"Well now? Bronya-oneechan~ Is it really just because I 'accidentally' killed a bad guy that you can't accept me anymore?"
After casually dealing with the so-called First Herrscher, she withdrew the bloody scythe temporarily formed from her authority.
Turning her gaze toward Bronya, who lay collapsed on the ground, "Seele" revealed a bewitching yet dangerous smile, slowly advancing toward where Bronya had fallen.
When she finally finished off Welt Joyce, Dark Seele had been utterly brutal—slicing him cleanly in half straight down the middle.
Worried he might not be completely dead, she had even added a few extra slashes for good measure.
Because of this, Lunelle's originally pristine white dress was now unavoidably stained with heavy splatters of blood.
Dark Seele deliberately showed this cruel side to Bronya, naturally with her own calculations in mind.
Although Bronya's emotional modules were damaged, making it impossible for Dark Seele to immediately detect fear or terror on her face, the slight yet unnatural trembling of Bronya's hands told Dark Seele that her initial objective had been successfully achieved.
"No! You're not Seele! The real Seele would never smile like she's enjoying the kill like you do! You... just what are you?!"
Sensing that this dangerous, unfamiliar "Seele" had suddenly focused a clearly malicious gaze on her, the quick-witted Bronya instantly realized that the "Seele" before her was nothing like the gentle, adorable Seele she knew!
"Oh? Has Sister already forgotten me so soon? Didn't you once swear you'd drive this monster out of Seele's body for good?"
With a mocking laugh, Dark Seele seemed to have guessed exactly what Bronya least wanted to happen.
Now standing right before Bronya, she deliberately shed the disguise of pretending to be "Seele."
Those originally clear, sea-blue eyes of "Seele" instantly shifted into a terrifying, sinister crimson!
After all, now that Bronya had likely realized her presence, and with time running short, Dark Seele had to hurry and finish playing out the scene she truly wanted to perform.
And this horrifying sight instantly awakened a deeply buried, deliberately forgotten memory in Bronya's mind—one she never wanted to recall.
"Could it be... you're that 'demon' that once controlled Seele's body?!"
Remembering the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of that demon, if Bronya weren't limited to her signature flat expression, her face would undoubtedly be twisted in extreme fury right now.
After all, this wretched demon had once taken control of Seele's body and committed acts that...
"Oh? Even 'Seele' herself admits that I am also Seele. Yet Sister still calls me a demon the moment we meet. How truly heartbreaking!"
"But who would have thought? In just over two years, Sister has already found a new favorite in the real world!"
"If the 'Seele' still in the Sea of Quanta found out, even a sweetheart like her would probably get angry, don't you think?"
Hearing the clear edge of anger in Bronya's tone, Dark Seele's smile grew even brighter.
"What?! You... you demon! What are you trying to say?"
Hearing Dark Seele's clearly insinuating words, Bronya widened her eyes just a tiny bit, looking utterly disbelieving.
"Oh? What do I mean?"
"Oh no, no, no... Could it be Sister still hasn't realized that the 'Seele' you think you found... isn't actually the Seele you believe she is?"
"So the Sister who once swore she'd bring Seele back no matter the cost... now has a new favorite and has decided to abandon dear little Seele in the Sea of Quanta forever?"
"No... that's not true! Lunelle clearly carries traces of 'Seele'! She is unmistakably..."
Faced with this shocking revelation from Dark Seele, Bronya desperately wanted to refute it righteously.
But the rational little ducky, even as she insisted it was impossible, couldn't help but start recalling everything from her first meeting with Lunelle to now, as well as the so-called "ironclad evidence" she had confirmed from Lunelle.
Yet the more she scrutinized, the more despairingly Bronya realized that what this demon, who had once controlled Seele's body, said actually carried a frightening degree of credibility!
Apart from the sweet, almost identical scent that reminded her so much of Seele, Lunelle's body, memories, and personality all seemed to have subtle differences from the Seele she remembered!
Even Bronya herself couldn't fully convince herself now.
The more she thought, the more questionable points piled up about Lunelle being "Seele," and her refutations grew weaker and weaker.
Seeing Bronya so clearly shaken just from her tone, Dark Seele felt immensely satisfied inside.
"Wait! If Lunelle really isn't Seele, then how did you, this demon, manage to slip into Lunelle's body just like you once controlled Seele's? Bronya suspects you're deliberately deceiving me!"
But Bronya suddenly realized: the demon that once controlled Seele's body now appearing so "coincidentally" inside "Lunelle"... wasn't that also solid evidence that Lunelle was her Seele?
Clutching at this last shred of hope, Bronya spoke up again, trying to expose what she believed must be Dark Seele's attempt to trick her.
'Tsk, this persistent Bronya. When it comes to anything about Seele, she really isn't easy to fool!'
Seeing that this kid wasn't as easily deceived as she'd hoped, Dark Seele—who usually preferred solving problems with her fists or scythe—cursed inwardly.
But considering Bronya was only temporarily stunned by the shock, Dark Seele knew that to completely overturn the perceptions of such a high-threat individual required one more truly explosive revelation!
However, young Bronya didn't know that Dark Seele had anticipated this situation and had come fully prepared this time!
But to use this trump card that could decisively defeat Bronya, she had to bring up something Dark Seele absolutely dreaded remembering.
Still, when she thought about the current restriction—having to get her dear Seele's permission every day just to appear for a measly five minutes—compared to that, enduring a little discomfort herself was clearly the lesser evil.
"Why am I here? What an interesting question!"
"I'm here because my dear Seele wanted to see her most cherished Bronya-oneechan again with her own eyes."
"So she paid a huge price, begging me to help, and I reluctantly brought her here to ask you for an explanation!"
"But since Bronya-oneechan insists so stubbornly that Lunelle is Seele, well then—I might as well let the real Seele come out and have a chat with you herself!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Dark Seele's bewitching, blood-gem eyes instantly shifted into that pure, clear sea-blue hue unique to "Seele."
Bronya: "!!!!!"
Even the intense, wild aura that surrounded Dark Seele—that mix of madness and seduction—vanished the moment her eyes returned to sea-blue, instantly transforming into the very posture and bearing of the real "Seele" from Bronya's memories!
And the moment the "Real Seele" appeared, "Seele" first shrank back timidly, instinctively frightened by the heavy stains of blood covering her.
But when her gentle, timid gaze fell upon Bronya—who lay incapacitated on the ground before her—the look of fear mixed with a touch of grievance visibly clouded over, a hazy mist rising in her eyes almost at once.
This... this gentle demeanor, this familiar feeling...
No... it can't be!
How could this be happening!
Bronya, who had been so stubbornly convinced that Lunelle was Seele, now felt truly and utterly broken by the scene unfolding before her.
Because even Bronya herself, the moment she clearly saw the "Real Seele" who matched her memories perfectly standing before her, suddenly realized how utterly laughable all those excuses she'd repeated to herself—that Lunelle was her "Seele"—had been.
After all, her own Seele sister—that gaze which held no one but Bronya-oneechan from start to finish—could never be faked!
And before Bronya could even say anything upon seeing the "Real Seele," the main event that would nearly shatter her completely had only just begun.
"Bronya-oneechan?... Even though... even though Seele paid so much to finally see you again…"
"Why? Why would you treat Seele like this?"
The "Seele" from Bronya's memories now spoke up, her voice trembling with a despairing sorrow as she questioned Bronya before her.
"Seele! Wh-what do you mean? Bronya... doesn't understand!"
Seeing the "real Seele"—tears brimming in her eyes—showing such despair, seemingly because of her, a thoroughly broken Bronya was utterly bewildered.
She wanted to understand what she could possibly have done to make her always gentle and sweet Seele sister look so terribly wounded.
"Bronya-oneechan, do you know... for Seele to be able to see you, the other me has bullied me for so, so long…"
"But because Seele has always... always remembered the promise with you!"
"Bronya-oneechan promised Seele you'd save her from the Sea of Quanta."
"So why?"
"This girl who looks like Seele doesn't remember anything, right?"
"How could you forget the promise we made just because of someone who looks 'just a tiny bit' like Seele?"
"Even though Seele has been holding on all this time... relying on it…"
"Then when Seele turns eighteen... you probably won't keep that promise either, will you?"
As the "real Seele" spoke, the light in her pupils visibly dimmed, fading away.
Even though she still wore a polite smile, tears she couldn't control streamed down her unbearably cute, delicate face like they cost nothing.
It felt like someone drowning, suddenly realizing the very reasons they'd struggled to survive had vanished—and in despair, they simply gave up, letting themselves sink.
"No! It's not like that!!! Seele, listen to me! I..."
Hearing the despairing accusation from the "real Seele," even Bronya—who had lost the ability to express emotions—now clearly showed a flicker of fear and panic on her face.
After all, how could Bronya ever forget the promise she made with Seele!
But if what that demon Dark Seele said was really true...
Then all those inappropriate, excessive things Bronya had done for Lunelle—who wasn't even Seele—wouldn't that mean, in a way, she had betrayed Seele?
And this situation Bronya was in... was a classic case of accidentally and unconsciously straying, only to get caught in the act by the person next door who'd been eyeing her wife—dragging said wife right to the scene!
As bizarre as that analogy sounded, it perfectly captured the strange, guilty turmoil churning in Bronya's heart.
But Dark Seele, whose time was already running short, had no intention of giving Bronya a chance to explain herself to the "Real Seele."
After dropping words that would haunt Bronya with guilt for a lifetime, she instantly switched back to her own crimson-eyed, wild form.
"Demon! Where have you hidden Bronya's Seele! Give Seele back to me!"
"Give her back to you~? Don't joke, Sister dearest. Just to catch a glimpse of her dearest Bronya-oneechan, 'Seele' has already handed over almost everything she has to me!"
"So Seele now completely belongs to me—and me alone!"
"Especially that adorable face she made, holding back her shyness, forced to yield herself to me just to see you—Bronya-oneechan must be curious about just how cute that looked, right?"
"And now that she's completely disappointed in you, Seele really will become my little darling forever!"
Watching the real Seele she'd just managed to meet be snatched away again, stripped of any chance to speak by this demon who had repeatedly blocked her reunion with Seele, even the stoic Bronya now showed a faint trace of unwillingness in her expression, fueled by extreme anger.
Seeing Bronya so thoroughly broken, Dark Seele—though fully aware the "Real Seele" was just her own performance—took advantage of the last minute to leap forward, landing right in front of the unwilling little duck to continue her relentless taunting.
"My, my, what an interesting expression~ I've always wanted to see this look on you—this jealous expression, Sister dearest! Ahahahaha!!!!!!"
This scene was all too reminiscent of that famous beach moment: the unwilling woman, the glasses-wearing blond leaping in to mock her face-to-face—a perfect reenactment.
And amid Dark Seele's wild laughter and taunts, the brief five-minute takeover came to an end.
Unable to remain any longer in Seele's consciousness, Dark Seele was forcibly sent back to the special world bubble in the Sea of Quanta where she'd sealed herself away.
Leaving only a remorseful duck behind, utterly unsure what expression she should even wear now.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.