‘Should I, a physician, be doing this?’

But the physician wasn’t sure if what he would do today was truly treatment. The process of cutting a woman who slept like the dead after eating yuliph leaves, treating her with a strange medicine, cutting her again, and treating her—this wasn’t treatment as he understood it. The act had a different purpose than healing people.

‘This thing is truly a miracle. It can save even the dying. But……’

Though he had roughly verified the effects of the strange medicine through two experiments, he didn’t covet it. The strange medicine in his possession could save someone with fatal injuries, but it took away memories.

The physician had seen a patient who had lost all memory in an accident, so he knew the suffering indirectly. That patient had been confused, unable to recognize family members they had lived with until just days before, wondering who they themselves were.

‘Isn’t it better than a disease where you gradually lose your memory? You can start anew. Besides, the woman in this tower is already suffering from mental illness due to past tragedies. Perhaps it would be better for her to forget everything and start a new life.’

The physician felt guilty about the treatment he would perform today. But out of fear of the Crown Prince, he soon pulled himself together and rationalized his actions.

“Doctor. Your expression is very dark.”

But worry that showed on one’s face couldn’t be erased. The person with him spoke up, unable to bear the physician’s expression.

“Ah….. Cleric.”

The person beside the physician was a young cleric Roshan had brought from outside the capital. Though his holy power was far inferior to Alicia’s, he could heal. Roshan, no longer able to trust Alicia, had brought him to prepare for any unfortunate incidents.

“We have to do this anyway. Think of it as the Goddess’s will and be at ease.”

The cleric, who had shed his youthful appearance, had a very ambitious personality. Unlike the physician, he didn’t agonize over what he would witness. He thought only of the benefits the Crown Prince would give him.

“Yes….”

The physician made a disgruntled face at the cleric’s words but nodded. It was true. Something they had to do anyway. He quietly called upon the Goddess in his heart.

How much time had passed? As the physician was organizing the items he had brought, a sound that shouldn’t be heard outside the tower reached them.

Clang. Clang.

The sound of weap*ns clashing. The physician and cleric looked at each other.

Bang. The wooden door of the tower, which had been closed, was broken down. And dozens of men rushed in. They were not knights or soldiers from the imperial palace.

‘Mercenaries? Why are mercenaries in the imperial palace……’

The physician, who immediately recognized the men’s identity, widened his eyes just as the mercenaries spotted him and the cleric. The physician and cleric immediately sensed the threat approaching them and began to run.

“P-please spare us!”

“Why did you have to run up the stairs…… My legs hurt, doctor.”

But they were caught before they could get far. Pressed against a narrow landing, the physician and cleric begged for their lives. But the mercenaries swung their swords without hesitation.

“Ugh!”

The cleric fell, and soon after, the physician collapsed forward as a sword pierced his back. The mercenaries descended the tower again, carelessly holding their bloodied swords.

“D*mn. They always make me do this kind of thing.”

The remaining mercenary bent down to check the dead cleric and then to check the physician. At that moment, a woman in white appeared at the top of the staircase where they were.

The mercenary turned around, sensing her presence. And in that instant, a golden light bright enough to take away his sight enveloped his head.

“Ugh!”

The mercenary crumpled without even making a proper sound. The woman in white who emerged from behind the light, Alicia, briefly prayed over him and then immediately approached the physician.

“Please endure a little longer.”

The physician was still breathing, albeit weakly. Alicia, as if she had expected this, comforted him and reached into his clothing. Soon she held a small bottle in her hand.

After confirming the bottle, Alicia placed her hand on the physician’s wound. Golden light burst from her hand and moved toward the physician in wriggling motions.

“Huh……”

Despite the holy power, the physician still couldn’t regain consciousness. However, the long gash on his back gradually healed, and his groans subsided.

Alicia confirmed that the physician’s weak breathing had returned to normal and stood up. At the same time, the bottle in her possession rattled.

‘Alicia. I’m a witch. A witch, how fortunate.’

A woman’s laughter, children’s screams, acrid smell, and black smoke obscured Alicia’s vision. She turned her body with a twisted smile.

She began to descend the stairs slowly. And behind her footsteps, the golden light swirled red before disappearing.

* * *

He couldn’t bear it any longer. Frederick finally dropped his sword.

‘D*mn it…… If only I had a spear!’

After giving Yerena the sleeping drug and leaving the tower almost like he was fleeing, Frederick soon discovered the bodies of his subordinates who had been guarding the area near the tower. And just as he tensed at the sight, armed men sprang out from the bushes near the tower.

Sensing the dangerous situation, Frederick focused on returning to the tower rather than confronting them. But the men pursuing him were numerous, and some even carried bows. Eventually, Frederick took an arrow to the shoulder, fought them, and fell to his knees.

Thud.

A blunt weapon struck his head. Frederick tried to hold onto his fading consciousness as he collapsed to the side.

‘Eric and Yudan’s bodies weren’t there. If at least one of them could bring news of this place to my lord……’

Blood stained the well-tended flowers near the tower. Frederick saw the blood flowing from his head and closed his eyes as he felt someone turning his body over.

“It’s over. Let’s go.”

He faintly heard the men running away. A long ringing sound accompanied his fading consciousness.

‘So this is what it feels like.’

Thinking he would surely die soon, his scattered thoughts cleared. Frederick quickly reviewed his life and opened his eyes again.

His eyes were rapidly losing their light. He smiled, thinking his life hadn’t been so bad, but hardened his expression at the end.

‘If I was going to die like this, I should have shown at least a bit of my heart. Whether I die by my lord’s hand or like this, it’s the same in the end, isn’t it?’

He felt regretful. He had thought it was just a momentary emotion, but now he realized it had been quite deep.

But he knew that even if he survived, even if he could go back to the past with these memories, he would suppress his feelings just as he had done until now. What a pathetic man. Frederick let go of the tension in his body with self-deprecation.

It was difficult even to think now. Frederick tried to face death calmly. But at that moment, someone parted the blood-soaked grass and approached him, bending down.

‘Who……’

His vision flickered, and Frederick could only sense that someone had placed something against his lips. Soon after, something flowed down his throat. A feeling cold as mountain ice numbed his tongue, followed by something hot as a fireball that touched his throat.

“Cough!”

His nearly extinguished breath returned, and the flowing blood stopped. Frederick moved his body as if convulsing. His limbs trembled.

It felt like many people were singing, then a woman’s scream tore through his mind, stabbing and slashing. Someone scooped out a portion of his head and crushed it.

Part of his life scattered whitely. And among them was his last regret and the image of the woman who had sparked that regret.

The face he first saw in the Kingdom of Sedas.

Her appearance as she threw herself at him while crying.

The tears that fell from her large eyes.

Her lips that would make sharp retorts but occasionally say thank you.

Her kindness in caring for him, an enemy knight, even while declaring her hatred.

The words of gratitude she had given him at the end.

Trapped in the golden light, Frederick screamed that this couldn’t happen. But before him, everything shattered one by one. Even some memories from before meeting her gradually crumbled and turned to sand.

Frederick, who had been groaning in pain, eventually lost consciousness. His head fell to the side, and his brilliant golden hair covered his eyes. His wounds were still serious but not fatal.

Alicia could have saved Frederick with holy power as she had done for the physician. But she didn’t. She needed to use all her holy power elsewhere.

“……I’m sorry, Sir Frederick.”

Alicia quietly apologized to Frederick, who would lose part of his memories, and withdrew her hand. In her hand was a small bottle with its lid open.

A soft light leaked from inside the bottle. Alicia looked at the swirling white liquid and closed the lid.

The bottle, now about a quarter empty, had become lighter. She placed it in Frederick’s clothing and slowly stood up. Then she began walking toward the tower again.

Mercenaries hired by the emperor were still stationed around the tower. But Alicia moved as if she knew where they were, staying out of their sight.

* * *

‘How long have I been asleep?’

Yerena got up, supporting herself on the bed. Though her head felt like it was about to split, it was much clearer than before she fell asleep. The golden light that had been spinning before her eyes had returned to its familiar state, causing no problems with her vision.

She reached for the table beside the bed to find water. There was some water left in the glass, but not enough. Yerena moved to get more.

‘……Why is this happening again? Is something really wrong with my body? I should also clean up the sheet.’

But the effects of the sleeping drug that remained despite her vomiting continued to trouble her. Yerena felt dizziness rising again as she moved and leaned against the wall as soon as she left the bedroom.