Chapter 305: Transcending Heart (4)

– Meow.

“……”

I blankly stared at Larmy.

She was now on both front paws, looking extremely satisfied. How could she not? Everybody feels great when something that was hurting becomes better.

“What was that? Am I dreaming? Is it like in Inception?”

– Shaaaaaaa……

The ether particles could no longer find someone to heal and lessened. I stood there looking like a total fool before quickly remembering something and looking on the ground.

‘Ahhhhh, this is crazy!’

– Ooooooooong……

“It’s a circle!”

I pulled back my ether as quickly as I could and the blue circle… Turned right off. I acted based on my instincts and it functioned the same way as before.

I thought someone might have seen it and urgently looked around. There were some people in the smoking area across the street, but thankfully, there were shrubs covering me. The heavens must have been on my side as the entrance to my work was empty as well. I must have avoided the morning rush because I left early to go over how to do things. But hundreds of people were about to start coming this way.

‘It would have been really bad if I came at the usual time!’

“Larmy. What happened today is our little secret.”

The cat opened her mouth and yawned at my request. Then she slowly curled up and started making biscuits.

‘Must be nice to have such an easy life.’

“……You must have been through a lot so eat this.”

I pulled out two lightly wrapped chicken breasts and confirmed that she grabbed them before rushing to the lobby. I was tightly holding my phone that had the QNW story in it. Large question marks were pouring down like the rain in my mind.

‘What was that? Why do I have ether? Did the power I gained there come with me here? Then everything I experienced was real?’

It meant that the year that I had experienced was something that actually happened and not just a dream. Then, then maybe-

“……Hahaha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t like I had a way now or anything, but just the hope alone was making me excited. I was at least certain that I had gained a clue.

I excitedly walked through the revolving door to see a familiar face as the old security guard greeted me.

‘The old security guard who likes the small yellow yogurts.’

I smiled brightly after seeing him for the first time in a long time. “Hello sir.”

“Welcome, Attorney Jung. Your face looks so bright today. You look even more handsome than usual!” The grandpa teased me.

‘I guess something good must have happened to you too.’

I sheepishly smiled before pulling my work ID out of my pocket. It was so that I could quickly scan in. I saw the picture I took when I was getting ready to start working here as well as my name.

Jung Yeseo.

“……”

It was an extremely unlikely chance, but I still needed to check. I tightly clenched my work ID. ‘Shaaaaaaaaaaaa.’ Golden ether slowly started to rise from my palm before it quickly hid.

My lips curled up like the tops of ferns.

‘You never know. I may be able to tell them I’m sorry. Maybe I could see them again too.’

*

The day would usually be going so slowly that I would be waiting for the minutes to pass until I was done working, but today was very different. There was so much work to do that I could barely breathe. ‘I can’t even remember how many e-mails I sent!’

“Yettorney, apparently we are going to take a look at those clauses we reviewed before we leave!”

“Sounds good. I sent rev2 of the design outsourcing case to you just now as well. Could you please check?”

“Ah, right. Thank you very much! I have so many e-mails I think it got buried.”

“Yettorney, I think the e-mail from finance forgot to CC me. Could you send it to me when you have a chance?”

“I’ll send it right now.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Attorney Yeseo. Production said we need to review this for any potential risks. The numbers are so specific that I’m not sure how we should respond……”

“Ah. The SOP folder I gave you should have an excel for the production team. Yes, that one. Most numbers can be checked in that document. I’ll send you an e-mail as well. You should be able to use the two documents as references, and I’ll take a final look at the end.

“Thank you very much……!”

“Please ask if there’s anything you don’t know as you do it.”

“Yes sir!”

“Yettorney! The team leader is looking for you. He also asked you to stop by Lawyer Myung’s room along the way.” (TL: I don’t know if Yeseo is an official attorney. I don’t think he’s a paralegal, but it’s hard to find a 1 to 1 comparison. So he will be attorney while the other term mentioned will be lawyer)

“Ah, yes sir. Thank you very much.”

“Let’s do a snack ladder! I’m suddenly craving fried ricecakes!”

“But isn’t today the day Director Park is coming?”

“Ah damn!”

……I was lucky that I could still function. I said I would read QNW on my lunch break but I had not been able to open the app all day.

The good thing was that today was Friday. My weekend plan was to stay home as usual, eat delicious food with my family, and research QNW the whole day.

– Clunk, clunk, clunk……

The rectangular subway train waded through the darkness. I worked until I was curled forward like leaves of cabbage and it was already 7pm. I packed my bags, said goodbye, and rushed out of the building once it was time to leave. I got on the train, opened up my notes, and threw in all of my memories, knowledge, and theories. I could use my laptop to organize everything neatly later. The important thing right now was to make sure not to miss anything.

‘What else was there, what else……’

. My goal.

– Work hard so that my friends do not get hurt (X)

– Stay healthy so that the three Holy Kingdom siblings can meet again(X)

– Return home (O)

When it came to the goals, I had failed miserably. I did manage to return home, but the prince had died so I was unable to meet Elise and Cornelisse in the prince’s body. The way I died was dreadful as well and it was in a place where the heirs of both nations were present. The worst possible conclusion I could imagine was this being the seeds of war. There was no way that my friends would not get hurt. ‘I’m sure their hearts are already full of scars-’

“Haaaaaaaaaa……”

Let’s move on for now.

. Hypothesis behind how I came back.

– Because Prince Jesse died

– Because I made a wish to the Paten of Wishes

– Both

This was something I thought of while eating two bowls of rice with a kimchi saury dish. I was so out of it when I first returned that I could not think deeply about it. I had just presumed that I came back home because I died. But having the chance to think more about it, the divine item was there. The same divine item that had tried to fulfill my wish once already. It was during the ‘Masked Ball’ back in the Fall.

– Wiiiiiiiiiiing……!

‘Eek.’

My body had reacted first when the four different divine items created lines in the sky and met at the top. First, my heart thumped loudly once. Then I felt suffocated and my whole body repeatedly changed from cold to hot and back. Then different painful sensations that I could not explain in words had attacked my body. It had felt as if the entire body was rejecting me. I had coughed up blood for a while as well. At the end, ether had exploded out of me.

– Baaaaaaaang!

‘Cough cough! Baaarf, haaaa.’

‘Our house…… That’s our veranda.’

Then the gate had opened. But nothing like that happened this time. My theory on this was……

‘I recalled the legend of the Almighty God fulfilling a Wish of Blood made to the divine item in the Temple of Boundaries.’

One year ago, it was what Isabelle had said during the Spring Ball. So this was my hypothesis.

Water, Fire, Earth, Air.

The four holy powers had activated to temporarily play the role of the paten, and I had made the wish of going home. It was the thought that had always been on my mind, so it wasn’t weird that it came up immediately. I would have probably been more efficient if I knew from the beginning of my transmigration that I had the power of the paten. Basically, it wasn’t that the world had rejected me. It was giving me a push to get me back home. It just happened to come true in an extremely scary manner.

But it was different in the Holy room.

– Puuk!

‘Aaaaaaaaaah!’

“Mmph!”

……I definitely coughed up blood at that time. I could still see that the ground underneath the paten was dyed red. And a little after that―

– Paaaaat……!

The divine item released a bright light and swallowed me. It sounded kind of weird, but that was the truth. Either way, that was my theory behind the principles of my return.

. The reason the original novel did not change

– My experience is not related to the original (?)

> Different world(?)

“……”

I was still at a loss about this part. ‘Maybe I’ll get a hint if I read QNW.’

– The next station is Jamsil, Jamsil Station. The doors will open on your left.

“Eek.”

I flinched and looked up at the electronic sign. ‘Shit, I missed my stop! We were supposed to eat pig’s trotters for dinner!’

*

Juliette Palace was black. Actually, the entire Imperial Palace was black.

– Shaaaaaaaaaaa……!

The sky that was the color of ash all the way to the horizon was pouring down with rain. The weather had been like this since they were informed of the Prince’s passing. It was as if a hole that even the heavens could not patch was high up in the sky.

“Our little prince……”

Her voice sounded like she was sobbing. The middle-aged woman’s hand cautiously caressed his cheek.

The man’s closed inner eyelashes were not moving, as if he was dead, but that was it. The body did not look dead to anybody. It was true that he was no longer breathing, but other than that, he looked like a living person. Healing ether worked on him and his body was not decomposing. His skin was not warm, but it wasn’t as cold as ice either.

Most importantly, the injuries on his chest and back were all gone. His pale face showed mysterious traces of flowing blood. The young man just looked like a noble person who was deep asleep.

Over half of the staff at the Imperial Palace said that this was a miracle. But the other half sobbed as they shook their heads. If this truly was a miracle from the Almighty God, shouldn’t the prince have woken up? They lamented about how he should have returned to them right away.

Nobody dared to say anything to that. Most importantly, they had been told that the Prince’s body no longer held a soul. Her Eminence had confirmed it. That was why this was just a miserable tragedy.

“He’s as pure as an angel; how could something so terrible happen to him? How scared must he have been……” The teary voice slowly sank lower. Her small shoulders started to shake.

She had lost count of how many times she had cried like this. Her attendant, Natalie, bit her already bleeding lips and held back her sorrows. She then quietly protected her master’s side.

It had already been a week of the Cardinal serving as the chief mourner in Juliette Palace, looking after the prince’s body. She had remained in the prince’s bedroom other than when she had to take care of official affairs. She talked to the dead prince and even read to him.

Some wondered if they should stop her. But the greatest figure in the entire Empire, her Majesty, was not saying anything about it. Even the nearby Romero Palace was empty, as his Royal Highness was at the border.

Basically, nobody dared to step up to say anything.

“My child, my beloved disciple……”

– Knock knock.

The Chief Attendant knocked beyond her solemn whispers. It was Benjamin, who had dark bags under his eyes and his cheeks looked hollow. He seemed to be looking after the palace by himself the past few days. He had sent most of the staff home after Ganael cried so much that he fainted.

The Empress had pointed out that Benjamin was overworking himself. But the middle-aged man rejected taking a vacation or a sabbatical. He just kept repeating that he wanted to protect Juliette Palace.

“Your Eminence, her Majesty is on her way.”

“……”

Aurélie bit down on her shaking lips. The day she had to send her soulmate off had come. It was a trial that nobody had wanted. It was a time that no seer in the Empire had imagined. But now, it was time for it to happen. She had to relay it despite knowing that pain would come to the ruler of this Empire.

It was for the great and mighty Riester Empire. It was also for Jesse.

– Step, step, step.

Dull steps cut through the carpet. Aurélie slowly got up and turned around. Cherry-colored eyes were quietly burning in the dark room. The majestic formal attire was something she had only seen on the day this woman became the Empress.

It was her Frédérique.

Behind her was her Chief of Staff, Laura, as well as Élisabeth, who was accompanying her on this expedition. Her red swollen eyes showed no emotions. The lips that had twitched after looking at the prince quickly subsided as well. She was a tough kid.

– Click, click!

The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard clicked her heels and showed her respect before taking two steps forward. She then offered Aurélie something with both hands.

The Empress’s war-time cape and sword belt were placed on a long dark red cushion. The holy sword, Durandal, was with them as well.

“……”

“Aurélie.” The Empress called out in a low voice. Her voice was much huskier than before.

The Cardinal did her best to smile.

“I know. I was debating which one to put on you first.”

Her hand waded over the blood-red velvet. Aurélie then grabbed the cape and placed it over the Empress’s shoulders. Flap, Rustle, rustle. Clang. Only the sounds of preparing to head out filled the bedroom for a while. By the time the sword belt was placed and Durandal took its place, the attendants were silently crying. Some had bowed down all the way to the ground. The Cardinal firmly held herself through it all.

The two of them had overcome a deep sorrow in the past as well. But everything was different this time.

“All done.”

“……Make sure not to miss any meals.”

“I’ll try my best. Please protect Cédric. Please don’t let the children get hurt.” The Cardinal quietly whispered.

The son they both loved had overloaded in the middle of the desert and had not calmed back down since. It was after crown princess Elise had retreated to save her father and younger sister. The flame that could not be calmed even with nine priests trying their best was finally suppressed by Christelle. Half of the temple ended up destroyed in the process and the young bubble girl had been severely hurt.

While that was going on, Johann had procured Jesse’s body and escaped the crumbling labyrinth. It was a dreadful situation. All of the Empire’s Holy Knights had sustained deep permanent scars.

“We will overcome it. The little ones too.”

“……”

“They’ll get even stronger as the days go on.”

“Yeah. That’s right.” The Cardinal sadly smiled.

Frédérique offered up her hand and she calmly knelt down. She then kissed the back of the Empress’s hand as if she was handling the holiest thing in the entire world.

[……I bless thee, my master. The will of the Almighty God will be with you wherever the holy sword swings.]

The Divine Oracle echoed out. Frédérique silently wiped away her soulmate’s wet cheek and started to walk. She heard some suppressed cries but she did not look back.

April 1st on the 1614th year of the Holy Calendar. The Great Empress of Riester was heading out to war.

—

Translator’s Comments

My heart! Curse those damn onions!