Feeling dejected by my comment, the eyes and body that were confidently flaunting themselves began to shrink timidly.

"... Looking closely, it's alright. With the ability to see in multiple directions, it could prove quite useful."

In an experimental spirit, I spoke a bit louder to ensure Sombra could hear, and it opened its eyes wide once more, swelling in size.

It now seemed more emboldened than before.

"To solidify its identity by absorbing the Soul Stone..."

Certainly.

Demons are known to develop intelligence as their number of horns increases.

If that's true, maybe the symbiotic Sombra living off me could build greater intellect by accumulating demonic energy via the Soul Stone.

"But wouldn't having more intelligence become a disadvantage for us?"

Even with advanced intellect, a demon remains a demon.

Generally speaking, creatures like Sombra, akin to another half of the Demon God, harbor malice towards humans.

While I appeared to hold a 'dominant' position for now, the stronger Sombra grows, the greater the chance of an overturn occurring.

"If you grow stronger, are you intending to covet my body as well?"

If it had gotten smart, it should be able to understand.

But as I spoke with that thought, Sombra merely wavered its heavily lid-filled eyes, tilting its head in confusion.

Was it pretend ignorance or genuine oblivion?

Setting aside the creature, I picked up the watering can and began tending to the plants.

Soon enough, reaching Angelica's pot, Sombra angled itself atop the pot.

"Please step aside."

Shoo──!

Words uttered in reproach led it to bloat its form and angrily begin engulfing Angelica's pot.

"What are you doing?"

Displeased, I immediately sought to cut the mana supply from Sombra.

Meanwhile, it bloat further and began assuming a form.

The potted plant.

Not just any plant.

"Ah, Angelica..."

Though blackened and faintly specked with subtle imperfections visible, I recognized it immediately.

Slightly cut leaf edges.

The shape of the pot.

All familiar, nostalgic features.

Nobody would understand this, naming and cherishing an orchid as such.

"Are you showing understanding?"

The idea of someone empathizing with such a solitary hobby in this world was profound.

'Human' it may not be, but it's a creature with a certain level of intelligence.

"No, wait a moment."

Suddenly, an anomaly struck me. The pot was gone from where Sombra stood.

'Could this be possible?'

As the question formed in my mind and nearly reached resolution, Sombra stopped its mimicry.

Chut─!

With wriggling sounds, the pot reappeared once again.

Apparently, it had tucked the pot within itself temporarily.

"You can stash items?"

To test further, I handed over the Moonstone Sword and its sheath, and the creature naturally engulfed them.

An ability akin to the inventory seen in other games.

It appeared to be a trait Sombra acquired from absorbing the Soul Stone.

"Oh..."

A rather impressive ability.

Having a hidden stash for things that can't be publicly revealed, like certain relics.

Yet.

"... Please return my sword."

It seems to favor not returning things it takes a liking to.

***

"The Archbishop, Eleanor, you have arrived?"

With a blood-stained face, he gazed at Tenelon. At his feet lay someone collapsed on the blood-soaked ground.

"The voice is silent."

Looking down with a hollow expression at the fallen bishop, Tenelon's gaze veered towards Eleanor.

"What voice do you speak of?"

"The voice of the Demon God. The voice that always imparted such clear insight."

Since ascending to the position of High Pontiff, Tenelon's actions had become peculiar.

"Thus, I must find the method to carve a path myself."

Obsessed with this 'voice', he demanded unwavering fealty from his followers and cared not for disposing of anyone who deviated from his thoughts.

Whatever that 'voice' was.

"Tell Yulian—let's dine together sometime."

Although Eleanor thought many sacrifices had been made to preserve the 'Dawn Society', witnessing this scene transformed her inner doubts into conviction.

The High Pontiff of the Dawn Society, Tenelon.

Is he truly fit to lead this organization?

If not, he must be removed.

Clacky's Corner:Is it finally time to usurp the High Pontiff position?

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