Chapter 103: Chapter 103

From the moment he made his decision, Cruello devoted himself to studying magic, slipping in and out of the cult’s shrine in secret.

He gathered every piece of information he could find on resurrection.

But there were things he had to give up as well.

The answer lies within the human soul.

That small fragment alone cannot sustain an entire body’s life force.

I have decided to supplement the fragment’s power using Beatitudo.

Without a soul fragment, activating the resurrection formation wasn’t even possible.

Cruello had no choice but to let go of Amy Royalsand completely.

Yet, that only made his obsession with Viga stronger.

"It doesn’t matter whether you want this or not."

He murmured, staring down at her body.

His mind drifted back to the Viga he had seen in Whistle.

[Do you really think this is what I want?]

[You know, all of this is just your greed, Little Duke.]

[If you truly cared about me, you would just forget. Leave the grave undisturbed.]

Strictly speaking, those words had only been a hallucination—not something Viga had actually said.

But Cruello knew that if she had been alive, that was exactly what she would have told him.

A maid with no ties to anyone.

Even in an environment where she was expected to shrink away, she never bowed her head.

She spoke her mind no matter what.

Whenever he strayed, she would smack him on the back, telling him to get a grip.

She was the only one who had scolded him when he had started seeing everyone as Amy.

She was his first love.

She wasn’t supposed to die like that.

Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, Cruello finally moved.

He retrieved the vial he had been carrying and poured its contents onto the ground.

The liquid spread according to his will, forming the resurrection formation around Viga.

Now, all that was left was the body, a soul fragment, and an energy source to amplify the fragment’s power.

There was no guarantee that the one who emerged from this ritual would be her.

The resurrection formation had never successfully revived the dead before. It was all just theory.

But even a fragment would be enough.

He needed to have it in his grasp.

This was what he had lived for.

"No matter what you say."

She had recklessly thrown herself into danger and died—just like the others.

Yet, his resolve was not as unshakable as he wanted it to be.

A certain face crossed his mind—the one he had deliberately left bound at the funeral hall.

That face made him hesitate.

Meeting Siora Bonetti, growing closer to her, having his heart swayed by her—Cruello had hesitated for a long time.

Because he knew what he was doing was wrong.

And yet, it was Siora Bonetti who had ultimately solidified his resolve.

The words she had spoken when he asked whether she valued her own life, the look in her eyes, her unwavering stance—

Even after confessing his thoughts to her, nothing had changed.

"Don’t get too serious. You’re almost done gathering the keys anyway, so what does it matter?"

So—she was determined to destroy Morion, no matter what it took.

Even if it meant sacrificing herself for some grand mission.

Cruello understood Siora’s resolve.

And so, he made a decision.

She would never lay her hands on Morion.

After bringing Viga back, he would destroy this massive energy source himself.

Even if it cost him his life.

"At least I won’t have to see that miserable sight again."

With a self-mocking smile, Cruello reached out.

At last, his fingers touched Morion.

A deep hum filled the air—the resurrection formation had begun.

I widened my eyes, scanning every inch of the body as I laid the funeral flowers, but the key was nowhere to be found.

Even if I went back three more times under a different pretense, the result would be the same.

The key wasn’t on this old man.

He must have left it outside. But where?

Should I go visit Tetanio?

I wanted to discuss it with Cruello, but he hadn’t returned yet.

I couldn’t just stand around waiting, so I decided to head back to Bonetti.

He’d reach out to me again soon enough.

I found myself lingering near the coffin for no real reason, before shaking my head.

That’s when a small commotion broke out near the entrance.

A man with long, light brown hair was being helped inside.

Tetanio was imprisoned—so why was a corpse walking around?

Eden looked like he should be in a coffin himself.

Right—Cruello had said Eden had fainted, which was why he was handling the funeral.

I guess he had finally woken up.

Eden staggered toward the coffin, nodding respectfully as he passed me.

Tears fell in thick drops from his reddened eyes.

By the time he reached the Grand Elder’s coffin, he completely collapsed, sobbing.

Once again, just like at Count Bonetti’s funeral, tears were falling over the death of a villain.

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

It was mixed with something like... loss.

When I die, no one will cry for me.

There wouldn’t even be anyone left to collect my body.

I’d probably be abandoned in some temple, left to rot forever—

A familiar voice cut through my thoughts.

I whipped my head around.

There was no mistaking it—standing ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) there, dressed impeccably as always, was Minuet.

Because of her black mourning attire, her skin looked even paler than usual.

“Minuet? What are you doing here?”

“You disappeared for a while, so I came to drag you back. I figured you’d gotten hurt again.”

“...I was just about to leave.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Minuet smiled, though she didn’t look very convinced.

“So, who is that? You greeted him just now.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I turned my gaze toward the man Minuet was pointing at—then suddenly, a bad feeling struck me.

Why was she asking about him? Wait a second.

Minuet had no fiancé because of her ongoing power struggle with the Elder Council.

And, for whatever reason, White Desert seemed blessed by the goddess of beauty—because Eden’s face was quite striking.

I frowned and spoke sternly.

“Absolutely not, Minuet.”

“I don’t care how young he looks—do you know how many years are between you two? Not to mention he’s been married before! Why would you even consider this?”

Minuet raised a brow and smirked.

It was unmistakably a scoff.

“Funny. You didn’t listen to a word I said when I told you to break off your engagement, but now you’re suddenly invested in mine?”

“At its core, it’s the same thing.”

“So you really are interested? Why?! If you tell me what kind of person you like, I’ll find someone better. What is it—do you like men who cry?”

“This is a funeral, you know.”

I hadn’t really been paying much attention to that, considering the one who died was a villain.

I shut my mouth, but I couldn’t stop my face from twisting into a pout.

Minuet chuckled, but this time, it felt different from before.

“I wasn’t looking at him because I was interested.”

She tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes.

“Because he makes me feel uneasy.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could—

A horrible sensation gripped the back of my neck.

Like my soul was being forcibly ripped out and thrown into an abyss.

The impact was like crashing into deep waters after falling from an impossible height.

A suffocating, crushing weight bore down on me.

I couldn’t fight it—I collapsed to the ground.

For a moment, my senses blinked in and out—like a flickering flame.

When they returned, they were painfully vivid. Even breathing felt unbearable.

I clenched my eyes shut, trembling.

What the hell was that?

I barely managed to push through the overwhelming shock and open my eyes.

A white marble floor came into view.

And supporting that floor—were elegantly shaped hands covered by blue sleeves.

Was this what I was wearing before?

I didn’t even need to finish the thought.

The voice that had come from my throat—wasn’t mine.

Panicked, I lifted my head.

A painfully familiar sight stretched before me.

An immaculate temple, completely devoid of dust.

Towering columns stretching into the sky.

A colossal stone effigy of a woman, gazing down from above.

The place where I had spent most of my life.

I briefly recalled the last dream I had of this place, but I immediately knew this was different.

The sensation just now had been too vivid.

I had truly returned to Pebula’s shrine.

My hoarse whisper cracked like dry earth.

If this wasn’t a dream, then... why?

Was that overwhelming sensation the moment of my death?

If I’m dead... then what happens outside?

The keys were almost fully gathered, and Cruello wouldn’t take that power for himself.

So even if Morion eventually revived after centuries, it wouldn’t be an immediate threat.

But then... what about me?

Am I never going back?

No—even thinking of it as ‘going back’ was wrong.

This is where I originally belonged.

“Wait. Wait a second.”

I rubbed my face, but my hands trembled like they weren’t my own.

Stay calm. Don’t overthink it. This isn’t a big deal.

I had numbed my emotions countless times before. I could do it again.

I slapped my cheeks hard enough to make a loud smack.

Even if—even if Siora Bonetti had just died, and my role had ended—

I couldn’t accept it.

No one would accept such an abrupt ending.

I needed to see what was happening outside.

Clenching my teeth, I pushed myself up and muttered:

"Just think of it as entering a fourth body."

When I was a child—after all the senior priests had died and my parents had taken their own lives—

I wanted to leave. To go to the outside world I had only heard about.

So I had searched the entire shrine for an exit.

Even though we lived in complete isolation, this temple was still somewhere on the continent—there had to be a door leading outside.

But back then, I never found it.

In the end, I had accepted my fate as the last disciple of this place.

But—there had been one place that always felt suspicious.