After a moment of pondering, he got rid of the towel and returned to the bed and lay down.
What happened to Vlad was either something he didn't need to be concerned about...or be very concerned about. But right now, the biggest thing to ponder was how he transmigrated!
How did this even happen? Shou Nilski sighed.
Oh yeah, I did do that 'prayer' before falling asleep...
A thought flashed across Shou Nilski's mind, memories emerging from the depths of a heavy fog.
Shou Nilski had always been glued to his phone or laptop, not out of addiction, but because there was nothing else. The screen was his only escape. A fragile barrier between himself and the empty apartment he lived in.
He was an orphan who had various illnesses clinging to him like his shadow.
He was already on terms with his illnesses, but no amount of acceptance was enough for what he heard a few months ago. While going in for a routine check-up, the doctor looked at him with carefully measured eyes and said the words like they were reading them from a script. He had a terminal illness with no cure. He was told he had eighteen months at most.
That night, Shou wandered into a pharmacy to pick up sleeping meds. He hadn't slept well in weeks. On his way back, he saw an old man handing out leaflets near his building's front gate. He took one on impulse and forgot about it. It wasn't even in a language he felt confident reading; it was vague and clunky. He tossed it on his desk and didn't think of it again.
Until that night. Wide awake, hours after taking the pills, his eyes landed on the leaflet. Out of desperation, he picked it up. It was titled 'How to Have God Accept All Your Prayers.' A stupid title, really. But he read on. After a bit of reading, he finally found the instructions. They were simple: Face west, close your eyes, relax and pray. Pray with everything you've got!
Shou Nilski had nothing to lose. So he did it. He stood in his dim apartment, eyes closed, hands relaxed at his side, and prayed. He didn't ask for much, just one night of peaceful sleep...
And it worked!
But who would have guessed he'd get transmigrated in his sleep!?
I just wished for a good night's sleep, but it looks like the gods felt bad for all that they made me go through and gave me another life with a perfect body…
Shou Nilski sat up straight.
Another life… perfect body…
I wonder what'll happen if I do the prayer again here…
After making his plan, Shou Nilski felt that the fear and confusion from before had all been swept into a far corner of his mind.
He sighed as he felt calm enough to carefully study all of Vlad's memories.
He leaned and grabbed the dagger and tossed it in the air, and caught it using his left hand as if he'd done it thousands of times. He slowly recalled his memories that were behind a veil of darkness. Just like before, many of them were in a shattered state. Bits and pieces missing. For example, he couldn't remember anything related to the fire, where he got the pendant from, who gave him the dagger or what 'ALV' meant.
Not only these memories, but the things he ought to know from studying in the academy were also missing.
If he were to return to the academy now, he'd barely pass…
He stood up, dagger in hand.
Swish! Whoosh! He sliced the air in a practiced sequence before sitting back down.
Even if I can't recall many things, the muscles still remember. He clenched the handle of the dagger, smiling.
He suddenly recalled seeing the dagger, Valken wanted him at the main estate, so he'll be going to Atreimes tomorrow…
***
Shou Nilski silently stood in front of the large window with his arms crossed, observing the different plants swaying in the breeze.
I don't want to "pray" here…
I don't know whether someone is watching or if something dangerous like that pendant is nearby…
Shou Nilski scanned the room before turning to the window.
Knock! Knock!
A sudden knock jolted him.
"Charles..." Shou Nilski was taken aback, but he smiled due to Vlad's memories.
Charles was different from regular maidservants working in the mansion. She wasn't just trained to be a good personal maid for Vlad but also to be one of the personal guards for Countess Romanov. She was carved into an elite soldier from a young age.
When she was just about to finish her training to join the countess' guards, Valken sent her to Bruno to be Vlad's personal maidservant.
Besides her, there are 68 other elite Romanov soldiers scattered throughout the mansion working as different staff to blend in with the normal staff. Though aside from four or five people, he had no idea who was normal staff and who wasn't.
Vlad's mother found Charles almost beaten to death by some thugs and saved her. That's why she was so set on becoming the countess' guard, but the previous countess passed before she could even join. Shou Nilski thought that the reason she became Vlad's personal maidservant without a second thought when Vlaken asked her was to protect the child of her saviour, even if she couldn't do anything for Vlad's mother.
Thus, she was always there for him. She knew Vlad like the back of her hand. And Vlad thought of her as an older sister.
Memories about his maid remained lingering in Shou Nilski's mind until the click of the door opening made him return to his senses.
His eyes snapped back to the table, to the dark ash and the blood smeared across the edge of the bed.
I was too scared to go close to that stuff and didn't clean it!
And there's still that burn scar on my head too!
Shou Nilski's heart slammed against his ribs. His pulse roared in his ears, thoughts scattering like startled birds.
With Charles entering any moment, he ruffled his hair, letting the strands fall loosely over his forehead, just enough to hide the mark. And as for the black dust, he gave up on trying to hide it…
"What's wrong, young master?" Charles asked, her voice laced with concern as she noticed him shaking his head.
Even though she went through some of the harshest training in the universe, she remained beautiful and elegant. Her slightly pale, lustrous skin exuded the vibe of some noble young lady.
When Shou Nilski saw her deep blue eyes, he composed himself and cleared his throat, "Just trying to pop my neck."
Charles approached, a long olive coat folded over one arm. But just as she took a dozen steps, she froze. Her eyes fell on the dark ash spread across the table.
Still as sharp as ever. Shou Nilski's lips quivered unknowingly.
Before Charles could speak, he seized the opportunity to tell what he had prepared in that small amount of time, "Yeah, it looks like one of the maids made a mess while cleaning. Also, there's a smudge of red on the blanket. It seems like someone's not focused on work today…"
Charles's brow furrowed ever so slightly. "I'll have someone see to it immediately," she said, her voice soft but laced with quiet disapproval. With a graceful bow of her head, she raised a hand to her ear.
Shou Nilski returned a smile. I'm sorry to whoever that's getting an earful…
He looked at the expensive-looking olive colored coat with many accessories attached that she was holding in her arms while speaking to someone, "It's not cold enough to wear that anymore." He commented, noticing the coat's thickness.
Charles gave him a soft, confused look, her brow furrowing slightly as she turned to the wardrobe, coat in hand, "Uh, yes... you're right, young master."
Why did she give that look?
Did I say something weird?
After seeing Charles enter the wardrobe, he went over to the scorched spot on the floor, but it was gone. His head snapped to the sofa, then to the dust-scattered table, but there was no sign of damage anywhere.
I was wondering how Charles didn't notice the aftermath of the fire…
Does infrastructure in this era repair automatically from damage? Shou Nilski half-joked.
Shou Nilski straightened himself as a thought formed in his mind, I haven't had that throbbing pain for a while now.
He contemplated his actions for a second, then carefully touched his temple hidden beneath his lush black hair and felt no pain. Feeling the sensation of only skin touching skin, he pressed his palms all around his head, the lack of pain and the texture he felt confirmed that the burns had completely healed!
Okay, another thing to not worry about… He thought as he tidied his hair.
Vlad was assassinated in the middle of the day. Well, I'll think of it as an assassination for now. But even with so many elite soldiers present, none of them noticed a single thing…
Shou Nilki started hitting his index and middle fingers together in thought.
Are they slacking on their job? Or is something more mysterious tied to Vlad's death?