Ch.81Secrets of Reincarnation (2)

One started misunderstanding took considerable time to correct. As a result of these efforts, Kanarin apologized to me and quickly asked her question.

“Serin, so… the black dragon inside Rahilt is your mother-in-law?”

“Of course. Why would I bring up some deposed emperor’s concubine I’ve never even met?”

“Ah… right. Yes… you’re right, of course.”

“You’re quite peculiar, aren’t you?”

At my casual remark, Kanarin stared at me as if I’d struck a nerve. Her eyes seemed to say, “Don’t you dare talk to me like that.” Unable to withstand her intimidating gaze, I sheepishly looked away.

“Ahem, so I was thinking of having a proper conversation with my mother-in-law.”

“But how? Actually, wouldn’t ‘grandmother-in-law’ be more accurate than ‘mother-in-law’?”

“What?!”

“What? What is it? Why are you looking at me like that, Serin?”

“I think you’re being too harsh.”

“Me…?”

To her bewildered expression, I wagged my index finger like a metronome.

“Even if my mother-in-law is an ancient non-human ancestor, she’s still clearly a woman. Naturally, she’d want to be addressed in a youthful and pretty way, wouldn’t she? Since so much time has passed that proper titles are ambiguous anyway, we might as well go with the younger-sounding option.”

“Ah…”

This time, she seemed to agree with me. Her nodding head made it abundantly clear. So I resumed our previously interrupted conversation.

“And earlier, you asked how to communicate with her, right? The answer is this cloud. Rahilt calls it Pou.”

How cute. Since Rahilt named it, even the name feels adorable.

Kanarin carefully examined the cloud I was holding in my arms.

“We can talk through this?”

“Yes. As you know, the black cloud Rahilt created is the Dragon’s Authority, but it’s also a substance where my mother-in-law’s consciousness resides.”

“Really? How did you find out?”

“I met her directly. And when you shared your theory about divine beings, I became certain.”

“Certain? About what?”

“That divine beings like your divine beast and Rahilt’s black dragon are aware of the world’s original destiny… in other words, the original story.”

I explained everything to Kanarin in detail.

For instance, when Rahilt was consumed by Rastali’s corruption, how the original world that shouldn’t exist in this altered world manifested as Rahilt’s mental landscape.

And that the answer was the intervention of the consciousness residing in Rahilt’s power.

Furthermore, I confessed everything about meeting my mother-in-law directly and conversing with her.

“…Wow.”

Kanarin let out a low exclamation.

“Serin, I think everything you’re saying is correct. So the ‘we’ my divine beast mentioned really was the original female protagonist and itself. Well, it makes sense—since it could temporarily borrow abilities from parallel world characters…”

She assessed that perceiving distorted timelines would have been child’s play for such a being.

“So a being of this magnitude should be able to clearly explain why we were reincarnated, right?”

“Yes, that’s entirely possible. But the problem is how we’re supposed to talk to this cloud…”

“Oh. Right, good point.”

Looking back, I realized I had no plan whatsoever. I just assumed that since I’d already had one comfortable conversation with her, she would respond if I simply spoke to her.

“You don’t have any plan at all…?”

“I got excited without thinking…”

“Did something happen with Rahilt that impaired your reasoning?”

“Ugh.”

I recalled burying my face in Rahilt’s chest for a long time. That afternoon when I stayed there long enough for desire to replace my melancholy…

It seemed my mental brakes had been worn down since then.

“W-well… sometimes impulsive actions can change history.”

“So something did happen.”

“Enough already! Let’s just try calling my mother-in-law.”

“Alright…”

Kanarin looked at me with noticeably diminished trust. Somehow, I also felt like she was pitying me.

Desperately ignoring all this, I addressed the cloud silently bundled in my arms.

“Ahem! Excuse me, Mother-in-law. Can you hear me? Come in, over. Mayday, mayday.”

“Why are you saying ‘mayday’…?”

“Hey, Mother-in-law. Your beloved daughter-in-law is here. Open up, please.”

“Hmm…”

You might think I’m putting on a show. Honestly, I’m wondering if I’ve suddenly become possessed. So please stop looking at me like I’m mentally unstable, Kanarin.

Just as my cold sweat and Kanarin’s aura of disbelief were intersecting, it happened.

Wiggle.

The previously motionless black cloud moved for the first time. We both gaped in surprise at this remarkable change.

“W-what? Serin’s impulsiveness is actually working?”

“See! See! I told you! Impulsiveness changes the world!”

“My goodness…”

The black cloud, which had been freely stretching and contracting its form, traced an elegant curve and inscribed small letters in the air. It was proof that my hypothesis was correct and that my foolishness was being rewarded.

The message formed by those letters read:

[Stop spreading rumors.]

A painful rebuke.

“Pfft, hahaha…”

“Hey, seriously, stop laughing!!!”

“Okay, okay. Self-proclaimed beloved daughter-in-law Serin.”

“I am beloved! My mother-in-law is just being tsundere because she’s from an older generation!?”

[…]

Just three dots floating in the air.

From that moment on, I kept my mouth firmly shut.

I was quite annoyed with Kanarin, who was holding her stomach instead of trying to suppress her laughter out of courtesy.

Eventually, after composing herself, she spoke.

“Wow… It’s amazing that this ability can activate outside its owner’s consciousness. That’s quite surprising.”

[Once the child begins to consciously control it, I too will have no means of communication.]

“Ah, so that’s why you couldn’t directly stop Rahilt in the Carnar Kingdom?”

[Correct. Also, keep in mind that I cannot maintain this form of conversation for long.]

“It’s miraculous that conversation is even possible… I may have a divine beast’s soul settled within me, but to think that a power manifested hundreds of years ago has consciousness. It’s unbelievable.”

“That’s my mother-in-law for you!”

Even Kanarin had to nod slightly in agreement with this.

According to my mother-in-law, our conversation had a time limit.

I decided to cut to the chase and get to the main point.

“Sigh… Mother-in-law. Actually, I called upon you because I have questions.”

[About reincarnation, I presume.]

“Oh, so you’ve been listening to everything?”

[Yes. Though I am merely a consciousness, I can perceive external stimuli.]

“…What?”

Suddenly, my entire body froze. I had discovered a shocking truth.

[Why do you look so troubled?]

“Does that mean…”

For the first time, I resented my mother-in-law.

“Does that mean you can directly perceive when Rahilt and I are rolling around in bed doing this and that…!?”

“Wow, even I think that’s crossing a line.”

This time, even Kanarin took my side. The black cloud vibrated violently, sprouting spikes like a sea urchin. My mother-in-law seemed to be expressing her anger.

[Only when the child manifests his power! What a lewd child you are!]

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“So she’s not denying the lewdness…”

“Let’s rephrase that as a form of love, both of you.”

Both women casually ignored my request and brought the topic back on track.

“So… um, Black Dragon? I’d like to continue hearing what you have to say, if that’s alright.”

[Very well.]

Kanarin worked hard to mediate between us appropriately. My mother-in-law’s story unfolded like this:

[First, it’s true that I am aware of the original history. Dragons that circulate the world are closer to concepts and phenomena, so they are free from the constraints of space and time.]

My mother-in-law briefly explained her background.

The “Dragon Circulating the World” literally follows a predetermined route to circulate the world. She also revealed that this circulating path is called the Dragon’s Path.

And the moment a Dragon Circulating the World deviates from that path, it loses most of its power and degrades into human form.

The catalyst for my mother-in-law leaving the Dragon’s Path was the cry of a lone soldier who survived on a battlefield.

Drawn by the sorrowful cry from the battlefield, she deviated from the Dragon’s Path and appeared before the soldier in human form. That soldier later became the founding emperor who established the empire.

[Even though I lost much of my power, I still had many options. For instance, I could face death as a human… and remain in this child’s mind as a consciousness, as I am now.]

She explained that even though she was a dragon, her physical body couldn’t significantly exceed human limitations. Therefore, she allocated her power to exist within the mind of a descendant who would later bear an unfortunate fate.

In truth, it didn’t have to be Rahilt—it could have been anyone. It just happened that Rahilt was born with the most unfortunate fate among those within the range of her observed future.

[And to alter the original history, I inserted this world’s history into another world. Self-proclaimed daughter-in-law, what you saw as human creative work was precisely that.]

“Ah, ‘I Tamed the Deposed Emperor’s Child’…!”

[What an outrageous title.]

“…Ahem.”

From my mother-in-law’s perspective, it must have been unpleasant to hear about “taming” her descendant.

As a reader who had simply enjoyed the story, I could only close my mouth.

However, the shocking truth that followed immediately made me gape again.

[Next… I erased the memories of souls who had directly or indirectly encountered the creative work containing the child’s history, on a continental scale.]

“…What?”

[Were you curious about the reincarnation process? Were you asking about your original self’s whereabouts?]

She revealed the truth.

[You are Han Serin, and also Seriniel.]