Chapter 237 – Serr the Mage (4)

Chapter 237 – Serr the Mage (4)

Serr told us not to worry, but the anxiety that had risen in my heart didn’t go away so easily.

Perhaps reading our minds, Serr let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“I was planning to keep this a secret, but seeing how you can’t trust me, I think it’ll be easier to just say it. Tsk. Noah, Rubia. The truth is, my body died once.”

“…What? Serr, what do you mean…?”

“…You died?”

“Rubia, you might remember, but Noah, you probably saw it through your [Heightened Senses]. When the Nameless One pierced my heart. Do you remember? I died then. But as you can see, my soul didn’t die. That’s because, right before I died, I hid my soul inside Noah’s consciousness. Explaining the whole process would take too long, so I’ll skip over it. Hm… If I skip it all, there’s nothing left to explain. Anyway, with the hidden soul, my memories, and Noah’s [Heightened Senses] as a base, I reconstructed my body. It’s easier to just say I made it completely new.”

Rubia’s hand, which was covering her mouth, trembled violently.

I, too, was so shocked I forgot to breathe.

Serr… died once?

“Why are you so shocked? For people living in this unfinished world, the body is just a shell. You both know that, right? So there’s no need to be shocked. And you don’t need to feel guilty, either. Like Noah said, Rubia, you’re not the one who killed me. And Noah, same for you. My body’s death was what I wanted, so don’t feel guilty.”

“You wanted… your body to die…?”

“To be precise, I wanted to be killed by someone on a higher level. Anyway, here’s the answer to Rubia’s question, so listen carefully. My soul was made as an emergency key to complete the world. My body was a vessel to hold such a high-level soul. That’s why my body had such high value. But that’s not all. The Nameless One’s divine power dug into that high-level body, didn’t it?”

“So, that body…”

“Yes. I used that body, which contained the Nameless One’s divine power and had become even higher level, as a price to stop my soul from collapsing.”

Serr shrugged.

“How about it? This is the result of the genius Serr’s brilliant mind and meticulous planning. Isn’t it amazing?”

“…It was reckless, but… I’m glad it all worked out.”

Rubia let out a sigh of relief.

But I still couldn’t relax.

“Then… what exactly caused such a complete change now…?”

“It’s magic I created with my unique ability.”

“Magic…? What was the price?”

“I offered up all of Sirin’s accumulated karma as the price.”

Serr reached out her hand. On her palm floated a golden orb, smaller than before.

“To explain further, I absorbed Sirin’s soul. The same goes for her karma. That’s how I was able to offer up Sirin’s karma, which had become mine. Of course, I can return the absorbed soul to Noah at any time.”

“Did you use lifespan as the price, or anything like that…?”

“No. I didn’t.”

Serr laughed.

Just like always.

“By the way, is [Heightened Senses] always this inconvenient? I tried imitating Noah’s [Heightened Senses], and hmm. It’ll be quite helpful in combat, but for daily life… it’s very uncomfortable.”

Serr closed her eyes and looked around, then clicked her tongue.

Then, quickly turning back to us, the awkward smile from before was gone, replaced by a natural one.

Even after hearing Serr’s answer and seeing her natural expression, the dark clouds in my mind didn’t clear.

It felt like a thorn was stuck somewhere in my finger.

I didn’t know what the problem was, but I couldn’t shake off the discomfort.

My instincts kept bristling.

What is it that’s making me so uneasy?

As I kept searching for the reason, 

“So, what do you think of Rubia’s face now that you’ve seen it in person? Is it just like you imagined from sensing it with your [Heightened Senses]?”

Serr’s silly question cut sharply through my thoughts.

“…Huh?”

My mind was so tangled with complicated thoughts that I couldn’t answer.

“Judging by how late you’re answering, I guess it wasn’t as impressive as you thought? Disappointed after seeing her in person. I didn’t know you were that kind of person. I’m very disappointed, Noah.”

Serr started dragging my delayed answer in a weird direction.

“…What are you talking about…? That’s not it! Ru, Rubia! You don’t believe her, right?”

“Ahaha… O, of course not.”

Rubia nodded awkwardly.

Then, in a very small voice, she muttered,

“My crying face must have looked a bit ugly…? I was probably sniffling, and my face must have been all twisted up…”

“Ah, no… It’s not that, ”

“Then why were you so slow to answer?”

“Uh… That’s…”

In the suddenly tangled and awkward atmosphere, I glanced at Rubia’s face.

A face I’d seen countless times as an illusion, as a game screen.

She looked like she was about to cry now… but it was a face I knew better than anyone.

That Rubia’s face. Seeing it in real life for the first time.

As I thought before, she was truly beautiful. Her dazzling silver hair, her eyes that soften gently when she looks at me even though they’re usually sharp, her blue pupils, her high nose, her tightly closed pink lips, her jawline, her flowing silver hair.

No matter how you looked at it, or even if you didn’t scrutinize the details.

Whether I looked closely or just glanced, 

She was beautiful.

So… I answered honestly, just as my instincts told me.

“It’s… because Rubia is beautiful. That’s why.”

She asked why I hesitated, so why did I answer like that? I don’t know. I really don’t… but it seems things worked out.

“R, really? Hehe, hehehe… Hm. Well, I guess that’s possible.”

Rubia’s tearful face slowly softened, and then, looking embarrassed, she hid her face.

Serr was the same. Her mischievous grin vanished, replaced by a slightly surprised expression.

But only for a moment, Serr quickly recovered her mischievous smile and threw a new question at me.

“Hm, Noah. Then, what about me?”

“…What?”

“I don’t think my face loses to anyone, you know. My figure, my calm voice, even my natural scent. If you add it all up, I might be as pretty as Rubia, maybe even prettier. What do you think?”

Swish.

Serr finished speaking and walked toward me.

Her milky hair, a bit darker than Rubia’s, shimmered. I couldn’t see them, but her violet eyes were staring right at me, dreamy and mysterious. Her slender nose, the gentle curve of her thin lips, they were in perfect harmony.

“…Uh.”

I had seen Serr’s face countless times in the game and in dreams, just like Rubia’s.

But… she really was more beautiful in person.

If Rubia was dazzlingly beautiful, Serr was elegant. And unlike the slightly sharp Rubia, Serr gave off a softer… feeling?

Anyway, Serr was beautiful too.

As I was about to answer Serr’s question, 

“Uh, well… Serr, you’re, ”

Time seemed to slow. My mind raced. A chill ran down my spine.

Within that sensation, my instincts screamed that answering as I was would be dangerous.

Finally, my instincts, which had been shouting in my head, issued a command.

Say it like this.

“S-Serr is beautiful too, but… for me… Rubia is more beautiful.”

“…Huh.”

“Hm?”

Rubia and Serr both jolted in surprise.

I was shocked too.

It was way too embarrassing…

But Rubia seemed happy… which surprised me.

“…Hehe.”

In the awkward silence that followed, I laughed.

As I laughed, I thought, 

No matter what Serr was thinking, or what she tried to do, it didn’t matter anymore.

Even if Serr tried to sacrifice herself for me, I was sure I could stop her now.

Because the fragments of the key embedded in my soul had been completed into a perfect key.

Primavera had said it could only be completed with Sirin’s soul, but I didn’t know why it was finished now.

Still, I didn’t bother trying to figure it out.

I didn’t want to waste time searching for the reason.

There wasn’t enough time to enjoy this moment, a moment that might never come again.

So I emptied my mind and held Rubia’s hand tightly. I took in her scent. Felt her warmth. Listened to her breathing. Etched her lovely figure into my eyes.

No matter what happened, even if I died, even if I disappeared from this world without a trace, I wanted to see Rubia’s face enough times to remember it forever.

“Hm… I thought I’d tease Noah a bit for having such arrogant thoughts, but it seems I’ve missed my chance.”

With a sigh and a disappointed click of her tongue, Serr turned away.

“Then, let me ask one last thing.”

Last?

Before I could even wonder about those words, Serr stepped forward and spoke.

“Noah, do I still seem arrogant to you?”

“…What?”

“If you’ve really seen and felt the magic I used and what came from it, you should know. I, Serr, am not arrogant.”

Swish.

Serr, who had walked some distance away, turned her back to us.

“But… Noah, you are arrogant. Arrogant, shameless, and foolish.”

Then, with a faint smile, she spread her arms wide.

“To think you could stop me with just that, and even try to fool your friend and Rubia.”

Creak.

The scales tipped.

“To fool innocent Rubia is one thing, but to fool a genius like me, ”

Creak. 

The scales balanced.

“You’d have to be a god for that.”