Salvation Through Delusion C3

Chapter 3

After I entered the retreat, the presence that had been quietly following me descended from midair and met my gaze. Because of the visual filter, its arms and legs looked like stick lines, but unlike those grotesque floating things from before, this one actually had a humanoid shape.

It was small—about the size of my palm, like a fairy. But whether it was a fairy or a ghost, I had no intention of turning the filter off.

A humanoid form? That’s creepier than anything else.

Still, this one was calm and well-mannered, unlike the noisy creatures from before. Its stare was steady—focused, almost as if it had a purpose.

Fine. I’ll say one word to it, and if it turns out to be nonsense, I’ll just ignore it and go to sleep.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

As I spoke, I unblocked the audio filter. Immediately, a sound like nails scraping against a chalkboard pierced my ears.

[To think a human could see a spirit I didn’t expect this~~ Aaaah, how thrilling~~ Lalala~~ At last, someone who’ll hear my words~~]

What the hell?!

Forget the shrill pitch—the thing was singing! A damn ghost was singing at me! And horribly off-key at that!

‘Mute. Mute it right now. Fast!’

At my urgent command, Mo instantly cut the sound. The “spirit,” as it called itself, flapped its arms excitedly, mouthing something—probably still singing. Pretending not to notice, I raised a hand toward it.

“Not yet. I’ll listen to you now, but let me warn you—if you act rude or unpleasant, I’ll block your voice completely. Got it?”

The spirit nodded meekly, folding its hands together like a polite child. I hesitated.

Damn it. I was ready to curse it out and go to sleep, but now I couldn’t.

Feeling uneasy, I ordered Mo:

‘Convert its speech to text.’

Letters appeared before my eyes.

[Hello there~ My child is dying~ Please help me~ I beg of you~]

…Shit. Too polite. Now I couldn’t even refuse.

‘Push them toward the west! Trap the monsters between the buildings!’

‘Damn it, Team Three’s breached! Leave the vanguard and seal the back line!’

‘The monsters are heading for the shelter! Stop them!’

The ground thundered beneath my feet. Dust filled my vision. The sound of shouting soldiers.

Just another day. Nothing special.

So when I suddenly felt myself being pulled out—ripped from the scene like being sucked through a vortex—I was disoriented.

Wait, I didn’t even finish off the monsters yet.

But I had no choice. The soft wind brushing against my face told me I was awake.

[Half the morning dew’s already gone under the sunlight~]

The long-haired spirit was leaning over me, tilting its head. I flinched.

[The trees reach for the sun~ Spreading their branches wide~ Their leaves are dancing~]

What… what is it saying?

“…Sorry, what?”

[Aaaah~ Humans always forget their promises~~ But that’s okay~~ I’ll remind you over and over~~ The sun has risen~~ Can’t you feel the light~~]

It stretched its arms dramatically, as if belting out an opera solo. The high, metallic voice seemed to ring right through my skull.

I stared at the text floating before me and told Mo,

‘Stop adding wavy lines to its speech.’

[Do forgetful humans make fools of themselves? That’s okayyy~ Even fools will learn~ If I say it a thousand times, maybe they’ll understand~ Nooo, maybe ten thousand~]

Even without the decorative squiggles, the whining tone made me want to scream. Was Mo trolling me? I glared up at the text and stood up.

Last night, this spirit’s endless chatter had exhausted me, so I’d promised to help in the morning—probably why it was now singing at me like a broken record.

“Alright, alright. Give me a minute.”

Stepping out of bed, I looked around properly for the first time.

The dim lamps hadn’t shown much last night, but the room was large and luxurious.

So Rue really was from a rich family, huh? Must’ve been staying in the best suite here.

I glanced around the room until I stopped before the mirror.

A stranger stared back.

Brown hair, pale gray eyes.

Aside from those, the features weren’t too different from someone East Asian.

Realizing that this was now my face gave me a strange, detached feeling.

[Even if you don’t remember, that’s okayyy~ I’ll keep reminding youuu~ Don’t feel sorryyy~]

The spirit’s nonsense instantly shattered my moment of introspection.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not sorry at all.”

[Aaaah~ Humans really are such good liars~~ But that’s fineee~ I’m used to human lies~]

Goddamn it. Even through text, I could hear the singing. I barked another order.

‘Cut out every “ah” sound.’

[Shall I replace them with squiggles instead?]

‘…’

[Aaaahhhhhhhhhh.]

‘…Do it.’

I sighed and shot a weary look at the spirit, probably still howling somewhere. Alright. Let’s just get this over with.

“So, your ‘child’—the one you’re protecting—is trapped and dying?”

[There are too many bad humans in the world~ They fed my Petal something strange, and now she won’t wake up~ Petal loves sunlight~ But even though the owl has awoken four times, Petal still sleeps~]

“Petal,” apparently, was the human this spirit was watching over.

Judging from how it phrased it, “the owl awakening four times” probably meant… four mornings had passed.

Honestly, I hadn’t even been in this world for a full day. I didn’t have the mental space to worry about someone else’s problems.

But since I couldn’t exactly leave this place yet, I might as well do something.

Knowing myself, I’d probably go insane if I stayed locked in this patient’s room doing nothing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I slammed my fist against the locked door. After pounding for a while, I finally heard a click—the door opened. It was Marvin, the nurse who’d asked for money last night.

“What on earth are you doing? Why didn’t you pull the bell cord?”

…There was a bell cord?

“I want to take a walk.”

“It’s not walking hours yet. Scheduled time is after lunch.”

“Then at least let me walk inside the building.”

I was being petulant, but I didn’t care. Marvin frowned.

“Mr. Rue, your stubbornness won’t help you. If the Director finds out, you might not be allowed to leave your room at all. Do you want to be confined again?”

He tilted his chin in a mock-threatening way. I stayed quiet for a moment—not because of him, but because Mo had brought something up.

While I slept, Mo had already analyzed most of Rue’s memories and was now displaying dialogue options in front of me.

[1. No! I don’t want to be locked up again! (Cry out emotionally and wrap your arms around Marvin’s neck.)

2. I’ll behave. Then come inside and help me calm down. (Run your hand along his inner thigh.)]

…Both options were absolute garbage.

I knew my silence was getting awkward, but I couldn’t help asking Mo,

‘Did those two ever sleep together?’

[No.]

“Oh, thank God—”

[However, there has been physical contact approaching sexual in nature.]

“Oh, fuck off.” The curse slipped out automatically.

[In this society, sexual interaction is encouraged as a means to maintain spiritual health. Actions that would be considered immoral in a Confucian culture are normalized here. However, once a marriage bond is established, extramarital relations are restricted.]

Well, at least some moral structure exists.

[In such cases, the number of permitted sexual partners is usually determined by mutual consent.]

…Utter chaos.

“Mr. Rue?”

I must have paused too long—Marvin was giving me a strange look.

I couldn’t afford to appear suspicious, but there was no way I was doing what Mo suggested. Luckily, another idea came to mind.

“Marvin.”

I called his name and briefly placed my hand on his arm, withdrawing it in a flash.

“I’ve got a large sum of money coming soon.”

As expected, his eyes gleamed at the mention of money, though his voice remained formal.

“I heard the head of the Adeye family personally ordered that you won’t receive a single coin until your treatment is complete and you’re discharged.”

Sharp as always, Mo immediately pulled up the relevant data.

[Current head of the Adeye Family

Name: Adeye Lantuya

Age: 22

Background and Current Status: Lost both parents in an accident at twelve and assumed leadership at a young age. Physically frail and rarely leaves home, but unlike her brother Rue, who spends recklessly, she’s a genius who built the family’s business empire. The Adeye Trading Company is now considered the largest on the continent.

Aliases: Business Prodigy, Investment Queen, Gourmet of the Strange.]