The sudden encounter mixed surprise and joy.
Truly unexpected, this chance meeting flustered both Luke and Third.
“Why did you come out from there?”
“And why, Master, were you hanging in front of the window like that?”
Only then did Luke hurriedly correct his awkward posture, clear his throat, and speak.
“Ahem. Well, what reason would I have to stand in front of a doll shop? I came to buy a doll.”
“……Are you talking about dolls?”
“Yes. I passed by and it seemed like there was a doll I was looking for here.”
“I see.”
Third was looking for the new location of the ‘Merlin Doll Shop’ at Luke’s request.
However, Luke must have been tracking Merlin based on his own information.
As it turned out, it seemed they both coincidentally found the Merlin Doll Shop at the same time.
Disappointed in his master for not trusting him to wait, Third also admired Luke’s information-gathering abilities and nodded seriously.
Yet one question remained.
“By the way, why in such a position…?”
Luke immediately interrupted Third and asked.
“Why are you coming out of this doll shop?”
Faced with Luke’s sudden question, Third had no choice but to swallow his words and answer.
“I was looking for the Merlin Doll Shop on the suggestion of my master. Master, as you said, this is the Merlin Doll Shop.”
“Is that so? Hmm, I see.”
At Third’s words, Luke nodded slightly.
“It certainly seemed highly likely.”
In fact, Luke had been considering this possibility.
The first clue was that this was a recently opened doll shop, as it was not mentioned in the information networks of numerous doll enthusiasts.
The second clue was the presence of limited edition dolls like Meruru’s that could not be obtained by ordinary means.
And the final third clue was that even though the shop was in a small warehouse-like state, the quality of the dolls was uniformly high.
Considering all of that information, one could not simply think of it as an ordinary newly started doll shop.
But that this place was truly the ‘Merlin Doll Shop’?
It could only be said that it was merely luck.
Even though Luke could not be certain despite the possibility, it was quite a remarkable coincidence for him, and he felt there was no reason to let on that he was oblivious.
“Ah, so that’s why you came out of here.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
And if this was the Merlin Doll Shop, it wouldn’t be strange at all for Third to have come out from there.
It was simply a matter of timing aligning perfectly.
Thinking that the story seemed to fit together to some extent, Luke sighed and asked.
“However, why were you calling repeatedly just now? I definitely hung up, didn’t I? Looking at it now, it doesn’t seem like you had anything urgent to discuss.”
Luke asked with dissatisfaction.
Earlier, he was focused on eavesdropping on the situation and conversation inside when the phone call had come, putting him in quite the predicament.
But Third was equally flustered.
“Ah, was that you who hung up, Master? I thought the phone kept cutting off because of the magic in the building and thus kept calling.”
Third, not very familiar with modern mobile phones, did not understand the signal that indicates the other party had hung up.
From Third’s perspective, unaware of that difference, he thought it was due to the concealment magic in the building, so he continued to call, and when it still did not connect, he ended up coming outside to try again and encountered Luke.
“Haah. So, that was it.”
It seemed that this was just a misunderstanding.
“Ah, don’t just stand around here. Let’s go inside and talk. Merlin wants to see you, Master.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
——–
Merlin.
Thus, the woman they met had ash-gray hair in a medium-length style and light blue eyes. Although she had grown older and the years had etched remnants onto her face, making it hard to call her ‘beautiful’ as a woman, she exuded an impressive charisma.
“Nice to meet you, Merlin. I am Luke Irushi,”
Luke reached out a hand and greeted her.
This was a sudden meeting, one he had never anticipated, and he had prepared nothing at all, but what did that matter?
Luke decided to be thankful for this serendipitous encounter.
With this, wouldn’t all worries regarding the dolls be resolved?
Whether it was the limited edition doll of Meruru he needed right away, or the numerous high-quality handmade dolls he would need later on.
“…Nice to meet you,”
However, even in response to Luke’s greeting, Merlin displayed an overwhelmingly flustered expression, barely managing to accept Luke’s handshake.
It wasn’t simply because Luke, as a person, looked like a child who did not match the image she had imagined.
‘What is this presence…’
The immense presence embedded within Luke radiated an aura that she could not possibly handle.
It wasn’t merely referring to magical power.
It was a far more essential sense of overwhelm.
‘What on earth is happening? How is such a small child’s body…’
The firmness that couldn’t be hidden by the soft touch of his hand.
The intensity that couldn’t be concealed by a gentle and cute smile.
The mature presence that couldn’t be hidden even by an immature body.
All those feelings were akin to what she experienced when she faced ‘him’.
Could it possibly be that story…?
Seeing Merlin’s expression crumble, Third asked curiously.
“What’s wrong, Merlin?”
Her master clearly looked very youthful on the outside, causing everyone to feel confused, yet there seemed to be no reason for Merlin to be so flustered.
She had already provided sufficient explanation about Luke, and Merlin was also a skilled doll maker.
As a doll maker, she had the ability to erase emotions from her expression, no matter what situation occurred.
Yet, even she wasn’t able to manage her expression this time?
It was very strange.
But Luke seemed to have an inkling of the reason.
Looking into Merlin’s quivering light blue eyes, Luke smiled and spoke.
“Merlin, you possess ‘Soul Sight,’ don’t you?”
“W-How did you know…?!”
Merlin gasped in surprise at Luke’s unexpected words.
The fact that she had ‘Soul Sight’ was something no one else knew.
——
Soul Sight. It’s one of the powerful special eyes that allow one to see the souls of others directly.
Its rarity and value can be compared to that of Magic Sight.
But why is that?
It relates to the very essence of the soul.
A soul is essentially the trace of one’s life.
It is the sediment created from the life of living beings piling upon themselves.
However, any living being will eventually reach a moment where their life can no longer accumulate or change.
Death.
The destination assigned to all living things.
What happens when a living being dies?
The answer is simple.
They become ‘traces.’
A deceased life inevitably leaves behind traces of the path they have walked in the world.
Just as a cart leaves wheel tracks as it passes, or raindrops wet the ground.
The life of a living being must leave a trace in the world.
That is the true form of what we call a soul.
‘But what if one can directly gaze upon the essence of that soul?’
What would happen to that person?
A person endowed with Soul Sight can know everything that the living being has left behind.
It is almost akin to being a powerful telepath.
Therefore, the emotions of a person with Soul Sight are somewhat similar to those of a mage.
For someone who can see souls, life is simply information without a self.
Thus, it may seem as though all living beings are puppets controlled by the threads of a doll maker, and all societies may appear like vast puppet shows with scripted dialogues.
If everything is an illusion, then all life becomes worthless.
“So that’s why you became so obsessed with dolls,”
Luke casually remarked as he gazed at the dolls created by Merlin.
Like a unicorn endowed with Soul Sight, feeling no value aside from the ‘virginity’ of the soul.
Merlin too is a wretched being who cannot find salvation through mere human souls.
As feelings such as love are merely processes arising from the soul.
“Perhaps that’s why you accepted Third as well?”
Considering that Third’s soul was shattered, from Merlin’s perspective, it would be no different from a doll with its string cut.
The absence of a ‘string’ signifies the absence of a person who can manipulate it.
It would indeed resemble a puppet that acts on its own.
“…”
Merlin was struck by amazement at how Luke was able to read everything about her with just a single glance.
“W-What… was that, Merlin?”
Hearing Luke’s words, Third, with a trembling voice, asked Merlin.
Was it because she already knew everything that she hadn’t inquired about the pasts of the other children?
Was her referring to the children she raised as ‘dolls’ and herself as a doll maker for that reason?
Was her unusually strict yet kind behavior towards her alone, like that of a mother, also for such reasons?
“Isn’t that right, Merlin?”
“…”
Without a word, Merlin stared at Luke.
Indeed, the existence of ‘Luke Irushi’ was as dangerous and sharp as Third described.
It resembled a finely honed blade, sharp as teeth.
