PMEVBO 130

The room at the very top of the spire of Duke Hayut’s castle. That was where I first met fourteen-year-old Iser.

A pungent smell of dust filled the narrow room, where cobwebs were strung here and there across the corners of the ceiling. Beyond the old window, the blue sky seemed close enough to touch. Beneath the sunlight, where hazy dust floated, lay Iser, his entire body bound in chains.

What he had endured there was horrific… yet, the sun shone and the sky was close.

The dazzling surface suited him better than the gloomy underground. But I only dragged him down. Not enough of the underground hideout in the annex, but eventually to Hell, to the very bottom of this world.

I buried my face in Iser’s shoulder and wrapped my arms around his waist. My fingertips felt cold, so I unconsciously clenched my fist. I took a deep breath and said,

“…The situation is different from six years ago.”

In truth, I knew almost nothing about the Hayut Massacre. While I was under brainwashing, it was difficult even to recall the incident.

I felt nauseous or suffered from severe headaches.

…It was the same when I heard that Duke Hayut had lost his life there that day.

“Now you can be anything and go anywhere.”

Duke Hayut, who had imprisoned and abused his own nephew and blinded by his ambition unauthorized copyfor immortality, was now dead. Since Kogaron had no children of his own, Iser could become the empire’s sole duke if he so desired.

The Power of Life was also now on Iser’s side. A powerful force capable of saving or killing people is a weakness only when uncontrollable; once it can be controlled, it becomes a strength and a weapon.

Only now, after having regained my memories as Lucariel, did I realize the meaning of what Atsula had tried to do six years ago. If Iser’s abilities became known to the public, a confrontation with the religious order was inevitable.

I manifested my divine power through consuming drugs. If that were truly the power of God, there was no way it would be possible to obtain it in such a shady way.

Besides that, there are other things that bother me…

Now that I had regained my memories of my past life and the brainwashing had worn off, I was somewhat certain. Divine power, that power originating from the Pope, was not the power of God. What could actually be called the power of God was rather…

…The power that Iser wields.

Iser was different from the reckless and arrogant Duke Hayut. Since he was clever and cautious, he would be a tricky opponent for the religious order.

The Pope’s adversary, who had appeared after a thousand years. There was only one thing I wanted to ask him.

“Even so, do you… want to stay by my side?”

…Becoming nothing, and going nowhere.

I knew six years ago that Iser had feelings for me. However, I didn’t think it would last long. I didn’t think there was any reason for him to be so desperate for someone like me. Even when he was hiding in an underground hideout where not a single ray of sunlight reached, he was more than lovable.

“…I’m asking if you can give me your entire remaining life.”

Iser himself couldn’t possibly be unaware of the boundless potential that even I had recognized. Yet, he answered all too easily.

“I want to give it to you.”

“….”

“If you accept it.”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

I tightly hugged his waist. Warmth was returning to my fingertips, which had been as cold as ice. As I slowly lifted my head, my gaze immediately met his deep blue eyes, which resembled the sky.

“Then let’s go together.”

“Mm, yes.”

Iser smiled brightly, as if he had just heard the sweetest words in the world. It felt as though spring had arrived in this cold, dark cell.

My heart started fluttering, so I averted my gaze.

“…No, you should listen to where I want to go before you answer.”

“Where do you want to go?”

Iser asked as he kissed my forehead. He still didn’t seem very interested in the destination. It felt like he was just asking to play along with my tune. That was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.

“The world I originally lived in.”

“…The world you originally lived in?”

At that moment, his hand, which had been stroking the back of my neck, stopped abruptly. I lowered my gaze and licked my parched lips.

“Ah, I don’t know where to begin or how to explain this…”

Past lives, present lives, quests… The things I had gone through until now suddenly felt absurd. I tried to explain it, but I couldn’t find the right words. At that, Iser smiled gently and patted my back.

“It’s fine, so please take your time.”

He acted as though he was soothing a nervous child. Thanks to that, I gained a little confidence. I let out a sigh of relief and slowly began.

…This is going to be a long story.

***

My throat stung a bit from talking so much.

“Ahem, that’s all I have to say.”

“…….”

“…Is there anything you don’t understand or are curious about?”

Iser, who had been looking at me with a pensive expression, gently cupped my neck. The moment his hand, now back to its normal temperature, touched my skin, the pain vanished.

“You said you regained your memories of your past life today.”

“Yes, right.”

“And yet, you knew who I was from the very beginning.”

I deliberately did not mention ‘The Happy Ending,’ which had been pretending to be an R-rated romance fantasy. Because I judged that there was no benefit in hearing it.

It’s not particularly useful anyway.

That was a fictional story built upon the basis of Iser’s death. As long as Iser was alive and well, the future would not unfold according to that narrative. Since it was originally created to supplement sealed memories, there was no need to dwell on it now that the memories had been unlocked.

Fortunately, I was able to resolve the doubt without mentioning the ‘The Happy Ending.’

“Because the status window told me.”

“That my name is Iser Hayut?”

“Yes.”

“So the only thing the status window told you was my name?”

Only then did I realize what he was trying to say. My shoulders stiffened.

His red lips curved slowly into a smile. He looked like a beast that had successfully cornered its prey.

Iser stroked my stiff shoulders in a rounded motion and narrowed his eyes. His cheeks flushed red.

“If you really only knew my name, given your personality, you would have wanted to confirm who I was first.”

“…….”

“But you didn’t ask me anything.”

…He was right.

How many people would be certain that a child confined and abused in a back room was a young master? Moreover, Iser bore not the slightest resemblance to Kogaron. Even if I had known Iser’s surname was Hayut, it still wouldn’t have been natural to immediately be certain of his identity.

So, if I really only knew Iser’s name without any other information, I would have asked him about his relationship with Duke Hayut the moment I removed his gag.

…I’ve been caught completely off guard.

Now that things had come to this, there was no other choice.

…I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Actually, before I came into this world, I read a novel…….”

“It seems like there was something about me written in that novel too.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

He was frighteningly perceptive.

“I think it’s a novel created by the system to help me adapt.”

“What was it about?”

… Ah, shit, here it comes.

This is driving me crazy.

What should I do? Should I try summarizing it as briefly as possible? Yeah, maybe that would make it somewhat bearable…

Iser dies before the story even begins, his sister Isabel comes seeking revenge believing I killed Iser, only to end up being devoured alive by me, who has turned into a demon…Fuck, that’s not bearable at all.

Even when summarized, that story was awful. My mouth went completely dry.

As I hesitated to speak, Iser smiled and planted a kiss on the tip of my nose.

“So it wasn’t exactly interesting.”

“……yes.”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have much attachment to the content of the novel.

“How did you end up reading such a boring novel?”

I felt relieved that the topic had steered in a safe direction.

“I thought it was a book my brother was reading.”

“Unless it was a book that really caught your eye, I don’t think you would have touched it.”

He was right. If it hadn’t been for that pink, heart-patterned cover, I wouldn’t have even thought about touching it.

“Right. How did you know?”

“You said you were afraid of books.”

Come to think of it, I did say something like that.

‘Should I give you something to read?’

‘I’m afraid of books.’

Perhaps because of the hand patting my lower back, my eyelids were starting to feel heavy. Just then, Iser whispered with a bright smile.

“Was that a romance novel by any chance?”

At that moment, my drowsiness vanished completely.