“Huh!”
Charles, or rather, the other red-haired man serving Aria, opened his eyes wide and took a startled breath.
Charles looked at himself in the mirror next to him. He looked different from the old man who had been wearing glasses. His body had been switched again.
'My soul is becoming distorted.'
I had to quickly set this tragedy right. Even Lady Aria might be in danger.
Charles ran after the believers, scrambling to escape. However, perhaps because he had entered another person's body, his whole body creaked.
It was just as I was turning the corner.
Puck!
I collided with someone running towards me. The person running towards me also seemed not to be looking properly and tumbled to the ground along with Charles.
"Ugh..."
A groan burst from Charles's mouth.
Charles, surging with irritation, glared at the person he had bumped into.
“Ouch..."
"..."
"Oh! I, I'm sorry!"
The person he bumped into was a boy with silver hair.
"Ugh... I should have watched where I was going... I'm sorry. Are you hurt anywhere?"
The boy was flustered and didn't know what to do.
These eyes, clear and transparent like the sea.
The moment Charles faced it, he felt as if his head was ringing.
How long has it been since I saw such a pure and clear soul?
Sirens were originally fallen mermaids.
It was only natural to want to possess a pure soul when seeing one.
Charles grabbed the boy. The boy flinched. His terrified eyes turned toward him.
He said in a gentle voice.
"Ah. I'm sorry, little one. I wasn't feeling well... If you don't mind, could you help me?"
"Ah... yes! Of course."
The boy nodded. Charles stood up from his seat, supported by the boy.
“Are you okay?”
"It's okay, thank you."
The boy smiled proudly.
"By the way, what brings you this far?"
"Ah. Well..."
The boy's face clouded over. The boy, who had been fidgeting with his fingers, soon continued speaking, mumbling.
"I came to look for my sister."
“Sister?”
"Yes..."
The boy nodded.
"I came to look for her with Ruby... but we got lost. I can't see my big brother either. Ruby is going to scold me."
The boy made a pained expression, as if he were about to cry. His blue eyes were filled with choked sorrow.
Huh? Teardrop?
'Is he crying?'
Charles was flustered. He coveted the soul, but he had no intention of making it cry!
'What should I do about this?'
While Charles was flustered, the boy began to let thick teardrops fall. Charles jumped up.
'Why is he crying so bitterly!'
He had made many people cry before, but this was the first time he had seen such a pitiful crying face.
He felt like he should wipe away those tears and feed him his fill of sweet and delicious things that a boy of that age would like. The thought of stealing his soul had long since vanished.
"Ah. My child. Don't cry. Okay?"
"Ugh..."
"Shall we go somewhere nice with Uncle? There are lots of delicious things and fun things to do there."
"...Something delicious?"
Oh, it seemed to be working. Charles quickly nodded.
"Yeah, there are tons of delicious things too. Hmm, and also... Right. If you stay there, you can find your sister too."
“Really?”
A smile bloomed on the boy's face. A smile also blossomed on Charles's lips, following the boy's.
"Just trust me and follow me!"
"Yes."
The boy held Charles's hand tightly.
***
"Hey!"
Henry urgently grabbed the butler. It was because the butler, who seemed to be regaining consciousness, had collapsed again.
An orange soul slowly seeped out of the body that had slumped limply like a corpse.
And a transparent, blue soul began to fill it.
"Ugh!"
The butler let out a scream-like sound and hurriedly looked around.
"Hey, where am I?"
It seemed that another person's soul had filled it once again.
It was just then that he was wondering how best to explain it.
"Uh!"
The butler acknowledged him and grabbed him. A faint chill was felt from the arm being held.
“Were you the bait then?”
"...Bait?"
"Ah. No, I mean... a casino? Right?"
Henry's eyes trembled slightly.
No one knew that he had gone to the casino.
In that case, the person who entered the butler's body is...
'It's definitely that woman.'
While a flustered Henry was just gaping, the butler—that is, the woman who had entered the butler's body—bowed her head and looked down at her own body.
She frowned sharply, perhaps seeing the neat butler's uniform beyond the cracked mono.
“Just take these away!”
She shook off Henry's arm, clutched her head, and shouted in an angry voice.
"I knew this would happen! Why are you playing games with souls! You damned siren!"
She, dressed as a butler, raged uncontrollably. However, there was a remark in her voice, filled with anger, that caught his ear.
Henry grabbed her and said.
"Damn Siren?"
"Yeah! Damn, Siren!"
"...Are you insulting the same Siren? Looks like you don't get along."
Henry's face brightened.
If she was forcibly captured by the Siren, it would provide an excuse to take her out.
“What bullshit.”
However, her expression was actually infinitely distorted.
"There's no way I'm a Siren."
“What? But...”
The butler definitely said it was a siren.
Did the well-informed butler misunderstand something?
Henry concentrated. To see the truth properly.
However, something blurry was blocking her path.
The darkness creeping up from beneath her feet completely obscured her soul.
It was the first time he had seen a soul like this. Henry looked at her with surprised eyes.
Then he shook his head vigorously.
'No matter what, the Southern leader is looking for her.'
It seemed certain that something unusual was happening.
Henry spoke to her, who was grinding her teeth at the thought of the siren.
“Hurry and run away.”
"What?"
"Run away immediately. The leader of the South is looking for you."
"...?e?"
Eve blinked her eyes in surprise.
There was no reason for Noelier to come all the way to such a distant place to look for her.
'If I had to pick a reason, there is only one.'
Eve recalled the time she had shown her wolf ears in embarrassment. They were perfect wolf ears, leaving no room for excuses.
'Did he come to punish me for deceiving him?'
She was suddenly scared.
She deceived everyone in the South by claiming to be human.
She should have told the truth, but she melted into their kindness and turned a blind eye to it.
Even though she knew very well what the wolf meant to them, a sense of guilt arose.
Of course, indeed, she came here to find clues about his death, but that doesn't mean all the lies she told never happened.
The butler's face sank into darkness. It was a look of great fear. It seemed she had indeed committed a grave wrong against the dragon.
Henry said in a solemn voice
"The dragon has gone over there. I will find a way to restore your body with the butler, so escape for now."
"..."
But she had no answer.
Eventually, she slowly shook her head.
"No, I have to go."
"What? You don't know what might happen if you go? That dragon is looking for you!"
"I know."
So I have to go. Eve stepped away from his side.
Henry caught her again.
"Don't go."
And Henry blurted out words that even he didn't understand.
'What am I even saying right now?'
Henry did not stop talking, even while thinking that.
His mouth moved on its own. It felt like he could say anything to catch her.
"I'm going crazy worrying that you might be in danger. I feel like my insides are boiling. So don't go; stay by my side."
It was a voice so mournful that it was completely out of place with the moment the wall collapsed.
Henry blushed as he realized what he had said.
It was an undeniable confession. It started to burn all the way to the tips of his ears.
"So, what I mean is that..."
Henry tried to say something, but she was faster.
"I'm just like you."
Henry's mouth stopped abruptly. His eyes trembled violently.
"I feel the same way when I think of that person. I feel like I'm going crazy with worry. I think it would be better than my heart sinking."
She moved her lips a couple of times nervously and continued speaking.
"I know what you're saying. I'm indeed scared. I know it all, but even I don't know why I'm acting this way. But..."
Unorganized words burst out. She didn't seem to even know what he was saying.
In any case, there was only one answer.
"You have to go see it.”
She left only those words behind and ran off somewhere else again.
Left all alone, Henry stared blankly at her receding figure. To think she would run to him despite that.
"What.."
He muttered in a dejected voice.
"So... you had someone you loved..."
Henry smiled bitterly and looked down at the hand that had held her. A blue chill lingered.
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