In the forbidden library, Kasiel’s writings contained records of various spells. The magic she boasted of wasn’t simple spells like lighting fires or freezing water.

They were terrifying yet powerful spells that controlled minds, spread diseases, and raised corpses.

And among them, there was also a spell to resurrect the dead.

The book stated:

[To resurrect the dead, an equivalent value is required as payment.]

I thought that there would inevitably be a price to pay, regardless of the method used, as long as it wasn’t dark magic.

The decision was rather easy. It was more comforting to be able to do something than to do nothing at all.

It was almost fortunate that it could be done with just my life.

So, having decided to save Ilion, I wanted to do everything I wanted to do in the remaining time. I thought a light and enjoyable romance would be nice, but…

“Has anything ever gone according to my wishes even once?”

Time wasn’t on my side this time either.

I was at least fortunate to meet Ilion before dying. Being able to see his last living appearance, it seems my luck wasn’t the worst after all.

The conditions for the resurrection spell were a bit tricky, and not just anyone who died could be brought back. Only those who had been fed the blood of the human to be sacrificed in advance could be resurrected, and just a few drops of blood were sufficient.

After cutting my finger with a knife, I quickly dripped a few drops of blood into Ilion’s mouth.

“With this, the conditions are met, and the incantation was…”

I carefully recalled the incantation I had memorized in secret, avoiding Michael’s surveillance.

Would you believe if I say that deciding to memorize the incantation was harder than deciding to die for Ilion?

Each word was so cringeworthy that I doubted Kasiel’s abilities.

Checking once more that no one was around, I slowly recalled the incantation.

“Oh Lord of Death, darker than darkness, your faithful servant seeks mercy and offers this sacrifice. Wandering the pitch-black boundary… Aaagh!”

I was quietly muttering, trying to remember in case I forgot the incantation, but before I could even recite half of it, I was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of my neck.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“…Miss Spinel?”

Spinel, whom I hadn’t noticed entering the room, was glaring at me fiercely.

“I asked, what are you doing?”

“…Well, that…”

“Where did you learn that ominous incantation?”

Her gaze was so intense that I would have believed it if she had shot lasers from her eyes. Feeling that a clumsy lie would only provoke her anger, I confessed the truth.

“I… I saw a book in the Imperial Palace. It said it could bring back the dead, so…”

“Without any price?”

“Yes.”

I nodded, discreetly hiding my cut hand behind my back.

“Then what’s all this blood about?”

Instantly seeing through my lie, Spinel grabbed the hand I had hidden behind my back and asked, and unable to come up with a suitable excuse, I scratched my head and gave an awkward smile.

That seemed to provoke Spinel’s anger even more.

“Really, I don’t know what trouble you’ll cause the moment I take my eyes off you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you, Miss Spinel…”

Listening to my apology, Spinel, apparently unable to let it go, pinched both my cheeks and scolded me.

“Is this what someone who doesn’t intend to cause trouble does?”

“I’m sowwy.”

I apologized with my cheeks pinched, but it didn’t seem to satisfy Spinel. Finally, after pinching my cheeks until they were swollen, Spinel let me go.

“Why do you want to save this guy so badly?”

Spinel, her anger somewhat subsided, sat on the bed and asked.

“…You know it too, Miss Spinel. How it feels to lose someone precious.”

“……”

“No matter how much I try to console myself that it’s not my fault, the guilt doesn’t disappear.”

It was the same with Grandma. If only I had gone to the hospital sooner, if only I hadn’t been sick that day…

No, if only I had been there on the day my parents died in the accident…

Regrets spun like a hamster wheel, and helplessness ate away at me.

“So, you’d give your life. Is that it?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“How can you say that!”

“Then what should I do?”

Tears that I had barely held back moistened my eyes again.

“What?”

“…I can’t let the Duke go like this, what should I do?”

Spinel, who had been looking at me with a complicated expression, let out a long sigh as if giving up.

“If that’s truly your wish, then fine.”

***

It was a strange dream. A dream of an unfamiliar child running through a field of blooming flowers.

The child, wearing worn-out clothes, had snow-white hair and red eyes. Thinking it was an unusual appearance, Ilion blankly watched the child.

The child chased after flying butterflies for a while, running around frantically, but eventually tripped over a stone and fell.

Having no talent for comforting young children, Ilion approached the child with a bewildered expression.

‘Are you okay?’

However, contrary to his thoughts, no voice came out.

The child was still crying, and Ilion, feeling sorry, reached out to help the child up.

But there was a hand that reached the child before his own. It was a woman with snow-white hair similar to the child’s.

‘Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?’

At the woman’s words, the child sniffled as if trying to hold back tears.

‘I’m okay, I won’t cry.’

‘Oh my, my dear son. You’re so brave.’

The identity of the woman, whose face wasn’t clearly visible, seemed to be the child’s mother. By the way, why was he having such a strange dream?

Wondering about the strange dream, he blankly watched the mother and child, when suddenly the background changed and the two disappeared.

Looking up at the sky, it was a gloomy weather that seemed like it would rain at any moment. Wondering what kind of dream this was now, he looked around, and saw a young child and woman with similar appearances to before.

‘Mom, Mom…’

Unlike before, this time it was the mother who was lying on the ground, and the child was crying bitterly, hugging the woman. Although it wasn’t clearly visible due to the child’s back covering her, judging by the blood spilled on the ground, it seemed to be a serious situation.

‘…Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?’

The woman opened her mouth with difficulty to ask about the child’s condition. Her voice sounded precarious, as if it might break at any moment.

‘Yes. I’m okay.’

The child nodded, wiping away flowing tears.

‘My son… Can you be brave even without Mom?’

The child shook his head repeatedly.

‘No. Don’t leave me alone. I want to go with Mom.’

The child, crying bitterly, begged to follow his mother. The child seemed too young to understand death.

‘That’s not possible.’

The woman gently reasoned with the child, holding onto her fading breath.

‘Why? Why not?’

As he watched them pitifully, the woman’s eyes suddenly turned towards Ilion standing behind the child. When their red eyes met, her gentle voice whispered kindly.

‘Because this is not yet a place for you to come, Ilion.’

***

Feeling a bit different from the usual morning, Ilion slowly opened his eyes.

It seemed like he had a dream, but somehow he couldn’t remember it well. Given that he didn’t feel bad, it probably wasn’t a nightmare…

“You’re finally awake.”

He saw Spinel as soon as he opened his eyes. I might as well have had a nightmare, Ilion thought as he got up from the bed.

“Why am I here?”

Putting aside how unpleasant it was to see Spinel’s face first thing in the morning, he couldn’t remember why he was here. It was a familiar scene, but not where he should be.

“Because I moved you here.”

At that clear answer, Ilion inwardly swallowed a sigh. It would be better to give up early on getting a proper explanation from Spinel.

Instead, Ilion recalled the last things he remembered. He remembered Ravenne coming to the tent, but…

“Where’s Ravenne?”

“More importantly, don’t you feel that your body condition is different?”

Why was she suddenly asking about his body condition when he was asking about Ravenne?

Ilion lowered his head and looked at his body once. A smooth wrist was visible between the fallen sleeves. And there was also a white thread that had been bothering his eyes for a while.

Wondering what it was, he pulled it, and with a pop, it was none other than his own hair that came off.

It wasn’t a pleasant thing to do, but this time it seemed that Spinel’s explanation was necessary.

“What’s going on?”

“Your dumbfounded look is quite amusing.”

“Explain properly.”

He asked irritatedly to Spinel, who only mocked his condition without giving a proper explanation.

“You died once and came back to life.”

“What?”

“The holy power that was sealing your mana was removed once. As expected, you couldn’t hold on for long and died.”

I’m not asking how I died. And why is that explanation unnecessarily detailed?

“So…”

“You were brought back to life.”

How!

Ilion sighed at the explanation that skimmed over the crucial part.

“That child said she would give her life if only she could save you.”

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

By ‘that child’, could she mean Ravenne? The ominous thoughts grew bigger due to Ravenne’s absence.

“And I granted that request.”

Ilion reached out and grabbed Spinel’s collar.

“What nonsense is that?”

“Did coming back from death lower your comprehension?”

“What do you mean you granted the request, what kind of nonsense is that?”

A surging killing intent rose. With the holy power that had been suppressing his strength gone, the killing intent he emitted was enough to make even Spinel, a fellow dragon, feel a bit chilled.

But, that was all. He was still just a youngster barely over 20 years old.

“What a terrible behavior towards your lifesaver.”

Spinel clicked her tongue and looked at the agitated Ilion.

“Bring her back.”

“What?”

“If it’s my life, I don’t need it, so bring Ravenne back.”

“That’s not possible.”

“You said you could bring someone back to life in exchange for a life. So…”

“When did I ever say Ravenne was dead?”

Saying that, Spinel flicked her finger to release Ilion’s hand from her collar.

“What?”

Along with his fingers grasping at empty air, his dumbfounded expression was quite a sight.

“I never said a word about Ravenne being dead. I said I granted her request.”

Spinel said that and then got up from her seat and headed towards the door.

“How long are you going to stay out there?”

Just as he was about to wonder who she was talking to, Spinel opened the door wide, and there stood Ravenne.