One unbelievable sight after another. A massive rift suddenly appeared in the sky during a sacred ritual. Pouring darkness, the stench of blood, collisions and screams…

Amidst the chaos of the situation, one person captured everyone’s attention.

Elodie Perdia. She was ascending the stairs alone towards the area where the never-ending torrent of darkness was erupting from the rift.

 Most of the people of the Empire could recognize her from a distance.

It was common knowledge that House Perdia had a pale, platinum-haired, ill-tempered but beautiful princess who was also an illegitimate daughter.

 “That woman. Is she insane?!”

“Why isn’t anyone stopping her?”

Amidst the cries of the people, Elodie reached the altar and collapsed onto the black-stained platform.

What happened next was an event no one would forget in their lifetime.

Flash!

A blinding light covered the entire square. Simultaneously, the rift that had seemed impossible to close started gradually closing from its edges.

The demons struggling to break free from the closing rift and claw their way onto the surface tumbled over each other and collapsed, entangled in a grotesque scene reminiscent of a painting a renowned artist might create after witnessing a plane crash.

However, the demons’ resistance was short-lived.

Crack! Thump, thump.

The demons that had been clinging near the entrance of the closing rift were split apart and fell to the ground.

Defeating the remaining demons that had managed to escape the rift was no longer a challenging task.

People observed in awe.

The once, black-stained altar had regained its pristine white glow.

It was akin to proclaiming the existence of a savior to the world.

 “Look, the curse is gone!”

 “The savior! The savior!”

But the cheers were short-lived, as the body of the one who had ended it staggered and-.

 “Kyah!”

And fell to the ground. Someone who had been watching let out a scream. It was the moment.

 “Elodie.”

 “Lili!”

 “Sister?!”

 “….Lady!”

The Duke of Perdia, Jansi, Carlot, and finally Adenmir. Scattered across the great square, they each called out Elodie’s name and rushed from their positions.

 But they were all far enough away from the altar that it was impossible to keep up with her falling speed.

 “D*mn it, sister!”

The brothers, who wielded the powers of Annihilation and Ground Collapse respectively, could do nothing but run, and even though the duke used his powers to run at a speed that was beyond comprehension, he was unable to reach Elodie.

Just as the unthinkable was about to unfold before their eyes, a twist of fate occurred: in the blink of an eye, someone managed to reach Elodie and catch her in their arms before she fell to her death.

Four men froze in their tracks.

 “……Mercenary.”

The owner of the hushed voice was Sylvester Perdia. He gazed at the face of the man who held his daughter.

[sc name=”add_image” image_url=” https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc8mghl9H54IvglGjXpHukJmD6y6hNJprGAw5w-hW1inpYLvP_c6_Ygo-vS-tyYHX6Dxr2_GSrSOiMnbFG4tt6yS6jJnjmqTOUBbdCM9l_3ZDsErahE=w2400″][/sc]

Ian the Mercenary. The man he’d assigned to Elodie’s side as her escort.

Sylvester had known he was strong, but he didn’t expect him to be this capable. Arriving before anyone else and he swiftly caught Elodie without a hint of hesitation.

Sylvester had a strange feeling that Ian was eyeing him dangerously, as if to tell him not to even think about touching Elodie.

Ironically enough, he retorted with a smirk and took a step forward.

 “I’ll take Elodie.”

 “…….”

“Mercenary Ian.”

Raeyan closed his lips and briefly looked down at Elodie, who had closed her eyes. His face showed inner conflict. The more he hesitated, the colder the atmosphere became.

“You b*stard, hand over my sister-!”

 “Carl.”

Jansi grabbed and restrained Carlot, who was about to lash out.

Whether the conflict was over or not, Raeyan, after locking eyes with Elodie once more, approached Sylvester and obediently handed her over.

As Elodie Perdia returned safely to her father’s arms, the people who had been holding their breaths erupted into cheers.

“Wow!”

“She, she’s alive!”

In any case, she was alive.

The jubilation of having survived sent shivers of joy through the crowd.

Mixed within were the cries of those who had lost loved ones.

The faces of the nobles hidden behind the Imperial Army seemed pensive for some reason. It was because they didn’t know how to react.

“So, what’s the current situation…”

“Uh, how did they close the rift?”

 “Could it be her power……?”

 “But I thought Lady Elodie didn’t have powers.”

But no one could deny it.

That the daughter of Perdia had saved all the lives in this place, and by extension, the security of the empire.

Unlike the populace that was singing praises and cheering, their perspective was quite difficult.

No matter how much she was a part of the Perdia family, recognizing a once-neglected presence as a savior was not easy.

“First of all, it seems like we need to investigate how the rift was closed.”

 “You’re right.”

The nobles shook their heads in silence as they listened.

Whether she was a savior or whatever, it wouldn’t be too late to offer admiration after the true investigation was conducted. However, their savior was currently in a deep slumber…

Meanwhile, in a corner of the grand square.

 “Elodie Perdia……. The human who stood before the judgement of the goddess Irkala.”

The mage smiled; his mission accomplished.

***

It was warm, cozy, and fragrant.

My mind, wrapped in the sensation of comfort like being surrounded by clouds, gradually became clear.

‘I remember closing the rift and losing consciousness……’

I also remember falling down the stairs.

‘The afterlife, then?’

I opened my eyes to find myself even more startled.

[You must be tired.]

Due to the owner of the gentle voice, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise.

 “Mum?”

 […….]

 “……Mum, right?”

In front of me was the Duchess of Severes, or rather, the mom I had seen in my father’s memories.

Strikingly similar in appearance.

However, the atmosphere was different. Yet, the mother before me merely offered a faint smile, not saying a word.

 ‘Ah.’

The inflated emotions sank like a balloon bursting in an instant.

 “No…….”

I just knew it intuitively. That it wasn’t my mother.

The other person seemed to be waiting for me to realize it, and only then did they speak.

[This is the form you wish to see.]

I wondered if I’d been looking for my mum all along. I had heard it somewhere before.

God appears before humans in the form they wish to see.

“So… are you the goddess Ishtar?”

[That’s correct.]

“Why did you appear before me?”

My attitude was not favorable.

My life had been too complicated to merely find meeting a deity fascinating, especially considering I had encountered an absolute being.

As much as I prayed to God earnestly, I resented God.

I was always desperate, as the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment, and therefore I hated any god who would not grant me my wish, and here was such a god before me.

Ishtar looked at me with a sad smile.

 [Do not be angry, for it is only now that I have been able to reach you, for I have gone round and round and have only just met you].

“…I have a lot of questions.”

I no longer thought of this place as merely a world within a book. And based on what I had been through, I came to realize that what I had thought of as a book was actually one of my past lives.

But that was just a guess after hearing the words of Raeyan, and I wasn’t sure it was true.

“What I believed to be a book was my past life?”

[That’s correct, child. However, someone intervened, resulting in an incomplete record.]

 “Someone, who?”

[Someone from my sister Irkala’s people, I assume.]

“So, why do I remember my past life as the content of a book?”

 [Because your mother, my other child Arcelia, is responsible for managing the records of the world.]

It was just as Raeyan had said.

My mother, the librarian of the god Ishtar, my mother had sent me to another world to save me and had granted the memories of my past life in the form of a book.

But in the process, Irkala had intervened and tampered with the contents. Suddenly, I felt like the puzzle was coming together.

 “So, who is Estelle? Does she really exist?”

 [The child is also a victim of Irkala].

That meant that she wasn’t a fabricated existence being introduced.

‘Then why is she so hard to find? She can’t be hiding that well.’

My musings were short-lived. Ishtar, who had glanced at me briefly, spoke gently.

[I don’t have much time to converse directly with you, my child.]

“Really? How much time do we have?”

 [Soon. The space is going to collapse]. As much as Irkala has affected the earth, I can also exist…….]

Just as she said, the surrounding spaces began to crack like breaking glass.

Unlike the composed Ishtar, I grew anxious. There were so many questions I needed to ask, but my heart was racing, and time was running out.

I urgently shouted.

 “Mum! Where is she?”

[She is in an unreachable, deep place.]

“What can I do to wake my dad?!”

[My fifth child, searching for a dream…]

Crack-! The space shattered before Ishtar’s words could even finish. I knew it was futile, but I still threw out one last question.

“Why, why me?!”

Why did it have to be me? Naturally, there was no one to answer that question.

***

Three days had passed since Elodie had shown her miracle.

Yet, she remained unconscious. The most skilled doctors from the country were brought in, but to no avail.

 While Elodie remained unresponsive, the outside world continued to move quickly. 　

“We ask Elodie Perdia to clarify the truth. Is there no way to know if it is a holy power or a special power? “

“I don’t think it’s too late to pay tribute after we’ve cleared things up.”

It was due to the fact that some nobles, who were allied with Duke Angellus, were preparing to hold a meeting of the high nobles to investigate the truth about Elodie Perdia.

 ‘Tsk. If it weren’t for Elodie, those who are now making a fuss would have been a feast for the monsters.’

Duke Perdia completely ignored their agitation and cut off their access. Furthermore, he reinforced the security of the already secluded mansion by locking the doors even tighter.

“Make sure not even a mouse can sneak in.”

The servants went about their business in silence, stifled by the ferocity of their master’s command.

 Entering Elodie’s bedchamber, the Duke of Perdia was met by three people already there: his wife and two sons, who stood by her side, never taking their eyes off her.

When did they become so affectionate? It was definitely a family.

He had tried not to develop too much attachment to a child who might leave someday.

‘It was all useless in the end.’

Smiling bitterly, the duke went to Elodie’s side and looked down at her sleeping face. Jansi turned to his father.

“Father, is Duke Angellus still persistent?”

“Yeah.”

 “This sneaky little raccoon……!”

Carlot, recalling Duke Angellus, spoke up with a smirk, suppressing his anger. His mother, who had been observing the situation in silence, scolded her son.

“Don’t lose your temper, Carlot.”

“Ah, I won’t!”

 “By the way, Lili better wakes up soon.”

She looked pitifully at Elodie, who slept as if she was dead. She showed no sign of waking up.

“By the way, what was that power my sister used? I don’t think it had anything to do with destroying toxins.”

Carlot’s words complicated the emotions of those present. They all had the same question in their minds.

But only Duke Perdia remained calm.

“Anyway, it was quite impressive. Sister Lili managed to stop that insane rift!”

Unlike the blustering Carlot, Jansi had a consistently dark expression. As Jansi assessed the atmosphere, he broke the silence and asked his father.

“Father, I have something to ask.”

“Speak, Jansi.”

 “You know something, don’t you, about the power that Lili used?”

The eldest son, who couldn’t look his father in the eye, fixed his gaze on his father’s golden eyes without hesitation.