Anyway, time for the main topic. I’m sure Eleanora isn’t seriously trying to learn hypnosis either. She’s just bored.
“Do you remember the scent of the black notebook you found in the forbidden archives?”
“Of course! I have no doubt that it was a fragrance made by Sir Quartus! It smelled like a sad dessert at sunset where the residents spent their time peacefully—like a gentle afterlife.”
How terrifying. Eleanora doesn’t know what the Kingdom of Twilight looks like nor did she hear the cat-eared man’s description of the scent. How did she get it so accurately just by smelling it? She really is incredible, even if she’s trying to do some idiotic hypnosis.
Since Eleanora was a huge fan of Sir Quartus, it was a bit difficult to say that I’d met him. Not only that, but the perfumer she admired was a middle-aged man with cat ears sprouting from his head. I agonized over what I should tell her while she continued speaking about the fragrance.
“Also, that was a true scent. I believe that Sir Quartus was in that desert during sunset, and he might’ve not known it, but his younger brother was probably nearby too... I hope they can travel the world together in the end.”
“Terrifying...” I’d meant to keep that in my thoughts, but it had accidentally slipped out.
How? How do you know about the calico brother too? Did she peak into my memories using her hypnosis?
It was Eleanora who had been able to talk the hero down thanks to her love for Edwin, and we were able to establish communication between the living world and the Kingdom of Twilight because Eleanora had found the Demon Lord’s notebook. Perhaps Eleanora was the MVP of this whole incident.
There were several other things I had realized thanks to my two sets of memories coming together. One of those was that the first king had made the mummified mermaid in the basement of the Royal Palace.
The biggest discovery was the Demon Lord’s notebook. The notebook had followed the Demon Lord into the Kingdom of Twilight like an item he’d had equipped. And the one that had been stored for many years after the Demon Lord was sealed away had synced up. The syncing was probably caused by the Demon Lord spraying a fragrance on his notebook. The notebook, of which two copies existed between the living world and the Kingdom of Twilight, had been linked through Quartus’s perfume.
I feel like Lemn also said something about how smells are the only thing that can travel between the worlds.
“Do you know why smells are the only thing that can travel between here and Twilight, Eleanora?”
“That’s an easy question to answer.” What? I’d thought it was a bit of a mystery, and it couldn’t be explained through science, so I was surprised when Eleanora responded so quickly.
I guess Eleanora has some insane understanding when it comes to perfume, so maybe her brain is in hyperdrive. I’m really curious as to why smells are so special! I held my breath and waited for her to continue.
“Because...fragrances are the most memorable thing to people.”
“I see.” Her response turned out to be some fluffy, nice-sounding thing. I’ll give this to Eleanora as a thank-you, then. “Here you go. It’s a gift.”
“What is this...?”
I handed a bottle of perfume to Eleanora. The fragrance we were discussing, which Left Yumiella had on her when she’d lost control, was in my pocket when I fused back into one. It was the one gift I’d brought back from the Kingdom of Twilight.
I immediately left Eleanora’s room. Behind me, I could hear Eleanora’s excited screams, which sounded no different from someone in the throes of death. I feel like this sound is going to be more memorable than anything else.
I didn’t have anything to do, so I decided to execute something that had been on my mind for a while. During this last incident, I had not simply split into two, but rather I was able to split into two. I hadn’t died and split in half, but rather, I thought that I’d split into two, fought myself, and as a result my left half had traveled to the Kingdom of Twilight.
That’s why I believed that if I tried hard enough, I would be able to split myself in two or even create a clone. Still, it was hard to imagine how I’d do either of those things. I had no memory of what it had felt like when I’d split into two, so I couldn’t even figure out where to begin. If anyone out there is knowledgeable in splitting yourself up into your left and right halves, please contact me.
Okay, maybe I’ll try sprouting wings, then. I sort of remember how that feels. It feels like something stretching out of my back. I continued to try sprouting wings while recalling what it felt like in the moment. Just then, Patrick came up to me.
“What are you up to now?”
“It seems like I can’t intentionally split into two or make a clone of myself.”
“I see. How unfortunate.”
The fact that I’d tried to split into two again should’ve been shocking for Patrick, but he’d responded like he was used to this. Do you really think it’s unfortunate? It’s fine, I have some good news for you anyway, Patrick.
“I think I’m close to sprouting wings, though. I have this weird sensation on my back.”
“I think your back is just itchy...”
“No, it’s a more unique feeling than that!”
Patrick began scratching all over my back. No, no, you’re wrong. I’m actually really close to sprouting wings. Patrick continued to scratch my back, interrupting the formation of my wings. He then whispered in my ear. “You’re just itchy. Just itchy. You just have an itchy back.”
“I’m telling you—”
“Your back is itchy. Your back is itchy. You have an itchy back.”
“I feel like it’s just itchy...!”
My back was just itchy the whole time! It’s true, it feels really weird back there. I had just been mistaken about the wings, and I was also mistaken that Patrick was looking at me as if I were someone who was gullible and a little stupid.