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Chapter 56

Since there's a system, I won't forget the fact that I was possessed, but if I lose everything about the me before the possession, can that still be called 'possession'? Will I gradually become Del Narcissus and remain as one of the characters in the game?

In the heat and dizziness caused by the alcohol, all sorts of impure thoughts swirled in my head. I sat stiffly like a person turned to a stone person after staring at Medusa's eyes. I was helplessly swept away by the overwhelming thoughts. Then Andrea grabbed my arm tightly.

"Breathe. Breathe!"

Breathe?

I moved only my eyes to look at Andrea. Without realizing it, he had risen from his seat, leaning towards me with an urgent expression. The restaurant owner and her daughter, who had come to bring the food, were also surprised, staring at me.

Take a breath.

I entered that sentence in my mind and followed through.

"Phew..."

Andrea's grip on my arm loosened a bit. Then, the restaurant owner put down the plate on the table and slapped me on the back loudly.

"Ugh!"

I involuntarily gasped for air.

"Are you planning to become a corpse in my restaurant? If you're going to be like this, just pay for the drinks and leave!"

The restaurant owner's hand was really strong. I turned my hand back to rub my stinging back.

"Ouch..."

"It hurts? Well, that's the point! Do you know your face is turning blue right now? What if you forget how to breathe just because you're drunk?"

Andrea looked at the sharp glimpse of the restaurant owner who had hit my back. He seemed to realize that I hadn't stopped breathing due to being drunk, but because I was panicking for a moment.

"I'll keep an eye on him. Please bring the food."

Andrea spoke gently but firmly. The restaurant owner muttered, "I waited 10 years!" and went back to the kitchen, and her daughter quickly placed the soup on the table and disappeared. As soon as they were gone, Andrea scooped up a spoonful of soup and brought it to my lips.

"Eat something warm."

I opened my mouth like a helpless doll. The clear soup, boiled with cabbage, flowed down my throat. Andrea spoon-fed me a few more bites and, as I chewed on cabbage and carrots, he firmly massaged my fingertips. Slowly, warmth spread from my fingertips.

"Names are important."

Suddenly, Andrea spoke.

"I didn't have a name until I was twelve. There was no one to call a poor orphan born in the slums. At best, it was "Hey" or "Kid." Sometimes it was "Beggar" or "Bastard."

In my hazy state of mind, I absorbed his words. I knew a few lines of Andrea's background. Originally, he didn't know who his father was, and his mother died giving birth to him. Born without medical assistance in an unclean environment.

As a newborn, Andrea cried loudly upon birth. The residents of the slums would not let an orphan baby cry loudly after losing their parents. It's not that they would take care of it. It meant that someone quick on their feet handed the baby over to a slave trader and pocketed some money.

Andrea grew up under the slave trader, and at the age of twelve, he killed the slave trader. Following that path, he entered the Cruel Assassination Guild. Five years later, he killed the guild leader and became the head of Cruel. After Andrea became the guild leader, the guild flourished, gaining a notorious reputation in the empire.

"At the age of twelve, um, I moved from the place where I was living to another..."

He talking about how he moved after killing the slave trader. He carefully chose his words.

"The new place had a cemetery behind it. Among the gravestones in the most beautifully decorated tombstone had "Andrea Sloane" written on it. Well, saying it was beautifully decorated would be an exaggeration, there was just a fresh bouquet of flowers."

His hand had now come down from my fingertips and firmly pressed against my palm. Despite my hand already being warm, he didn't stop the massage.

"Receiving flowers even after death, that person was truly remarkable. I had such thoughts as a child. So, I decided to make that person's name my own. Pronouncing it felt good, and the feeling of my tongue rolling was pleasant."

"Andrea Sloane..."

Isn't this the first time he said his name?

"Having a name made me feel like I had a clearer sense of myself. I even had grand thoughts like being someone allowed to be here."

Even without seeing it, you could tell how happy the boy must have been to have a name for the first time since birth. Even if that name was taken from the gravestone of a dead person in a cemetery, even if it was a name he gave himself because no one else called him, he felt pure happiness. If that was the case, then it was a good name. I ignored the tingling at the tip of my nose and spoke.

"Good... it's a good name."

"Thank you."

He smiled beautifully.

"So, I understand how scary it is to forget a name. You probably feel like you've lost the place to return to"

He released my hand that he had been massaging diligently. Then, he slightly lowered his head, looked at me, and met my eyes.

"So, for now, I'll call you Del. Until the real one comes back. How about that?"

"You won't call me Mr. Fake?"

"Yes. Promise."

He raised his index finger, and I, still intoxicated, hooked my finger as if entranced. Our fingers intertwined tightly and then loosened.

We ate the soup and chicken thoroughly. Andrea paid for the meal to the restaurant owner and left a tip for the owner's daughter. He supported me, who was swaying, and we walked out of the restaurant. The rain had somewhat weakened compared to earlier, but it was still pouring heavily. The ground had turned into a complete mud puddle, and our feet sank deeply into it. Despite barely drying ourselves off in the restaurant, we were drenched again.

"I think we should find an inn."

He said that and carried me on his back. With the overlap of the alcohol's effects and fullness, I couldn't even think of refusing. I began to doze off, carried on Andrea's back. The raindrops soaking my body couldn't disturb my sleep.

So, I was unaware of the process of entering the inn, getting undressed, and entering the bathtub. In other words, when I finally regained consciousness, I found myself being washed by Andrea in the bathtub, completely naked.