NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 204.2
Side Story 3
“Is it, baby? Did aunt live her life wrong?”
“Huh?”
I was having a drink with Marianne. The perfect atmosphere for drunken honesty.
“Do I look stupid? Getting fooled by a bad guy.”
Ah, talking about Siebel?
“There must be over 1000 people already fooled by that man. How does Marianne not get deceived? Especially when he’s such a notorious criminal.”
It would be cute if that man was just a marriage scammer.
“Really? But I haven’t achieved anything…”
“Why not? I was so happy when Marianne loved me as a child. Plus, the priests follow Marianne.”
I replied nonchalantly.
Marianne chuckled softly.
“You’re beautiful.”
She vigorously pinched my cheeks. I giggled.
“Collen and I both lived foolishly. If we had known that good things come to those who wait, we would have lived more carefully.”
“Did you make a mistake?”
Marianne swirled her cup with her hand.
“You know, I was really depressed up until a few years ago. And I think I resented Collen a bit. Because my parents were only interested in Collen.”
“…”
Ah, I’ve heard this story before.
“So one day, drunk, I said something to Collen.”
What Marianne actually said was much harsher, but let’s soften it for the story’s sake.
“But it wasn’t true. Collen had an even more terrible childhood.”
“… Dad told you about his past, right?”
“You know our family situation too? It seems Collen told you. He really trusts you. Or did our baby notice again?”
“…”
I easily guessed the situation.
It wasn’t that Collen confessed to hunting criminals or anything. He just talked about the abuse he faced from his father.
“Now that you’re an adult, I can tell you that Collen also seemed to have a hard time back then.”
“How was he?”
“Well, he acted foolishly. Drinking and neglecting his duties, fed up with our deceased father. He even released all the demons, including Baal, telling them to stay away from him.”
“If he did that…”
“Right. If the demons are separated, the consumption of power becomes more intense. It was almost like self-destruction, to see what happens when he’s completely drained.”
Isn’t that a form of self-harm? I felt sad just thinking about it.
“So he wasn’t hurt?”
“It seems he failed in the end.”
I remember Collen saying something similar. Baal came back, right?
“But at that time, I was really depressed too.”
“Yes.”
“It’s a strange feeling, but I think I drew strength from resenting Collen. But that wasn’t real resentment… Is it too complicated for you?”
“I think I get it.”
“But in the end, Collen didn’t get our parents’ love either. So I… was just sad. And we both drank a lot. And then…”
And then?
“I used all my divine power to see what would happen. I wanted to ruin myself.”
“Marianne, you could’ve died.”
“Yes, I was so drunk I couldn’t think straight. If even Collen didn’t stop me, we both must have been crazy.”
Was it really just alcohol? The story was getting more worrying.
“Anyway, I’m telling you this laughing now. I don’t touch hallucinogenic alcohol anymore.”
“Never, never drink that again.”
Marianne chuckled.
“Do you know there are forbidden magics for wizards? Like mind-controlling magic or space-related magic?”
“Yes.”
“There’s something priests shouldn’t do either.”
“What is it?”
“It’s breathing life into a corpse with divine power.”
“Eek.”
“If a Saintess with tremendous power like me uses power on a corpse, the body can come back to life. That’s why we’re strictly taught never to do it.”
Is it like creating a zombie?
“It’s forbidden, so I wanted to do it even more.”
“Are you okay now? Any aftereffects or anything?”
“I’m fine, I was reckless. Back then, my divine power twisted so much that I suffered for a month. It was lucky I survived.”
“Marianne.”
“Yes?”
“If you ever feel sad or burdened, call me. I’m good at handling drunk confessions. I’m Collen’s daughter, so of course, I’m patient.”
“That’s true. My brother is so perfect that dealing with him can be exhausting.”
Marianne blinked, then her eyes teared up.
“Don’t suffer alone. Promise.”
I made a pinky promise with Marianne.
“Okay, I will.”
Marianne whispered, and I nodded.
“But…”
“Yes?”
“Where did you get a corpse? You said you used divine power on a corpse, right?”
“That’s… “
Marianne scratched her head.
“I can’t remember clearly.”
“…What?”
I was surprised by the unexpected answer.