Chapter 81
Originally, the human soul was not designed to endure multiple lives.
If one’s lifespan ended without any variables, the soul would naturally belong to the afterlife. Just like when Hermane died the first time.
Therefore, for Promeon’s atonement to be completed, Noxia Decan had to live a peaceful life until the very end. And Promeon had no trust in himself.
‘If I keep lingering around that child, I might want to break her again.’
Live as if dead. He could not truly die, but he would live as if he were dead—like a corpse stripped of breath and hope—staying as far away from Noxia Decan as possible.
Then, one day, when he heard news that Noxia Decan had passed away peacefully, he would slowly rise from his long hibernation and carry out what he had to do next.
[I need to find a way to lift the curse.]
Those were the words Noxia Decan had said to him after regaining memories of her past life. Looking into her green eyes, stained with intense love and hatred, Jade ultimately could not tell her the truth.
‘Does she really think I still don’t know how to lift the curse?’
After Hermane died, after their child died, after everyone he had known in his human life descended into the afterlife, he had wandered the living world alone for thousands of years.
Did she really think that during that long time, he had not searched the entire world for a way to end this miserable existence?
He was someone who had invaded the afterlife itself to kidnap the soul of the person he loved. Opening dimensional gates to track down ancient gods who had fled to other worlds was easier for him, not harder.
The only way to lift the curse was for the one who cast it to解除 it themselves. Or for that person to have their soul completely annihilated.
Another way was to wait endlessly, hoping the curse would naturally wear off with time. But after enduring several centuries alone, he had no patience left for that.
So before descending to the afterlife to find his old love, Promeon first opened a dimensional gate—to search for the ancient gods he had once driven out of the world as a hero of humanity.
And in that world, what Promeon encountered was—
‘Ah.’
Chirp, chirp. A cute bird’s cry was heard. Promeon opened his eyes.
At the peak of a perilous mountain that humans could not reach without risking their lives, he stood on eternal snow and gazed at the clear sky.
Against the pale blue sky filled with sunlight, a small, plump silhouette cast a shadow. Promeon reached out his hand to the bird.
“Come here.”
When he whispered softly like a spring breeze, the bird landed on his wrist at once. Promeon curved his eyes and smiled warmly.
“Good work.”
He had left the place where Noxia Decan lived to avoid being tempted by selfish desires, but that did not mean he had completely cut off all news about her.
In fact, the farther away he was physically, the more closely he monitored her daily life.
The only reason he fought terrible loneliness every moment and kept his distance from her was because he wished that in this life, she would die at the end of her natural lifespan.
No accident, no malice should interfere with her life and twist her lifespan.
Souls of those who die unjustly often reincarnate to continue the life they could not finish. If she died young again, Hermane would not be able to fully return to the afterlife.
Therefore, he had an obligation to periodically check on Noxia Decan’s condition, even from afar.
Everything was for atonement. That was all. Promeon rationalized himself like that.
He stared intently into the bird’s eyes. The bird did not blink, trapped in his gaze, and poured out everything it had seen and heard in silence.
As the silent report continued, expression gradually disappeared from Promeon’s face. At last, he became like finely polished marble.
Chirp—!
The bird suddenly cried sharply. If it had been a person, it would have been a desperate scream.
A sound stained with pain and fear, enough to make anyone shudder.
The cry was very brief. The being that had once been a bird fell to the ground as a charred lump. The small lump soon crumbled like ash and weathered away completely.
Promeon, who had burned the bird unintentionally, felt no guilt at all. He did not even realize what he had just done.
He mechanically wiped his dry eyes. There was still no expression in his gaze.
Flames raged, melting the eternal snow and burning the trees into firewood, but he noticed nothing.
“…Ha.”
Finally, he let out something like a breath. A rough voice leaked from his lungs as if they were punctured. He burst into mad laughter.
“Hahaha!”
He felt like he was going insane. Maybe he already had. He was so angry, so absurdly frustrated, and no matter how hard he tried, excuses to cross the line kept appearing.
If everyone around that child had just left her alone, he wouldn’t have had to keep crossing boundaries like this. He could have maintained his distance. He could have endured this life somehow.
But as if testing his already tattered patience, the world once again put Noxia Decan in danger—like a cruel prankster who enjoyed tormenting others.
Promeon stepped forward with a smiling face. That smile was more vicious than a winter gale.
* * *
Karnen Holby was facing the worst weekend of her life.
Her best friend had suddenly disappeared on Wednesday night. Her disappearance was confirmed on Thursday morning, and now it was Friday evening, and there was still no news.
If not for Prince Elenon, Karnen might not have even known Noxia had disappeared for a while.
No matter how close friends were, they couldn’t spend every day together because everyone had their own busy lives. In fact, the one who spent every day with Noxia was Prince Elenon, who was currently dating her.
On Thursday evening, while Karnen happened to be home, she was startled to hear that a visitor had arrived. And the visitor’s identity was shocking.
[Hello, Miss Holby. I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly without contacting you in advance.]
The noble marquis’s daughter had met the prince before. They had exchanged formal greetings at royal events such as the spring ball.
But meeting him alone at her own home like this was a first in her life.
What surprised her even more was his pale complexion. He looked not like an elegant, dignified royal, but like a lost and frightened child.
[I came to ask if you know anything about Noxia’s whereabouts. Time is urgent, so please forgive my rudeness.]
[What do you mean, Your Highness? Noxia’s whereabouts? Didn’t she go to work today?]
[I thought so at first too. But when I went to the library this afternoon, the other librarians told me Noxia had been absent without notice and they didn’t know where she went…]
As the explanation continued, Karnen grew more flustered. The diligent and sensible Noxia Decan was not someone who would skip work without taking leave or informing anyone.
[So I went straight to Noxia’s house. I knocked on the front door for a long time, but no one answered. I tried to look inside through the window, but the curtains blocked the view. I asked the building manager to open the door with a key, but no one was inside. There were no signs that Noxia had returned home last night.]
[No signs she went home?]
[Yes. There were no signs of anyone sleeping in the bed or using the bathroom. If she had returned safely, she would have at least washed up and gone to sleep…]
[Were you with Noxia last night, Your Highness?]
[Yes. We had dinner together at a restaurant near the academy and parted ways. Usually, even if we eat out, we go to my villa afterward, but yesterday I had overdue assignments and Noxia said she was tired, so we just ate and separated.]
[Didn’t you escort her to her house?]
[I usually park at the corner of 17th Street. The royal carriage can’t enter further because the street is too narrow. We always say goodbye there…]
Only then did Karnen understand why the prince was so pale. Noxia Decan hadn’t just impulsively skipped work. If that were all, there would be no reason for this level of worry.
[Miss Holby, I heard you are Noxia’s closest friend. Do you know anything?]
There was no time to be touched by the fact that Noxia had introduced her as her best friend. Karnen had turned as pale as Elenon.
[I don’t know. She didn’t contact me either. Could something have come up suddenly and she went back to her hometown? Maybe something happened at the orphanage, or one of her hometown friends…]
[Then I should check whether Noxia bought a ticket at the train station last night. Thank you for your help. Do you know the address of the orphanage where she stayed?]
[Yes. We exchanged letters when she lived there. Should I contact the orphanage?]
[If you could, I would be truly, truly grateful. I owe you greatly, Miss Holby.]
[You don’t owe me anything, Your Highness. Noxia is my friend too.]
Karnen answered with a serious expression. This was no time to be happy about gaining a favor from royalty.
Noxia hadn’t just skipped work—she hadn’t even gone home. She hadn’t been able to, or she hadn’t wanted to.
She didn’t know which, but either way, it was troubling.
Still, she desperately hoped it was the latter. At least, she hoped Noxia’s disappearance was her own choice, not the result of someone else’s coercion.
