Ch.365Chapter 365 Epilogue – What Is This? (2)

#

It was a divinity imbued with tremendous power.

The divinity that Desire—which had so terribly distorted my life—had emitted was twisted and ominous, yet also contained an intense brilliance.

Then there was the divinity that had radiated from Shizu’s body when she completely banished Desire from this world.

And the divinity that emanated from Alcor’s body was also at an impressive level, even though it hadn’t even been a full day since we first met.

Yet the divinity I sensed from this velvet envelope was overwhelming enough to make the divinities emitted by the beings I had seen up close seem trivial, despite being merely an object.

It was strange.

If it had been a substance emitting divinity, I would have noticed it immediately when Alcor handed it to me at the restaurant.

The object that I clearly hadn’t sensed anything from when I received it, perceiving it only as an elegant envelope containing an invitation…

Now it suddenly revealed its presence to me, emitting the fragrant scent of lilies and divinity, which was truly fascinating.

However, separate from my fascination, my mind could somewhat gauge the power of the being who had created this envelope and intended for me to receive it.

I should probably assume that this velvet envelope was created and delivered to me by someone extraordinary—someone who could treat a divinity holder of Alcor’s caliber as a mere errand boy with just a word.

Once that thought occurred to me, I simultaneously felt I should check the contents of this envelope that had been delivered to me right away.

Fortunately, my heavy eyelids, which had been about to close from fatigue, became lighter as the refreshing lily fragrance awakened my mind.

“Let’s see…”

Sitting on the bed, I broke the seal of the velvet envelope in my hand and examined its contents.

The seal on the envelope, which was engraved with an extraordinarily intricate lily pattern, cleanly fulfilled its purpose as soon as I touched it, revealing the contents to me.

Inside the envelope, a white paper with text written in an antique script revealed itself.

The handwriting was so elegant that it caught my eye before I could even process the content.

While it was generally accepted that trying to determine someone’s character from their handwriting was quite meaningless…

From the softness conveyed in the handwriting, I could at least tell that the writer was female rather than male.

“Hmm…”

An exclamation involuntarily escaped my lips as I examined it—the handwriting itself was excellent.

For someone who could use a person of Alcor’s caliber as an errand boy, they must be a being with one of the highest positions in that lofty place, so of course they would have the refinement to produce such handwriting.

I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to be observing just the handwriting rather than the content, but I can’t help thinking this way.

Even the great ancestor, Lumen Ranos—who accomplished immeasurable feats with a human body and, in his later years, ascended to that high place and was reborn as a deity according to records—

I had the intuition that he wouldn’t match up to the being who had passed this to Alcor to deliver to me.

Whether that was true or not remained to be seen, but right now there was something more important than continuing such complicated thoughts.

“…”

After finishing my appreciation of the handwriting, I quickly examined the contents written inside the envelope in silence.

Alcor, who had handed this to me, had definitely called it an invitation.

Since it was an invitation, it would surely contain details about under what pretense I was being invited, so I pushed aside my idle thoughts and quickly examined it before…

I put the letter back into the envelope.

Separate from having confirmed all the contents written inside…

I made this choice because I needed to get a good night’s sleep and clear my mind in order to properly understand and accept what was written.

Who was it that said rest is most effective when both body and mind are prepared for it?

The guest room, vibrating with the refreshing scent of lilies, provided me with an excellent environment for such rest.

“…”

My steadfast eyelids, which had held up well until now, closed and did not lift again once they had fallen.

My consciousness… sank below the surface of sleep.

#

It had been happening often lately.

As soon as I opened my eyes, all I felt was refreshment.

It was a natural phenomenon resulting from a good night’s sleep without any dreams, which had allowed me to recover from fatigue.

I wasn’t sure if it was the lily fragrance gently filling the room despite the open window that was restoring my strength…

Or if it was my developed body helping me overcome fatigue.

Either way, I no longer felt the aftereffects of last night’s intense lovemaking in my body.

I wanted to rush out of the room immediately to meet and talk with Alcor, but…

*Huff- huff- huff-*

Shizu’s delicate breathing sounds—when normally she would have woken up before me and roused me—made my steps extremely cautious as I tried to leave the bed, causing some delay.

It also took quite some time to gather clothes that wouldn’t look awkward outside and to fix my appearance in front of the mirror.

In my previous life before regression, when I had almost given up on living, I would have just thrown on whatever clothes without caring about others’ gazes when starting my day.

But my reflection in the mirror now showed a considerable difference compared to back then.

The perfection of my physique, which clearly revealed its presence through my clothing, was beyond words.

The eyes that had lost their light while barely living day to day, clinging to thread-like hopes with no possibility of fulfillment, now sparkled with a light called hope.

Above all, the harsh expression that had shown no signs of improvement despite my efforts had somehow transformed into a fairly soft countenance reflected in the mirror.

…I didn’t want to flatter myself by saying I was handsome…

I was about to feel satisfied that at least I wouldn’t be called ugly when going outside, but…

The words of that little miss I met yesterday morning taught me self-objectivity, so I should stop here.

“Phew…”

After feeling that my preparations were complete, I let out a light sigh.

All I needed to do now was carefully move my feet and exit the room, but…

I turned my body briefly to perform one last ritual before leaving.

*Huff- huff-*

I carefully approached Shizu, who was sleeping with happy breathing sounds, oblivious to the world.

“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered in a very small voice.

*Smooch-*

I pressed my lips to Shizu’s forehead.

The lily fragrance that had filled our room while we slept had already disappeared, but…

From the moment my lips touched Shizu’s forehead, I clearly sensed the scent of golden osmanthus.

Despite my lips touching her, Shizu, who had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue, didn’t wake up, but…

“Mmm…”

Her sleep-talking murmur and…

The smile that slowly appeared on her lips gave me enough motivation and courage to have a good day.

I desperately wanted to quietly watch Shizu sleeping so beautifully for hours, but…

“…I see he’s waiting.”

I clearly sensed Alcor’s energy beyond the room, seemingly waiting for me.

So I put aside my regret and turned away from the bed to head outside.

It was strange that I could intuitively sense that the energy from far away had a distinct feeling of calling me, but…

Right now, going out was more important than pondering such things, so I pushed aside unnecessary thoughts.

Although my steps were careful, they couldn’t hide my urgency, but that was fine.

Having filled my eyes with the goddess-like appearance of Shizu from the morning…

I felt like today would be quite a good day.

#

As I had expected when I faintly sensed his energy directed at me…

Meeting Alcor wasn’t difficult at all.

Despite it being morning, in the lobby bustling with tourists trying to check into the hotel…

I could spot Alcor sitting on a bench set up in a corner of the lobby, calmly observing people.

However, his appearance was quite different from when I first met him yesterday.

When I first encountered him yesterday, Alcor was a person with overflowing aristocratic dignity that was evident at a glance.

He had shown composure despite the attention he received due to his undeniably handsome appearance, but…

Today, perhaps finding such attention directed at himself burdensome…

“Ah, good morning.”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm. I suppose my appearance seems strange to you.”

“…I was thinking it might be too eye-catching.”

“I apologize if it seems deceptive, but my wife insists I cover at least my eyes with these when I’m out in public.”

As I awkwardly returned his morning greeting, he explained with a seemingly prepared statement. His attire wasn’t that different from yesterday, but there was one distinct difference.

Sunglasses, yes, sunglasses.

Unlike glasses used to aid vision…

What else would you call that device where the lens area isn’t transparent but painted black?

It was obvious even at a glance that its purpose wasn’t to aid vision but to completely cover the eye area to hide his appearance, and to that…

“It seems like excessive precaution, as I doubt anyone would physically harm you just because your appearance is revealed.”

I merely expressed my calm observation without much emotion, but…

“Kuhehe…”

Just as I was about to feel puzzled by his inexplicable laughter at my response…

“Somehow, with you standing there staring, we’re attracting even more attention. Please, sit down.”

“…Very well.”

I sat down without arguing with his skillful change of subject.

The murmuring around us finally quieted down.

“I’m not doing this because I’m worried about physical harm to myself.”

“…What do you mean?”

“More precisely, it’s a consideration for people who might feel emotional disturbance upon seeing my appearance.”

“Ah…”

I sat on the bench, listening attentively and giving appropriate responses to Alcor as he calmly made what seemed like a boast about his appearance.

How should I put it? If someone else said such things, it would be perfectly irritating.

But perhaps because that overwhelming appearance I had seen yesterday was still vivid in my mind, I didn’t feel any negative emotions at all.

“It’s different, but I also have a harsh expression, so I’m almost tempted to borrow those sunglasses.”

“What? Hahahahaha.”

I was leisurely making jokes beside him to lighten the mood.

Whether it was a harsh expression or a handsome appearance, there wasn’t much difference in that both attracted excessive attention from others, creating a strange sense of camaraderie.

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but in my younger days, I wasn’t exactly pleasant-looking either.”

“…You’re quite skilled at lying.”

“That expression you’re showing now was similar to mine back in the day.”

And so, we ended up exchanging banter where it was hard to distinguish between jokes and truth.

Pushing aside the important main topic we needed to discuss after meeting him.

…Is this really okay?