That child is not the Emperor?
It was difficult to understand what that ant.
The compass that Louie had given clearly indicated that this was the Emperor’s hotown.
Everything suggested that the Emperor had been born and raised here.
And yet, that child is not the Emperor?
What could that possibly an?
The old woman pulled a cloth from her sleeve and wiped the blood trickling down her cheek. Even as the cloth beca soaked in red, the bleeding did not stop.
I reached out and cast a healing spell.
A red magic circle ford around the old woman, and soon, the blood flowing from her eyes stopped.
She looked at with a hint of surprise before breaking into a soft smile.
“Thank you, dear. When you get old, the tears just won’t stop...”
There was no way those vivid streaks of blood were re tears.
But I couldn’t bring myself to ask further.
I had no idea what kind of consequences the old woman might face if I pried too deep.
So I had to carefully choose my words.
Seeing my expression, the old woman muttered, “Oh dear,” as if she had just rembered sothing. Then, slowly, she spoke.
“Now that I think about it, I do have sothing left at ho.”
With difficulty, she rose to her feet and grabbed the cane resting on the table.
Seeing this, Lily hurried to her side.
Blocking her path, Lily offered her an awkward smile.
“Um, if you tell where it is, I can get it for you.”
“Hmm? No need for that. A host should serve their guests personally.”
“But I’m a maid, so it’s fine!”
At that, the old woman firmly shook her head.
“Nonsense. Before being a maid, you are a guest in my ho.”
Her unwavering refusal left Lily with no choice but to step aside.
The old woman leaned on her cane as she slowly made her way toward the cupboard.
She looked unsteady, making not just but even Lily visibly worried.
Reaching what appeared to be the kitchen, she opened a drawer. After rummaging through it, she pulled out a single tea leaf.
“This is a rare thing I got from the East. It’s quite old now, but...”
“Wait.”
Before she could finish her sentence, Evan reached for his sword.
His sharp eyes darted around rapidly before stopping on a single point.
His pupils dilated slightly. Then, with a long sigh, he muttered,
“We’re under attack.”
Srrng!
With a clear ringing sound, he drew his sword.
Startled, Lily moved closer to .
I could feel the tremor in her grip on my arm.
In contrast, the old woman’s expression remained calm—almost as if she had been expecting this mont.
There was even a hint of sorrow on her face.
“Tch. They won’t even give ti to serve my guests.”
“Do you know who they are?”
“If you’ve co this far, young ones, you should already know.”
The Emperor’s Hand.
The words burned into my mind resurfaced instantly.
Unconsciously, I clenched my fists.
mories of the ones who had died in the library at their hands flashed before my eyes.
My body trembled slightly, but I forced myself to take deep breaths to steady myself.
Lily, however, trembled even more violently.
Seeing her shake with fear, I gently patted her head.
“Miss Adele?”
“Don’t worry. Evan and I will handle this.”
“Miss, stay as close to as possible. You too, Grandmother.”
I nodded and stepped closer to Evan.
The old woman hesitated for a mont before sighing and moving behind him as well.
Crash!
At least five windows shattered simultaneously.
Beyond them, a swarm of glowing red eyes stared at us like a pack of starving beasts.
A murderous intent radiated from their gaze.
I swallowed hard.
Had they spent their entire lives as re weapons of slaughter?
Just eting their eyes made my legs weak.
Whoosh!
Evan raised his sword in front of and murmured in a resolute voice,
“I won’t let them through.”
A brilliant blue aura ignited around him.
His eyes glead sharply before a fierce slash flew forward.
The blade, infused with aura, sliced through their necks effortlessly.
Blood gushed like a fountain, spraying in all directions.
Headless bodies collapsed onto their knees.
“Ugh.”
A sharp gasp echoed as Evan’s sword flashed once more.
With a single swing, five more fell.
Yet, the enemies showed no hesitation.
Their eerie persistence made them seem almost inhuman.
“...Where do you think you’re going?”
I concentrated magic into my fist, using the sa shield spell I had used in the library.
I struck one of them, sending him flying.
He crashed into the wall, coughing up blood, but soon stood up again.
His zombie-like resilience made Lily shriek and hide behind .
Grrrk…
The attackers let out guttural, beast-like growls and lunged.
Evan swung his sword with a composed expression.
Even as blood splattered across his face, he didn’t blink.
Sothing about that sight felt... off.
‘What is it?’
A gut feeling rang alarm bells in my mind.
I didn’t know exactly what it was warning about—only that it signaled death.
I turned my head urgently, searching for the source of my unease.
“Miss Adele?”
I ignored Lily’s questioning voice as I scanned the room.
Sothing was wrong.
I couldn’t explain it, but I was sure of it.
‘Why aren’t they coming in from the back?’
The house was a re wooden cabin, made of logs hastily stacked together.
For the Emperor’s Hand, breaking through such a weak barrier should be effortless.
So why weren’t they doing it?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a magic circle began forming on the floor.
The mont I noticed it, I opened my mouth to shout—
But before I could utter a word, my body was violently shoved aside.
“Huh?”
Squelch.
The sound of a blade tearing through flesh.
But there was no pain.
Not even the sensation of being cut.
I tumbled across the floor several tis.
‘What the—’
I lifted my head.
A crimson blade had pierced through the old woman’s shoulder.
Her lips trembled as she bit down in pain, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.
“Kyahhh!”
Lily’s sharp scream tore through the room.
Evan whipped his head around at the sound, imdiately grasping the situation. Without hesitation, his sword slashed through the air.
Blood spurted from the attacker’s back as he collapsed on the spot.
Seeing this, I pressed my hands against the floor and pushed myself up, quickly stumbling toward the old woman.
“Khak… cough...”
It was bad.
Blood soaked the area around the blade buried in her shoulder, staining her clothes a deep red.
The blood that trickled down her arm pooled onto the ground, forming a small puddle beneath her.
The sight made my head spin for a mont.
When I lifted my gaze, I saw the old woman’s eyes slowly losing focus.
‘…Ah.’
I was used to my own death.
No matter how many tis I died, I could always turn back ti.
Even if I died without realizing it, my ability would automatically rewind the past.
But the death of others was different.
Especially the death of soone who had chosen to sacrifice themselves for .
A mory flashed through my mind.
The first ti Lily had died.
She had taken the assassin’s blade in my place, the one sent by the Crown Prince.
She had bitten down on the assassin’s leg with everything she had, desperately buying ti for to escape.
That image—her bloodied form—overlapped with the old woman before .
The sa resigned expression.
The sa face, accepting death as inevitable.
‘I won’t let her die.’
The mont that thought ford, I fumbled inside my cloak, hastily pulling out a healing magic scroll.
It was expensive, but that didn’t matter.
A human life was worth far more.
Without hesitation, I grasped the scroll with both hands, ready to tear it open.
But my fingers were trembling too much, slipping against the paper.
‘Get a grip, Adele!’
What the hell was I doing, wasting ti?
Clenching my teeth, I bit down on the paper and ripped it apart.
A crimson magic circle ford in midair as the mana within the scroll drained away.
The bleeding began to slow.
It was a third-tier healing spell—powerful enough to save soone even on the brink of death.
But despite the spell, the old woman’s condition was only worsening.
Although the bleeding had lessened, it wasn’t stopping completely.
Uung…
I cast a coagulation spell over and over, but the blood refused to clot.
The old woman, despite her ragged breathing, chuckled softly.
“Heh... such a kind girl... That child was like this too, back then...”
“Shut up! You’re losing too much blood!”
“Hah… Even the sharp tongue is the sa…”
Despite the pain, she let out a hoarse laugh.
I bit my lip hard and cast the spell again.
“Young lady… May I… ask you… for one thing?”
Her voice trembled.
She was coughing up blood, barely able to speak.
I couldn’t even form a reply.
“P-please… save that child…”
Her words trailed off midway.
‘Ah.’
I couldn’t save her.
I knew that. My mind understood it.
But I couldn’t stop casting the spell.
My hands were shaking.
My mana, which had been plentiful, was almost depleted.
“Stop… Stop it!”
Lily cried out and hugged tightly from behind.
Her warmth seeped into .
And at last, my eyes focused.
The old woman lay still.
Her eyes were closed, her face serene, as if she were rely asleep.
“…Again.”
Tick. Tock.
The familiar ticking of a clock echoed in my ears.
I heard Louie’s voice, reminding that every rewind ca with a price.
I ignored it.
If I didn’t use my power now, I knew I would regret it forever.
Ti rewound.
– – The End of The Chapter – –
[TL: You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: /OracleTls
Join our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community mbers: invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]
---The End Of The Chapter---
You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon
Join on Patreon
Reviews
All reviews (0)