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Chapter 19
Why is he so startled? I suddenly feel like I’m the weird one here.
“Your shirt looks too tight. When you have a fever, you’re supposed to cool down your body a little.”
Of course, if we were older, that might’ve sounded strange—but right now, we were just ten-year-old kids.
‘Ah… maybe not? Should I start being more careful about that now?’
Come to think of it, I’m still a kid too. Acting like a guardian probably looks a bit odd.
Anyway, since he looked so sick, I held my ground with all the confidence I could muster.
“If you don’t want me to watch, I’ll leave!”
“No.”
His sudden reply made my eyes go round.
“You don’t want me to leave?”
Chewing on his lip, Sian turned away sharply and lay down.
“Idiot. I meant I don’t want to take it off. It’s not that bad.”
“I don’t believe you. You say you’re fine even when you’re not.”
“……”
He shut his mouth like he was ignoring me. I huffed and blew out a small snort through my nose, then took a step forward. I was going to circle the bed and check his temperature again.
But before I could even take two steps, I heard a rustling sound—and suddenly stumbled.
“What the—?”
My sleeve was caught. Sian had sat up and grabbed it.
After hesitating a moment—lips opening and closing like a whisper—he finally asked, in a voice barely louder than an ant’s,
“…Where are you going?”
“…To check your fever.”
He blinked, realizing his mistake, and released my sleeve before lying back down.
Thanks to him lying properly, I could check his temperature more easily this time.
“Wow, the medicine’s really working fast.”
“…Told you so.”
“You were really bad a while ago, though.”
Relief washed over me, and I sat gently on the edge of his bed.
Sian glanced at me and spoke slowly.
“Why’d you come here?”
His voice had mostly recovered by now.
“You weren’t coming, so I came to you.”
And once I started, I couldn’t stop talking.
“You said you’d keep an eye on me—how could you be so careless and let me roam free like this? I thought maybe you’d gotten too comfortable, so I came to scold you. If the Duke sees how honest I am, he might even praise me!”
Sian gave me the strangest look, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. I chuckled quietly. Half of what I said was a joke anyway.
“Anyway, I’m glad I came. It’s lonely being sick all by yourself. I know how that feels.”
“It’s not really—”
“Then who was it that just clung to my sleeve, huh?”
I used to get sick a lot myself. I got used to it eventually… but no matter how often it happened, being sick always made your heart weaker. I knew that all too well.
I shrugged my shoulders, and Sian gave me a sharp side-eye.
“Then go now.”
“Really go?”
“…Do what you want.”
“Okay then. I’ll stay.”
If he wanted me gone, he should’ve said so earlier. Too late now.
And that long pause before he answered—yeah, that told me enough. He didn’t really mean it. Cute.
‘Ah, come to think of it—’
Something occurred to me, and I dropped my playful tone.
“Sorry.”
“For what now?”
“Actually, before I came… I kinda overheard something about you.”
“So?”
“Huh?”
When I looked down, Sian’s face had hardened, and his gaze on me was suddenly sharper.
‘Ah, he’s mad.’
While I hesitated, trying to read him, his flushed face turned redder, and he spoke like spitting out each word.
“Why are you apologizing? You want to stay away from me now or something?”
I pressed my finger right between his heated brows.
“Didn’t you hear what I said before? You’re supposed to keep a closer watch on me.”
Honestly. Getting ahead of himself like that. With an exaggerated sigh, I lay back, eyes closed.
My head came to rest against his stomach. He tensed, uncomfortable at the sudden weight.
“What are you doing?”
His annoyed voice vibrated right through the top of my head. It tickled, and I couldn’t help laughing.
“Guess I caught your cold. I’m gonna rest too.”
Even if it wasn’t a cold, I really was exhausted. It had been such a hectic day since morning.
‘Maybe it’s because the room’s quiet… I’m getting sleepy all of a sudden.’
Something shifted beside me, and then—someone pressed down gently on the side of my head.
“Why are you resting here? Go back and rest there.”
“Why do you keep telling me to leave…”
My voice trailed off sleepily, and Sian hesitated, pulling his hand away. He clicked his tongue once, then fell silent.
“At lunch… I ate alone, and there was way too much food left over.”
“……”
“So, let’s eat dinner together later…”
The room filled with a calm, comfortable silence. Warm sunlight streamed in, making my body relax.
And just like that, lying sideways across the bed with my head on Sian’s stomach, I drifted off to sleep.
When did I fall asleep?
I blinked blankly as I woke up. But strangely, no matter how many times I opened and closed my eyes, my vision didn’t return.
‘Wait… what is this?’
It wasn’t grogginess from just waking up—this was total darkness. I was surrounded by pitch-black nothing.
Just as fear began to creep in, a voice echoed through the void, one that felt oddly familiar.
[Finally, you’re here!]
“Ah! What the—?!”
The voice was nothing like a human’s, and I screamed instinctively.
[Calm down! Baby Hilberk, calm yourself and listen to me!]
“…Baby Hilberk?”
What kind of weird title is that? The absurdity made me snap back automatically.
[You haven’t grown yet, but soon you will—just like my other children. Don’t worry too much.]
“That’s not what I was asking… Who are you?”
‘What kind of ridiculous dream is this?’
[I had no choice. I can’t even speak to you outside of a dream. You’re still too weak, your power too small.]
“…You can hear me?”
[Of course. And what do you mean, ‘Who am I’? You see me every day lately.]
The slightly offended tone made it click.
“Oh—wait, from that bracelet…”
[That’s right! You remember! I’m the spirit bound to that bracelet.]
Thank goodness. So I wasn’t crazy after all.
…Or maybe I was, since I was actually talking to something like this.
“A spirit?”
Were spirits even a thing in this world? Like, fire spirits, water spirits—that kind of fantasy stuff?
[It must sound unfamiliar to you humans. But haven’t you heard tales of objects or places with a will of their own?]
“I have. It’s a common trope in hero stories.”
[Those aren’t just stories. They’re real. We call them spirits. And I’ve been around since the very first Hilberk existed. Oh, the struggles we went through back then—]
“Um, excuse me?”
[Now that our children have grown so strong, you can imagine how proud I am as their guardian—]
“Wait, I get it! But why me? Why are you talking to me?”
[Ah, right. I ramble too much. That’s what happens when you go so long without conversation. Why, just the other day—]
He really did sound like someone who hadn’t spoken in ages. His voice was almost cheerful—but my head was starting to ache.
“If you don’t get to the point soon, I’m waking up. Dream or not.”
[What? No, wait! Fine. I need you to help Hilberk.]
“…Excuse me? Me?”
The spirit sounded almost offended by my reaction.
[You’re one of us now. It’s only natural.]
“But does Hilberk really need my help?”
There’s the Duke, and Blair. What could I possibly add?
‘Wait… now that I think about it…’
Both the Duke and Blair were gone by the time the original story’s Sian became an adult.
‘They were so strong… how could both just die?’
Now that I thought about it, it didn’t add up. Were their deaths really just there to make the protagonist suffer?
[You know it too, don’t you? They… can’t even hear my voice. But you can. And someone like you—someone who’s lived such an odd life—just appeared.]
“I get that, but still…”
[Helping us is also the only way for you to survive.]
The spirit’s tone shifted suddenly—calm, but chillingly final.
[You already died once, remember?]
“…What?”
[You came here because you wanted to live this time, didn’t you? Then you’d better listen to me.]
The chatter vanished. The spirit’s voice now vibrated deep inside me, low and grave.
It was clear that whatever happened to Aria and me in our past life was connected to what the spirit called “helping Hilberk.”
I hadn’t expected to find a clue like this here.
‘It’s confusing… and impossible to believe, but…’
For now, there was no harm in hearing more. I asked carefully,
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
[Ah, wise as ever. Let’s start with something simple first, shall we?]
And just like that, the spirit’s voice brightened again, full of energy.
