Chapter 2. Twisted Salvation

“Mmm.”

Melissa woke from her sleep due to the sunlight tickling her face and slowly got up. After stretching, she walked a few steps and saw the scenery outside the window.

Unlike the well-maintained appearance of the Artzen Empire that she had seen most of her life, snow was piled up here and there despite it not yet being winter. This was not an uncommon sight in this place.

‘So much time has passed already.’

Melissa sat lightly on the windowsill and tightened the shawl around her shoulders.

The past days flashed quickly through her mind.

Six years had already passed since she came to the north. The young Melissa had now reached the age of adulthood.

Many things had happened during that time.

First, the Artzen Empire had been thrown into chaos when Melissa declared she would go to the north. Naturally, Lionel Shortiras had been the most agitated.

He protested that since the dukes of Shortiras was the sponsor of the Lucid clan, she couldn’t go anywhere without his permission. He was so desperate that he even abandoned the image he usually maintained.

The Emperor, who had permitted Melissa’s journey to the north, seemed to flinch momentarily at this, but thanks to Lloyd’s strong support of Melissa’s decision, he was able to maintain his initial position.

The somewhat tense confrontation between the Artzen imperial family and the Shortiras ducal family ended unexpectedly because of public opinion—the imperial citizens.

People who were already anxious about monsters welcomed the news of Lucid heading to the north with raised hands.

The fact that Melissa had recently been abused by a servant of the ducal family also played a role. A sympathetic atmosphere toward her had developed.

[How much must she hate being in the duke’s mansion to choose to go to the north.]

Many people gossiped like this.

Even the mighty Duke of Shortiras couldn’t ignore the power of such public opinion.

‘I didn’t want that kind of atmosphere.’

Still, thanks to that, she was able to come to the north and now had this small mansion where she could live alone, so the result was satisfactory enough.

‘Now comes the truly important part.’

The time when Melissa had died in her previous life had already passed.

Everything that would unfold from now on was a future she had never experienced. Without using precognition, she knew nothing, just like everyone else.

She needed to stay sharp.

‘This time, I must live happily somehow.’

Melissa turned her gaze away from the window and prepared to go out.

Today’s destination was the library.

The library was one of the places Melissa had practically lived in since coming to the north. Befitting a region closest to monsters, the north’s library was filled with various materials related to monsters. Among them, there were also many resources about magic.

Over the past six years, Melissa had read all the magical materials available there and learned pretty much all the magic while dealing with monsters.

However, very unfortunately, she hadn’t found a way to break the magical contract. What was needed to break the contract was something she simply couldn’t obtain.

“Haah……”

Sighing, Melissa settled in the library and opened a book titled 《Everything About Magical Contracts》.

The passage that had first plunged her into despair caught her eye.

To break a magical contract, the basic requirement is mutual agreement between both parties who made the contract. A contract can never be terminated by the request of just one party.

Of course, there are exceptions.

First, if one of the contractors has died.

Second, if an important condition of the contract has disappeared.

In these two cases, the contract naturally dissolves without any additional magic because it can no longer be fulfilled.

Mutual agreement.

Melissa frowned at those heavy words.

Even though she already knew this fact, it made her depressed whenever she thought about it.

Lionel would never agree to break the contract. The image of him making a fuss when she said she would go to the north was still vivid in her mind.

Even now, letters from Lionel demanding various precognitions were flying to the north, making it painful to even talk about.

‘Fortunately, he sends them moderately, probably mindful of the north’s position.’

No matter how much she thought about it, Lionel didn’t seem likely to agree to break the contract. Then the remaining option was to wait until Edgar inherited the title.

‘That’s nonsense too.’

The memories of her previous life still tormented Melissa.

Edgar’s smile as he told her everything had been a lie continuously gnawed at her.

That’s the kind of person he was.

Edgar would never help her.

‘Let’s not think hastily.’

Melissa organized her thoughts and closed the book.

The time when she had died in her previous life had already passed, and the past six years had been quite peaceful. Except for the pain during precognition, there were no traces of her previous life.

‘Besides, the wall is still safe.’

The northern wall, which should have collapsed long ago, remained solid until now. Unlike before, the Magic Tower had not withdrawn its support.

Since the wall hadn’t collapsed, the number of monsters crossing into the north wasn’t very high, and the north’s personnel could handle that level sufficiently.

Thanks to this, Melissa wasn’t forced to sacrifice herself for the Empire like in her previous life.

‘At least not yet.’

Considering the increased number of monsters was similar to before, it was somewhat strange.

The Magic Tower couldn’t be in a very comfortable situation right now either.

‘What’s different?’

The answer came not long after she pondered.

Compared to her previous life, the only thing that had changed was Melissa Lucid—herself. And the person at the Magic Tower who could be influenced by her was…

‘Only Edgar Shortiras.’

Then was it because of Edgar that the Magic Tower’s support had been cut off last time?

Thinking about it this way made her mood sink.

It felt like Edgar had deliberately pushed her into a hellhole. What’s worse, it wasn’t even an impossible scenario.

But if that was really the case, why on earth did he do such a thing? This was something she couldn’t guess.

‘……My head hurts.’

Even though she had come all the way to the north, even though six years had passed, Melissa still knew very little.

She quickly became tired from thinking too hard, so Melissa leaned back against the chair and stretched. That’s when she heard someone approaching.

Turning her head, she saw the library’s librarian standing there.

“So you were here after all, Lady Lucid. You’re always in the same spot, which makes it easy to find you.”

“Has something happened again?”

Melissa asked with lowered eyebrows.

The librarian didn’t have many reasons to look for her.

Except when something happened in the north.

Since Melissa spent most of her time in the library, whenever people in the north wanted to ask her for precognition, the librarian would usually come and inform her.

Thinking this was the case again, Melissa quickly got up. Perhaps they had heard monster sounds again.

At that moment, the librarian hastily waved her hand.

“Ah. I think you misunderstood something. I’m not here for precognition.”

“Then why?”

The librarian handed something to the puzzled Melissa, who took it reflexively.

What landed in Melissa’s hand was some kind of letter.

Turning the envelope over, Melissa’s eyes widened at the familiar pattern stamped on it. Her face brightened.

“As you can see, it’s a letter from the imperial palace. His Highness the Crown Prince earnestly requested it be delivered as soon as possible, so I rushed here as soon as I received it.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. This is for you, after all, Lady Lucid.”

The librarian smiled and turned back to return to her post.

Melissa sat down again while opening the envelope.

When she unfolded the letter, familiar handwriting caught her eye. It was neat penmanship that reflected Lloyd’s character.

To summarize the letter, he apologized for not being able to arrive in time for the start of her coming-of-age ceremony due to being busy, but promised to get there as quickly as possible to at least make it by the end.

Melissa burst into a small laugh, easily imagining Lloyd looking upset.

‘I feel much better now.’

True to what he had said when she first decided to go to the north, Lloyd visited the north whenever he had time. And he came alone, leaving his knight escorts behind.

Not only that, when he was too busy to visit, he regularly sent letters asking about her well-being. Sometimes he even sent letters with nothing but silly jokes.

Thanks to him, Melissa hadn’t felt lonely.

‘Right, the coming-of-age ceremony.’

A ceremony celebrating becoming an adult.

All previous Lucids had participated in grand coming-of-age ceremonies held in the capital, but Melissa was different. In her previous life, she had died without the chance to have a ceremony, and this time she was residing in the north.

Given the location, she couldn’t hold a grand ceremony like in the capital and planned to simply wear proper attire and offer prayers at the nearby temple.

‘Let’s think about the rest after the coming-of-age ceremony is over.’