Ch. 283
[I don’t know…? Master! Who are you trying to find with that?]
Rai, in his wolf form, perked up his large ears and rested his chin on the bed.
His eyes were wide with curiosity.
“…With this…”
[Is there someone I don’t know? There’s no such person, right?]
Rai knew most of my thoughts—almost all of them, down to the last detail.
Partly because we’d spent every day together for ten years without fail, but more importantly, because we shared a part of our consciousness through a ‘Soul Contract.’
But he didn’t know about my past life.
Rai said that he sometimes felt a void in my head.
There was an empty space he couldn’t look into no matter how hard he tried, so at first, he thought I was intentionally hiding my thoughts.
“Rai.”
[Yes, Master?]
“You need to go out.”
[…Me? Why?]
I pushed Rai, who was climbing off the bed with a bewildered look, out the door.
It was the first time I’d separated Rai for no reason, and he couldn’t accept it, so he subtly began to resist with his strength.
“Quickly. Go out.”
[Why are you suddenly doing this? At least tell me the reason! Why! Why!]
“That’s an order.”
[Master!]
“Wait there.”
To a Spirit, the master’s command was absolute power.
Rai, chased out into the hallway without knowing why, looked up at me with the most pitiful expression he could manage, but I closed the door without the slightest hesitation.
I had a feeling the Veiled Mirror wouldn’t work properly if Rai was there.
The divine-level sanction placed on me had a clear purpose.
It was preventing me from informing other beings about my past life.
I’d realized some things when I tested it once: I could mention things related to my past life if there was no one around, or if I spoke unconsciously without even realizing it.
It meant I could mutter, ‘I want to eat ramen…’ as much as I wanted when I was alone.
But trying to see my parents from my past life with the mirror in front of Rai would not be tolerated.
If they could restrict my actions, making the mirror not work properly would be a piece of cake.
‘I don’t know if that entity is a god or what, but they’re definitely bothering me a lot.’
I was about to return to the bed after sending Rai out when I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the user manual for the Veiled Mirror.
I remembered there were certain conditions required to use the mirror.
I’d wondered why they hadn’t told me those specific conditions, even while spouting all kinds of sales pitches to sell the mirror at the auction house.
“What did it say… that there were preparations needed…”
I flipped through the manual for a moment.
Surely I don’t have to offer a living sacrifice, do I?
Zekarda’s words—ancient artifacts always exact a price—came back to me, making me uneasy for no reason.
“This is it.”
It said it was difficult to use, and indeed, the necessary conditions alone took up an entire page.
「First, the user must be able to handle Mana skillfully.
Second, the user who manipulates Mana can only see someone they actually know.」
This is a bit much.
If some rich person bought the mirror with money, there was a high probability they wouldn’t know how to handle Mana.
Even if they hired someone who did, the probability that person would know the person the rich buyer wanted to see was low.
There’s a reason artifacts aren’t popular with adventurers.
It’s a pain when the prerequisites are like this.
「Fifth, use it in a dark place.」
This is easy.
「Seventh, begin the ritual with the preparations.」
It’s called a ritual, so why does it sound so suspicious? I didn’t buy something weird, did I?
「Preparations: Yearning and the blood of a virgin (male).
Apply fresh blood to the edge of the mirror and recite the incantation. If yearning is lacking or the blood dries up, the mirror cannot be used, so it is good to prepare plenty.」
I did buy something weird.
Yearning aside, what’s with the virgin’s blood!
I knew they wouldn’t tell me what the preparations were and would just sell it anyway. These Black Market scammers… I can’t really complain—bad guys do bad guy things. I’ll just have to kill them cleanly next time I see them.
The charge is daring to sell me something weird!
“Virgin’s blood, huh… Well, I have virgin’s blood, but it’s female.”
It was annoying to go get other blood when I could produce blood myself.
Does it have to be the blood of a chaste man?
I flipped through the manual again and realized why such a bizarre prerequisite was attached.
The ancient magician who made this mirror had to go to war, leaving behind his beloved lover, and he gave her the mirror as a gift, saying she could look for him anytime, but if her heart changed, the mirror would not function properly.
‘So… it meant don’t look at me again if you lose your chastity. Did I accidentally buy a virginity tester?’
Come to think of it, I do know one chaste virgin—Ash. He’s out, so that’s lucky.
I could wait until he came back, but I was impatient.
Without delay, I grabbed a dagger and left the room. Rai, slumped in front of the door, perked up and followed me.
[Master! Can I come in now?]
“Get out of the way. I have to go get the ingredients.”
[What ingredients?]
‘If you can’t get a pheasant, get a chicken instead.’
I advanced into the rooms of the men nearby.
I knocked on the door with a well-sharpened dagger in one hand.
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
The door opened without caution, and Chad greeted me. I glanced inside and saw all three of them gathered.
Chad, Gale, and Enk. One of them is…
“Oh, you’re here. Where’s Ash?”
“He went out again.”
“Really? He didn’t come in again yesterday. Where did he go?”
“Just nearby.”
“…You guys are suspicious these days. What are you doing that you’re hiding from us… Huh? Why are you holding a dagger…?”
I ignored Chad and looked at Gale and Enk.
They have good complexions. Who the chaste virgin is, I can’t tell just by looking… Should I just take blood from all three of them for now?
“That’s an ominous look.”
“It’s nothing much. Will you give me some of your blood?”
“…What did you say?”
“I’m trying to do something, and I need fresh virgin’s blood for it.”
Chad coughed lightly and tried to close the door, so I quickly stuck my foot into the gap.
My body had been trained by dealing with Rovenin’s movements.
“Hey! Just a little, just a little!”
“Get lost!”
“It’ll only take a little! Half a cup…?”
“She’s trying to kill us!”
Chad’s strength as he tried to shove my foot out and slam the door was ridiculous. He was being way too desperate against this weak body.
“Foot! My foot will break! Will you open it willingly before it breaks? Don’t you trust your noona!”
“Would yourself trust yourself!”
“Don’t do that! Let’s just stab you a little! I’ll call Undine to stop the bleeding! I’ll cast a healing spell! I’ll do it for free!”
“Kyaaak!”
I saw Enk and Gale, sensing something ominous, trying to escape through the window. These guys were resisting fiercely.
“Rai!”
No matter how strong Chad was, he couldn’t compare to Rai.
With Rai’s light body slam, the door rattled and flew open, and Chad tumbled into the middle of the room.
“Give me blood!”
“Why… Why are you doing this!”
“Ash! Where are you! Help!”
“Save me!”
If Ash had been here, I wouldn’t have even come this far.
I summoned Undine to block the windows, had Rai guard the door, and started a forcible suppression.
“Now, then… Raise your hand if you’re chaste. I need virgin’s blood.”
“Nooo!”
“This is sexual harassment!”
These grown men are so noisy.
I smiled the kindest smile in the world and shook the dagger and the water cup I’d grabbed from the room.
“I’m not doing this because I like it either. What can I do if the preparations are like this? I’ll give you a chance. Will all three of you be chosen? Or will you confess honestly and play rock-paper-scissors to choose one person?”
This body is generous. I’ll give you a chance to resolve it nicely.
“I…! I’m not chaste!”
Enk raised his hand high and shouted, trembling with fear.
“Let’s see.”
“…!”
I grabbed his chin with my hand wearing the Tears of Truth and made him look straight at me.
I pretended to look into his eyes, but I was actually using the ring’s power.
His words were true. He’s experienced.
‘It’s not like the ring was made to be used for this…’
“Okay. I don’t need you, so pass.”
Even under my persistent gaze, Gale and Chad only averted their eyes and said nothing.
They were kneeling without being told, like they knew resistance was meaningless.
“It’s decided. You two, play rock-paper-scissors.”
“Sniff…”
“Do you think I’d just hand over my blood to you!”
“I know where to cut to make it gush out. Should I do it? I’m not a professional in this area, so I don’t know if I can do it cleanly…”
Chad politely took the dagger with both hands.
He should’ve done that from the start. He’s making me waste my energy.
The preparations were perfect, and I was filled with anticipation at the thought of being able to see faces I barely remembered.
The Veiled Mirror was said to show the appearance of the person the user wanted to see.
There was nowhere in the manual that said you could see people from other worlds, but that’s because everyone who’d used this mirror so far was different from me.
They wouldn’t have remembered their past lives. But I remembered.
The world I know isn’t just this one, and the beginning of my consciousness is in another world.
So, maybe… I can see them. Maybe the power of Magic won’t reach that far.
As long as I have memories of another world, that place is also my world. So…
‘Will it work?’
Doubt was greater than hope. What I held was not some grand hope.
I thought as if I were brainwashing myself not to expect too much from something I’d obtained through so many troublesome efforts that were unlike me.
Even so, chasing Rai out of the room again, darkening the room, and facing the mirror… was lingering attachment.
It was a feeling I couldn’t throw away.