After battling motion sickness, I arrived at the mine where the project’s chief supervisor greeted me warmly, coming out in his socks.

On the upper part of the mountain, construction was in full swing, digging tunnels into the mine.

“How come it’s you, Miss, and not His Grace…”

“His Grace had another urgent schedule today, so I came instead.”

He seemed a bit surprised that I had come instead of the Duke, but quickly grasped the situation and welcomed me.

“I see. The mountain path must have been rough, you must have had a hard time getting here.”

“It’s quite a large construction project.”

“It is indeed a major project. Would you like to take a look around the entrance? We can’t go too deep inside as it’s still in the early stages of construction, but…”

He offered to show me the progress, guiding me and the guild representative as he spoke.

“We plan to install rails for carts to move after digging the tunnel. Right now, we’re just preparing the path. It’s lunchtime now so everyone’s resting, but if you’d like, you can go inside for a quick look.”

At his suggestion, the guild representative and I headed a bit further inside.

“The construction has progressed more than I expected.”

“Indeed.”

I nodded, agreeing with the guild representative’s words.

“You might know this, but everyone’s excited about the mine development.”

He talked as we walked deeper into the tunnel.

“You mean the guild?”

“Of course, we have high expectations, but it’s not just us. Many imperial citizens are looking forward to it.”

It’s just mine development, why would imperial citizens who aren’t part of the guild be excited about it?

“Why…?”

“Recently, taxes keep rising, and young people are constantly being drafted for war. This year’s harvest hasn’t been great either, it’s been really tough…”

After lamenting for a moment, he looked at me and smiled.

“But if the mine is developed, it will create jobs, and that might help people breathe a little easier, don’t you think?”

The Ionia Empire had been plundering a lot through wars, but that didn’t necessarily mean the quality of life for imperial citizens had improved.

While Klaus was absorbed in war and neglecting the country, local lords were running wild.

In fact, even in the Porto region, the lord was colluding with nobles to squeeze the residents.

Taxes were rising and imperial citizens were suffering, and Klaus wasn’t a benevolent emperor who would look after them.

“And that’s not all. Your popularity in the empire has been quite high lately, Miss. The casino incident before, and now your activities in Porto, the rumors have already spread to the capital.”

Was there anything worth calling an achievement? I don’t remember doing anything noteworthy in Porto except catching a cold.

I felt awkward being praised unnecessarily.

“Everyone’s expecting some changes. From you and His Grace, that is.”

I responded with an awkward smile.

I wasn’t sure what they expected from me, but I felt I couldn’t live up to those expectations.

I covered my face with a fan and pretended not to know, changing the subject.

“When do you think the tunnel will be completed?”

“We estimate it will take about 3 to 4 years from now.”

“That quickly?”

“These days, unlike in the past, we use magic in construction. Of course, it costs more, but it allows us to shorten the time significantly.”

3 to 4 years later… Ilion’s rebellion was just two months away.

If that happens, this mine will be confiscated by the emperor, and people’s expectations will be shattered before they even bloom.

My heart started to feel heavy.

“Can we look around a bit more inside? Since we’re here, it would be a shame to just see the surface.”

I suggested, taking a step forward to shake off unnecessary thoughts.

“Don’t go too far inside. It could be dangerous.”

And just as he finished speaking, there was a loud explosion, and the ground shook violently.

“Miss!”

The guild representative called out to me, reaching out his hand, but before I could grab it, the floor collapsed.

As I fell into the seemingly bottomless pit, I thought this life might end here too.

“Ugh…”

However, unlike the hard ground I expected, my body hit something soft once before falling to the floor.

A groan escaped my lips without me realizing it.

“Ouch, I hope I didn’t break my tailbone.”

My whole body ached, but fortunately, it seemed I hadn’t suffered the misfortune of breaking my tailbone.

It seemed the soft something had acted as a cushion.

It was pitch black all around, making it difficult to gauge my surroundings.

I got up and groped around in the dark interior.

There was a strange object in front of me that felt rough, warm, and slightly squishy when pushed with my hand.

Wondering what it was, I fumbled with both hands, and the object in front of me wriggled and moved.

Startled, I stepped back, and a huge glass bead that seemed to easily surpass my height appeared, emitting light.

And inside the glass bead, a black piece moved up and down grotesquely.

“…Surely, this isn’t some kind of hell gate, is it?”

Finally unable to resist my curiosity, I approached the glass bead and reached out my hand.

And the moment my hand touched it, the bead disappeared in an instant, followed by a roar that seemed to tear my ears.

***

Artia looked at the man who had come to see her. Ilion Celestine.

A familiar name, a familiar face. But his attitude towards her was unfamiliar.

“I’ve come to make a request.”

His stiff voice opened the conversation.

“What kind of request…”

“Well… I heard that the Saintess bestows blessings.”

Ilion’s expression was that of someone making an unwelcome request.

“Ah…”

Artia recalled the events of a few days ago.

When his fiancée, Ravenne, had come to her asking for a blessing for Ilion.

That day, Ilion had rejected her touch, and as soon as Ravenne returned, he had abruptly left.

It was the first time Ilion had treated her like that.

As far as she could remember, that is.

Artia Sevion. She was a regressor who had experienced death once and returned to the past.

To her, Ilion’s current appearance felt unfamiliar, almost like he was a different person.

Come to think of it, from their first meeting, Ilion’s attitude had been very different from her memories.

“I didn’t know there was a guest.”

Ilion entered the terrace, saying the exact same words as in her memory. Artia recalled their first meeting.

“Don’t mind me. I’m not someone worth paying attention to for you all, am I?”

When she had said that, Ilion had responded, ‘I didn’t mean to offend you,’ accepting her unnecessarily sharp retort.

But that day, Ilion…

“I won’t be here long anyway, so excuse me for a moment.”

He had answered. It was a response that completely disregarded her.

Artia missed the timing to respond and looked at Ilion. His face was tired and exhausted, just as she remembered, but unlike their polite first meeting, today Ilion seemed on edge.

He hadn’t been looking at her from the start. From the moment he stepped onto the terrace, his gaze had been fixed on the inside of the banquet hall.

“You look upset. Did something bad happen?”

Artia spoke first.

Originally, these were words he should have said to her. Although the change in situation was disconcerting, for now, she needed to continue the conversation with him.

“Is there any reason I should tell you that?”

But contrary to her expectations, his response was as cold as ice.

Ilion’s gaze was unfamiliar. Artia couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“I, I just thought you might be unwell. If I could be of any help…”

“I’m fine.”

Ilion dismissed her like that. His face was clearly the same, but it felt like facing a completely different person.

It was a moment later when he showed a reaction. After glaring at the inside of the banquet hall for a while, Ilion seemed to have found something and headed inside.

Artia followed his gaze.

She was curious. What was he so concerned about?

And looking at the woman at the end of his gaze, Artia unconsciously gripped her trembling arm.

‘Ravenne…’

It was the face of Ilion’s fiancée, the woman who had tried to poison her.

‘But why is she dancing with Klaus?’

Artia glanced at Ilion’s face. He was watching the two with a hardened expression.

Artia recalled the Ravenne in her memory. A woman who was somewhat depressed and always seemed anxious.

She first met her a month after the banquet. Ravenne had requested a private audience with her, who was living confined in the Imperial Palace.

And throughout the conversation, Ravenne had poured out unrefined anger and hatred towards Artia.

She didn’t hesitate to hurl insults at her.

She was the woman who had shouted at her, asking how dare a mere prisoner covet someone, and thrown water at her.

How could such a woman dance with the Emperor with such a bright face?

It was hard to understand.

And as soon as the dance ended, Ilion rushed out of the banquet hall. Following Ravenne.

Artia had to let him go without a chance to stop him.

some time later, after the banquet that left Artia with only confusion and regret…

This time, Ravenne came to see her with a beaming smile. She had never seen Ravenne smile like that. She was a person Artia didn’t know.

Despite repeatedly expressing her unwillingness to talk, Ravenne persistently tried to continue the conversation. And finally, she revealed her true intention.

“Come to think of it, my fiancé hasn’t been feeling well lately. It seems the medicine isn’t working well either. Um, if it’s alright with you, could you perhaps bestow a blessing on him, Saintess?”

Artia, who was about to ignore this too, looked at Ravenne with a thought.

Asking a priest for a blessing wasn’t a particularly special request. Even before her regression, the empire’s nobles often made such requests.

Even though she was treated worse than a prisoner, confined in the Imperial Palace, she was still technically a guest of the empire.

But the fact that it was Ravenne making the request, and that the person she was worried about was Ilion, was hard to ignore.

A small doubt sprouted that perhaps she wasn’t the only one who had regressed with memories of the past.

Artia, keeping her words to a minimum, nodded reluctantly, agreeing to grant her request.

However, what she didn’t expect was Ilion’s rejection.

Ilion, forced to sit down by Ravenne, showed not the slightest interest in her, just like on the day they first met.

He only answered when asked, his interest still clearly elsewhere.