༺ Counseling ༻
“…”
When did it start?
The girl in front of me began to falter and crumble under the weight of expectations.
If one were to guess.
This exceptional girl likely recognized the burden of royalty placed on her from a very young age.
And so, she created another version of herself.
She was devoid of everything, and was stripped down to the pride and responsibility she should bear as part of the Royal Family.
If you ask how that was possible, it would be unexplainable.
Just as how one couldn’t explain the principles of mana that spread throughout the continent.
Just as we were unable to completely decipher our dreams.
Just as even the most devout cleric, who often prayed on his knees, cannot always discern the intentions of the divine.
This was a spiritual dilemma that defied logical explanation.
But one thing was clear. If she didn’t do this, she would have been crushed by the unbearable pressure.
“Eleanor was always trying.”
Even in her dreams, she studied to maintain the dignity of a princess, often fainting from fatigue in the process.
Even when the nightmares made her fearful of sleep, she would find herself at her desk, pushing forward in her studies.
However, there was something peculiar about her.
Even though she put in the effort to uphold the basics of being a princess, her words often revealed a lack of genuine interest in it.
This was particularly clear in the way she always asked me about my stories.
“Eleanor always knew she lacked the pride and responsibility of royalty.”
At my words, Eleanor, who stood before me wrapped with royal pride and dignity, flinched.
“So, she tried even harder. She was a good girl, I can imagine that she must have forced herself to change.”
“…”
“But in reality, it was the opposite. She knew her royal duties all too well, and it was their weight that broke her.”
And without anything else, only the sense of royal responsibility remained.
This was the true identity of the Eleanor of now.
A cold breeze blew.
For a moment, she closed her eyes as if even this simple sensation was a precious experience. Then, she slowly nodded at my words.
“Yes, that is right. I am the personality that took on the duties Eleanor had distanced herself from.”
“…”
“I was efficient, extremely so. It was almost miraculous how I could solely concentrate on my royal duties.”
She declared confidently and joyously. It was likely that her lack of basic knowledge and creativity stemmed from this singular focus. She was streamlined to perfection because she only retained what was absolutely necessary for the Royal Family.
“But you see, I am still her. Even if that child forgot, I am also Eleanor. And with time, I grew.”
Even if she was finally able to detach herself from her royal duties, Eleanor continued to grow.
And ironically, while the burden of royalty might have disappeared, Eleanor began to stress over why she felt no sense of royal obligation.
“Isn’t that quite funny? That child forgot that she created a new personality to escape. And yet, she still trod the same path again.
Eleanor was an imperfect person.
She was too diligent and had the ability to view herself objectively.
Thus, the standards she set for herself continuously bound and pressured her.
“If things continued, she would have ended up in the same situation again. That is why I decided to take over.”
Not the kind and fragile personality, but the one fit to rule, be responsible, and dominate as one of royalty.
“So, you were trying to mold dreams as close to reality for that reason?”
“Yes, that is right. If I’m out here, then that child needs a place to belong.”
She attempted to create a new world using dreams as a medium.
A world where the fragile yet diligent Eleanor could be genuinely happy.
“The reason why it seemed like nightmares were plaguing her was due to this. That child would never accept such a situation where she handed over her burdens to me.”
Eleanor spoke calmly, and the mood swiftly changed.
“But you ruined everything.”
Eleanor’s finger pushed into my chest.
There was deep resentment in her eyes.
“Do you know what you did? Because of that damned thing you call Maek, the other personality is gone. There is not even a single trace left of her.”
“…”
“Our beliefs clashed over the concept of who was the nightmare. And in the battle for control of this body, I, the one with stronger conviction, had won!”
Thump!
She now struck my chest with a solid punch. But it wasn’t painful.
However, her face contorted as if she was the one who felt pain.
“And! That child… she herself admitted she was weaker than me!”
“…”
“That is why she disappeared!”
Her voice, while there was resentment, had no regrets in them.
The tears that had briefly welled up had already been hidden.
With an expression as cold as the night air, Eleanor declared.
“It’s probably for the best. As royalty, one should be able to sever such weaknesses.”
“…”
“This is my stance on all this. To prioritize the kingdom over the other personality called ‘Eleanor’. It is only natural.”
Without wanting to converse any further, Eleanor turned and headed towards the balcony railing.
In her current state, devoid of any vulnerability, there might indeed be reasons to view her more favorably than the original Eleanor.
She would no longer waver, no longer doubt herself.
She would easily ascend to the academy’s top leadership, showcasing abilities as a ruler.
And then.
She would likely sow the seeds of rebellion among the students.
She’d be consumed with the stubborn belief that she could rule the kingdom far better than her own brother, King Orpheus.
At a glance, this Eleanor might seem tightly bound by a sense of royal duty.
But in reality, that was not the case.
She was merely clinging to the idea of royal responsibility.
Because she had nothing else.
Perhaps, the personality I encountered in the game… was this one.
As per her plans, the original Eleanor would have been unable to distinguish the differences between dream and reality, and she would have lived eternally in the dream world.
And this Eleanor would have probably followed her original fate, where she would meet her end at the hands of Aria Rias.
“While creating Maek, we had to grasp several concepts.”
I was not particularly fond of seeing the same outcome play out.
“What are you saying?”
Eleanor glared at me with a furrowed brow, seemingly confused by my sudden words.
Though she looked as if she didn’t want to engage any further and would prefer to send me away, I continued speaking.
“It was not enough to just conceptualize it as a yokai that fed on nightmares. From the start, we approached it as if we were creating a completely new organism.”
It was easier to think of it as drafting the biology for a yokai named Maek.
However, we needed to do it as intricately and realistically as if we were gods creating a new animal.
It wasn’t just about giving it an elephant’s trunk.
We had to consider how the trunk moves, its habits, whether there are bones inside, the muscle mass, its length, and so on.
We meticulously crafted Maek in vibrant detail.
Of course, its ability to feed on dreams was the most critical part, and that was where everyone’s focus was.
But I thought differently.
I was more concerned about what happened after it consumed a dream. At the time, when I was completely unaware of Eleanor’s other personality, I wondered if there was an evil spirit that I genuinely couldn’t see.
Eleanor’s eyes widened upon hearing my words. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t hide the anticipation rising within her.
“This might not be a pleasant topic for a princess, but when animals eat, they also excrete.”
I discreetly produced a small orb.
“This is a fragment of the nightmare left behind by Maek. However, while the Maek could digest nightmares, it couldn’t digest personalities.”
It was fortunate that Maek could only consume a nightmare. No matter how much we planned for various scenarios, we never considered the situation where the consumed entity was a personality.
“So…”
“She is still inside this.”
Eleanor stared blankly at me. Now, it was her turn to make a choice.
From the standpoint of a princess bound by the duties of royalty, it might be fitting for her to remain as she was now.
She would become the object of admiration for the people of Griffin Kingdom, and use her charisma to transform students into rebels…
Had Aria Rias not intervened, her coup would have been a success.
Returning to her original personality could be seen as renouncing her royal duties and disregarding the expectations of her people.
And yet, Eleanor didn’t agonize for long. With a look that said she wouldn’t regret her choice, she confidently nodded.
Choosing not to verbalize her decision was the final trace of her royal self. It seemed like, for once, she wanted to put herself before her position as a princess.
“Okay.”
With that, I presented not only the fragment left behind by Maek in my hand but also took out a black gem from my pocket.
The Stone of Necromancy, Lemegeton.
“That…”
“Pretend you did not see it.”
If others knew about this, it would attract unwanted attention.
When I mustered mana. Eleanor, who was trying to appear confident, asked me with a hint of unease.
“Are you sure this will work? Would it not be better to ask the Archmage?”
“That is funny.”
It truly was.
Who did she think she was talking to, and whom did she think she should ask for help?
When I first met Eleanor, I had asked the Dark Spiritualist a question.
Was there a way to enter dreams?
And at that time, she responded.
[Is that even possible? Even if by some miracle, you are able to make a soul-to-soul connection, entering dreams is still impossible. After all, we ourselves don’t even understand the nature of dreams in the first place.]
That was right, dreams were unattainable.
“Do you think this is about dealing with dreams?”
It was not about dreams, but personalities.
This was about handling the soul.
This situation required the merging of a girl’s soul that had been split in two.
And fortunately, this was my area of expertise.
“Do not forget who I am.”
A being who existed closest to the boundaries between life and death. One who connected with souls and listened to their stories.
“I am a Necromancer.”
With those words, my mana, the fragment left behind by Maek, and Lemegeton began to resonate.
