Chapter 143

Chapter 143

“Shion, wait there for a second.”

I called out to her in a flustered voice. She turned to look at me, then abruptly started walking toward me. Her gaze had risen as much as she’d grown—those golden eyes now met mine straight on.

The Duke had once advised Shion not to come too close to me. And until now, she had obeyed. But I could no longer be certain that she was just an obedient child. The air around her had shifted—too much, too fast.

Her wide smile wasn’t innocent; it was sly, almost ingratiating. It made her seem capable of anything—a sudden, reckless move. I flinched without thinking, taking a step back. If she collided with me like this, I couldn’t shake the fear that she’d possess me outright. The bracelet was strung with Eye of the Sun gems, but they wouldn’t stop her. If anything, I felt that power would just be absorbed into her.

“What is it?”

The Duke slid an arm between us, blocking her path. The child halted mid-step and turned to look at him. She let out a little hum through her nose, then swung her gaze back to me. And pointed at the jewelry box the priest was holding.

“That divine power. Give it to me.”

“What?”

“I need divine power. I think I’m remembering things—from when I was alive. But it’s still incomplete. If I had more, I could recall everything properly.”

Her voice carried a chill that turned the words into a demand, not a request. Shion had never made such a request before, and her attitude left me unsettled. Still, I shook my head and refused.

“I can’t. I’m not sure it’s right to give it to you right now.”

“Hmm~ Is that so?”

“Yes. And I have other plans for it.”

“Well, alright. I want it, sure, but if you say no, what can I do? I like you, so I’ll just bear it.”

She accepted it almost too readily, and I blinked in silence. The moment she’d taken her adult form, it was as if she’d become someone else entirely. The thought nagged at me, strange and uneasy.

“The old man who was following you—where did he go? I saw him come outside, but he’s nowhere to be seen now.”

The Duke cut into our conversation, still holding the space between me and Shion.

“How should I know? Am I his keeper or something? He’s around somewhere.”

She shrugged and spat the words out bluntly. At this point, I almost doubted whether the soul standing before me was really Shion. But I couldn’t be certain she wasn’t, either. Her face still carried the traces of the little Shion I’d known.

‘She’s definitely Shion. Her personality has turned strange, but maybe that’s because some of her memories came back. She could be influenced by them, right?’

That thought made me curious about what was going on inside the child’s head. I also judged that if she were to ascend, those memories might prove useful. So I followed Shion’s gaze and opened my mouth toward her.

“Shion, you said some memories came back, right? So, what do you remember? Do you know your real name? When and where you lived?”

“I don’t know my name. Where I lived… I just see a green forest. I smell the grass. Being there felt good, and happy, and also sad. Still, I don’t think I was ever angry even once, so I guess I lived a pretty enjoyable life, in my own way. But that’s it. I don’t remember anything more.”

“Is that so…?”

A forest… come to think of it, there was a forest in the old woman’s memories too. She met a dragon there as a child, and lived under the dragon’s care throughout her youth.

‘Could it be the same forest I saw in the old woman’s memories?’

Maybe Shion had once crossed paths with the old woman in that place. And perhaps the old woman recognized Shion and had been obsessively following her ever since. Of course, for now, it was just a gut feeling. So I wanted to drive a nail into this hypothesis of mine.

“Shion, about that soul from the Imperial Palace. Sure you don’t remember? Think carefully.”

I looked straight at Shion and asked her in a serious tone. But she only shook her head.

“I don’t know. It’s not in my memory.”

The child’s answer was short and plain. If that was the case, there was no other way. I thought I might really have to give Shion some Divine Power, and I turned to look at the jewelry box the priest was holding. But I soon shook my head. For now, getting rid of the ghost from the Imperial Castle seemed more urgent than Shion’s memories. If there was any Divine Power left after that, I could share it with Shion then.

“If the old woman isn’t here, let’s head back.”

The Duke spoke right after. Then he pushed my shoulder with one arm. It looked like he was trying to separate me from Shion.

“Hmm, you’re leaving? Well, I suppose it is time for humans to sleep.”

At that, Shion tilted her head and added.

“Yes, about your memories… let’s talk again later.”

I answered like that and turned around to head back to the manor. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I glanced in Shion’s direction. She was standing in the middle of the garden, smiling faintly. The sight felt oddly, eerily chilling.

It was strange. That kid wasn’t usually a frightening presence. Even though she had strong energy, I was sure she wouldn’t harm me. But Shion, in the form of a grown adult, was a little different. It felt like her deeply unsettling aura was constantly sounding a dangerous alarm.

“Good night~ See you tomorrow.”

She waved at me. I hesitated, then returned the greeting with just a nod. Then I faced forward again and quickened my pace.

As I stepped inside the mansion, I saw Ren sitting on the central staircase. He scrambled to his feet and hurried over to me.

“That old woman, she’s over there now. By the side of the stairs.”

The boy pointed to the right side of the staircase and whispered in a low voice.

“Huh? I thought she went out to the garden, and now she’s there?”

“Yeah. She appeared from somewhere and just sat down there. So I’ve been watching her.”

At that, we all crowded over to the side of the stairs. And there we found the white-haired old woman, squatting. She was muttering something, then abruptly lifted her head as we approached.

“Give me that.”

The old woman pointed at the jewelry box, her voice sharp. Apparently, she knew we meant to drive her out with it.

“If you want it, take it.”

The priest held the jewelry box out to her. Immediately, a bright yellow light began seeping through the cracks of the worn box.

“Give me that!”

In that instant, the old woman lunged at the priest. Then she suddenly veered toward me. I flinched, throwing up my arms almost instinctively, shielding my face. At the same time, the bracelet and ring I was wearing flashed, emitting a burst of light. The old woman was thrown to the floor, as if pushed back by the light.

“N-Noona, you okay?”

Ren, flustered by the sudden situation, grabbed my arm.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

I answered, looking down at the bracelet. Luckily, the jewels in it held plenty of divine power. It seemed to have driven the soul away, preventing a possession before it could happen.

“…….”

Meanwhile, the white-haired old woman was silently glaring at us. But soon, as if fleeing, she faded away into nothing.

* * *

After that day, the old woman didn’t show herself again. But I was certain she was still inside the mansion. The priest and I both could feel her presence. But she had hidden herself away somewhere, and we couldn’t find her. Naturally, the divine power remained unused, left inside the jewelry box.

Then, one day, it happened. For some reason, I woke up early in the morning and was heading to my siblings’ room. Just then, I ran into the priest walking toward me from the opposite end of the corridor.

“Good morning, Priest. Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes. I’m going to the temple to bring back some sacred objects that can perform exorcism.”

“What? Exorcism? Has the soul here become an evil spirit?”

Startled, I asked him. He slowly shook his head.

“It’s not an evil spirit yet, but I can feel its energy growing steadily murkier. I think we’d better confirm whether we need to bind that hidden soul and perform an exorcism, or not.”

“Can’t we just shove it out of the mansion, evil spirit or not? We’ve got a massive amount of divine power in the jewelry box, after all. I failed a few days ago, but if I try one more time…”

“Hmm… about that, young lady. There’s something I need to tell you.”

At my words, the priest stroked his chin as if in thought. Then he began to speak carefully.

“If it does become an evil spirit, we’ll have to perform an exorcism anyway, so you won’t need to use the divine power. But… even if it doesn’t come to that, you need to conserve that power. You’ve already lost a lot of it to that soul named Shion. Less than half remains now. And you said it was your mother’s keepsake, didn’t you? She must have obtained that jewel for you—a young lady with a body prone to possession. Even when you use it, you should leave enough to protect yourself.”

“Ah…”

As he said, I had been using the Eye of the Sun recklessly. I’d thought it would be fine since it was such a large object, but strictly speaking, it was still a consumable. If I used up all the divine power, it would crumble to dust.

But performing an exorcism wasn’t something I relished either. Honestly, having someone’s life decided by an outside force felt unsettling. So I found myself hoping the white-haired old woman hadn’t become an evil spirit. Even if it meant using up the divine power, it would be better to just drive her out.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

The priest gave me a short bow and then stepped out of the mansion. I saw him off and turned my steps back toward my siblings. Then, I happened to glance out the window. I saw Shion, in the form of an adult, strolling through the garden. The child said she liked the garden because it smelled like the forest. So that was the result of her recovering some of her memories.