Reincarnated User Manual - Chapter 206: Lucia (0.5)

“What on earth could it be?”

It was still an early night at the annex. Latera, left behind with Lucia, grumbled with a face full of irritation.

“‘I’m going to protect the world from now on, so you and Lucia keep the house safe,’ he said. At first, I thought it was a joke, but he just up and left like that.”

The flickering light beyond the hill seemed cruel. Latera continued, her gaze fixed on the window.

“Of course, the Hero is not a child left at the water’s edge, but saving the world is the sort of thing a Hero does. Naturally, as the Hero’s closest friend, I should be with him…”

“Sometimes, one needs to be alone.”

Rustle— Lucia flipped through the pages of a magic book nonchalantly. It was a book Shiron had been reading so diligently that he had added his own annotations. Despite being newly published, the edges of the pages were worn.

“As much as it pains me to say this, most boys his age need some alone time. Even if Shiron is a Hero and you are his guardian angel, you should at least respect personal boundaries.”

“Alone time?”

“Yes, even a Hero is human.”

“Hmm…”

Latera turned her gaze from the window and rested her chin in her hand, pondering. She reflected on her own actions up until now, wondering if she had been too childish. She also considered whether Shiron might have felt uncomfortable being with her all the time, as Lucia suggested.

However, looking back at her past behavior, Shiron had never shown any signs of annoyance at being with Latera. As someone who could see human souls, Latera knew that Shiron didn’t mind her presence.

…Even when he was entangled with filthy and vulgar demons, Shiron didn’t mind Latera… She couldn’t agree with Lucia’s words.

Feeling more complicated rather than relieved, Latera asked Lucia again.

“What about Kyrie?”

“Shh!”

Lucia looked around, startled. Sometimes Latera would call Lucia ‘Kyrie’ when she was certain they were alone, which always made Lucia anxious about being discovered.

“Just call me Lucia! Why Kyrie?”

“Don’t worry. Seira has gone out, and the servants are downstairs, so there’s no one to hear us.”

“Really. Could you ask for permission next time?”

Lucia checked the surroundings again and sighed in relief. She didn’t scold Latera because, even though her identity had been exposed for quite a while, it seemed Shiron didn’t know about her past life. Lucia thought Latera must have been cautious too.

“Ahem. Well, I was quite a human-like person 500 years ago, nothing has changed.”

After calming her startled heart, Lucia revisited the question.

“So, did you also need alone time, Lucia?”

“…When you put it that way, it makes me feel embarrassed, but apart from when I needed to take care of business or bathe, yes, I did need some alone time.”

“…”

“I was very sensitive, and I cried a lot. Whenever something heartbreaking happened, I would cry in the tent, and my comrades pretended not to notice.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, given the situation, it was hard to have a private space, but after a good cry, I could gather myself and move on to the next destination as if nothing had happened.”

Lucia looked at Latera and remembered an event from a few years ago.

In Brahham, Lucia had seen Shiron cry for the first time. She was surprised because he always seemed carefree and playful.

Although the place was his own grave, Lucia didn’t think Shiron’s tears were because he was overwhelmed by his ancestor’s grave. The emotions on his face were more like sorrow and regret.

Lucia had wanted to ask why he cried so badly, but she didn’t pry further because, from her past experience, she believed pretending not to know was the right thing to do.

“And… you went to the mansion, didn’t you? That means Eldrina called you, probably because of Siriel.”

“Engagement?”

“…Yes, engagement.”

Lucia mumbled in a weak voice. She tried not to be conscious of it, but it was so closely tied to reality that it was thrust before her eyes, whether she wanted it or not.

Feeling suddenly suffocated, Lucia took a deep breath.

“It must have been a sensitive conversation. No matter how much your uncle adores you, Eldrina wouldn’t like having an eavesdropper when discussing marriage. Hoo…”

“…”

“Yes, this is about Shiron and Siriel. It’s not a matter for you, as his sister, or me, as his companion, to interfere with. Hoo…”

“Are you okay?”

Latera approached Lucia, who had looked unwell for a while now.

“…I’m fine. The dinner I had earlier hasn’t settled yet.”

Lucia patted her chest, which still felt stuffy.

“Having someone follow and watch you all day… Honestly, I’d feel burdened too. If they get married safely… they’ll also have to do things that married couples do.”

Gulp— Lucia downed the water on the bedside table. Her lips and throat were so dry that she finished the glass in one go.

“…You won’t be watching them do those things, will you?”

“N-no, of course not!”

Startled, Latera turned her head sharply. While sleeping with a demon was to be condemned, a married couple’s union was a blessed act of creating new life. Even if she had conflicts with Siriel, that was not something Latera would interfere with.

Rather… Latera wanted to respect Shiron as a person in those matters. Not as a Hero, but as a human.

Latera liked Shiron even without the Holy Sword… She gulped and rubbed her burning cheeks.

“So… I’ll take a walk for a bit. The smell of the oil lamps is making me dizzy.”

“Go ahead.”

Latera waved to Lucia as she left the room.

Perhaps it was indigestion, but Lucia walked down the stairs with a bent waist.

Click-clack.

Creak-creak.

The creaking sound seemed louder tonight.

The reason Lucia felt this way was… because of the embarrassing scenes that had filled her mind earlier.

Every time she thought of Shiron and Siriel’s future together, Lucia felt troubled by inappropriate thoughts filling her head. Tonight, it was so bad that it even affected her physically.

Before leaving for Brahham, Lucia had witnessed Shiron and Siriel kissing right in front of her. Since then, she had been conscious of it, but the reality of their engagement made it impossible to ignore.

Lucia knew her feelings for Shiron were complicated.

But it wasn’t that she liked Shiron.

‘This is…’

For once, Lucia couldn’t explain her own feelings.

To reiterate, realizing Shiron and Siriel’s future together made her feel stifled.

The decisive factor was the conversation with Latera.

Couple’s Affairs.

For Lucia, marriage was not a contract connecting families but a ritual performed before starting a family and reproducing. She had only recently accepted being a noble. Often, the conversations among girls her age included… adult topics.

Lucia imagined the scene of Shiron and Siriel engaging in such acts.

The sight of Shiron’s form beneath his black attire came to mind. Having often seen Siriel’s naked body, it wasn’t hard to imagine.

What about her knowledge of intimacy?

Although Lucia hadn’t had formal education on the matter, she had often seen soldiers smacking the prostitutes’ behinds at the temporary brothels set up at the warfront. She had also seen many noblemen groping the breasts of barmaids at drinking parties.

While Yura and Seira detested such places, Anjay and Vinnella, two of their comrades, were less virtuous… In other words, they were ordinary humans who fit the era, often enjoying those drinking parties with the nobles.

So, it was easy for Lucia to imagine how physical intimacy between a man and a woman occurred.

They explored each other’s bodies in their natural state. Their navels touched as they moved a few times, the woman cried out, the man and the woman both felt intense pleasure, growing more excited, shouting and moaning…

“Ah, ah, ah. Brother, harder!”

Yes, just like that.

The vulgar moans echoed.

‘I must be crazy. Hearing these hallucinations… I’m losing my mind!’

Imagining Shiron and Siriel’s passionate moments led to these unnecessary hallucinations. Lucia shook her head to dispel the thoughts.

“Ah, it feels so good, brother.”

However, no matter how much she shook her head or tapped her temples, the hallucinations wouldn’t leave her ears.

It felt so real that she mistook it for reality.

“Siriel.”

“…”

She stopped dead in her tracks.

Creak—

Her head turned like a broken clock towards the mana training room in the corner of the training ground.

Thump—

What was this vibration resonating through her whole body?

“…”

Thump—

The throbbing didn’t stop.

Gulp—

Thump— thump— thump—

Her face grew hotter with each beat. She couldn’t help but notice. She was certain that what she had imagined was happening in that building.

Lucia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to divert her thoughts from that building.

But she shouldn’t have done that.

With her vision blocked, her remaining senses became even more acute… realizing the essence of the vibrations pounding through her body.

‘…It feels like my heart is about to explode.’

To distract herself from the throbbing, she had to open her eyes again.

When she finally opened them.

Lucia couldn’t believe where she was.

“…”

“Brother!”

Reflected in her golden eyes was a scene more embarrassing and vulgar than she had imagined.

“…”

Now, not just her heart but her entire body ached. Her breath quickened, and her body heated up.

Lucia placed her hand where the pain was most intense.

Feeling like she might lose her mind from the pain, her touch was cautious and careful, like applying ointment to a wound.

The morning sunlight was strong, but the wind remained fierce. Yuma, the caretaker of Dawn Castle, lowered her gaze after looking at the rattling window.

Her gaze fell on a letter with a red seal.

[Lucia Prient]

Yuma thought of the girl who had rarely opened up to her. The letter bore the name of the girl with red hair and golden eyes who closely resembled the family head.

“From the lady?”

“Yes, she sent this letter in advance, stating she wishes to meet the family head soon.”

The one answering was Encia. The last time Yuma saw Lucia, she was so overwhelmed with worry that she seemed on the brink of death. Her demeanor was so cold that she didn’t even ask why she wanted to see Glen Prient.

“…I see.”

Yuma removed the wax seal with a grim face.