The Return of Lilietta

Episode 8

‘Come to think of it, none of us remembers our parents.’

None of Pascal’s children remembered their parents or the hometown where they were born and raised.

It was strange how little they knew. Everyone was equally reluctant to recall their past before becoming ‘Pascal’. They all said that they had only terrible memories.

‘I didn’t think it was strange because there were so many orphans like that in the world.’

The environment we faced was so harsh and we were so focused on survival that we didn’t have time to think deeply.

Did Pascal deliberately select children who did not remember their parents? Or maybe… … .

Rita was surprised at the suspicion that had arisen in her mind, but at the same time she felt a sense of rejection.

She had lived for over ten years as Rita Pascal, a freckled, auburn-haired woman, without a shred of doubt about her true identity.

‘If I’m really Lilietta… …then you said that you were someone else’s body? That’s ridiculous.’

I lived in that body my entire life as long as I could remember. I never felt any sense of incongruity.

‘… … A sense of alienation?’

Suddenly, she remembered the nagging that Sarah Pascal, the healer of the Beacon Squad, had said to her while examining her.

“Pascal, all of you have similar symptoms of paralysis, but our Maple Candy is particularly bad. You know? It makes a strange creaking noise, like a screw that doesn’t fit properly. Even covering it up with Odd has its limits, so please take care of yourself, little fox.”

Symptoms of paralysis of the body that were more frequent than those of his peers.

What if that was a foreign feeling?

Suspicion grows like a snowball. The self-identity that you have believed in all your life is shaken.

Her head was pounding. She was confused and dizzy, but she couldn’t be sure of anything. She shook her head.

‘Fuck, stop thinking about it.’

Rita snapped the matchbox shut and placed it on the desk in the corner of the room. Then she noticed a set of letter paper and a quill pen lying there.

‘Let’s put aside the problems that don’t have answers and do what we can do right now.’

Thinking back on the accident she had just committed, the most urgent thing for her now was awakening her Odd.

The longer you remain in this helpless state, the more sensitive and sharp you become. If you continue like this, you might threaten someone else again.

‘First, let’s take the odd aptitude test.’

Od is the primordial natural force that constitutes the world.

In her common sense, if there was gravity, air, and lightning in the world, then there must be Odd.

And depending on the person, there are some constitutions that accept such odds well and others that reject them.

Rita took a quill from her stationery and quill set and pricked her fingertips.

After dipping a quill in the blood and drawing a simple magic circle on a piece of paper, he opened the window wide and placed an empty cup on the piece of paper by the window, then waited for a moment.

‘A magic circle to collect odds. It may be difficult to do a formal test, but this is enough for a simple test.’

The afternoon sunlight and cool spring breeze come in through the open window.

Soon, a faint haze appeared inside the cup. This is a phenomenon that occurs when the odd gathers and the concentration increases.

‘It’s nice to meet you. Even though they are different worlds, the fundamentals are the same. It’s not like it’s some absurd place where water flows backwards or fire is cold.’

Rita carefully placed her still-blood-covered finger into the cup of swaying odds.

‘Good. It didn’t bounce off, and my fingers didn’t feel tingly or uncomfortable. That means I’m not the type that has side effects from odd. My aptitude is… ‘

A drop of blood from the wound on his fingertip gently seeped into the mist inside the cup.

Rather than being like oil and water that don’t mix, it spreads out like a drop of ink dropped into water, dyeing the mist a soft red.

Rita opened her mouth wide as she looked into the cup, which had instantly turned red.

‘What is this body? Is the odd aptitude crazy?’

Rita Pascal’s body was not very good at Odd, even if it didn’t have any side effects.

Because when she did a quick test before, her blood drops floated like red beads without mixing with the azure in the cup.

‘This is ridiculous. This is… this is at the level of Gide.’

The blood of Guy Pascal, who had the highest odd aptitude in the Beacon Squad, showed this phenomenon.

Thanks to his immense odd aptitude, he was able to utilize large amounts of odd to establish his own domain on the battlefield, and those who witnessed the domain he ruled gave him the nickname ‘King’.

‘It seems like it mixes faster than that guy? If I use the magic gun with this body, I’ll be able to use a lot more techniques than before.’

The complicated feelings disappeared as she recalled the skills she had only dreamed of. She looked at the cup full of red mist and kept admiring it.

‘Wow, really… … At this level, I wonder if I can even perfect the technique I was only thinking about? This is fantastic. Originally, my body would have seizures or become paralyzed whenever I tried to use a new technique, so I had to be careful.’

I wish this was really my body.

I had that thought absentmindedly and then stopped.

‘… Don’t be greedy, Rita Pascal. What are you going to do if this doesn’t work out? If you make a mistake and the real Lilietta comes back… … .’

It reminded me of a four-leaf clover in a matchbox.

Leonhardt hoped that would make her think of something when he saw it, but she couldn’t think of anything.

Maybe Pascal had somehow tampered with her memory and made her forget it, but it could also just be a coincidence.

It hurts more when you expect something and then are disappointed.

Rita saw what happened to the children of Pascal, who were starving for love. She also knew what happened to the Pascal who thought he had his family back.

Pascal’s children are living weapons and exist only to fight the devil.

There is no such thing as family for Pascals. Even if there were, they would not be able to accept the alien Pascal as one of their own. The only ones who can understand and live with Pascal are fellow Pascals.

That was the lesson she had learned after living as Pascal’s child for over ten years.

‘Don’t expect anything. Don’t get any illusions. I’m Pascal anyway, and I’m going back to Beacon Squad. So just think of it as borrowing someone else’s body. That’s better.’

Rita, who had gathered her courage, put aside the letter and cup with the magic circle drawn on them and stood by the window.

Now that you no longer have to worry about side effects, it’s time to wake up.

She looked up at the clear blue sky and took a deep breath of fresh air.

‘It’s truly a beautiful world. I don’t think a demon would come to a place like this… … .’

He made the wound on his fingertip a little bigger with a quill. He drew a pattern of oath on his palm with the blood that had dripped down, and placed that hand on his neck.

“〈Odd, I swear.〉”

A voice with a strange resonance flowed out. At the same time, the wind coming in through the window, or rather, the odor, began to swirl around her entire body.

“〈I will kill all the evil spirits that catch my eye.〉”

Her body was seeping into her like a mist, her blonde hair flying wildly and her purple eyes sparkling with light.

Rita finished her ‘vow’ in a strange voice, holding her neck.

“〈I swear in the name of Rita Pascal.〉”

Push-sik, a sound like air escaping from somewhere. It was the sound of the gusts of wind suddenly disappearing.

“uh?”

Rita let out a bewildered voice without realizing it. The promise was not fulfilled.

The oath is supposed to be completed and the powers awakened when Odd accepts it after swearing to him, but Odd just disappears before listening to the oath.

“Why doesn’t this work?”

Until just a moment ago, it was a sign of perfect awakening. As the Odds sensed the oath and rushed in, the wind blew.

“Why was I suddenly rejected?”

Rita looked around in confusion, feeling for her neck, then suddenly remembered seeing a similar situation.

‘I’ve seen people who volunteered for the last line of defense before try to sign the pledge under a false name, but get rejected like this.’

Even if you proceed with the correct procedure and content, Odd will not accept an oath made under a false name.

There was no problem with the oath procedure just now. The contents of the oath are also ones she has kept for a long time.

‘The oath was canceled because there were no demons in this world… … The odds kept coming in just fine until the oath was recited.’

The cancellation was right after the last sentence. So, no way.

Rita put her hand on her neck again, half in doubt. She made the same pledge as before, only with a different final word.

“〈I swear in the name of Lilietta del Nissa Laskaile.〉”

The aura that had gathered around her was instantly absorbed into her body. Her hair fluttered in the gusting wind and her eyes sparkled like stars.

The odds poured out like a waterfall, endlessly, up to the limit of what her body could currently handle.

After a stormy moment, Rita slowly closed her eyes in the midst of the silence.

“……under.”

She was astonished at the amount of Odd contained within her body, much greater than when she was Rita Pascal, who had undergone countless training, and also astonished at the vows that had been made so hastily.

‘Why was the oath made in Lilietta’s name? Because the body making the oath was Lilietta’s?’

The body is just a vessel, but isn’t the soul the subject of the oath? In fact, is the body that contains the Od more important than the soul? Or… .

“A different person inside? Rita, I don’t think I wouldn’t recognize my only sister. If her essence had changed, I would have definitely noticed.”

“Just think about it for a second. The possibility that you are real.”

“No way.”

Leonhard’s words came to mind.

Her mind, which had barely been able to pull itself together, wavered. Rita muttered again in confusion.

“That can’t be… … .”