Ch.5757. Counseling

“…..”

When did it begin?

When did this girl in front of me start to collapse under the weight of her burden?

If I dare guess.

This brilliant girl must have realized the weight of the burden placed on her by the world from a very young age.

That’s why she created another self.

She precisely extracted only the pride and responsibility she should have as royalty, without anything else.

If you ask how that’s possible, I couldn’t explain it either.

Just as we cannot explain the principles of mana spread across the continent.

Just as we cannot completely unravel the dreams we have during our regular sleep.

Just as even a clergyman who constantly kneels in prayer cannot fathom God’s will.

It was a mental issue that couldn’t be explained by any logic.

But one thing was clear: it meant she was so overwhelmed that she wouldn’t have been able to endure without doing so.

“Elenoa was always trying her best.”

Even in her dreams, she would fall asleep while studying to present herself as a dignified princess.

Even when she was afraid to sleep because of nightmares, she naturally sat at her desk and kept up with her studies.

But there was something strange about it.

She made efforts to acquire the basics of being a princess, but her words suggested she wasn’t particularly interested in it.

This was especially evident in how she always asked me about animation characters.

“The previous Elenoa knew she lacked the pride and responsibility of royalty.”

At my words, Elenoa—who was filled with royal pride and dignity—flinched.

“That’s why she tried harder. Because she was a good child, she forced herself to change.”

“…..”

“But it was actually the opposite. She understood her royal duties too well, and because it was ruining her, she detached herself from them.”

Without anything else.

A being with only the responsibility of royalty remaining.

This was the true identity of the Elenoa standing before me.

A cold wind blows.

As if even that was a precious experience for her, she briefly closed her eyes to savor it, then slowly nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I am the personality responsible for the duties that Elenoa set aside to survive.”

“…..”

“I was capable. Strangely enough, I could precisely extract only the burden of royal duties.”

She declares proudly and boldly. This must be why she lacked basic knowledge and creativity.

She must have extracted only what was necessary, without any excess, resulting in a lack of basic knowledge.

“But you know what? I’m still a personality too. Even if that child forgot, I am also Elenoa, and I can’t help but grow over time.”

Even though she had detached from her royal duties, Elenoa continued to grow.

The burden of being royalty disappeared.

But conversely, Elenoa began to experience stress again about why she lacked a sense of royal duty.

“Isn’t it funny? Even though she lost the memory of developing a new personality due to excessive stress, she was walking down a similar path again.”

In conclusion, Elenoa was an incomplete person.

She was too diligent and could view herself too objectively.

The standards she set for herself continued to bind and pressure her.

“If things stay this way, she’ll eventually end up in the same situation again. So I decided to take over the body.”

Not the kind and fragile personality.

But herself, who rules, takes responsibility, and reigns as royalty.

“Is that why you tried to make the dream as close to reality as possible?”

“Yes, that’s right. If I was out here, that child needed a place to be too.”

So she tried to create a new world using dreams as a medium.

A world where the fragile but diligent Elenoa could be completely happy.

“That’s also why I tried to make it look like a nightmare. Because that child wouldn’t accept a situation where she dumps her burden on me.”

Elenoa spoke nonchalantly with a shrug, but the atmosphere suddenly changed.

“But you ruined everything.”

Elenoa’s finger jabbed into my chest.

Her eyes were filled with deep resentment and skepticism.

“You know what? Because of that damn monster called Mac, the other personality completely disappeared. Without a trace, cleanly.”

“…..”

“Our beliefs clashed over the concept of devouring nightmares. I won because I had the stronger conviction for control of the body!”

Thump!

Now she strikes my chest hard with her fist. But it didn’t hurt.

Rather, her face contorts as if she’s the one in pain from hitting me.

“And! That child herself admitted she was inferior to me!”

“…..”

“So she disappeared!”

Her voice didn’t waver at all. A declaration filled with resentment but no regret.

The small tears that had welled up had already vanished.

With an expression as cold as the night air, Elenoa declared:

“It’s better this way. As royalty, one should be able to cut off one’s own weakness.”

“…..”

“That’s my position. I must prioritize the kingdom over Elenoa’s existence. It’s only natural.”

Elenoa turns sharply toward the balcony railing, saying she no longer wishes to talk with me.

Since she now lacked any weakness, there was room to view her more favorably than the original Elenoa.

She would no longer waver.

She would no longer doubt herself.

She would easily obtain the position of academy president with her leadership.

And.

She would plant the seeds of rebellion by inciting the students.

She would become obsessed with the idea that she could rule the kingdom much better than her brother, King Orpheus.

The current Elenoa might seem completely devoted to her royal duties.

But that’s not it.

She’s merely clinging to her sense of royal duty.

Because that’s all she has.

Perhaps the Elenoa I met in the game was this personality.

According to her plan, the fragile Elenoa, unable to distinguish between dreams and reality, would have lived in that world forever.

It would end with her being killed by her classmate Aria Rius.

“In creating Mac, we had to grasp several concepts.”

Unfortunately, I don’t particularly enjoy seeing the same ending.

“What?”

Elenoa frowns at me, wondering what I’m suddenly talking about.

Though she said she didn’t want to talk, I continue to speak.

“It was too problematic to simply go with a monster that eats nightmares. From the beginning, we approached it with the feeling of creating a new animal.”

It was easier to think of it as drafting the setting for the monster called Mac.

However, we needed to be both detailed and realistic, like a god creating an animal.

Not simply having an elephant’s trunk.

But how the elephant moves its trunk, what its habits are, whether there are bones inside, muscle mass and length, and so on.

We created Mac in a diverse and detailed manner.

The most important part was eating dreams.

Yes, everyone was focused on that.

But I was the opposite.

I cared about what happened after eating the dream.

Because at that time, not knowing about the dual personality, I was curious if there really was an evil spirit I couldn’t see.

I was somewhat hopeful.

Elenoa’s eyes widen as she listens to my story. She can’t hide her rising expectations even if she wants to.

“This might not be a pleasant story for the princess, but when an animal eats something, it must excrete it.”

I quietly take out a small sphere.

“This is a fragment of nightmare left behind by Mac. However, Mac could digest nightmares, not personalities.”

Fortunately, what Mac ate wasn’t a nightmare. No matter how many situations we prepared for, we didn’t consider the possibility of eating a personality.

“Then…..”

“She still remains in here.”

Elenoa stares at me blankly. Now it was her turn to choose.

From a princess’s standpoint, it would make sense to remain as she is now.

An object of admiration for the citizens of the Griffin Kingdom, capable enough to turn students into rebels with her charisma alone.

In fact, if Aria Rius hadn’t stopped her, her coup might have succeeded.

Returning to her original self could be seen as abandoning her royal duty and ignoring the expectations of her citizens.

But Elenoa didn’t struggle with the decision for long.

With an expression that showed no regret for her choice, she nodded firmly.

The only thing she didn’t verbalize was her final display of royal dignity;

It was an act of courage, prioritizing herself over her position as princess for the first time.

“Good.”

So I take out a black jewel from my chest along with the fragment of Mac I was holding.

It was the stone of necromancy, Lemegeton.

“That’s….”

“Pretend you didn’t see it.”

I draw up mana while giving her a warning. Though Elenoa was trying to appear confident, she seemed a bit anxious and asked:

“But is it really possible? Wouldn’t it be better to ask a Grand Mage?”

“How amusing.”

It was truly amusing.

Who exactly was she suggesting I ask while standing right in front of me?

When I first met Elenoa, I asked the Dark Spiritmaster something.

If there was a way to enter dreams.

And at that time, the Dark Spiritmaster answered like this:

[Is there? Soul-to-soul communion might be possible, but entering dreams is impossible.]

Yes, dreams are impossible.

“Does this look like I’m dealing with dreams?”

Not dreams but personality.

In other words, it’s about dealing with souls.

A situation where I need to reunite a girl’s soul that has been split in two.

And this was remarkably my area of expertise.

“Don’t forget who I am.”

A being closest to the boundary between life and death.

A comforter who communes with souls and listens to their stories.

“I am a necromancer.”

My mana, Mac’s fragment, and the Lemegeton begin to resonate.