| Author: Tensei Mikami | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 2269 characters |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 997 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
The moment Seletina said that she’d like to speak with Imitia alone,
“……”
Imitia’s orange eyes looked straight at Seletina’s ultramarine eyes, and after some time she turned to look at Remilia.
“Remilia.”
“Yes?”
“Leave us for a bit.”
“… Understood.”
Remilia was a bit hesitant to say anything, but she was a bright girl. She quietly left the room without saying anything.
“……”
A slight silence filled the room, and after a bit Seletina felt like she heard the door close rather loudly. At this point, Seletina found herself simultaneously tense and surprisingly calm.
Her heart was beating fast, but her head remained very clear. The tension slowly dripped into the silent fountain of Seletina’s heart, muddying it.
“It’s only us now.”
Seletina looked up in surprise when Imitia said this. Apparently Imitia had sensed something and was now waiting for a response. Seletina exhaled slowly, letting her thoughts wander.
(Now then, where should I start?)
She thought, before starting to speak slowly,
“Imitia Belbed, what I’m about to say now is sure to shock you. It will upset you, and I am sure you will not believe me. But, I am going to tell you things as they are.”
(As your friend)1
Saying that Seletina looked up straight at Imitia. Imitia, in turn, looked at Seletina with a… slight frown. It was a probing look.
In addition to the change in tone, Seletina talked as if she were an old friend… and it is understandable that anyone would be skeptical of such a statement from a girl they’d met not that long ago.
Seletina understood this, which is why she did not respond to Imitia’s shock and only politely tried to alleviate her suspicions.
“But first, I’d like you to take a look at this.”
Seletina said and raised her hair that hung around her neck. The Snake Rose crest on her neck appeared in all of its glory. Stepping forward, Seletina made it easy for Imitia to see it.
“What is that?”
“I don’t know. I believe it’s some kind of curse. The reason I came to the Empire was to have you look at it. You’re a specialist when it comes to magic and more importantly lifting curses.”
“Let me see it.” Imitia said standing up.
The reason Imitia did not ask for any more explanation was because Seletina had told her that she’d speak the honest truth.
As such Imitia decided not to go against the flow and just listen passively.
“This is…” Imitia said, closely observing the crest, “Can I touch it?”
“Of course.”
Imitia traced the small crest with her slender index finger. Slowly closing her eyes, Imitia focused her attention on everything she was feeling.
Seletina, in turn, just waited patiently. She was sure that Imitia would be able to uncover the mystery behind the crest. However…
“No go.”
Imitia’s eyes opened, and she muttered this with beads of sweat running down her forehead.
“What…?”
After examining the crest Imitia took a sip of water directly from the jug on the side table and sat down on her bed.
“What do you mean, no go?” Seletina asked, completely taken aback.
Imitia, in turn, only shook her head, “It’s huge and way too complicated. I tried fiddling with it a bit, but on top of being complicated as it is, this curse is constantly rewriting itself making it impossible to tackle.”
“Even with your skill?”
Seletina was genuinely surprised.
She is not very knowledgeable about magic… or witchcraft for that matter. She hadn’t expected that Imitia would be able to break it, but she’d at least hoped that Imitia would be able to figure out what it was, however, that too had proved impossible.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the curse itself is alive.”
“It’s alive?”
“Yea. To put it more accurately, it’s an ever-growing curse. Its sheer size and formula are way too complex for me to figure it out. However, one thing is certain. It is constantly growing stronger by eating away at you. Just who placed this on you?”
“The Witch of Black and White.”
“What?!”
The moment she heard that Imitia’s whole body turned tense. She grew pale and began to feel slightly dizzy.
The Witch of Black and White. She was the worst witch in history, and the one responsible for the death of her sworn friend, Orthus.
“The Witch of Black and White… I’m sure I heard rumors that she’d died…”
Imitia rolled the name around in her mouth and checked Seletina’s crest once more. Her hands turned sweaty, and her body began to feel cold. Her breathing became rough, and Imitia tried to calm down her trembling right hand.
“The Witch of Black and White… She definitely is someone who can put something this complex together into a single curse. At the very least, she’s powerful enough to do it.”
However, Imitia knew that it couldn’t have been easy.
Witches were fickle, after all. They were eerie creatures that did not attach themselves to the human world and would not appear in public unless interested in something specific.
Which meant…
“Seletina, just who are you?”
Imitia’s piercing gaze landed on Seletina. The look in Imitia’s eyes contained a hint of caution that was not there before, and Seletina proceeded to speak,
“The reason I showed you this first was so that it would give some credibility to what I’m about to say.”
“……”
Imitia didn’t say anything, she simply looked at Seletina.
“Though I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t figure out what Dicentra’s curse is…”
“……”
“My name is Seletina ul Gold Aldelight. That is not a lie, and I am proud of this name. However, I had another name before.”
“Another name?”
Imitia gave Seletina a dubious look.
Seletina paused for a moment and exhaled slowly. She introduced herself like this.
“I haven’t been called by this name in fourteen years. That name… My name was…”
