It didn’t take long for me to notice the presence outside the door.
While I was talking to Lothos, I suddenly sensed that presence, and I quickly realized it was Adele coming to find me.
I thought she probably had something to say to me, or at least wanted to hear what I was discussing.
All I got for not remembering yesterday’s events was a tiny price to pay.
It’s not a big deal, but isn’t it a bit much to say something like that and then not remember anything at all?
I thought that was enough of a punishment for it.
Lothos seemed a bit surprised by my somewhat blunt words, but once he realized the sound coming from outside the door, he chuckled softly as if amused.
He probably sensed that someone was listening to our conversation.
It seemed he had figured out who it was, so he shrugged his shoulders and locked eyes with me.
Lothos is quite perceptive.
Since I said something I normally wouldn’t have, by now he must have caught on.
His gaze that had been shifting to the door soon settled on me, spinning around.
Lothos, with a strange smile, quietly opened his mouth.
“Well, I thought so. You’re not the kind of person to lie.”
“There’s no need to lie about something like this, is there?”
It’s not a lie. I’ve always thought that way about Adele’s appearance; I just hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.
How the listener perceives that is something I didn’t need to worry about.
I realized that in making this joke, my mindset has changed quite a bit from when I first reincarnated.
I had been looking for a place to die, eager to meet my rest as soon as possible.
But wasn’t my heart, which I thought was completely empty, beginning to fill with some different emotions?
Should I view this positively, or think about it negatively?
Lost in thought, Lothos’s face suddenly popped into view, and then he covered his mouth with his hand, quietly whispering.
“You’re surprisingly mischievous. Did you say that on purpose?”
“…Halfway, yes.”
“Hmm.”
Looking intrigued, Lothos grinned widely and raised his thumb.
It seemed my actions had satisfied him in some way.
Sometimes, when nobles behave like that, it feels reminiscent of how they would react after witnessing a satisfying play.
Was what I just did truly so gratifying?
Honestly, from the observer’s perspective, it’s quite obvious how Adele and I might appear.
Like some romantic tale straight out of a novel.
If they didn’t know about the reincarnation and death entangled within, they could easily claim that spring had come to the North.
If my life were a play, I had no certainty about what kind of ending my current mindset was heading toward.
Is dying a comedy, or is trying to survive a tragedy?
Is it a tragedy to live?
I might find out soon how my 101st life will end.
I thought it was a little ironic.
The desire to live might become my unhappiness; it’s not exactly a narrative that would make someone laugh if they heard it.
But it wasn’t something I could just openly discuss with someone.
As I looked at Lothos with a dazed expression, I briefly smiled bitterly and trudged toward the door.
When I suddenly swung open the door where I had been feeling a presence for a while, there stood a woman.
As expected, she was looking at me with quite the peculiar gaze.
“Have you been here?”
“I thought you knew.”
“Well, I didn’t know. But Lothos might have.”
However, I felt like I could postpone my thoughts about the ending a little longer. After all, I came here to clear my mind in the North.
Even if I didn’t deliberately seek it, thoughts would arise. Right now, I just wanted to relax a bit.
“Is that attitude something you learned after becoming the head of the family?”
“Attitude?”
“It seems like you’ve become more sly. At first, you would shy away even with just eye contact. Now you tease me instead.”
In the end, this difference stemmed from a change in mindset. I had avoided Adele initially to not get entangled with her, but now I was imagining a future where she wouldn’t die.
Thinking back to when I first reincarnated, I realize I was quite weary.
I just wanted to finish the reincarnation somehow, and what I wished for in the end was pretty much just to be killed.
“It’s because I’ve gotten comfortable. More so than before.”
“If you get any more comfortable, you might incite a rebellion.”
“Who knows? I might end up becoming a Grand Duke later on.”
There was no need for awkwardness.
Adele had been living without any problems up to this point, and originally, there were no issues at this time.
Even if it would become an issue when autumn arrived, time was still lingering in spring.
Adele, who was gazing at me with a slight smile, eventually burst into laughter and shook her head.
Lothos had already disappeared, and in the room left just for the two of us, a strange silence lingered.
If I wanted to move here, it’d probably have to be tomorrow. Until today, being with Adele shouldn’t be a problem.
By the way, it seemed like the events from yesterday made her hesitant to speak easily.
As I was wondering whether I should initiate the conversation first, the hesitant Adele finally opened her mouth.
“Um, about yesterday… I remember everything now. I just slowly retraced my memories, and it seems I said a lot of strange things.”
“You remember everything now? I was worried you might not recall.”
“I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt that you might not remember.”
At that, I couldn’t help but chuckle at her shoulders flinching. It wasn’t a huge mistake after all.
I was just tossing remarks because it was amusing to see Adele in this light.
If she keeps reacting so openly to everything I say, there’s no reason for me to stop. Still, I knew that her words were sincere.
Both her saying she felt hurt and that she missed me were genuine.
After all, there’s a saying about drunken truths. Those were the things she truly wanted to express to me.
But bearing the embarrassment was entirely her responsibility.
As if realizing that it was her own doing that I was sleeping beside her, Adele’s cheeks flushed as she stared at her own hands.
“I don’t think I can drink with you again. If I’m too honest, it makes you uncomfortable, right?”
“I wasn’t really uncomfortable. It’s better than hiding things. I wanted to come and say I was sorry; if I were in your shoes, I would’ve said the same thing as you. And…”
I smiled at Adele, who was still looking at me, and continued.
“I also thought I missed you, just as much.”
The reason I hadn’t reached out was mainly because I was busy.
In the end, it’s just an excuse, but I also thought that maybe Adele would have forgotten about my messages.
I figured the North must have been busy in its own way during this time.
However, my feelings deepened more than I had anticipated. So ultimately, it was my fault.
Adele cleared her throat and glared at me with a frown.
Whenever she felt embarrassed, she tended to make that kind of face.
Since she disliked showing her embarrassment to others, I casually brushed past her reaction and changed the topic.
We couldn’t keep going on like this forever, after all.
I couldn’t keep talking about the embarrassing events from yesterday, and it seemed like Adele was happy to shift gears with what I was saying.
When I asked her about recent happenings in the North, she pondered briefly before simply replying, “It’s fine.”
If she said it was fine, it probably was, but it wasn’t a confident endorsement, and I tilted my head slightly in doubt.
What issues could arise at this point after completing the crackdown on the immigrant tribes?
Noticing my question, Adele quietly began to speak.
“Recently, the movements in the unexplored areas have become strange. Creatures that may have never existed before have started to appear.”
“When you say ‘unexplored areas’, are you referring to those masked individuals?”
Adele’s eyes narrowed at my words.
Recognizing the query in her gaze, I nodded, prompting her to touch her forehead and lick her lips.
It seemed she found those things quite bothersome.
Even if nothing is happening, it would still be on her mind.
“So you were aware too. They don’t seem to be doing anything, but they keep showing up for some odd reason. If it’s the unexplored areas, there’s no way to go beyond them, so I just can’t figure out what they’re up to.”
“It’s strange. I can’t figure out what they’re doing since we can’t just go beyond the uncharted territories.”
“I was looking into that as well. I was hoping to investigate it further after arriving in the North.”
“I suppose the conversation I was having with Lothos earlier is related to this.”
He nodded in agreement.
I had my suspicions that the disturbances around Taylor’s territory might be linked to those masked individuals.
But for now, with the fog clouding everything, I could only approach this with guesswork.
It was clear that there was a connection to Kaitel, and also certainly related to the Dead Dragon.
However, it would be hard to cling to the slim possibility of resurrecting the Dead Dragon.
Since Arwen had mentioned herself that it was unlikely, unless there was a magician even more skilled than her, it would be close to impossible.
“I’m in deep thought. If I could find some clues, it would be easier. Right now, there’s no option but to search blindly.”
“Seems like Lothos doesn’t know much either. Do you need my help, perhaps?”
“I’m fine. I’m capable of going alone, and you have your own tasks to handle, right?”
As I replied, Adele let out another sigh, looking at me with a furrowed brow in apparent frustration.
Just as I wondered what was making her so frustrated, she placed a hand on her forehead and spoke up.
“Are you planning to leave me alone again? You said you remembered everything I told you yesterday, but it seems you’ve forgotten all of it.”
“… I’m just saying you don’t have to feel obligated to help me. No need to misinterpret my intentions—”
“I had a feeling you would say that, so I already prepared something. You seem to have forgotten, but I remember the time we spent together.”
With a playful tap on her head, Adele pulled out a heavily sealed scroll from her jacket.
It was a document I recognized as one of the classified documents stamped with the Grand Duke’s seal.
“I thought about why you’re coming to the North. I figured you probably wouldn’t come just to see me, so I did some digging on what you might be looking for.”
“… So you figured it out? That I’ve been interested in those masked individuals?”
“That’s right. I found some related information in my archive too.”
Adele rubbed her smooth lips with her finger, grinning at my bewildered expression.
As if she had been waiting for that reaction, she added with a quiet smile.
“I told you, I won’t let you go.”
“… Haha.”
“At least while you’re in the North, I don’t intend to let you go alone. Regardless of your wishes.”
Saying that, Adele looked rather pleased.
Perhaps I had gotten myself caught in a beautifully set trap.
It’s not entirely a bad thing for me either, after all.
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