The Villainess Intends to Have It All - Chapter 54

Erina’s perspective was suddenly turned upside down by the gesture of a goddess, as if a giant hourglass that had existed at some unknown point in time was flipped over.

‘Boom−!’

With a tremendous sound, the scene before her eyes was reversed.

It showed Erina wailing as she recalled the original story.

The observing Erina bit her lip and clasped her hands together to keep herself from crying along.

The view shook again and the scene changed once more.

Curiously, it revealed Rose’s anxious-looking face.

‘Why, why can’t I remember.’

Rose suddenly threw the necklace around her neck, then caught it.

It was the artifact [Lycatino Eblam] that had stolen the Melchitum Erina possessed.

A drop of blood that grazed the necklace decoration was absorbed into the artifact, and Rose suddenly collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain.

Why?

As soon as Erina wondered, a neutral voice rang out.

[The goddess Pricelona turned back time and used the Melchitum that Rose Liski had trapped in the artifact to interfere with her prophecy. She locked away some of the prophecy that she remembered within the Melchitum sleeping inside the artifact.]

Startled by the sudden voice, Erina jumped up in surprise.

But the voice continued speaking, paying no heed to her reaction.

[When Rose Liski offers her blood to the artifact that reacts to fairy blood, she slowly retrieves the sealed prophecy, but suffers pain in equal measure as she absorbs the opposing force of Melchitum along with it.]

Somehow, Erina felt as if she knew who the owner of the voice was.

So she asked.

“Then do I no longer possess the power of the gods? The divine power I had, the Melchitum, does it all become Rose’s?”

It was horrifying to even imagine.

Not only had what originally belonged to her been taken away, but it was becoming Rose’s. She asked, hoping it wasn’t true.

[No. A mere artifact could not possibly contain all the Melchitum you possess. It merely held an extremely small portion. Furthermore, if someone who is not a child of the gods obtains Melchitum, they will only gain suffering in return.]

Erina let out a sigh of relief at the answer from the voice she presumed to be the Book of Wisdom.

The scene of Rose writhing in pain before her eyes vanished, and she stood alone in a pitch-black place with nothing around.

Her heart sank in the surrounding darkness where nothing could be seen.

As Erina tried to move with an uneasy heart, the Book of Wisdom appeared before her with a cute sound.

‘Poof!’

[Do you have any questions?]

As the book fluttered before her eyes, Erina strangely broke into laughter.

“How do I remember my past life? And think of it as the original story.”

[The goddess Pricelona, who was worried you would collapse, used the Melchitum contained in the artifact to partially seal Rose Liski’s prophecy, and left your past life as another memory for you using the memories she possessed.]

“Ah.”

The god knew of her fragile nature and was concerned, so she made Erina think of Rose’s memories in a roundabout way as the original story.

The original story that Erina remembered was based on Rose’s memories, so it was thoroughly filled with only her happiness.

“The Melchitum I possess, I can’t use it like in the Magical Era?”

[You cannot use it. Because when the goddess Pricelona reclaimed the Melchitum from humans, she left a divine decree on the continent of Pechenia.]

“Divine decree?”

[Yes, she left a divine decree imbued with the power of words themselves, stating that until the continent disappears, humans cannot manifest Melchitum.]

As Erina nodded, the book flapped along with her movement.

Erina burst into laughter at its cute appearance, and with her guard down, she ended up asking the question she had been holding inside.

“Can I… be happy?”

The book did not answer immediately like before, fluttering for a long while before replying.

[I am an existence that speaks only of the knowledge that has existed since the beginning and the truths left on the continent. I cannot know the future you speak of, but.]

The book floating in the air had somehow approached Erina.

[You will be happy. So don’t be tied to the past and do as you wish.]

“Thank you.”

The book trembled and began to flip through its pages with a whoosh.

And once again, Erina’s vision was dyed golden.

[This is the timeline separator]

When she opened her eyes, she saw the Book of Wisdom and Tarshan, who had been protecting her from one side.

Erina let out a sigh of relief.

Unlike with the Goddess’s Spring Water, it was neither painful nor distressing.

“Tarshan.”

Tarshan, who had been waiting quietly, was startled and widened his eyes at the sound of his name.

He had thought it would be difficult for her to call him by name.

As the surprised Tarshan stood there in a daze at the affectionate call, Erina approached and took his hand.

“Thank you, for bringing me back through your and Raharta’s sacrifice.”

Tarshan rubbed his flushed cheek with the hand that wasn’t being held, suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment.

“…It was merely to prevent destruction.”

“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that Tarshan made a sacrifice.”

Tarshan smiled at the warmth of the delicate white fingertips he carefully held.

“It’s the first time since becoming the Great Seer. To be called by name by someone.”

“Ah.”

“My parents and siblings passed away long ago, and the only previous Great Seer who called me by name summoned me to the tower and immediately returned to the arms of god.”

Unknowingly, Erina was patting the hand of Tarshan, whose childhood was not unlike her own.

“Actually, I only saw Raharta after time had been reversed. I was happy, as if I had found a lost brother. But we couldn’t treat each other like siblings. We each had our own positions and ranks.”

“Tarshan.”

“I’m truly glad to have met you, Erina. If I have one small wish, it’s to go on a picnic with you once everything is settled. With Raharta and Isahel too.”

Erina deeply understood the pain of losing his family at a young age.

Because it was something Erina had also desperately wished for.

When her uncle entered the Medelia family, she had hoped for a happy picnic with them, and when she married Peiron, she had looked forward to a sweet picnic with him.

If she had a family, it was a wish she definitely wanted to fulfill someday.

“Yes. Let’s definitely do that.”

“I’ll be waiting, Erina.”

Somehow, it felt like Erina had also gained a reliable family.

[This is the timeline separator]

Erina and Tarshan descended from the top floor where the Book of Wisdom was located and entered the waiting room where Heila, Barun, and the knights were staying.

As soon as they entered the waiting room, Heila scolded Erina, saying she would check for any injuries.

By the time they finished everything at the tower and arrived at the gate to return to the imperial palace, it was almost evening.

Tarshan gazed at Erina wistfully and saw her off in front of the gate.

His gaze was so intense that Heila narrowed her eyes and whispered to Erina.

“The Great Seer seems to have fallen for you, Erina.”

“Pardon?”

“His gaze is too passionate.”

“Pfft!”

Erina laughed at the completely mistaken assumption.

At that, Heila’s eyes narrowed even further.

“Hmm, Erina, it’s really suspicious.”

“There’s absolutely no way, so don’t worry.”

“The way he’s gazing at you so ardently, it’s as if he’s looking at a lover who’s leaving!”

Hearing those words, Erina looked at Tarshan, who still couldn’t take his eyes off her with a drooping face.

No matter how Erina looked at it, it didn’t seem that way at all.

“A lover, no, but perhaps a sister.”

To Erina, Tarshan seemed like someone who had found a lost sister and had no choice but to send her away.

Heila urged Erina, who was waving goodbye to Tarshan.

“Let’s go, quickly. To the mansion where the Marquis is!”

Erina’s group passed through the gate connected to the rear of the imperial palace.

Greeting Erina, who returned to the palace under the guidance of the knight waiting in front of the gate, was none other than Sandes.

“Erina.”

At the sound of Sandes affectionately calling her name, Erina looked at him.

A face full of worry, as if he had heard the news from Heila, eyes checking if she had any more injuries, a tense body unable to approach due to her keeping a distance from him.

At the end of an excessively long and painful day, there he stood.

Always taking a step back, waiting for and believing in her.

[Don’t be tied to the past and do as you wish.]

Suddenly, the advice given by the Book of Wisdom came to mind.

Part of the original story Erina knew was wrong.

Because it showed Sandes’ perspective from Rose’s viewpoint, the feelings he showed in the original story were solely what Rose had felt.

Erina no longer wanted to keep a distance from him.

She no longer wanted to deceive her heart and avoid him.

Erina ran to him.

Sandes was worried about Erina’s complexion, which looked much more haggard than before she left.

He wanted to check for any injuries right away and ask if she was in pain anywhere.

But he was afraid that the distance she had narrowed with difficulty would widen again if she was startled, so he could only stand there like a stone statue and watch.

But then Erina suddenly smiled brightly at him and ran over.

As the surprised Sandes reached out his arms towards Erina, who was running to him, she dashed into his embrace.

She ran into him, hugged his neck, and buried her face in his chest.

Sandes couldn’t believe this moment when she had run to him first, and he hugged Erina back with wide eyes.

“E-rina…?”

“Sandes.”

As if not knowing that Sandes had called her name while stammering in surprise, Erina happily called his name.

The softness felt in his arms, the sweet scent at the tip of his nose, the sound of her voice in his ears—he couldn’t tell if it was real.

Blinking to check if it was a dream, he came to his senses in her sweet embrace.

Sandes buried his face in Erina’s shoulder and hugged her tightly.

He didn’t want to be caught with a face flushed like a young guard who had just fallen in love.

He was so happy that the one he had waited and waited for had finally chosen him that he couldn’t control his emotions.