Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 70

[Translated By Divinity]

Lilliana’s face turned gloomy for a moment, but she couldn’t bear the somber atmosphere and quickly switched back to her usual lighthearted tone.

“Anyway, if that person you met is really my brother Casey, he’ll probably show up in front of me soon. I don’t know if he’s after my power or has some other motive, though.”

“So, as your bodyguard, I just need to be wary of this Casey person?”

Lilliana frowned and clicked her tongue, muttering,

“If it were just Casey, I wouldn’t even need a bodyguard. Aunt Pascal could handle it herself.”

“What?”

Damian asked in a bewildered voice, and Lilliana bit her lower lip with a serious expression.

“Casey is like a ticking time bomb; you never know what he’ll do, so we have to be careful. But the real reason I need protection is because of other people…”

“These other people are…”

Lilliana scratched her head and avoided his gaze.

“Well… there are other people who are after my spirit power… my power…”

“What do you mean? Besides your brother, are there others who know about your power?”

“I don’t know for sure because this happened during the two years I can’t remember, but originally, only my parents, my brother Casey, and Aunt Pascal knew about my power. My mom passed away, so now it’s just the three of them. No human knew about my power or bloodline. But it seems a group of people found out about my power while I had amnesia.”

Lilliana scratched her head, looking uncomfortable talking about this topic.

“At least until I lost my memory, no one knew about my power. But something must have happened during that time, and now there’s a group who knows about it and is trying to do something to me because of it.”

“A group…? You mean it’s not just one or two individuals?”

Damian frowned, and Lilliana looked embarrassed.

“It’s a whole group…”

“That’s a lot.”

“Is it?”

Lilliana blinked innocently, and Damian sighed.

“It is. Even dealing with one person is troublesome, but if it’s a group, you don’t know how many people you have to deal with. That makes things complicated. But why? Your brother has a reason to target you, but why would others?”

“There have always been humans who coveted the power of spirits since ancient times.”

At Lilliana’s words, Damian recalled what Ray had said. How humans realized they could utilize the power of spirits after seeing Oracis borrow their strength. So that meant…

“Because humans can achieve immense power and wealth by using the power of spirits. They can do things humans can’t and overcome the limitations of machine civilization. You understand that, right?”

“Ah…”

“So there was a group targeting my brother.”

“Casey?”

“My brother is almost like a full-fledged spirit, so his power is comparable to that of a spirit. That’s why he became a target, and he had to stay abroad for a while, away from Istarica. That was when he was around 18, and before he left for abroad, he came to warn me. He told me not to leave Noster Province, where I was under Aunt Pascal’s protection. Those people didn’t know he had a twin.”

Lilliana scratched her head and continued,

“That’s why I need a bodyguard… The group targeting Casey started looking for a replacement after he went abroad. And they found out about me, his sister. I have the power of a spirit, but I’m weaker than Casey. So… you get what I’m saying, right?”

“The group shifted their target from Casey Carnell to you.”

Damian muttered, his eyes sharp. Lilliana nodded.

“That’s what I heard.”

Damian looked lost in thought, as if he understood. He had assumed there was some reason behind the vague bodyguard request, but things were more complicated than he thought. He rested his chin on his hand and narrowed his eyes.

“Then, besides your brother, what kind of group is targeting you?”

“I don’t know the exact details, but if they were after my brother, they’re probably royalists. More specifically, a group of nobles seeking to restore the monarchy.”

“Ah.”

The picture became clearer. The fall of the Istarica monarchy and the establishment of the republic had significantly diminished the power and influence of the nobles. Many of them were dissatisfied with this. Although it was still the early days of the republic, there had been frequent armed conflicts in the past.

If there were people among them who knew about Lilliana’s power, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone tried to actively exploit her for their plans. It was a very tempting power, after all.

But Damian suddenly felt a sense of unease.

“Do they know that the Shelbyr royal family has the blood of spirits?”

“They might know, but they probably dismiss it as a legend. Not many people truly believe it.”

“No. They might actually believe it’s true.”

“Why?”

“If they found out about Casey and Lilliana and are trying to use Lilliana’s power, they must believe or know that hybrids between humans and spirits exist.”

“That’s true.”

“Would such people dismiss the fact that the Shelbyr royal family has the blood of spirits as a mere legend?”

“Probably… not?”

“I think so too.”

“So that means… What’s your conclusion?”

“It means they might be targeting Lilliana for the same reason Casey tried to stop her heart.”

“The same reason?”

“Lilliana, in the legend about Oracis Shelbyr being a spirit, what kind of spirit is he said to be?”

Damian’s question made Lilliana respond as if he was stating the obvious.

“Everyone knows he’s a Salamander…”

The legend of Oracis Shelbyr being a Salamander, a fire spirit, was something every Istarican, even five-year-old children, knew. That’s why Lilliana, who had answered without thinking, widened her eyes. Damian nodded.

“Yes, a Salamander. And he was actually a hybrid of a Salamander, right?”

“Right.”

“Lilliana’s power is weak. But if those with the same Salamander power can absorb each other’s strength, the spirit blood flowing in the Shelbyr family would become even stronger. My guess is that the group targeting Lilliana doesn’t just want her to use her spirit power to help them. Their goal is likely to have someone from the Shelbyr royal family absorb Lilliana’s power, just like your brother tried to do.”

Lilliana’s eyes widened even further in shock at his words.

“What? Huh?!”

“Lilliana… your situation might be worse than you think.”

“B-But my aunt didn’t say anything like that! She just said there were people trying to use my power…!”

“They’re trying to use you, and they’re also targeting you. But didn’t Ms. Pascal tell you how they plan to use you?”

At those words, Lilliana suddenly stood up.

“Ah! Ah! Now I understand something after hearing what you said, Damian! Why they’re targeting me and my brother!”

Her voice grew louder as if she had realized something.

“Even among spirits of the same attribute, their energy is slightly different. So even if you’re from the same Salamander bloodline, you can’t easily absorb the energy of another fire spirit!”

Lilliana couldn’t contain her excitement and started pacing in small circles.

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