Episode 97. Fragments (2)
The bundle of paper that Anne Sophie handed over wasn’t particularly thick.
Since Odette was actually an outsider, it seemed like she had summarized and organized information that should not be leaked, but there was still a lot of content.
It was probably due to Anne Sophie’s suspicion of the Department of Divinity, which would have data on the holy relics. She had both a dislike for the Faculty of Divinity and a fondness for Odette, and it seemed as if she’d swept up everything but the most sensitive secrets.
Because Odette had asked her to.
– I want to know more about the relic I mentioned last time. Everything you can tell me.
Odette didn’t fully trust Louis’s words, but she had no intention of disregarding any clues given for that reason. Since she had already confirmed with Anne Sophie that Louis was somehow connected to the relic, it was necessary to understand what influence the relic was having between them.
“Of course, but you can’t take these documents out. You’ll have to read them here. I don’t want the Divinity students to get the wrong idea.”
“Of course, thank you.”
“But why are you suddenly so curious about the holy relic? It’s not like it has anything to do with you.”
“I thought the same way. But……. I have a feeling there might be.”
The certainty that Count Clovis and her were once married feels like more than just a dream.
Above all, there was one thing that bothered her the most.
– I heard that the Divinity Faculty has been researching a relic. They say there are only three of them in the entire continent, and they grant wishes.
– Wishes? How is that possible?
– According to the records, it’s said that it can turn back time or bring back the dead. Of course, it’s just documentation and claims.
When Anne Sophie first mentioned the relic, it was clear that among the categories of ‘wishes’ that the relic could grant, turning back time was included.
If that’s the case, this seemingly absurd assumption, no, conviction could be true.
Odette quickly skimmed through the information provided by Anne Sophie.
What Annesophie had brought was a complete copy of the materials used by the Divinity Faculty, so the initial contents were not particularly informative.
They mostly consisted of brief descriptions of relics, which are fragments of gods scattered throughout the world and commonly referred to as relics.
There were also drawings depicting the unknown symbols found on relics and their general shapes.
However, the important part was the subsequent content.
‘When a relic is used, it affects those involved.’
Since holy objects are fragments of the gods, it’s impossible to know exactly whether they contain the will of the gods or not. But for some reason, they have a wide range of effects, centered around the person who uses them.
And the primary symptom is…….
‘…… Hallucinations.’
According to the documents, those around the user experience various hallucinations, often involving a common figure appearing.
But that wasn’t all. Alongside this information was a commentary added by someone from the Faculty of Divinity.
[According to the ‘experiencer’, it wasn’t just simple hallucinations. There have been no cases where the hallucinations experienced exactly match in any way. If the relic hadn’t manipulated false memories in multiple people, the only explanation is that this is a trace of lost time.]
Traces of lost time.
In other words, when the relic turned back time, the related individuals gradually regained memories of the lost time as a result of this interaction.
[There isn’t much remaining evidence, so we can’t assert this for certain, but it’s clear that hallucinations occurred only when time was reversed. Or perhaps, since most of the wishes granted by the relic involved reversing time, hallucinations became a frequent symptom……. Regardless, the notion of experiencing hallucinations should be erased. Regaining lost memories cannot be described as hallucinations.]
Odette’s hand trembled slightly as she held the paper.
Her conviction was correct. They had indeed experienced lost time, lost memories.
‘It really was a memory of the past.’
She had suspected it, so this was not a surprise.
Odette was disturbed for another reason.
Who had used the orb. She had an inkling of who had created this situation.
‘Louis hasn’t changed from the past.’
No, he hadn’t improved from the past. Louis didn’t get what he wanted, and he wasn’t free from his past. If Louis had been the one to use the relic, he should have considered himself lucky not to have married Odette by now and lived a happy life.
Then who benefited the most from the changed timeline?
‘Walter. And…… me.’
There were two possibilities.
The first was the possibility that Odette, at the end of a tragic life, made a wish through the relic.
‘Louis certainly said I died, but maybe I did something before I died.’
Perhaps dying itself was a condition. There’s no guarantee that the person who used the relic would retain memories of the past.
Either way, Odette eventually returned in time and obtained a new life.
Until Odette saw the notes written by someone from the Divinity Faculty, she didn’t doubt that her past self had used the relic.
However, as she moved her gaze below, that possibility quickly diminished like a fire doused by rain.
[Those known to have used the relic showed no consistency in status, gender, age, or abilities. The last known user of the relic was the unprecedented archmage and sage, Kazimir, who possessed the power to grant life. The first known user was the daughter of a merchant.]
It was the next sentence that mattered.
[However, regardless of the conditions under which the relic was used, all users meet a common fate. Between one and two years, their whereabouts become mysterious. They enter a state of disappearance.]
Disappearance.
The moment Odette saw that word, something struck her mind like lightning.
The detailed clause about his own death in Walter’s contract, written to the extent that it raised suspicion.
[“If Walter Ertmann remains missing for more than three months, all property in his name will be transferred to Odette Benoit Celestine.”]
[After Walter Ertmann’s death, Ertmann is obliged to protect Odette Benoit Celestine, and from the moment Walter Ertmann’s death is confirmed. Odette Benoit Celestin permanently loses all rights and obligations that she could have exercised as Ertmann’s hostess.]
Finally, Odette seemed to understand Walter’s obsession revealed in the contract.
‘He knew it from the beginning.’
Now Odette understood why Walter was so fixated on their marriage, why he firmly believed she loved Louis.
And why his gaze upon her seemed so mournful yet joyous…….
‘……It was him.’
Walter Ertmann, he was the one who had used the holy object to turn back time.
* * *
Odette returned to Ertmann’s manor as soon as she discovered the truth.
She immediately looked for Walter, but he was not in the manor.
– If you’re looking for the master, he has gone to the palace to meet His Highness the Crown Prince, madam. Didn’t you know that?
Odette knew about meeting Cedric. However, she had not been informed that it was today.
‘Walter hid it on purpose!’
The Emperor was furious that another scandal had broken out involving Ertmann and the Princess.
Ertmann was a disgrace to the Emperor, who had allowed him to marry her when he had no choice, and now he had been stabbed in the back.
He angrily demanded that Walter and Odette’s marriage be annulled immediately, but his failing health prevented him from doing so.
Instead, the task fell to Cedric, who was also angry with Walter.
If Cedric had been a more emotional person, he might have borne the Emperor’s wrath directly, but fortunately, he remained a thoughtful older brother.
‘How many times do I have to say I have no intention of breaking off the engagement? There was even a suggestion to separate while living in the palace.’
Of course, Odette had responded multiple times that she had no such intentions, but Walter was the problem.
In Odette’s mind, scenes from their last encounter resurfaced.
The image of Walter gripping Cedric by the collar.
‘If he reacted with such anger the last time he heard the word ‘divorce’…….’
There was no guarantee that Walter wouldn’t get angry this time either. The problem was that Cedric could not only use this incident to push for a divorce between Odette and Walter but also inflict additional punishment on Walter.
She had asked Walter to come with her several times, just to be on the safe side.
‘Why did he go alone?’
Is he really trying to do something?
As much as Odette had faith in Walter, she firmly believed in his loyalty.
Still, under different circumstances, she didn’t think he’d do something as ridiculous as attacking the Crown Prince.
‘Walter know…… he’s going to disappear.’
So, there was a possibility he might do anything. In Odette’s mind, the worst-case scenarios were unfolding, and just as the twenty-third possibility came to her, she hurriedly left the room.
‘I have to stop them being alone before it’s too late!’
She couldn’t bear to wait for him to return.
‘Now I know what he’s hiding.’
Of course, there were many things she was curious about. How exactly did he manage it, and why did he turn back time? Why did he specifically choose her? Was it true that he killed her?
But above all of that, Odette wanted to see Walter.
She had been turning away because she couldn’t face her confusing feelings, but now her feelings for him were becoming too clear to ignore.
There was no need to differentiate between past emotions and present ones. Whenever she looked at Walter, she felt them.
‘And perhaps, Walter too…….’
Odette headed straight for the palace. However, the journey to the Prince’s Palace was not smooth.
There was an interruption in her path.
“Odette. Your husband has become quite the sight, hasn’t he?”
It was Lizaina.
