Damn Reincarnation

Eugene!” Mer looked tearful, and it was obvious why.
She had clearly been worried that Eugene had not come out of the Dark Room for three whole days.
Eugene took large steps forward and opened his arms wide without saying a word.

Mer floundered down and jumped when there were a few steps remaining.
She did not use magic at that moment, and Eugene knew well that she was making a silent request with her teary eyes.
A thin gust of wind enveloped her, and Mer’s small body was guided to Eugene under its care.
Mer wrapped her little arms around Eugene before he could.

“Doesn’t it smell?” asked Eugene.

“It smells like you, Sir Eugene,” answered Mer.

“Not that, like a stinky smell,” said Eugene.

“It doesn’t,” responded Mer with her face buried in his chest.
Eugene had worried that the smell of sweat and the impurities would remain even after he washed his clothes with magic, but he sighed with relief after hearing Mer’s answer.

“By the way, Sir Eugene.
You’ve changed a bit.
Your chest is softer than usual,” commented Mer.

“What?”

“Your chest was always hard because of your muscles, but now, it’s soft.
Well, it’s not super soft, but….” Mer paused, then raised her head.
Then, after poking Eugene’s chest a few times, she buried her face once more.
“It’s more elastic than soft.
It’s addictive.”

Eugene had been aware of this fact somewhat.
His joints were much stronger than before, and the muscles surrounding them felt more flexible and elastic.
His previous bones and muscles had been good enough, but his current body was just perfect.
It was better than anything Eugene could have imagined.

“…..”

Mer wasn’t the only one who came running.
This was the home of the Lionheart family’s main branch, so it naturally housed members of the Lionheart family.

Cyan crept backward after stopping himself in the middle of the stairs.
Behind him was a large portrait of the Great Founder, Vermouth.
It was definitely a shameful thing to be retreating in front of the founder’s portrait, but Cyan could not continue forward, for he felt chills as he stared at his sister’s back.
Cyan didn’t even want to imagine his sister’s expression.

‘I want to touch him too.’

Ciel’s thoughts were quite simple.
However, the various ideas derived from this single thought were quite complex.
Mer Merdein, the wicked summon.
Had they not gotten along well the last six months? They had shared a common enemy in Auxiliary Bishop Kristina.

Kristina was granted access to the entrance of the Dark Room because she was good at healing magic, while Ciel and Mer were ignored.

Mer had needed someone to gossip about the two-faced Saint, who dared to command her, a personal creation of Sienna the Wise, and Eugene, who dared to turn his eyes elsewhere.

Ciel had needed information about what exactly Eugene did in Yuras, as well as information about the Saint Candidate who tried to act so cutely with her smile.
So naturally, she did not mind playing nice and going along with Mer’s gossip in the process.

However, their relationship had always been shallow, weak enough to break with just a little emotion.
Just look.
Mer Merdein — a 200-year-old summon who only looked like a child on the surface.
Wasn’t she just an old hag with the skin of a child?

‘How insidious,’ Ciel thought.

Mer was practically digging into Eugene’s chest with her face buried, and Ciel could only see her action as a blatant display of flirtation and a challenge to herself.
She wanted to do the same to Eugene if she only had the chance.

‘Elastic chest? Addiction? What the hell is that?’

Ciel was a child of the prestigious Lionheart family, which meant that she had been educated in mannerisms ever since she was a child.
It wasn’t like she was still an ignorant teenager.
How could she do such a clueless, shameful thing as a 20-year-old, especially in the presence of her beloved father, uncle, and respected Lady Carmen?

“Oh, dear.
Sir Eugene.” Kristina Rogeris called out.
She turned her gaze towards Ciel, standing frozen on the stairs.
Then, keeping her gaze fixed, she took a step and clasped Eugene’s arm.
“You shouldn’t overdo it.
You haven’t eaten or drank in three days, right?”

Her words were nothing special, only spoken out of concern.
She was only helping him for fear of him stumbling.
However, Ciel did not see it as such.
To her, it felt as if time had slowed down.
In Ciel’s eyes, Kristina was the opposite of a Saint, a wicked woman frolicking with Eugene’s arm as she wished.

‘…Wait.
He hasn’t eaten or drank for three days?’

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A glimmer appeared in Ciel’s eyes, and her fists stopped quivering.

“Let’s get you back to your room first.
Lie down comfortably, and I will bring soft food that won’t burden your stomach,” Kristina continued.

“Ahahahaha!” However, she was interrupted by Ciel’s laugh.
Time resumed flowing at a normal pace, and Ciel continued down the rest of the steps with an elegant gait and approached Eugene.

“Lady Ciel, why are you laughing?” asked Kristina with a slight frown.

“You really don’t know anything, do you? You want to feed him soft food when he’s starved for three days?” Ciel asked in a mocking tone.

“He has fasted for too long.
Anything else would burden his stomach,” retorted Kristina.

“Maybe for a normal person.
But that’s probably not true for him,” Ciel said, smiling at Eugene.

‘…Ah.’

Ancilla understood that her only daughter was a black lion, but she did not want her daughter’s precious, green youth to be exhausted by hard training.
As such, she regularly sent expensive hard-procured cosmetics to Ciel to protect her daughter’s beauty.
So Ciel was beautiful and appealing, a fact she was well aware of.
But….

‘…This brat.
Was his skin always this clear?’

Although Ciel’s skin was spotless and bouncy despite her daily training, she felt insecure when she saw Eugene’s skin up close.
But she could not hesitate here.

Ciel smiled as usual and pulled Eugene’s wrist.
“Y-you like meat, right? Thick slices of meat.
You’re lucky.
Older sis hasn’t eaten anything either.”

“Why are you calling yourself older sis all of a sudden?” asked Eugene.

“Why not? Doesn’t it remind you of our childhood? Lady Carmen, Father, and Uncle.
None of you have had anything to eat yet either, right?” asked Ciel.

“I had something to eat earlier….” Gion stopped himself in the middle of his sentence.
He saw Cyan desperately mouthing something at the top of the stairs, as well as a chilling light in Ciel’s eyes.
“…but my stomach must be working harder than usual.
I’m hungry again, all because of you.”

Gion quickly grasped the situation, having taught Ciel and Cyan when they were kids.
As such, he patted Eugene on the shoulder before continuing.
“Why don’t we all go together? Brother, I mean, family head, would that be all right with you?”

“There’s no reason to refuse, is there?” answered Gilead.
In the end, it was decided that they would eat together at the family dining room, or the Lionheart’s dining table, to be precise.
Kristina stopped in her place, knowing that she was a foreigner.

[You were too complacent, Kristina.] Anise mumbled while clicking her tongue.
An ordinary person? Both Anise and Kristina knew well that Eugene was by no means an ordinary person.
It was just that they had wanted to be in his room alone, just them together, and to feed him food.

‘I won.’

Ciel smiled triumphantly while taking the lead.
But instead of following her, Eugene turned to look at Kristina.

“Can't she just eat with us as well?” he asked.

“What!?” Ciel asked, looking back with disbelief.

“Of course, she can.
It’s just that I’m rather worried that the Saint Candidate might feel uncomfortable,” answered Gilead.
He wasn’t someone who would forbid her from eating with them because she wasn’t a part of the family.
Just as he said, he had simply been worried that she would feel burdened and uncomfortable eating with the family.

“Then why don’t we ask her? What do you want to do?” Eugene directed the second question at Kristina.

“What… what?”

Kristina had not been expecting an invitation.
Over the past half a year, Kristina had always dined in the dining room prepared for guests.
But if she set a precedent today, she could continue to sit at the Lionheart family’s table in the future as well.

[Kristina!] shouted Anise urgently.

“Thank you for inviting me,” said Kristina before bowing her head.

Ciel’s shoulders trembled with anger.