Editor : Amethyst00



Chloe stood in front of the mirror in her room.

She stared intently at her own reflection.

With her fingertips, she cautiously touched her cheek.

A warm and soft sensation spread from her fingers.

"Look how squishy her cheeks are."

Drawn by the addictive feeling, Chloe—or rather, Lysinas—pinched her cheek.

Pain radiated through her face.

Releasing her hand, Lysinas rubbed her cheek and looked herself over in the mirror from various angles.

"So this is a human body."

Even for Lysinas, the Wise Queen, it was her first time moving in another species' body.

It was similar to when she used polymorph magic, but still a subtly alien sensation.

Still, the feeling wasn't unpleasant.

Like a flower just beginning to bloom.

The lively face of the girl in the mirror caught her eyes.

Platinum-blonde hair that shimmered with a faintly cool light.

Bright blue eyes full of clarity and intelligence.

To the eyes of the Wise Queen, this girl named Chloe sparkled with endless potential.

Unconsciously letting out a gasp of admiration, she spun her body around.

Like a girl trying on new clothes.

Lysinas, still studying her body, placed a hand on her chest.

"……"

That unfamiliar sensation wasn't simply because she was in a human body.

Lysinas, silent for a moment, smiled softly.

"Mm. She's a pretty child."

Trying her best to ignore the unfamiliar sensations, Lysinas pressed her hands together and whispered softly, as if asking for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry. I'll only stay for a few days."

Feeling deep guilt for entering another's body as a spirit, Lysinas sincerely apologized to Chloe, who was sleeping deep in her unconscious.

'I wouldn't have done this under normal circumstances.'

Lysinas' expression clouded.

'I really wouldn't have…'

Her shoulders began to tremble.

'That bastard!'

Leo's face flashed through her mind.

Even Lysinas herself couldn't quite recall when exactly she had entered Leo as a spirit.

Until recently, her consciousness hadn't been fully present.

She had merely drifted in a sea of thought.

Her memories felt foggy, like a long sleep.

They existed, yes, but only as scattered fragments.

Still, she could guess when she had become attached to Leo's spiritual power.

'Back then. The item called the Hero Record in this era.'

She gathered the fragments of memory.

'When Kyle met the past version of me through that.'

He had encountered her during the time she was known as a fool, and with her help, managed to converse with Leo.

It must have been then.

'When Kyle inherited my mana as a reward from the Hero Record… that's when I attached myself as a spirit.'

Spirits are traces engraved within mana's memory.

After 5,000 years, those traces normally fade.

But through the Hero Record, Leo obtained a vivid memory of her mana.

'Seriously!'

Lysinas covered her face with her hands.

Blushing to the tips of her ears, she was at a loss.

'I'm insane!'

She recalled kissing Leo, thinking it might be her last chance.

At the time, it had felt moving and heartfelt—now, in hindsight, it filled her with regret.

'And to make it worse!'

Grinding her teeth, Lysinas thought of the Leo from her scattered memories.

'He's living the good life!'

As someone who lingered around Leo, even fragmented memories gave her glimpses into his life.

And those memories began resurfacing one by one.

After Leo seriously began learning spirit arts and used summoning magic—

Lysinas regained consciousness.

But even then, her sense of self was faint.

Instincts overpowered reason.

That's why she'd lost so badly to Chloe in chess.

As Leo gradually adapted to spirit arts, she regained her full awareness.

And just moments ago—

The word "mixed bathing" triggered the final spark that brought her back completely.

'He's so popular, how nice for him.'

Lysinas rubbed her temple.

Not that she intended to blame him.

Leo had a prickly personality, sure.

But as a person, he was admirable.

Honestly, hadn't she fallen for him too?

'Especially to teenage girls in their prime—he probably looks super cool.'

She recalled several incidents but didn't feel particularly angry.

The Leo she knew knew how to draw a line.

To him, his much younger juniors probably just seemed cute.

What truly boiled her blood and made her uneasy—

Was none other than her best friend, Luna.

Lysinas knew Luna had feelings for Leo.

Even by Lysinas' standards, Luna was beautiful.

Cheerful, bright, and able to make everyone around her smile.

She was irresistibly charming.

And her close, sibling-like relationship with Kyle only added to her appeal.

Despite being a huge threat, Lysinas felt somewhat relieved at the same time.

'That idiot has no clue!'

Fortunately for her, Leo hadn't realized Luna's feelings.

'…Wait a second.'

Lysinas froze.

Come to think of it, he hadn't realized her feelings either—so that wasn't a good thing.

'He's an idiot! In ancient tongue, in common tongue! In any language or form! A complete idiot!'

Cursing Leo in every way she knew, Lysinas fumed.

Anyway, Luna, stung in her pride, had continued their strange relationship.

Another slightly relieving fact was that Luna was also a bit dense outside of magic, so she hadn't noticed Lysinas' feelings either.

'If she had, Luna probably would've acted differently.'

While that awkward state lingered—

Neither of them confessed their feelings before they died.

The problem now was—

It had been 5,000 years.

Now, thanks to the Hero Record, they had manifested in the current age.

Since she was already dead, Lysinas felt free to express her feelings for Leo more boldly.

But Luna was the same.

From Lysinas' perspective, Luna was like a bulldozer.

Luna had manifested as a spirit slightly earlier, and Lysinas remembered her clearly.

She even cast aside her pride—her only weakness—to actively express her feelings.

This made Lysinas extremely anxious.

And to top it all off…

'Seriously! The two of them! In one room!'

Nothing had actually happened.

It was an accident caused by Dwenno's love potion.

Still…

'Jeal— I mean, how shameless!'

Lysinas stomped the floor hard.

'Who's calling who lewd now?!'

Even though she'd been drifting in unconsciousness, the memory from that moment remained disturbingly vivid.

By today's standards, neither Lysinas nor Luna could be considered lewd or promiscuous.

Just assertive.

But unfortunately, Lysinas lived 5,000 years ago.

She had been a black dragon who protected wisdom and order.

By her standards, the kiss she'd stolen from Leo was already unimaginable—and Luna's actions were downright unspeakable.

Lysinas exhaled deeply and pressed her temples.

Knock-knock—

"Chloe, are you in there?"

Startled by the voice from the door, Chloe jumped.

'That voice…'

Recognizing it from memory, Lysinas approached and opened the door.

Clack—

The door opened to reveal Chelsea.

'This child…'

She was in Lysinas' memory.

'The girl who came to find me in my unconscious state before.'

'Her name was… Chelsea, right?'

A bold little lady who reminded her somewhat of Kyle.

"You skipped all your classes today—I thought you were sick, but you look fine?"

Chelsea tilted her head.

"Faking it? No way. Chloe's not the type to fake illness."

As Chelsea kept tilting her head, Lysinas stared at her and reached out.

"What are you doing!"

Chelsea flinched at the sudden pinch on her cheeks.

'She called me ugly back then.'

Crack—

A vein popped on Lysinas' forehead as the memory resurfaced.

"Why so cranky? I even brought you food."

Chelsea grumbled, rubbing her cheeks.

Swoosh—

A tray flew toward Chloe.

Warm soup, soft bread, steamed meat and vegetables—easy-to-digest foods, assuming she'd been sick.

"You brought all this because you were worried?"

"Yeah. The mock battle with the knight department is tomorrow. We need you to win."

Chelsea crossed her arms like it was no big deal.

"I was really worried thinking you were badly sick, but guess I didn't need to be."

Still, she kept glancing over, clearly concerned despite her blunt tone.

'What an adorable creature.'

Eyes twinkling, Lysinas hugged Chelsea tightly.

"Aww~ how precious!"

"Wha—?!"

Chelsea flailed instinctively with her face buried in Lysinas' chest.

Lysinas rubbed her cheek against Chelsea's hair.

"W-Why are you acting like this? Are you really sick?"

Chelsea pulled away, flustered.

Smiling gently, Lysinas answered.

"I'm fine. I just had to concentrate on something, so I missed class today."

"You're acting pretty different today… Did you overdo your magic research and lose your mind?"

"Mmm… maybe a little?"

"Anyway, you're good for tomorrow's mock battle, right?"

"Yeah. Let's win tomorrow."

"Alright! Let's crush Celia Zerdinger and Duran Moira—those smug jerks!"

Watching enthusiastic Chelsea, Lysinas nodded.

After taking the tray, she returned inside, set it on her desk, and began eating.

She glanced around the desk.

'…This looks like a diary.'

She found a journal while checking a drawer and gently returned it to its place.

'…Such a diligent child.'

Seeing notes for study and magical research impressed Lysinas.

She also recalled Chloe's personality from their chess matches.

With the knowledge and information she now had, she began planning how to act without raising suspicion.

'I can't perfectly impersonate Chloe Mueller.'

But she needed to be convincing enough not to seem strange.

'…? Research on parallel worlds and multiverse theory? Wow, this girl's really smart.'

Lysinas' eyes sparkled at the fascinating topic.

She wasn't obsessed with magic like Luna, but her thirst for knowledge far exceeded it.

As the Wise Queen, it suited her perfectly.

Now having grasped a rough idea of who Chloe was, Lysinas closed the book with a snap.

Then she turned to look at a framed photo on the desk.

It was a class group photo from Chloe's first year.

'I recognize a few faces.'

She saw some familiar people from her time unconsciously lingering near Leo.

'Hero candidates, huh…'

Resting her chin in her hand, Lysinas looked at the photo and then noticed another album nearby.

There were several pictures of Leo that Kyle had taken.

Lysinas pouted.

'Time for a little payback.'

Flick—

She toppled Leo's photo with her finger, wearing a mischievous grin.

'I'll give you a little surprise.'