Chapter 6: A Mirror Seen from Outside
After āPurinaā took control of the body, I opened my eyes in a completely white space.
Lowering my head, I felt a soft texture and saw I was sitting on a white bed.
In the air, as if playing a video, the scenery āPurinaā was seeing appeared.
At first, it was quite disorienting.
But now, Iāve gotten somewhat used to it.
When āPurinaā has control of the body, I seem to be sent to this mental world.
Itās not boring, though.
I can feel the sensations āPurinaā experiences, and since we share the same vision, thereās no time to feel restless.
When āPurinaā eats cake, I can taste and feel its texture too.
āDeliciousā¦ā
How many years has it been since I enjoyed a dessert so freely?
Always caught up in othersā gazes, I couldnāt even eat my favorite cake in peace.
āā¦ā
How long has it been since I could rest so carefree?
Wiping away the tears dripping down with my sleeve, I spoke.
āThank you, Purina.ā
To me, who might have to act for hundreds more years, she came out of nowhere.
Thanks to her, I can finally rest.
I wanted to express my gratitude, so I offered my thanks.
“No need to thank me. Itās just what I had to do.”
āPurinaā doesnāt know. She doesnāt realize how important she is to me, how beautiful she is.
āYouāre reallyā¦ an amazing person.ā
Her ability to act as the god she envisions, heedless of othersā eyes, would amaze anyone.
Even I came to admire her for it.
“Why are you suddenly saying such embarrassing things?”
Is she weak to direct compliments?
She scratched her cheek as she spoke.
āItās the truth.ā
“No, youāre the amazing one. Acting alone for so long, in such solitudeā¦”
But her words didnāt finish.
“Purina.”
For some reason, Neuvillette, standing in front of my room, called out to us.
Whatās going on?
Purina returned to the Palais Mermonia after her outing.
Her stamina wasnāt great, so she planned to rest in her room early.
But that plan was shattered.
“Neuvilletteā¦?”
Neuvillette stood in front of her door, staring at her with a serious expression.
Was this really the usual stoic Neuvillette?
His face was unusually grave.
Startled, Purina briefly forgot she was acting and stared at him blankly.
But she quickly shifted her expression to that of the haughty, noble God of Water, speaking in her characteristic high-pitched tone.
“So, what brings Fontaineās Chief Justice to block my path?”
Purina looked at Neuvillette with a triumphant expression, one hand on her hip, the other covering her mouth. Neuvillette spoke.
“Purina, have you been going through something tough lately?”
Her body flinched at the unexpected response.
She never imagined Neuvillette, known for his emotionless and cold demeanor, would say such a thing.
“Ha? Me? No way! Iām the God of Water, Focalors.”
“ā¦”
Neuvillette looked at her for a moment and sighed.
Having seen Purina talking and laughing to herself, he couldnāt believe her words.
“Purina.”
Neuvillette pressed her with a forceful tone.
Having recently lost his trusted subordinates, Vautrin and Carole, he was in a bad state.
Seeing Purina, someone he was close to, acting strangely made him uneasy.
“You wouldnātā¦ be talking to yourself, would you?”
He had to ask again about what he knew.
Her response was somewhat shocking to Neuvillette.
“I donāt talk to myself. Iām perfectly proper when Iām alone.”
“ā¦”
“If youāve got nothing else to say, Iām going. Why even ask that?”
Leaving Neuvillette behind, Purina entered her room.
Watching her, Neuvillette swallowed a groan.
āPurina was definitely talking to herself.ā
But she denied it.
She said sheās proper when alone.
That could only mean one thing.
Purina was hallucinating, thinking she was talking to someone.
ā¦To others, it looked like she was talking to herself.
āIs Purina seeing hallucinationsā¦?ā
Neuvillette sighed as he reached that conclusion.
āWhatās the reason?ā
He couldnāt know.
They werenāt close enough to share such personal matters, so he had no way of knowing what was going on.
āIāll have to look into it.ā
Purina likely didnāt even realize she was being watched after that.