A translucent yet solid sword spirit that seems so vivid, it could be mistaken for reality.
As a star rising in the sky reflected in the lake beneath our feet, we found ourselves enveloped in countless starlights, as if we had fallen into the universe.
Seeing Pommel, who had certainly lost his light like a dying fish, shining again, Modred opened his mouth with a voice wet with tears.
“I-I’ve lost….”
“Yes?”
“I said I’ve lost! Now! Strike my neck with the Excalibur that has regained its true form!”
With gritted teeth, dropping tear-like drops like chicken droppings, Modred knelt on one knee and stretched out his neck.
I quietly gazed at the white, smooth nape and tilted my head.
“You want me to kill you?”
“Yes.”
“Me?”
“It’s the right of the victor.”
“Why?”
“Because I admitted defeat….”
“No, I’m asking if there’s a rule that says you must kill the opponent when you win.”
“…What?”
Modred’s eyes widened. She seemed somewhat flustered and continued hesitantly.
“Seriously. You don’t mean to say you’re going to let me live like this?”
“Considering you suddenly found yourself on the verge of death and tried to take Lady Lydia for execution, you’d surely shove a dagger down your throat…”
“That would be the way.”
“I don’t want to.”
“?”
I grinned at Modred, whose tearful eyes blinked vacantly.
“I still haven’t quite figured out what’s going on.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Why Lady Lydia was arrested for treason, why I was exiled to Pangrave, why everyone looks at me with pity, and…why you, Modred, are trying to kill me while making that expression. I still don’t know anything.”
That’s right.
Even though I accidentally ended up in a duel, I have no understanding of what’s happening at all.
“Could it be…are you serious, Gahelis?”
“I’m not Gahelis; I’m Jonah. And I’ve always been sincere. It’s you who didn’t believe.”
“…”
Modred’s eyes trembled. Her gaze wandered around and finally landed on my other companions who had come with me.
Ellie, who was looking at us with a troubled expression, approached and spoke.
“It’s true, Your Majesty.”
“…Go on, Ellie.”
“I’m not a knight, so the title of ‘M’ doesn’t suit me. I also found out today that Jonah is of royal blood from the Historia.”
“What on earth happened…Lydia! If it’s Lady Lydia!”
“Please stop tormenting the sick child. I didn’t say I didn’t know exactly; I have a few guesses.”
Sighing deeply, Ellie started to contemplate whether to hit me or not, clenching and unclenching her prosthetic arm.
“…Jonah. Is it alright if I say it?”
“Yes?”
No, she was just wondering how to say something to me.
Ellie continued in a troublesome voice.
“Um…you know, your past.”
“Past…ah!”
A memory suddenly surfaced. Sina, who was supposed to be the original protagonist, whom I met on the first floor.
Perhaps because I hadn’t been possessed, I had completely become One Who Devours the Twilight…but I remember how Ellie acted and what she said as if she knew me when we fought that guy.
I nodded, having roughly guessed what Ellie was trying to say.
“It’s okay. I really don’t mind.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Ellie nodded. …It’s a secret that I’m not actually okay with it since it’s from before I possessed this body.
After clearing her throat, Ellie spoke to Modred.
“Ahem. Jonah was kidnapped by the heretic group One Who Devours the Twilight while in Pangrave and was subjected to various experiments.”
“…!”
Modred turned her head sharply toward us with wide eyes.
“How could…Since you are direct royal blood, you should have ample wealth, so couldn’t you hire some guards?”
“I can’t say that to you…”
I don’t remember. I have a vague idea that this body has such a past, but none of the memories before possession remain, so I literally have nothing to say.
To protect my troubled face, Ellie shook her head in front of me.
“Pangrave’s public safety is comparatively good, but that’s mainly because there are many adventurers, which comes from the worry that someone might be stronger than themselves. Jonah, who had just arrived as a child…was.”
“A perfect prey, huh.”
“That would be the case. I probably got robbed of all my savings in less than a week. …Perhaps I was kidnapped and sold to One Who Devours the Twilight.”
“…….”
Modred, who had her mouth tightly shut, didn’t stop Ellie’s words.
“The subject of the experiments Jonah underwent was whether the goddess’s love descends upon those who do not know love.”
“…What was the nature of the experiment?”
“They gathered pink-haired children, known to have the goddess’s favor, and systematically tortured them and inflicted emotional abuse. Because they were pink-haired, it was necessary to annihilate their feelings in such a way.”
“…….”
“Afterwards, they were mechanically taught doctrine to fulfill the requirements of a priest. It seems the main purpose was to see if the goddess would grant divine power and blessings to those who do not know love and merely understand it theoretically.”
“I…I didn’t know. I just…”
“Don’t worry. It seems I was successful in escaping during a guild request where I was cleaning out the branch of One Who Devours the Twilight. …Although there are likely aftereffects, like mild amnesia.”
Huh?
What? This body has such a history…?
I had suspected I was an experiment subject of One Who Devours the Twilight, but I didn’t think it was such a brutal experiment.
I became a bit intrigued by the unknown story of myself (technically that of the original, Gahelis).
…But then I recalled the image of Sina, whom I killed, and I became gloomy again.
Did you know? At first, possession may not seem like anything, but after a while, it becomes somewhat of a controversial subject.
Specifically, the question of whether it’s right to take away the life of the original owner of the body and deceive those around them began to arise.
In reality, when the protagonist’s personality changed after possessing the body, some readers felt unpleasant watching the original parents slowly regain trust, little by little, after having lost it.
In the end, those parents ended up harboring misplaced love for a parasitic stranger who was mimicking their child, never managing to love their child throughout their lives.
Furthermore, if they find out one is possessed, they face persecution, so there are several clichés that twist the typical narrative of hiding quietly and quietly gaining strength instead of soaring with the knowledge of a past life.
Reflecting this trend, I also added a setting.
Possession is a phenomenon that only occurs in bodies where the original soul is dead, meaning that the physical shell remains intact.
Wearing the empty shell like a hermit crab is the concept of possession in my world.
So, according to the original setting, Sina had the backstory of being heartbroken and allowing the soul of someone from another world.
She ultimately became a mere puppet, following One Who Devours the Twilight with a broken heart.
Even though she somehow managed to escape, it was because Gahelis couldn’t restore her collapsing soul that I ended up being possessed.
It isn’t light-hearted to enjoy unknown tales when the background is so heavy.
As I absentmindedly scratched my nape, Modred spoke in a hollow voice.
“If what Lady Ellie said is true…then I wielded power and violence in vain…”
“Well, that seems likely?”
As I shrugged my shoulders, Modred shrank back in response.
Sitting down in front of her, I asked.
“Honestly, I’m asking because I really don’t remember. Why was I exiled?”
“…It was because you were just too lovely.”
“Yes? What nonsense is that….”
“You were royal blood of the Knight King and closer to divine power than aura. Someone who could receive the love of all your people. …And the exclusive culture established in this land. All of this made the late king’s view of you as an ominous child.”
“Ah.”
Historia is a nation that worships the god of knights, still maintaining its identity as a kingdom of knights.
It certainly smells of iron, but it’s basically saying it’s a religious state.
Then suddenly, an entity was born that could shake the very roots of the belief. And it’s direct blood from the royal family.
This surely became a national problem.
“It’s fortunate that I was sent to Pangrave instead of being killed.”
“That’s…because I strongly argued for it.”
“Excuse me?”
“While most spent their days locked in underground dungeons, unable to meet anyone, I was different. As the only successor, my status served as a universal key, and out of curiosity, while I went down to the dungeon, I met you, Gahelis.”
Modred, who had her eyes gently closed, spoke in a dispirited voice.
“It was the first time I had a sibling. Moreover, Gahelis, you were incredibly charming even in that dreary prison. Lacking education and knowledge, perhaps due to your nature, you appeared so naive that it seemed foolish…but that folly felt like a ray of light to me.”
Perhaps the late king regarded me as an ominous presence, not killing me because of that natural charm.
When it came time to pass on the throne, he intended to execute me but was ultimately thwarted by Modred’s opposition, resulting in my exile.
All of this could only be attributed to the intrinsic charm of this body.
If that’s the case, I can understand the worries about how this would shake the identity of the nation of Historia and plunge it into confusion.
Even before I drew the power of the Goddess of Love from the gacha, this body was already an unparalleled beautiful youth.
What must it have been like that, even when I intentionally dirtied my face, I almost got caught in back alleys at least once every three days?
Modred, who seemed to find it hard to even look at me, lowered her head even more and said.
“However, Gahelis…I mean, if you’ve lost all memory, then what I’ve done was just futile torment, not for Historia.”
Modred probably thought I dragged Lydia in and roped in Benny and Ellie to restore my rights.
So, with the implication of saying not to have absurd thoughts and to stay hidden quietly, she tried to take Lydia for execution.
As for Lydia, she likely thought that if she died, I would be safe, so she obediently followed.
…Either way, Lydia loves people way too much, and that’s the problem.
Well, perhaps after that, given that they barged in and declared a duel, things would have escalated.
Since one of us must die for the duel to end, Modred’s request for me to kill her would have come from that context.
If I were to win and become the new king of Historia, then Modred’s existence would indeed be a hindrance.
After thinking for a moment, I whispered softly.
“Modred. I’m going to ask you with the authority of the victor. Please give me an honest answer. Why were you trying to kill me and Lydia?”
“…My conviction was ‘to sacrifice everything for Historia.’ I swore before the late king that the best option was to exile you rather than kill you. …And in accordance with this conviction, returning, I judged that Jonah is a threat to Historia.”
“So excluding your convictions and the nation, how do you really feel?”
“I…”
Having only gotten that far, Modred took a moment to breathe and then looked up.
“How could I ever wish for your death, oh foolish sibling…”
The sincerity on her face was tangible.
Hmm. Good. I’ve made up my mind.
Raising Excalibur, Modred, sensing her impending fate, quietly closed her eyes.
Pleased that the last thing she saw was me, she smiled gently, and instead of the blade, I thrust the hilt of Excalibur towards her.
“Here.”
“?”
“I just thought I would like to spare Lady Lydia’s life and restore her honor. I have no need for the throne of Historia. …Because I already have another throne reserved.”
Thinking of the Elf Twin King project that Eve was preparing, for some reason, I felt a chill down my spine.
While my body trembled lightly, I re-offered Excalibur to Modred as if to urge her to take it.
“Thus, you shall be the queen of Historia. As for me…I just want to collect my overdue allowance.”
“Ugh. That’s…”
Modred mulled over her words for a moment and then nodded resolutely.
“I understand. I shall act according to your intentions.”
Slowly, she reached for the hilt of Excalibur. And then.
Zzap!
“?”
A fierce spark erupted, and Excalibur rejected Modred’s touch.
Zzap! Zzap!
Two, three more attempts yielded the same result.
“…….”
Modred, now looking miserable again, switched back and forth between me and Excalibur, causing a sigh to escape me.
“Hah.”
Excalibur, what’s wrong with you?
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