HDBMTD 58

~Chapter 58~

Lucien looked at me for a moment and muttered,

“…It’s amazing that Nocturne actually found you.”

“Hm?”

At his sudden words, I tilted my head. Lucien gave an awkward smile and explained,

“When we lost you in Ellicia and Tita came to me, the information she gave wasn’t enough to figure out where you went. But the moment Nocturne heard it, he said you must have gone to the lab.”

Lucien frowned slightly as he recalled the memory.

“I couldn’t believe it. In a kidnapping situation, why and how would you go there? So while Nocturne went to the lab, I searched places like Willow’s hideouts instead. But you really had gone to the lab. I don’t know how he read your actions so perfectly…”

Hearing his words, I immediately remembered what Nocturne said yesterday:

‘Your play style is the same as Aria’s.’

“Haa…”

I sighed without thinking.

Like I’d told Nocturne yesterday, he knew nothing about me — only about Aria.

And yet, the fact that he saw through me meant I was acting just like Aria…

The idea that even my choices were being predicted touched a nerve.

“…Vis?”

“Oh, sorry. I just got lost in thought for a second.”

When I smiled, Lucien looked at me and spoke.

“I call you Vis, but honestly, I still can’t believe it.”

I blinked. Lucien was really straightforward.

I liked how he faced his emotions head-on. But the next thing he said was unexpected.

“To truly believe you’re Cambiata and not Aria, would you let me look into your mind?”

I asked cautiously,

“You know it could be dangerous to read a Cambiata’s mind, right?”

“I’m an A-rank Eshape. During the war, I read Cambiatas’ minds countless times.”

“You’ve forgotten it all by now, though.”

By the end of the war, the mental-types who read Cambiatas’ minds had reached their mental limits. In the end, they had to erase all memories that could cause trauma.

That’s why, until the end of the war, the only mental-type who kept all her memories intact was Aria.

Lucien hesitated.

“…Anyway, it’s fine.”

“Alright, in that case.”

Though I’d tried to warn him, I actually welcomed the idea.

“Then I have a request. If you look into my mind and confirm I’m Cambiata, can you tell the Duke?”

“The Duke?”

“Yes. He’s as confused as you are.”

Lucien thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

“And one more thing. For safety, could you write a contract?”

“What kind of contract?”

“A preventive influence contract — a safeguard so that even if I become mentally unstable, I can’t harm anyone.”

Lucien looked hesitant at that.

“But I’m only going to check surface memories. Do we really need that?”

“Well, it’s my first time doing this, so I don’t know what could happen. Better to be safe. And there’s another reason… Nocturne made me an offer.”

“What kind of offer?”

“He asked me to be his pair for a mission to wipe out the remaining Cambiata members.”

“The Duke proposed pairing with you?”

There was a strange tension in Lucien’s voice.

“Yes, but I’m not sure I can do it without causing trouble… so I want to have the contract in place.”

If I was going to work as Nocturne’s pair, even temporarily, such a safeguard was essential.

Lucien seemed to understand and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll write it up.”

Lucien skillfully drafted the contract.

The main clause was a ban on abusing mental influence, along with safety conditions like not harming innocent civilians and not leaking information harmful to the Empire.

After I signed it, Lucien asked,

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

He placed his hand gently on my forehead and activated his ability.

The unfamiliar sensation made me shrink back a little, but Lucien’s touch was gentle. Like carefully turning pages in a book, he lightly skimmed only the surface of my memories.

After some time, Lucien slowly withdrew his hand and murmured,

“…You really are Cambiata.”

I saw a flicker of agitation in his golden eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

“I’ll tell Nocturne too.”

“Thanks.”

Lucien looked at me for a moment, then gave a bittersweet smile.

It was a smile mixed with relief, regret, and the will to let something go.

“Then I’ll go now. When we meet outside… I guess I’ll have to call you Ari.”

“Alright.”

I gave a small smile.

“You can call me whatever’s comfortable for you.”

We had talked about many things, but neither of us mentioned his proposal. It was an unspoken agreement to treat what happened because of mistaking me for Aria as something that never happened.

Lucien’s way of drawing a clean line without losing warmth was more comforting than any words.

After Lucien left, I sat thinking for a moment.

Then I noticed something on the chair — his scarf.

“Lucien!”

I stepped into the hallway and called him. Lucien turned back with a questioning look.

“You left your scarf.”

“Oh, I did.”

I walked over and picked it up. When he bent his head, I naturally wrapped it around his neck. Lucien gave a small smile and said,

“Thanks, Ari.”

Just then, I sensed a familiar presence from the opposite end of the hall. Turning my head, I saw Nocturne walking toward us.

I could feel his gaze settle on my hand as I wrapped Lucien’s scarf around him.

For some reason, it felt like I’d been caught doing something wrong, and I quickly pulled my hand away like I’d touched something hot.

As Nocturne came closer, Lucien said to him,

“Bendrix, I was just about to come see you.”

“Me?”

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

It seemed he wanted to tell him what I’d asked.

Lucien led Nocturne away, waving to me.

“Go rest. Be healthier the next time I see you.”

“Thanks, Lucien.”

I thanked him again and went back into my room.

Lucien and Nocturne entered an office the hospital had given Nocturne.

After the secretary served tea and left, Lucien’s voice came as Nocturne was taking off his coat.

“You proposed pairing with Vis. Cancel it.”

At the word “Vis,” Nocturne’s hand paused mid-motion. He looked back at Lucien sitting on the sofa with a hardened gaze.

But Lucien’s face was pale, and the hand holding his teacup was trembling slightly.

“I didn’t think it would be this bad…”

Nocturne frowned at the muttered words.

“What’s wrong?”

“I looked at her memories.”

Lucien rubbed his face with one hand.

“I couldn’t tell her apart from Aria, so I wanted to be sure… and it was a shock.”

“….”

“She’s not just any Cambiata. At the very least, she was a high-ranking executive. That means she personally planned and carried out human experiments. She did terrible things under the name of research. Now her memories are fragmented, so she’s suffering…”

He looked straight at Nocturne and spoke firmly.

“She still has her Cambiata identity. If all her memories come back, she could regain enough knowledge to rebuild the organization.”

“…Is that so?”

At Nocturne’s calm reaction, Lucien’s gaze sharpened.

“Don’t you get it? It’s like a Cambiata killed Aria and took her body! If you pair with someone like that and she regains her memories, who knows what she’ll do!”

Lucien raised his voice, but Nocturne, watching him, spoke quietly—