LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 97
Dire Situation.
Moment of Crisis.
Fura falls from the sky, while Scipio regains his stance.
The once noble girl who seemed like she would never fall lands face-first into the sandy ground of the desert, her wings now drooping.
But I had no time to worry about her.
As Skylar races toward the sky using the erected barrier as stairs, I could do nothing but follow behind.
Scipio was preparing for his second attack.
I felt the threat to my life.
–
[Summoning]
–
And then, the Status Window appeared.
A blue window that appeared out of nowhere, with the nonsensical phrase “Summoning” staring blankly at me.
It didn’t actually have eyes, but I felt like it was looking directly at me.
The world slows down.
No, I felt slow.
‘…Time.’
It wasn’t the world or my body that was slowing down; it was time itself that was dragging its feet.
There was no way out.
Waiting for the Status Window to disappear or for Scipio’s blade to touch my neck would be fine, I guess. But I hated the thought of losing like that.
I didn’t want to do nothing when something could be done.
I didn’t like it.
I had chosen not to kill Skylar and ignored the Status Window’s words.
That was my choice.
I thought Skylar, who had only ever helped me, wouldn’t suddenly become a threat.
Ultimately, what mattered was always my will.
And now, not ignoring the Status Window was also my will.
‘…Let’s try it.’
Since it said “Summoning,” the worst that would happen would be regressing back to the start, right? It can’t mean something else.
I chose the option.
I could hear the sound of dice rolling.
—And then, my consciousness faded.
***
A displeasant sensation.
I had experienced this before.
A slightly altered body, uncomfortable joints, a cheap sword in my hand.
Uncomfortable sand obstructing my view.
And, an old man with a familiar face pointing his sword at me, looking on guard.
‘…Scipio?’
Ah, for sure, we’ve met before. Did I choose this way in this world? No, considering the method, it looks like Skylar’s way.
I didn’t like it, but being forcibly summoned to this world meant that help was needed, right?
“I thought you hadn’t summoned me in a while. Have you managed to control the summoning?”
Should I block the attack first?
Let’s take it easy.
I casually deflected Scipio’s sword, using my grip’s loosening strength to block.
Feigning nonchalance, I opened my mouth.
“…What on earth is going on?”
It seemed like my words had the opposite effect.
These people seem to know me well. No, they probably knew too well that someone else had taken over this body.
My last words would have left them more than suspicious; they must now be certain.
“Who are you?”
Ah, here comes the most rational one in this situation first with the question.
Skylar, it’s you again?
Even in my world, you ended up laying me down on a bed.
And I laid you on top of your grave.
Is this world’s version of me still around? Or maybe I still haven’t lost my masculinity? It’s a parallel world, after all. Right? Interesting.
Should I answer first? Just saying my name should be enough.
“Selina.”
“…You don’t seem like the Selina I know.”
“That’s also correct.”
“Are you an enemy?”
“No.”
“Are you an ally?”
“Not that either.”
Skylar has raised his guard, and Fura seems to have finally snapped back to reality. What happened that caused her to fall from the sky? This is quite a sight.
Alright. How should I explain this?
…I’d prefer if they mistakenly figured it out themselves.
I’m just not confident in lying.
“Selina, is that you?”
“…Huh?”
“The ‘smart Selina’ who would appear sometimes.”
…?
What nonsense is that?
For now, let’s calmly keep my mouth shut and maintain my expression. It’s important not to show any signs of surprise.
It seems that in this world, I haven’t spilled everything out to Skylar. Did I even lie about having a dual personality?
Alright. What should I do to act smart? Do I just need to show a smug attitude like Skylar? All the smart folks I know were insufferable.
Hah… huff…
Let’s take a deep breath.
“I guess it’s about that time.”
“Just as I thought…”
Skylar looks so foolish right now; my, oh my. You, from another world! Thanks to you, I’m having a grand show.
Ah… I’m going insane.
I feel like I might burst out laughing.
But I have to hold it in.
If I carelessly laugh and Skylar notices something’s off, I won’t get to see this amusingly foolish sight again!
‘Honestly, I wouldn’t think my most trusted comrade, who was also my biggest wall, would fall for such a simple lie, but when will I ever see him acting so foolish again?’
Should I ask what happened now? I don’t think Scipio and Skylar’s group has ever clashed in my memories.
“So what happened?”
“…You’re not sharing memories between personalities?”
“…‘Synchronization’ is necessary. Right. We aren’t sharing memories in real-time.”
“‘Synchronization’?”
“So, um… briefly making two separate items identical, then separating them again. Get it?”
“For now, yes.”
“Then I’ll ask again. What happened? Skylar.”
“Have we met before?”
“Yeah, we’ve met continuously.”
Alright. Let’s act like I have a different personality from the Selina of this world.
That’s the most ideal.
Honestly, I don’t want to involve myself too much with Selina in this world.
I detest troublesome matters. I want to spend a tranquil, well, not that peaceful, but still, I want to have my daily life without being constantly summoned like this. I’d love to just finish everything quickly and take a rest on my bed.
Coming out occasionally is a fun hobby, but showing up daily turns it into a troublesome job.
“Let’s say this. Scipio was testing us to protect his granddaughter, and we just thought of it as a casual spar and took some hits seriously. Isn’t that just unfair?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Am I wrong, Scipio?”
Scipio observed me from a distance with a peculiar expression. Then, he shifted his angered gaze towards Skylar.
“You were hiding someone too, weren’t you?”
“The dumb cat didn’t participate in the fight. Like promised, only Fura, Selina, and I fought.”
“No, there was no promise in this battle. To put it bluntly, even if that cat participated, I’d still be confident I’d win.”
“Is that so?”
“But it’s a different matter if the person suddenly changes.”
“Are you afraid of losing to Selina?”
Skylar immediately provoked.
He assessed the situation, made a judgment, and then maneuvered in a manner favorable to himself. This was Skylar’s forte. I can only admire.
The Bard is doing the Wizard’s job.
That ‘damn cat’ returned to its cat form. It looked human when I first appeared. Was it a different one?
‘Emperor’s watch, huh?’
Not good.
I don’t have a specific reason; it just feels off.
To me, known as the Queen of the Back Alleys and the Bard of the Moon, the Emperor’s watch is… something that induces a bit of discomfort.
It seems to be different from the ones who had monitored me before, but what’s more important than the individual is the position they hold.
“I will not lose.”
Alright. While I was lost in thought, Scipio took the bait.
He claims he won’t lose to me?
Does my body look that weak?
‘…Well, that part holds true.’
To be fair, my original body wasn’t that strong either, and I barely pushed past my limits with countless engravings and circuits.
Wouldn’t it be the same for all the ‘me’s from different worlds? People’s tastes don’t suddenly shift out of nowhere or change without reason.
“Fine. Let’s have a spar.”
“…Alone?”
“Yeah. If there are others around, it’d be a distraction—don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“I recently met a worthy opponent, and with a chance to cross swords… if weaklings interfere, it’d ruin my mood. Right?”
“……You speak informally?”
“Is that important right now?”
“You should maintain hierarchy.”
I understand why the guy who was the leader of an adventurer party cares about ranking and order. But to me? How dare he?
He should be more selective with who he speaks to.
Did he think hierarchy or order would work on me?
“Hierarchy is about weak people respecting strong ones.”
I hear the sound of dice rolling.
I naturally channeled my magic into my eyes.
I provoke.
Crack.
It seems my provocation worked quite well. Someone that age should be careful with those pearly whites; they might need dentures if they keep biting so hard.
Scipio leaped towards me.
I effortlessly blocked with my sword.
The clash of blades.
A cheap sword versus an imperial renowned sword—no surprises there.
That’s why I avoided the collision.
I feigned an intention to fight, throwing my sword into the air. I could see my opponent looking flustered. But the panic of a skilled swordsman doesn’t last long.
He quickly pivoted and caught my airborne sword upside down with his other hand. Reverse grip and reverse hand at the same time.
I dodged Scipio’s blade.
It was a close call.
I bent my knees and lowered my posture. My joints twisted unnaturally, almost like limbo. My waist stayed still while I sprang back into position like a spring.
My joints creak already. This body is so incompetent. It’s amazing it’s made it this far.
But it’s not over yet.
Swordsmen tend to grow in skill together. As muscles increase, so do their techniques. The potential they can unleash grows exponentially.
Perhaps because of this trait, a skilled swordsman sometimes misjudges against an untrained one. It happens very rarely, but it can happen.
This body is extremely weak. I can’t move the sword with the speed and power I desire.
Despite the ‘presence’ of the strong that I’m forcibly projecting… my sword’s strength can barely cut through common rabble. It’s likely at the Gold Badge level at best.
The presence is certainly akin to an equal with the Platinum Adventurer, but watching the sword, it feels pitifully slow and weak!
What kind of delusion would one typically fall into when seeing that?
Imagine facing a lion and suddenly hearing a “meow.”
Normally, a lion wouldn’t sound like a cat, but let’s imagine for a moment. What would your first thought be?
Think of yourself as strong as a lion. Now erase any thought of fleeing, and only keep the choice of fighting.
‘Ah, that son of a gun is just trying to catch me off guard!’—you might think that.
That’s delusion. It happens because you trust your senses too much… because you believe the entity in front of you to be a lion.
While my opponent is caught in that delusion, I create a moment of confusion.
The timing is thrown off.
I twist the trajectory of my sword mid-swing.
It bends on a path other than the one he expected.
A very weak swing containing very little strength.
To put it simply, adjusting the trajectory mid-swing is not difficult.
Of course, I mean relatively; in this body, that kind of thing would be taxing, but still, I did win. So, surely I’d be forgiven.
Seeing Scipio, who’s preemptively protecting his neck while predicting my trajectory, I slowly twisted my sword downward.
Now, my blade aimed at his belly.
With one swing of the sword, even a swordsman capable of altering terrain and causing natural disasters is just another swordsman up close.
Simply put, he’s just faster and stronger.
He’d die if he got his head shot by an arrow or if a sword cleaved him in two. It’s only natural; they’re human!
Just before my blade reached his stomach.
I halted my movement.
“I won, didn’t I?”
“…Yeah.”
He looked at me in disbelief.
He’d just realized the one he thought was a lion was merely a cat dressed in a lion’s disguise.
‘If I’m a cat, the original owner of this body would be a mouse, though.’
Is it nearly time to return?
Fainting in a crowded place would be rather embarrassing.
Not that it concerns me!
***
If most people see someone suddenly fainting, the first emotion they might feel would be concern.
However, this wizard felt something a bit different.
Although he called it a different personality, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe all of it blindly.
The smart Selina had a speech and mannerisms that were all subtly different. This wasn’t someone he knew.
Then what remained as a possibility?
Let’s exclude all impossible possibilities and focus on what remains as potential realities.
Even if something seems impossible, the only thing left can only be the truth.
In other words, it means someone else has entered her body.
He wasn’t sure, but he could make that rough guess.
While it is generally true that some have a special constitution that allows others to take over their bodies or possess them, Selina didn’t seem to be one of them. Coincidentally, it was also when she found herself in a crisis.
That means she likely had a higher probability of being a variable she could control.
Skylar’s guess was close to the truth, and the feeling of distress he initially had soon transformed into something quite different.
If Selina had opened her eyes, seeing the black and damp mist near Skylar would have startled her.
Perhaps it was the betrayal she felt for deceiving herself.
Or was it mistrust because she had hidden it from herself?
Or maybe it was the urge to possess something she’d never seen before.
One thing was for sure; this feeling couldn’t be explained by a single word.
Why did she deceive me?
Did she ultimately not trust me?
Why did she hide it from me?
Was I not close enough to share all secrets?
Why do I want that?
Is it just because it’s a rare phenomenon appearing for the first time? No, that can’t be it.
At the endpoint of emotions a wizard, who knows nothing of love, could feel.
It was undoubtedly.