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Episode 47: Plan B (III)
***
I explained the story to Sordi and Um, and they listened seriously.
“So this is what happened, does Prince Gerard know of my powers?”
“…Hmmm. I’m worried.”
Um, who listened seriously with his thick arms crossed, reached out and rubbed my cheeks like they were sticky rice cakes.
Then he fell into thought.
‘…Why? Why are you so lost in thought while touching my cheeks?’
“Oh sorry. When I touch something that is soft, I feel a little better. Hahaha!”
“Thwt’s rwight… (That’s right).”
As soon as my pronunciation became wobbly, Um, who released my cheeks just then, waved his hands out of disappointment before answering.
“If the aide said that, then Prince Gerard definitely applied for adoption targeting your ability.”
Oh, I knew it!
“Maybe… Gerard must be able to see your soul. What do you think, Sordi?”
“I think so too.”
I couldn’t believe he could see my soul.
‘Then does it mean he has the same eyes as Madam Mimosa?’
The fact that Madam Mimosa could see the color of one’s soul was stated in the original story.
This was the information that came out when unraveling the settings for the ‘Forest’, the childhood of the main characters.
‘There was nothing about Gerard in the original.’
“Please explain a little more.”
At my request, the handsome lily man smiled neatly and began to speak gently.
“After Exordium, the first shaman, other sorcerers emerged in this land. But not all of them were good.”
“Yes. Wicked sorcerers who enjoyed deceiving others and living for personal gain, or corrupting humans. Purely for their own pleasure!”
‘Not all sorcerers were good people.’
Gulp. I swallowed my saliva.
Raising his thick eyebrows, Um said,
“They lived like dog crap— ah, no, I was harsh in front of the baby.”
When Sordi tapped Um’s side at the ‘dog crap’ part (he was smiling beautifully, but he was quite firm), Um flinched and quickly covered his lips, oop! He corrected his words.
“Most of the sorcerers who lived a bad life lose their souls when they die, but some parasitize humans by using their souls.”
The handsome lily continued the wolf’s words.
“Just as Exordium inherits its soul to one who is kind and warm like our baby—”
“Those bad things choose people similar to themselves and make a contract with them, and then they get ‘sorcerer’s eyes’… They can see the soul with those eyes.”
(TL/N: remember how Annette described Mimosa’s eye to be a ‘casted/incarnated eye’? That’s the sorcerer’s eye(s). She didn’t know what it really was then, that’s why we also didn’t know the proper term till now.)
“Aha.”
As I nodded, Sordi continued.
“Then the contractor can use the power of the sorcerer’s soul. Also, the ‘sorcerer’s eyes’ will allow them to identify and possess talented people.”
As I listened, I lifted my index finger.
“Then to sum it up—”
Hwoo, I took a deep breath and then exhaled.
“Gerard, who made a contract with the soul of a sorcerer, has learned of my ability, so he must be trying to suck the blood out of me!”
Um laughed cheerfully.
“Hahahaha. That’s right! Glutinous rice, you’re so smart!”
‘Hey, please don’t be happy all the time, heuk-heuk.’
I lowered my eyebrows sadly.
‘It’s like being a golden goblin loaded with items in a game…’
‘If you catch me, legendary items will fall. I’m sure the entire country will come after me too.’
‘Wait, then, is Madam Mimosa also a contractor?’
It didn’t seem like she had the power of a sorcerer.
Except for those eyes.
After thinking deeply, I asked again.
“Could you give the sorcerer’s eyes to others?”
“That’s right, sweetheart.”
The handsome lily explained.
“The sorcerer’s eyes are completed by inserting a ‘cast’ imbued with magic power into the eyeball. So you can give one of the castings to someone else.”
Then, it was a little more appropriate to think that Madam Mimosa received only an ‘eye’.
‘Did she get that eye from Gerard?”
It was when I was troubled.
“But why are you asking that?”
“Oh, no…”
At the question of the red wolf, I quickly hesitated and shook my head.
“I’m just curious.”
I couldn’t tell these two that I read about it in the original.
Then Sordi said,
“Madam Mimosa has long been famous for having the ‘sorcerer’s eye’.”
“…Oh, really?”
“Well, when the power of sorcery settled in a stronghold and began to gather talented children, the sorcerers also noticed.”
Um folded his arms and nodded, his golden eyes shining.
“It was a pretty famous event.”
‘But.’
She was running the ‘Forest’ on the land where the first sorcerer gave his life to cast a powerful spell.
No matter how secret it was from the general public, all sorcerers would have been interested.
“Anyway, even if she had ‘sorcerer’s eyes’, she wouldn’t know about your succession, glutinous rice.”
Sordi supplemented Um’s words.
“The souls of those who ‘inherited’ the soul of Exordium do not change the color like the Awakened. This is a fact that no one knows, only we know.”
‘Also… I was right.’
When Madam Mimosa didn’t notice my changes after the ‘level test’, I assumed that was the reason.
“Then, Gerard is planning to adopt me and awaken me.”
“Maybe.”
Sordi wrapped his white, thin hands around my hands. Then he fixed his eyes on mine.
“Baby, the humans who’ve made a deal with a wicked sorcerer are dangerous. You haven’t resonated well enough with us yet, so we can’t use our powers to stop him.”
The red wolf said with a glint in his gold eyes.
“If you could handle my fire to my heart’s content, I could burn that bastard…”
Sordi and Um looked at each other, then gazed back at me, sad and worried.
“What if he threatens you, glutinous rice?”
“Don’t worry!”
I laughed softly.
Then I pounded my chest with my little hand, bam bam! and said with a smirk.
“At that time, I will do my best to protect myself!”
Ack.
The innocent handsome lily-like man’s expression became emotional and he covered his mouth with his hand.
“How could you be so young… My baby is so brave and pretty at heart.”
Uh huh? Was it suddenly that time again?
The time for bean pods for the gay couple’s baby?
“You’re saying that because you’re afraid we’ll be worried… Is it also part of a successor? Even your consideration is perfect. It’s pretty good, glutinous rice!”
It’s not. I really meant to protect myself, gentlemen.
‘Because I am precious…?’
“Let’s hug, my sweetheart.”
“Me too! Let’s hug glutinous rice! Come on!”
I was caught and squeezed hard between the innocent handsomeness of a lily and the wild muscularity.
“I wdunt twow boorwthe (I want to breathe).”
It was then. There was a little noise coming from outside.
“Sister! Is it you Sister? Where are you?”
Ah, that’s Heinrich’s voice?!
With a blink of an eye, I quickly signaled! That it was okay for the both of them to return.
“……!”
Sordi and Um smiled at me and gave me a brief glance, and then disappeared in a flash.
***
“Heinrich!”
“What, why are you leaving the warehouse?”
Heinrich’s purple eyes shone with suspicion.
I smiled softly and returned the question.
“Are you still not sleeping at this late hour?”
“…Without Sister, how can I sleep alone?”
Oh my, my baby.
I approached and hugged Heinrich tightly.
“My Heinri, you can’t sleep alone, you still have a long way to go to grow up~”
‘Heinrich is still the same… That’s really cute. My baby.’
There were boys who grew up like Sislin, and there were still pampered boys.
The chihuahua’s ears turned red.
“It’s not that I can’t sleep alone, it’s that I’m worried about Sister. Like an adult!”
“Yes~”
“Really.”
While emphasizing it over and over again, and after asking if it was okay to hug me, Heinrich quietly embraced me and shook his head.
Then, he asked, rolling his eyes like a puppy worried about his master.
“Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Ahh. Nothing at all?”
Really, it wasn’t a lie.
It was true that something happened, but I had already completely solved it!
And this was something Heinrich should not know in the first place.
When I asked what it would be like to go for adoption, Chihuahua said this with the utmost sincerity.
“If a bad guy tries to adopt you, I’ll rip him to shreds!”
―Uh, uhm. I should be careful with Heinrich.
Whether it’s the imperial family or a noble, he was a child who ran without looking forward or backwards. If Heinrich found out, he was sure to ‘excitedly tear apart’ the first prince of the empire.
Furthermore.
‘Gerard is too dangerous.’
It was not yet known what kind of sorcerer’s soul he made a contract with, so I had no idea what kind of ability he had.
This meant that it was impossible to retaliate.
‘Didn’t he think he was under a curse?’
He said this.
On the day he killed High Priest Arthur.
“It is not a disease that I am suffering from. Isn’t it closer to a ‘curse’?”
It was clearly a very evil curse.
Seeing that he made even the priests of the Great Temple research to break the curse.
Perhaps, even with the power of the sorcerer, this ‘curse’ could not be solved, right?
‘…What kind of curse is it?’
“Sister, what do you think?”
Huk.
I was thinking of something else for a moment, then I looked at Heinrich in surprise. However, I soon released the boy from my arms and smiled softly.
“Oh, I was dazed for a moment. It’s comfortable to hold Heinrich!”
“…What.”
Even though he said that, Heinrich’s cheeks were slightly red.
Anyone could see it was an expression of delight.
For a second, Heinrich scratched his cheek, he seemed to be hesitating about something.
“Sister.”
“Yes?”
“…Actually, I have something to say.”
“Tell me.”
“Promise me. You shouldn’t be surprised by what I say!”
‘…Does he already think I’ll be surprised to hear that?’
I blinked and looked at Heinrich.