༺ Substitute ༻
“…Iliya has been spacing out all day.”
After Falco said those words, Trisha, who was sitting across from him while reading a book, silently nodded in agreement.
In these past few days, Iliya had been secluding herself in her room, cutting off all contact from the outside world to a severe degree.
Considering how she had passed the First Ordeal of the Hero Selection Exam with the highest mark possible, her current attitude was extremely strange.
All details of the Selection Exam were classified information to the public.
That was why, if Trisha wasn’t someone who was able to see emotions with her own eyes, she wouldn’t be able to guess that something significant had indeed happened to her friend.
“…”
She didn’t say anything though, only letting out a deep sigh.
It was a known fact among their group that Iliya, contrary to how she was in public, would at times suffer from severe mood swings. As such, there was usually only one reason for her to act like this.
Or at least, that was what Trisha knew.
“How is Mr. Dowd doing?”
“…What about him?”
At Trisha’s question, Falco tilted his head. He clearly didn’t understand her intention, but like the model student he was, he still gave his response properly.
“I have heard…rumors…about him…”
“Rumors?”
“Well, there are always bad rumors swirling around that guy in school. You know, about how he’s a batshit crazy playboy.”
“…”
Sadly, Trisha, too, could not deny such rumors.
Even Iliya herself knew that he was such a person, yet she was still blinded by her infatuation toward him.
“I guess?”
“But…”
Having said that much, Falco ran his fingers through his hair. There was an uncomfortable look on his face.
“I heard he’s currently being hospitalized in the infirmary.”
Hearing that information, Trisha managed to connect that as the reason why Iliya had been so listless lately.
After all, she had publicly declared her intention to ‘protect’ him. Since he was hospitalized, that meant she had failed to protect him from something.
As she pondered about this while stroking her chin, Falco quickly added another sentence.
“But I heard there are at least fifteen women crowded in front of his door.”
“…”
“There are quite a few people who are happy about this. They said that it’s finally time for the shitty playboy to receive his karma—”
With that, Trisha managed to deduce a second reason.
On top of failing to protect him, Iliya also had to see all her ‘rivals’ gathering at one spot.
Now, the question was, what exactly happened back then? Why did people who wouldn’t normally see eye to eye group up in one place like that?
‘…Mr. Dowd.’
Trisha turned her head to look at the infirmary, which was currently made off-limits.
If she were to take a guess, they probably did it because something significant was going on inside.
‘What in the world happened?’
“…”
“…”
A heavy silence pervaded the ward.
Inside, there were two people lying side by side on their beds. Yuria Greyhounder and Dowd Campbell.
“How is their condition?”
Chancellor Sullivan asked in a stiff voice.
The Saintess and Lady Tristan, who were standing next to her, both swallowed dryly, focusing their gazes on Dame Indra.
‘…What kind of guy is he exactly? Look at all these people rushing over here all at once…’
Such thought crossed the mind of Dame Indra of the Medical Corps.
About fifteen people gathered outside the ward, curious about the man’s condition, but most of them had been turned away by her. She told them that the patient needed space in order to gain some semblance of stability.
These three remaining were the ones who were chosen as the representatives of those fifteen.
Dame Indra cautiously gathered the mana she had spread around the room.
“Both show no abnormalities in their vital signs. Physically, there’s nothing wrong with them.”
“…Then, what about anything other than their physical conditions?”
Hearing that question, Dame Indra could only shake her head.
“If you are asking about his amnesia… I can’t say for sure what caused it, but a rather complex process involving the ‘soul’ took place before that happened, I can confirm that much at least.”
“A complex process…?”
“Currently, this man’s body doesn’t possess its ‘original soul’. Someone has stolen it.”
“…”
At Dame Indra’s words, everyone’s gazes sharply turned toward Yuria.
Chancellor Sullivan’s eyes especially, were blazed with what seemed like hatred.
“From your reactions, it seems you have already guessed it. It seems like their souls have been mixed. Both of their souls are now inside this student named Yuria.”
In other words…
It was safe to say that the White Devil was holding onto his soul and refusing to let it go.
As if she was saying that she would never give him up to anyone else.
“However…without a soul…normally shouldn’t he be in a vegetative state? How is it that he can move around…?”
Essentially, a soul was like a storage device; It held someone’s memories and personality.
Once it left the body, the body would turn into nothing more than flesh and bones, at least theoretically that was what should happen. But, in Dowd’s case, he could move around just fine despite suffering from amnesia.
How was it possible?
“Uh…that…at the end of the ordeal, a Spirit Entity appeared, correct?”
“Yes, it did, but…what does it have to do with this situation?”
“That Spirit Entity has turned into a ‘substitute’ for his soul.”
Everyone in the room blinked dazedly after hearing this revelation.
“A substitute?”
“The body is a vessel for the soul, and even without it, its ‘nature’ still remains. I’m not sure what kind of trick he used in that brief moment, but he turned the Spirit Entity into an ‘artificial’ soul. So that his body could function without his own soul.”
“…”
Silence fell over everyone in the room.
Just by hearing it was enough for them to quickly tell that this feat was akin to a miracle.
However, what they couldn’t understand was how exactly did he manage to make such a decision, execute it and ultimately succeed in such a short span of time.
“…An outstanding talent indeed.”
As Chancellor Sullivan murmured this, Dame Indra added more remarks.
“Of course, this is only a temporary measure. If we cannot return the soul inside this student, Yuria, to its original body, the body itself will eventually perish.”
At the same time as such words trickled out…
A heavy tension began to fill both the inside and outside of the room—
‘…Huh? Outside…?’
Eleanor looked towards the door with an incredulous expression.
Because that revelation suggested that those who were outside were clearly eavesdropping on this conversation, as if it was only right for them to.
At any rate…
“…Is there a way to do that, Dame Indra?”
Eleanor asked in a gloomy voice, in which Dame Indra sighed before responding.
“Unfortunately, there’s no immediate solution to this. There might be special effects or influences while the Spirit Entity substitutes for his soul, so the best we can do is just treat him as naturally as possible.”
“What kind of effects, if I may ask…?”
“There might be some changes in his personality or behavior. Changes that go beyond just losing his memories.”
“Changes?”
“Since it is an artificial soul, he retains the ‘knowledge’ that he has accumulated, but has lost all the ‘experience. That’s why he will have a much lower resistance to a lot of things…”
“…What is that supposed to mean?”
“It is simple, Chancellor.”
Dame Indra ran her hand through her hair as she continued.
“There is a high chance he will become much more…’naïve’ compared to before.”
“…”
“If someone tries to deceive him, he is very likely to fall for it.”
“…”
A silence so heavy that they could probably hear a pin drop clearly enveloped the inside and the outside of the room.
Without a doubt…
This silence was calm before the storm.
[…Hmmmm…]
Caliban Krisanax let out a deep hum.
It sounded as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
After the punk regained consciousness in the afternoon, Caliban had just managed to engage with him in a conversation.
[…What did you just say?]
Dowd Campbell cocked his head.
His eyes were wide open innocently, as if he couldn’t fathom what was wrong with what he had just said.
“…I said, I dislike people who act like playboys.”
[…]
“Someone who’d flirt from one woman to another is out of their mind, no exception.”
[…]
“And I don’t really know why you’re bringing up this topic all of a sudden…”
[…Uh, right. You’re correct. Sorry.]
Caliban responded, clearly taken aback by Dowd’s genuinely puzzled demeanor.
‘…Who is this fucker?’
‘Losing your memory doesn’t mean your nature would just change, does it?’
‘This isn’t the same fucker who boldly stated how he would live with several different women right in front of the women in question at all!’
“Um… By the way, may I ask you something?”
[What?]
“From what you’re saying, it seems we were fairly close before I lost my memory. So, I was wondering… What kind of person was I?”
[…]
“Since so many people came to visit me, I assume that I am a decent person at least…is that correct?”
[…Uh, about that…]
“It was mostly women who visited me, which was strange, but they should be all my friends, right? That means I made a lot of good friends all through my school days!”
Caliban was a Guardian.
Which meant he was inherently righteous and kind-hearted.
To tell this pure, sinless soul who possessed such innocent eyes the truth about his past was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.
[…I mean, well. Yeah. Uhuh. Right…]
“So it really was like that, right?”
As Dowd grinned and said such words, Caliban found himself unable to respond further.
He was feeling twice as embarrassed. Unlike usual, the sincerity that practically dripped from Dowd’s voice was overwhelming.
As he swallowed these feelings, someone knocked on Dowd’s infirmary door.
“…I don’t think it’s time for the nurse to come, though?”
Dowd tilted his head in confusion as he got up from the bed.
It was late in the evening, visitors shouldn’t even be allowed in, so who could it be?
As he opened the door with such thoughts, someone Dowd recognized stood there.
“Ah, uh… Ms. Iliya…?”
Mixed emotions of delight and surprise colored Dowd’s voice.
He remembered this person as the one who had carried him in a rush to the Medical Corps after he had collapsed. But why had she come in such a time instead of regular visiting hours?
Right as these thoughts crossed his mind…
Iliya, with a strangely flushed face, grabbed Dowd’s shoulder firmly.
“…What a relief. I got here before anyone else.”
“…Ms. Iliya?”
When he observed her closely, her breath seemed oddly sweet.
“…Do you have a fever? I’ll call Dame Indra, so please wait a moment.”
[…]
‘Nah, hold up. I think she’s gone crazy at the thought of doing, well… something. Her eyes look like she’s lost her mind…’
During the time Caliban hesitated, unable to get himself to voice his thoughts, Iliya took a deep breath and spoke up.
“Teach, please listen carefully.”
“Yes, I’m listening carefully.”
At this polite and obedient response, Iliya clenched her chest and gasped with a Keup.
‘What the hell? Why is he so cute?’
She had heard from Dame Indra that he might behave like this…
But such an…‘innocent’ Dowd held a destructive power beyond what she had expected.
“…”
Of course…
Seeing as he was like that, she was aware that what she was about to do couldn’t be considered something that was morally right.
But she couldn’t afford to let other women get ahead of her.
This was the least she could do to protect him from those terrifying women.
“Other girls are going to say all sorts of nonsense in the future. Don’t listen to them. Just listen to me. Do you understand?”
“…Huh?”
“Before anything, there’s one thing you need to know, Teach.”
Iliya took a deep breath.
“You and I are actually engaged.”
“…”
Dowd’s face turned slightly pale.
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