‘I heard they even tilled the soil.’

I examined everywhere, but all I found was something like small holes.

Could I find something unknown to the gardeners?

‘If the soil is fine, and the fertilizer is not effective…’

Then the issue was not with this greenhouse.

‘I feel like I’ve heard something similar before.’

It was a memory so old that it made my forehead wrinkle.

It was a line I casually passed over while reading the original, and it wasn’t particularly important.

‘The empress possessed not only ancient books but various artifacts she obtained together in the cave where she discovered ancient books.’

Among them, there was even a curse that could affect a certain type of plant on a portion of the land.

‘The empress asked, “What am I supposed to use this kind of thing for?”‘

Even I, as a reader, skimmed through it vaguely.
If only one type dies without any apparent reason, there’s only one cause: a curse.

‘The way to confirm it…’

Those sensitive to magic also had a keen sense of the smell of curses.

I took out Ha-ryang.

[What’s this again… Ah, smell dash!]

As soon as Ha-ryang came out of the pocket, he shook his head, emitting a blue light.

I sniffed as well, but there was no unpleasant odor.

“What’s that smell?”

[It’s me, who’s rotting, vibrating! Ugh, is this a curse? Horrifying! I’m going back in!]

Without holding him further, I put Ha-ryang back in my pocket.

Judging by the reaction, it was certain.

‘Really, it’s the work of Empress Wyeno.’

The empress possessed the medium for the curse.

Removing it was one way to lift the curse, but that was close to impossible.

‘Even if I infiltrate the empress’s palace, I won’t be able to distinguish what’s what.’

It was an unreasonable task to complete everything in just 30 minutes.

I had to find another way, rather than breaking the medium.

‘First, I need to get out.’

The sticker on the back of my hand was already fading.

I quickly left the greenhouse.

The distance was considerable, and near the main gate, I had to almost run.

‘Wow, that was close.’

When I hid behind a tree, the duck sticker completely disappeared.

‘…I found the cause.’

However, the problem remained unresolved.

‘Is there any other way besides breaking the medium?’

I couldn’t be sure.

But just like when I secretly infiltrated the emperor’s palace, wasn’t there a trick hidden this time too?

‘Anyway, I was going to ask.’

The palace was vast, and among them were rarely visited buildings.

I entered one of them and took out Ha-ryang.

“Ha-ryang, open the store for me.”

[…I’ll take you there too.]

“Got it. Let’s go together.”

I was worried if he wouldn’t open the door, but surprisingly, it went smoothly.

‘Must have been really frustrated.’

Well, he had been trapped in a pocket all this time.

I had to find another way to carry Ha-ryang around.

[I’ve opened them all!]

With the thought of meeting the owner, Ha-ryang’s voice became cheerful.

“Let’s go in.”

I opened the door with Ha-ryang.

Today, the misty forest was damp as usual.

‘The fog seems a bit less today?’

It was a subtle change that seemed to be slightly different every time I came.

[Master!]

Ha-ryang, who had turned into a wad of cotton from the teddy bear, ran toward the hole-in-the-wall.

“Hey, let’s go together!”

Rushing to the place where I hurried, Du Nouar appeared.

The store was already open.

“Welcome, customer.”

He welcomed me, holding Ha-ryang.

Although I had seen him quite often, Du Nouar greeted me as if he were seeing me for the first time.

“I came because I have something to ask.”

“This is a place of business. Guest.”

…And strangely, he even had a face like a knife.

“…I’m here to buy things. If you have something useful, that is.”
“Many good items have come in today.”

Du Noir’s expression brightened.

I asked with suspicion.

“Where did these items come from?”

“I made them myself.”

“But why pretend to bring them in…?”

“It’s more fun that way. Being alone gets boring.”

Having gone crazy from being alone, he was absorbed in playing shop.

‘…I should respect his hobby.’

Anyway, what I was truly curious about wasn’t this.

“Du Noir, was Empress Viviaana also a possessor?”

Was it true that Viviaana was someone like me, as Kashaar claimed?

The answer was already decided.

“Yes. She was the possessor right after Eiblind.”

The fact that I had doubted became a reality.

Now, the most pressing question remained.

“When a possessor takes over a body, where does the owner’s soul go?”

His expression involuntarily stiffened.

I had only thought about the possessor until now and had never thought about the original owner.

He understood what I was curious about.

“Other than the possessor, the number of souls in this world is constant. They are temporarily stored in a different space.”

“But you probably can’t change the flow of time.”

While I was in this body, time had passed.

‘What happens after the possessor returns to the original world?’

Many here wanted to leave.

Du Nud explained.

In that case, the stored soul would return to its original body, embracing all the time the possessor had spent.

“The owner of the body also carries the memories of the possessor. It happens naturally as if it were their own deeds.”

“…Then, what about Viviaana?”

“She thought she was crazy and knew she was abandoned.”

It was staggering.

The biggest victim here was Viviaana.

“Where is she now? It’s not Viviaana’s fault! The emperor…!”

“If he truly loved her, he should have protected her until the end.”

Du Noir’s words felt particularly cold.

‘Right, this person isn’t human.’

He was a dragon, a complete life form from the beginning.

Because he was always a perfect being, he couldn’t understand the imperfections of humans.