Dum-dum-dum—

Somewhere, a drumbeat echoed. Since there was no one playing a drum, it was undoubtedly the sound of Livia’s heart, which had grown as loud as a drum.

Livia stood at the entrance of the village, gazing silently at the place where she had been born and raised.

It was a small rural village with only a few hundred people. It wasn’t affluent, but it wasn’t lacking either, so there was no particular discord.

However, where people gather, rumors are inevitable, and this small village was always buzzing with dirty gossip.

Maya was a woman who knew well how powerful such rumors could be in this little village. She had often been at the center of them herself.

“Someone sneaked into Maya’s house last night,” they said.

“The village chief and Maya are in a questionable relationship,” they said.

“Maya’s house always has nighttime visitors,” they said…

And as if to prove the rumors true, Maya always monopolized the benefits provided by the village. She managed to live comfortably without doing much work.

Yet, it seemed she thought that wasn’t enough. In fact, Maya’s first target had been Livia’s father, Rugis.

But Rugis, who hadn’t looked at another woman even after his wife passed away, pushed her away in disgust. After that, Phedum approached Livia.

Livia’s house had the most sheep in the village, and Iason was skilled at building boats and fishing, so their home was always well-stocked with food.

Lete was good with his hands and cooked well, so Livia’s household lacked nothing.

It might have been speculation, but it felt like they deliberately approached to take what they had.

Finally, as Livia stood staring at the darkness of the village, a spark ignited in her eyes.

The villagers were no different from Maya.

They shared Livia’s sheep among themselves, filled Maya’s storehouse, and Phedum fished using Iason’s boat.

Dum-dum-dum.

Her heart pounded like a drum. Standing in front of Maya’s storehouse, Livia clenched the ashes granted by Nemesis, the goddess of revenge.

Perhaps today, her revenge would end. The thought was both empty and liberating.

Then, what about the contract with the witch?

With her target gone, it might become void, but would the witch let her go so easily?

And if the contract with the witch became void… what about the wager she made with Triton? Would that end as well? Would he let her go? Or would he come after her for deceiving a god?

…Well, it didn’t matter.

If the witch desired, Livia was willing to give her life back into her hands. She could continue being a puppet, carrying out futile attacks, or continue enduring the trials set by Triton. She might even face ruin.

So be it. With eyes filled with madness, Livia tightly gripped Nemesis’s ashes. And without hesitation, she threw them at Maya’s house.

“……!”

Something pitch-black lunged and snatched the pouch. Startled, she looked, and a black snake, with Nemesis’s pouch in its mouth, turned to face Livia.

The snake’s chilling eyes bore into her. The moment she sensed something was amiss, the snake’s form changed with a wisp-like smoke.

“We can’t have you ruining our contract like this.”

Echidna…!

The black witch held the pouch of Nemesis that Livia had thrown, glaring fiercely at her. How did she know to be here? Why?

As Livia watched the witch with wary eyes, the witch smiled and lifted Nemesis’s pouch. The ashes of the goddess slipped down her throat.

“What are you doing…?”

Startled, Livia instinctively stepped forward, but it was already too late; the ashes had been swallowed.

At that moment, one of Echidna’s fingers snapped off and fell to the ground. Echidna glanced at her severed finger, which was turning to ash and scattering into the air, as if she had swallowed something bitter.

“Nemesis, you pretended not to hear my voice for so long… yet you’re so generous to this mere human.”

The mocking witch soon fixed her terrifying gaze on Livia. Her piercing eyes sparked with black fire.

“Who saved you when you almost drowned at sea? It was me. Who gave you the chance for revenge after you survived? It was me. Therefore, your life now belongs to me. I saved you and breathed life into you. And now you betray me?”

“You can take back my life if you wish. If you want, I will strive for your revenge to the end. Even if Triton strangles me, don’t interfere with my revenge! Please…!”

“Impossible! How weak is the will of a human who has achieved their goal! It’s as futile as a candle flame that has lost its wick. Honor the contract. If not….”

As the witch waved her hand in the air, gray smoke gathered and a black flame with a white glow appeared.

“Touch it.”

Though anxiety surged, Livia couldn’t help but reach out. Her trembling fingertips touched the white glow.

At that moment, Livia’s face twisted in agony.

“Lete…?”

Lete’s spirit was trapped inside a dark cave. Whether he had crossed the river of forgetfulness or not, his once bright eyes were now dim, but it was indeed Lete.

The boy sitting alone in the darkness was unmistakably Livia’s younger brother, Lete.

“Lete!”

“I barely snatched him from the afterlife. For you.”

The witch whispered with a sweet voice, lifting Livia’s chin. Her tear-filled eyes burned fiercely. They were exactly the eyes the witch desired—filled with madness, malice, defiance, and determination.

“Act according to the contract, human. You seek my revenge, and I seek yours.”

Echidna’s cracked voice seared through Livia’s ears. It shook her mind and soul. Only then did Livia truly understand what she had allied herself with.

A ‘witch’ who would do anything for revenge. Someone who perhaps harbored a grudge far deeper and darker than Livia could ever compare to.

The witch’s touch, which had been caressing Livia’s chin, dissipated into the air.

In the blink of an eye, the witch vanished completely, leaving Livia to finally release the scream she had been holding back.

“Aaaah!”

Startled by the noise, Maya woke up and rushed outside, only to see a woman with red hair running off into the distance. She fell backward in shock.

“L-Livia Horn?”

She vividly remembered seeing Livia jump off the cliff—a height that no one could survive. Was that a ghost? Was she seeing things?

With trembling legs, Maya hurried back inside the house. Even after slamming the door shut and carefully drawing the curtains, she couldn’t stop shaking.

The ominous feeling lingered until morning.

***

‘…Of course, revenge wouldn’t end this easily.’

Sitting on the cliff from which she had jumped, Livia let out a small laugh as she gazed at the sea.

It was the time when the dim light of dawn began to spread over the dark waters. Livia suddenly felt a deep sense of loneliness. Then, by pure chance, she recalled something the queen of the underworld had said.

“If you ever want to see this little dog, I can engrave a mark so you can call him anytime you want. Whenever you miss him, whenever you need him.”

Livia gently touched the pomegranate-shaped mark on the inside of her wrist. Could she really see him again? She didn’t doubt the goddess’s words, but she was quite nervous. After taking a short, deep breath, Livia slowly spoke.

“Mumu.”

As if responding to Livia’s voice, the pomegranate-shaped mark turned red, and something large appeared in a swirl of gray smoke.

“…Mumu?”

Calling out the dog’s name with a trembling voice, she heard a loud bark through the dissipating gray smoke.

In her now-clear view, a large dog with three heads spotted Livia and ran toward her.

“Mumu! You really came out!”