The next morning.
Walking alone outside the Duke’s mansion, I groaned, covering my face with my right hand.
Head pounding, dizziness overwhelming me, nausea twisting in my stomach, chills running down my spine, and joint pain making it difficult to walk properly. I must look like a walking corpse at this point. The gatekeeper seemed genuinely concerned as well.
I felt worse than having a simple cold.
I should be resting in the mansion, but the joint pain makes it impossible to find peace in sleep. To be honest, even walking is a challenge. But being outside, moving through the streets of the royal capital, feels slightly more comfortable than lying in bed and complaining.
Therefore, I left the mansion and started strolling through the bustling streets of the royal capital.
“Guhu… I didn’t expect the backlash to be this severe.”
Naturally, the backlash was a result of the soul transfer experiment conducted on Luna María the previous night.
The experiment itself was a resounding success. Luna María’s level had risen from “19” to “20.”
Having the ability to intentionally raise others’ levels was truly remarkable. The mere thought of the commotion that would ensue if this knowledge were made public sent shivers down my spine.
To be honest, I was initially elated.
Higher levels equated to higher-quality souls. It would create an endless cycle: Raise Luna María’s level → Consume her soul to raise my own level → Raise Luna María’s level again.
Ohh, the feeling of invincibility!
—–But then, a realization dawned upon me.
My excitement instantly waned when I checked my own level. The number that should have been “9” after devouring Iria’s soul had reverted to “8.”
Headaches, nausea, dizziness, joint pain, abdominal pain, chest pain—the toll on my body was evident. It seemed that these symptoms were a result of lowering my level.
As I’ve mentioned before, souls are pure sources of experience. Even with a soul, increasing my level is no easy task. Comparing the amount of experience required for Luna María to reach level “20” and for me to reach level “9,” mine was undoubtedly higher.
Initially, Luna María’s level and mine were completely incompatible. However, as I raised Luna María’s level, mine decreased.
To be honest, I wanted to scream “Are you bloody kidding me?” with all my might. But in carrying out the soul pouring experiment, I had to direct that anger and frustration toward myself.
The simple truth was that, as a result of pouring souls, Luna María’s level increased by one while mine decreased by one.
I had no choice but to accept it.
“Well, now I have a way to help that tomboy princess.”
Perhaps Claudia’s excruciating pain was due to soul depletion. If I could pour enough souls into the vessel pierced by the curse, its effects should dissipate. At the very least, it might alleviate her suffering.
Furthermore, leveling up brings other benefits. As I’ve always mentioned, level is a measure of human potential. And as the level increases, the capacity to hold energy also expands. In other words, the vessel grows along with the level.
I could exploit this. By leveling up, I could close the hole in Claudia’s vessel. Even if it couldn’t be completely sealed, it would be smaller.
If this is proven, the path to a solution becomes clearer. I might even raise her level two or three times to achieve perfection. The only problem is that my level would decrease to “7” or “6” as the cost…
I couldn’t forget Claudia’s screams from last night.
It had been a year since Claudia was cursed. For the entire year, that young girl endured unbearable pain that could strike at any moment, yet she never lost her kind heart.
If I think about never hearing the screams of such a lovely girl again—yes, losing two or three levels is insignificant.
When I visit my mother’s grave, I’ll consider it just another event to proudly report to her!
I just need to raise my level again!
As I shouted with those thoughts—I’ll be honest. I was willing to offer souls to Claudia.
Being strong now meant everything to me. I was attempting to share souls, which were the source of my strength. However, there was also hesitation. Somehow, I could hear the growls of a discontented beast.
“Well, anyway, I won’t stop… guh.”
Nausea began to rise again, and I quickly covered my mouth.
Originally, I should have gone to Claudia immediately, but now I was in a state where walking properly was difficult.
In this condition, I didn’t think I could provide them with souls. I might end up failing. Therefore, I had to recover as soon as possible.
From what I heard before leaving, it seemed that Claudia’s intense pain was somehow managed with sleeping pills. After some time, when the pain subsided, they eliminated the side effects of the sleeping pills with Jiraiya Oaks.
She could be considered calm for now.
It appeared that she had been gradually recovering to this point, but it wasn’t necessarily the end. One couldn’t let their guard down unless they knew when the pain would return. All I could do now was recover as much as possible and be ready to pour the souls.
The reason I left in such a manner was to visit a potion shop and have healing magic applied at a temple. I hoped that would help me.
—In conclusion, none of it was effective.
Apparently, these discomforts seemed to be inevitable symptoms when pouring souls. In other words, I had to endure them until I naturally recovered.
Sighing, I realized it wouldn’t be so easy to overcome this.
Returning to the Duke’s mansion, I listened to the melodious lute being played by a bard somewhere.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Before Claudia-sama collapsed, you say?”
“Yes. It seems Luna María heard a strange sound. But, did you notice anything, Seal?”
Upon returning to the Duke’s mansion, I asked Seal. Originally, I should have asked her yesterday, but I couldn’t due to the side effects of soul pouring.
Furrowing her brows, Seal tried to recall what had happened yesterday.
“It was just before the tableware broke, right?… Ah, yes, I remember it well. I heard crying.”
“Crying?”
“Yes, I think it was a woman’s voice. Beastmen have keen hearing, so we often pick up sounds from neighbors and main streets. Especially loud voices of women and babies can carry quite far on the wind…”
Seal apologized dejectedly, expressing regret for not providing me with the information I needed.
Of course, I didn’t intend to blame her, so I reassured her not to worry. However, Seal’s information did pique my curiosity.
If she only heard crying, then there wasn’t much cause for concern, as Seal had mentioned. However, the elf Luna María had also felt something abnormal in her ears at the same time. And simultaneously, Claudia experienced intense pain.
With this in mind, the “woman’s voice” Seal mentioned warranted attention.
Some undead monsters caused damage through screaming. The source of the curse could be an undead.
However, if Claudia’s pain was due to the screams of an undead, it was strange that we hadn’t suffered any damage despite being in the same place.
Therefore, perhaps it wasn’t directly caused by an undead, but it was still worth investigating.
Fortunately, and strangely enough, I hadn’t fully recovered yet. Until I was in a condition to pour the souls, I decided to explore the royal capital a little more.
“Why am I performing like this in a place like this? Hihihi, I see, that’s what a different person is asking me.”
The old man playing the biwa in a corner of the general cemetery said that, revealing his yellow teeth.
There was no malice or hostility in his voice. However, if one thing could be said, it was that a sharp light, like needles, flickered in his eyes.
“No matter what this old man does, it has nothing to do with you, the Duke’s guest.”
The old man said as he plucked the strings of his instrument.
When Claudia exchanged greetings with the old man yesterday, we didn’t pay much attention. We didn’t introduce ourselves, but he seemed to remember my face from his proximity to Claudia.
Surely it had nothing to do with me. But you were showing the way to heaven for the wandering souls in this cemetery, weren’t you? I wondered why you acted so selflessly without anyone asking you to.
When I mentioned this, the old man laughed in a shrill voice.
“Hehehe! I see, you heard that from the girl, didn’t you? A story without any evidence, a normal person listening to the ramblings of an old man, an honest person.”
The old man continued, playing skilfully on the strings of his instrument.
“I told the girl the same thing. When I see a wandering soul, I can’t just leave it. This old man, in ancient times, even used a staff and techniques to deal with evil spirits. It was quite exciting, I must say.
I said in front of the old man, who started to laugh.
“Sir, I would like to ask you one more question. Is that all right?”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s about last night. Did any suspicious person or spirit appear in this cemetery?”
I asked for any relevant information from the moment Claudia collapsed.
The old man tilted his head and said, “Let’s see.”
“I couldn’t tell you anything specific… No, now that I remember, there was someone terribly suspicious.”
“What kind of person was it?”
“You’re looking at him now.”
The old man said with a smile.
“At that time I was alone in the cemetery playing a song. If you ask for a suspicious person, I think I’m the most suspicious. Hehehehe!”
As I listened to his laughter, I unintentionally furrowed my brow. He seemed to be teasing me. I thought about leaving, as I didn’t think the old man would give me any more useful information.
“Did the fangs of the curse bite the girl?”
The old man’s voice reached me like something slippery.
I looked at the old man warily.
“What makes you think that?”
“What a stupid question for someone who asked about a suspect in the cemetery. There’s nothing else to think about but the curse, just like worrying about the ghosts’ movements. And the one who said that was you, who accompanied the cursed princess. In that case, there’s only one answer.”
“Impressive.”
“Hehehe. I’m humbled by your praise. As a token of my gratitude, I will lend you the wisdom of this old man. About a year after you arrived in the royal capital. An old man has wisdom of his own.
“I would like to hear it.
When I lowered my waist and asked him to teach me, the old man’s eyes shone with a sharp light.
Separated from the voice he had been using, he began expressing his opinion with a deep and weighty voice.
“What is truly frightening is not spirits, but people. If you want to get rid of the curse, it is crucial to look at the people, not the spirits.”
“Are you saying we shouldn’t look for what cursed her, but rather who cursed her?”
“Exactly. When people gather and live, shadows are cast upon them. Envy and the cursed hearts of others arise from their shadows. No matter how noble a person may be, they cannot escape these shadows. It doesn’t matter if they are close friends, parents, or siblings; shadows will arise.”
“…Are you suggesting that the person who cursed Claudia-sama is close to her?”
It is conceivable, albeit a product of human actions. There are numerous accounts of fathers committing filicide, and within the Dragnote family, there exist potential dark secrets.
“Hm…”
TLNote : After finishing Volume 2, I might pause translating this novel. BUT! If “Revenge of Soul Eater” wins the poll, I’ll continue with Volume 3. Your votes will decide. Thanks for your support!
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