Ch.239239. The Ancestor’s Test (2)

“Ah.”

Sione stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror for a moment.

The image in the mirror was her past self that she had vowed never to return to.

A self who constantly felt emptiness and self-deprecation, whose will to change had been broken. Like livestock, confined to her room day after day, merely consuming food.

“…This can’t be real.”

After staring at the mirror in bewilderment for a while, she got up.

“Huu……”

As negative thoughts began to fill her mind due to her terrible physical condition where even the simple act of getting up was irritating.

“Lady Sione, are you alright!”

Hearing the familiar voice from outside the door, Sione Sianella froze with her hand on the bedside table.

Creeeeak!

The old wooden door opened, revealing someone who was by no means insignificant to her.

“I heard a loud noise from your room…!”

Sione briefly looked at the other person’s reflection in the mirror, then tightly shut her eyes.

Still, she slowly turned to face her.

“No… it’s nothing.”

She was Sione’s nanny who had taken care of her after her father passed away from illness shortly after Sion was born. She had been Sione’s pillar of support for more than half her life.

“Nanny Herel.”

Moreover, she was a maid of this house. More precisely, the dedicated maid who never gave up on her even when she lived like a shut-in in her room.

“Are you really alright?”

“Really—”

When everyone else criticized her, she was the only one Sione could trust, who always treated her warmly.

“…It’s nothing.”

But in the end, even this trusted person had secretly wounded her with the most cutting words behind her back.

With slightly trembling eyes, Sione commanded without properly facing her.

“I just stumbled a bit. Please leave.”

“If that is what Lady Sione commands… please call me anytime if you need anything. I will always be waiting.”

Following her order, Herel closed the door quietly despite her puzzled expression.

Sione couldn’t turn her gaze away from the door for a long time, then sat down on the chair in front of the table she had been leaning on.

“What on earth is happening…?”

Everything was incomprehensible.

I was clearly fighting in the Great Forest of the Elves to recover the arrangement left by the first head of the family.

“Why am I here? And why do I look like this?”

Why is the scenery before my eyes my musty-smelling room?

What happened to my appearance when I cut my dry hair that used to reach my waist, vowing never to return?

“Ray. Where did Ray go…?”

Even Ray, who was with me, where has he gone?

Everything was confusing. She needed time to think.

* * *

“This bastard, seriously.”

What are you thinking, losing consciousness in such a critical situation? This is maddening.

According to what Edelin said, from the moment she absorbed Sianella’s soul fragment, the trial left by her would begin.

Seeing how she collapsed without moving an inch, it seemed unlikely she would wake up even if beaten, and from experience, those who fall into such trials become completely defenseless, unable to wake up even if an orc tried to crush their head.

“Orna, stick close to Sione, try to wake her up and protect her. Tania and Elvis, focus on holding out from now on.”

—Myaang!

—…This is troublesome. My spiritual mana is so depleted that casting spells is difficult.

—Sis, no matter what, you should speak more respectfully to Dad!

—That’s just how it is, what’s the problem? Chang-sik, instead of arguing with your sister, go block that side.

Edelin’s guards and I began to form a formation centered on protecting Sione.

“We hold here until the hero wakes up and the Grand Elder secures the arrangement!”

With the guards’ shout, a magic circle suddenly appeared on the flat ground covered with stone monuments.

Edelin, who had somehow reached the center of the field, used her blood from a long cut on her hand as a medium to spread a magic circle and begin some ritual. The guards’ eyes finally began to brighten.

‘A spell using the precious blood of a High Elf as a medium.’

Anyway, judging by the atmosphere, the moment that impressive magic is completed.

With the thought that we would be freed from this wretched defensive battle, I sighed softly and entered the fight.

The greatest advantage a bow has over a sword is distance. However, now the distance was such that a sword would more easily dispatch enemies than a bow.

Without hesitation, I drew my sword to behead enemies and shot my bow.

And at that moment.

There was a small spirit who was calmly pondering, more peacefully than anything else here.

“Myaaaa.”

The cotton ball fluttered its small wings, hovering in front of Sione’s peacefully sleeping face.

“Hmph.”

Orna gave Sione a look of disdain, contemplating how to wake her up.

“Myaang!”

I’ve thought of the first method!

Orna approached Sione’s sleeping face and raised its small, fluffy front paw.

Slap.

Despite the slap on her cheek, Sione remained motionless.

“Keung……”

Orna thought.

This isn’t enough…. Ah, maybe I should add a bit more wind?

So, using a little mana to add a small breeze to its front paw, it slapped her cheek again.

Slap!

But when she still didn’t wake up, Orna puffed up its cotton in frustration and vented.

Slap slap!

Slap slap slap slap!!

“Keheng!”

Finally, the sulking cotton ball stuck to Sione’s face and bit her cheek.

“Hung……”

The sulking cotton ball was quite displeased with Sione.

I told you to wake up, but you won’t.

Friend qualification revoked.

* * *

“…Ugh!?”

While quietly covering her face with her hands, lost in thought.

Sione suddenly raised her head at the sharp pain on her right cheek.

She rubbed her cheek with a puzzled look and sighed.

“This must be……”

There was only one possibility.

Nothing else could explain this apparent reversal of time.

Though she had a rough idea, the problem was that she had no clue what she needed to do to escape from here.

Sione looked around again and whispered.

“Let’s examine my surroundings first.”

…It’s embarrassing, but my body feels too heavy to move around much.

For now, my attention is drawn to this plant encyclopedia with a bookmark conveniently placed in it.

She opened the thick dictionary where the bookmark was placed.

As she read the text, what was written there wasn’t about familiar plants, but rather a series of contents she had been seeking.

“Huh?”

Sione slowly read those words.

“Return to your weakest self and transform the past. Learn to be cold and merciless at times, and understanding and tolerant at others to add depth to yourself. Never become weak.”

“However, your current memories will gradually fade into a hazy fog, and eventually you will assimilate with this world.”

“If you do not lose your will in this curse and change the past for the future to come, a small demon will appear at the end.”

“My descendant who has accepted my trial. You must willingly find the small demon and cut it down.”

“Once you cut down the demon, you shall obtain the arrangement I left behind as you wish.”

She understood the situation sufficiently.

Twist and turn the past, find the demon hidden here, and victory would be hers.

But the problem was.

“Assimilate with this world…?”

As if unwilling to easily give what she wanted. As time passes, she would increasingly become her unsightly past self.

There was also the adverse condition that she would gradually assimilate with her gloomy past where everything around her was negative, without even realizing it.

Sione hurriedly sat at her desk and searched for blank paper and a fountain pen.

The events about to unfold were unpredictable. How badly the situation might deteriorate. How quickly her memories might disappear. None of it could be predicted.

While her memories were still clear, she wielded her pen with determination to record all her experiences and sense of purpose.

Her daily life that began to change after meeting Ray. The broken engagement and return. And the proper conversation she had with her sister for the first time in years. The hardships she faced after going up to the royal capital. Moreover, the long confrontation with demons on the city walls.

She used the most diverse expressions she could to record the important turning points in her life, ensuring she could reflect on her past whenever she read it.

“The most important thing.”

With a quiet whisper, she wrote down the name of her lover who had stood by her side through all of this, silently supporting and guiding her.

“Ray.”

After uttering his name, she called out as emotionlessly as possible to Herel, the bitter wound from her past who would be waiting outside the door.

“Herel.”

“Did you call for me?”

“How old am I this year, and what is today’s date?”

“Pardon…? So suddenly—”

“Answer me.”

“…This year, Lady Sione will celebrate her nineteenth birthday, and today is January 27th.”

“That’s all, you may leave.”

Herel left the room with a bewildered expression, as if wondering what this was all about.

Regardless of Herel’s reaction, Sione merely clicked her tongue with a serious expression and whispered.

Her birthday was March 30th.

“Still two months away.”

Her meeting with Ray in this world was still two months away.