Chapter 173
Chapter 173
If Canis Is Alive (4)
I felt refreshed after washing up thoroughly. I put on the clothes the Ulbushis side had given me. The clothes I had originally been wearing were soaked in blood, so I had asked them to wash them.
I liked Ulbushis’s distinctive blue patterns more than I expected. Guided by an attendant, I headed to the dining room.
The Head of the Ulbushis Family was already seated in the dining room. He was lost in thought while drinking red wine.
“I’m a little late.”
“It’s fine. Sit.”
Without much change in expression, the Head of the Ulbushis Family offered me a seat. I sat beside him.
Only after I sat down did the food begin to come out. The Head of the Ulbushis Family swirled the wineglass in his hand.
“Would you like some?”
“I won’t refuse.”
It was an excessively quiet affair. To think Ulbushis and Duhein, who were always busy tearing into each other, were eating together.
Of course, I had already been excommunicated by this point. I took a sip of the wine the attendant poured for me. It was far more bitter than sweet, but the aroma wasn’t bad.
“If there’s something you’d like to ask, you may ask.”
I made the first move. The one with complicated thoughts here was the Head of the Ulbushis Family.
“Let’s eat first.”
And so, the awkward meal began. Since I didn’t care about such things, there was no hesitation in my hands as I reached for the food.
Watching me savor Ulbushis’s delicacies, the Head of the Ulbushis Family chuckled.
“What sort of relationship do you have with my daughter?”
I chewed through a crayfish, shell and all, as I chose my words. I decided to simply tell him the truth.
“A relationship between a Cult Leader and a Believer.”
“……A Believer? Don’t tell me.”
“Yes. Your daughter became a priest of the Anaye Order.”
“…….”
It was a sigh heavier than any I had heard before. I could practically feel the anguish of a father with a tomboyish daughter.
The Head of the Ulbushis Family made his displeasure abundantly clear, but I didn’t bother mentioning it.
“Are you perhaps romantically involved with my daughter?”
I looked at the seemingly desperate face of the Head of the Ulbushis Family and snickered. It wasn’t exactly how one should behave in front of an elder, but I found it amusing.
“Don’t worry. We don’t have that kind of relationship. If I had to define it, I suppose we were the sort who wanted to kill each other?”
“Ugh.”
The Head of the Ulbushis Family finally let out a groan. Your daughter’s track record certainly was extraordinary.
“Anyway, I understand. I’m also aware that you’re my daughter’s superior. So I’ll overlook your discourtesy this time.”
“Thank you.”
Etiquette was important in noble society. I was the one who had shown up and acted however I pleased, so I readily thanked the Head of the Ulbushis Family for his words.
“You seem to have been dragged into this suddenly as well. Do you have a way?”
Now we were getting to the main point. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and rinsed my palate with wine.
“That’s what I’d like to ask you. This concerns the Ancient Magic of Ulbushis. Are there no records of a case like this?”
“Unfortunately, there aren’t. In the first place, it only runs rampant upon death, so a case like my daughter’s is unprecedented.”
So that was how it was. I nodded and chose what I needed to say.
“First, the difficulty will depend on what choice you make, Head of the Family.”
“Choice?”
“Yes. Whether you wish to save the young Canis—in other words, the real Canis. Or whether you wish to save the Canis who was created and exists now.”
The Head of the Ulbushis Family squeezed his eyes shut. Neither was something he could abandon, yet it was a choice he absolutely had to make.
“Which is more difficult?”
“The latter, of course. For the former, we merely need to destroy Anger.”
“Do you have a plan for the latter? Embarrassing as it is, I can’t think of anything.”
The Head of the Ulbushis Family wanted to protect the current Canis rather than the original, young Canis.
I could understand. How could he possibly save a daughter who had already died and remained only in his memories?
“We’ll separate Anger from her.”
“……Anger?”
“Yes. They were never something that could coexist in the first place. You know that.”
The Head of the Ulbushis Family couldn’t answer me. He had attached Anger to her to create a Canis who was even slightly closer to the original.
Thanks to that, the Homunculus had been made almost identical to the real Canis. With Anger’s memories properly transplanted into her, something close to perfection had been born.
“There’s something I’ll need you to make for that.”
“Something I need to make?”
“Yes. We’ll need something capable of detaching the parasite. I’ll organize the details and let you know.”
“Understood.”
Only then did the Head of the Ulbushis Family begin eating. The sight of him cutting his meat with such elegant posture was almost picturesque.
I continued eating as well. The shell of the crayfish I had been eating earlier was quite a delicacy.
“More importantly, are you sure you’re willing to leave this matter to me?”
“……Originally, I intended to throw you out.”
Even so, I thought the Head of the Ulbushis Family was being far too compliant. The Duhein Family was one he hated, and among them, I was the piece of trash with the worst reputation.
If someone like that suddenly appeared and offered to save his daughter, naturally, suspicion should have come first. Yet there was no sign of that from the Head of the Ulbushis Family.
“I’ve heard about you. You’re no longer the human trash you once were. More importantly, the fact that my daughter used Cupido magic on you matters.”
“……Just what kind of magic is that?”
I asked about the magic called Cupido, which had now been mentioned yet again. The Head of the Ulbushis Family paused briefly before continuing.
“Cupido is also Ancient Magic. The current Cupido magic is something my daughter created based on it. Even now, I must say she has remarkable talent.”
What talent was there in a well-made Homunculus? I scoffed at the Head of the Ulbushis Family’s words, but I didn’t bother arguing.
“Anyway, because it’s such a high-risk spell, Canis never used that magic on anyone except me.”
“So she used it on me as well.”
“Yes. Either she trusts you, or you’re more important to her than her own life.”
I roughly understood what he meant. That Canis. Had she been that curious about Anger? Even so, it hadn’t exactly resulted in anything good.
“How strong is Canis’s mental fortitude?”
“……Why do you ask about her mental fortitude?”
The Head of the Ulbushis Family looked puzzled by the abrupt question. The sudden mention of mental fortitude seemed to leave him unsure of what to say.
Then again, mental fortitude wasn’t exactly something one could quantify so cleanly.
“It isn’t particularly strong. She has backbone, but she’s never really been hurt much either.”
“Understood.”
“……I’m only saying this just in case. Please try not to let her get hurt if possible. If circumstances make it unavoidable, then it can’t be helped.”
“I’ll try.”
I thought as I crunched through my third crayfish. Come to think of it, perhaps the Head of the Ulbushis Family could go in and resolve it himself.
The crystal storm was certainly fierce, but I didn’t think someone of his caliber would be incapable of dealing with it.
“What about going yourself, Head of the Family?”
“I’d like to, but I don’t think that will be possible.”
Unexpectedly, the Head of the Ulbushis Family shook his head. Rather than lacking confidence, it felt more like he knew his own limitations well.
“Lifeforms created through the Emotion Build possess tremendous magic. They’re especially deadly to magicians of the Ulbushis Family.”
“Ah…….”
“I thought you would struggle as well. That’s a poison that inevitably affects any ordinary person who possesses magic.”
Only then did I understand why the Head of the Ulbushis Family had been treating me with such hospitality. It was because there was no way to break through that thing without me.
“I don’t have any magic.”
“No magic? Hmm. Well. I suppose you have your personal circumstances.”
Wisely, the Head of the Ulbushis Family didn’t inquire any further.
“I’ll begin tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you. I’ll reward you handsomely for this.”
“Yes. I’ll write down what I need separately and deliver it tonight.”
“Do so.”
After finishing the meal, I planned to go upstairs and meet the Dream Bird.
***
I summoned the Dream Bird and headed to the Palace of Dreams. The Dream Bird seemed strangely excited. I almost asked how young Canis was doing, but stopped.
I couldn’t understand what it said anyway. I decided to just see for myself.
“What the hell.”
When I arrived at the room where the Dream Bird stayed, I rubbed my eyes. Young Canis was there. The problem, if one could call it that, was that her appearance had changed considerably.
“Ah! You’re here?”
Bright. Her greeting was overflowing with affection. On top of that, the gaze she turned toward me was far too precise.
It was possible for her to sense my presence and turn her head toward me. But for a blind child to look directly into my eyes while speaking meant something else entirely.
“?”
Young Canis threw off the blanket, got up, and ran straight toward me. Then she wrapped her arms around my leg.
The sudden situation left me dumbfounded. Between her changed appearance and her behavior, she was acting as though she could see.
“……You. What are you?”
“Huh?”
The eyes looking up at me sparkled brightly. Her light-blue hair had deepened in saturation. Her once snow-white skin had turned dark.
The fact that only the color of those eyes remained entirely intact made it clear that she was young Canis, but her appearance was almost like a Duhein’s.
“Why are your hair and skin those colors?”
“Ah~ That’s, um. Well, after I saw your memories, Mister.”
“My memories?”
“Yes…….”
Young Canis answered in a fading voice. She had seen my memories. I immediately looked at the Dream Bird. It was the only suspicious culprit.
―……Mwi~ Mwi~
The Dream Bird hummed while pretending not to notice me. I frowned and looked at the wall. Countless people’s dreams were contained there.
I let out a small sigh and picked up young Canis.
“Does your appearance change just because you saw some memories?”
“They said it’s because I’m a soul. What’s contained in a dream is that person’s life, so a soul like me gets colored by it very quickly.”
“……How do you know that?”
Young Canis answered my question without hesitation. I asked again, my voice full of suspicion.
“‘Mimi’ told me.”
“‘Mimi’?”
Wondering if it could possibly be what I thought, I looked at the Dream Bird. Then I pointed at it.
“That bastard?”
“Yes. And not a ‘bastard,’ but a ‘bitch.’ She’s female.”
“Spiritual Creatures don’t have sexes.”
“Ah. Is that so? Hehe.”
Young Canis burrowed further into my arms. I found it a little strange. She was expressing far more affection toward me than before.
No, wait.
“You can understand that thing?”
“Huh? Yes. Maybe because I’m a soul, its voice sort of echoes inside my head.”
“Huh.”
I had no idea what was going on anymore. Clicking my tongue, I headed toward the bed. My body was clean and my stomach was full, leaving me completely relaxed.
“You’ve changed quite a lot, though.”
“My appearance? I look similar to you now, Mister.”
“Well, that too, but I meant the way you act toward me.”
At my words, young Canis looked startled for a moment before smiling softly.
“I experienced what you went through together with you, Mister.”
“You’re saying that orb has that kind of function?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I looked without permission. Mimi probably didn’t mean anything bad by it either.”
―Mwi-mwi. Mwi-mwi! Mwi!
“Yes. She says she didn’t.”
I didn’t particularly care. The idea of someone seeing my memories wasn’t inherently unpleasant to me.
If there was anything to worry about, it was probably the memories of my previous life.
“Did you see anything unusual?”
“Something unusual?”
“Yeah. Like almost dying after getting caught in an explosion.”
“Um……. There wasn’t anything like that. Ah, I did see you almost get bitten to death by a wild dog and then crush its skull.”
“……Forget that.”
That was a memory even I didn’t know about. It must have been Davide’s memory from before I entered this body. Judging from what she said, it seemed the memories of my previous life had undergone some sort of treatment.
If she had seen the memories of my previous life, I had intended to erase her for certain, so fortunately, luck had been on my side.
“It’s just that after seeing those memories, I felt like I became you, Mister.”
“Yeah. I suppose that could……. Wait.”
Something flashed through my mind at young Canis’s words.
“Huh? What is it?”
I sat up and stared at young Canis. She had Canis’s face, while everything else looked just like me.
Anger was quite useful. It was fluid and possessed tremendous physical force, making it highly versatile.
“You.”
“Yes?”
“Want to parasitize me?”
Couldn’t I just consume Anger myself? It would be a bit of a shame to get rid of such a good weapon, wouldn’t it?