Chapter 195
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Yeshion was gone.
Rosaline, who had been quietly gazing up at the sky, lowered his eyes and stared blankly at the gravestone. Then he slowly crouched in front of it and reached out, brushing the surface.
It had been nearly two months since Yeshion’s death. And so many things had happened since then.
Yeshion had died breaking Adelio’s curse.
Adelio, upon regaining his senses, was so overwhelmed with shock that he couldn’t speak for a time, and Eldis, who had always been calm, broke down and cried like a child for the first time in his life.
Rosaline had been no different.
“I should’ve realized you were lying much sooner……”
No one had seen through the lies hidden in his sincerity.
I should’ve locked you up so you couldn’t do anything back then. I should’ve grabbed your hand and run far away the moment I heard the Empress had summoned you.
“Then, you wouldn’t have died……”
Rosaline clenched his fists tightly.
After Yeshion’s death, Eldis and Adelio uncovered every last one of the Empress’s crimes. In the process, it was revealed that the Emperor himself had been under her control.
“They say even where she came from and who she really is… it was all fabricated. No one knows the full extent of the work she laid to climb to her position.”
But the important thing was that she had committed a staggering number of crimes.
The nobles took this chance to even blame her for what she hadn’t committed. She would be unable to escape execution anyway.
“The mind control the Empress used on His Majesty has been broken… but it has been said that it is already far beyond saving.”
Muttering to himself, Rosaline brushed away a fallen leaf from the gravestone.
Though two months had passed since Yeshion’s death, the gravestone remained spotless. That was because Eldis and Rosaline had come every day to keep it clean.
“Yeshion. Are you… happy there?”
Rosaline’s voice trembled with grief.
Could he truly be happy?
The three left behind lived every day cursing themselves. Was the one who had vanished alone really living in happiness?
“I really hate you……”
I told you not to die.
You promised we’d all be happy together, and then you just let go of our hands and left just like that. I can’t help but resent you.
“The Empress will be executed soon.”
Crown Prince Adelio had taken it upon himself to deal with the decisions the Emperor should’ve made. At this rate, Adelio would ascend to the throne.
And many would begin to return to their daily lives. They would console themselves, saying it was time to let go of the dead, even as they cried into pillows each night, haunted by the faces of family taken unjustly.
But those who had been by Yeshion’s side couldn’t do that.
“Just wait a little longer, Yeshion.”
Rosaline whispered softly.
As if preparing for a long journey, he stroked the gravestone longer than usual before rising slowly.
“Saintess. Everything is ready.”
“…The Crown Prince?”
“He’s arrived. He’s waiting.”
Rosaline nodded and stepped forward.
When he entered the room with a face filled with steely resolve, he found Adelio, pale and haggard.
“The Empress has been dealt with?”
“It is done. The execution is in two days. We have sealed every escape route and taken all measures to prevent her from using strange powers.”
Rosaline gave a nod at Adelio’s words.
Then if that was the case, everything left to be done by those who remained was complete.
Taking a deep breath, Rosaline stared quietly at the floor.
A taboo. Something a priest should neither know nor use. A remnant of ancient magic, erased from the world after one challenged the gods.
“As I said before… this spell will send our souls into the past.”
“……”
“And in exchange, I will offer up all of my divine power.”
Even while bearing the power of a god, Rosaline had not once managed to protect Yeshion. So he would sacrifice that power instead, to claim a new chance.
There were three people who shared this same resolve.
A spell that could only be activated if one had resolved strong enough to give up their lives. It was something Rosaline had discovered in his previous life, just before his death.
‘Back then, Adelio and Eldis had already died, so I couldn’t do anything……’
But now was different.
