Chapter 10

[She was a small, white bird-like girl.]

[She seemed to stimulate a man’s protective instinct and even invoke a desire for possession.]

[Her skin was startlingly pale.]

[Even more so than pure white dresses.]

[Or even more than her snow-white hair.]

[Under normal circumstances, such skin would give a pale impression.]

[But the girl’s skin exuded an aura of innocence.]

[Her azure eyes were so clear.]

[It felt like a gentle push would cause the blue within to bead up and fall.]

[Truly, she was enchanting.]

[Ironically, as utterly harmless and fragile as she appeared, she had an immense impact on others.]

[I quietly gazed at the girl.]

[Her clear pupils were troubled with worry.]

[“Do you not recognize me?”]

[I felt a surge of intense impulse.]

[I wanted to comfort her right away.]

[I wanted to caress her innocent, pure face with these hands.]

[And, if possible, I wanted to thoroughly paint this girl in my colors.]

[How audacious.]

[How audaciously I wanted to take this girl.]

[However, that was an extravagant wish I had no right to entertain.]

[She was someone I couldn’t even dream of aspiring to.]

[Thus, I could only yearn for her.]

[Her love.]

[…Master’s attention.]

—

I am not a parasitic entity clinging to Ricir’s self.

I am merely a kind of mutation born from the fantasy world’s character becoming aware of their modern self.

Even if there are sudden changes in personality, emotions, or values, it doesn’t affect my memories.

…So, may I ask who you are?

“Ricir! I missed you so much. I’m Pamon. I’ve been counting the days until I could meet you again.”

I won’t let go again.

With a voice full of resolution, the girl squeezed me tighter.

In fact, it was more a playful resolution.

The soft, bird-like voice and the degree of pressure she applied were perfectly adorable.

Looking down, I saw the girl’s head pressed closely against my chest.

Her hair was as clean and soft as freshly fallen snow.

It was a head small enough to fit in one hand.

She was a little bird-like girl.

So vague and fragile that paradoxically, she made quite an impression.

A bastard can’t survive without at least a bit of a good memory.

I wasn’t so forgetful to not remember this girl.

I wanted to ask cautiously.

Have you undergone a strict diet with plastic surgery and bleaching?

“Ricir!”

As I stood quietly, Pamon burrowed deeper into my embrace.

Maybe it meant ‘hug me.’

“…”

I could feel a piercing glare.

Some middle-aged man behind Pamon was glaring intensely at me.

By his attire, he seemed to be a knight from another family—

He appeared to be her guard, having just been seated at the same table with Pamon.

When our eyes met, the man’s gaze sharpened.

Maybe it meant ‘hug me.’

Forget it.

I moved my arms to ensure a mutual embrace with Pamon.

“Ah… Ricir!”

The girl let out a joyful sound as she surrendered her body into my arms.

“…!!!”

*Crack.*

The guard narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

This is awkward.

Wasn’t this an arranged agreement?

“Ricir… am I not happy to see you…?”

At that moment, the girl looked up at me with worried eyes.

Ricir, who was gazing into the girl’s eyes, thought,

‘If I actually had a younger sister, would it feel like this?’

The thoughts were so startling that if someone had overheard, they would have widened their eyes in surprise.

I gathered my thoughts.

I had to figure out how to treat the girl before me.

Though I didn’t remember, this girl was following me for some reason.

Thus, as the older of the two, my attitude was predetermined.

“What are you talking about? Of course, I’m happy to see you.”

“…”

Pamon momentarily doubted her ears.

Was she mistaken, thinking this man spoke to her as if she were a little child?

“If that’s the case, will you hug me? More tightly, so I can feel you more clearly…”

“Should I?”

Following Pamon’s request, Ricir hugged her with all his strength.

And so, at that moment, the innocent bastard hidden from view began to try to smile in a strange way.

“Wha-!”

“?”

Pamon started to wriggle her legs.

Her expression stiffened.

‘What are you doing?’

Ricir suddenly lifted Pamon.

He didn’t stop there; he began to spin in place.

A revolving world. So, the two individuals trapped within their little world gazed at each other.

At first glance, it might seem romantic.

‘What on earth are you doing?’

Yet the speed was something romance could never keep up with.

The girl looked at him with cold eyes.

She was demanding an explanation for his actions.

Ricir smiled confidently.

Ah. This is called centrifugal force.

Isn’t it fun?

‘What are you doing?’

After giving Pamon a moment of (un)pleasant excitement, Ricir set her down.

He then matched his eye level with Pamon and gently ruffled her hair.

“Are you satisfied?”

Pamon blinked in confusion.

‘What do you mean?’

Pamon was bewildered.

This didn’t look like a man completely subdued by her will.

This wasn’t a sight of a person under the influence of false memories.

Could it be?

No, that couldn’t be.

Even a knight of rank five should easily be under her control.

This useless bastard shouldn’t be free from my mental interference.

Pamon, who hesitated for a moment, spoke with an emotion-choked face.

“I missed you, Ricir.”

Once again, Pamon clung tightly to Ricir.

Ricir smiled gently and petted her head.

The intense attempts to heat the air around them were inexplicably left in the lukewarm failure.

By this point, it was past the stage of being bewildering; it was almost absurd.

‘What kind of guy is this?’

Mental interference tends to be proportional to the subject’s disposition.

If the subject is an emotional person, the influence of mental interference becomes stronger.

If the subject is dull, then the influence tends to be weaker.

Pamon, in her own thought, believed her mental interference had enough power to keep this man before her in line.

No? It was more than enough—she had overwhelming power.

Under ordinary circumstances, this man before her should have already become her slave.

But look at him now.

“Pamon, could you please let go? The knight behind you is staring at me with intense hostility.”

This was a response to the heated embrace.

An empty whisper devoid of any warmth.

This wasn’t the attitude of a servant towards their master.

It was the behavior of a man dealing with a cute little girl who would follow him.

Pamon felt a headache forming.

What kind of mental structure would allow my mental interference to be ineffective?

“I’m sorry. My family is just a little peculiar.”

A shockingly dull fool.

That was Pamon’s evaluation of Ricir.

The reason mental interference was failing to have its desired effect was clearly due to this man’s abysmally dull character.

“Sadly, there’s no need to rush. Ricir and I will be together for a long time to come. Right?”

Pamon’s innocent smile was false comfort as she inwardly clicked her tongue.

It seemed her plans would require more effort than she initially anticipated.

—

[“Did the Dintahl family have a daughter?”]

[One day, she suddenly appeared and became a member of the Dintahl family.]

[That hair color.]

[That appearance.]

[She was clearly different from the Dintahls, but no one doubted her existence.]

[“This is our youngest daughter. Due to her frail health, she nearly lived cooped up in her room since childhood.”]

[“The priest and the physician both said she wouldn’t survive past ten… So we tried not to get attached… but here she is, so strong now…”]

[Among the family’s masters, who would dare to object?]

[“Is it because she’s always been in her room? Her behavior and personality are spotless, like a lady of pure silk.”]

[Who could aim the spear of suspicion at such a lovable and delicate girl?]