<6>
“Miss, are you here?”
“Yes, Ann. I’m here.”
Delcia closed the book she had been reading and responded to Ann, who was looking for her. She returned the book to its place and left the library.
“What’s going on?”
“A guest has come to see you, miss.”
“…A guest for me?”
“Yes. Someone named Vianna Terrium is waiting in the parlor.”
Delcia glanced at the back of her hand. The markings that had looked normal just moments ago were now glowing brightly. With a flushed expression, she followed Ann toward the parlor. Vianna had arrived earlier than Delcia had expected; she had assumed it would be around evening.
Delcia’s heart fluttered slightly as she followed Ann, and soon Vianna came into view. Sitting in a chair in the parlor and sipping tea leisurely, Vianna noticed Delcia and gave a slight nod.
“Vianna, you really came!”
“I told you I would find my way here.”
“The coffin I mentioned before is upstairs,” Delcia said.
Ann, standing beside Delcia, momentarily widened her eyes in surprise as she overheard the conversation. She was startled to hear Delcia speak so openly about a coffin with a guest she had never met. After all, the news of Edwin’s death was unknown to everyone except Count Perdo and Duke Adelio.
Ann tilted her head, considering both the guest’s identity and Delcia’s intentions, then quietly stepped aside at Delcia’s gesture.
“The coffin is under a spell, right?”
“Yes. It’s under preservation magic.”
“Good. Let’s go check its condition.”
Delcia guided Vianna to the room where the coffin was kept.
Opening the door, Delcia entered first and stood beside the coffin.
“The magic is quite strong. With this, the condition should be fine.”
Vianna, now standing quietly beside Delcia, spoke in a small voice as she slightly lifted the coffin lid to inspect. As expected from the strength of the magic, the body inside was in excellent condition.
Vianna fully opened the lid, placing it on the floor, and looked at Delcia.
“Where will you lie?”
“Oh, I’ll just bring a bed later.”
Delcia spoke, gazing quietly at Edwin. His eyes, deep in sleep, would soon open—and then he would smile at her again, the same brilliant smile as before. The thought made her heart race.
“By the way… there’s one thing I forgot to tell you.”
“Yes?”
Vianna remembered a side effect she had briefly forgotten while contemplating whether to grant Delcia’s wish.
“There may be side effects.”
“Side effects?”
“Yes. If you want to call it that, it’s a kind of reaction. You gain life, but you also lose something to protect it from death.”
“Lose… lose something?”
“Exactly. A person who comes back from death loses two things.”
Hearing that made Delcia’s heart drop. She had never considered possible side effects before. She worried that it might involve losing something essential to life.
Her dry throat swallowed hard.
“One is emotion.”
“…Emotion.”
Even if not directly tied to life itself, losing emotions would create immense difficulty. Edwin was already timid; losing his emotions would only make things worse. Delcia’s expression darkened slightly.
“The other is memory.”
“…Memory?”
Losing emotion alone was shocking enough, but losing memory? Delcia asked in disbelief, her face blank.
“Do they lose all their memories?”
“No, not all. Only some memories are lost, and no one knows which ones.”
“…Ah.”
It was somewhat relieving that only some memories were lost, but if he lost memories of her, it would be very upsetting.
Yet thinking of Edwin wandering somewhere, unable to wake from his deep sleep, Delcia resolved that she would save him no matter the side effects.
Yes. If he could at least remember her name—just that small thing—then it wouldn’t feel quite so painful. Delcia let out a faint smile, despite her somber expression.
“Then let’s begin.”
At Vianna’s words, Count Perdo and Arnold squeezed their eyes shut. Their tightly clenched hands trembled. Even though only hair and nails would be used, anxiety and fear were unavoidable. Seeing Delcia lying motionless on the bed only amplified their worry.
“Father, if Vianna only needs her hair and nails, why is Delcia lying down?”
“….”
When Arnold asked cautiously, Count Perdo furrowed his brows. It was odd. If only hair and nails were needed, why would Delcia need to lie down at all?
Their questions were soon answered in a way neither had wanted. Arnold jumped up when he saw Vianna place her hand on Delcia’s chest. Count Perdo followed, urgently asking:
“W-wait a moment! Isn’t hair and nails enough?”
Vianna’s hand paused in midair upon hearing Count Perdo’s bewildered voice.
“What did you say?”
She withdrew her hand and looked at him.
“You said hair and nails are enough?”
“…Did I misunderstand?”
Vianna rolled her eyes at the count’s question. No wonder she had been so easily granted permission by the family. As expected, Delcia had obtained consent by lying.
Vianna wished she could cancel the contract honestly, but even if permission was obtained through deceit, a solemn contract made against the rules could not be undone. Both parties risked death if the contract were broken. Therefore, Vianna decided to go along with what Delcia had initiated.
“No. I know exactly. Hair and nails are enough to save him.”
“No matter what, how can hair and nails alone bring a dead person back…!”
“Why, don’t you believe me?”
Vianna tilted her head. Arnold, who had been loudly protesting, fell silent. It was indeed hard to believe, but when a witch spoke, there was nothing one could argue. However, one point still needed clarification.
“…If only hair and nails are needed, why did you place your hand on Delcia’s chest?”
“….”
“And how much hair and nails do you need?”
Vianna sighed at Arnold’s persistent questions. He was thorough to the point of being bothersome. Though she had agreed to play along with Delcia’s plan, the one lying there was Delcia, while she was the one explaining—something she didn’t like. Vianna looked down at Delcia with a stern face and replied:
“Placing my hand on her chest simply makes it easier to use magic from that position, whichever part is needed.”
“Then how much hair and nails—?”
“Very little. Barely noticeable. Any other questions?”
Arnold nodded carefully. There were no more questions. What else could he ask Vianna, who spoke as if she were telling the truth?
“Why… why are you granting the girl’s wish?”
“…Because she looked more desperate than anyone else when she came to me.”
“Is that so? If it truly guarantees the girl’s life… then I will respect her wish.”
Count Perdo’s voice softened. Vianna felt some relief that he stepped back more easily than she expected, though a heavy feeling remained. Even she could not guarantee that Delcia’s life would be fully preserved.
Clearing her thoughts, Vianna added, as if recalling something:
“The ritual is not pleasant to watch. It may be uncomfortable.”
“That doesn’t matter. We only need to ensure the girl’s safety. Don’t concern yourselves with anything else.”
“Even though only hair and nails are used, they are still part of the body. Seeing it may make you uneasy.”
Vianna spoke firmly.
“It’s better not to watch, for many reasons. It won’t take long. Go wait outside.”
Count Perdo’s eyebrows twitched at her words. The count and Arnold, about to speak, were driven out of the room with a single gesture. Vianna locked the door with magic, placed her hands on her waist, and let out a deep sigh.
“Ha…”
It was the right thing to do. Of course, the ritual using the heart could not be shown to the family. It was better to explain everything calmly after the ritual. Delcia had likely thought the same.
Turning to place her hands on Delcia’s chest, Vianna quietly chanted a spell and began the ritual. A bright yellow light filled the room, and the ritual proceeded swiftly within the glowing haze.
Vianna extracted Delcia’s heart and moved it to Edwin. As she prepared to place an artificially created magical heart into Delcia’s empty body, Delcia’s strong magic resisted, pushing it back.
Vianna squinted and muttered softly:
“Stronger than I expected…”
Watching Delcia’s magical power ripple before her, Vianna swallowed a groan. This would be a difficult battle.
