“Marian!”

Hedel, who was waiting outside the tent, rushed in, probably thinking something terrible had happened. I also ran to him.

“Kyu!”

Due to melting Yulnysia’s heart, I had depleted all the flames I had received from Hedel. Hedel embraced me. When he tried to kiss me, I turned away.

“Kyu kyu!”
I didn’t want to return as a human now.

“Kyu-ing…….”

Because I wanted to cry my heart out thinking about Yul.

Yulnysia couldn’t respond immediately. Before her, the person calling her name, as if pleased, couldn’t recall the name.

Pink hair, blue eyes.

What was this woman’s name?

Marian.

‘Right, that was the name.’

Even though I remembered the name, there was no satisfaction or anything.

The long years had worn even the memories she had.

The once good memories turned into bitterness over time. And now, even her face and the conversations we had were blurry.

I just waited for her. Hoping to bring an end to her life, worn out over the long years.

The memories I hated and despised had faded away. Meeting her again, who I had hated, she smiled beautifully. And in the moment of melting her heart, I wished her a good sleep.

“Sleep well, Yul. Rest deeply now.”

It wasn’t choking for breath; it was falling asleep. Folding away the harsh life and taking a rest.

The farewell sounded like consoling her not to be afraid of stepping into death.

Ironically, fearing her own act of cutting off a close friend’s breath.

Strangely, as death approached, I slowly remembered who she was.

‘My affectionate, just, and cheerful friend, Marian.’

If it were her, she could withstand and overcome the darkness without being swallowed by it.

Be happy.

Yulnysia earnestly wished for it one last time.

After bidding farewell to Yulnysia like that, we returned to the castle. I was extremely tired, so I slept like the dead until around lunchtime the next day. It must have been mental exhaustion rather than physical fatigue.

Even after waking up, I sat on the bed in a daze and faced Hedel, who had just returned from an outing. Hedel tidied up my messy hair and kissed me on the forehead.

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you tired?”

“I met with the envoy from the Western Exchange. That’s why I came.”

“Ah.”

I nodded slowly because of that. Hedel, covering my shoulders with a blanket, spoke.

“I don’t have much information. They gave the same answers as the information agents in our territory. They reported on my health and any changes in the Grand Ether usually.”

“Is that so.”

“Anyway, let’s have a meal first.”

After confirming that my condition improved after the meal, we set out for the Grand Ether from Nerris again. Evelyn, who saw us off, finally showed a tired expression rather than a drawn smile.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, Master can finally take some rest.”

“…I should be thankful. You made it possible for me to meet Yul.”
In truth, I didn’t want to turn back into a human. It was because I couldn’t control my expressions. However, as I greeted Evelyn, Yulnysia’s disciple, I felt fortunate that I could still speak.

“Thank you for watching over Yul. Thank you for guiding me to him.”

If Evelyn hadn’t made a decision, I wouldn’t have known about Yul’s existence forever. Then Yul would have lived in that state for even longer.

That would have been a very painful thing.

Evelyn sighed upon hearing my greeting. Then, she spoke about Yulnysia’s recent state, something I was unaware of.

“Master hasn’t made a single magical tool in the past ten years. She said so herself. She doesn’t want to make anything now.”

She added with an awkward smile.

“Still, when I talked with Princess yesterday, the image of Master contemplating what kind of magical tool to make from the past briefly came to life. I was happy for a moment too.”

“I see…….”

Even after hearing that, my heart still felt heavy. Despite Evelyn saying that, Yulnysia seemed numb to me, even in the moment her breath was cut off.

As I continued to bow my head, recalling Yulnysia’s last moments, Evelyn spoke in a gentle voice.

“You asked why you woke up as a phoenix, right?”

I raised my eyes to meet hers. Evelyn, who hadn’t answered until yesterday, now spoke effortlessly, as if a burden had been lifted from her heart.

“To resurrect you, it was necessary to keep the shattered heart alive. And for that, a suitable body for a heart transplant was needed. Initially, those with fire attributes were the targets, but most couldn’t withstand your heart and died.”