Chapter 27

They say you shouldn’t leave food behind.

After thoroughly stuffing myself with the two-person serving I’d been left to eat alone, I was escorted to bed by Hanson.

……No.

I only pretended to go to bed.

Once all the lights had been turned off and the dead of night had arrived—

I’ve been waiting for this moment.

I quietly turned the doorknob with practiced ease and draped a thick shawl over my nightclothes.

It was one of the things Ciel had insisted on packing for me because he was worried I might catch a cold.

Good thing I brought it.

The Grand Duke’s castle was absolutely freezing after midnight.

The moment I opened the door, an intense chill sank into my body.

“Brr, c-cold…….”

Even with the magically insulated shawl, the cold wave sweeping across the Lycos Grand Duchy was brutal. I’d put on not only the shawl but also a hat, gloves, and thick boots, yet there was no way to escape the bone-chilling cold.

I-I’d better investigate quickly and get back.

I needed to find out why Butler Hanson had forbidden me from leaving my room after midnight.

I crept quietly down the corridor.

I had been worried that Hanson or Muteric might have stationed guards to prevent guests from wandering around the Grand Duke’s castle, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

That’s strange. I’d at least expect them to have a minimal number of guards stationed here…….

The corridors of the Grand Duke’s castle were so quiet that there wasn’t even a mouse in sight.

Puzzled, I continued forward one cautious step at a time.

Then I heard someone approaching from a distance.

“?!”

Startled, I hurriedly hid myself behind a pillar.

Oh, shit. Someone’s still awake!

No! Don’t come this way!

But cruelly enough, whoever it was was walking straight toward me.

Damn it. There isn’t even anywhere else to hide!

I was wondering whether I should just throw the shawl over my head like some kind of animal when—

Despite the already freezing weather, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

Swish.

I heard someone pass directly beside me.

Gasp.

I covered my mouth with my palm and desperately prayed that whoever it was would be oblivious enough not to notice me behind the pillar and simply walk past.

The approaching person’s shadow gradually stretched closer and fell over me.

I’m going to get caught……!

I squeezed my eyes shut.

And then—

“……?”

Surprisingly, nothing happened.

Huh?

Why?

Confused, I slowly opened my eyes.

And there, I saw a familiar back.

“……Muteric?”

Muteric was an exceptionally skilled swordsman.

For someone of his caliber, detecting my presence should have been easier than blowing his nose.

Yet strangely, Muteric continued walking forward as though he hadn’t noticed me at all.

Even though I’d called his name without permission, he didn’t react.

He simply continued down the corridor in a daze.

Something’s wrong…….

And that wasn’t the only strange thing.

Why is he wandering around wearing nothing but a robe in this freezing weather?

I’d already learned that after the long passage of time between my death and reincarnation, Ciel and the other heroes had ascended to the rank of Transcendents.

I knew they were no longer entirely like ordinary humans.

Even so, Muteric had been raised in the strict Ribalster Ducal House, where etiquette and refinement were deeply valued.

There was no way he’d normally wander around his own castle wearing nothing but a robe thrown haphazardly over himself, especially when a guest he had never met had arrived.

Given the circumstances, I decided to test something.

“……Muteric?”

“……”

“Muteric. Muteric. Muteric.”

“……”

No reaction.

I followed him and checked whether something was blocking his ears.

Nothing.

He should have been able to hear me perfectly.

Yet no matter how many times I called him, he didn’t respond.

That meant……

“Muteric. Wait. Stop for a second.”

I boldly grabbed his hand and stepped in front of him.

There was no way I could overpower Muteric’s strength, whether in my previous life or this one.

And yet Muteric obediently stopped walking and willingly extended his hand toward me, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

“……”

“Just as I thought……”

By this point, I was certain.

“You…… you’re sleepwalking, Muteric.”

Muteric’s wide-open eyes were cloudy and vacant, as though filled with smoke.

He wasn’t wandering through the reality I was standing in.

He was drifting through a dream.

So that’s why Hanson told me never to leave my room after midnight.

If a flaw in the master he served were exposed, it would be a devastating blow to the reputation of the Grand Ducal House.

Butler Hanson already knew.

He knew Muteric was a sleepwalker.

Sleepwalking wasn’t dangerous simply because someone wandered around.

A person who wasn’t aware of their surroundings could easily misstep, tumble down a staircase, or even fall out of a window.

And yet there wasn’t even a butler beside him.

That meant……

Was this Muteric’s decision?

There was no way Hanson, as the butler, would fail to report such a serious problem to the master of the castle.

Therefore, this deserted corridor after midnight must have been deliberately arranged at Muteric’s command.

Muteric didn’t want anyone to see his weakness.

That’s why he told me I could stay here as long as I didn’t come outside.

He’d never imagined that I’d stubbornly break that rule and sneak out.

I sniffled.

For some reason, I felt as though I was about to cry.

Why……?

Why has someone as solid and unyielding as Mount Tai become like this?

Why?

Why did he have to wander around this freezing night barefoot, wearing nothing but a robe, as though desperately chasing after something he could never reach?

I called his name.

“Muteric.”

“……”

As expected, there was no response.

“Muteric. How did you end up like this?”

“……”

“You used to arrogantly say that only weaklings let their minds become fragile. So why…… why are you like this now?”

“……”

Then I suddenly remembered how Ciel had become sharp and cold after my death.

And how Muteric had secluded himself immediately after I died.

“You couldn’t possibly……”

“……”

“Is this because of Hiaquin?”

The moment I spoke my former name—

Muteric finally reacted.

His body twitched.

“Hia…… quin……”

His bloodless lips parted, producing a broken whisper.

“……”

“I’m…… sor……ry……”

“……Hey.”

“For…… not pro……tecting…… you……”

“……Oh, come on.”

Tears began falling from Muteric’s vacant eyes like rain.

I stared at them in a daze.

This was the first time I’d ever seen Muteric cry.

In my memories, he had always worn an arrogant expression or looked at me with utter exasperation.

Even when things were painful or difficult, he had never once looked like he might cry.

Not even when he was much younger and more immature than he was now.

And yet this guy……

He became like this because of me?

Because he carried around guilt over my death?

Otherwise, why would he wander through a freezing winter night barefoot and dressed only in a robe?

Why would he ignore everything anyone said to him, yet immediately react with sorrow when he heard my name?

“Aah……. Damn it.”

My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.

But Muteric left me there and continued slowly staggering down the cold corridor.

“Where are you going, you idiot…….”

The Hiaquin you’re looking for is right here.

I hadn’t met some horrible end like he imagined.

And I didn’t resent any of you for being unable to save me.

What the hell happened after I died?

Muteric’s entire figure was twisted by regret.

I stared blankly at the tear stains he’d left behind.

Then, when he was about to disappear from my sight, I hurriedly got back up and chased after him.

At that moment, I didn’t care whether he’d notice me.

No.

I couldn’t even think about it.

“Muteric!”

“……”

“Haa, haa…… Hiaquin is safe.”

If saying something like this could lessen even a little of the aimless wandering and guilt weighing him down—

“Hia……quin?”

“Yeah. He’s safe……. So you don’t have to suffer while searching for Hiaquin anymore.”

At my words, Muteric gave me a sad smile.

“Hia……quin……”

Then, suddenly, he pitched forward.

More precisely—

straight onto me.

“Whoa?!”

Faced with Muteric’s massive body collapsing onto me, I had no choice but to awkwardly catch him.

“Urgh, ngh! H-He’s heavy……!”

He’d been secluded for a hundred years.

Had he been doing nothing but strength training all this time?

Why was he so damn heavy?

No. Maybe I’m just ridiculously weak in this life…….

I was slightly shorter than I’d been in my previous life, and I hadn’t trained my muscles at all, so I was practically working with nothing.

“More importantly, Muteric! Get up! I told you Hiaquin made it home safely, didn’t I?! Go back to your room and get yourself warmed up!”

At my words, Muteric slowly raised his eyes.

But something was different.

His pupils had focused.

And within them, my face was clearly reflected.

Muteric, now awake, frowned.

“Young Master Robaires……? What were you doing here?”

AAAAAAAAH.