Chapter 122

Shaterian drifted through the repeating timelines of the world.

Amid countless lives, a memory from a past life replayed—a moment when she begged for her life from Eched just before her death.

It had been a foolish and wrong choice.

Yet in this life, Shaterian did not regret her decision.

Even if it meant her own unhappiness, Eched, who had completed his punishment, would be able to find happiness.

Already, she found herself missing Eched.

Before she could be consumed by longing, Shaterian debated whether she should reincarnate again.

‘You know, Eched… If I ever meet you again, I’d like to live a very long life with you.’

Slap.

At that moment, something soft hit her face.

Shaterian opened her eyes slowly.

A raccoon Divine Beast appeared before her.

[Human. Wake up.]

Large, silent snowflakes landed gently on her face.

Though she lay in the snow, she didn’t feel cold.

It was as if she were watching the snowy world from the comfort of a warm building.

“Do I really have to get up?”

It’s annoying… … .

She muttered lazily, brushing away the raccoon’s paw as it tapped her cheek.

[The Goddess is waiting for you.]

“Ugh… I’m too tired right now.”

[What a lazy human you are…]

The raccoon stared at her, momentarily at a loss for words.

[Get up already.]

Sighing in exasperation, the raccoon urged her again, and Shaterian finally sat up.

She followed the raccoon through the pure white world. Soon, a World Tree appeared before them.

“The last time I was here, it was such a warm and golden place.”

This time, the once golden and radiant space was blanketed in snow.

Was the scenery changing based on the World Tree’s mood? 

Shaterian idly pondered this as she approached the tree.

Standing near the World Tree was another figure.

A woman, so white from head to toe that she seemed to blend into the snowy background.

Shaterian instinctively knew that this woman was a Goddess.

Not the Goddess of Compassion who often appeared in her dreams, but the Goddess of Justice—the one who had punished Eched.

The Goddess’s emotionless gaze landed on Shaterian.

It was a look both familiar and foreign.

[Even until the end, you’ve managed to trouble me.]

“Huh? Why? I died gracefully, just as you, the Goddess who wanted the world to function properly, desired.”

So why was the Goddess blaming her now? Shaterian couldn’t understand.

The Goddess paused, seemingly lost in thought.

Perhaps she was debating how to deal with Shaterian’s insolent attitude.

[Dying gracefully isn’t the term for what you did. That phrase is reserved for those who die of natural causes.]

Was this really something worth pondering?

It was such an absurdly trivial concern.

[And for the record, I can hear your thoughts, so keep them in check.]

“Hmm… Do Divine Beasts tend to resemble the personalities of the Goddesses they serve?”

They were far too similar. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think of the Goddess as Eched’s parent.

[Who knows.]

The Goddess stroked the raccoon in her arms.

“Looking at this raccoon, I’d say not.”

Since the Goddess could hear her thoughts, Shaterian spoke aloud without hesitation.

The Goddess gave a faint smile.

“Well then, tell me. What about me is troubling you this time?”

[By killing the dark sorcerer and dying in the process, you corrected the distorted timeline. For that, I must commend you.]

Commend her.

It was a pleasant thing to hear.

But she couldn’t celebrate so easily, knowing that she also bore some responsibility for the dark sorcerer’s chaos.

After all, there’s no effect without a cause.

What if, years ago, the dark sorcerer hadn’t died because of Eched?

What if a Divine Beast serving a Goddess hadn’t killed a human?

What if the Divine Beast hadn’t felt pity for one particular human?

[Hypotheticals are pointless. Humans think too much.]

“Well, it’s the Creator who made humans this way…”

[Hmm…]

The Goddess averted her gaze, pretending not to hear.

For a Goddess, her behavior was oddly relatable.

“So, what good comes from this commendation?”

[You’ll be granted something beyond a human’s imagination.]

“Like, say, the world in the palm of my hand…?”

[Do you desire the world?]

“No, that’s far too grand for my tastes.”

Shaterian quickly waved her hands in refusal, startled at the idea of being handed the world.

Though the Goddess had said she would grant her a reward, her gaze now seemed to ask what Shaterian truly wanted.

‘Money…?’

[Money?]

‘Or perhaps an extraordinary appearance…’

[Appearance?]

‘Power, maybe…’

[Power, is it? If it’s power, would becoming an Emperor suffice?]

‘Or maybe guaranteed success as a self-made individual…’

[You certainly have many desires.]

“…You’re quite responsive.”

Shaterian stopped her thoughts with a faintly awkward expression.

[Whatever it is, speak your wish.]

“Anything?”

It was an exceedingly generous offer.

[The World Tree, which suffered because of the dark sorcerer, is grateful to you.]

The Goddess tapped the thick trunk of the World Tree.

Shaterian thought deeply.

Her thoughts spiraled endlessly until she finally arrived at what she truly desired.

[Is that really what you want?]

The Goddess’s voice turned serious as she glimpsed Shaterian’s thoughts.

This was the only thing Shaterian wished for.

She nodded.

The Goddess hesitated, but in the end, she nodded as well.

[Speak your wish.]

“I want…”

At that very moment, the space around her began to tremble.

Shaterian closed her eyes once more amidst the shaking world.

***

Eched could still see the moment of Shaterian’s death vividly whenever he closed his eyes.

It was the first time he had been so affected by the death of a reincarnated soul.

He hadn’t expected her to beg for her life, nor had he intended to save her.

But perhaps it had all been because of an emotion he had never felt before.

Watching her close her eyes for the last time had been unbearably painful.

But this was the end.

His punishment was over.

[I knew you’d come so soon.]

A voice broke the silence, and Eched slowly opened his eyes.

Flowing hair the color of water and eyes that held the light of the earth met his gaze.

[This time, shall we call it… death by compounded exhaustion?]

Unlike the stoic Goddess of Equality, the Goddess of Compassion was brimming with emotion as she teased him.

She remembered how, in the early days of his punishment, she had fretted over his countless deaths from various illnesses. Thinking about it now left her feeling bitter.

“Why are you here?”

[What good would it do to face the Goddess of Equality? Isn’t it better to deal with me than with that rigid one?]

Yet she herself was both the Goddess of Justice and the Goddess of Compassion…

Eched kept his thoughts to himself.

[I’m debating what to do with you.]

The Goddess narrowed her eyes at Eched, muttering to herself.

His fate depended on her decision, yet he showed no interest.

Eched’s mind remained preoccupied with thoughts of Shaterian.

The Goddess clicked her tongue at his indifference, muttering that he was just like the Goddess of Equality.

[Should I extend your punishment for taking your own life as a human?]

By deliberately starving himself and refusing to sleep, he had essentially ended his own life.

The Goddess considered him insolent and seriously contemplated extending his punishment.

But in the end, her deliberation led nowhere.

[Still, it’s true that you helped capture the dark sorcerer. I’ll show mercy and grant your wish.]

A wish.

There was only one thing Eched wanted now.

Without hesitation, he spoke.

“I want to see Shaterian.”

‘I want to meet Eched.’

As Shaterian’s image overlapped with his own reflection, the Goddess chuckled in exasperation.

Shaterian’s wish had been granted.

Eched’s wish had been granted.

The world, having healed its wounds, was restructured and stabilized.

Eched was pulled into the fabric of time and space, reliving countless histories.

One year.

Ten years.

One hundred years.

Through innumerable cycles, he returned to the present.

Eched opened his eyes.

The familiar pattern of the ceiling greeted him.

It was the bedroom of the Astrea Ducal Residence.

He had returned. From the realm of souls to the physical world.

Eched quickly rose from his bed.

He searched the residence, but there was no trace of Shaterian.

As if in a trance, Eched stood before a mirror.

His reflection showed a younger face than the one he had when he died at 25.

“Ah…”

Even his voice sounded slightly younger.

Eched checked the calendar.

Year 543 of the Empire.

He had returned. To when he was 18 years old.

Outside, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

At this time, Eched had been attending the academy.

He hurried to prepare himself to leave.

Though he didn’t know what had changed, he knew that Shaterian would graduate early from the academy in the spring of her 18th year.

He wanted to see her before then.

But when he arrived at the academy, there was no sign of Shaterian.

Eched wandered through every corner of the academy.

But he couldn’t find even the slightest trace of her.

It was as if Shaterian didn’t exist at all.

Eched was utterly despondent. He began to wonder if he had been reincarnated into another world as a result of the Goddess’s mischief.

“……ed.”

But he couldn’t stay like this forever. Eched decided to head toward the Melis Ducal Residence.

“Eched!”

Thud. Someone smacked Eched on the back.

A familiar voice, a familiar scent, a familiar presence.

It was Shaterian.

“What were you thinking about so deeply that you didn’t even react when I called you?”

It was truly Shaterian.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

Shaterian playfully laughed and lightly tapped Eched’s small shoulder.

“You’re late. You know how much the professor of herbal studies hates tardiness, don’t you?”

Shaterian grabbed Eched’s arm, pulling him along as he stood there dazed. 

Eched, who was being dragged along helplessly, soon straightened up and followed Shaterian after her nagging prompted him to walk properly.

The entire time he followed her, Eched couldn’t take his eyes off Shaterian.

Suddenly, a very unpleasant thought crossed his mind.

Eched thought he had returned to when he was 18 years old.

But hearing Shaterian’s words, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

The Shaterian of his original 18-year-old self neither smiled at him like this, nor spoke to him, nor even called him by name—Eched.

She always addressed him as “Hey,” “You,” or “Duke Astrea.”

As they entered the corridor, a breeze carrying cherry blossoms swept through, rustling Shaterian’s hair.

“The cherry blossoms are so beautiful. Eched, what are you doing this weekend? Want to go see the cherry blossoms together?”

“…….”

“Why aren’t you answering? Do you not want to? Then forget it……”

“No, I’d like that. ……I’d like that very much.”

Shaterian stared at Eched intently. Then, she burst into laughter.

Glancing at Eched, Shaterian looked around. There was no one else there.

“Eched.”

Shaterian called him, making him look at her, and then swiftly pressed her lips to his.

Stunned, Eched couldn’t reach out to stop Shaterian as she moved away.

Her face was beautifully tinged with a soft pink hue.

“Shater……”

“We’re really late. Let’s go.”

Her hurried, embarrassed retreat was endearing.

No, it was a feeling far greater than what could be expressed with the word “love.”

At the moment he realized that feeling, Eched became truly human.

The world was at peace, and their affection was set on the right path.

Countless years passed.

The endless time spent longing for her and missing her.

Beyond that time, they came to focus solely on each other.

<When a Scandal Breaks Out With a Rival> The End