Prelude (17)

Aileen ignored my words and continued speaking. And she smiled faintly. Because there was no way Shuriel would refuse.

“…I’m listening.”

“Great! That’s a good idea. Then, could you present your chest this way?”

Aileen.

No matter how many times I called out, she didn’t care. Then, she loosened Shuriel’s shirt and placed her palm where his heart was located.

-It’s dangerous.

‘I don’t care.’

-You won’t even be able to use Reconstruction.

‘I don’t care.’

-You won’t be able to fly through the sky either.

‘I don’t care.’

– Jiiiiing…

The heart under her hand glowed. Something was invading his body, but Shuriel, who had resolved to endure whatever happened, silently watched his heart glow.

“Daddy.”

Aileen called out to Shuriel in a wistful voice.

“I love you.”

Soon, the same phenomenon occurred in Aileen’s heart.

– Flash.

The flash that covered the room suddenly struck my eyes. But even in that bright light, there was something clearly visible.

Aileen’s arm.

The passage connecting heart to heart emitted an intense light, illuminating the room.

“Aileen!”

As the flash subsided, Aileen’s changed appearance came into view.

He closed his mouth as he looked at the geometrical patterns covering his daughter’s body. The magic circle, which covered her entire arm and spread to the vicinity of her heart, encroached on her fair skin and stretched out.

“Ahaha… Does it look a little ugly? It’s okay. I can cover it up.”

Aileen smiled and covered the magic circle.

“Aha, ha, eugh…….”

However, the laughter didn’t last long. Aileen frowned and grabbed her head.

“Aileen――… What is this?”

Shuriel, who had rushed to Aileen, suddenly stopped, feeling a sense of unease creeping up his body.

“Did you feel it? Daddy.”

Aileen giggled and sat down.

“How about putting Mom’s body in the middle of the magic circle and thinking, ‘Grow, grow~’?”

Shuriel swallowed hard and calmly followed Aileen’s words.

My body placed in the middle of the magic circle. A pathetic body that died drowning in Breast Milk. A light body with limbs cut off, that can be dragged with one hand.

“….”

Shuriel reached out, and after a few seconds―――

– Kudeuk, Kudeudeuk……

――It began to reconstruct.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Ahaha… The world is spinning…”

“Aileen.”

“…Euhe? It’s nothing much. I’m just connecting my Mana circuit to Daddy’s heart and taking on all the magical calculations.”

Reading Shuriel’s thoughts, deriving the desired magic, then consuming her own Mana, and remotely activating it through Shuriel’s body.

It was by no means something that would end with ‘just’. In fact, it was like becoming Shuriel’s second brain and Mana storage.

But Aileen, without showing any signs of difficulty, even warned me, threateningly.

‘Don’t even think about canceling it because it’s dangerous. If you take even this away, I’ll hate you. Forever.’

…Aileen, who had said that sternly, spoke with the opposite expression.

“I’m giving you this gift because you’re going to catch Barpeugos. So, you have to catch him, okay?”

Was this what it meant to sacrifice everything?

A brain that processes twice the amount of information, sometimes even more, stutters and can’t do what it usually does. It was the same for me. That’s why I scan regions locally. If I scanned the entire empire at once, my head would explode.

Of course, Aileen would be less than that, but it was still a burden. Complex calculations such as Reconstruction or flying in the sky would be out of the question. This treatment might be a little harsh on Aileen, who hasn’t experienced much of the world yet.

“Hehe…”

Aileen smiled.

-Aileen.

‘Do you think I’ll regret it?’

-No. That’s why I’m asking.

‘Then?’

-Wouldn’t it be a little harsh for you to handle all this alone? I can help-

‘No thanks.’

I was about to say that I would take on some of the calculations, but Aileen refused with a serious face.

‘I’ve finally become one with Daddy, are you going to take even this away?’

-Take away? I’ve never taken anything away.

‘Ah, ah! That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry.’

Aileen, acknowledging that she was being nervous, quickly apologized. I could tell that it was a sincere apology. Also, I could tell what Aileen was feeling right now.

Aileen was feeling something beyond ecstasy. Happiness. Happiness. And only happiness. It was literally like becoming one with Daddy――a feeling of happiness more intense than when our bodies were mixed dominated Aileen’s head.

“Come on, Daddy! Let’s not dawdle! Activate the magic circle! Mom is waiting!”

At those words, I reach out as if possessed.

– Jiiiiing…

The magic circle engraved on the floor glows blue.

“Ugh….”

Naturally, magic activated with someone else’s thoughts is less efficient. Aileen frowned at the excessive processing. It takes two steps to activate something that should only take one, or even ten steps in many cases.

– Jijijik…

-So, it really is a ritual to summon a soul.

‘I’m slowly saying goodbye to this body. It was a fun experience!’

-It’s not black magic, is it?

‘Of course not. I inherited Daddy’s divine power too.’

More than that, it really was a ritual to guide a soul.

The soul is drawn out by the power of the ritual.

There was no resistance, but it wasn’t my will. The feeling of being kicked out of my body was, well, an indescribable, vague feeling.

Just before my soul was ejected, I said to Aileen.

-This matter…

‘Of course, it’s a secret.’

I figured.

Aileen and I held an unspeakable secret.

* * *

Shuriel trembled, feeling the omnipotence flowing through his entire body. Mana and divine power poured in from Aileen’s body like a waterfall. A power that seemed to overflow and explode… Right now, he felt like he could get meaningful results even if he fought Yujin.

‘This is not the time for this.’

Oops. Aileen was looking at him with an expectant expression. It was a request to save her mother quickly.

“Haaaa…….”

Shuriel exhaled a blue breath and reached out.

– Jiiiiing…

For some reason, he began to understand the magic circles and patterns drawn on the magic circle. Even though they were characters he had never seen before, he could understand them thoroughly.

‘My thoughts are being guided.’

The quick-witted Shuriel realized that this was not his own thought.

But it wasn’t a bad feeling. Usually, things that guide thoughts are mostly techniques related to curses, but instead of that unpleasantness, he only felt tenderness.

This was… like the storm that Aileen had caused when she came to see him. Like the eye of a storm that is violent on the outside but gentle on the inside.

– Pajik, Pajijik…!

The ritual, which proceeded smoothly, summoned Yujin’s soul without any problems.

“…!”

Shuriel felt Yujin’s presence and clenched his teeth. Yujin, whom he had driven to death by mistake, by carelessness.

She came back to life.

I admit that the process was very pathetic. I admit that even death was an expected result. I admit that I was able to remain calm because it was a fitting end for Yujin.

But still, deep down.

I was hoping for it.

– Seuseuseuk…

The room after the intense sparks had subsided was a serious mess.

Hajin, who had been silent in the strange atmosphere, was busy tidying up his disheveled hair, and Aileen, who was overloaded with excessive calculations, was huddled in a corner, groaning.

But nothing caught Shuriel’s eye.

“…Eung?”

His eyes.

“Shuriel?”

Were directed at Yujin.

* * *

Shuriel seemed to have used too much emotion on Aileen, so he didn’t show much emotion even though I came back to life.

However, even though his emotional expression was small, his physical expression was excessive.

“Eung, Shuriel. I feel a little suffocated.”

“Isn’t this much okay?”

He was indifferent, but strangely lively. He seemed to have become a bit more open-minded. If he’s being proactive, I’m happy, but……

“Daddy. Would you like some cookies?”

“Sure.”

He had also become quite close to Aileen. Shuriel seemed to have learned what his daughter wanted through this incident.

“Hehe…♡”

Just smiling and stroking her head every time they met like this, Aileen twisted her body until she was about to die of happiness.

“She’s become quite bright.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t understand why she’s become brighter after I died. Um. I’m not being sarcastic. I’m not sulking either.”

“…Um.”

Shuriel answered with his usual rotten expression, that is, the expression he makes when he doesn’t care.

“I must have understood even death.”

“Death?”

“It’s a grand statement, but it means I’ve realized another layer of your perverted tastes. Then I’ll ask you in return. Do you have any intention of stopping ‘that kind of thing’ in the future?”

That kind of thing……. The dangerous things like drowning in Breast Milk like today. I answered with a flustered expression.

“I don’t think so.”

“Yeah. You’ll calmly commit those kinds of things even if I cry and beg. Somewhere, without me knowing.”

“…Ugh. I’m sorry about that.”

Shuriel chuckled and said.

“It was frustrating to realize that. You can leave me at any time, but I can’t.”

“W-Well, if you want, I can restrain myself….”

“There’s no need for that. I’ve already made a decision.”

“Decision?”

– Kwajik.

Shuriel chewed on the cookie Aileen had handed him and said.

“Let’s do well while we’re together. It might be a cliché, but there’s no better saying for me right now.”

…

I see.

“…I’m sorry.”

“I told you, there’s no need to be.”

“I’m already doing well enough, if I do any better… I’ll have no face to show.”

What else could he do better than this? I pushed the brain of the Archmage to its limits, but I couldn’t find an answer.