My mind suddenly plunged into chaos.

  It felt as though a neatly wound spool of thread, unraveled into a mess by a curious pet cat, had filled my mind, deepening the confusion.

  ‘Gulp’

  The scene before me was utterly unbelievable, no matter how much I tried to accept it.

  I moved both arms to touch my face with my hands.

  Then, the unfamiliar young man in the mirror mimicked my actions too.

  ‘Is that person really me!?’

  Unable to believe it, I kept running my hands over my face again and again.

  Yet, despite my hope that this was all a lie, nothing changed.

  “T-this is absurd…”

  ‘What on earth have I gotten myself into!?’

  My body, which had sustained my sense of self until now, had vanished as if it were an illusion.

  I couldn’t bring myself to believe in the reality of everything before me.

  “Sigh…”

  It was then, as I sat dazed after a sigh, struggling to accept my situation.

  Click-clack

  Suddenly, the sharp sound of high heels pierced the silence.

  The sound gradually drew nearer, approaching the old door from afar.

  ‘W-what should I say!?’

  I wondered if I should honestly confess that I was in this room without permission.

  “Ugh!”

  That’s when it hit—memories surged up out of nowhere.

  Memories that weren’t mine.

  Clearly someone else’s memories, they popped up like water droplets skipping across a pond.

  Like a lucid dream, they took over my vision and started playing with a sense of reality.

  “Gasp!”

  A flood of unease and discomfort rushed over me.

  After a fleeting moment, the tormenting sensations vanished like a lie.

  Or, to be precise, they blended into my original memories as if they’d always been one, effortlessly becoming part of me.

  ‘I am…’

  I spread my hands wide and clenched them a few times.

  The body, which had felt detached just moments ago, now felt perfectly aligned with my mind—an overwhelming sensation.

  And it was clearer than anything I’d ever experienced before.

  ‘This is…’

  Memories of the original owner’s life, along with those of people too precious to trade for money, rose effortlessly, convincing me they were now fully mine.

  Up until now, they belonged to Damian. But from this moment on, they’re no one else’s.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  They became entirely mine.

  A young man who’d endured harsher conditions than I had.

  He’d been not only diligent but also kind-hearted.

  ‘Does this mean I’m Damian now…?’

  Though rattled by memories that weren’t mine, I quickly and smoothly adjusted.

  Creak

  As my awareness shifted from my inner thoughts to the reality before me, the old door creaked open perfectly timed.

  Unlike when they approached, someone stepped into the room carefully, muffling their footsteps.

  “Ah!”

  I turned my still-sluggish eyes toward the source of the faintly startled voice.

  And locking eyes with the person who entered, I was taken aback.

  ‘Ah…’

  As I caught sight of her, related memories surfaced as smoothly as a video playing, rising like a submarine breaking the water.

  Beyond that, emotions churned within me, crashing in like towering waves.

  ‘Open your eyes! Please, snap out of it, young master!’

  I’d believed that the memories of a young man named Damian had fully merged into me.

  But as if to prove my belief wrong, I couldn’t fathom why she’d cried out in such a frantic voice back then—what had happened?

  ‘She’s stunning!’

  At a glance, she might seem unremarkable.

  But a closer look revealed her breathtaking beauty—so striking that no one could underestimate her.

  Her long hair, cascading down to her waist, was neatly tied up since she was working.

  And blue eyes that stood out against her chestnut hair.

  And a figure brimming with femininity—almost bursting—paired with healthy, slightly tanned skin.

  She approached me cautiously and stopped.

  “…”

  She opened her lips as if to speak, drew a breath, then closed them again.

  Her vivid blue eyes, like pure sapphires, shimmered with a blend of emotions.

  “Thank goodness. I thought you’d never open your eyes again.”

  A silence that stretched like eternity.

  She barely managed to speak.

  And, unable to hold back her swelling emotions, she moved abruptly.

  Hug

  Her always-impeccable scent hit me strongly, and then Claudia wrapped me in a tight embrace.

  She trembled silently, sobbing without a sound.

  I carefully embraced her trembling frame as she wept with anguish.

  “Sigh…”

  As time passed and her emotions faded, she let out a soft sigh and slowly pulled away, perhaps embarrassed.

  Claudia, unable to mask her embarrassment, wore an awkward expression, hesitated a few times, then spoke again.

  “Are you still planning to stick with the plan you mentioned before?”

  “Well…”

  When Claudia abruptly asked about something I didn’t know, my words caught in my throat.

  Perhaps not noticing my fluster, Claudia kept going with her words.

  “Things are already chaotic, so wouldn’t calling him make it a little easier to proceed?”

  “That guy…”

  As I fumbled over my words, Claudia finally seemed to pick up on something odd.

  “Who exactly are you referring to?”

  “Ah…”

  Claudia’s face looked like that of someone who’d lost everything she held dear.

  Stagger

  I just managed to steady her as she nearly crumpled to the floor, losing her balance.

  Negative emotions abruptly surged across her beautiful face, which had been glowing with relief and joy moments before.

  Thud

  She stumbled toward me with shaky steps and pressed her left hand to my forehead.

  She placed her right hand on her own forehead to check our temperatures.

  Her seemingly calm eyes quivered, betraying her hidden anxiety.

  “Mmph…”

  Her red lips, parted to speak, snapped shut, radiating the realization that her worst fear had come true.

  “…”

  And so, I—

  No, rather, Claudia fulfilled her goal of checking the state of a body that once belonged to Damian.

  Then she swiftly tidied the room and left.

  “Rest easy, young master.”

  With that, she said she’d return at dinner time.

  Her figure, steeped in despair, regret, and sorrow, slowly vanished from my sight.

  “Flawless, wasn’t it…”

  To an onlooker, her movements might have seemed frantic as she tidied up, but not a single corner was left carelessly done or disordered.

  “No time for this—I need to check it now.”

  Because of Claudia’s sudden appearance, I reached for the enigmatic device, still clueless about its contents.

  Or rather, I’d intended to reach for it.

  Tap

  My hand brushed against a memo lying in its path without meaning to.

  Unintentionally, my eyes landed on a few hastily scribbled memos.

  They drifted toward newspaper clippings detailing that day’s events.

  ‘Near Belgarth, merchants were ambushed by a bizarre group, surviving by the skin of their teeth!’

  Next to the article was a memo that read, ‘Ominous movements spotted beyond the city.’

  It was noted there.

  “Hmm…”

  I couldn’t help but react that way, dismissing it as an incident from a far-off place with no connection to me.

  With a lukewarm tone, I turned my attention to the next clipping.

  ‘Mana crystal prices have skyrocketed! Coincidence? Or is someone meddling?’

  ‘Smuggling’s on the rise.’

  “Huh?”

  Seeing a familiar word, I felt baffled and, at the same time, snapped awake as if splashed with cold water.

  Intrigued by what came next, I moved my hand quickly.

  ‘People are disappearing from the frontier villages.’

  And beside it, bold red ink was scratched repeatedly onto the page.

  ‘The Order is stirring. No time to hesitate! We need to decide!’

  And I could easily deduce that this led us to where we are now.

  ‘What’s going on here?’

  I grumbled a bit, wishing it’d be easier if my memories had fused like before.

  Crash

  A faint murmur of voices carried through alongside some noisy clamor.