IDED | Chapter 121

Episode 121

“Are you saying that His Majesty’s illness started because of me?”

“To be precise, it was because I lost my memories.”

Serena let out a brief sigh before continuing.

“I don’t know if you remember, but I was the one who stopped Your Majesty’s rampage that day.”

“Yes. I had assumed as much. I’ve heard that Awakened individuals can prevent each other’s rampages.”

“No. I didn’t save Your Majesty using such a conventional method. If I had, there would have been no reason for Your Majesty’s body to suffer any consequences.”

“Are you saying you used a different method?”

“Yes. To be exact, it happened because of the unique nature of my inherent magic.”

“The unique nature of your inherent magic…?”

“That day, I absorbed nearly half of Your Majesty’s mana into my body. Because of that, Your Majesty’s mana core lost part of its functionality.”

“What…?”

Raffaello blinked, his expression showing he didn’t quite understand.

Well, that was to be expected. He wielded divine power, a force fundamentally different from magic, so it wasn’t something he could grasp immediately.

Serena had instinctively realized the nature of her magic as soon as she regained her lost memories.

Absorption Magic.

The power to steal another’s magic or the mana within their body. The same power that had once allowed her to stop Azaid’s rampage.

The moment she awakened to that power, she had instinctively wanted to save Azaid. So, despite barely knowing how to control her magic, she had recklessly unleashed it.

As a result, she had suppressed him too forcefully, draining too much of his mana. This left Azaid with a weakened mana core that continued to trouble him even into adulthood.

His mana core had been unable to function properly after losing so much mana so suddenly. That damage had accumulated over time, slowly eating away at his life.

‘If only I hadn’t lost my memories, I could have given it back.’

Serena hadn’t known. She had wanted to save Azaid, but her actions had instead pushed him toward death.

Since she had no memory of it, she hadn’t been able to return his mana. Because of that, Azaid had lived with a damaged mana core, and Serena had been forced to live as if she were unawakened.

‘If I hadn’t regressed, Azaid would have continued living in that frail body, like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.’

The regression she had cursed so much had, in fact, been the very thing that saved Azaid.

Though they had taken different paths, they had ultimately met again. Was it because they were destined to be together?

— You can hate me if you want. You can beat me to your heart’s content until your anger fades.

How foolish.

Why was he lowering himself like this over something that wasn’t even his fault?

‘And why… Why did I direct my anger at Azaid instead of the real culprit?’

Recalling that day, she felt like crying from guilt. Her emotions had been so overwhelming that she had been blind to everything else.

When Serena briefly explained Absorption Magic to Raffaello, his face turned pale.

“So that’s what happened… No wonder I thought something was strange. Despite his immense power, he always seemed to struggle with it.”

“Of course. His mana reserves were far too low for his strength.”

Serena had always found it odd. Unlike in her past life, Azaid was noticeably healthier in this one.

But looking back, the difference between her previous life and this one was clear.

This time, Serena had been able to interact with Azaid freely.

Unknowingly, she had been returning his mana to him.

— Since you can control mana, that means you should be able to use magic. You just don’t know how to direct it properly.

— Is that so?

— Yes. If your body were incapable of using magic, you wouldn’t be able to control mana at all. It’s possible that you’ve been using magic without even realizing it.

Nocturne had been right.

Serena hadn’t known how to use magic, but she had already been unconsciously using it.

And not just on Azaid.

She recalled an incident from before—when Nocturne had used magic to dry some documents, only for them to become wet again.

‘That time… That paper got soaked again because I absorbed Nocturne’s magic.’

Now, everything was clear.

The pieces of the puzzle had finally fallen into place, making sense of all the things she hadn’t been able to understand before.

‘Azaid survived even after I gave him my mana because part of the mana within me was originally his. That’s why there was no rejection reaction.’

She had thought it was a rare anomaly, but that was her mistake.

If she had considered the fundamental principles, she could have deduced that her mana had once belonged to Azaid.

That was why the treatment had worked—not because their mana was merely compatible, but because it had been his mana to begin with.

“His Majesty was unaware of all this. As you know, the aftereffects of a rampage can sometimes distort memories.”

“What about Lady Mydia? Was she uninvolved in all of this?”

“What?”

Raffaello’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of Mydia.

Serena spoke calmly.

“When I recovered my forgotten memories that day, I saw Lady Mydia casting something on me. That’s why I believed she was trying to conceal the truth alongside you.”

When she retraced her final memory, Serena was certain of it—she had distinctly felt Mydia lightly brush her head, as if sending something into her.

After that, Mydia had instructed Raffaello to take Serena home.

Before heading to the Vincent estate, Raffaello had used a mirror to erase Serena’s memories.

‘If Lady Mydia was involved in this…’

In truth, part of the reason Serena had been so angry at Azaid was this.

The mother he loved so dearly had done something so cruel to her.

Just the thought of it made her furious.

Raffaello jumped up in alarm, quickly offering an explanation.

“Absolutely not! It was just a blessing!”

“A blessing?”

“Yes. Serena, you were in terrible condition that day. You were in great pain, so Lady Mydia used her divine power to bless you.”

“Ah…”

Serena let out a quiet exclamation at the unexpected revelation.

Raffaello continued.

“At the time, Lady Mydia was already in a weakened state, but she still used her divine power on you without hesitation. She did so even though it would cost her lifespan.”

“What do you mean, cost her lifespan? Isn’t divine power unrelated to one’s life force?”

“In natural-born cases, yes. But Lady Mydia received her divine power later in life through a revelation. Unlike ordinary divine power, hers consumes her lifespan.”

Worried that Serina might misunderstand Mydia, Raffaello quickly added,

“Moreover, unlike ordinary divine power, Lady Mydia’s is imbued with the prophetic power of Lord Perianus. It’s a blessing upon the soul, different from typical blessings.”

“A blessing upon the soul…?”

The god Pherianus was known as the deity of fate, often bestowing miracles related to time.

There were stories of people who, after experiencing a miracle, gained the ability to foresee the future or suddenly became entirely different individuals.

‘Could it be…?’

Serena suddenly pressed Raffaello with a thought that came to mind.

“What exactly is the power of revelation?”

“It is a power that guides the soul toward the path of greatest peace. Sometimes it shows the future, and other times, it helps one return to the past.”

“……”

“It may be hard to believe, but there are testimonial records. If you wish, I can bring them to you.”

For believers of Pherianus, this was an unquestionable truth, but for outsiders, it was difficult to accept. That was why he added the detail about the testimonies.

“This is absurd.”

Serena covered her open mouth with her trembling hand. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him—she was simply too shocked.

“What’s wrong?”

Raffaello asked with concern, but she was too overwhelmed to answer.

She had always thought of it as a ridiculous curse. It made sense—if she failed to save a tyrant emperor she didn’t even know, she would return to the past.

But now, she realized it hadn’t been a curse at all.

‘The god Pherianus gave me a chance. A chance to turn things back with my own hands.’

Even though her memories had been erased, Azaid was still a precious friend to her. And she was the only one who could save him.

Thanks to Mydia’s blessing, which had consumed her own life force, Serena had been granted the opportunity to undo her greatest regret. Everything had come full circle, leading her to the moment where her soul could find the greatest peace.

Serena could no longer stay there. She needed to see Azaid.

She abruptly stood up, and Raffaello followed suit.

“Lady Serena?”

“I’ll contact you later.”

Without another word, she quickly left the temple.

Even as her heart pounded, she made her way back to the imperial palace—only to find that Azaid was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh? Lady Serena, weren’t you supposed to be on leave?”

Just then, Anna greeted her cheerfully, and Serena immediately asked,

“Where is His Majesty?”

“What? Isn’t he in his chamber?”

It seemed Azaid had snuck out again.

Serena quickly shook her head.

“He’s probably in the study. Don’t mind me and carry on with your duties.”

Leaving the palace, she passed the stone wall and soon spotted the secluded hill with its lone tree.

Now that autumn had arrived, the tree’s red-tinted leaves swayed gently in the breeze as if welcoming her.

Serena kept her gaze fixed on the hill as she called Azaid through the communication device.

The moment the call connected, his voice came through.

[Hello…?]

“Where are you right now?”

[Huh? I’m….]

“I want to see you.”

Azaid fell completely silent, not even making a sound as he breathed. As if he was too stunned to respond.

Amused, Serena warned him in a low voice,

“I’ll be waiting under that tree. If you’re late, I’m leaving.”

[I’ll be right there.]

With that, the communication ended.

Imagining Azaid rushing toward her, Serena slowly began to climb the hill.