– The Petenburg Free City shall fulfill the following:
1. All soldiers of Petenburg shall disarm and surrender.
2. Open the gates of Petenburg.
3. Arrest Yulia Petenburg and hand her over to the Holy Knights.
The demands that flew in alongside the declaration of war.
Even when reading it again, it was an absurd statement.
They were demanding an unconditional surrender as soon as the war began.
Of course, that would not happen.
Petenburg may be a small city, but it is not one to be underestimated.
Nestled deep within the mountains, a city filled with fortress-like concrete buildings.
Even with endless shelling and climbing mountains, Petenburg will never fall.
Self-sufficient and capable of producing all kinds of weapons and equipment, it truly is an iron fortress.
The Holy Knights have chosen the wrong opponent.
“Yoo Jin… I guess I’ll never see you again…”
But aside from that, my war has already ended.
I made a mistake.
Provoking the Frost Duchess’s suspicion.
I aimed to stir the Priestess’s jealousy and isolate Yoo Jin.
The plan was to make Yoo Jin completely alone, ultimately leading him to me.
Up until that point, it was going well.
Until the Priestess went into a frenzy and led the Holy Knights to invade.
In an instant, Petenburg was besieged.
Not even an ant could enter or exit.
Theoretically, Petenburg could hold out forever, but so could the Holy Knights.
If they just keep us surrounded, we’ll be trapped here forever.
“Where did it all go wrong…?”
I lost.
To the Priestess’s iron will, I was defeated in the contest for Yoo Jin.
For now, Yoo Jin remains the Priestess’s bodyguard.
If he joins the Holy Knights, he won’t fight for a besieged Petenburg.
– Someone’s climbing the mountain! Should we attack?
At that moment, the notification rang with a beep and a transmission came through.
Do they really need to ask about things like this?
Just intercept them without asking me!
– It looks like an enemy, but I think it might be someone who met Lady Yulia before…
“S-Stop shooting! St-stop!”
The moment I saw that man’s face outside the window.
In a panic, I shouted into the radio.
I was so flustered that instead of my usual firm voice, a clumsy one came out.
“How…?”
It was Yoo Jin.
Yoo Jin was climbing the mountain, scaling the walls toward me.
The instant I saw that, I lost my reason and rushed out.
Never had the time taken in the elevator felt so long.
Forgetting the carriage, I ran on foot.
Before I knew it, the splendid city view had vanished.
When the rubble of the outer city, destroyed by the Holy Knights’ bombardment, spread before me.
There, breathless, was Yoo Jin.
My beloved Yoo Jin.
The Yoo Jin I thought I would never see again was right there.
“Y-Yo-Yoo Jin…!”
“My name isn’t Yoo Yoo Yoo Jin.”
“Huh…!”
I leaped into the playful arms of Yoo Jin, soaking wet with sweat and smelling.
But I didn’t mind.
He came all this way for me.
Turning his back on the church.
Betraying the Priestess to come to me.
He chose me over the Priestess.
Tears flooded down my face in joy.
“Why… why did you come…? Petenburg is under siege. I-I can’t get out now.”
“I know. That’s why I came.”
“Why…?”
“I couldn’t leave you alone.”
Tears threatened to pour out again.
I felt like I had everything.
It was true too.
When everyone fears me as the cruel ruler of Petenburg or the cold witch.
The only person who approached me without hesitation knowing my true self was Yoo Jin.
Yoo Jin is my world.
“Yoo Jin. I-I was wrong… I’m sorry…”
“What are you sorry for?”
I’m sorry for everything.
Yoo Jin loves me the most.
But I didn’t know that and messed things up.
I tried to isolate Yoo Jin and bring about his downfall.
If you love someone, you shouldn’t do that.
My twisted desires almost ruined everything.
“I’m sorry for not coming sooner.”
“Yoo Jin…!”
Yoo Jin forgave me.
He accepted me.
He came back to my side.
“I w-won’t do it again. I-I won’t doubt you… sniff…”
I hugged Yoo Jin and made a promise.
That I would make sure Yoo Jin wouldn’t regret choosing me.
That I would never try to control him again.
“I love you. I love you…”
I said it clearly.
Worried he wouldn’t understand, I didn’t stumble over the words I practiced.
In response, Yoo Jin smiled silently and leaned in.
As I closed my eyes, his lips slowly touched mine.
And the overwhelming sensation rushed in, causing my eyes to pop open.
I wanted to stay like this forever.
At that moment, I thought.
‘Huh?’
Time froze.
‘What’s happening?’
In the frozen time.
My body wouldn’t obey.
Yet in this strange situation, my mind was fully awake.
“Ugh. So annoying.”
‘…?!’
Yoo Jin sighed and pulled away.
He was no longer smiling.
He only glared at me with an annoyed look before simply turning away.
My heart felt like it was freezing under that gaze.
It felt like the world was crumbling down.
“If it weren’t for you, I would have seen the ending this time. The trophy heroine keeps getting in the way.”
Yoo Jin mumbled something incomprehensible as he walked away.
In the sky, strange lights flickered, revealing letters and numbers.
Amid the chaos, I understood.
Yoo Jin had lived before.
The second? The third?
I wasn’t sure.
Maybe he had gone through it dozens or hundreds of times.
For him, this world was nothing serious.
I realized the harsh truth.
“I’ll see you next round. You won’t remember anyway.”
‘…’
Yoo Jin turned away, giving me a brief glance filled with pity.
The world went dark.
And I…
“Aaaah! Ugh, aah. Haaah…”
Woke up from yet another nightmare.
It was the same dream.
Every day I dream of that day.
The moment when hope turns into despair.
The dream where unbearable reality pushes in.
It’s been over a month since I regained my memories.
And I still dream the same dream.
“sigh…”
Struggling to catch my breath, I took my medication.
My headaches have been excruciating lately.
Beyond impossible to function in daily life without them.
“Swoosh.”
I took a sip of freshly brewed coffee and stepped into the dim room.
Looking out the large glass window at the dull cityscape.
Places devastated by the Holy Knights’ bombardment were nowhere to be found.
Trains were running smoothly in this lively city.
“I’m still not used to this.”
I returned to the past about a year ago.
With memories of the past.
As Yoo Jin said, I should have lost my original memories.
But for some reason, I still vividly remember the previous round.
At first, I thought maybe I had regressed alone without Yoo Jin.
But that wasn’t the case.
Yoo Jin was moving quite differently from previous times.
This time, he wasn’t even showing himself.
He hadn’t met the Priestess in Hameln, nor faced the Frost Duchess in Palana.
Of course, he hadn’t stepped foot in Petenburg either.
I quickly caught on.
Yoo Jin was fed up with us.
He had decided to give up on us.
I knew well why he made that choice.
Because I put him through so much pain.
Using my love as an excuse, I tried to bring him down.
Even though time has rewinded to the past, that fact hasn’t changed.
We both know.
Though it has become something that no longer exists, as long as we remember, it will never fade away.
– Secret Intelligence
Documents with confidential seals placed on my desk.
These were left behind by my secretary.
Since I can’t speak with anyone other than Yoo Jin.
– A two-stage nationwide census by the Holy Kingdom. Confirmed as ordered by the Priestess of Hameln.
– Many of Palana’s ruler’s aides dispatched to the Southern Continent. Mission details are unknown.
Yoo Jin has abandoned us.
But people still exist who can’t accept that.
The Priestess of Hameln.
And the Frost Duchess of Palana.
It seems these two, like me, have returned with memories, and they are loudly searching for Yoo Jin.
“Fools…”
It’s such a silly thing to do.
Yoo Jin doesn’t want to meet us.
He left because he didn’t want us around.
The more they chase him, the more Yoo Jin will simply hide and try to run away quietly.
Even if they miraculously find him, there won’t be a dramatic reunion.
Yoo Jin will push us away as if ensuring his confirmation of death.
He will be angry and tell us to stop chasing him.
Then he’ll get irritated and regress once again.
Just imagining it pierces my heart.
With the chilly gaze of Yoo Jin I saw in the future entwined my chest, it aches.
It still hurts and is tough to bear.
If I were to hear those words from Yoo Jin, I would crumble.
I wouldn’t be able to hold on any longer.
That’s why I can’t bring myself to search for Yoo Jin.
The moment we meet, everything will end.
This world will be abandoned by Yoo Jin once again.
“Stop showing your feelings already…”
To prevent Yoo Jin from regressing.
I don’t know how many plans I’ve executed to stop those foolish humans and beast-folk from encountering him.
Yet they seem tireless.
Oblivious to giving up, they continue searching for Yoo Jin.
Only when news of Yoo Jin’s death reaches their ears will they stop.
No. They might not even stop then…
“I need to find a way.”
I can’t let things continue like this.
Their search range is already too wide.
The Priestess has control over the entire south, and the Frost Duchess has influence over the entire north.
No matter how much of a genius Yoo Jin is, he will eventually be cornered.
So for now, I will find Yoo Jin first.
Find him, and uncover the conditions under which he regresses.
Then I will stop his regression.
“You also don’t really want to regress…”
At that moment, that look in his eyes.
I understood when I saw the pitiful gaze he cast over his shoulder towards me.
Yoo Jin wasn’t regressing because he wanted to.
He was compelled to regress due to external pressures, helplessly stuck in a cycle of regression.
He must wish for it to end too.
“I will make it stop for you.”
Then if I simply stop it, that’s it.
By any means necessary.
I will definitely put a halt to Yoo Jin’s regression.
And then, naturally, Yoo Jin will come to me.
He won’t have a choice but to hold me dear.
I have a solution for the problem of lifespan too.
I learned how to share lifespan when I went to Elvenguard last time.
Though I vowed never to step foot there again, I visited for Yoo Jin’s sake.
“I wonder if Elvenguard is burning down by now.”
I tried to leave quietly.
But when I was about to leave, suddenly rage surged, and I couldn’t hold back from finding Ifrit.
Then I told Ifrit about the dungeon underneath the World Tree.
As expected, Ifrit began to grow a spiritual body and started moving towards the World Tree.
By the time the spiritual body had grown so large it illuminated the night sky like daytime, I left Elvenguard.
By now, I’m sure Elvenguard has perished.
“Uh?”
But the moment I unfolded the newspaper.
The headline was none other than the news of the Elvenguard fire disaster.
In fact, the photo capturing the recovery efforts included Ifrit.
My thought process momentarily came to a halt.
Ifrit, who was desperate to burn down the World Tree, is now involved in fire recovery?
It was a contradictory situation.
The only way this scenario could occur is if…
If Ifrit was subdued by an extraordinary powerhouse.
And that someone capable of conquering a dangerous dungeon that even the elves had given up on.
The person who fits all of this is…
“Uh-oh?”
None other than Yoo Jin.
Yoo Jin had visited Elvenguard.
Only a few hours after I left…
“Aaaah!!!”
As soon as I realized that, blood rushed to my head.
