46 — Cordelia And Hina

Perhaps pleased by Cordelia’s reaction, Hina answered with a composed face.

“I couldn’t accept being told I’d suddenly reincarnated, so I interrogated that person. Then she told me a lot.”

“In that situation!? Your mental strength is incredible… I didn’t have that kind of composure…”

“Don’t you think it’s awful? I was living happily, and suddenly I’m told I died and have to redo life — of course I couldn’t accept it.”

“That’s true… Did you say that to her too?”

“I did. Then she said, ‘I could revive you now, but…’”

“She can revive you!?”

Cordelia’s eyes widened.

“But she asked, ‘Even if you revive now, in a year you’ll be chased by the police as a murder suspect, and the boss sheltering you will stab you to death after his feelings spiral out of control — is that okay?’”

“That’s way too much information! And the ending is horrifying!”

Unable to hold back, Cordelia clenched her fist in protest.

“You wouldn’t want to die like that, right? So I accepted it. At first I thought being born as the heroine wasn’t bad… but everyone’s cold, Isaac won’t look at me, Holy Magic hurts and exhausts me, and that noble old man is ridiculously strict. It’s not fun at all.”

“That old man… you mean Count Lavori?”

“He has no idea how hard Holy Magic is. Yet since you do it, he tries to make me do it too…”

Hina muttered resentfully. Cordelia agreed.

“Holy Magic is amazing, but the burden is extraordinary. Difficult treatments are painful as well.”

Even Cordelia, who had trained diligently at the Royal Magic Academy to increase her mana, found the healing gathering exhausting. For severe injuries, the patient’s suffering flowed into the caster, making the work harsher than it appeared. She understood why Hina wanted to run away.

“Then all the more reason to tell Count Lavori properly instead of hiding in your room. I don’t think people understand how taxing Holy Magic is.”

Hina’s face immediately darkened.

“…Impossible. He buys me things, but never listens. I didn’t even want the healing gathering…”

She slumped.

Cordelia pressed the still-warm soup into her hands.

“For now, drink before it cools.”

Hina silently sipped.

Smelling the faint sweetness of corn, Cordelia continued.

“…Back to the topic — I think the reason you could do whatever you wanted in your previous life was that charm value. Now it’s gone — or rather normalized — so people don’t obey you anymore.”

Hina neither cried nor raged, just kept sipping.

“When asking for something, normally you pay or build trust first. When Count Lavori suddenly told you to hold a healing gathering, you hated it, right? But you obeyed because he supports you.”

Hina nodded. Cordelia leaned forward.

“Hina, we’ve been reborn. We have past memories, but I’m no longer Kana — I’m Cordelia. You also have the name Elrina. So you should start living as Elrina… though hearing it suddenly may be annoying.”

Cordelia shrugged uncertainly.

(Oh dear… I’m sounding arrogant again…)

While reflecting, Hina murmured.

“…Do you think I can start over? Everyone hates me, and I ran from the gathering.”

“You worried about that? Everyone fails. It may take time, but if you work sincerely, someone will understand. …If you truly want to start over, I’ll help you.”

Hina looked surprised.

“…You’ll help me? I thought you hated me.”

Cordelia stiffened.

“I-it’s not that I hate you. I did avoid you, though…”

She looked away.

“Hm… I see…”

Her reply was unreadable.

“A-anyway! If you want to, you can start now. First we’ll renegotiate the scale of the healing gathering with Count Lavori. Isaac and I will mediate.”

Cordelia might not be heard as his political rival, but if she warned him Hina would collapse, she could at least force negotiations.

(I’m increasing my own troubles… but I can’t leave things like this.)

Hina had suffered for over a decade since reincarnating — unfamiliar culture, unfamiliar life, doing the same things yet being hated instead of praised.

Her childish behavior pushed people further away.

Cordelia couldn’t ignore her anymore.

(She’s not bad at heart… probably.)

After explaining what to do next, Hina accepted it. As Cordelia stood to leave, Hina spoke softly.

“I actually liked you, Kana-chan.”

Cordelia turned back.

“You were the only one who listened seriously. …I knew you disliked me, so I tried not to talk much.”

She looked away toward the window, ears slightly red. Cordelia smiled.

“…Thank you. We can start over too — in a good way.”

She whispered and closed the door.