episode_0022

​

​

​

Julianna was born in a poor neighborhood where shadows outnumbered light. With her exceptional looks, Julianna covered her face with makeup from a young age.

​

​

It was inevitable for her to survive.

​

​

Her mother passed away from illness before she turned 8, and she lived on, begging every day. Then one day, a festival was held in the village.

​

​

The residents of the poor neighborhood were treated as something repulsive by the villagers, but during the festival, outsiders could easily mingle in.

​

​

Children washed themselves in the river, put on clean clothes from discarded ones, and wandered around the festival.

​

​

Some children were curious about the festival, but most did it to receive tips from wealthy guests.

​

​

Julianna was among them. She roamed the splendid streets freely, taking in the beautiful festival at a glance. How long had she wandered around in a daze? She ended up watching a play being performed in the center of the village.

​

​

“How dare you kidnap the princess!”

​

​

A cheesy script and convincing acting.

​

​

It might not have been acceptable in the capital, but here, it was enough to make people laugh. It was overflowing, especially in captivating the eyes of the children.

​

​

“Amazing.”

​

​

Julianna’s eyes sparkled as she watched the man wielding a sword on stage. She fell for the fact that the sword didn’t threaten anyone, but rather that it could be controlled.

​

​

After that, Julianna wielded a sword and fortunately became talented enough to work as a mercenary. She lived like that for three years.

​

​

“Julianna, will you go out with me?”

​

She met the person she loved as if by fate. Julianna was the happiest person in the world.

​

​

..No, she thought she was happy.

​

​

“Kren, why…!”

​

​

Her lover, who had sent a letter asking to be rescued after being kidnapped by the nobles, burst into laughter at the sight of himself in a mess.

“Hahaha, look at that appearance, miss!”

“Hoho, just like a bug.”

The man who whispered his love for her, Kren, was sent by a noble lady. The reason the noble lady sent Kren to her? The reason she made him whisper love?

“Great mercenary, talking about being a mercenary. In the end, a bug is just a bug.”

Well, that’s what makes it interesting.

Juliana had merely played with the amusements of the nobles.

“Kren! Kren…! How could you…!”

Because Juliana truly loved him, she risked her life and came to the noble house, only to lose her life at the hands of the guards in the end.

The foolish woman, blinded by love for the first time in her life, died like that.

“I will not forgive.”

Perhaps because her hatred was too heavy, God could not take her, so her soul became a ghost and was bound to the earth.

“I’ll kill them all, all of them!”

As a ghost, Juliana cursed the nobles who had toyed with her, and horribly killed her lover. But her anger did not diminish. Just as she was about to move to kill more people, a dark sorcerer appeared at the gruesome scene.

“Tsk tsk, this is quite a useful ghost.”

The unpleasant-looking dark sorcerer trapped her soul in a book. The dark sorcerer who took Juliana showed her scenes of endless betrayal to make her soul even stronger.

As time passed, Juliana’s hatred deepened and grew stronger. The soul that had been trapped in a book had become a cursed book, like any cursed book, and just as expected, she escaped from the dark sorcerer’s library and began to wander around the world.

The subtly eerie white book spread into the hands of many people and led many people to their deaths.

When the white book was stained with the blood of the person who opened it, the book once again wandered the world. The cursed book, which had been wandering like that, was once again opened by Noah’s hands.

“Ghost…”

With Noah’s muttering, Juliana opened her eyes. The first thing Juliana saw was Noah, who was clearly wearing warm clothes.

It was a sight that reminded her of her past self.

Furrowing her brow, Juliana approached Noah and placed her hand on top of his head.

“…!”

In an instant, as the ghost approached right in front of him, Noah was startled and sat there, stunned. Ignoring Noah’s reaction, Juliana closed her eyes and began to grope through Noah’s memories.

Memories passing through her mind in an instant, perhaps because she was still young, the total amount of memories was not large.

Juliana found memories strongly saturated with Noah’s desires.

I want to live.

I want to protect Nero.

I don’t want to die.

Like brushing past flower petals with her fingertips, she rummaged through memories, and at the end of it all, she found the memory that made Noah open a book.

I will definitely protect you.

The moment when a child who had lived solely for the sake of her younger sibling and her own survival gained a “belief” vividly appeared before Juliana’s eyes. She blinked and scowled fiercely.

The child sitting in front of her was so similar to herself. Their innate talent for swordsmanship, their determination to wield a sword to protect someone.

That’s why it was so unpleasant. She wanted to strangle the child in front of her right then and there. In the past, she would have done so without a moment’s hesitation.

[“It’s not so easy to kill.”]

Juliana wiped away the fierce expression and smiled kindly.

[“You must die miserably just like I did.”]

Just as she died miserably after being betrayed by a man, Noah also wished to die miserably after being betrayed by a man named “Lian.”

[“Ah… Just imagining it makes me so happy. What kind of expression will you have as you die?”]

Thinking of Noah’s wailing figure shedding tears in her mind, Juliana spoke in a gentle voice.

[Do you want the power to protect someone?]

“…!”

Noah nodded as if enchanted by the beautiful smile of Juliana.

“Take my hand, and I will give you the power to protect everyone.”

Juliana presented her white palm in front of Noah. A new white light began to gather on her palm. The sacred light, though it seemed splendid like a poisonous mushroom, contained all sorts of dreadful curses, but Noah had no way of knowing.

“Now, quickly.”

As Noah reached out as if spellbound to grab her hand…

Thud, bang!

“Noah?! Are you here?”

“…!?”

Wild Lian appeared.

“Oh! There you are!”

Lian discovered Noah and came into the room with a bright smile. When Noah’s gaze turned towards Lian, Juliana urged for an answer.

“You want to protect that man, don’t you? If so, quickly take this hand.”

At Juliana’s whisper, Noah’s gaze returned to her. Just as Noah was about to move his hesitant hand, Lian arrived at Noah’s side.

“Huh?”

Juliana, who had been hidden behind the bookshelf, caught Lian’s attention.

“Huh? A ghost?”

“…?!”

To Lian, ghosts were just one of the ordinary residents in the world of comedy. It was considered natural to share a cheap rental house or an old house with a ghost. One of Lian’s neighbors even got married to a ghost, he heard.

It was natural for Lian to see ghosts, but not for Juliana. Except for the person who opened the book, no one had ever seen themselves before.

“Noah, this is the place where Miss Mia said not to come in. Let’s get out of here.”

“Oh…”

At Lian’s words, Juliana widened her eyes and probed between Noah and Lian.

I’m sorry, but this child cannot go back yet. Our conversation isn’t finished.

Julianna directed a fierce glare at Ryan. As she did, Ryan shuddered and froze in place.

“In the end, you’re just a mere human.”

She inwardly chuckled at the thought of Ryan fleeing in a pathetic manner. However, Ryan’s response upon returning was completely different from what she had imagined.

“If you answer one question, I’ll wait outside.”

Instead of running away, Ryan even set conditions, leaving Julianna bewildered. Looking directly at Julianna’s face, Ryan spoke.

“How are you fixing the reference frame?”