Chapter 138
Cynthia was a soul from another world, dragged here by bad luck for the sake of this world’s cycle, and killed once she was no longer useful. That’s what she was. Those so-called ‘transmigrators’ could return to their original worlds only after meeting true death in this world.
The first Princess Cynthia, who managed to escape from the Wincastle Manor, also died in the end. Most likely, she got caught up in a royal succession dispute.
The second Cynthia to escape the mansion, the witch’s apprentice, didn’t last long either. She was branded a heretic and soon met her death.
Every time, Cynthia, who was dragged back by Segleninde, died in that way. The world simply would not allow her to stay any longer.
No matter how many times she repeated the cycle of death and resurrection and managed to escape the mansion, this world would not let a transmigrator who had fulfilled their role remain alive.
So, as Segleninde regained his strength, he created new bodies and destinies for her, so she could continue to have meaning in this world.
The ‘princess’ role was given to her by the world itself, but after that, it was Segleninde who assigned her roles. Maid, holy knight, detective’s assistant, thief, jester, mercenary, fortune-teller, mage…
And, a noble lady of a family on the verge of collapse.
All those bodies, and all the destinies assigned to them, were nothing more than vessels Segleninde had made for Cynthia from the very beginning. He was her own god. Despite creating countless beings, he loved only her.
Of course, not every destiny played out exactly as he designed.
Even when he tried to create a good fate for her, this world was reluctant to accept a foreign soul, and as a result, most destinies turned out unhappily.
Perhaps because of that, Cynthia was usually rather sharp by the time she encountered Segleninde.
He didn’t mind. As long as he could meet Cynthia again and enjoy their hunting game, it didn’t matter what unfortunate destiny had brought her back to him.
And so, it repeated dozens of times.
He thought he’d eventually grow tired of her after playing with her for a while, but even Segleninde had to admit he kept bringing Cynthia back to this world for quite a long time. As time went on, rather than being her enemy from the start, he found himself pretending to be an onlooker or a friendly companion at her side.
Maybe it was because he’d so often seen her crying, screaming, frightened, and despairing.
He came to like seeing her smile, act lively, chatter, snap at him, playfully joke around, and sometimes even rely on him. Even if those reactions weren’t new because he’d seen them from other humans, as long as it was Cynthia herself who did them, everything felt novel and fresh.
He also enjoyed seeing her expression when he finally revealed himself as the owner of the mansion, or when she discovered clues left behind by previous prey and realized he was the mastermind. Most of the time, she’d get angry or deny it, then eventually glare at him with resignation and enmity.
And yet, because of lingering affection, she’d sometimes come talk to him again or try to stay close.
Segleninde believed the flaw of intelligent beings was their emotions.
Cynthia, in particular, suffered because of that. Because she was so affectionate, she’d cry instead of push him away even when she knew he was her enemy, and even after being hurt by her allies, she couldn’t abandon her group because she didn’t want to be alone. Sometimes she was betrayed and became a sacrificial pawn for a clue.
Foolish human.
Segleninde didn’t want something that was basically his property to be toyed with by other humans. He’d woven new destinies for her and even given her a body. She should belong to him and only him.
After that started to bother him, he killed off other humans early on so she’d be alone as much as possible. Then he would join her, pretending to be an ally, subtly sticking with her.
Just the two of them. The sensation of sharing all situations and memories with her as the only companion was better than he’d imagined.
He kept delaying the moment when he’d betray Cynthia or be discovered and become her enemy. Once, he even managed to remain her companion until almost the very end without revealing the truth. When she finally realized it, he actually felt a bit of regret.
That’s why, when he caught her right in front of the wide-open mansion door and hung her on the wall like a picture frame, she screamed as she cried,
“I trusted you…! You horrible monster!”
Watching Cynthia sob like a child, Segleninde was seized by a strange feeling. He felt a little dazed. When he came to, he’d unknowingly let her go.
He watched as she ran out the brightly open mansion doors, looking back several times, and kept wondering.
Did I want to be with her longer?
He didn’t know.
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