> “I wish I could live in this moment forever.”
With immense wealth and fame, affectionate friends, a loving husband, and a beloved child—Archmage Asmof Loubaltverich was so happy with her life that she wished time would freeze forever.
But no matter how powerful a magician may be, some things remain impossible. So she came up with another way.
> “If I can create a potion that stops aging and disease, I can live forever.”
From that moment on, she locked herself away and began her research to create the elixir of immortality.
Six long—or perhaps short—years passed, and despite opposition from many, she finally succeeded in creating the Elixir.
But her grand dream of living eternally with her loved ones was shattered.
> “Why? Why?! Why did you kill Gilford and Eddie?! Why?!”
Betrayed by the friend she trusted and relied on most. Rudbalt, the founding emperor of the Castaros Empire—whom she had conquered the continent with—killed her husband and child. And he never offered a single excuse.
> “I will never forgive you. Not even in death. Not you, not your bloodline, not any of them!”
She killed Rudbalt and placed a horrifying curse on his descendants, then took her own life—fully prepared to fall into hell.
> “If only I had known reincarnation existed… I wouldn’t have done it.”
Especially if she had known she would be reborn as one of Rudbalt’s descendants.
—
1. The Terminal Duchess Will Do Anything for Immortality
> “Karia, are you listening to me?”
> “Ah—yes.”
> “So divorce is absolutely out of the question. Absolutely!”
Her current name was Karia Pandéon. The illegitimate daughter of a Grand Duke and sister to the Emperor. After marrying the Duke of Pandéon, she had endured years of humiliation and neglect—a “pitiful woman” in everyone’s eyes.
> “My lady, I was wrong. I promise to show you I’ve changed. Please, just give me one more chance.”
> “See? Even the Duke himself is saying this. So try to be forgiving.”
Yet when Karia brought up the idea of divorce, everyone tried to stop her. They forced forgiveness and understanding onto her, telling her it was all “for her own good,” even though she had lived a life of suffering and emotional torment.
> “No wonder the original Karia gave up and chose suicide instead of divorce.”
She was overwhelmed with the urge to rip out the tongues of these hypocrites.
When she miraculously survived and regained memories of her past life, she was no longer the old Karia. She no longer needed to bow her head in submission to family scorn.
Six years. Not a month, not a year—six full years. Enough time to create an Elixir from scratch with nothing. And during all that time, they left her completely abandoned.
Now, she had something far more important than begging for pitiful love.
> “There’s no time. I don’t know where or what form Gilford and Eddie have reincarnated in. I need to recreate the Elixir quickly to regain my lost happiness!”
One by one, Karia etched the faces of her so-called family into her mind—those who now dared to pretend concern and affection.
Her father, who had the power of a Grand Duke but never extended a helping hand.
Her eldest brother, who stabbed her heart while playing the gentleman in public.
Her second brother, who smiled kindly but always sided with the rest of the family.
The Emperor and her cousins, who loathed her for staining the family’s honor.
None of them ever acknowledged the pieces of her heart they had torn apart.
So now, Karia no longer cared for their feelings, appearances, or dignity.
> “Fine. Let’s say it was all my fault.”
> “What?”
> “I said I’ll take the blame.”
She had to get this divorce approved—and she had one final card to play.
> “Actually, I have a hidden child.”
Everyone in the room froze, completely blindsided by her unexpected confession.
> “I don’t want to live as a so-called Duchess anymore. I want to live as a mother to my children.”
For the sake of eternal life, the terminally ill Duchess would do anything—even if it meant slapping shame across the faces of the entire royal family.
—
✦ ✦ ✦
> [If you borrow money from an alchemist, make sure to repay it on time. Otherwise, no one knows what they’ll use for interest.]
It used to be a joke every child knew back in the days when heroes from myths still walked the earth. That’s how common alchemists once were.
Alchemists were beings who created change based on universal truths. They could turn water into earth, wind into fire.
They gathered mana from the air to create new phenomena.
Some called this mysterious harmony “magic,” and alchemists were sometimes known simply as “magicians.”
They earned a reputation for stinginess because of the one fundamental truth they served:
> [Equivalent exchange—where objects of equal value are traded.]
Not even the most skilled alchemist could double a cup of water into two.
The magic they used was the same. To the untrained eye, it looked like magic appeared from nothing, but underneath was always precise calculation and hidden trade.
That’s why alchemists were coldly meticulous when it came to contracts—no exceptions, even for close friends or family.
That also meant they took revenge more seriously than anyone else.
Once the greatest alchemist on the continent, Asmof looked down with emotionless eyes at Akali, the first Empress of Castaros, and quietly reaffirmed that truth.
> “Please, don’t do this! I beg you, As—no, Archmage Asmof! The children did nothing wrong!”
> “Neither did mine. And yet, what did Rudbalt do to my only child?”
Asmof Loubaltverich. Friend, loyal subject, and trusted advisor to Emperor Rudbalt, the founder of the Castaros Empire. From childhood, they fought together on the battlefield, earning victory after victory.
But power made those twenty years of trust meaningless.
Once Rudbalt became emperor, he began distancing himself from Asmof, who by then had become an immensely powerful official.
Had he just drawn back as a friend, she might have accepted it as inevitable—the natural distance between a ruler and his servant.
But Rudbalt crossed a line that should never have been crossed.
> “He knew better than anyone how hard I worked to build a family. I wandered the battlefield daily, not knowing if I’d live to see tomorrow… and he—he stole from me the one sanctuary I gave my entire life to build!”
> “There must be some misunderstanding, Asmof! You know Rudbalt! He thought of you as his other half—he would never have harmed Gilford and Eddie without reason!”
At the mention of those names, Asmof closed her eyes and bit her lip until blood darker than flame dripped down.
Gilford—her husband. Her tender-hearted lover. Her first and last love.
Eddie—her sweet, gentle child, still so small. Though giving birth to him left her unable to bear more children, she never once resented him.
For them, Asmof would have done anything. The joy they brought was so overwhelming, she felt constantly indebted. Thinking of how to repay that joy was her life’s purpose.
To grow old with them, to remain forever by their side, she created the Elixir.
But it was all destroyed by Rudbalt’s hand.
> “A misunderstanding? I thought the same. I swallowed my tears and went to him. But he didn’t explain. I begged him, on my knees, to say something. But he just looked down at me in silence.”
> “That can’t be true!”
> “Now I know for certain. Making him emperor—staking my life on it—was the worst mistake I ever made. So I corrected it, Akali. With these very hands.”
Her clothes were soaked in blood. Her face showed no more rage or grief—just a barren dryness, like a white sand dune where everything had evaporated.
When she reached out her hand, the two young princes recoiled in fear. Empress Akali jumped, pulling the children behind her frail body.
> “Please, don’t! You’ve already taken your revenge on Rudbalt. Isn’t that enough?!”
> “Not yet. I haven’t been paid back for Eddie’s life.”
> “Stop! Please, just stop! Have you forgotten? I’m the one who saved your life!”
Akali was so dazed from grief she looked ready to collapse. But she couldn’t give up. Even with a face dirtied by despair and tears, she still had something she had to protect.
—
