Chapter 40: This time it’s an ally, Part 2

“So… do you know anything about… Lucia’s current condition…?”

“Probably just… demonic influence… munch munch…”

“As expected…!”

Leviathan continued eating, unfazed by their stares.

She held a piece of food in each hand, stuffing her small mouth, a sight that might have seemed gluttonous.

However, Leviathan wasn’t greedy enough to steal food, and her childlike appearance made her seem merely… enthusiastic.

“But… how did you know…?”

One question lingered.

How did Leviathan know about the demonic influence?

Did she possess some special ability, like Ciella? Or did she have another method of detecting demons?

While Ciella was willing to overlook it if Leviathan was an ally, she couldn’t ignore what she’d seen.

A faint, dark mana still clung to Leviathan, though significantly weaker than before.

“Hmm…”

Leviathan considered Ciella’s question.

Revealing her demonic nature wouldn’t necessarily be detrimental.

She’d regained some of her mana after eating, so she could easily eliminate them if necessary. She could threaten them and be done with it.

But was it necessary?

These insignificant creatures were providing her with delicious food, free of charge.

She considered pretending to be a priestess, even conjuring a fake holy stigmata, when—

Cling.

The small bell on the restaurant door chimed as two men entered.

Their imposing figures and stern expressions immediately drew the attention of Ciella and Carmel, who had been focused on Leviathan.

“…Levi… where is she…?”

“Isn’t that… Levi over there…?”

Eric and Cedric, who’d prepared a meal and waited for Leviathan at their hideout, had grown concerned when she didn’t return. They’d come to the restaurant, a popular spot among academy students due to its proximity, quality food, and reasonable prices.

While Leviathan wasn’t an ordinary student, they figured she might have been lured by the delicious smells.

Surprisingly, their assumption was correct. Eric spotted the white-haired girl and waved, approaching their table.

While they weren’t thrilled about being treated as servants, Leviathan had protected them from capture.

And her joyful expression while devouring their cooking had melted away any lingering resentment. They’d become quite fond of her.

Though she’d glared at them when they’d accidentally addressed her with an honorific, forcing them to stick with “Levi.”

Carmel, after observing the two men, lowered her guard, sensing no malice. But Ciella’s reaction was more dramatic.

She dropped her fork, her face contorting in a mixture of shock and disbelief, similar to her reaction upon discovering the potion was an Elixir. She stood up abruptly.

“…Butler…?”

Eric, startled by her voice, turned and saw Ciella, her violet eyes meeting his.

His hands trembled as he stared at her.

“Lady Ciella…?”

Those eyes… that hair…

The young lady of the Magna family, whom he’d failed to protect, the young lady he’d inadvertently injured…

“…You’re… alive…”

“Yes… I haven’t… atoned… for my sins… yet…”

A servant and his employer’s daughter.

Carmel, vaguely aware of the Magna family’s circumstances, dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, touched by their reunion. Leviathan, oblivious, continued eating her bread.

Come to think of it, that gluttonous demon had targeted a family with a similar name during her Unique Magic hunts…

Their reunion shifted the focus away from Leviathan’s knowledge of Lucia’s situation.

Carmel tried to inquire, but…

“Levi took us in… when we were falsely accused… I don’t think she’s evil… like those cultists…”

“…The butler… might engage in illegal activities… but he wouldn’t lie…”

Eric defended Leviathan, and Ciella defended Eric, effectively ending the discussion.

Carmel didn’t want to needlessly suspect a potential ally in helping Lucia, and she couldn’t imagine such a carefree, food-loving girl being a threat.

Of course, considering Leviathan’s true nature as a powerful demon, Carmel’s assumption was a grave miscalculation.

Eric and Cedric, unable to enter the academy, promised to gather information on cultists and demons and left. The temporary alliance of three decided to observe Lucia’s behavior.

The next day, as they arrived at their classroom…

“Ugh… what… what is that…?”

“…This is… serious.”

“What do you see…? I don’t see anything…”

Lucia was enveloped in a thick, black aura.

“Errors… must eliminate… the errors…”

She stared blankly into space, muttering incoherently.

“Ah… found it. An error.”

“Do… you need help…?”

“N-no… stay away… you demon…!”

Whoosh.

A crudely carved holy symbol flew through the air, landing at my feet.

The throw was weak and inaccurate, so it hadn’t traveled far.

“…That hurts. I came here to help, and you call me a demon? I’m almost in tears… cough.”

I was about to express my indignation to the trembling man who’d thrown a collection of holy trinkets at me when a coughing fit seized me.

My gloved hand, which I’d been wearing due to a recent chill, was stained with blood.

My condition… wasn’t good.

“…Here.”

I tossed a potion at the man, then picked up a silver trinket he’d thrown.

It was intricately crafted, likely worth the price of the potion, even if it wasn’t pure silver.

It was a shame he hadn’t caught the potion, but I was short on time.

My hand trembled as I pulled out my notebook and teleported back to my lodgings.

Thud.

My legs gave way, and I collapsed. I managed to grab the bedpost, but my mind was hazy.

I coughed, more blood splattering the floor.

My hands and feet felt cold.

But the coldness was fading, replaced by numbness.

The numbness spread slowly, steadily, consuming my body.

Was this a side effect of defying the story’s progression?

Likely. But it wasn’t the whole story.

“Haah… hngh…”

It felt like… I was detaching… from the world… from myself…

My senses dulled, my body feeling… foreign.

It wasn’t a completely unfamiliar sensation. I’d experienced something similar before.

This feeling of… not being myself…

It had happened when I first arrived in this world, when I hadn’t fully grasped the rules.

During these episodes, strange, intrusive thoughts would plague me.

Philosophical musings, existential questions…

Am I… me?

With only my memories intact, in a completely different body, am I still… me?

During these episodes, I would compulsively write down my memories in my notebook.

Not everything. I couldn’t remember everything perfectly.

Small details, trivial things, but the things that defined me.

The last page of my notebook was filled with words written in blood. Words that were now fading, leaving only blank pages.

Who… am I…

[Name…]

What was my name…?

I couldn’t remember.

Kayleen? No. That was my name in this world.

My name… in my original world… what was it…?