Mariana’s house was surprisingly modest for someone who had once saved the Emperor.
In fact, it was said the Emperor had tried to keep Mariana in the capital, recognizing her pivotal role in putting him on the throne.
But Mariana had firmly refused, even turning down treasures of gold and silver, and returned to her hometown.
Something she said at the time became somewhat well-known:
— I need to breastfeed my baby. It’d be shameless to keep leaving him with the neighbor lady, don’t you think?
Mariana gave us an empty room and told us to rest for a while.
In the meantime, we chatted quietly.
Xenia spoke first.
“Miss Mariana seems like a very good person.”
“That’s quite a generous assessment for a holy knight talking about a necromancer.”
“Ugh. I’ve decided to change my perspective a bit. After all, you really need to meet people and talk to them in person.”
“Well, I don’t think she’s a bad person either. She’s got a decent personality.”
The two of them stopped there and stared at me.
As if to say, And what do you think?
“I agree. I could tell at a glance.”
Naturally, Trail had to chime in.
[Didn’t you completely think she was the culprit? At least until you saw the blood writing.]
‘……’
[Feels a little shameless, even to you, huh?]
Shut up, Transparent One.
Anyway, it seemed like my agreement gave them some kind of strange reassurance.
“If even Mide says so, then it must be true.”
“Right.”
My conscience gave a little twinge.
I changed the subject.
“By the way, Xenia. That kid, Adwin.”
“Oh… pfft. He’s quite the peculiar one, isn’t he?”
“Peculiarly weird.”
“I’m not exactly sure, but apparently it’s a condition that occasionally shows up in children around that age. It’s not an illness, so no need to worry.”
“For something rare, you seemed pretty good at handling it.”
It was a casual question on my part.
Something I’d been curious about even before regressing—but back then, I hadn’t cared enough to pry into other people’s business.
But unexpectedly, Xenia’s face turned slightly somber.
“Ophelia was like that too, back in the day.”
“Huh?”
“I mentioned it before, right? That I had an old friend who joined the Holy Knights with me. Actually, we knew each other since childhood.”
Neril’s expression darkened too.
“She started saying weird things around thirteen or fourteen.”
“……”
“I got used to it because I stuck with her for a long time. Ophelia recovered naturally before she became an adult, so Adwin probably will too.”
“Uh, right.”
Maybe it was because she saw the awkward looks on our faces?
Xenia quickly waved her hand.
“I didn’t mean to make it sound so serious. Anyway, let’s set some plans now.”
I cleared my throat lightly.
“Ahem. Right. First, we obviously need to find the one behind this incident.”
“You mean the person who put the spell on the body? We can’t exactly go around the estate asking people to strip down. What should we do?”
“Hmm.”
I asked Xenia:
“Can you do it like you did before to find Agril… I mean, Lady Ariena?”
“You can just say we’re working with Agril. That’s fine.”
“Oh? It’s okay to say that?”
In my memories from before the regression, it seemed like a trump card she’d tried to keep secret until the very end.
Especially from Neril.
But Xenia’s expression now was perfectly calm.
“Well, we’re all comrades, after all.”
I never imagined I’d live to see the day she’d say “we’re comrades” with Neril right in front of her.
Neril subtly turned her head to the side.
Her face seemed a little red—probably just my imagination.
Xenia continued.
“Agril’s sight can definitely see underground, but if the spell was made transparent like Sir Tivre said, it’ll be hard to detect.”
“I figured as much.”
“Yeah. Sorry I’m not much help.”
I was just about to say Don’t say that.
“Don’t say that.”
Only, I wasn’t the one who said it.
Xenia and I both turned wide eyes to Neril.
She frowned.
“What? Did I say something weird?”
“No. Not weird, just…”
“You’re being more helpful than you think, Xenia. No need to blame yourself.”
Xenia chuckled softly.
“It would’ve been perfect if you hadn’t said ‘more than you think.’”
“That’s the key part, though?”
The two of them immediately started bickering again like always.
I watched with a smile, wondering when to jump into the conversation—
Knock knock.
A knock came at the door.
It was Mariana.
“Everyone, dinner is ready.”
Well, let’s eat first.
At the end of the day, everything we do is so we can keep eating.
In the end, we spent more time chatting that day than actually planning anything.
Adwin would act strange, Xenia would fix him,
Neril would throw sharp jabs, and Mariana would calmly take them.
I sipped my drink, and Trail grumbled.
[I wasn’t even saying anything!]
It was an unusually cheerful—and even somewhat heartwarming—time.
Just as I was beginning to think that maybe it wasn’t so bad to have moments like these—
Clink.
The sound of armor clashing echoed faintly in the distance, as if to declare the end of our break.
Click.
I set down my glass with a sigh.
“Looks like that’s it for dinner.”
No one else seemed to have heard it yet. They tilted their heads in confusion.
The next to catch on was Xenia.
Her expression hardened in an instant as she spoke.
“Twenty… twenty-five, maybe?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“Impressive as always. But judging by how all the footsteps blend into one, they’re trained elites.”
“I recognize the lead footstep. It’s Tivre. He must’ve called for reinforcements from the lord.”
Xenia responded in a tone unusually cold for her.
“They haven’t even confirmed anything yet. I need to file a complaint with Captain Father.”
“There’s a title like ‘Captain Father’?”
Then Neril spoke.
“You all have such sharp senses. I can hear them too now.”
“Miss Celia should be fine, right?”
“You’re putting me in the front lines? Against the Holy Knights of Light?”
“Ugh.”
It was then—
Mariana, who had been quietly listening to us, said something very unexpected.
“There’s no need for you to use a false name.”
“…What?”
“Celia’s not your real name, is it? Aren’t you the Witch of Carnage, Neril Slane?”
This time, I was genuinely surprised.
We’d never once mentioned Neril’s name in front of her.
Mariana calmly set down her spoon and continued.
“My son told me.”
“Adwin did?”
“Yes. Adwin, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. Try explaining it yourself.”
Adwin had his head down like someone who’d been caught doing something bad.
But with Mariana’s gentle encouragement, he timidly opened his mouth.
“I… um… I can see people’s souls, like a radiant glow behind them.”
“Say that again?”
“Heh. Saying I can see souls might be hard for culprits to understand. It’s like the gray hue of a murky world—”
“Speak plainly.”
“O-oh. Yes. I meant it just like I said.”
Maybe because Neril’s aura was so intense, Adwin’s symptoms seemed to clear up right away.
“Souls have their own colors and traits. If you observe carefully, you can see the traces of their life.”
“……”
“But Miss Neril’s soul is really, really old.”
I thought I heard something snap.
Children’s innocence is truly terrifying.
“Feels like… 150? 200 years old? Something like that.”
“H-hooh. Keep going.”
“There’s only one person who’s lived that long—The Witch of Carnage. So I told Mom she might be Neril Slane.”
So that means Mariana casually joked with the Witch of Carnage just moments ago.
‘A being on a completely different level from someone like the Martial King…’
Clap.
I lightly clapped my hands.
“I get the gist of it. The important thing right now isn’t that Neril’s gotten old.”
“Hey.”
“It’s dealing with an uninvited guest who came late at night, isn’t it?”
Bang.
As if it had been waiting, the door slammed open the moment I finished speaking.
The lock had been completely destroyed.
As expected, it was Tivre who appeared.
Mariana’s face stiffened at the sight of him.
“What’s the meaning of this? This is incredibly rude.”
Tivre replied in a slow, lazy tone.
His words weren’t aimed at anyone in particular.
“I heard the Witch of Carnage was discovered in the Quelk territory. Seems like she got into a fight with someone, left a huge trail of mana behind.”
He must be referring to the fight between Neril and me.
As far as I know, the Holy Knights of Light dispatch mages to each territory.
And with Tivre’s name, it’s not surprising that he’d be in contact with those mages.
“You—who introduced yourself as Celia—you must be that witch, right?”
“So what if I am?”
“Hah. You’ve got some nerve, walking around with that shameless face.”
“Yeah, I’m kinda known for that.”
“Shut your mouth!”
At his harsh shout, Xenia stepped in.
“I’ll explain, Sir Tivre.”
“No. There’s no need.”
“What?”
“I’ve already reported to Captain Dame that I discovered the Witch of Carnage. But he told me not to worry about it, that the Vice-Captain would handle it. I assume you’re here to accompany her for surveillance, not arrest?”
“……”
“Let’s leave aside why it’s surveillance and not arrest. I can’t override the Captain’s orders. But just as I have no say in that matter, Lady Xenia, you also have no say in mine.”
Xenia tilted her head in confusion.
“Your matter? So you’re not here to arrest the Witch of Carnage?”
“No. The one I have business with is Mariana over there.”
“……”
“Let me ask, Mariana. You were in the capital when the late emperor passed away, weren’t you?”
Mariana nodded calmly.
“Yes. That’s something everyone in the Empire knows, isn’t it?”
“You wouldn’t know what came after. You uncovered a terrible secret with necromancy and gained His Majesty’s favor. But you refused all gold and treasure, and returned here, your homeland.”
“That’s also widely known.”
“But no one knows there was someone who came back with you.”
Someone accompanied her?
Mariana’s face turned deathly pale.
She shouted in panic.
“Stop…!”
“What are you hiding? I already know everything.”
“Stop it!”
“Didn’t your husband return with you?”
Mariana turned ashen and immediately looked to Adwin first.
His eyes were trembling like an earthquake had struck.
“Mother. You told me Father passed away before I was even born…”
Wait a second.
This might be traumatic.
Suddenly, I remembered my mother.
And the name of my father that had been written above her head.
‘But.’
–No guilt.
Still, above Mariana’s head, that same phrase was written.
I believe it.
I believe in my ability, which saved my life countless times before and after my regression, and gave me more opportunities than I could ever imagine.
Meanwhile, Tivre kept talking.
“Because it was such an incredible feat, everyone around her hushed it up. Even though it was deeply suspicious.”
“You…”
“There’s no spell on your body. So I can’t arrest you for that.”
“……”
“But as a suspect in your husband’s murder, I can arrest you, can’t I? Perhaps a heart-to-heart in the interrogation room will bring more crimes to light. Arrest her.”
I stepped forward slightly.
“Just a moment.”
“You again. Lady Xenia, as I said earlier, this has nothing to do with you. Please call off your subordinate.”
“I’m not Xenia’s subordinate. I’m her colleague.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, you insolent brat.”
“You’re impossible to talk to. Ms. Mariana.”
Mariana flinched and looked at me in surprise.
Even then, she kept glancing nervously at the trembling Adwin.
“Y-yes?”
“What’s your husband’s name?”
“……”
“Please. This is important.”
Though she didn’t understand why, perhaps because she trusted me, Mariana answered obediently.
“Somel Ayn.”
Good.
‘Show me.’
[There must be many secrets between a married couple—what kind do you want?]
‘One that reveals the truth behind this matter.’
[Okay.]
A scene appeared.
A man bearing Adwin’s features—blood doesn’t lie—Somel, came into view.
He was anxiously staring at the food laid out on the table.
“Mariana’s late.”
As he murmured that, the door opened and Mariana entered.
She gave Somel a light kiss and spoke.
“Sorry. I’m really late, huh?”
“It’s fine. You made it before the food got cold.”
“Hehe. Let’s eat then.”
They began eating happily.
Their conversation revolved mostly around Adwin.
“I miss our son so much I could die.”
“Just one more week. Then he’ll be here. Hang in there.”
“Yes… Sigh, I really shouldn’t have taken this job.”
“When the Emperor of the Empire gives you a command, you don’t get to say no.”
“I don’t care who sits on the throne. My emperor is you.”
Wow. What a lovey-dovey pair.
Somel smiled so wide it could be called ridiculous.
From their conversation, it seems they were on their way back home after helping the new emperor ascend.
Then Mariana said,
“Oh, by the way, I met a strange woman earlier.”
“Strange woman?”
“Yes. I don’t mean to speak ill, but she seemed… mentally unwell? She kept calling me a ‘perfect vessel’ or something…”
“Huh?”
“It was such nonsense I almost ignored it, but her expression really creeped me out. The world’s full of weird people.”
All the hairs on my body stood up.
It had been a while since I felt such an electrifying intuition.
‘I think I know who that woman is…’
Somel asked,
“Hmm. Did you get her name, by any chance?”
“Yes. She said it was Idria.”
With that, the vision ended.
