I am once again consuming the soup that the house owner has offered.

It tastes the same, although right now there are some additional ingredients mixed in. Meat.

I ignored the scene that replayed in my head after seeing the red meat and glanced at the person beside me.

Kunti.

She looks drastically different than yest- no two days ago. She no longer has bandages covering her body. The short-sleeved green dress she is currently wearing reveals her skin.

It is pale. Some dull red patches can be spotted here and there, I always see them on normal corpses that I come across whenever I am working on a task. Most of them have purplish blue discoloration, though.

Was it called Vigour Moris? Or something like that. It's rare to come across a normal corpse, courtesy of the Irregulars.

Irregulars tend to love devouring corpses, whether in parts or a whole corpse. Some have a preference for consuming human emotions, or even their souls. The majority of Irregulars only need material possessions.

Glancing at my bag, I found the Grimoire of Desire and Panacea nestled snugly inside. They required constant corpses for regular uses.

My eyes went back to Kunti, I quietly concluded.

She is a corpse. To be more exact, she is controlling her own corpse.

The half-transparent being I saw that night should represent her true appearance.

Was she called the Ghost? A ghost is a type of spirit demon. Different from here, it is called Type-S Irregulars, the Spiritual in my original world.

Type-S Irregulars are rare to encounter, and even if someone meets one, that Irregulars will eventually be claimed by the Major Faction which has the right to all Type-S Irregulars. Then those Irregular would be…

Both of us are calmly eating our soup, the previously delicious soup is now bitter in my mouth.

Kunti should never, ever meet those Monks. She must leave this kingdom before the Harmony faction lays eyes on the abundant Type-S Irregulars that allegedly reside in this Kingdom of Heart.

Or maybe she could try to join the Library for protection, but that in itself isn’t that different from being used by Harmony.

It's truly a huge problem, the fact that this world will eventually be known by those Major Factions, and it’s impossible to hide for long.

The plan for…

“Why do you keep staring at me? Is my mask that weird to you?”

Kunti's red eyes seem to shine from how long I have been staring at her body.

“I am sorry, I am thinking about something. Your mask, you sure people won’t find you suspicious? You don’t need to hold up our agreement about hiding your face from me.”

Her mask prevented me from seeing her face above the mouth, the lower part of the mask is detachable and currently placed on the table. Kunti removed it so she could eat her meal.

I am unaware of the type of mask she is wearing. However, it is undeniably unsettling to observe when it is fully realised. People might mistake her for hostile just because its intricate threatening aura.

“So it's really weird. You must be unfamiliar with the tradition in this Kingdom, honestly, I am surprised when I notice the sign you don’t know about it.”

Tradition?

“It's a long story, a legend that floats around on this island. The end of that legendary story caused us, the Kingdom of Heart people to believe that wearing a mask is a symbol that you are a new self that is separate from your old life.”

A legend of this island? I should investigate this legend later when I have some free time at the city library. A new life from the old life just by wearing a mask, that sounds so easy to do that I can feel my disgust towards such people.

"It's a very famous legend that I am pretty sure most people in this world would have known about in the first place."

The dark wooden Kunti mask comes to my vision again, although it seems I can’t hate Kunti for wearing a mask that symbolises her new life. To be more precise, I feel like I can’t hate Kunti no matter what she does.

I admit that I deliberately chose a creepy mask. I don’t wear a mask just to follow our agreement, I also need to hide my identity from people who are familiar with me. It’s a temporary measure, though.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Many believed that my injuries would never heal. If I did get healed, it was either because of Demon power or because the Church higher up personally healed me."

"In any case, the rumor of me being healed would lead to an investigation on me later."

She only mentioned two possible sources of healing from her injuries. That's quite concerning, it means the common folk don’t have variety in access to medical services.

If someone is rejected by the church, their only way left will be the Demon. Perhaps there is another potential source, but Kunti chose not to mention it because of its unconventionality, and the common folk don't think it would be possible.

“I see.”

I didn’t continue our conversation, but both of us gleaned information hidden beneath our own words.

Two days ago, while we were also eating at this same table, I had carelessly claimed I was not from this world. Why I did that is hard to explain, but it seems Kunti genuinely believed it to the point of checking my knowledge of this world.

At the same time, she is giving me information that she will be leaving this city, possibly this kingdom soon. Temporary measures, and people in this world know about the mask thing.

Both of us finished our soup, and I prepared myself to go out.

I pick up my red cloak and bag.

It’s truly a strange matter, for my clothes didn’t melt during that night. The slime that devoured all matters didn’t devour the user's clothes, that’s Irregular weirdness.

When the bag was in my hand, I spotted something in it. The white uniform was originally what I was going to wear to the banquet I should be attending today.

I had planned to come back to my own world after I visited the Wild Boys base and released my pent-up emotions, but I went unconscious for two days, making me late for the banquet.

I hope sister Yuri won’t be disappointed that I can’t fulfil my promise to help her.

Touching the soft cloth of the white suit, I think for a moment. From the corner of my eye, I could observe Kunti folding her clothes. She is preparing for her departure from her house.

I come closer to her and hand her the white uniform.

“For you.”

“Hm? A suit?”

“It's my uniform for the library I work for, more specifically for a formal event. Please take it.”

She took it, our hands briefly touched, and hers was cold.

“Why are you giving me this? Is it for the cloak? The cloak is a gi-”

“I will immediately go back after bailing out Jacob.”

My sentence shocked Kunti. I could spot her quivering eyes as it was the only place her mask didn’t cover her face.

“We will meet again, it's just that we won’t be seeing each other for awhile. I don’t know when.”

“The reason I am giving you the uniform isn’t as pure as you think of ‘just a gift’. I am going to use that to track your location when I am back.”

I give her an indirect confirmation that I am indeed not from this world, and I have the ability to track people just by their clothes. She must be thinking of a Demon item.

She isn’t wrong, though. The Missing Person, Irregular I-455 that the Government owned, could indeed track people just by the item they once used or wore.

“Must you go immediately?”

“Yes, I am late for a mission.”

“Then bailing Jacob…”

Ah, that's the favor she requested when I just woke up.

“It’s fine, I just had to fill out the paperwork, right? It won’t take much time, and I told you they wouldn’t know I am a Demon because my class is just a simple Librarian.”

It’s a lie, to be more exact, I don’t have a System, not to mention Class.

“I am already late, so coming back a bit more late isn’t that big of a deal. I have to go back soon though, to report.”

“And please take this too.”

I also give her the money I earn from selling the candy and perfume I sold a few days ago.

“I no longer need it.”

“…Thank you.”

I move to the front door, and Kunti gets up to follow me. The sunlight hit my body as Kunti halted a few centimeters away within the sun's shadow.

Looking up, I don’t find the Stars in the sky. It's a pity, yet understandable as it's the day, not the night.

As I shifted my position to face Kunti, I observed her fully enveloped in the darkness. Somehow, her house is getting much darker than when I was there.

It appears as though the light disappears.

This finally made me comfortable enough to stare at Kunti's hair.

Its Pitch Black.

We had a tacit understanding to not ask each other a secret this whole time, a silent agreement we made when I woke up and stared into her red eyes.

This is why we choose to disclose our secrets in an indirect manner. As long as one of us gives the signal, it's acceptable for us to discuss the secret. The same goes for the mask or white uniform topic.

But now, I can’t resist it.

“Consider it as the price for the favour about Jacob, was your hair originally that colour?”

My question clearly startles her, and her eyes show that she is thinking for a moment.

“I don’t think I would just need to answer your question about repaying this favour, you should ask one more.”

“As for my hair…”

Kunti raised her hand to her hairs, caressing them.

“What do you think?”

It's neither confirmation nor refutation.

Yet it's enough for me.

More than enough.

Her offer to ask one more question strengthens my desire to learn more. I wanted to stop, but I can’t. My entire being refuses to shut up.

“What would happen if you believed Stars existed but they didn’t appear in the sky and people kept telling you there were no Stars?

Kunti titled her head and stared at the sky.

“Stars? No Stars? I don’t get it. I would say they can deny all they want.”

I want to sigh in relief, but Kunti hasn’t finished her answer yet.

“Unfortuantely, they won’t be able to change my belief. Proof of Existence is Easy, but Proof of Absence is Impossible.”~~~~~Theresa is watching a man from a distance, far enough for her to go unnoticed.

She has been standing on the same roof for two days now, ignoring the inquiries from Anna and her knights.

She mumbles to herself.

“His mental state seems to be worse than I thought…”

Fixing her glasses position, she sighed.

“In the past five to six years, what has happened to you?”

“I need to change my plan a little, maybe it's time to meet him in person.”

Theresa originally intended not to show herself on his first visit to this world. She thought leaving traces of her existence here should be more than enough.

A few hints should be plenty to shake up his belief.

The belief that someone has instilled hard in his way of life will take effect, making him visit this world again, and it will be a perfect time to meet him.

“Proof of Existence is Easy, but Proof of Absence is Impossible.”

But it seems someone had piqued that belief first, way faster than me, and then included his apparent unhealthy mental state…

“I should meet him soon before that ghost disturbs the flow.”

After all, she is much better than that little Ghost at this.