The hidden presence took in a sharp breath in the deep darkness. Finally, he emerged from the shadows treading gingerly. Moonlight fell on an older man with a beard. Some shoots of gray mingled in his hair; he was dressed in elegant attire, and his carriage exuded an air of refinement. But his face was rather gaunt, and dark shadows fell around his sharp, gleaming eyes. His appearance gave a strange impression.
“A-Ah...” The man staggered forward. He seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Drawing closer to Lydie, he crumpled to his knees in front of her. In a quivering voice, he spoke to Lydie, who was watching him without any sign of emotion. “It has been too long, my dear sister...!”
“You were reincarnated too, Robert?” Lydie stared intently at the man.
Three hundred years ago, there were two children in the Evans clan: Lydilia, who was celebrated as a saint, and Robert, the younger brother who later became head of the family. Although they had been apart for centuries, Lydie could see the resemblance between the aging man in front of her and the Robert she knew.
Then she tutted quietly. “That body of yours... It belongs to the current head of the Evans house, doesn’t it—your descendant? It seems two separate personalities, yours and the present duke’s, dwell in that body.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right.” The man’s face snapped up. Though tears streamed down his face, he was smiling from ear to ear, as if his emotions didn’t match his outward expressions. Words gushed out of him like a broken dam. “This fellow has a rather stubborn mind, actually. For many years, he clung to this body and didn’t let me have full control. He even went so far as to go see a wizard doctor to try to banish me from the body—me, his venerable ancestor... However, over the last several years, I’ve managed to wear him down, and now I have control over this body the majority of the time. For so long, I’ve always—ah, forgive me.”
The man cut himself off and shook his head. He twisted his smile into a regretful frown. “No, this isn’t it. It wasn’t my wish to bore you with such trifling details.”
“Hm, what did you wish to tell me, then?”
“My dear sister...I longed to see you again,” he murmured in a quivering voice. He stretched out his hands imploringly toward Lydie. When she touched his hand, he clasped hers between his. “Ever since I inherited the house, I have been haunted by regret. You, the noble saint, should have been the one in my place—you were fit to succeed to the head of the house, not me.”
In Lydilia’s lifetime, Robert had been too young to realize her true greatness, the splendid legends she left behind in her short years. As he grew older, he came to understand and fully appreciate her achievements. He became convinced that he was unfit to rule as the head of the family, for he was certainly no match for his elder sister.
“My regrets must have brought me back to life, and I made up my mind. I decided that this time, I will do everything I can to hand over the Evans clan to you. I tried everything I could to reincarnate you into the present!”
“Don’t tell me...you fathered a child just so she could be my vessel?”
“No, the first daughter was this man’s doing—Frank’s.” Robert sighed bitterly. “He began to notice my presence inside him, so he sent away his mistress and daughter to protect them... In the later years, though, I was able to manipulate him into bringing the girl back. But both she and the second daughter were a disappointment. They lacked the qualities that would have made them worthy to be a vessel for you, my dear sister.”
“Hm, I see.” Lydie gave a small nod and looked closely at the soul of her brother. Apparently, he had failed to notice the talent for magic and Lydie’s presence lying dormant inside Charlotte’s body.
“I explored every avenue. I hunted down all sorts of enchanted objects that could summon souls from the dead, but I couldn’t call you back.”
“Are you not aware that the Evans family is in a crisis even as we speak...?”
“Nothing but a trivial scandal—it may tarnish our name temporarily, but if you return to us, your great deeds will wash everything away. Wicked schemes are nothing before your greatness,” he said with composure. Then he raised his head again adoringly, overcome by emotions. “I have been trying to find you for so long...and finally, the other day, I felt your presence. So I hurried over here in search of you—”
“I understand now,” Lydie interrupted him. She gently cast aside his hands and placed a palm on his shoulder. “Thank you, Robert—for caring for me so much.”
“Of course, it’s only natural that I—”
“That’s why...I’m sorry.”
The moment Lydie shook her head, the man let out a muffled cry. Invisible strings unfurled in the air and pulled him up off his feet. Robert pressed both hands against his neck and kicked frantically, gasping for air.
“S-Sister! What are you—?!”
“The saint is dead. The one you’re speaking to now is only a young girl named Lydie.”
With a resolute face, she looked up at the sky where the man hung. Dawn was approaching; the sky grew paler as she watched. A new day would shine upon them soon. It was time for the old spirit to depart.
“The dead shouldn’t menace the lives of the living. What you have been doing...is a grave crime indeed. It would be best if you freed this man now.” Lydie intoned a brief spell. A slight tremor ran through the chilly air of the back alley, and the man’s face grew more and more contorted. When she finished uttering the spell, she let its magic take effect, to wipe out the personality of the previous life from the living body. “Farewell, Robert. I... I’m sorry I couldn’t become a family with you.”
“Sist—?!”
The man’s eyes went blank. He hung motionless in the air. His limp body descended silently. Lydie watched as the body landed on the ground, and the man let out a muffled groan. He slowly lifted his eyelids, sat up, and looked around in a bemused daze.
“Wh-Where...am I...?”
“Have you returned to yourself?” Lydie asked.
As soon as she spoke, the man widened his eyes. He jumped to his feet and staggered back, away from her. With fear and dread in his eyes, he shouted in a trembling voice, “Run... Stay away from me...! And if you can, could you call an adult for help? I don’t know what I’ll do next—”
“Don’t worry.” Lydie trotted over to him with a spring in her step. Smiling broadly, she said, “Nice to meet you, Grand-papa!”
“Huh...?”