Black Solstice-Chapter 17: Fog of Memory [1]

Upon defeating Dagon with a decisive blow, Seraphis lingered for a moment, staring down at his fallen body. Then she muttered with cold arrogance,

"That is what you get for being a pervert. Know your place!"

After that, she turned and walked toward me.

I looked up at her.

No matter how I viewed it, this was not the Seraphis I knew.

The difference was far too staggering.

Frowning, I asked, "Who are you?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"What a strange question. Isn’t it obvious?"

I let out a bitter smile.

"Using my own words against me, huh. How did you even know?"

"The answer is quite simple. She and I share the same body, so we feel, hear, see, and experience everything together. The only difference is that one of us has been sleeping, and that one was me."

"I see. So it’s a multiple personality situation."

"Hmph. I suppose that is correct. However, do not think of us as some sort of disorder. Both of us, Seras, are real and have our own personalities, yet we are one and the same. Do you understand?"

I struggled to respond. Not because it was confusing, my consciousness was simply slipping.

Her gaze softened.

"I am quite surprised you managed to survive that. Could it be... no, it’s too early to tell."

She shook her head and crouched in front of me. With a knowing smile, Seraphis said,

"In any case, you did well. I will handle the rest. But you will take responsibility for what you said."

Her voice was sweet and gentle, reminiscent of the other Sera yet charming in its own way.

"Now sleep well, mon prince."

Those were the last words I heard before everything went dark.

† †

"You did nothing wrong. You were assaulted and simply defended yourselves," said Kat Fleming, standing directly in front of me in the infirmary.

Though she was an instructor, she also served as a nurse.

I had already explained the situation. Namely, the incident where Great Devil Dagon had fallen depravity and assaulted two students.

"So we won’t be punished?"

"No, not that the school board would have any reason to punish you. Your name is Cassius Cain, correct?"

"Ah. Yes, I was in your introductory class yesterday."

"Is that so? Forgive me, but I have a short memory."

How was I supposed to respond to that? She was indeed a unique individual. More importantly...

"Your healing technology is quite something. I didn’t think the academy could restore someone from near death."

Kat gave me a strange look.

"What are you talking about? You weren’t in any life-threatening state at all. At best, you only had minimal injuries and bruises."

I blinked.

"Huh? How is that possible?"

She adjusted her glasses.

"According to the report I received from student Seraphis, you suffered a strike to the solar plexus and went completely out of commission, is that correct?"

"Um, yes...?"

"Do you really not understand what had happened?"

I scratched my head in bewilderment. I truly did not know.

Noticing my reaction, she continued.

"You must have heard about something called reishi, correct?"

"Yeah. You did manage something about reishi management."

"Reishi fills the air, and various effects are produced by moving it. There are two types of reishi: environmental reishi and individual reishi, which comes from the Soul. Sometimes the two terms are mixed together, but this is just the basics of reishi management."

With a swift pause, she added, "Individual reishi can be manipulated according to one’s will. The amount of spiritual energy within someone varies from person to person. The more reishi you have, the greater the effect when you use it in the surrounding atmosphere. Your will sends electrical impulses through the brain, which then manipulate the reishi in your body, while the external reishi resonates with it. It is essentially energy manipulation. This is also why some people have a natural talent for Sorcery. A stronger will controlling these impulses, combined with a larger reserve of reishi, results in greater skill. It is actually quite simple, yet most young lads never learn this."

"So let me get this straight, are you saying that I subconsciously defended myself using reishi?"

"You catch on quick. Student Dagon had likely intended on giving you a fatal wound so he reinforced his body in reishi and struck you but you protected your body using reishi too. The evidence of this analysis is your lack of fatal injuries."

"So does that mean I used a greater amount of reishi to protect myself from Dagon’s... not-so-gentle love?"

"Using ’love’ in this context is... strange, no? But I suppose you could say that," Kat replied, her lips twitching. "Come to think of it, that is actually quite impressive. If my memory serves me right, Dagon is a Great Devil Noble from the House of Sitri. He’s not someone you should ever underestimate. It’s even said that he’s a practitioner of the Emperor path."

I frowned, confused. "Emperor?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Mystical Abilities from The Emperor series are among the most powerful you can awaken within the Major Arcana. On top of that, his reishi is considerable for a Greater-ranked noble devil. I would approximate his SP to be around 150 or 170, or somewhere in that range. He’s also said to have significant potential. There’s even a possibility that he might become a Devil Lord in the future and take over the House of Sitri."

Then she let out a soft sigh.

"Sadly, he has a notorious reputation for harassing young girls and bullying anyone weaker than himself. To squander that much potential on such trivialities... it’s truly a shame. I genuinely pity Lord Sitri for having an heir like him."

I gave a wry smile.

Certainly, if the child grew up to be a delinquent, the fault naturally fell on the parents.

But if you were limited to such a narrow mindset that a child could do no wrong even with good upbringing, then any potential would inevitably be wasted. It’s like throwing a diamond into the mud and expecting it to shine.

Kat’s gaze softened.

"That’s why... power alone isn’t enough. Talent without purpose or guidance will often become a curse rather than a gift. It doesn’t matter how much SP or mystical ability one has if they squander it on cruelty, arrogance, or laziness. This is why the academy focused on coexistence to teach self control. If you overcome your violent tendencies as a devil, then you’ll truly become powerful. At least, that’s what I believe."

Of course, I wasn’t a devil so I couldn’t exactly relate.

Speaking of devils...

"Excuse me, but where is Seraphis right now?"

Kat answered casually.

"You don’t have to worry. There were no physical injuries when I examined her. I suspect she’s simply suffering from mental exhaustion. She probably used too much reishi and overexerted herself. She should be asleep in her dormitory right now. It’s best to let her rest for a while. Her body will recover quickly, but the mind normally takes longer."

I nodded slowly, absorbing the Information. Mental fatigue wasn’t something anyone could ignore.

Even Seraphis, with all her strength and training, had her limits.

Recalling the image of when she unleashed the true power of a vampire, my body trembed.

She was that strong this entire time.

However, she could not access that explosive power under the normal circumstances due to the pendant seal locking it away.

Come to think about it, I wonder what that Sera considered as a form of danger. Even if the Outer Sera was beaten to a pulp and strangled, she didn’t come out. Does she need some kind to trigger to fully awaken? That’s really pain but I guess there is a reason behind it, probably the cause of her explosive power. Is it possible the pendant somehow stores reishi inside the body of the user, allowing them to gradually increase their overall reishi.

This was nothing but speculation. Even so, I had a feeling my thoughts were going in the right direction.

It seemed studying reishi management has become a priority.

Suddenly, Teacher Kat’s expression darkened as she said. "I think you need to be careful from now onwards."

"Are you saying it’s possible that I would be attacked by one of Dagon’s buddies?"

"Fights will be inevitable. Devils are rather prideful, especially those of noble blood. This just means you need to grow as a devil while also studying your courses and developing your magic."

Teacher Kat went silent as though waiting for a response.

Just then,

[Ms. Kat Fleming. Your presence is required at the administrative office!]

A voice crackled through the school’s intercom.

The nurse looked up at it and muttered an "Ah," as if she had just remembered something.

"So... it’s time for that, isn’t it? Given the circumstances, I’ll have to leave for now. Don’t worry, though. I’ll make sure someone stays to watch over you."

"I understand. Thank you for your service."

"No biggie. But trust me, I’m sure you’ll like them very much. Oh my~ Now that I’ve raised your expectations, if you see them and get infatuated, it would be problematic if you kept injuring yourself just to see them again."

I tilted my head.

"Um... what?"

She shrugged.

"Don’t worry about it. Just make sure to get some good rest. You’ll need it for the upcoming test."

Upcoming test?

Disregarding my confusion, Teacher Kat exited the infirmary, leaving me alone.