Seren cried while pouring out her story. Overall, it wasn't exactly easy to understand. A person's words usually didn't make much sense when they were in a panic. Nevertheless, I got the gist of it.
"You mean, there are two souls in one body?"
My expression became serious the moment I saw Seren nodding. The first thought that crossed my mind after hearing this was the possibility that all people living on this continent would inevitably think of.
"You know. Are you perhaps a church—"
"No," Seren cut me off with a tearful face. "I know that the church has sorcery to transfer souls. However, this isn't like that. I know you are having a hard time believing it. Still..."
Seren shut her trembling lips. She looked very unsettled. Separately, it seemed that there was something she was still hiding.
However, this wasn't the only reason why I couldn't believe her words. Of course, silently believing a person in such a situation could be said to be a sign of friendship or trust, but honestly, the bond I had built with Seren wasn't that deep.
A church member has already taken over Seren's body. That church member either knows I am a priest or suspects it.
That was the worst possibility I could think of right now.. Of course, this was the worst possible scenario I could imagine, so the changes weren't that high. After all, Seren was from a Great Family. Among them, the Goodsprings had one of the highest ranks. She even possessed a large number of blessings. This basically meant she had a high resistance toward the church's sorcery.
Even if she had already lost her body, the odds of her noticing the Dark Qi inside me was low. After all, it hadn't been noticed by the Middle Names, including Sky-Destroying Sword Maxim, Captain Lena of the Royal Knights, the Iron-Blooded Lord, or even the Lotus Jade Emperor.
"Young Master Luan?"
I had to check it once. "To sum up what you are saying, the person talking to me right now is, you the real Seren. The prickly one I've been dealing with all this time is actually someone called Shi-Hyeon, who possessed your body?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..." The name Shi-Hyeon wasn't familiar. Perhaps a similar name could be found on the eastern part of the continent on the vast grassland where many ethnic minorities lived?
I didn't know, but I had unexpectedly heard a name format similar to this. Maybe I was the only person on the continent who knew it. Naturally,, I was talking about Third Senior Brother.
Is the person who possessed Seren's body from the same world as Third Senior Brother?
What was the probability? I didn't know, but it wasn't impossible. The world I lived in seemed to be crazy beyond what I could imagine.
I was puzzled. "Then why were you crying? Shouldn't you be happy about this?"
Seren flinched.
"The person who took over your body is dead. From the perspective of the real Seren, you have finally regained your body. Instead of dancing out of happiness, you are crying in a corner like this?" I asked.
Seren remained crouching down and pressed her face into her knees. Her white hair flowed down like a curtain. Soon, a muffled voice leaked out from behind the curtain of hair. "It is because Shi-Hyeon is a hero."
"What do you mean?"
"It is literally what I said. People who save those in danger and accomplish what others can't are called heroes. Shi-Hyeon..." Her whispering voice continued. "She showed me that the world isn't just about my family, the Goodsprings. She proved that it wasn't my family who is wrong, but I am the one who is wrong. She taught me that what matters isn't what others think, but what I think. I saw it all."
"Seren... No, does Shi-Hyeon know that you exist?"
"She found out relatively recently. It was after Shi-Hyeon awakened the power of the forgotten god, but that power is dangerous. She loses consciousness for a long time after using it," she explained.
"Then it was you who made that foolish appearance at the Badnikers' main house?"
Seren's shoulders twitched. This was the answer.
"So what exactly is her condition now? Has she left your body completely?"
"That isn't it. I can definitely feel that she exists in me. It is a matter of the senses, so there is no concrete evidence, but..." She paused.
"Then why are you so panicked if she hasn't disappeared?"
"She might never wake up again." Seren sniffled again. "What if Shi-Hyeon dies? I don't know how to wake up a sleeping soul..."
This was the reason why the original Seren stayed in her room all the time and tried not to run into anyone else. The Seren Goodspring that most hero disciples, including me, remembered was someone who had nothing to do with the words weak-hearted or timid.
Apart from that, I didn't really understand what the real Seren in front of me was thinking. She didn't have the courage to live on her own. Instead, she lent her body to someone else and watched from the sidelines?
At least for me, that was torture. Still, that was how I felt now. However, recalling the time when I hadn't received a single blessing, I could understand how such thoughts could arise. If a demon had come up to me at that time and demanded I give up my body to gain blessings, I would've thought about it to some extent.
I asked, "Have you tried anything?"
"Of course!"
What a surprise.
Seren suddenly raised her head and looked at me. "Shi-Hyeon enjoys a hot bath and especially likes floating rose petals! Sometimes, she wouldn't get out of the bathtub for two hours—"
The volume of her voice gradually decreased. "I sat in the bathtub for three hours at the same temperature and the same atmosphere, but there was no response. Thanks to this, my body tingled, and I almost died from dizziness."
"It is a pity."
"What? That I didn't die?"
"No."
Why did she think like this? How to describe it? It was a way of thinking that seemed to gather all the unhappiness in the world.
I waved my fingers and said, "This type of thing is more likely to be a mental problem. You need to set off a flash in her mind rather than stimulating the body."
"Uh, really?"
"Yes. I saw it in a newspaper a long time ago. There was a man who had been in a coma for ten years. The treatment of famous physicians, the prescriptions of apothecaries, and the divine power of a Bishop had no effect on him. In the end, his wife half gave up and took him back to their hometown. The moment they arrived, his eyes suddenly opened," I said.
"Wow..." Seren raised her head slightly. Her blue eyes and white eyebrows curved in a smile. "It is a miracle! How romantic!"
I rained down on her parade. "It isn't a miracle or romantic."
"How so?"
"He lived in his hometown for decades. It was a place where he experienced many things and forgot even more. You know, the human brain often remembers what you think you have forgotten," I explained.
Seren couldn't understand what I was saying.
"It is frustrating. The moment he set foot in his homeland, his brain reacted to the sights, smells, sounds and the feel of the sun and wind on his skin. It started moving to recall the sunken memories. In the process, the brain is activated and he naturally woke up."
Of course, I didn't know if this was true, but it sounded more persuasive than a miracle.
Seren looked at me with slightly strange eyes. "Young Master Luan, you have no sense of romance."
"What?"
"Still, I understand what you are saying. The taste of home..."
As Seren looked worried, my gaze shifted to the inside of the hall through the window. The atmosphere of the banquet had matured to some extent. It seemed that Hector was still leading the banquet.
At this moment, the lighting of the banquet changed slightly. The lights from the chandelier became much clearer and the music changed. I couldn't hear any trumpets, but it felt a bit passionate. The highlight was the sound of the piano. There was a grand piano in the center of the hall.
"Her Highness the Princess has arrived!"
Why did this voice sound familiar? Was he the one who made a fuss when the Lotus Jade Emperor appeared?
As I thought this, a woman appeared in the center of the banquet hall. The fact that instantly drew attention exuded elegance and dignity that couldn't be hidden. It was a woman with red hair.
Even though she was the Sixth Princess, she looked much older than Perist and Glenn. This wasn't unusual in the imperial family. After all, the order of the imperial family wasn't based on age. In other words, this woman was in a position where there was practically no chance of her becoming the empress.
No. Now that this happened to Perist, she must've risen one in the ranks.
Suddenly, Seren gasped.
I tilted my head. "What is it? Are you acquainted with the Sixth Princess?"
"N-No. That isn't it..."
Seren's gaze wasn't on the princess but on something else. I looked in this direction she was staring at as well.
"The piano?" I probed.
"Yes! Shi-Hyeon loves the piano and plays it very well! She moved her fingers fluidly like a pianist and played a solo piece I had never heard before. How elegant and beautiful it was!"
Was this narcissism or not?
I was about to fall into a philosophical dilemma when Seren's voice interrupted, "It must've been Shi-Hyeon's hometown music. Perhaps if she hears music from her homeland, it can help her come to her senses?"
"Hmm." It was very difficult, but somehow, a melody flashed through my mind at this moment. Naturally, it was a song that Third Senior Brother often hummed. If the two of them were really from the same world, wouldn't this also get a reaction?
After all, I was an aristocrat. I received education in many things in the family. I knew how to read sheet music and how to play the keyboard. So what was important was how to play the piano naturally in the current situation.
This actually wasn't difficult. I could just ignore the natural part.
"Wait a minute." I left Seren there and returned alone.
Some nobles sneaked a glance at me, and the daring ones even approached me openly. I ignored most of them and headed toward the center of the hall.
Hector and the princess were standing there.
The princess sensed my approach and said with a smile on her face. "Ah, Young Master Luan."
I wondered how to respond, and just said something roughly. "I greet Your Highness."
"Huhu. I am honored to meet the most famous hero disciple in the capital."
"Yes, well..."
"Oh my. You don't have to be so nervous."
I wasn't nervous.
For some reason, this princess started talking nonsense all of a sudden. "You didn't seem to be interested in the banquet. Thank you for coming here to meet me. I am a bit touched."
"Ah, yes." I nodded insincerely, and this caused Hector's gaze to become intense.
"What?" I asked him with my eyes.
Hector desperately moved his mouth. "Manners."
Manners? I raised my right hand slightly.
Hector frantically shook his head with a pale face.
"I heard that Young Master Luan is the hero who made the greatest contribution in this crisis. I think the head of your family must be happy as well. There are the two of you, as well as Young Master Heero—"
"I'm sorry to interrupt." I pointed to the piano. "Can I play that?"
The princess' expression stiffened at my words. Then she thought of something, and her face relaxed for some reason. "Are you going to play for me? Haha, you're cute."
What is she talking about?
I didn't want to clear up the misunderstanding of the princess, whose name I didn't know, so I simply passed by her and sat in front of the piano. Then I gently ran my fingers over the piano keys.
"Oh my..."
"Wow—"
There was a slight commotion around me. There was more interest than I expected. I could also see the princess' face full of anticipation.
I smiled slightly and started playing.
Miredore mimimi.
Rerere. Mimimi.
Miredore mimimi.
Reremiredo.
...
The surroundings fell silent.
Naturally, it wasn't because they were impressed by my performance.
I ignored the stiff reactions around me and looked at Seren.
Seren was looking at me with a surprised expression, only for her eyes to slightly blur.. Soon, her head tilted as if a thread had been cut.
After some time, she raised her head again. The corners of her eyes lifted and her lips twisted somewhere between a sneer and a smirk. Seren stared at me in a bewildered manner for a while. Then she sighed deeply and twirled her finger next to her temple.
Okay. It was a success.