“So, do you have any further questions?”
“There are so many I don’t know what to ask first.”
“That’s true.”
I just sat in the chair, leaned back comfortably, and looked up at the ceiling.
Even if I look up at the ceiling, my mind won't be cleared right away, and those who left won't come back.
Need a moment to catch your breath?
I just needed time to hide the fact that the words wouldn't come out of my mouth right away.
“Lira.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Then how did you do that to me?”
“Is that it?”
“I don’t know what to say to myself….”
“You could say it’s a degree of personality dissociation.”
“Yeah, I’d like to hear more about how you did that.”
“??”
Lira looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression at my question and sat comfortably in the seat in front of me.
“There are many other stories, but are you really curious about them?”
“Didn’t I tell you to ask anything?”
“That’s true. I just asked again out of courtesy.”
As soon as he finished speaking
Lira dragged a small table between us and filled the empty space.
“I will call this cup containing black tea, Princess.”
He picked up the black tea, still smoky, and said, "I am me."
And there are still small pieces left on the plate next to it, as if someone had secretly eaten them.
I just thought it was something that the kids Lira was taking care of did, so I let it go and picked up a snack.
“It may be a bit of a strange analogy, but please think of the crumbs of this cookie as the Princess’s current mana.”
“This mana was born within the princess’s body, miraculously transcending life and death.”
“So this is now yours, Princess.”
As soon as Lira finished speaking, she put a cookie into the tea with smoke rising from it.
Slowly, the moisture in the tea begins to make the cookies soggy.
“What do you think, Your Majesty?”
“It is being absorbed.”
“That’s right. It should have come out inside my body, but it’s too much trouble, so I’ll just do it roughly.”
“Well, take it easy.”
Lira just looked at me and smiled, then started talking again.
“What will the black tea taste like if this happens?”
“Of course.”
“Yes, of course, with the subtle scent of black tea, you can taste the sweet taste of small, wet cookies that have become soggy in your mouth.”
Explain it like that.
This time, Lira picked up a sugar cube instead of a cookie.
“Do you know what this is?”
“……”
I can tell without you saying anything.
“What would happen if this went in here?”
“Slowly… it will melt and mix with the black tea.”
"That's right. This sugar is sweet, so sweet that once you start mixing it, you can't stop. One... two... three... four... it just gets more and more delicious."
Sugar cubes began to fill the tea in the order Lila spoke.
Gradually, the sugar began to dissolve faster than the heat of the tea.
“What happens to the black tea then?”
“Don’t lose the original taste of black tea.”
"Yes. Not only did it lose its original flavor, but the very existence of black tea would remain faint. Or it could have disappeared altogether."
“…………”
"That's why it's dangerous. If it were an innate split personality, there's no need to endure this danger, but it's an acquired split personality. Why does it appear at the exact moment when Mana awakens?"
Lira placed her palm on top of the black tea piled high like a tower and used her mana.
A hot heat comes out from those white hands, and the sugar gradually begins to melt.
"Whether human, monster, elf, or any other living being, from birth onward, there is something to learn, every step of the way. But, Princess, do you really think such a person could think properly?"
“It must be hard.”
“No matter how solid a castle may seem, it will easily fall if it lacks a solid foundation.”
“So… what you’re trying to say is, if I had waited any longer, I would have been consumed by another personality?”
"It's only my hypothesis, about 80% certain, but it's incredibly likely. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
“……Well, I don’t know.”
“Even though you say that, do you remember that the Princess attacked me?”
“That, that’s me….”
“He’s so meticulous that he doesn’t even realize that his own body is being taken away.”
***
“So… how did you get it out?”
“Your Majesty, in this state, can you completely remove only sugar?”
“………”
The black tea placed in front of you
It has long since lost its meaning as black tea, and now it seems more appropriate to call it just black tea-flavored sugar.
“If you put some sugar on top…….”
“Then what about the sugar in the black tea?”
“………”
“Do you think it’s possible?”
“It’s close to impossible….”
“Yes, but that would be the case when you’re human.”
"ah."
Lira's words brought back something I had forgotten.
Even just by squeezing my hand very tightly, I felt a surge of strength from within my body, unlike before.
I had forgotten that my body itself had adapted to mana.
“It may be difficult for you right now, Your Majesty, but as time passes and you gain more experience in the medical field… you will be able to do this much.”
“Is something like that even possible?”
"It's not impossible, is it? It's better to think of it as having one, two, three, or four hands, even though they weren't even arms to begin with."
“How strange….”
As if performing a trick
Lira saw white powders of sugar melting in the black tea right before my eyes.
It was as if the snow was being pulled upside down towards the sky.
“So… you pulled it out of my body… is that what it sounds like?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Something… feels strange.”
It's amazing, but on the other hand, I wonder if I can really do that.
"But this is just a simplified version of what I'm trying to show you. If you try it, you won't realize how much this sugar can do."
“……How wild was it?”
“Thanks to that, I was able to break three crystal balls.”
"ha……."
I don't know how expensive that crystal ball is.
But it was never my own stuff, but someone else's stuff that I broke because of my problems.
I feel so sorry, but on the other hand, I have nothing to say other than thank you.
“I’m sorry….”
“Don’t worry. I can always get the crystal ball later anyway, and I’m also happy to have obtained some good research data this time.”
“I’m glad you said that…….”
Fortunately, I thought the story would end well
As if they heard something, they immediately turned their heads towards the door.
It was too light a sound to be the footsteps of four children who were just sleeping.
And then the footsteps stopped in front of the door here, and the door slowly opened.
“……Ugh.”
“!!?”
What I saw was none other than Rio.
That too… Rio, who has lost a lot of weight… .
He looked like he was going to fall over if he was hit at any moment, and he was in a state where he was in a lot of pain, and he was breathing heavily at the same time.
It seems like he came this far, his legs shaking constantly and supporting the wall, unable to even support his own body upright.
“Lee, Rio!!”
As soon as he spoke, he immediately took action, and tried to hold onto Rio's arm and support him as he looked like he was going to collapse at any moment.
“Wh, what the heck… what is this….”
“Ah… ahhhh…….”
“How come, why on earth… uh…….”
I can't speak.
Beyond the level of thin hands
It's as if the skin is stuck to the body, and you can see the blood vessels and bones without peeling the skin.
So dry, so weak, that he doesn't even have the strength to hold my hand properly.
Every time I try to hold on to it.
Rio's hand slipped.
“Oh my god, what on earth am I doing….”
“Your Majesty, please calm down and lay her down on the bed.”
“Lira… Lira… Why Rio??”
“Calm down. Shouldn’t Mr. Rio go first right now?”
“Uh… uh… okay….”
As if unprepared for a sudden storm
In an instant, everything seemed to fall apart.
***
“What is the condition…?”
Rio came in here with his eyes open and then lay down on the bed again.
Several hours had passed since then, but he showed no signs of opening his eyes again.
All I can do right now is pray to a god that doesn't exist, and pray that Rio will wake up without any problems.
I thought that Lira would definitely be able to fix Rio.
“Your Majesty.”
“Rio Gue, is this okay??”
“Your Majesty.”
“Please, please tell me it’s okay… I feel like without that child… everything I’ve done… would be nothing…”
I thought happiness would come after the ordeal
It's not over yet.