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Chapter 104
Mixture
“…It gains a self?”
“You don’t believe it, right? Honestly, I don’t either. It’s something I read in an old text…”
“No. I do believe it. Or rather, I have no choice but to believe it.”
This time it was Anastasia’s turn to be surprised.
“…Pardon?”
“We’ll speak of it later. Not now.”
Artorius’s gaze lightly indicated Hound. He was still an outsider. It was too early to reveal everything.
“Hound.”
Anastasia called him in a low voice. Perhaps because he was attentive, he immediately followed knightly etiquette and knelt on one knee before her.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“You don’t really understand what we’re about to do yet, do you?”
“…That is correct.”
Terms like “entities,” “vessels of ill omen”—none of it made sense to Hound. Anastasia made no effort to fully explain.
Only what needed to be said, would be said.
“Artorius and I are planning to overthrow the royal family with the help of several nobles. I can’t explain everything to you, but there’s one thing I will ask of you.”
“…Yes.”
“Don’t die. You only just survived—it’d be a waste.”
Anastasia ruffled his hair, then looked up at Artorius.
“Artorius. If a battle breaks out, keep him in the rear. He probably hasn’t even had proper training—there’s nothing useful he can do.”
“Indeed. One cannot become a usable soldier in a matter of days.”
Hound tried to object, but in the end he pressed his lips shut.
There must be a reason.
As a mere common-born squire, there were calculations beyond his understanding.
“You can ask a servant outside to guide you to the squires’ quarters. If anyone complains, just say I personally hired you. No one will interfere.”
“Understood.”
Hound took Anastasia’s hand in the proper squire’s etiquette and lightly kissed the back of it.
Artorius shot him a slightly sharp look, but there was nothing to be done. The boy was now her subordinate, and the squire of her knight.
Still, jealousy lingered in Artorius’s expression.
Anastasia pretended not to notice and helped Hound to his feet.
“…Try to take off that cloak before you go. The insignia of a royal knight won’t be well received here.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
A squire wearing a cloak embroidered with the emblem of the royal knights inside the estate of House Etrange—while staying as a guest, no less.
The royal family would immediately interpret it as Hound’s betrayal, and assassins would surely be sent next time.
Such trouble was unnecessary.
“Good. Now go on. Artorius and I still have things to discuss.”
“…Once again, thank you very much.”
Hound bowed deeply, then turned and left. Only after the sound of the door closing faded and his footsteps disappeared did Anastasia speak again.
“So, you know something about entities gaining self-awareness?”
Her question was almost a demand.
“…If I did not, then what would have devoured me, Anastasia?”
For two hundred years, he had said he had once lost himself and become a beast of the abyss.
When he described something as having “devoured” him, it meant that something truly had.
…A consciousness capable of consuming another mind.
That alone was enough to ruin everything.
“…That’s true.”
“They are cunning, cruel, and highly intelligent. I tried every method I could to escape their grasp, but it was useless.”
“Then how did you escape?”
Artorius fell silent.
Not because he did not know—but because he feared the answer might disappoint her.
“…Artorius?”
Anastasia blinked.
“It’s just…”
“What are you hesitating for?”
“…I am afraid. Afraid that once you learn the truth, you will distance yourself from me.”
Anastasia scoffed softly, nudged his foot lightly, then placed her hand on her hip and looked at him more firmly.
“Do you not trust me?”
Artorius could not answer.
Because the answer was yes.
Not that he did not trust Anastasia—but that he feared she would be disappointed by what he had become in order to escape those entities.
“In the end, people always want to appear well in front of others. I am no different, Anastasia.”
“Artorius. I like people who are honest with me.”
She spoke firmly. Artorius realized there was no escaping this.
“If you insist… I will tell you. If that is what you want…”
“Now. I’m ready.”
A long sigh. Then a deep breath.
Artorius hesitated for a long time, like someone preparing for heartbreak, before finally speaking.
“…I had to become more evil than them.”
A shadow fell over his face.
“That is how I obtained these crimson eyes, Anastasia. I had to abandon what was pure and noble in me. I had to awaken the most vile, horrifying, and savage part of myself… the beast within, and the abyss. Light can illuminate darkness, but the human soul cannot.”
His voice sank lower and lower.
Anastasia silently reached out and placed her hand on his cheek.
“It’s alright. Keep going.”
“…Something even worse happened after that. When I unleashed the same cruelty and savagery as the two entities that had possessed me, it… mixed with my own darkness. Even now, they whisper. Even now, in my ears… I try to ignore it, but…”
A phrase Artorius had once spoken echoed in Anastasia’s mind.
If one day Artorius were to be devoured again by the whispers of those entities and become a beast of the abyss…
“…I made a compromise with them. I chose to regard them as part of myself. In doing so, I was able to reclaim myself. They are cursed blades, Anastasia. They do not allow their wielder to set them down…”
Artorius clutched his head without realizing it.
Anastasia pulled his hands away forcefully and pulled his large head into her arms.
“Artorius. Listen carefully.”
“…I am listening.”
But his eyes still avoided hers.
“Then look properly. Not just at the darkness inside you or that compromise you made.”
“…Alright.”
“So what if you compromised? That’s how people live. And I have my own darkness too. No one lives purely or fairly. And one more thing.”
She gripped his head tightly and forced him to meet her gaze at close range.
“I never expected Artorius to be pure or perfect. So stop saying nonsense.”
That seemed more shocking than anything else, but it allowed Artorius to finally look at her directly again.
“…Is that true?”
Seeing the mixture of relief and bitterness in his eyes, Anastasia couldn’t help but laugh.
“So what, did you think I was some pure, noble lady? I showed up out of nowhere and struck you with lightning, didn’t I?”
“That is…”
“We’re both just people. Sure, we’re a duke and a prince, so some might call that nonsense—but we’re still humans with the same kind of souls as everyone else.”
She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes.
“Some people suffer under their families, some are tormented by curses for a long time. We’re not superhuman, Artorius. Even if others don’t understand… we understand each other.”
Artorius simply pulled her into his arms.
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. So… entities have self-awareness, and they can also consume their host’s consciousness, right?”
She nodded.
“Correct. The gray-armed mage—whoever he is—may already have been consumed. Only a fragment of an entity remains within the Vessel of Ill Omen, but even that is enough to tempt and corrupt a person.”
“…Then there’s only one thing left for us to figure out.”
Only one piece of the puzzle remained.
“We need to find out who that gray-armed mage is possessing. Once we know who is fused with it, we can either separate them or seal them together.”
“…Do you think that’s possible?”
“We’ll find out by trying.”
The meaning was clear.
“Time to prepare for an audience,” Anastasia said, looking up at Artorius.
