episode_0089

90 – Crossed Paths

“Lukina… Lukina.” “Mother…”

Ainz and his daughter Skadia despaired. Though her body was weak due to a long-standing illness, nothing particularly serious had happened for ten years after her birth. Her condition had merely worsened rapidly in just a few months. Even while submerged in grief, Ainz barely managed to collect himself and proceed with the funeral arrangements. On that day, numerous guests visited the Maryland estate. Naturally, the Friuli family was among them.

Ruan comforted her, his voice full of worry. “Skadia, are you alright? It must be really hard, isn’t it?” “……” “Skadia?” But Skadia, deep in sorrow, didn’t properly respond to Ruan’s comforting words, maintaining only silence. Hours later, she regretted it and went looking for Ruan, but it would have been better if she hadn’t.

“Sister! I mastered all seven forms yesterday! Good job, right?” “Yeah… but I have to go now. Father called for me.” “Really? Then let’s go together!” “No. I have to go alone. Sorry.” “Oh, really? Then I’ll wait! You’ll come right back after you’re done talking, right?” “…Alright. See you later.” Ruan stared intently at Isis’s retreating figure. That immense obsession, dependence, and desperate emotion were immediately conveyed to Skadia as well. ‘He didn’t cling to me like that.’ Though it was she who had ignored him, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed by his clearly different attitude towards Isis compared to how he treated her. The thought that Ruan loved Isis, not herself, became even more firmly entrenched. Skadia wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks and left the spot.

After that, time flowed relentlessly. Roughly two months later, Skadia finally came to the conclusion that it would be alright even if Ruan loved Isis. Even if she wasn’t his absolute first, it would be enough to receive even a speck of his love. Anyway, since they were siblings, she could legally become his wife. Just a few weeks after she had comforted herself with these thoughts, the letters Ruan had sent periodically suddenly stopped coming.

At first, she was worried. She thought something might have happened to Ruan. However, she concluded that if something truly serious had occurred, news would have reached her long ago. Thus, the next feeling that arose was fear. She was anxious that Ruan might have completely abandoned her. She couldn’t bring herself to confirm this with Ian. Therefore, though she wanted to go to him immediately, Skadia hesitated. Count Ainz weighed heavily on her mind. Since Countess Lukina’s death, he had been living every day steeped in alcohol. He looked as if he might follow her if she took her eyes off him for even a moment, so she couldn’t leave his side. Ultimately, after three more months passed like this, Skadia could no longer suppress her longing for Ruan. She headed towards the Friuli estate, accompanied only by her escorts, via the snowy mountains.

“He’ll be surprised, won’t he?” Skadia caressed her hair clip with an excited expression, a playful smile on her face. It was an intricately crafted butterfly hair clip. Finally, when she arrived at the estate, she was greeted by the butler.

The butler’s face was noticeably flustered. “Lady Skadia, what brings you here so suddenly?” “I came to see Ruan. It’s been over six months since I last saw his face. Where is he?” “He… he’s still asleep. Would you mind waiting in the reception room for a moment, please? I’ll bring young master here.” “No. There’s no need. I’ll go wake him up myself.” “Ah, Lady!” Casually ignoring the butler’s call, Skadia headed towards Ruan with a hardened expression.

‘Something was strange.’ Even if she had arrived suddenly, the butler was excessively agitated, despite having seen her more than once or twice. It was as if she shouldn’t be there at all right now. Her heart began to pound wildly as a sudden wave of anxiety surged through her. Thump! Thump! With each step she took, the pounding grew stronger, until by the time she arrived at Ruan’s room, it was as loud as thunder.

“Haa… Hoo…” Taking a deep breath, she was about to knock when she bit her lip tightly and pushed the door open. Creeeak— The moment the door opened felt like an eternity. The first thing that caught her eye were clothes scattered messily on the floor. Ruan’s clothes were conspicuously intertwined with a maid’s uniform. Shifting her gaze to the bed, she saw two people. Long, pale legs. A slender waist. Ample breasts. Beautiful features. A maid she had never seen before lay naked. Beside her, Ruan, similarly without a stitch of clothing, was sound asleep. As if it had worked hard through the night, a certain object, stained and smeared with various bodily fluids, stood proudly erect, radiating heat. It was undeniable proof that required no explanation.

“Ah…” Skadia let out a small gasp. Her vision distorted, wavy and blurred. Tears flowed from anger and betrayal. She even wondered if this was a dream. But reality was reality. No matter how much she rubbed her eyes, the scene before her didn’t change. Skadia was certain. ‘Ruan doesn’t love me.’ Until now, she had simply believed Ruan’s love had shifted to Isis. But that wasn’t it. He had simply grown tired of her. His promise to love only her for a lifetime had been cast aside like an old shoe. What he needed wasn’t her, but simply a woman’s body to appease him for a night. The moment she realized this, Skadia regained her composure with surprising speed, rendering her earlier sadness meaningless. Her agitated heart froze coldly, isolating all emotions. Her face had become expressionless, and she wiped away her tears before turning her back.

Creeeak— Click! The door closed. Simultaneously, the door to her heart also closed. Skadia no longer held any lingering feelings for Ruan.

“I won’t believe anymore.” Skadia left the Friuli estate right then. And she never sought it out again. Later, it was revealed that this was an act orchestrated by a vassal overly loyal to Isis, who had bribed the maid and butler, but Skadia’s feelings remained unchanged. Ruan already held no meaning in her heart. And so, their relationship met its ruin.

***

Yet another memory stirred in my head, disorienting me. I examined the sins committed by this past body and closed my mouth with a wry expression. Honestly, it wasn’t incomprehensible. At that time, Ruan Friuli was clearly backed into a corner. His swordsmanship was stagnant, his relationship with his fiancée had grown distant, and Isis had started avoiding him, leaving him completely isolated. It was, in a way, a natural psychological response to want to fill that solitude with someone else’s warmth. Though there was no excuse for it taking the form of physical intimacy. And if he was going to do it, he shouldn’t have gotten caught. ‘Ugh, what an idiot.’ The thought that began with pity ended with exasperation.

Meanwhile, we arrived at the central staircase. “Then I’m off.” “Alright.” Alisa disappeared up the stairs as if without a trace of regret. I looked at Deborah. “Aren’t you leaving?” “Hmm… there’s something I’d like to discuss. Would you mind following me?” “Now?” “Yes. It’s important.” Deborah’s demeanor was calm. Her transparent purple eyes were deep, as if piercing through my entire being. Sensing some premonition from her gaze, I slowly nodded. “Alright. Where should we go?” “There’s a promenade behind the building. Please follow me.”

Deborah led the way, and we left the dormitory, arriving at the promenade. We walked in silence along the path. And when we were a good distance from the dormitory, with no one else around, Deborah began. “Ruan. Do you know that?” “No.” “Huh?” “I said no.” “……” How would I know if you just ask out of the blue? As I shrugged with such an expression, Deborah pouted. “That’s not fun.” “I wasn’t trying to be fun.” “Anyway, just listen to me first!” “I am listening.” As I kept replying without giving an inch, Deborah sighed and then recomposed herself.

“Ruan, you know about my precognitive sight, don’t you?” “Yes. Come to think of it, I recently heard about the Star Witch from the Saintess. Are you perhaps her successor?” When I asked with half-certainty, Deborah’s eyes widened in surprise before she gave a faint smile. “…That’s right. My master said that I am the one who received the blessing of the stars in this generation.” “I see. But why the sudden talk about precognitive sight?” “Well, actually…” Deborah trailed off, then suddenly brought her hand to her eye, removed a lens, and gazed at me with purple eyes sparkling like starlight.

I couldn’t help but be surprised. She, who had not used her precognitive sight since losing her parents in childhood and developing trauma, was now peering into the future herself. Deborah blinked several times, studying me, then posed a question. “Ruan. What do you think I’m seeing right now?” “…Well. Me raping another woman?” As I spoke, I felt a sense of shame. Deborah already knew my true identity, but being exposed like this was not good. I prayed that the future she saw would stop merely at rape. If she saw anything more, I wouldn’t be able to lift my head in shame. Amidst my worry, Deborah let out a suppressed laugh.

“Pfft! Unfortunately, no.” “Then what?” It was a relief that it wasn’t rape, but then another kind of worry assailed me. It couldn’t be a scene of me in the bathroom, could it? Given Deborah was laughing, I presumed it wasn’t such a dirty or unsightly scene, but I couldn’t be certain. After all, maybe Deborah had a scatological preference. As if my inner thoughts had been revealed, Deborah suddenly narrowed her eyes. “What are you thinking? Your eyes look strange.” “I wasn’t thinking anything. So, what did you see?” She scrutinized my features for a moment, appearing suspicious, before getting to the point.

“Nothing.” “What?” “I didn’t see anything. Ruan’s future is not visible.” “Not visible…?” My expression stiffened. ‘What does that mean?’ It was impossible for Deborah’s precognitive sight to only not work on me, so there must be another reason. Why wouldn’t her precognitive sight work? Lost in thought for a moment, I suddenly felt Deborah’s persistent gaze. She looked at me with interest, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking, then, as our eyes met, she smiled sweetly and dropped a bombshell. “Ruan. You’re a transmigrator, aren’t you?” Thump! My heart plummeted in that instant.