Chapter 45

* * *

The next day.

I packed two sandwiches and went to the abandoned annex.

Rainy was very surprised that I came again, and when she saw the sandwich bag, she tried to hide her joy.

"Here, this is yours."

Rainy still had a wary look, but she took the sandwich more quickly than yesterday.

I smiled faintly and was about to leave for a place where no one was around.

"You can stay here…."

Rainy looked as if she deeply regretted saying that.

It seemed she felt she should do something in return for the sandwiches.

I wondered if I should just leave her alone or stay.

'If I refuse, it might look like I don’t want to be in the same place as a commoner.'

"Thanks. I'll stay for a bit."

I sat down on the stairs and opened my book.

When Rainy saw me sit down, she sat at the farthest spot to maintain a safe distance and started to munch on the sandwich.

The next day.

And the day after that.

Rainy gradually moved down one step at a time from the last step until she was only two steps away from me.

It felt like I was gently coaxing a wary cat with food.

Even more surprisingly, Rainy spoke to me first today.

"…Do you have an interest in magical creatures?"

"Yeah, a little. The problem of magical creatures being corrupted by mana is getting more serious. The more this happens, the greater the damage to unprepared civilians."

"…Oh."

Rainy reacted awkwardly, as if surprised by my unexpected response, and glanced at my book.

"Information about magical plants is more conveniently presented in the book 'Illustrated Guide to Magical Plants' than in the one you have."

"Really? I'll borrow it from the library today. Thanks."

When I smiled brightly, Rainy looked as if she had been startled by a mild electric shock and averted her gaze with a sullen expression.

"No, no need to thank me."

Rainy was a character type who was gruff but warm-hearted.

Seeing her true nature revealed made me feel that she considered me quite close, which was a good feeling.

Rainy fidgeted with her lips and spoke again.

"I heard that a knight squad was dispatched to Pansy Village yesterday."

Pansy Village was where Damian lived.

"Right. It's supposed to continue for a month. How did you know?"

"I live in that village too. My mother told me happily that the village is now protected by the Squire Dukedom."

I chuckled.

"Why, why are you laughing?"

Rainy's indirect way of thanking me for indirectly protecting her village was cute.

"Because you're cute."

I said what I was thinking honestly, and Rainy's face turned as red as a ripe plum as she jumped up from her seat.

"…I'll go prepare for the next class!"

"There's still a long time before lunch."

Without answering, Rainy left.

Ding!

[Throne 'Teresa, Born of the Heart' has received a 10,000 coin donation.]

[Oh… our child is at it again…]

'I don't care. I need to finish my book.'

"…Yawn."

Maybe because I haven't been sleeping well lately, I felt drowsy as soon as Rainy left.

I leaned against the railing and dozed off for a bit.

* * *

Two figures appeared in the abandoned annex where Teresa was sleeping.

One was Oswald, still wearing his bright red suit and flashy dyed hair, and the other was a man in a blue robe with sunken cheeks, looking frail.

It was a truly mismatched combination for the nation and the era.

The man in the blue robe looked at the sleeping Teresa and asked Oswald,

"Is this your BJ?"

"Yes, Jean."

Jean, as he was called, took out a stethoscope from his bag and approached Teresa to begin his examination.

"Yep. As expected, it's possession syndrome."

"Is the condition severely damaged?"

"Considering it had an error, it's in pretty good shape. It seems she instinctively noticed something was wrong and managed it. She must have some intelligence to know what she needs most."

Oswald had watched Teresa recently set aside everything to frequent this abandoned annex, which was so mundane.

Normally, he would have forced the system to give her a quest to make the broadcast more exciting, but he didn't.

Humans are weak.

Many BJs couldn't endure possession syndrome and died.

Channel managers referred to this as a 'miss.'

Oswald had no intention of letting Teresa, who was setting new records one after another, become a miss.

That's why he called a doctor as soon as the error occurred.

Jean put away the stethoscope and gathered star-like mana on his fingers, placing them on Teresa's forehead.

"Usually, the possessed person's appearance changes at this stage. This BJ's appearance has changed quite a bit from what we saw in the initial footage."

As Jean said, Teresa's appearance had changed dramatically.

The physical body is greatly influenced by the soul.

Even in her sleep, the faint melancholy on her face made her look very different from her originally confident and fierce appearance.

It was almost reminiscent of Shin Ji-woo's original appearance.

Perhaps it was because of her black hair and pale face.

While the original Teresa had a neurotically flamboyant and haughty appearance, she now had a mysterious aura, as if shrouded in mist.

"Such a dramatic change in appearance is rare."

Jean said, almost in admiration, and Oswald smiled.

"That's why I have high hopes. The more the appearance changes, the more BJs have entertained me."

"Quite a despicable statement."

Oswald, known for pushing BJs to their limits, was clearly sadistic if he found someone entertaining.

Jean, while healing Teresa's soul, looked closely at her innocent face.

It was just a peaceful sleeping face.

Yet, strangely, it seemed as if her closed eyes were sparkling.

Were they tears?

Jean, as if entranced, tried to brush her eyes with his other hand.

Or, he intended to.

Thud!

Before his hand could touch her, Oswald caught it with a smile.

His eyes, however, were not smiling.

"That's a breach of professional ethics."

"…I made a mistake."

Jean clicked his tongue.

This was just a human toy to entertain the thrones, yet he had acted uncharacteristically, as if bewitched.

It was a clear mistake.

"I apologize."

Oswald finally released Jean's hand, which he had been gripping tightly.

'Dangerous kid.'

Jean shook his numb hand and quietly focused on the healing.

If he upset Oswald, he might be erased.

Oswald, more demonic than a demon, would kill anyone, even other managers, and pay the price in coins.

He was so rich that he had more coins than he could ever use, even to buy sanctity.

'Apparently, he has enough coins to buy sanctity.'

The mana on Jean's fingers disappeared, indicating the healing was complete.

"I've removed the soul's distortion. Now that it's fully anchored in the physical body, there shouldn't be any more possession errors."

Possession error.

It was a phenomenon where trauma suddenly erupted without any warning.

Like when Teresa suddenly recalled Damian's words and exhibited symptoms of claustrophobia.

"Thank you, Jean. I've just deposited the coins, so please check."

"As always, a generous reward. I won't refuse it."

Oswald's dog-like temperament was feared, but he always accepted jobs because the reward was too large to refuse.

"Then, I'll take my leave."

Jean held the brim of his hat, bowed slightly, and disappeared.

However, Oswald didn't leave immediately. He looked at the peacefully sleeping Teresa.

"I'm worried, Miss Teresa, that bugs are already drawn to the scent."

To the ordinary human eye, Teresa's soul was invisible, but it was filled with countless starlights.

The purer the thrones' fandom, the more transparent the starlights, and Teresa was like a diamond in the sunlight.

She was so beautiful that he wanted to destroy her completely.

"That's why Jean was swayed by a mere toy."

Oswald clicked his tongue and caught Teresa's face with one hand as it drooped to the side.

The memory of the private viewing room came to mind, where she had acted so desperately, as if she had no one else to rely on in the world, innocent enough to provoke his bad nature.

At that moment, Teresa shivered as if feeling cold.

"Hmm."

Oswald checked his pocket watch and sat on the stairs, letting Teresa lean against him.

Since there was still time, he planned to let her sleep a bit longer.

As time passed, Oswald played with her hair while watching the pocket watch.

Soon, the minute hand pointed to the hour.

It was time to visit another channel.

As he moved to lean Teresa against the railing again,

"Hmm."

Teresa, sensing the warmth leaving, snuggled closer to him.

Oswald checked his pocket watch again.

If he put on more ads, the thrones would be very upset.

Despite knowing this, Oswald neither turned off the ads nor left for another channel.

It had been so long since he had spent such a peaceful time that he felt unusually lazy.

He decided to spend one more minute.

"I'll see you when you're awake next time."

When the minute finally passed, Oswald kissed Teresa's cheek and left.