46
…That name again.
It’s also a name I can no longer just let slide without concern. Could it be related to my reincarnation? When that question crossed my mind, an answer came back from Prometil.
[What I can clearly tell is that you’ve strayed from the fate you were originally supposed to live and are walking a very different path. It seems to be a change caused by a word of power… Whatever it is, it’s interesting.]
“……”
[I wanted to watch your changed destiny.]
I feel like I’m being treated as a lab rat. As I felt displeased emotions, Prometil gently soothed me.
[Instead, if you also have something you want from me, tell me. I’ll grant any wish that I can fulfill with my abilities.]
‘What abilities do you have?’
[Mainly helping people attain wisdom.]
‘Hmm.’
[If you learn from me, you could even become a great sage.]
…Doesn’t that just mean you’ll make me study intensively?
This god is less useful than I thought.
[Hey! Less useful, you say!]
I heard Prometil’s indignant voice, but I casually ignored it. When I no longer felt like continuing the conversation, Prometil’s voice grew distant and eventually disappeared to the other side of my consciousness.
Some time after that…
News of me spread rapidly throughout the entire empire.
* * *
“That bastard’s son ended up being chosen by a divine artifact.”
Inside the Seraphium Cult.
The cult leader, who had received the news from his right-hand man who had been continuously gathering information under orders, fumed with anger and kicked a chair away with a bang to vent his rage.
The reason he was so furious was that if an avatar appeared, it would become very troublesome to handle matters.
First of all, the divine artifact itself wouldn’t want to leave the side of the avatar it had chosen, which was a problem to begin with, and with increased external interest, the surrounding attention would act as pressure.
They could capture that avatar and sell him to the black market for money, but unfortunately he was a noble, so even that wouldn’t be easy…
“Damn it!”
Normally, he would have just washed his hands of it and treated it like cake he couldn’t eat. However, having been pleased at the thought of causing trouble for that rich bastard only to be thoroughly defeated, the cult leader was burning with rage and couldn’t stand it.
“What will you do?”
The cult leader’s right-hand man Terion asked his master for his intentions. As the fuming subsided, the cult leader raised his gleaming eyes like a hungry snake and plotted.
“Let’s hunt that son.”
“…Are you serious? The target is a noble.”
“We can disguise it as an accident.”
Fortunately, the Seraphium Cult was wealthy and had enough money to hire people.
And after threatening Lowell’s son to steal the divine artifact, they could kill him through the hired person and dispose of the hired person too, leaving no traces.
The cult leader soon grinned until his mouth nearly split.
Rather than greed for money, the twisted desire to ruin the life of someone he disliked gradually dominated his mind.
“Bring out the magic tools we purchased from the black market.”
The cult leader gestured to Terion.
The black market, which sold all sorts of things, also had quite a few magic tools created by mages with dark desires flowing in, and among them were magic tools that could brainwash people.
Though they were rare and valuable items, the cult leader was willing to use those he had collected as a hobby for his purpose.
“Understood.”
Terion quickly turned toward the warehouse.
The cult leader, absorbed in his schemes, stroked his chin.
‘First, I need to figure out that bastard’s son’s movements.’
He would brainwash the hired person to commit suicide when the job was done, and when kidnapping that bastard’s son and sending the extorted divine artifact here, he could use magic tools inscribed with warp magic for the necessary devices…
Since he had only collected them as a hobby, his knowledge of magic tools wasn’t extensive, but he had seen demonstrations when purchasing them, so there should be no problem.
Everything would go according to his plan.
Imagining Lowell’s smug face crumbling, the cult leader relaxed his expression with satisfaction.
* * *
Society was in an uproar over my story. Since I hadn’t attended any gatherings recently, I didn’t feel it directly, but…
I was feeling it indirectly by seeing my story featured prominently in the newspapers I read every morning.
Castian, who had originally planned to stay at our mansion for just a few more days before returning to the Imperial Palace, was also showing great interest in the divine artifact and staying under the pretext of research.
Today marked exactly one week of this.
“The spiritual entity dwelling here speaks to you?”
Inside the salon of the Lowell mansion.
At Castian’s question, I nodded.
“Yes. It’s quiet now.”
“Hmm, fascinating. Is that also a kind of magic?”
Castian murmured while closely observing the bracelet on my wrist. Sometimes I thought he was using it as an excuse for physical contact… but it wasn’t bothersome enough for me to overreact, so I just let it be.
That’s when it happened.
“Young master. Miss Ret has arrived.”
The head butler entered the salon and brought me the news.
“Ah, I’ll go out now.”
It seemed Riette, who had sent an express letter announcing her visit, had just arrived. I quickly got up from my seat to greet her and left the salon. Then I headed to the entrance…
I was startled to see the ‘two people’ standing there.
Cedric was with Riette.
It was typical of him to tag along without a word, and it had been a while since I’d seen Riette too, but after that day, he hadn’t shown his face at all… I didn’t expect him to appear so suddenly like this.
And while Riette had sent me a letter asking if it was okay to visit to talk about the divine artifact since she had seen it in the newspaper, Cedric… hadn’t sent anything like that.
“Eddie! It’s been a while.”
“Uh, yeah. Welcome, Ret.”
Unlike Riette who entered cheerfully, Cedric was silent. I also missed the timing to greet him and could only awkwardly roll my eyes.
“Well, uh, want to sit? Should we go to my room?”
“Hm? We can just go to the salon.”
“Ah, that’s… there’s a guest inside.”
“A guest?”
“Oh. Faces I haven’t seen in a while?”
Then Castian’s voice came from the salon direction, so I turned my head. Having heard the conversation outside, he had come out to the entrance.
Castian smiled ambiguously. Without realizing it, I glanced at Cedric. Sure enough, Cedric’s expression had noticeably soured.
If I had known this guy would come along, I would have sent Castian up to the guest room beforehand…
“Your Highness the Prince? Why are you here?”
Riette asked in surprise as if she hadn’t expected it, then rolled her eyes as if remembering something.
“Ah, come to think of it, Eddie’s blind date partner was…”
The fact that I had a blind date with Castian seemed to have already spread as rumors somehow, as she already seemed to know.
“Oh my. I should excuse myself then.”
Castian made such pleasantries and left his seat. As I watched his retreating figure going upstairs while holding my breath…
‘Phew.’
I swallowed a sigh of relief inwardly.
It felt like I had removed one time bomb.
Soon Riette looked at me with an admiring expression.
“So your blind date partner really was His Highness the Prince.”
I had a lot to explain about that.
“I didn’t know it would turn out like this either… I should have set the blind date conditions clearly from the beginning, but I was careless. And originally, he should have returned to the Imperial Palace a few days ago, but he said he’d stay longer because of the divine artifact…”
The words that followed were also said while gauging Cedric’s reaction. Meaning don’t misunderstand. He showed no reaction though.
“Right! The divine artifact! I heard about that.”
Riette clapped her hands together.
Then she dragged me and Cedric to sit on one sofa while she naturally sat on the opposite sofa and continued speaking.
“I’ve never seen someone chosen by a divine artifact in my life. What was it like when you were chosen? Tell me what happened.”
Having ended up sitting close to Cedric, I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation and just kept my head down. This must be what it feels like to sit on a bed of thorns.
“Right, Cedy. You’re curious too, aren’t you?”
“……”
Cedric still showed no reaction. Feeling Riette’s difficulty with the situation, I belatedly opened my mouth.
“Ah, I heard a voice at first.”
“A voice?”
“Yeah. It felt like someone was calling me.”
So when I went to look, there was the divine artifact…
I gradually explained the processes I had experienced afterward. And as I talked, my tension eased a little, so I leaned back comfortably against the sofa.
“Amazing. Isn’t that fate at that level?”
Riette smiled softly and joked.
‘Fate, huh.’
Those words strangely resonated with me… making me ponder them.
Just as I was raising the corners of my mouth in a smile.
“Why did that god choose you as an avatar?”
Cedric spoke for the first time today.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
