Chapter 353: How About Living in My Body? (3)

A person cannot remember the future. Yet, in Ghislain's mind, such memories clearly remained.

It was impossible, but if you consider Ghislain a madman, everything makes sense.

The spirit had once entered the mind of a truly insane person. Such people distort their own memories and believe that things that never happened actually did.

Of course, the memories of madmen were a bit different from Ghislain's. The memories of real lunatics aren't this vivid and clear; they're vague, hazy, and obviously fake.

Even so, the spirit chose to believe that. Otherwise, it couldn't comprehend the situation.

'I'd better behave for now. If I get the chance later, I'll have to take over his body.' 

Even if he was a bit crazy, the more the spirit observed Ghislain's power, the more extraordinary it seemed. The spirit had never possessed such a body before.

He desperately wanted to seize this powerful body filled with immense strength.

Of course, it was impossible. Someone with a strong mind honed over decades of rage wouldn't have their body taken over by him.

Unless his mind completely collapsed and he went utterly insane, it would be difficult.

'No, maybe it would be even harder because he's already lost it.'

There's no reasoning with a madman.

He coveted the exhilarating body and had many questions about the human named Ghislain. He planned to ask about the memories he had seen when he got the chance.

As Ghislain tested his newly acquired power a few more times, he spoke to the spirit.

"I need to give you a name. What should I call you?"

He knew the name the spirit had used in his previous life, but that was a name given by the Duchy. Ghislain wanted to give his own name to the spirit that now belonged to him.

After pondering for a moment, the spirit spoke from within Ghislain's mind.

— How about Dark Fire Dragon?

"...."

He must have picked up some fancy names from somewhere. Ghislain shook his head and said.

"Let's just go with 'Dark.'"

— I prefer longer names...

"Don't argue and come out."

— Come out? How?

"If you use my mana, you can take on a form."

— Oh, oh! Really? Should I try it?

With Ghislain's permission, black smoke began to gather in front of him. The smoke soon transformed into a wavering human shape.

Using Ghislain's mana as a base, the spirit had acquired a corporeal body.

"Khehehehe!"

In the body made of black smoke, the only thing that shone was around the eyes.

Dark laughed as he moved his body. He instinctively knew he could do this.

However, the bodies he had possessed so far were too feeble to have enough mana to manifest externally.

"Good, very good, master."

Since he had agreed to be a slave, the word 'master' came out without hesitation. He wasn't particularly bound by pride or anything.

Dark swung his body around and said.

"Can I use a bit more mana?"

"Why?"

"I want to try transforming into that guy's appearance."

He pointed at Arel as he spoke. Arel still had a dazed expression, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Go ahead."

Swoooosh.

An enormous amount of mana flowed out from Ghislain's body as Dark began to take on a new form.

Eyes, nose, mouth appeared, and even the clothes were made identical to Arel's. It was like watching a doppelgänger transform.

After a short time, another person identical to Arel appeared. Of course, the impression was distinctly different.

While the real Arel exuded determination and aspiration, the replicated Arel just looked sly.

It was amazing how the same face could give off such a different atmosphere.

"Ugh!"

Arel was startled and stepped back when someone who looked exactly like him appeared. Dark continued to move his hands around with a sly expression.

"Haha, this isn't bad. Feels like I've gained freedom."

The body Dark had created was merely a clone with a time limit, made using Ghislain's mana and his own abilities.

The mana composing the body would naturally dissipate into the air over time. Once all the mana was gone, the body would disappear.

Dark's actual consciousness remained inside Ghislain. While he was controlling the clone rather than fully transferring his consciousness, it still felt considerably liberating.

Ghislain checked his own body and clicked his tongue.

"The efficiency isn't very high. Come back in."

An enormous amount of mana had been consumed to create Dark's body. Still, the ability to create a separate body connected to his consciousness was quite useful. There would be opportunities to use it in the future.

"Kuh... I wanted to play around in this body a bit more."

When Dark spoke, Ghislain shook his head.

"I'll give you time to play later. Come back now. If you cause any trouble with a separate body, I won't let it slide."

"Hmm... We're one and the same; what are you going to do? I could go out right now in this body and cause trouble, you know?"

When Dark slyly probed him, Ghislain grinned.

At the same time, Dark's body scattered back into smoke and began to be absorbed into Ghislain.

"Huh? Huh? What's happening?"

Dark was already a being subordinate to Ghislain's consciousness. Therefore, the body Dark created could also be controlled by Ghislain's will. After all, it was made from Ghislain's mana.

As the body he was controlling disappeared, Dark smacked his lips. But that wasn't the end.

— W-What is this!

Suddenly, the space of consciousness where he resided grew dark. Nothing could be seen or heard. It felt like being trapped in an endless abyss.

Ghislain had cut off the mana flowing to Dark and completely confined him.

— Ugh, ugh! Save me!

The fear of slowly disappearing while trapped in darkness was immense. When the world brightened again, Dark panted and said.

— I won't mess around...

"Good. If you behave, I'll let you out to play from time to time."

— A-All right.

Ghislain smiled with satisfaction. Dark's power was a mix of mana and spirit energy. Although the Duchy had called it a spirit, it was actually something that also had the power of spirits.

"So, what exactly are you?"

— What? You captured me without knowing who I am? Then how did you know about my power?

"I just read about it in a book. Explain yourself."

After a moment of contemplation, Dark sighed and said.

— I don't know either.

"You don't know?"

— Yeah, one day I just opened my eyes, and this world was here. Instinctively, to survive, I quietly lived by moving from body to body. Honestly, I don't even know how many years I've lived like that. I was just doing it because I wanted to live.

Since he himself didn't remember, there was no immediate way to find out his identity.

But Ghislain wasn't disappointed and nodded slightly.

'I'll find out when I capture the Duchy.'

The Duchy must have had a purpose in searching for Dark. Knowing that reason would answer many questions.

Anyway, thanks to Dark, Ghislain could now use powers akin to magic.

Not only does the mind control magic but he could also convert mana to create various phenomena.

He could think about how to apply and use it whenever he had time. Though, he felt he'd mostly end up using it to destroy things.

As his experiments concluded, a group of people hurriedly rushed up.

"Edwin! Edwin!"

"Young Lord!"

"Rescue the young lord!"

It was Count Mowbray and his soldiers. The upper floors of the tower had been completely blown off, and they had rushed over in alarm.

Edwin, still in shock, wailed when he saw Count Mowbray.

"Father! Father! Please save me!"

Everyone who had come to rescue him froze in place.

"E-Edwin? Are you… have you regained your senses?"

Count Mowbray asked in a trembling voice. Edwin yanked at his chains and shouted.

"Father! It's me, Edwin! Please get me out of here! That man! That man is a demon!"

At Edwin's words, Count Mowbray looked toward Ghislain. He couldn't tell if this was truly his son or if the evil spirit was playing tricks.

Ghislain spoke with a gentle smile.

"The evil spirit has been completely exorcised. It resisted fiercely, which caused the tower to collapse. Whew, its power was truly formidable. But there's no need to worry anymore. The evil spirit has been destroyed."

"Oh!"

Count Mowbray's face lit up with joy, but Edwin began crying again.

"No! The evil spirit was devoured by him! He's the demon! He's the one who destroyed the tower! Father, please get me out of here quickly!"

"W-What are you saying…?"

Count Mowbray, still reeling, turned back to Ghislain. Ghislain's smile remained calm and unbothered.

"Being possessed by an evil spirit for so long has left his mind unsettled. A few days of rest, and he will recover."

As he spoke, Ghislain casually rubbed his knuckles and threw Edwin a sidelong glance.

Edwin, startled, clamped his mouth shut. He remembered that this man had smashed through the tower ceiling in one strike. He had even consumed the evil spirit. If he made a fuss, everyone might die.

Now more aware of his situation, Edwin nodded repeatedly. Ghislain addressed him softly.

"Young Lord Edwin, are you feeling a bit clearer now?"

"Y-Yes."

Edwin nodded vigorously, knowing his survival depended on staying on this man's good side. Ghislain walked over and lightly patted Edwin on the shoulder.

"Good. With the evil spirit gone, you should listen well to your father and live a virtuous and 'quiet' life. If you cause another incident like this, I'll have no choice but to return."

Ghislain emphasized the word quiet, and Edwin, trembling, nodded furiously.

With the matter settled, Ghislain turned to Count Mowbray with a smile.

"The young lord just needs some time to stabilize. Now, shall we discuss my reward?"

"R-Reward? Oh, yes, of course. Bring Edwin to his room immediately!"

Though there had been no prior arrangement, Ghislain had solved the most troublesome problem plaguing the Mowbray household. As a noble, Count Mowbray was obligated to offer proper compensation.

Count Mowbray looked at Edwin, freed from his chains, with tears in his eyes. He had agonized and suffered so much during this ordeal. He instinctively pulled his son into an embrace.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault."

"F-Father…"

"I won't be so harsh on you anymore."

"I… I was wrong too. I wasn't good enough…"

"No, no, don't think that. It's fine to take things slowly if you're struggling. I was the one who lacked understanding."

Edwin wept in his father's arms. How long had he waited to hear such warm words from his father?

Now he realized it—he had merely succumbed to the pressure and lashed out. His father had only been strict because he wanted to mold him into an excellent heir.

After being beaten senseless by that devil for days, Edwin now understood how comfortable his old life had been.

"Sniff… I'm sorry… I was so weak…"

"No, no, you are not weak."

Count Mowbray, his eyes reddened, repeatedly patted his son on the back. He was simply overjoyed that his son had returned to normal.

How many nights had he spent in regret after Edwin went mad? How many times had he vowed to himself that he would never repeat those mistakes if Edwin could be saved?

Ghislain watched the touching father-son reunion with a satisfied expression. Families, after all, should cherish one another.

After their emotional reconciliation, Edwin was helped out of the tower by the soldiers.

"Now, Baron Dougley, let us continue our conversation."

Ghislain followed Count Mowbray to another room. Arrel, still dazed, hurried to keep up.

Once seated, Count Mowbray got straight to the point.

"I am truly, truly grateful. What kind of reward would you like, Baron? Speak freely. Whatever it is, I'll do my best to grant it."

"What I want is quite significant. Can you fulfill it?"

At Ghislain's words, Count Mowbray nodded confidently.

This was the resource-rich south. Furthermore, he was a powerful lord with ample wealth and soldiers. That was why he had been able to maintain neutrality between the pro-royalist and duke factions.

Count Mowbray was also known for his meticulous governance. It was no coincidence that he had been so strict with his son.

The duke faction's inability to meddle with his vassals stemmed from their respect for his unyielding character. They likely considered him a neutral figure and left him alone for that reason.

In a spirited tone, Count Mowbray continued.

"I've never heard of Baron Dougley before. Are you a noble without a fief? If so, I could grant you land of your own."

It was a staggering offer, one that only someone with substantial power could make.

But Ghislain shook his head and smiled.

"I don't need money or land. What I need is your strength."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ghislain's smile faded, replaced by a piercing gaze as he looked directly at Count Mowbray.

"Join the royalist faction. Fight under the royal flag against the Duchy."

At those words, Count Mowbray's face hardened.

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