Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 71

After learning the secret surrounding his father’s death, Roel had sought out the Forest of Tranquility countless times.

Each time, he felt suffocated as if it were the first, and the presence of the forest weighed heavily upon him with each passing day.

How many times had he fled the forest, running away from the darkness that seemed to engulf him completely?

But today was different. The forest did not frighten him. He felt no aversion to the darkness or his father’s power.

Could he truly reclaim it this time?

His heart felt tight with swelling expectations. No, he shouldn’t expect too much already. Such hopes had crushed his heart even more greatly countless times before.

Reus slowly walked into the Forest of Tranquility.

The feeling of the earth curling beneath his feet felt particularly vivid today. The scent of dawn filling his lungs and the texture of the wind caressing his hair.

Things that were usually so faint that he couldn’t even perceive their existence were all too distinct today.

Contrary to his resolution not to expect anything, the thought that he might truly regain his power this time dominated his entire body, causing all his senses to be on edge.

He moved his steps in search of the darkest place.

How far had he gone? Before he knew it, even the faint traces of light had completely disappeared, and Reus was walking in a darkness where he could hardly fathom an inch ahead.

It seemed as if black walls were blocking him from all directions.

Thinking this was far enough, Reus stopped and used his sword to draw a formula on the ground. The formula drawn by relying on his senses took on a rather plausible shape.

He waited with bated breath for the change that would come.

But no matter how long he waited, the formula remained still.

The calm silence stretched on for so long that he was about to sink into despair, thinking he had failed again.

Just when he was wondering if it would really work, the mana spread around reacted to the formula Reus had drawn on the ground with the tip of his sword.

The black mana slowly began to be absorbed into the formula drawn on the ground. Soon, light started to emanate from the lines drawn, as if moonlight was seeping through.

Starting from that, the mana in the forest gradually began to undergo changes.

At first, it seemed insignificant, but soon, an enormous amount of mana was absorbed into the sword at a tremendous speed.

And after some time had passed, the original color seemed to faintly shine through the tranquil forest, and soon, the forest perfectly regained its original appearance.

Bright moonlight serenely entered through the gaps between the trees. The chirping sound of insects brought a sense of peace, and soon, the cool air of dawn awakened reality.

It was not the night that always killed him, but the time when all life breathed and lived had returned to its place.

It was at that moment. The black mana that had not been fully absorbed began to gather right in front of Reus. It gradually increased in size from a small sphere, and when it reached the size of a fist, it stopped expanding.

The flickering black light… had the shape of a heart.

His breath caught in his throat.

It was the heart of Ricassen that Reus had been searching for all his life. In fact, it was as good as dead, but the core inside the heart was still pulsating.

He couldn’t believe that he had truly found his father’s heart. Even seeing the scene before his eyes, Reus couldn’t bring himself to believe that fact and unconsciously reached out his hand towards Ricassen’s heart.

Then, as if it had been waiting, the heart immediately responded. The power felt from the silver core inside the heart stirred even more, and the mana surrounding it gently rippled.

Reus took out a dagger he had prepared in advance. And without hesitation, he slashed his palm wide open.

As the blood mixed into Ricassen’s heart, it wasn’t long before a strong beam of light burst from the core and enveloped Reus’ surroundings.

Its graceful movement seemed as if it was waiting for the next sequence of consciousness.

‘I think I was told I had to make a vow.’

He didn’t know if the ceremony would proceed just by him making a vow alone, but he had to try anything.

A vow made with sincerity that he was confident he could strictly observe until he closed his eyes.

After thinking for a moment, Reus soon spoke.

No matter how painful the memories were, he vowed to always cherish the past. He vowed never to forget his father again.

Ricassen’s heart gradually lost its form. And it was completely absorbed into Reus’ body.

Soon, both Ricassen’s heart and core had completely disappeared.

His father’s traces vanished without even a final farewell. But Reus was not sad.

He felt a sense of relief that he had set his father free, and a sense of liberation that he had finally escaped from hell.

The heart where the core had settled ached.

It was truly the end.

The tension he had not been aware of washed over his body all at once, and Reus exhaled a deep breath. His hands trembled. The sword fell to the ground, but he had no time to pay attention to such things.

Half with anticipation that he might succeed this time, and half with fear that he might fail again this time as well.

But there was not the slightest failure. Everything went smoothly.

Was it because God had helped him, thinking it would be too cruel for even this to fail? Or was it a coincidence that miracles had aligned?

Reus didn’t know, but the answer lay in the last line of his father’s diary that he had not been able to read to the end.

It was a single line of Ricassen’s vow.

Whether it was something that had existed from the past or something that would be born in the distant future, unconditionally.

That vow had continued until now, so perhaps it was a love that had overcome even death.

Soon, the writing in the diary gradually faded and then completely disappeared.

With this, Ricassen had perfectly met his death.

* * *

Roel, gazing at the scenery of a particularly deep moonlit night, was filled with concern.

It was because she couldn’t forget how he had been more shaken than she had thought when she told him the secret of the frame because Reus seemed curious.

The stiffly tensed facial muscles and the subtle but finely trembling fingertips. They were reactions that definitely couldn’t be seen in Reus usually, so it was natural to be worried.

The thought that she had hastily informed him of the truth when he was not mentally prepared lingered in her mind. As she was pacing around the room like that, she heard a presence and the door opened with some urgency.

And Reus, who strode across the room with large steps, tightly embraced Roel without a gap.

“Re, us…”

Surprised by the scent of dawn that briefly seeped through the breath she inhaled, Roel could instinctively realize.

This man must have been to the Forest of Tranquility.

The cool yet clear scent of the forest. It was the exact smell that would linger on her robe when she returned home after going to Anas.

Roel didn’t know what Reus was wandering in search of or what had happened there today. But she didn’t ask.

She just embraced the man who looked a little precarious in the same way and patted his back.

He must have been quite distressed to seek comfort in her arms. Reus, who had recently opened his heart to her more, was just relying on her for a moment. As she was thinking that, she felt her shoulder getting damp.

Roel’s eyes widened.

“Reus, what’s the matter…”

When she turned her head to look, the man’s neck was shaking pitifully. It was true.

Reus… was crying.

Roel, realizing that fact, tried to pull away, but the more she did, the more the two arms wrapped around her waist just tightened their hold to embrace her.

“Reus, can you look at me for a bit?”

Reus was a little at a loss right now. Where should he even begin to speak?

Thank you. If it were feelings that could barely be expressed with such words, he would have said it dozens of times already.

But even if he gathered all the words that existed in the world, he wouldn’t be able to convey half of his heart.

Still, he had to explain something first. The tears that had been uncontrollably flowing since the moment he hugged Roel showed no signs of stopping.

He felt pathetic for being like this, but Reus had nothing else to do but cry.

Like that, for a long time, using Roel’s embrace as a support, he poured out his uncontrollable emotions through his tears.

At some point, he felt a small hand tapping his back.

When Reus lifted his head, Roel also moved her face in the same way.

Under the brightly rising moonlight, a distinct face was revealed. The woman who had freed him from a lifetime of guilt and an endless hell.

He endlessly gazed at that face that always made him breathe easily just by looking at it.

The eyes that were transparent as if clear water had pooled in them, the eye shape that always kindly curved. The small lips that only spoke gentle words resembling him. They led Reus into a state of ecstasy.

As he gazed at Roel, who had a dazzlingly radiant appearance, his mind became hazy.

Soon, Reus recited inwardly.

Salvation has such an appearance.

“…Roel.”

“Yes, Reus.”

Even in the brief response, he could feel the concern directed at him. It made Reus’ heart flutter even more.

“Thanks to you… Thanks to you letting me know…, my father…”

He couldn’t control his tears like a child. His words were cut off and his breath was ragged, so Reus couldn’t properly finish his sentence, but Roel didn’t rush him and waited patiently.

She remains the same even in moments like this. Reus felt like he would momentarily suffocate from the deep affection directed at him.

“It’s all thanks to you. If it weren’t for you…”

The next words were again blocked by an unknown sorrow. But Roel nodded as if she knew what he wanted to say.

“I’m glad I was able to help you.”

Reus hugged Roel tightly again.

“You don’t have to try not to explain everything. If I was of help to you, that’s already enough for me.”

Soon, Reus knelt on one knee. And he placed his forehead on the back of Roel’s hand. It was a posture a knight took when pledging loyalty to his lord.

Roel was startled and shook her hand, but Reus had no intention of offering such a trivial thing.

He intended to offer his life, the rest of his days, eternal servitude, everything to the woman.

“I will devote my everything to making you happy, even if it means offering my life.”

Only after spitting out the words that had welled up to the end of his throat did Reus finally feel a complete sense of liberation.