“Alas, imprinting.”
“ It’s romantic, ancient magic.”
The elders gathered around the table, despite their addiction to betting money at cards, were also men of knowledge. And now that they seemed to be in a great mood, I figured if I prodded them enough, they’d share what they knew.
“I’ve been searching the library a bit, and there’s not much known about imprinting magic, is there?”
“That’s because it’s an old magic that’s long since been abandoned.”
“Well, there is one…”
Now came the real question.
The doctor puffed out his chest as if he wasn’t nervous at all.
“Sometimes imprints are made without knowing the cause, right?”
“…Of course, there are, like, chance encounters, fateful love. A romance that the gods took over, or something like that.”
The three elders chuckled like little boys.
The mood in the room relaxed. Not to be swept up in the atmosphere, Hawthorne cut to the chase.
“You know those imprints that keep getting worse even as their intimacy grows, the ones that cause their connection to waver and threaten each other’s lives? How do you deal with that—”
At Hawthorne’s question, the oldest elder here stroked his beard and shook his head.
“There is no such imprint.”
“…?”
The elder shrugged, staring at the puzzled look on the doctor’s face.
Then another elder, one who had studied ancient magic, scratched the bridge of his nose.
A curious look crossed his face.
“Imprinting magic is based on intimacy, the longer the contact, the better, so why would it falter as the intimacy increases?”
The attending physician was left speechless by this explanation.
Up until this point, he had assumed that the imprinting magic was normal, except for the inexplicable.
But their imprints were not the only suspicious ones.
Hawthorne frowned gravely, “I see.”
“Besides, imprinting magic is only life-threatening at first, and then everything settles down. It’s like a lover’s passion.”
“…Oho.”
So what were Astel and Duke Anais’ imprints?
It was a sign of companionship. If it wasn’t an imprint, then what was it that they were experiencing?
“As you know, I’m still learning, so I didn’t know.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Well, then, something similar to the symptoms I’m describing is…”
The elder threw up his hands at my continued questioning, “Come on, Hawthorne. Enough of the hard stuff, let’s play some cards and then we’ll talk.”
Those gambling addicts…!
Less than a month after being pressed into the town of DeLang Lucia for an “imprint study.
Hawthorne’s eyes were bloodshot as he played high-stakes cards.
The elder holding the poker muttered in a low voice.
“Something’s been twisted tight, perhaps irreversibly…”
“What?”
“…I wonder how soon.”
Hawthorne’s grip on his palm loosened at the meaningful words.
“Hey, Hawthorne. Your hand in the game of cards.”
That doesn’t sound right… It sounds like you’re saying something very important…
But the elder smirked as he slammed his deck of cards to the floor.
An ominous premonition that this time it would be his victory came over Hawthorne’s mind like a tidal wave.
As soon as he said that he wanted to analyze the diary artifact, Warret rushed over as fast as a bullet.
“Finally, we can analyze this artifact…!”
“Yes, finally!”
…I felt like I didn’t even have to say the words to ask him to take a closer look.
He looked at the diary I held out to him and grinned as though he possessed the world.
“Ohhh…”
“Please check them!”
He took the journal and flipped through the pages. His expression grew more serious as he carefully checked the contents.
[Today I ate fish cake skewers, the most delicious food in the world!]
‘Fish cake skewers’ were the lowest of the common people’s food, and at the time, I was so excited to eat something that wasn’t a dirty carrot…
As he flipped through the diary, page by page, my face grew redder and redder.
‘It’s embarrassing!’
But he quickly flipped through the pages as if he didn’t care about my flushed face.
Warret’s complexion continued to darken.
“This, where exactly did you buy it?”
When asked where I bought it, I cautiously spoke and answered.
“It was bought a long time ago, at just a regular stall.”
“But…”
He declared solemnly, “This artifact is ‘real‘.”
“…”
“Just like my own hair, which has grown back intensely after applying a hair growth.”
After a moment of bewilderment, I was moved by his words.
It’s gratifying to know that he’s making good use of the hair growth potion I’ve created…
“What a great comparison!”
…My heart swelled in my chest.
Warret shook his head, his eyes deep in thought.
I squeezed my hand and shook it excitedly, saying.
“But when you say… that this is… real, what exactly do you mean?”
“This diary contains the true and honest thoughts of a human being.”
“And if they are a person’s thoughts…?”
“Technically, they’re not just written memories; they’re ‘sealed’ memories of human memories.”
As he flipped through the pages of the journal, Warret’s face lit up in ecstasy.
“It’s not just a memory,” he says, “it’s a powerful memory that can affect reality.”
“And by affecting reality, you mean…”
“I don’t know exactly yet, but artifacts that hold human memories and affect reality are not common. This is something that money can’t buy.”
I looked at him cautiously, wondering if he was serious.
“No ordinary craftsman could even come close to replicating it. It must have been made by someone close to the gods! The memories of Miss Astel, the current owner of this diary, are sealed within it.”
I looked at the journal he handed back to me.
‘So, my memories are sealed in here? That means all those dreams I saw…?’
Why was it sealed? What was that memory at the end of the diary?
I cautiously flipped to the front page of the diary.
He looked ecstatic and shouted out loud, “Listen, listen. There may be a very important and dangerous memory sealed in here! Do you have any memories you’ve forgotten?”
There are. Since the day I realized I had been reincarnated in 《 Bloody Vengeance 》, ever since the day I went missing.
I had lost all my memories for over a month.
I thought to myself, ‘…This is strange in hindsight. I wasn’t involved in an accident, so why did I lose all my memories of that day?’
Then I remembered the boy from my last vision like an afterimage.
I blinked and grabbed his arm, “How do we find this memory?”
“You just need to unseal the artifact.”
How simple? My eyes twinkled with anticipation.
Then Warret coughed and replied, “I can try, but… you’ll probably have to find the creator of this artifact.”
“I don’t know who made it… It was just bought from a stall…”
“Then we’ll have to ask the person who bought it, what store did they buy it from?”
I nodded.… I didn’t know who made the diary, but the person who bought it for me was the closest thing I had.
It was my brother, Cassian Gray.
He was shocked that I’d gone missing, and was reluctant to talk about it at the time!
But now that I’m so curious, I have to talk to him about that day.
‘Since I can’t summon him to the duchy separately, should I travel to the capital and meet him secretly?’
However, I was not in a position to travel alone.
So why not follow Duke Anais when he travels to the capital? He travels to the capital often to meet with the Emperor on matters related to the Monster War Council.
However, even if he goes to the capital, there’s a problem…
‘The Duke hates my brother, so how can I secretly meet him?’
If I were the Duke, I would think that my brother was planning another attempt to break my heart, and thus unnecessarily injure his back…
Then it would be revenge or whatever.
‘But I must do something.’
I have to visit my brother, the man who bought me the diary. To find out about the Duke of Cornwall, a potential Dark Villain in the capital.
I must also do business to fund my revenge.
Three goals in total.
And there’s only one place to accomplish all three.
‘The capital.’
Now I had to leave the duchy and expand my reach into the capital.
With Duke Anais, my imprint, who has somehow grown inseparable…
One day later.
I’ve been pacing back and forth since the morning. To hear the rumors in the duchy.
‘The Duke is traveling to the capital soon!’
‘Hmph, really? He’s been back for a while.’
‘That’s what they say.’
After running around and listening to the rumors, only one thought stuck with me. I had a hunch that the Duke had much business in the capital before the war, and that I should not miss the opportunity.
Accordingly, I agreed to dine with the Duke tonight.
“Alas, imprinting.”
“ It’s romantic, ancient magic.”
The elders gathered around the table, despite their addiction to betting money at cards, were also men of knowledge. And now that they seemed to be in a great mood, I figured if I prodded them enough, they’d share what they knew.
“I’ve been searching the library a bit, and there’s not much known about imprinting magic, is there?”
“That’s because it’s an old magic that’s long since been abandoned.”
“Well, there is one…”
Now came the real question.
The doctor puffed out his chest as if he wasn’t nervous at all.
“Sometimes imprints are made without knowing the cause, right?”
“…Of course, there are, like, chance encounters, fateful love. A romance that the gods took over, or something like that.”
The three elders chuckled like little boys.
The mood in the room relaxed. Not to be swept up in the atmosphere, Hawthorne cut to the chase.
“You know those imprints that keep getting worse even as their intimacy grows, the ones that cause their connection to waver and threaten each other’s lives? How do you deal with that—”
At Hawthorne’s question, the oldest elder here stroked his beard and shook his head.
“There is no such imprint.”
“…?”
The elder shrugged, staring at the puzzled look on the doctor’s face.
Then another elder, one who had studied ancient magic, scratched the bridge of his nose.
A curious look crossed his face.
“Imprinting magic is based on intimacy, the longer the contact, the better, so why would it falter as the intimacy increases?”
The attending physician was left speechless by this explanation.
Up until this point, he had assumed that the imprinting magic was normal, except for the inexplicable.
But their imprints were not the only suspicious ones.
Hawthorne frowned gravely, “I see.”
“Besides, imprinting magic is only life-threatening at first, and then everything settles down. It’s like a lover’s passion.”
“…Oho.”
So what were Astel and Duke Anais’ imprints?
It was a sign of companionship. If it wasn’t an imprint, then what was it that they were experiencing?
“As you know, I’m still learning, so I didn’t know.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Well, then, something similar to the symptoms I’m describing is…”
The elder threw up his hands at my continued questioning, “Come on, Hawthorne. Enough of the hard stuff, let’s play some cards and then we’ll talk.”
Those gambling addicts…!
Less than a month after being pressed into the town of DeLang Lucia for an “imprint study.
Hawthorne’s eyes were bloodshot as he played high-stakes cards.
The elder holding the poker muttered in a low voice.
“Something’s been twisted tight, perhaps irreversibly…”
“What?”
“…I wonder how soon.”
Hawthorne’s grip on his palm loosened at the meaningful words.
“Hey, Hawthorne. Your hand in the game of cards.”
That doesn’t sound right… It sounds like you’re saying something very important…
But the elder smirked as he slammed his deck of cards to the floor.
An ominous premonition that this time it would be his victory came over Hawthorne’s mind like a tidal wave.
As soon as he said that he wanted to analyze the diary artifact, Warret rushed over as fast as a bullet.
“Finally, we can analyze this artifact…!”
“Yes, finally!”
…I felt like I didn’t even have to say the words to ask him to take a closer look.
He looked at the diary I held out to him and grinned as though he possessed the world.
“Ohhh…”
“Please check them!”
He took the journal and flipped through the pages. His expression grew more serious as he carefully checked the contents.
[Today I ate fish cake skewers, the most delicious food in the world!]
‘Fish cake skewers’ were the lowest of the common people’s food, and at the time, I was so excited to eat something that wasn’t a dirty carrot…
As he flipped through the diary, page by page, my face grew redder and redder.
‘It’s embarrassing!’
But he quickly flipped through the pages as if he didn’t care about my flushed face.
Warret’s complexion continued to darken.
“This, where exactly did you buy it?”
When asked where I bought it, I cautiously spoke and answered.
“It was bought a long time ago, at just a regular stall.”
“But…”
He declared solemnly, “This artifact is ‘real‘.”
“…”
“Just like my own hair, which has grown back intensely after applying a hair growth.”
After a moment of bewilderment, I was moved by his words.
It’s gratifying to know that he’s making good use of the hair growth potion I’ve created…
“What a great comparison!”
…My heart swelled in my chest.
Warret shook his head, his eyes deep in thought.
I squeezed my hand and shook it excitedly, saying.
“But when you say… that this is… real, what exactly do you mean?”
“This diary contains the true and honest thoughts of a human being.”
“And if they are a person’s thoughts…?”
“Technically, they’re not just written memories; they’re ‘sealed’ memories of human memories.”
As he flipped through the pages of the journal, Warret’s face lit up in ecstasy.
“It’s not just a memory,” he says, “it’s a powerful memory that can affect reality.”
“And by affecting reality, you mean…”
“I don’t know exactly yet, but artifacts that hold human memories and affect reality are not common. This is something that money can’t buy.”
I looked at him cautiously, wondering if he was serious.
“No ordinary craftsman could even come close to replicating it. It must have been made by someone close to the gods! The memories of Miss Astel, the current owner of this diary, are sealed within it.”
I looked at the journal he handed back to me.
‘So, my memories are sealed in here? That means all those dreams I saw…?’
Why was it sealed? What was that memory at the end of the diary?
I cautiously flipped to the front page of the diary.
He looked ecstatic and shouted out loud, “Listen, listen. There may be a very important and dangerous memory sealed in here! Do you have any memories you’ve forgotten?”
There are. Since the day I realized I had been reincarnated in 《 Bloody Vengeance 》, ever since the day I went missing.
I had lost all my memories for over a month.
I thought to myself, ‘…This is strange in hindsight. I wasn’t involved in an accident, so why did I lose all my memories of that day?’
Then I remembered the boy from my last vision like an afterimage.
I blinked and grabbed his arm, “How do we find this memory?”
“You just need to unseal the artifact.”
How simple? My eyes twinkled with anticipation.
Then Warret coughed and replied, “I can try, but… you’ll probably have to find the creator of this artifact.”
“I don’t know who made it… It was just bought from a stall…”
“Then we’ll have to ask the person who bought it, what store did they buy it from?”
I nodded.… I didn’t know who made the diary, but the person who bought it for me was the closest thing I had.
It was my brother, Cassian Gray.
He was shocked that I’d gone missing, and was reluctant to talk about it at the time!
But now that I’m so curious, I have to talk to him about that day.
‘Since I can’t summon him to the duchy separately, should I travel to the capital and meet him secretly?’
However, I was not in a position to travel alone.
So why not follow Duke Anais when he travels to the capital? He travels to the capital often to meet with the Emperor on matters related to the Monster War Council.
However, even if he goes to the capital, there’s a problem…
‘The Duke hates my brother, so how can I secretly meet him?’
If I were the Duke, I would think that my brother was planning another attempt to break my heart, and thus unnecessarily injure his back…
Then it would be revenge or whatever.
‘But I must do something.’
I have to visit my brother, the man who bought me the diary. To find out about the Duke of Cornwall, a potential Dark Villain in the capital.
I must also do business to fund my revenge.
Three goals in total.
And there’s only one place to accomplish all three.
‘The capital.’
Now I had to leave the duchy and expand my reach into the capital.
With Duke Anais, my imprint, who has somehow grown inseparable…
One day later.
I’ve been pacing back and forth since the morning. To hear the rumors in the duchy.
‘The Duke is traveling to the capital soon!’
‘Hmph, really? He’s been back for a while.’
‘That’s what they say.’
After running around and listening to the rumors, only one thought stuck with me. I had a hunch that the Duke had much business in the capital before the war, and that I should not miss the opportunity.
Accordingly, I agreed to dine with the Duke tonight.
