WIEDERGEBURT Act II: Chapter 50

Despite the exhaustion spreading through her bones, Hilda sat on her throne in the Imperial Royal Palace’s receiving hall. Her three husbands were with her. They would normally stand at attention below the elevated platform upon which her throne sat, but for this day, they were standing right behind her. All of them were decked in their battle armor still. Dings and scratches covered their armor, and their bodies were filthy, with dirt and blood smeared all over them. However, it wasn’t like they’d had time to bathe yet.

Down below were over two dozen people. Like her, most of them were covered in dirt, smudges, cuts, and their armor was bent, dented, and even broken in some cases. Some of them were dressed in either the gleaming steel armor of the Nevarian Spiritualists, or the brilliant gold of the Imperial Royal Guards. However, there were also several members of the various noble families present.

“The northern quadrant of Nevaria received the most damage by far,” Hellen Brynhild, kneeling before Hilda and the others, gave her report. “We haven’t been able to determine an exact estimate on the amount of damage done, but the Merchant’s District, Peasant’s Quarters, and Education District have all suffered an incredible amount of damage. Of course, the north gate has been completely destroyed and many of the buildings near it suffered worse than anywhere else.”

Hilda listened to Hellen speak. She already knew the damage would be extensive, but she didn’t know how bad it would be. That said, what Hellen told her was about what she’d expected.

“What of civilian casualties?” asked Hilda. “How many people have we lost?”

Hellen didn’t answer at first, and when she did, her voice was halting and hesitant. “We are… not quite sure, Your Majesty. However, it looks like the civilian casualties are not quite as bad as they could have been. We currently have an estimate of around 5,000 dead and another 10,000 injured. The Northern Quadrant happens to be the most populace section in the city due to the Peasant’s Quarters and Merchant’s District being right there. Considering that…”

“Yes, I understand.” Hilda waved her hand as the woman trailed off. “Thank you for your report.”

Hellen bowed her head once more, then stood up and stepped back in line with the other six members who had been summoned. Among the seven present, four were dressed in the silver of Nevarian Spiritualists, while three wore the golden armor of Imperial Royal Guards.

“Captain Sterk, I would have your report now.”

Captain Sterk stepped forward and knelt before her. She narrowed her eyes at how little damage seemed to have been done to him. Everyone else was covered in bruises, blood, and wounds to some extent, even her. He was also covered in them, but he was surprisingly pristine for a man who’d just fought against an army of nearly a hundred thousand Demon Beasts.

“As you have commanded, we have set up temporary shelters for the civilians who have lost their homes to the Demon Beast attacks. They are naught more than large tents, and it is a little cramped, but no one has complained as of yet. However, I suspect some people will begin to complain once the shock of what happened wears off.”

“Hmm…” Hilda closed her eyes and thought hard. “I’d like you to take direct command of security among the civilians who have lost their homes and livelihood. Do what you can to keep the peace between them and settle any disputes that may arise.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As Captain Sterk bowed, stood up, and stepped back into line, Hilda stared at the people who were standing beyond the line of Nevarian Spiritualists and Imperial Royal Knights. Some were dressed in armor, others in silk clothes befitting a noble, and even a few were wearing the robes of the Alchemist Association. They were all people she had ordered here for a specific purpose.

“Alexander Eieran?” Empress Hilda looked at one of those people in particular. “I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter. How much do you believe it will cost to repair Nevaria?”

The man who stepped forward was in his middle years. He had a head of blond hair that was slicked back and flecked with gray. A few stray bangs framed his handsome, noble face. Unlike many of the people present, this man was not well-endowed with large muscles and a powerful physique. His somewhat thin frame was covered by a red doublet of the finest satin, a white undershirt with frills at the ends of his sleeves, black pants, and sturdy black boots.

“Your Majesty.” Alexander bowed his head. “While we have not been able to calculate a total estimate yet, I can state with certainty that conducting repairs on the destroyed demon beast gate, the north gate, and the buildings in the northern quadrant will come to no less 230,000,000 valis.”

Hilda did not show a single expression on her face as she heard that number. Considering they had just withstood an invasion of Demon Beasts, this was indeed a lower number than her initial estimation. Still, hearing an estimation like this caused her skin to itch.

“For the moment, we shall use money from the national treasury to help pay for the rebuilding,” Hilda determined. “However, I am hoping that some among you will prove to be magnanimous and aid during Nevaria’s most trying hour. Our people cannot afford to live in squalor. It is the duty and honor of the nobility to aid those who are less fortunate than themselves.”

“You need not worry about our Eieran Family, Your Majesty,” Alexander said with a smile. “Many buildings in the north actually belong to our family. If they have been destroyed due to unforeseen circumstances such as a Demon Beast invasion, then it is our duty to see those buildings restored to their former glory. That is why our family will spare no expense in helping you rebuild.”

At the Eieran Family’s generous words, several other noble families came forth and offered their support as well. This included the Kriger Family, the Brann Family, the Vann Family, and the Valstine Family. While none of them could offer the same monetary amount as the Eieran Family, all of them agreed to provide whatever aid they could.

“The Alchemist Association will also do everything it can to help Nevaria.” Feinrea Kuunis, Head of the Alchemist Association, stepped forward. She placed a hand on her chest and bowed at the waist. Her long red hair with its orange tint, hastily tied into a messy bun near the back, shifted slightly. “We will provide monetary aid, of course, but we will also provide alchemy pills at no charge until this crisis has been averted.”

Those words caused a stirring amongst everyone present. Even Hilda was surprised by the woman’s generosity, which must have shown on her face because Feinrea smiled and gave them all a helpless shrug, as if to say, “what else can I do?”

“I feel like not many people know this, or maybe they forgot, but the entirety of the Alchemist Association’s current success can be directly laid at the feet of Eryk Veiger.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Feinrea continued. “The alchemy pills we’re refining were all recipes given to us by him. The deal with the Valstine Family only happened because he went and spoke with Stelys Valstine on our behalf.” She nodded at Stelys standing several meters away. “At present, Eryk Veiger is our greatest benefactor and, as of this afternoon, he is the fiancé of Kari Astralia. You are now the family of our benefactor. Given that, I believe it is only natural that I and the Alchemist Association lend you whatever help we can.”

The woman stepped back after speaking. Empress Hilda glanced at the people standing in the reception hall, nobles and Spiritualists, people of great power. Many of them had undoubtedly witnessed the power of Eryk during the Spiritualist Grand Tournament, but she wondered how many of them had known that Eryk was directly responsible for the Alchemist Association’s current rise to power.

“Speaking of Eryk Veiger.” The old man who was the secret power behind the Kriger Family stepped forward. “I was most intrigued by that young man and his power. He was impressively able to slaughter almost 30,000 Demon Beasts on his own. Such incredible power can be quite dangerous if used incorrectly.”

Hilda narrowed her eyes. “I hope you are not implying that the man I have chosen to marry my daughter would incorrectly use his power, Grimm.”

Grimm Kriger waved his hand in a warding gesture. “That is not what I am saying at all. I am merely expressing my shock and awe at his prowess on the battlefield and my hope that he will continue to do his best for Nevaria.”

“Is that so? Well, you can rest assured that Eryk Veiger only has Nevaria’s best interest at heart. After all, it was thanks to his efforts that the Demon Beasts Invasion was stopped,” Hilda announced.

“What do you mean?” asked Stelys, speaking out of turn. However, since this man’s daughter was marrying Eryk alongside her daughter, Hilda didn’t mind.

“We learned that the reason the Demon Beasts invaded Nevaria is because of a woman called Dyr, who had a strange power to attract Demon Beasts to her,” Hilda revealed. “She had been enslaved by the Leucht Family, who forcibly activated her powers using some kind of ritual that relies on Runes. Eryk, my daughter, Fay, and Lin traveled into the sewers where the Leucht Family was hiding and stopped the ritual. Eryk personally slew Hagen Leucht in single combat.”

More mutters broke out, but this time, quite a few people looked pale. Even Alexander Eieran appeared shocked by this news. Grimm was frowning upon hearing what had happened, but Catherina, the current head of the Kriger Family, nodded several times as if everything had suddenly clicked into place.

“My daughter mentioned something about that to me,” Catherina confessed. “I hadn’t thought much on it at the time, but I guess what she said was true.”

“It was,” Hilda said.

“And what happened to this girl?” asked Alexander.

Hilda resisted the urge to close her eyes. “She is dead. While Eryk was able to stop the ritual, he was not able to save her. Given her powers and how easily someone could abuse them… perhaps that is a good thing.”

Cruel though it was, Hilda had to think of all the people living in Nevaria. Dyr’s abilities were dangerous. Her powers had attracted what was estimated at 150,000 Demon Beasts, including the B-rank Silverbacks, and even a couple of A-rank Acromantula. They were very lucky that Nevaria had not suffered greater damage.

“At present, Nevaria has survived against a serious threat unlike anything it’s had to face within the last several hundred years,” Hilda said in a powerful voice that echoed across the receiving hall. “Our city has been attacked, our people have been hurt, and we are the only ones who are capable of protecting and healing the wounds so many have suffered. During this time, we must join hands and combine our might for the good of Nevaria.”

“For the good of Nevaria!” several people cheered, echoing her sentiment and causing Hilda to smile just a bit. However, as the people meeting wound to a close and the people began filing out of the room, the smile on her face slowly left. Her body slowly slumped in the chair as though all the bones and muscles in her body had disappeared.

“Are you okay, Hilda?” asked Dante. “I know you wanted to have a meeting immediately after we pushed the Demon Beasts back, but I think you might have overdone it.”

“It cannot be helped,” Hilda said with a worn smile. “I needed to obtain a firm grasp of the situation and hand out orders to make sure everyone knew what they needed to be doing. We cannot afford to stand idly by.”

“I suppose not,” Dante agreed.

“Still,” Rainer began with a pensive frown, “I believe we’ve just put Eryk in a very unenviable position. He was already becoming famous thanks to his exploits, but now everyone is aware of just how powerful and influential he really is. There are going to be many people who want to use him for their own purposes.”

“I do not believe we need to worry about that,” Valence said.

Dante and Rainer turned to the stone-faced man, but he offered no more words than that. Valence was a man of very few words. He never spoke more than he deemed necessary, and when he did speak, it was with a gravity that forced those around him to listen.

“Valence is right.” Empress Hilda smiled. “Eryk will be fine. After all, he has three wonderful girls supporting him.”

***

I hadn’t known there was a garden located in the west wing of the Imperial Royal Palace. Thinking back on my time here, I realized that I had never really explored this place at all. Even back when I returned here in my previous life, I couldn’t explore the palace, since it had been basically decimated by Demon Beasts.

As this thought entered my head, I closed my eyes, ignoring the flashes of my previous life that flitted through my mind. Such thoughts weren’t beneficial to me right now.

Opening my eyes again, I found myself staring at the small mound of upturned dirt. It was about 1.5 meters long and 50 centimeters wide. A stone plaque sat atop the mound, shaped into a square that was just a dozen centimeters across, with words etched into it: Dyr, A girl whose upbeat personality will be forever missed. I had carved those words into this stone myself using the water element. It wasn’t much of a tombstone, but it was the best I could do on such short notice.

I wasn’t alone. Lin, Kari, and Fay stood beside me. I could tell they were worried. Just like how I had yet to take my eyes off the grave, they had yet to take their eyes off me, which I could feel almost burning into my back with concern. To be honest, I was grateful. If these three weren’t here, I wasn’t sure I would be able to deal with this.

“I didn’t know her very long,” I finally spoke. “We had only met by chance and only saw each other that one time, but I… I really wish I could have saved her.”

“Eryk…” Kari reached out and grabbed my hand. Her soft, delicate fingers laced through mine and squeezed tightly.

“I keep thinking about all the things I could have done to prevent this,” I continued. “Had I just charged into the Leucht Family’s mansion and wiped the lot of them out when I first discovered what was happening, I could have saved her. Not only her. If I’d just been more decisive at the beginning and attacked them before they could do anything, all those people who died today would still be alive.”

“You can’t think like that.” Fay suddenly grabbed my other hand with both of hers, shooting me an imploring gaze as if begging me not to feel this way. “Even if you had attacked the Leucht Family after learning about their connection to Dyr, that wouldn’t have solved the issue. I’m sure it would have just made more problems.”

“Fay is right,” Kari said. “Had you attacked them, the Leucht Family would have hidden Dyr away and claimed you assaulted their mansion in a unprovoked attack. If that happened, not even your current fame, status, and my mother’s authority would have been enough to save you. They would have turned you into an enemy of the state and had you hanged or beheaded.”

“I know that… I know that, but I…”

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as vision appeared in my mind. Buildings destroyed. Corpses littering the streets. Blood everywhere. The sight of what happened today filled my mind, and then it overlapped with the Demon Beast Invasion from my previous life. It was true that less people had died this time than they had last time. I understood that if I made a side by side comparison, what happened today could have been far worse, but even so… even so I still felt like I should have done something more.

As grief and guilt mixed together within my mind, a pair of arms wrapped around my chest as a soft body pressed against my back. I recognized Lin easily enough. She had pressed her entire front against me and placed her head between my shoulder blades, her left ear pressed firmly against me as though listening to my heartbeat.

“This princess believes you are being too hard on yourself. There is no way to know what will happen in the future. You made the best choice you could at the time based on the information you had. You could not have known what would happen. Even if you did, this princess is not sure you could have done anything. There are still laws to follow. Not even you can break the law.”

I closed my eyes and struggled against the knowledge that Lin was correct. I knew she was. I knew that. But I didn’t want to admit it.

After Kari had died in my previous life, I had wandered the land seeking power. I learned all kinds of things, gained strength through bone-breaking training that would have killed other people, and acted as if I was above the law. The only line I had never crossed back then was cold-blooded murder. However, short of killing someone who hadn’t wronged me, I was more than willing to lie, cheat, and steal if it got me what I wanted.

Maybe that was also why I felt so horrible. In this new life, I had a chance to do things over again, a chance to make things right, a chance to redeem myself in my own eyes. I could recognize that I had been very close to becoming a monster worse than any Sekbeist. It was easy to see that in retrospect. Looking back on the choices I had made up to this point, including saving Lin and Fay, I could see that my reasons for acting hadn’t just been for Kari’s sake. They were also for my own. I wanted to absolve myself of the guilt that had been tormenting me since I lost Kari in my previous life.

The sun had begun to set, making me realize we had stayed outside far longer than I intended. Fay and Lin let go of me and stepped back. However, Kari tugged on my hand.

“Come on,” she said. “We’re all sweaty and covered in filth from today’s battle. Let’s get cleaned up.”

I didn’t think about what those words meant as Kari led me back inside. We traveled into a hallway, took several turns, and then ended up in front of Kari’s room. It wasn’t until all of us were inside and both Kari and Lin began stripping that I realized what was happening.

“Wait. I’m going in the bath too?” I asked.

“But of course,” Kari replied as if it was the most natural answer in the world. “During times of great heartache, taking a bath with the people you love can heal even the most weary of souls. What’s more, all of us stink, so we’ll be killing two Demon Beasts with one Spiritual Technique.”

As she spoke Kari was already stepping out of her ruined battle armor, which had dents and dings from the battles we’d fought in. You never realized how harrowing some battles were until after the fight. Adrenaline pumped through the body and kept us from seeing how close to death we had come, allowing us to continue fighting without fear, but at the same time leaving us oblivious.

After removing her battle armor, Kari discarded her torn clothes, leaving herself in nothing but her breast bindings and string panties, but even those eventually disappeared as she undid the strings and tore away the bindings. Now revealed in her all her splendor, Kari’s full, rounded breasts were on display along with her hairless vagina. They were covered in dirt like the rest of her. However, I thought that even covered in grime, Kari still looked breathtaking.

Lin’s outfit was a little easier to remove. Unlike the others, she hadn’t been able to change into something more battleworthy and was still wearing her dress, which was mostly in tatters. She discarded the dress by tearing it off. It was ruined beyond repair anyway.

Her dark skin gave her a tantalizing and exotic appearance not found anywhere in Nevaria. Beyond that, her smaller breasts, capped with darker pink nipples, seemed somehow charming. Her hairless mound with the scales surrounding it and snake tail just made her even more exotic. There was something about how her skin shifted into scales around her hips that I thought was a major turnon.

“Fay, aren’t you going to undress?” Kari suddenly said, causing me to turn my head and look at Fay. The girl froze as my eyes landed on her. A full-body blush permeated her skin, turning it an incredible shade of pink.

“Uh…” Fay turned her head and covered herself despite being dressed in armor. “C-can you all give me a moment. I… can’t change in front of Eryk.”

Fay and I were already intimate, so it was kind of cute that she couldn’t get undressed in front of me. Had I not been so tired, I would have teased her about it.

“Hmm… in that case, I suppose Lin and I shall strip Eryk and get him into the bath,” Kari declared. “You can join us once you finish undressing.”

“Huh?”

The eloquent sound produced by my mouth was about all I could muster. Kari and Lin came up to me and began removing my clothes. First the undid all the straps and buttons, then removed my white overcoat. The belt and brown robes came next, followed by my read undershirt. Now in nothing but my boots and pants, Lin pushed me onto the bed, then she and Kari removed my boots and tugged the pants off my hips.

Fay had covered her face as I was being stripped, but I could see her peeking at me through the gaps in her fingers.

“Now,” Kari and Lin pulled me to my feet once I was good and naked, “let’s get in the bath.”

Kari had her own private bath, and while it wasn’t as large as the one I had been using, it was still big enough to easily fit three people and one lamia. The bathing room was shaped like a long rectangle, while the bath was square. It was already filled with steaming water. I remembered hearing something about how the water supplied to the castle came from a room above that stored it and redirected that water through numerous pipes. I had to wonder about the efficiency of such a system.

I was guided to stand in the center of the pool, where both Kari and Lin began washing me. They used loofas and soap to wipe away the accumulation of dirt, grime, and blood. Their gentle touch actually did soothe me. My body relaxed under the tender ministrations of their loving hands as they cleaned my chest, back, shoulders, and arms.

The water was hot. Steam wafted from the surface. Unlike Midgard, which heated water using Runes, the water for baths in the Imperial Royal Palace were heated by a log fire and then channeled into the bath through pipes embedded into the walls. Even now, steaming hot water was falling through the pipes and into the bath, while the water we stood in was draining through another pipe beneath our feet. I assumed it was so they could keep the water clean.

“Since you two are washing me, I think it’s only fair that I return the favor,” I said after they finished.

“You are right.” Kari smiled. “Eryk, would you please wash me off?”

“This princess will also gratefully accept your invitation,” Lin added.

I accepted a loofa from Kari and began washing her from the front, while Lin washed her back. The loofa in my hands traveled over her breasts. They jiggled a lot as I cleaned them. I also lifted her breasts and made sure to wipe off the grime and sweat of her underboob as well. Kari’s breathing had grown a little stiff. However, her erotic moan and the sight of her biting her lips, at this moment, wasn’t enough to get me aroused. I was just too tired, emotionally and physically.

After cleaning everything, including her thighs and crotch, I changed my target to Lin, who closed her eyes and hummed pleasantly as I lathered her body in soap. Kari also helped. It was a little easier to wash off Lin. Since her breasts weren’t that big, she didn’t have to worry about underboob sweat as much. There was an issue when I reached her crotch. Since the area below her vagina was all scales, cleaning her was hard. I had to make extra sure to wipe away the dirt between her scales, which required more effort on my part.

“This is so nice,” Lin murmured as I scrubbed her scales. “This princess could really get used to this kind of treatment.”

“Don’t I always make sure to scrub your scales clean?” asked Kari.

“You do, and this princess is grateful, but it just feels better when Darling is the one cleaning her.”

Kari sighed. “I suppose I can understand the sentiment, though it is a little off putting.”

“You two take baths together a lot?” I asked.

“We always take baths together,” Kari answered.

Lin nodded. “This princess takes baths with Big Sister and Fay all the time.”

“I see.”

That was something I hadn’t known, but now that I did, I guessed it made sense. Even in Midgard, there was a culture in which members of the same sex bathed together and formed strong bonds through an act called “skinship.” It was believed by many that nudity helped break down barriers and established closer relationships. I had been taken to more than a few bath houses myself back when I was a member of the Explorer’s Sect.

As we finished cleaning off Lin, Fay arrived in the bathing room. Like all of us, she was bereft of clothes, but unlike us, she seemed intent on covering her chest and crotch with her hands.

“Now that won’t do at all,” Kari muttered as she stepped out of the bath and grabbed Fay’s hands. “You can’t get clean if you’re too busy self-consciously trying to hide your body.”

“B-but I—”

“What is there to be shy about now? You’ve taken plenty of baths with me and Lin before, and you’ve already had sex with Eryk. This is just the next logical step.”

Fay looked like she was still reluctant to partake in bathing with me, but it didn’t seem like she didn’t want to either. In either event, Kari pulled the girl into the bath with us and pushed her over to me. The redhead stumbled and released a squawk as she fell into my chest. She glanced up, her cheeks and ears burning as she jerked away from me.

“I-I’m sorry!” she apologized, covering her breasts and crotch with her hands as she backed away.

“Fay, mind if I wash you?” I held up the loofa I had been using.

Fay’s eyes widened at my question. She looked down, rubbing her thighs together as she nodded slowly.

With her permission, I began cleaning her body, staring at the face and working my way down. I cleaned behind her ears, around her neck and shoulders, and then reached her breasts. Fay bit her lip to stifle a soft moan as I began cleaning off her chest, starting near the top and working my way across her inverted nipples before, like I had done with Kari, I cleaned her underboobs. Her breasts weren’t as big as Kari’s but they were still impressive. Being inverted also made her nipples more attractive to me. Something about how they were hidden made me want to coax them out.

I wasn’t the only one who began cleaning Fay either. It seemed these three routinely washed each other. Kari and Lin came up with loofas in hand and began helping me, washing off the redhead’s back, arms, and even her fingers.

“P-please don’t look at me down there,” Fay muttered in embarrassment as I finished cleaning off her toned stomach and reached her legs. While Kari was completely smooth, Fay had a trimmed patch of red hair.

“Why not?” I asked. “Are you embarrassed?”

“O-of course I’m embarrassed.” I was sure that if Kari and Lin hadn’t grabbed her arms to wash them, Fay would have buried her hands in her face. “You can see… everything.”

“I’ll try to be quick,” I assured her, taking the loofa to her outer thigh and scrubbing. “However, you really have nothing to worry about. Everything about you is beautiful.”

My words only seemed to make Fay more embarrassed.

Once the three of us finished cleaning Fay, we dried ourselves off and stepped into Kari’s room. I didn’t have anything to wear, so after Kari had donned a white nightgown, she opened the door leading into the hallway. A servant was standing nearby.

“Could you please fetch Eryk a pair of flannel pants?”

“Right away, Lady Kari.”

As the woman rushed off, Kari shut the door and turned back around.

During the time she had been talking, Fay had quickly dressed herself in simple red pants and a long-sleeved shirt of the same color, though the satin outfit failed to match the vibrancy of her hair. Lin, who couldn’t wear pants, put on one of Kari’s nightgowns. It was more sheer than the one her “big sister” was wearing, allowing me to see her nipples through the fabric.

A pair of pants soon came to me when the servant returned. It was just pants, however. I glanced at Kari.

“Why didn’t you also ask them to bring me a shirt as well?”

Kari smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. “I like feeling your skin against mine.”

The way she so shamelessly admitted her reason for not having her servant get me a shirt made me smile.

With all of us dressed, we were directed to climb into Kari’s bed by the girl herself, which fortunately was large enough to fit all of us—even if one of us had a six meter long snake tail. I was basically forced into the center of the group. Kari took my left, Fay my right, and Lin made herself at home on top of me as her snake tail curled around our legs.

I think all of us were exhausted. Lin and Fay fell asleep almost the moment they became comfortable. Kari also looked ready to pass out. Her eyes were drooping as she rested her head on my shoulder, but she was barely holding onto consciousness.

“Do you feel a little better?” she asked.

“I do,” I admitted softly. “Thanks to you three.”

Kari gave me a loving smile. “I’m glad. I hate it when you’re wallowing in guilt. You’ve always… always been like that. You did that before too… back then… that’s why, if I can, this time… this time for sure, I’ll help relieve your burdens… I’ll do a better job than last time…”

“This time?”

Something about the way Kari said that made it seem like she was talking about an event in the past, but I remembered no such thing happening in this life. In my previous life, it was true that I’d often let guilt consume me. When Hreidmar didn’t come with us, I had blamed myself for not realizing what was happening. When we discovered that Vesperia had been destroyed, I felt guilt over not being there to protect it. When Kari and Kayli died, the rage and self-loathing had nearly consumed me.

However, that was in my previous life, not this new one. Nothing had happened in this life yet aside from the Demon Beast Invasion.

Could it be…? No. No. That was wishful thinking. There was no way Kari could know of what happened in my previous life. Absolutely none.

Sighing as my thoughts began floating away, I closed my eyes and slowly sank into a deep slumber.