Chapter 59

‘Remember this one thing: only that child can end the punishment, but only you can end the situation.’

The Goddess had said this to her. It was clear that she wanted Eched to end his punishment.

While Shaterian didn’t fully understand what “that situation” meant, the method to end the punishment was certain.

Eched had once mentioned it when they visited an ancient temple. He said that his punishment would end when he stopped intervening in matters of life and death.

‘You have no idea how many dangers your past self faced.’

As these faint murmurs from the past resurfaced in her mind, tears welled up in Shaterian’s eyes.

Everything pointed to one thing.

Eched had been saving her over and over again. The Saintess from 500 years ago, and every reincarnation since then.

“It’s time to stop saving me. End your punishment.”

Eched’s pupils trembled. He looked as confused as he did that spring day on the hill when she had declared an end to the war.

“Stop taking on punishment because of me. Let’s go back to how it was before.”

“I…”

He shook his head.

“You don’t need to save me anymore. So even if I die, don’t save me.”

She spoke firmly, deliberately.

“Don’t worry about me. In this life… just let me die.”

“…”

But she couldn’t leave him alone, so she made a promise.

“In return, I’ll try not to die. I’ll do my best to live a long life. I’ll avoid accidents and incidents and live as safely as possible. I’ll stay with you for as long as I can.”

This was a huge decision for her. She was even willing to give up her peaceful countryside life for this.

So he couldn’t say no. He had to accept it, right?

Pleading silently, she waited for his response.

After a moment of hesitation, Eched replied quietly, with a sigh in his voice.

“Alright. For a long time, together.”

“Yes. Together.”

They didn’t promise eternity. There would be no vows that transcended time anymore.

They hoped this tedious cycle would end with this life.

As the night fell, they prayed that the pain would end here.

***

A peaceful afternoon. Pell, having already finished his tasks, was fully enjoying his leisure time.

And it wasn’t just Pell.

The 1st Knight Order’s adjutant office, without its commander, had been filled with laughter for some time now. If someone were to name the most relaxed and harmonious department in the Imperial Palace, it would undoubtedly be the 1st Knight Order’s adjutant office—for the first time in history.

This was largely due to the Emperor’s improved mood after fulfilling a long-held wish.

Lately, the Emperor had been in the best of spirits, handling everything positively.

As a result, department heads took this opportunity to tackle all the paperwork that had been troubling them, while those under them bore the brunt of the workload.

The only exception was the 1st Knight Order’s adjutant office, which had turned into a playground.

“I hope the two of them will be happy for a long time.”

“Indeed.”

The adjutant office staff had been chanting this like a mantra lately. They sincerely wished for the happiness of their two superiors.

“If those two ever fought…”

“That would be terrible.”

“But isn’t it a relief? Even when they argue, the Commander doesn’t seem to care.”

“That’s true. But if it were a husband instead of a boss, wouldn’t it be frustrating? It’d feel like being ignored.”

“Well, she didn’t marry him without knowing. The Chief has known the Commander longer than we have, so she must be fine with it.”

“That’s true. But it’s still hard to believe. Those two, from dating to marriage…”

“It just shows how powerful grudging affection can be…”

Everyone recalled the same scene.

Whenever the two met, they would argue loudly. Of course, their pink-haired superior often instigated it.

But blaming her entirely wouldn’t be fair, as the silver-haired Commander also had a knack for subtly provoking people.

“I understand why the Chief acts the way she does.”

To outsiders, the lady of the Grievance Counseling Office might seem intimidating and unapproachable, but to the adjutant office staff, she was someone they deeply respected.

Lady Shaterian might seem indifferent to others, but she was someone who paid great attention to those around her.

She considered anything within her domain to be her responsibility, and she cared deeply about what happened there.

Despite disliking the Commander, she had included the adjutant office within her domain, which was a great relief.

The staff admired her generosity and were moved once again.

While the Imperial Palace, one pillar of the Kentri Empire’s power, enjoyed a rare moment of peace, the Holy Temple, the other pillar, was in utter chaos.

“A prophecy! The Goddess has delivered a prophecy!”

It was the first prophecy in nearly 100 years, causing a state of emergency. However, the one receiving the prophecy wasn’t the Pope but Anella, an apprentice Saintess.

The Pope and the senior priests anxiously waited outside the sacred chamber where Anella had entered.

Soon, Anella emerged from the heavy doors.

Everyone rushed to her, grasping her with nervous urgency, and asked,

“What did the Goddess say?”

“She… She has appointed me as her representative… as the Saintess.”

“Gasp…!”

Everyone held their breath.

A Saintess was the Goddess’s representative, and only the Goddess herself could appoint one. However, there had been no prophecy for 100 years, leaving the position of Saintess vacant.

To fill the void, they had selected a few children with strong divine power as apprentice Saintesses, and among them, Anella, who possessed the strongest divine power, was officially appointed as the Saintess.

Before they could shed tears of joy, Anella spoke in a somber voice.

“And…”

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing nervously echoed in the air.

“She said that a dark sorcerer will soon appear to throw the world into chaos, and we must save it.”

They recalled the recent telegram from the Imperial Palace, which mentioned dark sorcerers and dark magic.

Evil had arrived in the world alongside a savior.

“It seems the world is about to be turned upside down again.”

The sky above was clear, as if foreshadowing a great event.

***

The long journey had come to an end. When the mansion finally came into view from a distance, Shaterian felt so emotional that she almost wanted to cry.

“No matter how wonderful traveling is, there’s no place like home.”

Muttering the typical words of a homebody, she collapsed onto her bed, wanting nothing more than to lie there for days.

With her favorite books, tea, and snacks, she could’ve perfected her idle lifestyle.

But the length of the journey meant she hadn’t fully recovered from the fatigue, and the biggest misfortune was that she had to return to work the very next day.

That was why she had wanted to return home earlier to rest. However, she had been unable to resist lingering in a small village they passed through, captivated by its beautiful scenery.

‘Still, I feel recharged, so it’s fine.’

“My wife will love it. Thank you.”

The gift she gave to Pell was a set of tableware crafted by an artisan from the Imperial Territory. Shaterian kept the price a secret, claiming she bought it simply because it was pretty.

She distributed gifts to the adjutant office staff on Eched’s behalf, handed out presents to the knights, and sent Kirin to deliver gifts to His Majesty, Orgon, and the Duchess Melis.

By the time she finished distributing the gifts, the morning had flown by.

“By the way, have you heard? A prophecy was delivered for the first time in 100 years, and a Saintess was chosen. They say Anella is the first Saintess in a century.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

And she also knew about another prophecy that His Majesty had shared with her.

“Lately, it seems like good news keeps coming.”

If the original story had gone as planned and Anella had safely become the Saintess, it would’ve been cause for celebration. But with the prophecy of a dark sorcerer spreading chaos, it was hard to celebrate wholeheartedly.

Even though she had negotiated with several informants during her time in the Imperial Territory, she had gained no useful information. A visit to the desert yielded no results either.

She was considering sneaking a look at the restricted book lists of the Holy Temple and the Imperial Palace when someone knocked on the Counseling Office door. It was Ser Arturito.

“Lady Shaterian… Oh, I suppose I should call you Duchess Astrea now that you’re married?”

The title felt oddly uncomfortable. Shaterian shook her head.

“Just call me Chief.”

She moved to the adjacent Counseling Office with Ser.

“First, take a look at this.”

Ser, seemingly in a hurry, spread out papers detailing the exterior and interior of a building on the table. Every design was exactly as Shaterian had envisioned.

“Is this what you wanted, Chief? The shop is entirely complete.”

“Yes. It’s perfect. I’ve been too busy to visit and see it myself.”

“For the first floor, as you requested, we processed the glass to create display cases for showcasing the products.”

“Yes. They look great.”

“And we’ve received word that the items you commissioned from the Arturito Merchant Guild are ready.”

“Really? Then… hire about ten strong people to work at the shop for a month.”

“Yes, understood.”

“What about the other staff?”

“The head baker, Jeff, personally selected the kitchen staff, and we plan to fill the shop staff positions from the Merchant Guild.”

“Got it. Jeff is ready, isn’t he?”

“Yes. He’s prepared to start whenever you give the word.”

“Perfect. Let’s open the shop when people are hungriest.”