EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 145

Chapter 145

***

 

“Your Highness, the Grand Princess! Did you have a pleasant trip?”

“Are you feeling tired?”

“Oh, by the way, the Great Sage visited a little while ago!”

After enjoying delicious desserts and tea at a prime spot with an ocean view, I returned to the Grand Duchy, where a group of maids rushed out to welcome me.

“The Great Sage? When did he arrive?”

“Not long after Your Highness left.”

I nodded at the maid’s cheerful response.

That meant he must have arrived, had a hearty meal, taken a thorough bath, and was now resting.

Raizel was one of the few people in this castle treated with as much care as I was.

And rightly so.

He consistently used his divine power to purify me and had even dispelled the illusion spell that had altered my appearance years ago.

‘That reminds me of the past.’

About a year after arriving at the Grand Duchy, thanks to the constant purification, my hair had slowly started returning to its original pink color from the tips.

As time passed, my hair fully changed, and eventually, even my eyes turned completely pink.

That morning, like any other, I had simply woken up—only to find the maids frozen in place, their faces stricken with shock.

⟨Y-Your Highness!⟩

Their eyes brimmed with tears in an instant, and before I knew it, they were wailing.

Not knowing what was happening, I panicked and started crying with them.

My family, who rushed over at the commotion, also held me tightly and sobbed for a long time.

It was then that I finally understood.

Although they had never shown it outwardly, perhaps fearing it would make me feel self-conscious, many people had secretly grieved over the loss of my hair and eye color.

So, of course, Raizel was always warmly welcomed here.

I, too, deeply trusted and appreciated him, for he had solved the greatest mystery of my two lives.

‘Though now, looking back, that illusion spell seems like nothing in comparison…’

Suppressing my growing unease, I stood before Raizel’s door.

“Come in.”

Before I could even knock, his voice rang out.

This room housed ancient relics and texts that Raizel had collected over the years.

A powerful divine barrier was in place, preventing entry without his permission, and ensuring that no conversations inside could be overheard.

When I stepped inside, I saw Raizel sprawled out on the sofa, sipping a drink.

He had undoubtedly arrived at the castle looking like a vagabond, yet now, after a haircut and shave, he appeared completely refreshed.

“Great Sage.”

“You’re back already? But what’s with your hair? I went through all that trouble restoring it.”

Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Raizel eyed my hair.

“You’ve already made your debut in society. You can go out as you are now.”

“But it’s more convenient like this when I go outside.”

If the Grand Duchess’s daughter wandered around freely, it would not only cause a stir among the citizens but also exhaust my escorts.

I undid the magic on my hair and took a seat before getting straight to the point.

“So, where’s my present?”

“…Huh?”

“You wrote in your letter that you wouldn’t be able to attend my coming-of-age ceremony. You said you had a good feeling about it and that you’d definitely find my birthday gift this time.”

I glanced at the thick, dust-covered ancient tomes stacked on the desk, along with the unidentifiable—likely unrestored—relics beside them.

“Did you manage to find anything this time?”

I looked back at Raizel with anticipation, but he avoided my gaze with an awkward expression.

‘Another failure, huh?’

I nearly sighed in disappointment.

But I couldn’t let that show, not in front of Raizel, who tirelessly roamed the continent in search of answers.

“I was just joking.”

Forcing a cheerful voice, I changed the subject.

“Oh, did you stop by Duke Elard’s estate again this time?”

“I did.”

“How is Diana?”

“The Saintess is doing very well, so there’s no need to worry. She’s so strong-willed that I nearly lost all my hair this time.”

“I see. She’s doing well.”

I spoke wistfully.

Though we exchanged letters regularly, not seeing Diana in person made me miss her all the more.

“Did you even listen to me? I said I almost lost all my hair!”

“I’m just relieved she’s still healthy and lively.”

Raizel sighed, shaking his head at my fond smile.

“You and the Saintess… You’re both hopelessly devoted.”

Muttering to himself, he suddenly fell silent.

His face turned serious.

Seeing his expression harden, my own grew somber.

“…I guess nothing has changed on that side either.”

“No. She still hasn’t awakened.”

“…I see.”

I had expected as much.

If Diana had awakened, she would have found a way to let me know immediately.

‘I already knew… but still…’

 

***

 

Raizel gazed at Lia, who had lowered her eyes in thought, his expression heavy with concern.

When they first met, she had been just a child.

But now, watching her sit there, fully grown into a lady, old memories and lingering regrets came rushing back.

Nine years ago, Raizel did not accompany the Grand Duke to the Grand Duchy.

Despite urging them to start the purification process immediately, when the time came for departure, he instead stopped by the temple.

The Grand Duke had looked at him with confusion.

After all, Raizel had always avoided the temple whenever possible.

But when Raizel mentioned needing to gather purification tools and inform the temple of the Saintess’s birth, the Grand Duke soon nodded in understanding.

Of course, it hadn’t been a lie.

However, the real reason Raizel went to the temple was to verify something far more important.

Although he had maintained a composed facade in front of the child who nervously confessed to having lived an entire life before, the fact that time had reversed was not something he could take lightly.

He needed to confirm whether such an unusual phenomenon had ever happened before.

Moreover, he had to determine if the mana-sealing necklace, specifically, the red gemstone, was truly what he suspected it to be.

Thus, Raizel had hurried to the Grand Temple, ignoring the startled priests and holy knights as he ransacked the archives.

And as soon as he returned to the Grand Duchy with all the necessary materials, a brown-haired child wearing the red necklace ran out to meet him, as if she had been waiting for him.

At that moment, a deep sense of unease surged within him.

⟨Great Sage, you said this necklace seals my mana. But the more I think about it, the stranger it seems. If they could separate and seal my mana like this, wouldn’t it have been easier for them to just take it entirely? Why did they keep me alive instead…?⟩

She should have been like any other child, happily reunited with her parents, basking in their love, and finally able to rest.

But instead, she had spent her time at the Grand Duchy obsessively mulling over every word he had said.

⟨Come with me for now. Let’s start with purification.⟩

Raizel raised a hand to stop her flood of questions and led her to the room the Grand Duke had prepared for him.

The fourth-best room in the Grand Duchy was spacious and luxurious, even with an attached reception area.

Rolling up the carpet, Raizel seated Lia in the center, placed ritual bowls in predetermined positions, and filled them with holy water.

As divine power radiated from his hands, the water glowed gold and lifted into the air, forming a dome-like barrier around Lia.

Unlike before, when the divine energy had repelled away the moment it touched her, this time, it seeped into her body, flowing through her entirely.

⟨How do you feel?⟩

At Raizel’s question, Lia placed her small hand over her heart.

⟨There’s more mana than before.⟩

Hearing her response, Raizel closed his eyes tightly.

A human’s mana was predetermined at birth, all of it concentrated in the heart. That was why, if mana were to be sealed, it would logically be sealed in the heart.

Indeed, there were traces of a mana seal on Lia’s heart—though, for some reason, likely due to the distortion of time, it had been undone.

Given Lia’s previous claim that her mana had been weak in her past life, Raizel had already suspected that her heart had been sealed.

The real issue, however, was the red gemstone emanating dark energy.

As soon as he performed the purification, an enormous amount of mana leaked from the cracks in the seal and surged into Lia’s heart.

Raizel let out a low sigh and told Lia to remove the necklace.

⟨I can’t.⟩

Clutching the necklace tightly, Lia shook her head, her expression crestfallen.

⟨Is it brainwashing…?⟩

⟨No, it’s not.⟩

Raizel cut her off.

⟨There’s an illusion spell on the necklace to conceal it along with your altered appearance, but there is no restriction preventing you from taking it off.⟩

⟨What do you mean? Then why can’t I—?⟩

⟨It’s because of your soul.⟩

Raizel’s voice was heavy with gravity.

⟨To be precise, your soul is bound to that gemstone.⟩

⟨…My soul is bound? But I’m right here, completely fine.⟩

⟨That’s only how it feels to you.⟩

A human could not survive if their soul were separated from their body.

So, instinctively, as a survival mechanism, Lia had never even considered removing the necklace.

Binding the soul to a vessel would have also strengthened the illusion spell hiding her appearance.

But more than anything else…

⟨You’ve suffered so much, haven’t you?⟩

Lia stiffened and looked up at Raizel.

He spoke with difficulty.

⟨The binding of your soul to that necklace was done with demonic power, but that alone wouldn’t have been enough to hold it so firmly. This could only happen if, over a very long time, cracks formed in your soul—fragments breaking off and clinging to the gemstone.⟩

⟨…⟩

⟨That means you’ve been through unimaginable pain and hardship. Your negative emotions, your loneliness, and your suffering must have continuously wounded your soul until it finally cracked. And in each of those moments, you clung to that necklace.⟩

Lia stared down at the necklace around her neck, at a loss for words.

She didn’t want to admit it, but Raizel was right.

Every time she had struggled, every time she had been in pain, she had turned to this necklace for comfort.

But instead, it had only reinforced the illusion trapping her.

⟨T-That’s impossible…⟩

Tears welled up and began to spill down Lia’s cheeks.

She couldn’t even cry loudly—just silent, sorrowful tears that dripped onto her lap.

Raizel couldn’t bear to watch and turned his head away.

During the purification process, he had briefly glimpsed fragments of Lia’s past life through her soul.

Over the years, he had grown numb to most things.

As the High Priest, he had witnessed countless people drowning in despair and suffering.

But seeing Lia’s past left him with an overwhelming sense of horror.