Chapter 113
Before entering Oscar’s mind, I practiced three times.
At first, I only planned to enter Rena’s mind. But since I wasn’t experienced enough, I also practiced by entering Loti’s mind next.
I didn’t expect anything special from Loti’s mind. I thought of her as just a normal person—not as something sacred or different. But once I entered her mental space, I realized something was different.
***
When I opened my eyes inside her mind, I found myself surrounded by water, like being inside an aquarium.
I started panicking.
“Mmph! Mmmph!” I struggled and kicked, thinking I was drowning. I swam upward, hoping to find air. But when I reached the ceiling, there was no air—just more water.
I felt dizzy. I needed to escape.
Then, my talking bracelet, Raglia, spoke up:
“Master! You don’t need to breathe here! This is all in your head! You can hear me clearly underwater, right? That proves it’s not real!”
I didn’t believe it. I thought I was actually drowning.
But eventually, I couldn’t hold my breath and accidentally breathed in water. I thought I would die…
“This is ridiculous!” I shouted—and realized I could speak clearly.
Surprised, I stopped struggling and calmly lowered myself to the floor.
“This is a dream world… It’s not real.”
Raglia was right.
***
Even though I now understood it was all mental, I still wondered:
“Why is Loti’s mind like this? Is everyone’s mind different?”
“No! This is not normal!” Raglia replied.
I walked through the water and found a long hallway filled with doors—just like I had seen in Rena’s mind. But something was wrong.
The doors had no nameplates, no doorknobs, no locks.
I tried pushing and hitting them—but nothing worked.
Raglia muttered something strange:
“Is this girl even human…?”
That scared me.
“If she’s not human, what is she?”
“Don’t ask me!” Raglia snapped.
I joked:
“Oh? So even the great Raglia doesn’t know everything?”
I had a thought:
“What if I imagine I can pass through the door like a ghost? Will that work?”
I tried—but still couldn’t open or walk through any door.
Raglia then said something important:
“These memories are locked away because they don’t belong to this timeline!”
“Wait… Do you mean they’re from a past life?” I asked.
I stared at the hallway.
Loti is my sacred relic, and the memories behind these doors… aren’t from her current life.
Then I had a scary idea:
“What if these are all the lives she lived in different timelines that disappeared because of the Duke’s death?”
That would mean behind each door… is a past life.
Still, a question remained:
“Why are only her past memories here? Where are the memories from her current life?”
***
Raglia said cheerfully:
“Whatever! Locked doors are meant to be opened!”
But no matter how hard I tried, none of the doors opened.
When I returned to the real world, I asked Loti:
“Do you remember where and when you were born?”
Loti replied:
“Hmm… I’m an orphan. In all my earliest memories, I’ve always been alone.”
Rena asked carefully:
“But I thought you said your parents died?”
Loti just smiled and said:
“Same thing, right?”
***
Later, I told Winter everything I had seen.
He thought for a moment and said:
“Sacred relics are chosen by Huérion, the god born from water. That water in Loti’s mind… might be his influence.”
“But all humans are created by Huérion, right? Why don’t others have water in their minds?”
Winter looked serious and whispered:
“Because Loti may become the one closest to a god.”
He warned me:
“If both you and Huérion give Loti an order… she’ll obey Huérion. He created her, after all.”
So if I want to protect her, I need to become more important to her than even a god.
“But… how?” I asked.
Winter grinned and said:
“Why not give her a baptism in your name?”
In this world, the Northern Empire is very religious—kind of like a fantasy version of the Vatican.
Winter suggested something wild:
“Take over Huérion’s temple. Start your own religion—make a church of Izana.”
He looked like a mischievous kid who had just found a fun game.
At the time, I thought he was just joking.
I didn’t realize then that he really hated Huérion… and had been desperate to commit heresy.
Back with Loti, I explained everything.
She held her face with both hands and trembled:
“Who… who am I really? What kind of being am I?”
I replied confidently:
“You’re Loti Hesward. The beautiful, legendary flirt who almost became my stepmother.”
Loti clasped her hands and said emotionally:
“That makes sense! I am unusually pretty! Of course! A god must’ve made me that way—perfect hair to perfect toes!”
“…”
And just then, cold air drifted in from the open balcony.
When I turned, I saw Winter standing there in a black cloak, taking off his hat.
