Chapter 26

"Flowers? You need seeds, not seedlings? Many people buy flowers as the weather warms up, but it's been a while since someone bought seeds. Well... Miss, choose a picture that suits your heart from this album. I'll give you the seeds of that flower."

The name of the first flower she had ever planted, which she had pretended to forget, came to mind.

"You chose this flower? It's perfect for spring. It's plump and beautiful, isn't it?"

"No, the name."

"The name?"

"I like the name."

"Ah, it is beautiful. The name is 'Daisy.'"

The flower's name was Daisy.

I planted Daisy.

Since Daisy planted Daisy, how could the pot lack meaning?

Ah, I realize it now.

I thought I didn't have affection for the name 'Daisy,' but that wasn't true.

What defines me is not my name. What makes me who I am is the accumulation of every moment.

Whether I choose, whether I am contradictory, whether I regret, I am all of it, without exception.

The more moments accumulate, the more solid I become.

Tomorrow's me is more like me than today's me. So, today's 'me' is the best 'me' I can understand now.

'The key to life starts with knowing yourself.'

I know myself.

Therefore, I have the key to my life!

...

It seemed that strength was imbued in my cracked soul.

...

I opened my eyes, not knowing when I had closed them.

"Just now..."

While calming my breath without panicking, a large warmth touched my head.

"Good job."

Ruga, who suddenly said this, gently stroked my head. His unusually considerate gaze meticulously observed my condition.

I, too, quietly examined my body. My palms were drenched in cold sweat.

Not just my palms.

Sweat dripped from my chin and pooled between my knees. My clothes were so damp it felt like I had just played in a river.

But something else was important.

'My soul, which was so fragile it seemed about to shatter... has become more solid.'

The lifespan I had estimated to be three years had doubled.

'How could this be?'

I understand that I just had a great revelation. If I were my past self, a knight, I would have screamed in joy at such a profound revelation.

But a revelation can heal the body, not the soul.

The soul is hard to break and impossible to heal. At least, that's what I knew.

Ruga removed his hand from my head and said,

"Your eyes are confused. Is this your first time experiencing the state of mind-body unity?"

"...Mind-body unity?"

"Simply put, it's the process of ascending to a demigod. You have just reached the first of four stages."

What? A demigod? I almost choked on my breath in surprise.

A demigod.

The supreme realm that the great mage Mephisto and the healer Dian Ket ascended to.

Historically, only a few have reached the realm of demigods.

Even the founding emperor of the Pen Rota Empire, a great mage, and countless sword masters called heroes did not earn the title of 'god.'

In this generation, there are only two demigods, including the high priest revered as a god in the Northern Continent Federation.

Raphael and the Sword Saint did not reach that realm.

"Why me?"

Ruga's brows furrowed at my question.

But the scolding look in his eyes soon returned to calm.

"Miss Daisy, your physical body seems to have reached a fairly decent level. Didn't your teacher teach you about mind-body unity while you were reaching this level?"

I was a bit irritated by the phrase 'fairly decent level,' but since it was a good opportunity to get important information, I decided to let it slide.

"I don't have that."

"You don't?"

"Right. I don't have a teacher."

Actually, I should say I have many. Anyone who gave me even a single piece of advice could be considered my teacher.

"Unbelievable. Miss Daisy, you trained in swordsmanship without a teacher and survived the battlefield with that swordsmanship?"

Ruga slowly stroked his chin with a hollow laugh.

He was looking at me with eyes that found it very amusing, but I found it not at all amusing.

"...How did you know I'm a swordsman?"

I never told him I use a sword.

When I glared at him with a wary look, Ruga lightly flicked my nose as if to say, "Don't do something ridiculous."

"Our dear Miss Daisy exudes the aura of a swordsman. Who could not know?"

"Don't try to brush it off as a joke. Everyone except you doesn't know."

Ruga shrugged and answered.

"Those who have wielded a sword for a long time tend to have their habits ingrained in their daily lives. For example, when they assume a defensive stance, they pull their right shoulder back into a sword-drawing position."

He then playfully tapped my left hand.

"Or they habitually feel their right hip to check for their sword."

I couldn't respond.

Ruga's observations were true, and he had accurately discerned that I was a left-handed swordsman.

"Your expression when you're in a disadvantageous situation."

"..."

"You're so childish, it's funny."

"Ahem. Hmm."

I composed myself solemnly and lifted my head.

Ruga's eyes, which were usually hard to read, were now filled with a rare emotion.

Compassion.

I could sense mercy in his eyes!

For some reason, Ruga was in a very merciful state. This was a rare opportunity. I seized the moment and spoke seriously.

"Mr. Ruga, I have a question. A serious one, so please answer without joking."

"Unwillingly?"

"You said the state of mind-body unity is divided into four stages."

"You're not even listening to my refusal."

"I heard that when one becomes a demigod, their body undergoes significant changes, eliminating all illnesses and scars, and they don't get injured by ordinary weapons."

Fortunately, Ruga listened to me.

"...What about the soul?"

If the body is reborn as a vessel of a god, wouldn't it be right for the soul to be reborn as a god's soul as well?

Ruga's sinister eyes darkened even more.

"Curious?"

"Yes."

"If you're curious, kneel and say, 'Please tell me, Master.'"

If he thought I wouldn't do it, he was wrong.

I immediately knelt and clenched my teeth.

"Please tell me, Master. Damn it."

He answered with a disappointed look.

"It's possible."

He continued with a matter-of-fact gaze.

"But becoming a demigod is impossible. At least, statistically. Why? Do you, Miss Daisy, want to become a demigod? Do you possess a corrupt soul?"

His sharp voice pierced my heart like an arrow.

"Did you think that once you overcame the first wall, the other three would feel easy? Do you think you can naturally ascend by living a mediocre life as you are now? Do you think you might accidentally receive the gift of demigod status and become the luckiest maid in the world, enjoying a long life in both body and soul?"

Annoying guy.

'What can I say in response?'

But apart from my wounded pride, his ridicule was a hundred times right.

The revelation I had unexpectedly gained felt too sweet.

'If the four stages could be easily overcome... this world would be overflowing with demigods.'

Moreover, I have a short lifespan. Even if I had a different possibility, I didn't have the time to complete mind-body unity.

'I almost let my eyes be diverted by false hope.'

Ruga's words are harsh and unpleasant, but he never lies. That's why it was even more frustrating.

I stood up and met his eyes.

"Thanks to you, I've learned a lot, Mr. Ruga. I'll be going now. Thank you for your help today, and good night."

As I walked towards the door, Ruga called out to me.

"Miss Daisy."

I stopped with the bedroom door open.

You're unexpectedly kind-hearted, aren't you? Are you going to apologize for being harsh? I turned to look at Ruga with such warm thoughts.

"The sun has risen."

"..."

"We're late. Because of you."

A lie, right?

I returned home at the fastest speed since I regained my body.

At the front door, the head maid, dressed from head to toe, was waiting for us with a menacing smile.

"Miss Daisy? This is your second tardiness. You will be docked pay."

And I was docked pay.

Damn!

But today's misfortune didn't end with the pay cut.

Ruga's lie spawned another hell.

"Starting today, you will have 20 minutes of shortened education each day. To live in the city and mingle with people, you need to be ordinary, not special. I will help you develop the social skills and ethical awareness that Miss Daisy lacks."

That's how I lost 20 minutes of my lunch break.

Damn!

This is not a life with control. I hate the head maid.

Time passed quickly, and the morning of the day we were to leave for the capital arrived.