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“…Ow.”

I woke up gently with a pulsating headache, pressing my hands on my head. What is this? My joints are so stiff. My entire body was in pain.

         Um, what exactly happened?

Even when I opened my eyes wide, everything was shrouded in darkness. Was it night?

My room always had a lamp on. Even when I slept, I had the habit of leaving on a small light. That’s why it was strange to be surrounded by such darkness.

Not only that, I realized something when I woke up. Had I really been sleeping on the floor?

I reached out my hand in the darkness to feel my fingers b.u.mp into a wooden floor.

Wooden floor?

I shrugged my shoulders. Was there this kind of floor at the mansion?

I don’t mean to brag, but the Augustine household was a splendid place. Fluffy carpets were spread out in every room. Where would there have been a floor made of this kind of wood?

Anyway, where is the light? It’s too dark to see anything.

I stood while holding onto my spinning head. Oh, is this anemia? I’m incredibly dizzy.

When I walked a bit, I b.u.mped into something that was probably furniture. Then, making my way around the furniture by moving to the side, something that felt like a table b.u.mped my arm.

Something made of gla.s.s. .h.i.t me and let out an ear-piercing sound. Reaching out over the table, I managed to find what felt like a lamp. Then, recklessly fumbling for a match, I managed to light it.

At that moment, an orange light filled the room.

What is this place?

I surveyed the area. Mysterious-looking tools were lined up on a plain bookshelf. Also, so were many jars filled with medicine. Neatly folded white cloths. Were they sheets?

This was a place I had never seen before.

Why am I in a place like this?

When I looked around some more, I found some even stranger sights.

White cloths draped over what seemed to be furniture. However, rather than furniture, the shapes seemed…

I switched the lamp over to my left hand and placed my right on one of the cloths. Slowly, I pulled it off. The smooth sound of the rubbing cloth echoed.

Without realizing it, a shout almost escaped my lips. In front of me was a life-sized doll. It was the shape of a beautiful girl with white skin. Flowing black hair, a fine nose-bridge, long eyelashes.

Amazing.

She was so realistic.

I cautiously touched the doll’s cheek. It was cold.

However.

I recoiled.

Is this really a doll?

It was a girl wrapped in a simple dress, just like a real person.

I suddenly felt a wave of fear. My feet began to tremble.

While pulling back I looked around at my surroundings, seeing that there was a coffin-like object on the floor next to the table.

 Wait a moment.

I needed to find a way to calm down. Maybe start counting?

One, two, three…

There was something else wrapped in cloth. I stiffened and observed my surroundings.

How many dolls were there?

If I counted the one from before, there were one, two, three…

What if they weren’t dolls, but something like ghosts? It would be better to think of them that way than as corpses… what was I going to do if they were corpses?!

…besides that, was this even reality?!

Was I not dreaming?!

Exactly where am I?

What had I been doing up until before? I needed to think.

That’s right, I had been at the school festival with mother and the others, watching Rachel’s play—

I was about to go home.

Claire had said she would call for a carriage, and mother and father were greeting the principle…

Then I was. .h.i.t on the back by somebody.

I panicked and placed my hands on the back of my head. It was only to check if I had been injured.

 No way!

 My hair!

The long hair that ran down my back was gone!
I combed up and the short hair slipped through my fingers.

It had to be a lie. Did someone cut it?

The hair I took care of so well so that it would grow long. The golden hair that glittered with my pride.

I then realized there was a mirror hanging on the wall.

A mirror. My hair… while wanting to cry I peeked over.

My body stiffened.

“…who?”

The voice that whispered was not my own.

It was deeper than my voice.

The face reflected inside the mirror was not my own face.

It had blonde hair, and seemed to be around the same age as I. Maybe around fourteen or fifteen years old.

Clear blue eyes. Wide and slanted. Light colored lips. A kind of beauty that could not be forgotten after one glance.

But, without mistake, it was a boy.

“What… what is this…?”

My breath became frantic.

Surely, this is a dream.

Because this is impossible.

Troubled and staring at the mirror, I suddenly heard an unknown voice echo through the room.

“Gray Starling. This is a rare mishap for you.”

It was a young woman’s voice.

The voice was harsh and filled with immense coldness.

“However, I’m grateful for this mistake. We’ve closed this place down so there’s no more chance of escape.”

Suddenly, as if she dropped out of nowhere, the woman appeared.

The woman, who wore black clothes that looked easy to move in, had a wise face. With short silver hair, she looked to be in about her mid-twenties. She threw me a high-pressured glance, laughing coldly.

“For now, I’ll just be cautious.”

While saying this, she rolled up the sleeve on her left arm. A shining, pale crest was revealed.

“This is a magic disabling barrier. From before, your magic license has been revoked for eternity. Furthermore, due to using magic to commit crimes that inflicted harm on other human beings, the central Office of Administration of Justice has released an arrest warrant on your behalf.  Any objections?”

“Um…”

I became fl.u.s.tered and stared at her. Suddenly, I was pushed down by an immense power and collapsed to the floor. It was as if something was tying my body together. A feeling of tight pressure.

Unable to bare it, I called out quietly.

“I really would love to kill you”

As I lay flat on the ground, someone was stepping on my back. I couldn’t see his face, but it seemed to be a young man.

“Edgar, if you damage him we’ll be the ones who get punished.”

With a disgusted tone, the woman in front of me let out a sigh. However, without showing any signs of caring, the man called Edgar pressed harder into my back with his foot.

Remember this: if I ever get the chance I’ll step right back on you!

I thought this bitterly inside while driven by anxiety.

Because of that mark on her arm. It was the first time I had seen it in person, but anyone could recognize it.

That was the mark of the Magic Supervision Police.

The elite of the Administration of Justice Department.

Why those kind of people were trying to arrest me—actually, no, they weren’t trying to arrest me.

Surely they were chasing after the boy who owned my current face.

“Wait…”

I frantically opened my mouth. I tried to tell them I wasn’t the person they were looking for.

The door in the corner of the room opened with a click and a girl who looked about ten years old entered the room. Her straight, chestnut colored hair shook, and cutting her breath, she spoke.

“Matilda! The results of the a.n.a.lysis of the performed magic have arrived!”

The girl moved her eyes to where I was lying on the floor, knitting her eyebrows with concern. “Apparently it was personality transfer magic… so…”

The woman named Matilda whispered quietly. Next to her, the young girl also rolled up her left sleeve.

“I’m also a member of the police. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

After greeting me, she bowed her head.

“Personality transfer magic is forbidden, isn’t it. I hadn’t heard that Gray used such a thing—“

Matilda’s words faded in the middle of her sentence.

“Name yourself”

Matilda ordered with a bitter tone of voice.

I replied, still stuck on the floor.

“Ariel Augustine.”