Chapter 121

[Foolish one. You dared to step into the realm of mortals on your own accord.]

The Goddess gazed down at the Divine Beast sitting before her, her voice devoid of any emotion as she reprimanded it.

The Divine Beast listened to her words with an impassive expression. It was a fitting demeanor for both the Goddess and the Divine Beast.

[A Divine Beast harming a human for the sake of another human?]

The Goddess continued, her tone sharp.

And to make matters worse, it was the Divine Beast of the Goddess of Equality herself.

All beings must be equal.

For the Goddess of Equality, the act of her sole Divine Beast killing a human was utterly unforgivable.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Goddess imposed a harsh punishment upon the Divine Beast.

Its once-unified soul was split into two.

One would endlessly reincarnate as a human; the other would become a sentinel guarding the sanctuary.

[You shall pay for your sins for as many lifetimes as the lives you interfered with.]

The wolf Divine Beast, now in a human body, was cast out into the human world immediately.

The first few years were spent idling, struggling to adapt to the human body.

A human body was absurdly fragile and annoyingly sensitive. Too much heat brought on heatstroke, while cold led to freezing to death.

The Divine Beast starved to death because it couldn’t get used to the habit of eating food, and it worked itself to death because it didn’t know how to sleep.

But the most excruciating pain came every full moon, when its heart throbbed with unbearable agony. On the second full moon, the pain was so intense that it died on the spot.

Having experienced death repeatedly, it began to wonder if living was even worth the effort.

Wouldn’t it be better to simply die and end it all…?

But even death wasn’t an escape. It was reborn over and over again, living meaningless lives.

‘How many more times do I have to go through this?’

By now, it had died at least twenty times.

This meant there weren’t many punishments left to endure.

Soon, this tedious life would finally come to an end.

But the Divine Beast soon realized it was gravely mistaken.

“Please give me this one.”

The Divine Beast turned to find someone beside it picking up an apple. Coincidentally, their hands brushed against each other.

It was only for a brief instant, but the Divine Beast knew.

“…Teria.”

That woman was the reincarnation of the Saintess.

Even though her appearance was different, the Divine Beast could distinctly remember her divine power.

Hearing the sudden call, the woman, who had been placing apples into a paper bag, turned around with a puzzled expression.

“Uh…”

The woman recognized the Divine Beast.

She was a maid at the Astrea Ducal Residence, where the Divine Beast had been staying as a long-term guest.

The Divine Beast also remembered seeing her at the residence.

It was unforgettable because the woman had been visibly uncomfortable around him.

The fact that he hadn’t recognized her immediately, despite their frequent encounters, was another punishment from the Goddess.

As the Divine Beast stared at her intently, the woman averted her gaze.

“Teria…”

“Um, Sir…”

When he reached out his hand, she flinched and stepped back. Her blue eyes, locked on him, trembled violently.

“I’m sorry, but my name isn’t Teria. If it’s inconvenient for you to return to the residence, shall I call someone to assist you?”

She was treating him like a drunkard.

“…”

The longing that had surfaced in the Divine Beast’s silver eyes vanished in an instant.

It made sense that she wouldn’t remember, having reincarnated.

Yet, strangely, he felt a pang of sorrow. He had been remembering her all this time.

“Sir?”

“It’s fine.”

The Divine Beast left first. The woman could only blink as she watched his retreating figure.

***

The Astrea Ducal Residence had a long-term guest.

A guest who stayed exclusively in the annex was a favorite among the servants of the residence.

He made no demands, wasn’t picky, and forgave mistakes easily.

Though he was a man of few words, this only endeared him further to the servants, as many nobles often teased them with inappropriate jokes.

Not only was he good-natured, but his appearance was striking. Several servants harbored unspoken crushes on him.

During lunch, the maids gathered in the dining hall, whispering and giggling.

“Honestly, calling him a guest doesn’t feel quite right. He’s been here since he was a child.”

The guest was peculiar in many ways.

He wasn’t part of the ducal family, yet he had grown up in the residence and was treated as an equal to the Duke of Astrea.

“Maybe he’s like a prince with a mysterious past?”

Marie, a maid quietly finishing her soup, rose from her seat.

“You’re cleaning the annex today, right?”

Now that she thought about it, she was.

Marie let out a small sigh as the guest’s face flashed in her mind.

For some reason, she had always found him unsettling.

It wasn’t mere dislike—it was a deep-seated aversion that seemed to rise from the pit of her stomach.

“Lucky you.”

“Then why don’t you clean the annex in my place? Didn’t you have to clean the stairs today?”

“Really? Can I?”

“Sure. Actually, I’d be grateful—”

“No, you can’t. That would defeat the purpose of the schedule we set.”

“Ah! Head Maid!”

The head maid entered the dining hall, adjusting her glasses with a strict expression.

“And how many times have I told you to watch what you say as maids? If you gossip recklessly, the Duke will have you punished.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Lunch is over. Everyone, back to your duties. Marie, go clean the annex.”

“Yes…”

Marie trudged toward the annex, resigned.

As if the guest wasn’t unsettling enough, her discomfort had only grown after their encounter at the market a few days prior.

She vividly remembered the look on his face and the tone of his voice when he had called out ‘Teria.’

He had seemed deeply longing.

‘Who is Teria?’

A lover? Perhaps someone he had parted ways with under tragic circumstances?

Was this quiet guest the type to hold onto such regrets?

Knock, knock.

Marie knocked on the door to the guest’s bedroom to clean.

“Excuse me.”

There was no response. Familiar with the routine, she opened the door and stepped in. There he was, standing by the window.

His silver hair glimmered faintly under the fragmented light of the setting sun.

When he turned around, their eyes met—those mystifying silver eyes that always seemed to hold a story.

Marie quickly averted her gaze, afraid he might suddenly start recounting his sorrows.

But the stoic guest didn’t stop her.

Instead, he merely followed her movements with his gaze as she moved about the room.

If there had been even a hint of displeasure in his stare, she might have had something to complain about.

But the calmness in his gaze was so unwaveringly neutral that it almost felt soothing.

Thanks to his tidy habits, there wasn’t much to clean. After tidying up a few books on the desk, Marie picked up a basket of laundry.

“Well, I’ll be going now…”

“What’s your name?”

“Uh…”

The sudden question caught her off guard. Blinking, Marie tried to hide her discomfort.

“Marie. My name is Marie.”

“Do you know my name?”

“Pardon?”

This was even more bewildering.

Marie, who had been about to confidently say she did, suddenly realized she didn’t know his name and fell silent.

Most guests’ names were common knowledge, but she was surprised to realize she didn’t know the name of this long-term guest.

‘Should I ask?’

Marie glanced at him cautiously.

His expressionless face gave no hints.

But if he didn’t want to tell her, he wouldn’t have brought it up.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name. May I ask?”

“Eched. Just call me Eched.”

How could a maid dare to address a noble guest by name?

Marie desperately wanted to escape this bizarre conversation.

But sensing that he wouldn’t let her go without agreeing, she reluctantly answered.

“Sure…”

Oh…

For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw the corners of his lips lift slightly.

It was so brief that she couldn’t be sure, but he seemed to be enjoying this situation.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Fortunately, he didn’t stop her again.

‘I’m staying far away from the annex from now on.’

But despite her resolve, she kept running into him.

While cleaning, tending the garden, or even at the market.

It got to the point where she began to suspect he was deliberately following her.

Marie ignored him and kept walking.

But after a few steps, she turned around to confront him.

Even though he had been caught following her, he showed no sign of surprise. Clicking her tongue, she said:

“Sir, why are you—”

“Eched.”

“…”

“Call me Eched.”

“…”

Marie held back her frustration.

If he insisted, she might as well.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke his name.

“Eched. Why are you following me?”

“I was curious about what you do.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re following me. Why are you curious about my daily life?”

“…”

He kept his mouth shut.

If he didn’t want to answer, so be it.

“Anyway, please stop following me. I’m going to meet my fiancé, and I can’t bring another man along.”

“Fiancé?”

“Yes, fiancé. We’re getting married soon.”

Marie raised her left hand, showing the silver ring on her finger.

“Well, I’ll be off now.”

With a bow, she resumed her path.

Eched stood frozen, watching her walk away.

Marie ran toward someone in the distance and leaped into a man’s arms, her radiant smile dazzling.

“…”

Eched had to acknowledge it.

Even if Marie’s soul was Teria’s, the life she was living now belonged to “Marie.”

Thus, he could not interfere in her life.

All he could do was watch.

Like an omniscient deity, Eched had witnessed Teria’s soul reincarnate countless times.

Sometimes as a child, sometimes as an elder, sometimes as a man.

Though he didn’t meet every incarnation of Teria, he had repeatedly observed her soul in the endless cycle of reincarnation, occasionally influencing life and death.

Because of this, the Divine Beast’s punishment only grew longer.

After repeatedly lengthening and shortening his sentence, only one punishment remained.

And that was when he met Shaterian.