Chapter 171 - 2-53 The Other Louis's Perspective
When I opened the door to my room, a figure sitting elegantly on the sofa caught my eye.
"Welcome back, Prince."
"...Dark Spirit King."
I had been feeling somewhat refreshed after speaking candidly with Rachel all day, but his appearance instantly turned my mood somber. However, the Dark Spirit King paid no mind to my state of mind, directing eyes that seemed to see through everything toward me.
"You've realized it, haven't you? That today was the day."
At the Spirit King's words, my heart began to thud loudly, and cold sweat broke out.
So, the Spirit King saw through it after all.
But when I didn't respond immediately, the Spirit King looked at me with curiosity.
"If you wish, you can return to your original world right now. And yet, you are still here. Why?"
Last night, while I was sleeping, I had jumped awake with a bad premonition. When I checked the time, it was exactly as the date changed.
I am being called. If I simply close my eyes again like this, I can return to my original world.
It wasn't a suspicion; it was a certainty. Even though I had been struggling to return quickly, now that the moment had arrived, an intense desire to refuse had sprouted within me for some reason.
If I returned now, would I lose something forever? Driven by that fear and anxiety, I intentionally diverted my consciousness to avoid hearing the voice calling out to me. Even now, if I focused, a sound like someone desperately pounding on a door echoed in the back of my mind.
I knew. I knew that the owner of this body wanted to return. I knew that Rachel was waiting for him.
"Just one more day... just one more day is all I need."
"Why? Even if you stay here one more day, nothing will change."
Nothing will change, huh? That was likely true.
The only things changing were my view of Rachel and my indescribable feelings for her. I wanted to know more. I wanted to talk more. I knew I was the only one feeling such things.
It felt as though I was being left behind alone.
Certainly, staying in this land for one more day gave me no power to change anything. My feelings for Rachel would not become clear, nor would they take on a name like love, affection, or even obsession.
And yet, one more day. I could not bring myself to let go of it.
Because...
"...I made a promise."
With Rachel. To talk again tomorrow.
"Her wish is for the prince of the original world to return."
"...I know that. I know it better than anyone."
I also knew who she was looking at through me.
"So, just a little longer. Just a little more..."
I wanted to see Rachel's face, hear her voice, and try calling her name.
"As for me, I don't really care if the princes stay swapped, and though the old man of light would probably nag me about it, I don't think I'd interfere that much."
The Spirit King glanced at me, then let out a sigh and ruffled his hair messily.
"But I suppose I have to acknowledge that the game is cleared. Ah, what should I do? Hmm, I didn't expect the Prince to hate going back."
"I didn't say... I wouldn't return."
Logically, I understood my situation, as well as the thoughts and feelings of those around me. That was why I was surprised at myself for trying to force my own ego for my own convenience like this.
I was the one who was bewildered.
I knew that everything would be resolved if I returned to my original world, yet I was still trying to struggle somehow.
"Hmm. I feel like I've come to understand humans quite a bit, but they really are difficult. This happened because of me, but I never thought both of them would be so obsessed with the main axis world."
The Spirit King pondered, pressing his index finger against his cheek as if troubled. But he soon exhaled as if it were all too much bother.
"Ah, then how about this? Why don't you two just talk it out? ...Oh! That's the way!"
"What? What do you mean by..."
Who did he mean by "you two"? As if he hadn't heard my question, the Spirit King gave a triumphant smile and snapped his fingers. In an instant, as if I had moved to another room, the place where I stood transformed into a pure white space.
Where am I? I was just in the room I was given... there is no sofa here, and the Spirit King who was sitting there is gone.
In the vast, pure white space, there were no windows and no doors. It was simply an endless expanse of white.
Then, at the sound of something heavy falling with a thud, I turned around.
There, sitting on his backside with wide eyes and a dazed expression, was—myself. Yes, the person standing before me was unmistakably me.
"...There are... two of me? This isn't... a mirror, is it?"