Chapter 53
Lake of the Dead (7)
“Ah… Aaaah… Aaah!”
The answer was simple.
“AAAAAAAH!”
She survived—but only halfway.
Sometimes, humans bring forth miracles.
Of course, it requires certain conditions:
Great magical power and a desperate wish.
The first condition was easily met.
The village of Lakus sat at the heart of a massive whirlpool of magical energy, and at the center of that stood Lakus Lake itself.
And the second condition?
“I hope teacher survives.”
“Teacher mustn’t die.”
“Teacher, I love you.”
“Please live on, for all of us.”
It was thanks to the children.
The children she had loved like her own—and who had received her love in place of their parents—had wished desperately for their teacher’s survival.
And so Isabella—
“AAAH!”
—survived as a ghoul.
It was a tragic case where pure wishes turned into dark magic. Magic performed without proper ritual or formula often ends in tragedy.
At this point, Izumi asked,
“But… Lady Isabella just seemed like a normal human to me. Ghouls are basically corpses—they rot quickly. How could she be that intact after more than ten years…?”
“That’s thanks to my purification,” Justinas said with a soft smile.
“Lady Isabella once told me that she had received treatment from me in the past.”
“Pardon me, but…” Izumi hesitated.
“Wouldn’t purification be the worst thing for a ghoul? Wouldn’t it just make them disappear instead of returning them to human form?”
“Normally, yes,” Justinas replied.
Her head turned toward the window, as if gazing at something far away—toward the village of Lakus.
“But Lady Isabella is a ghoul born of pure feelings. She’s different from ordinary ghouls. Maybe the goddess Aether herself granted a miracle.”
“That’s…”
“And actually, I remembered something.”
The wind through the window stirred her white hair.
Justinas smiled faintly.
“I had treated so many people that I had completely forgotten… but there was one time, just once.”
“…”
“I remember healing a woman who was neither human nor monster. She had just become a ghoul, yet her sense of self was strangely intact. No one but me likely noticed something was off.”
Izumi’s mouth dropped open.
“Then what about last night…?”
“The wicked people who first threw the children into the lake? I’m sure they drowned too. Lady Isabella wouldn’t have let them go.”
“…”
“They probably fell victim to the lake’s magic. Evil spirits mimicking loved ones, luring people into the water.”
Her blue eyes glimmered with sharp insight.
Maybe it was just a trick of the light—but to Izumi, it truly looked that way.
“Lady Isabella knows all of this. That’s why she keeps guarding the village. She frightens away any wandering outsiders who might try to enter the lake.”
“I see. Then the seaweed I saw… it wasn’t seaweed at all, was it?”
Izumi muttered with a complicated expression.
“If she’s a purified ghoul, her lifespan is likely far longer than a human’s. She might protect that village long after we’re gone.”
“Yes. She might,” Justinas agreed.
“You’re… truly wise, Lady Saint.”
“…”
“But did you know?”
Her green eyes curved gently.
“You always use that clever mind of yours not for personal gain—but for others.”
“…”
“That’s really admirable, I think.”
“You’re flattering me.”
“It’s just the honest truth.”
At that teasing tone, Justinas covered her mouth and chuckled quietly.
It was a laugh different from her usual gentle smile. Izumi stared at her in a daze for a moment, then flung open the window to cool her flushed cheeks.
‘Get it together, Yuushi Izumi.’
Meanwhile, in Lakus Village—
Isabella retrieved a piece of her own body she had hidden inside the carriage.
“…You remembered me.”
Truthfully, she had recognized Justinas from the very beginning.
How could she not?
The Saint was her savior.
“Sister, why are you crying?”
“Because… my beloved children have died…”
She could never forget that day ten years ago.
“You know what?”
“What is it?”
“I have a lot of holy power, so I can really feel the love of others.”
She was barely half her age.
Perhaps Annie, the eldest of the children she had raised with her heart, had been just this small.
That tiny child gently embraced Isabella.
“And I can feel a lot of love from you. Someone’s love saved your life, Sister.”
“Ah…”
“To have received such a devoted love… you must be a very good person.”
“Ahh…”
And so, she had cried—helplessly and shamefully.
Rather than panic, the Saint had patted her comfortingly and even performed a purification ritual.
Thanks to that, she had gained eternal life.
She could live forever, in the body of a young and beautiful human.
“How can I ever repay this grace?”
“You don’t need to repay me. Just help anyone in need, when you see them.”
“Is that really enough?”
“Of course!”
The Saint had beamed at her.
“That kind of kindness makes the world a better place!”
Words she had engraved on her heart for life.
So when she saw the grown-up Saint again after ten years, her heart nearly stopped.
‘She probably wouldn’t want me to say anything…’
She likely wouldn’t even recognize her.
After all, the Saint healed hundreds of people every day. There’s no way she’d remember someone from a decade ago.
So Isabella simply helped in silence—preparing fine meals, even opening up the children’s rooms she usually kept closed.
“But I didn’t expect her to guess it all correctly…”
That day, Isabella hadn’t told the Saint anything.
All the “guesses” she had told the Hero had really been her own deductions.
All correct—except for one thing.
“I don’t help everyone, actually. I’m sorry, Lady Saint.”
With light steps, Isabella walked toward her calendar.
It showed a countdown toward the summer solstice.
[D-165]
“Ah… I can’t wait.”
In truth, every summer, when everyone else is gone, Isabella sinks beneath the lake to spend time with her children.
So she’s only available to help during the winter season.
Or when lucky travelers happen to visit while she’s foraging above.
Humming a tune, Isabella folded the calendar.
Then, gazing toward the road where Justinas had left—she removed her hat and bowed deeply.
“…Still, thank you so much.”
It was an honor to see you again.
My precious, noble,
beloved Saint.
Not long after, the scenery changed.
They had fully exited the magical forest where Lakus Village lay.
“Phew, we’re near the border now!”
Izumi, having switched places with Cedric, called from the driver’s seat.
“Already?”
“Liliana, this is your first time leaving Terra, right?”
“Yes. Royals rarely leave the palace.”
“Hmm~”
Izumi gave a nasal hum.
“Same here! I’ve only ever heard of Aegis.”
“I see white buildings already.”
Seated up front, the two looked around like tourists.
Just as Liliana said, the closer they got to the Holy Nation, the more paved roads and white buildings they saw.
And soon enough—
“We’ll need to inspect your documents. May I see your identification?”
“Ah, I don’t have mine right now—Lady Saint! Do you have your ID?”
“…Lady Saint? Gasp! Y-you’re really the Saint!”
“Here’s the ID—uh, sir? Sir, are you okay?”
“Ack! The guard fainted!”
“Yuus, be careful with your sword! You’ll stab someone.”
“Geez. What a chaotic way to enter a country…”
Leaving behind the amusing scene of a border guard fainting upon seeing the Saint, the Hero’s party finally entered the Holy Nation of Aegis!
