“You’re asking how many times I’ve died…? Do you even know who you’re speaking to?”
Marrow glared at me sharply.
It seemed I had offended him.
…This isn’t good. I got ahead of myself.
I had asked the question because of the mythological technique called “Possession,” which apparently allows the transfer of power and consciousness. If such a thing truly existed, wouldn’t it mean that someone could jump from body to body, seeking better vessels and continuing to live indefinitely?
But Marrow didn’t seem to appreciate the line of reasoning.
“My apologies. I rushed to conclusions when faced with the unknown phenomenon of possession and phrased my question in an overly definitive manner. It was an inappropriate attitude for pursuing the truth.”
“What…?”
“First, I must carefully assess your current condition before proceeding further.”
Evaluation should be conducted step by step. In other words, diagnosis requires a proper process. The first step is a patient interview. I looked into Marrow’s eyes and asked:
“What’s your name?”
“Hah?”
“I’m asking what your name is.”
I began with a basic test of communication ability. One can learn a lot from the content of responses and the time taken to reply.
However, Marrow snorted in disdain and said:
“I have no name worth telling you.”
“Oh…? No name, you say?”
I didn’t expect that answer.
“Have you forgotten it? Then, how about your age?”
“Is there any point in counting? I am the history of the elves itself.”
“Hmm…”
What a situation this is.
He can’t tell me his name or age.
“This could be amnesia… No, his self-perception seems overly exaggerated. It resembles symptoms of dissociative identity disorder to some extent.”
“You dare call my words an exaggeration? How infuriating…”
“It seems there’s a tendency toward irritability as well. If so, we cannot rule out the possibility of delusional symptoms, which are early signs of Alzheimer’s.”
The mystery of possession as a spiritual divine technique is intriguing. But one must not blindly accept spiritual explanations. It’s always important to consider the possibility of known phenomena that resemble possession.
After all, situations where someone feels “possessed” are often reported as symptoms of mental disorders—such as dissociative identity disorder, commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder. Some people even claim things like, “I am God.”
So, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone believed themselves to be “the history of the elves.” Alternatively, there’s also the possibility that the divine technique Marrow claims to use is merely a form of brainwashing designed to make people believe such things.
To clarify this, I needed to ask:
“Have you ever had a history of mental illness?”
This sort of questioning was necessary. After all, this so-called “Sage of the East,” Marrow, might just be an overly powerful elf suffering from a mental disorder and deluding himself into thinking he’s the Sage of the East.
Clearing up such doubts would allow the diagnosis to move to the next step.
But instead of an answer, Marrow retorted:
“—I see now. You wish to die immediately, don’t you?”
Without warning, beams of holy light erupted from around Marrow and shot toward me.
But none of them hit me.
“Are you alright, Lord Kiwi?”
“Thanks to you, yes.”
Before the beams could reach me, Shes grabbed me and moved me to safety. That was close. My reflexes aren’t sharp enough to handle attacks at such unpredictable moments.
“You insolent brat…!”
“Why? Why are you so angry…?”
I couldn’t understand it. Was this irrational rage also a result of some mental illness?
“Kiwi, she isn’t mentally ill. She’s the real vessel of Marrow.”
The words came from Kinseika, who had been observing Marrow closely from behind me.
“Because the beams she just used are one of Marrow’s divine techniques.”
“Divine techniques, you say?”
“I’ve seen Marrow use them to execute fellow elves. The technique is called ‘Holy Art That Pierces All.’ While its power and speed seem weaker than the original, only Marrow can use that technique.”
“I see.”
Seeing a divine technique that only its originator could wield was likely why Anemone and the others concluded that this woman was Marrow, despite her different appearance. If that were true, it would indeed be compelling evidence of possession.
“In that case, we’ll set aside the suspicion of mental illness for now and proceed to physical examination.”
I expanded my Dark Heal shield in front of me like a broad barrier and began walking toward the presumed vessel of Marrow. However—
“You dare touch me, a lowly creature? Don’t get cocky!”
The Holy Art That Pierces All came at me like a relentless barrage from a submachine gun.
While my shield deflected the beams, the sheer force of the assault pushed me backward.
“Hmph, I can’t get close. How am I supposed to examine her like this…?”
“Shall I move forward to distract her, Lord Kiwi?”
“Don’t be reckless, Shes . One hit, and even you’ll be out of commission.”
I pushed Shes and the zombie soldiers behind me and focused entirely on adjusting the output of Dark Heal to deflect the countless beams.
“Hah! Do you think you can block forever? Once I understand how you’re adjusting your Dark Heal, piercing that flimsy shield will be easy! Even if not, your mana will deplete long before my holy power runs out.”
Marrow smirked triumphantly.
…But? No, that won’t be an issue.
I was using random output adjustments to make it impossible for her to analyze my shield logically. And, “unfortunately,” this situation would be resolved far sooner than my mana depletion.
“—Oooohhhhhh!”
A loud roar suddenly echoed.
It was the signal from the berserk bear soldier behind us.
“So, the time has come, after all.”
It seemed the end would arrive far sooner than my mana’s depletion. I hadn’t even completed a physical examination, but alas, it couldn’t be helped.
I had to shift gears to our secondary plan.
“Zombie Soldier!”
Still holding up my Dark Heal shield, I climbed onto the massive arms of the zombie soldier behind me.
“Don’t hold back—Fire the Alaya Cannon!”
With a motion like hurling a spear, the zombie soldier flung me high into the air.
