Black wind 4
The story from Liliana's past life, which she remembers from playing an otome game, contains very limited information. The game begins when Liliana is thirteen years old, and the heroine, Emilia Navy, attends a party in the capital where she meets the capture targets. The narrative then unfolds from Emilia's perspective, and any information or events unknown to her are not depicted in the game.
While some information not covered in the game is included in setting books and strategy guides, these sources do not cover every event. Naturally, there is very little known about events before the start of the game. Moreover, details about the capture targets, rival character Tania Draco, and the villainess Liliana Alexandra Clark are only briefly mentioned, with limited information on these characters. There are even cases where other characters are not named at all.
(—I’m meeting the capture targets sooner than I expected.)
Once Liliana realized she couldn’t escape being a candidate for the Crown Prince’s fiancée, she had more or less resigned herself to meeting the capture targets. Avoiding them was one method to prevent her own downfall, but considering her status and position, it was impossible to avoid encounters with royal or high-ranking noble capture targets. It would have been ideal if she could have been removed from the list of candidates before encountering them, but given her father Duke Clark's unclear intentions, she couldn’t afford to make any missteps. Any action taken to avoid her own ruin could inadvertently hasten her demise.
(I wish my father had negotiated to remove me from the list of candidates earlier, rather than waiting until I turned ten.)
It was pointless to complain, but such grievances lingered in her mind. According to Riley, the King wanted Liliana to remain a candidate, and Duke Clark’s compromise must have been the “age ten” limit.
As Liliana sipped the tea Marianne had made, she traced the barely progressing lines of a book with her fingers. The book was an old tome found in the library, focusing solely on monsters from local fairy tales. While some content was hard to believe, there were also intriguing discoveries. Liliana was particularly interested in the possibility that some monsters might understand human speech.
Monsters had long been thought to have low intelligence and could only destroy everything around them unless vanquished. They were deemed as harmful beasts and had been avoided for a long time. However, during the recent monster stampede that Liliana encountered, she had sensed a high level of intelligence in the monsters. She believed this was due to someone transforming humans into monsters and had evidence to support this. However, the monsters she met before had bodies similar to animals, making it difficult to think they were originally human. While it was possible that animals had been experimentally transformed into monsters, the possibility that some monsters naturally possessed high intelligence like those in fairy tales couldn’t be ruled out.
(What if monsters capable of understanding human speech exist naturally?)
Liliana furrowed her brow. Even if such monsters existed, it wouldn’t immediately change anything. However, it could provide a clue to prevent further damage from the monster stampede.
Suddenly, Liliana looked up. The barrier set up around the estate had shifted. Normally, ordinary assassins could be dealt with by Gild and Olga, so the barrier would not usually react.
Liliana had combined magic and curses, using magic stones to create a barrier around the estate. The barrier would only respond if something that Gild or Olga couldn’t handle entered the premises. For example, someone using concealment magic to hide their presence. Gild and Olga were not accustomed to dealing with assassins using concealment magic. While they could sense and address such a presence, it was highly likely they would overlook it.
(Do they notice it?)
Liliana stood up and moved to the window to check. At this time, with the dusk fading and the moon beginning to rise, the view outside was not clear. Although she was concerned, the barrier had only shifted once with no other changes.
"<Detection>"
She cast the spell, mapping the entire estate and pinpointing the positions of herself, the servants, Gild, and Olga. As expected, there was an unfamiliar presence within the grounds. However, the color of the magic seemed familiar. She tilted her head, but could not recall anyone matching it. The intruder was steadily approaching the estate, moving directly towards the room where Liliana was.
Liliana considered the situation. Her room had a more elaborate and high-level barrier than the estate. Additionally, there were counterattack spells in place against any attackers. Since there was always the possibility of assassins being missed by Gild and Olga, she had taken these precautions to prepare for an attack while she was asleep. However, since she was awake now, she could retaliate without relying on the barrier.
Liliana deliberately deactivated some of the spells in the room and waited for the intruder to approach. She kept the room's lights on, as an assassin would typically avoid entering a brightly lit room.
The faint presence gradually drew closer. After a moment, the closed window slowly opened. Liliana turned her gaze toward the window and was surprised by the unexpected figure.
"—Well."
"Sorry to intrude, Ojou-sama."
The figure revealed itself to be a black lion with dragon wings—the same being Liliana had saved in the Fortia Territory.
"I thought I recognized you, but—yes, it seems my magic and yours have mixed."
"I’m grateful for your help back then.”
The black lion entered through the window and sat down on the floor. Liliana smiled.
On that day, Liliana had shared her magic with the black lion, who was exhausted and unable to move. If that had been the only interaction, it would have been easy to recognize the same magic. However, the black lion’s own magic had recovered afterward, and the two different magical energies had mixed within it. That’s why, even though the magic felt familiar, she couldn’t pinpoint the lion’s identity.
The black lion looked up at Liliana with eyes glowing purple and green. Liliana tilted her head.
“I’m surprised by your sudden visit. What brings you here?”
“I thought you would have sensed me and found me by now, but you showed no sign of searching. So, I came to see you.”
“Really?”
Liliana chuckled lightly, clearly not fully believing the black lion’s words. However, the lion did not seem offended.
“You told me to call you if needed, but you didn’t even tell me your name, so I was wondering what to do.”
The black lion blinked slightly at Liliana’s words. With a wry smile, it shrugged its shoulders.
“I don’t have a name.”
“None at all?”
“Yeah. —If you want to give me one, go ahead.”
This time, Liliana’s eyes widened. The contents of an old book on Eastern magic came to her mind. It was very rare, but it had no practical use in the Kingdom of Slibegrad, which had no spirits and only low-intelligence monsters, not the intelligent ones. The book described methods to summon and contract with otherworldly beings, including spirits and demon races, and one method was to give them a name.
“—If I give you a name, wouldn’t that establish a contract between us?”
The black lion seemed surprised by Liliana’s question. It blinked its eyes but quickly nodded as if understanding.
“You’re talking about summoning magic, right? Or maybe curses? Don’t worry, I wasn’t summoned by you, and even if you give me a name, there won’t be any subordinate or servitude contract.”
“That’s a relief.”
Liliana felt a genuine sense of relief upon hearing the black lion’s answer. However, the black lion looked at her with a puzzled expression. Liliana tilted her head, and after a moment of hesitation, the black lion asked in a curious tone.
“Why are you relieved? Don’t humans usually want to contract with beings like me?”
“If that’s the case, I’m not a typical human.”
Liliana replied with a smile. Contracts require a price, and the price must be balanced. If it’s too little or too much, there will be consequences to pay later.
The books Liliana had read indicated that when contracting with non-human entities, the contractor would have to offer their life or soul. Since the contract binds the entity’s life, it’s only natural that there would be such a price.
A life for a life.
—A soul for a soul.
Therefore, it was natural for Liliana to want to avoid unnecessary contracts. She believed that no one else she knew would share her view.
The black lion listened to Liliana’s simple explanation in silence, and seemed to understand. It nodded and smiled cheerfully, showing its fangs, but Liliana was not scared.
“Hmm, that’s a reasonable way of thinking. I like it.”
Liliana was taken aback by this unexpected reaction. She stared at the black lion with wide eyes. The black lion looked at her with its strangely gleaming eyes and grinned, showing its teeth.
“In that case, how about you give me a name? It’s inconvenient being unnamed while I’m around you.”
“—You intend to stay by my side?”
“I’m just bored. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to be around you all the time, and when I am, I’ll make sure others can’t see me.”
The black lion’s impudent words amused Liliana, making her smile widen. She playfully asked, “Like now?”
Even after entering Liliana’s room, the black lion remained cloaked in magic to remain unseen by others. Liliana could see it because the lion had adjusted its magic so that it wouldn’t affect her. Even the most skilled mages couldn’t use concealment magic to appear only to a specific person. Liliana might be able to do something similar, but perfectly imitating it would be difficult.
“Having a form like mine can be troublesome if seen by humans.”
“Indeed.”
Liliana nodded thoughtfully. People tend to react with rejection to things that are foreign or strange. While it is rare for them to revere gods or spirits, their usual response is negative. In the worst cases, they might even eliminate something they believe poses a threat, even if it has done nothing.
“That seems like a familiar reaction,” the black lion said.
“I am also somewhat of an unusual being,” Liliana replied.
Even though she tried to keep it hidden, being able to use magic without incantations made her a potential object of aversion. If it became known that she had memories of a past life, she would likely be persecuted as a heretic. In both her past world and this one, beings considered heretical were often suppressed. Psychologically and politically, heretics were easily excluded.
Although the black lion did not seem to read her mind, it nodded as if understanding.
“So, what will my name be?”
The black lion urged Liliana, who pondered over the name. It wasn’t something she could come up with immediately. Their eyes met—its purple and green eyes looked deep and profound, reminiscent of the eyes she had seen on Earth in her previous life.
“How about—Ajulite?”
The black lion blinked. Liliana smiled gently.
“Do you like the name Ajulite?”
After a moment, the black lion’s mouth curled into a pleased smile.
“I see—Ajulite, like the mineral.”
“Yes. Your eyes are truly beautiful.”
The black lion looked away as if reminiscing about something long out of reach. However, it soon turned its gaze back to Liliana and nodded with satisfaction.
“It’s a good name.”
“Then, Ajulite, my name is Liliana Alexandra Clark. I look forward to working with you from now on.”
With a smile, Liliana addressed the black lion, who had received the name Ajulite. The black lion stood up and approached her. It licked the back of Liliana’s left hand, and responded, “Likewise.” A small pattern appeared on the back of her hand. As Liliana looked at it, the pattern glowed briefly and then vanished. In the center of the pattern was the name Ajulite written in ancient script.
“What did you do?”
“I placed a spell so that I can immediately sense any danger to you. I won’t use it for anything else, so you needn’t worry.”
“—So, you’re offering protection?”
Liliana was slightly amused by the unexpected action. Ajulite nodded simply.
“Yes. You gave me a name. Being able to call each other by name means that we are friends, doesn’t it?”
Liliana was taken aback. Ajulite’s notion of friendship was rather simplistic. She considered pointing this out but hesitated, as Ajulite seemed to anticipate her thoughts.
“If you are human, simply calling each other by name may not make you friends. But according to my perspective, it’s not so. Few humans give names to beings like me and can call them by those names.”
*So, you are my friend from now on” Ajulite said with a smile.
Liliana, who had been speechless for a while, eventually regained her composure and gave an unusually genuine smile. Even among non-human beings, this was the first time someone had explicitly called her “friend.” Though she had acquaintances, she had no true friends. Crown Prince Riley was a “potential fiancé” and “someone Liliana should serve.” Her brother Clyde was family but not a friend. Austin was Riley’s friend but not Liliana’s friend given his status as a candidate for the next king’s aide.
“Well then, I look forward to seeing you again.”
Liliana, unable to hide her joy, responded to Ajulite. The black lion gave a small nod and turned, leaping out of the window. In no time, its figure disappeared into the darkness.
Liliana quickly stood up from her chair and placed her hand on the window frame, gazing outside. The garden illuminated by moonlight was beautiful, but she felt no other presence.
“He’s gone.”
Unlike servants, maids, or guards who can be commanded to stay close, friends are different. They are elsewhere and only occasionally meet to talk and enjoy each other’s company. There is no ulterior motive. If one were to order a friend to stay nearby and restrict or compel their actions, they would no longer be a “friend.”
Understanding this, Liliana left the window open, continuing to stare at the dark world illuminated by the moonlight, long after Ajulite had departed.
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