Ch.314314. Witnessing a Miracle

I requested support from Professor Per for one reason.

The selfish desire to meet Aria Rius as Shinwoo Kim, not as Deus Verdi.

That was all.

I don’t want to use a vessel body again, but there are things I need to do.

I wanted to spend time with her as Shinwoo Kim, not in Deus’s form.

Since my previous vessel was damaged by Ranhart, I needed to make a new one, which would take time.

It should be much faster than the first time since I’ve gained experience.

Anyway.

I thought it would take a lot of time from production to delivery from Robern Academy to Greyfond.

Surprisingly.

The time was reduced to just a few hours.

“……”

I was speechless looking at the white mannequin-like vessel body in front of me. I knew I should say something, but words wouldn’t come out.

“……”

Similarly.

Deia, who brought this, kept her mouth shut and said nothing.

After a moment of silence.

I was the first to speak.

“Why do you……”

Have this.

I was about to ask that question, but Deia’s face turned bright red as she hastily intercepted.

“Y-you might need it someday! Since the vessel saved your life before, I specially requested Professor Per to make it!”

“……”

“It’s for you! Really! Don’t look at me like that!”

“……”

When I looked at Deia with half-closed eyes, she finally couldn’t stand it and pulled out the magic power gun from her waist.

“Stop staring!”

“Fine, I’ll use it gratefully.”

“J-just take it.”

“It’s your property.”

I didn’t want to have it.

Declaring that coldly, I carefully reached for the vessel.

As before, the ease with which I could transfer emphasized that I wasn’t Deus.

After all, I’m not the owner of this body.

“Deia, could you hold my body for me?”

“F-Findenai can do it, right? I don’t want to touch it.”

Deia said she didn’t particularly want to touch Deus’s body, not mine.

“If I leave it to Findenai, who knows what she might do.”

She had gone to smoke, saying she’d give the siblings some time together, but I didn’t want to entrust my body to her.

“Ah.”

Thinking that wasn’t wrong, Deia quietly came behind me and put her hands around my waist.

“There’s no need to do it right now though.”

“Just hurry up, idiot.”

She has no filter with her brother.

I reached out toward the vessel and gradually my vision began to distort.

Enduring the dizziness that brought on nausea, I slowly opened my eyes to feel a distinct sense of foreignness.

Blinking my stiff eyes several times, I looked at Deus being held by Deia.

“Wow…”

Deia let out an exclamation, seemingly seeing for the first time how the vessel changes according to the soul’s form.

I could only guess that it must have been a somewhat bizarre sight.

“Let’s put him on the bed.”

As I picked up the collapsed Deus, Deia asked curiously.

“Your way of speaking changed right away?”

“Because I’m Shinwoo Kim, not Deus.”

“Hmm.”

Deia snorted at my comment about wanting to differentiate between the two.

Unexpectedly, she seemed to like that I made a distinction between Deus and Shinwoo Kim.

I gently extended my hand toward Deus lying on the bed.

Before, when using a vessel, I couldn’t use much mana.

‘Now it’s the opposite.’

Despite being in a vessel, my mana followed me completely. Thanks to that, Deus’s complexion seemed to improve somewhat.

Crack.

A splitting sound came from somewhere in the vessel. It seemed unable to withstand the sudden influx of mana.

‘I’m only going to use it once anyway.’

Still, I might have to pay Deia repair costs later.

“The souls are stable.”

I check the souls contained in Deus’s body. They were quiet, still resting without waking.

“Was it that important?”

Deia asks curiously, seeing me checking so solemnly.

I answered without much thought, saying it was obvious.

“It means the souls can remain inside the body even after I die.”

After speaking, I realized my mistake.

I flinched and looked at Deia, whose expression had darkened dramatically.

“Why would you say something like that?”

“…I was just giving an example. I don’t want to die either.”

“Tch.”

Deia glares at me sideways, showing her displeasure.

But this was quite an important matter.

It meant that even if something happened to me, the souls’ rest wouldn’t be disturbed.

‘As long as I don’t die from being torn apart, it should be fine.’

After all, my right arm is already a prosthetic.

[Why can’t we use vessels?]

[Well, he moved only his soul without dying? It’s different for senior and me.]

[That’s unfair.]

I heard the voices of two souls from behind, but they didn’t have much time to worry about.

“I’m going to see Aria.”

I was about to move immediately since the vessel probably wouldn’t last long.

“Wait a moment.”

Deia stops me as I was heading out. She adjusts the collar of the clothes I’m wearing.

“I tried to match the clothes size, but it’s a bit wrinkled. There, all done.”

“Thanks.”

I thanked Deia for neatly arranging it, but she didn’t step back and just stared up at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just…”

Scratching the back of her head, Deia finally took a step back and whispered softly.

“I’m just glad I made it well.”

“You did. Thank you.”

I expressed gratitude for her foresight and headed outside.

“Sigh, why do I feel like I’m sending someone on a date wearing clothes I gave as a gift.”

I heard some strange muttering from the room but ignored it and went to find Aria.

* * *

“Checkmate.”

“……”

Elenoa’s queen stands precisely in front of Aria’s king. That alone completed the checkmate.

If the queen were killed, the knight would immediately kill the king.

The battle of wits between the two girls in the royal garden had reached a one-sided conclusion.

“Give up.”

Despite openly showing annoyance on her face, Elenoa irritatingly hands over her notebook.

“How is it? I drew you pretty well, right?”

In the notebook was a drawing of Aria’s face. And it clearly showed deep annoyance and irritation.

“I got bored while playing chess with you, so I drew this separately.”

Anyone who saw Elenoa now would praise her as a beautiful girl truly befitting the title of princess.

With such a bright smile, Elenoa tears out the part with Aria’s drawing and hands it over.

“Here, take it, loser.”

Of course, the words coming out of her mouth weren’t so beautiful.

“I said give up.”

“Even if you give up, you’ll still lose anyway. It’ll be the same if we play again.”

“Then why did you suggest chess in the first place?”

Having come to the royal palace for summer vacation, Aria had been spending somewhat boring days and accepted Elenoa’s chess proposal.

But Elenoa was extremely good at chess, as befitting someone in a ruling role.

“I wanted to call you a loser, loser.”

Elenoa replied with a still refreshing smile.

Aria had been worried that their relationship might be damaged after revealing herself as a returner in Possville, but Elenoa’s attitude toward Aria hadn’t changed at all.

‘I wish it would change a little.’

“This is so annoying.”

While Aria was barely suppressing the urge to smash the chessboard.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

A man interrupted between the two girls. He looked more like someone from the Han Empire than from the Griffin Kingdom and had a strange atmosphere about him.

He had a somewhat out-of-place feeling, as if he had suddenly dropped into this world.

“Huh…?”

Elenoa looked at his face and gasped with her mouth wide open.

The same was true for Aria.

Although she had never seen Shinwoo Kim’s true appearance, having seen him through Elenoa’s drawings.

It wasn’t difficult to recognize who he was.

“P-Professor?!”

“I borrowed a vessel for a while.”

His manner of speech was different, but the atmosphere was similar. The coolness that made it feel like a cold wind was blowing only around him couldn’t be hidden even by the vessel.

“N-no way. I can’t believe I’m seeing this in person, not in a dream!”

Saliva dripped from Elenoa’s mouth as she made a fuss.

“J-just come to my room with me? I’ll prepare canvas and paper and brushes!”

She hurriedly wiped away her saliva, and a slight madness could be seen in her eyes.

“M-maybe you could wear different clothes too? What you’re wearing now is great, but I-I want to see you in something else!”

“Wow, this girl’s eyes are rolling back, clearly showing her preferences.”

Aria was disgusted, but Elenoa could no longer hear her friend’s words.

Every day, before falling asleep.

She closes her eyes hoping to meet him in her dreams.

After all, it was Shinwoo Kim, not Deus, who saved her from the nightmare.

A man she thought she would never meet again.

The princess always clasps her hands together, wishing for a small miracle. Even while wishing for the impossible, wondering if someday she might actually meet him.

When she imagines it.

Her face turns red, and she secretly lets out small laughs.

That’s what he was.

To Elenoa Luden Griffin, the man named Shinwoo Kim was.

A being mixed with miracle and desire.

But reality is always cruel.

“I’d like to talk with Aria for a moment. Is that okay?”

“With her?! Not with me?!”

When Shinwoo Kim pointed to Aria, Elenoa’s expression visibly darkened.

She looked like she might even tear up from the injustice, but.

“Me?”

Aria was also surprised, looking at Shinwoo Kim who had pointed to her.

“It will only take a moment.”

“Of course! I’m available all day!”

Aria followed Shinwoo Kim with a bright smile.

Left alone, Elenoa, with tears welling up in her eyes, clenched her fists and closed her mouth.

She tried to hold back her overflowing emotions, but.

“Aaaaaaah! This is so annoying!”

The one who overturned the chessboard first was Elenoa, the winner.