The loud noise even caused the leaves to fall. Small animals, startled, rustled as they hid themselves here and there.

Could that explosion just now really have happened…

Before I could fully grasp the situation, my mind went blank.

“…Sir! Healer!”

I felt an urge to collapse at the sound of the urgent voice calling me. Was I about to lose you like this? So suddenly, in such an unbelievable way…

“Healer, you must not jump to conclusions until you see it with your own eyes!”

Stefan took the torch from me. His words sounded hollow, yet they weren’t entirely wrong. If it was Leopold, the one praised by the knights, maybe he had the reflexes to dodge a few steps…

“…Let’s go.”

I felt as though I might fall, but I managed to gather strength in my legs and move. The trembling didn’t stop at all. Stefan moved much faster than before, and I had to struggle to keep up with him.

The forest was now shrouded in complete darkness. I worried if we could find Leopold relying on just a single torch.

“We’re almost there. It should be around here…”

He stopped suddenly, trailing off as he surveyed the surroundings. Then he began calling out for Leopold in a loud voice.

“Duke! Where are you? Duke Lawrence!”

But the metallic smell of blood wafting from somewhere kept me from speaking. Moreover, at some point, the ground beneath my feet felt soggy, as if I was stepping into a puddle.

Suppressing my fear, I slowly lowered my gaze. The torch Stefan held didn’t reach the ground, so I released magic from my fingertips. It was faint, but enough to illuminate the nearby area.

I knelt down, hovering my hand close to the ground.

“…What on earth…”

Stefan came over belatedly to examine where I was sitting. The scene before us, now brighter, was nothing short of horrific.

“Is this… a lie…?”

Torn pieces of clothing, flesh that had fallen off, scattered bloodstains, and a dirt ground soaked in blood.

“Healer…”

“…Tell me it’s a lie…”

I mumbled, digging into the ground with both hands, my mind blank. Why wouldn’t he answer right away? Why wouldn’t he explain that it was a lie, that we just hadn’t found Leopold yet…

When I was brought back from death and given a new life, I thought God was merciful. Tears fell incessantly.

Perhaps there was no God from the start. Maybe I was just fooled by a devil’s trick. Maybe I was mistaken because I couldn’t stand the sight of being with Leopold, and somehow tried to tear us apart by killing me in the past, and now doing this to him…

No, these are absurd thoughts. I had even taken a potion to prepare my heart to say goodbye to him, so talking about gods and devils was ridiculous. Even as I cried, the absurdity made me laugh out loud like a mad person.

Why was the price of loving you so harsh? Was it because I, who had nothing, dared to hold someone too good for me in my heart? Or was it because I greedily claimed your feelings were guilt rather than love?

I couldn’t stand myself for having such luxurious thoughts. Whatever the feelings, I should have been grateful just to have you by my side.

Stupid, stupid Hazel…

I couldn’t save Leopold. You, who didn’t even leave a trace… never… And yet, I was called the empire’s greatest healer. What a disgusting title.

I grasped the sticky blood mixed with dirt in my hand. It felt so unreal. If I turned away and ran now, could it all remain as if it never happened? Maybe he had been in the territory all along, and meeting Leopold in D’Agnon was just a dream…

Ah. If only I could return to before the regression.

Even if I were to die again, I wished for you to live on. Not to vanish so meaninglessly before my eyes, but to continue existing, even if cold and distant…

I wept for a long time, sobbing uncontrollably.

I should never have met you. I should have pretended not to know you even if we crossed paths, acted as if I wasn’t smitten, and lived as strangers. Now, I was forever trapped in the pain of loss.

“When the sun rises tomorrow, I’ll come back to take care of things. For now, you should return—”

Stefan, who had been silently standing by, finally spoke with difficulty. But unable to control my emotions, I lashed out.

“Return? How can I leave him like this? How can I possibly go back?”

It wasn’t Stefan’s fault. I knew full well he had come all this way to help me. Yet my chaotic mind couldn’t filter my words and spewed them out recklessly.

“Why did you set this up? It’s dangerous! Because of this, Leopold, he is now…!”

My unfinished words turned back into sobs. In the quiet darkness of the mountain, only my desperate cries echoed.

“I’m sorry.”

Why was I so pathetic, venting my anger on an innocent person? I was the one who should have been apologizing…

Was there any way to wake up from this nightmare? I pounded my chest, struggling to breathe. The intense emotional drain made it hard to control my magic. What if I suffocated and died following him…

“Hazel?”

Hearing a voice that seemed like an auditory hallucination, I was sure I had gone mad. Loving Leopold, what was it that made me lose my mind like this—

“Hazel.”

Suddenly, Leopold appeared before me. He looked worried, as if he was surprised. Even though I faced him, it felt unreal, and I just stared at him, tears streaming down my face.

“Calm down. It’s all right. Don’t cry.”

He checked my condition and then pulled me into a tight embrace.

“Le…o…pold…?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

His voice was as gentle and soothing as ever.

Ah, dear God…

A sense of relief I had never felt before spread from head to toe.

“Truly, it’s you… Leopold Lawrence, you…”

Feeling his warm body, I confirmed once again that he was truly alive, and then I lost consciousness.

***

Thud.

Hazel’s head drooped to the side, limp.

Leopold, who had been comforting her on one knee, felt a familiar chill of fear. If he hadn’t sensed the unusually turbulent flow of magic within her, he might have jumped to a terrifying conclusion.

“Your Grace.”

Stefan called out to him with concern. Leopold slowly lifted Hazel into his arms.

“My wife is fine. She seems to have used a lot of magic in a short time. I have a guess as to why this happened.”

He asked, sounding troubled. Stefan shone the light downward.

“She mistook this dismembered body for Your Grace. I did too, honestly.”

Leopold was momentarily speechless at the horrific sight. It was a relief she hadn’t fainted from shock before meeting him.

“The reason?”

“You left a note saying you were going to the mountains. Because of the bandits coming down to the village, I set up explosives around, but she hurried here, saying she hadn’t informed you about it.”

“So she came all the way here…”

Once again, he had been careless. He should have told her in person, but he only left a note, causing Hazel to worry unnecessarily.

Stefan began to clean up the area and seemed to lead the way back.

“I thought Your Grace had noticed the explosives since there were no more explosions.”

“Yes, I knew.”

“Then earlier that was…”

Curiously, he glanced back. Leopold explained simply.

“On the way to D’Agnon, my knights cleared out most of the bandits. But there were some remnants, and I thought it would be easier to eliminate them all at once using the explosives, so I lured them here.”

“I did think there was too much blood.”

“I didn’t expect such a misunderstanding.”

“It was too dark to identify anything, and with the healer so emotionally upset, it was difficult to suggest a calm examination…”

He felt remorse for making Hazel cry again with his sparkling eyes. Although it was for her, the outcome wasn’t very good.

Could he truly make her happy…

As they entered the village, they saw a crowd of people gathering in the distance.

“I’m sorry for causing such a commotion. Thank you for fulfilling my wife’s request. Go and rest now.”

“It was my duty. I’ll take my leave then.”

After Stefan left, Leopold stayed by Hazel’s side through the night. He changed her dirty clothes and carefully cleaned the dirt and blood from her hands. Her calves and feet were covered with small scratches from the brush, vividly showing her urgency, which pained him.

How hellish must that short time have been when she imagined his death. And how terrible the emotions must have been when she faced what she thought was reality…

Having already lost Hazel once, he could somewhat understand her feelings and thus felt even more guilty for his mistake. He shouldn’t have created any situation that could cause Hazel anxiety…

He finally understood the reason for Hazel’s death that he had long speculated about. She used too much magic when protecting or recovering herself in emotionally draining situations. After experiencing extreme emotions, whether negative or positive, she would easily lose consciousness and fall asleep, which was proof of that.

Therefore, he must never push Hazel emotionally. He had to fulfill her wishes without hesitation and use every means to ensure she could live with peace of mind.

Even if it meant it would be a painful thing for him.