Forgotten Juliet

Chapter 128:

* * *

Yes, it seems shes a spirit summoner.

Eshelrid, the magician from the Marigold Guild, confirmed.

She is?

Juliet asked in a hushed voice.

The claims of the somewhat peculiar Dolores could only be confirmed by magicians.

Juliet had brought Dolores to the Count Monads estate.

The empty Counts estate had been allowed for Eshel and his colleagues to stay. It had been a good move to gain the favor of the magicians.

Yes, though its faint, I can feel the unique flow of magic.

Im sure!

Wow, Ive only read about this in books!

The magicians, who were enthusiastically observing Dolores, seemed almost mad.

Eshels fellow magicians, who had only recently observed a young dragon and a manifestation of a spiritual entity, started to regard Juliet with increasingly serious expressions.

Wouldnt the Countess benefit from having magicians around?

But Juliet, who knew how expensive magicians services were, just smiled.

I cant afford to hire magicians.

Oh, I see

Its a shame. I thought it would be fun to have some interesting incidents around the Countess.

Rather than pondering whether it was a compliment or a subtle remark, Juliet glanced at Dolores and said:

But she doesnt know what kind of spirit she summoned.

Huh?

Is that even possible?

It does seem a bit suspicious.

The magicians once again surrounded Dolores.

Whats the issue? Cant she see?

Oh, no.

Could it be that she summoned a transparent type of spirit?

Eshels colleagues began to scrutinize Dolores with keen eyes.

Dolores, surrounded by curious magicians, looked a little frightened.

D-Dolores couldnt see the spirit directly.

Stammering Dolores repeated the story she had told Juliet.

Dolores cant see because her eyes are covered.

Wait, can you summon a spirit while your eyes are covered?

Dolores doesnt know much about difficult things. But Marquis Guinnesss other subordinate spirit summoners also said that Dolores summoned a spirit.

It was the second time Juliet had heard this story, so she wasnt particularly excited, but the magicians who were listening were becoming more serious.

But you didnt see what kind of spirit it was? Is that possible?

But can you control the spirit? Where is it now?

Did you fall asleep during the summoning? How can you control a spirit if you cant even see it? You cant handle something you havent seen.

So, is this just a case of a spirit summoner being used as a tool to summon a spirit?

After muttering among themselves, the magicians reached their own conclusions.

Well, the awakening of a spirit summoners talent is different for each person.

Strange as it may be, its not an impossible story. Spirits come in all shapes and sizes, after all. There might be spirits that can be summoned like that.

But this Marquis Guinness guy is suspicious.

But who is Guinness? I feel like Ive heard that name before.

The capital had been turned upside down, but the magicians seemed thoroughly disinterested in anything outside their field of interest.

Fortunately, Eshelrid seemed to know who Guinness was. He turned to Juliet with a serious expression.

But can we trust that woman if shes Marquis Guinnesss wife or daughter?

Dolores just did as the Marquis told her!

Before Juliet could answer, Dolores shouted.

She is Marquis Guinnesss adopted daughter, but thats because he gave her money. And Marquis Guinness didnt treat Dolores kindly either.

Dolores poured out her words.

While he had a lot of treasure, he wouldnt let Dolores touch even a pretty hairpin. And he treated that woman much better than Dolores

That woman?

Yes!

Who is that?

I dont know much about her. Shes a young woman who wears all white. Marquis Guinness treated her very well. Gave her the best room, spoke politely to her

White clothes.

Juliet suddenly remembered. The priestesss robes were also white.

Whats her name?

Her name is huh?

Dolores looked embarrassed.

Weird I thought I knew it? Ill remember that soon!

Dolores groaned for a while but couldnt remember the name. Juliet, who was looking at Dolores blankly, suddenly spoke.

Dahlia.

Oh?

Wasnt her name Dahlia?

I Im not sure. It seemed like it, and it seemed like it wasnt Im sorry.

As Dolores apologized and struggled to remember, the other magicians intervened.

Wait, you heard the name, but you cant remember if its correct or not?

Whats wrong with her memory? Could she have damaged her memory center while experimenting with summoning spirits?

Uh! Can someone be a spirit summoner if the memory center is damaged?

Juliet, tapping the table lightly with her fingertips, called over Eshelrid.

Eshel, give me a moment.

Yes.

Eshel understood and discreetly left the room.

What do you think?

In convenience, we group all beings under the term spirits, but not all spirits that spirit summoners deal with are inherently good, you know?

Yes, I know. When people hear spirits, they usually think of small, benevolent fairies, but not all of them are like that.

The beings from another dimension crossing over didnt often resemble fairies, and benevolent ones were even rarer. In simple terms, they were summoned creatures from another world.

Perhaps it might be more accurate to call them just summoners. And the ones summoned

Demons?

Juliet grinned.

Thats true too.

Yes, because you never know what kind of beings you might summon from beyond the dimensions.

Eshel had warned Juliet several times before. Her butterflies possessed an incredibly powerful and irrational force, not on the level of spirits or creatures but closer to that of demons.

These beings from another dimension come here to take physical form and exert their power, and for that, they need a contractor.

Spirit summoners were unique individuals with rare magical frequencies. They didnt need to have abundant magical power; it was enough to be able to summon beings from other realms.

The contractors called spirit summoners are their channels and batteries.

I understand.

Juliet nodded.

Her butterfly creatures were the same way.

They appeared cute here, but their true forms beyond the dimensions were dangerously powerful beings that could drive someone insane at first sight.

Juliet had an idea of what Eshel was trying to say.

And their abilities vary greatly.

Yes, thats correct.

Natural spirits could summon rain, create fire, or even conjure hurricanes. Some possessed incredible healing abilities, while others were simply massive monsters.

But the most dangerous ones are those that can interfere with the human mind.

And the more they can meddle with a persons mind, the more dangerous they are, right?

Eshel shrugged.

Well, you know.

In simpler terms, theyre demons, arent they?

I wouldnt go so far as to say that.

But thats what it means.

Eshel seemed to want to warn her again about how strange her butterfly creatures were, but Juliet had a different question in mind.

Then, Eshel, suppose theres a very powerful mental realm creature. Whether its a demon or a spirit.

Yes?

Could it manipulate human memories?

Yes?

Eshel looked puzzled, but Juliet grinned.

She alone knew that Lennox had suddenly became aware of the memories before the regression that only she would remember.

But as she contemplated her memories, Juliet realized that some of them might have been tampered with or damaged by someone.

Piece by piece.

* * *

The next day, Juliet sat in the reception room, writing a letter to be sent to the East with graceful handwriting. After a while, she put down her pen and flicked her fingers slowly. At that moment, a couple of butterflies flew over and landed on her hand.

(Marquis. South, territory.)

(Punishment. Property. Confiscation.)

They hesitated before speaking the words.

These butterflies were the ones Juliet had secretly planted when she visited the imperial palace. Their purpose was to relay conversations that took place at the palace.

Of course, they could only pick up words and phrases, not hold a fluent conversation.

However, Juliet understood perfectly.

They plan to confiscate Marquiss property and possessions, right?

Juliet furrowed her brow slightly.

What was the point of these arrogant nobles subtly coveting that territory now?

Juliet had no interest or need for southern territories like them.

But she couldnt help but scoff at their arrogance.

It was the knights of the Carlyle Duchy that had resolved the situation when Marquis Guinnesss private soldiers confronted the imperial palace. It was rumored that some noble families had quietly led soldiers to the capital after the situation had been settled.

But when the real problem arose, they trembled behind Carlyle Duchys forces.

Juliet only had settled her grudge against Marquis Guinness, who had provoked her first.

As a bonus, I caught a lot of suspicious points.

Dolores said that there was a woman behind Marquis Guinness. And Juliet thought that the woman must be Dahlia.

Marquiss territory would have been devastated by now by the knights of Duke Carlyle.

She didnt expect Dahlia to still be there.

But whats their goal?

But it was clear that Dahlia had plotted something to put her in danger, just like Marquis Guinness.

Was their aim to brainwash her, as Marquis Guinness did?

Now that I think about it, I always met with Dahlia right before every crisis