Chapter 16

“Alright then, let’s make sure this person faces the judgment of the law…”

After deciding David’s fate, I turned my attention from him, who had collapsed, and approached Isabella, who had been watching the situation unfold.

To the victim who had witnessed the man who had driven her to death ultimately fall into ruin.

“Is it… over for me?”

A weak voice escaped her.

I pondered for a moment what response I should give.

“…It’s over.”

A woman whose life and death had been violated by twisted love.

The incident she was involved in would conclude once the unconscious criminal was handed over to the security bureau and faced legal judgment.

Although the outcome for everyone involved was unfortunate, at least it was better than the worst possible ending.

“Yes. The sorcerer who controlled you has lost his power, so at least for you, time is running out.”

But Isabella Persie, the woman who once existed, would no longer be here.

I couldn’t hide my bitterness as I watched her crumbling body.

“Time is running out? What do you mean…?”

-*Thud.*

Cracks formed on her body, and fragments and debris slowly began to spill out from within.

First from her hands and feet.

Then, as the cracks spread up her body and neck, her face began to fill with despair as she finally understood the meaning of my words.

“Over…? But there’s still so much I haven’t done… Do I have to end it like this?”

*Crackle.* The collapse of her body, no longer receiving magical energy, accelerated.

Unable to hold on any longer, Isabella grabbed the hem of my clothes and began to plead.

“Please… I beg you. Save me.”

“…Miss Isabella.”

“You can do it, right? I’ll pay any price. Ah, if I tell my father, he’ll surely reward you handsomely!!”

She wants to live.

I could feel the desperation in her heart.

The undead can only awaken with a strong attachment to life, and that means they must face their end with the same lingering attachment and vivid consciousness.

“I’m sorry, but reviving the dead is impossible.”

It’s regrettable that I had to tell her this.

Isabella looked at me as if she couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.

“W-What are you talking about? I… I came back to life like this. How can you say reviving is impossible…?”

“The undead are considered resurrected beings among humans, but their essence is entirely different.”

Having come from the afterlife, I can say this with certainty.

A human soul that has fallen into the underworld cannot return to the living world.

If they do come back, it’s only through a process called ‘reincarnation,’ where their essence is worn down over time, contributing to the birth of a new life.

In any other form, it’s impossible for a dead soul to return to the living world and maintain their former self.

“A human soul that has fallen into the underworld can never return to the living world.”

I told her this fact plainly.

“The so-called black magic that revives the dead is merely a result of recreating the appearance of the deceased based on the traces they left behind.”

However cruel it may be, this is the only way to suppress the lingering attachments that the dead should not hold onto.

“Recreating…?”

“No matter how meticulously you recreate their living form, it’s ultimately just a well-made replica.”

Yes, what exists here now is nothing more than a copy of Isabella, perfectly replicated from her living self.

“You are Isabella, but you are not Isabella.”

If she continued to remain in the living world, the living would never forget her and would continue to yearn for her presence.

Looking at her rotting body, which could collapse at any moment without magical energy, and her fragile sense of self…

They would cling to someone who had already passed away, living each moment in pain.

“Is that so…?”

Isabella’s ghost, as if resonating with this truth, touched her chest with her crumbling hand.

But the heart revealed in her open chest did not beat.

That cold, hardened heart would make her realize her own situation.

“…Even though my feelings are so clear.”

Her intense emotions, the pounding of her heart, were ultimately just projections of her memories from when she was alive.

“I still want to see him… Do I have to leave without fulfilling that wish?”

What should I say to her in her sorrow?

Should I just leave her, knowing she’s a fake?

Even if the love she felt in life was strong, should I abandon her because she’s a replica?

“…Even if it’s fake, it still has meaning.”

No, if that were truly the case, I wouldn’t have assisted in the ritual to revive her.

Even if the core is fake, the shell is a perfect replica of the real thing. There’s still something to be learned from that.

“What meaning could there be? You said everything about me is fake…!!”

“Because her heart is projected, you can understand, right? That Isabella loved everyone around her.”

Having read her memories, I knew what kind of person Isabella was.

I knew how genuine her feelings were, how beautiful and radiant her life had been.

“Right now, you are the only one who knows the heart of Isabella before her death.”

Even though her life is projected before me, and I know how strong her lingering attachments are…

“Tell me. What she couldn’t say… What she wanted to say to those who remember her.”

The words she couldn’t say at the end.

Wouldn’t it be right to give her the chance to deliver her final words?

“…Really.”

Facing the hand I extended to her, she grabbed it and began to weep bitterly.

“Really… will it mean anything? Even if it’s just a fake saying it?”

“I promise you. I will deliver your words without fail.”

Even though she was crumbling, I wanted to remember her will while her form still remained.

As if accepting my feelings, she stopped crying and began to speak with great effort.

“Please tell my father I’m sorry. He forbade me from going out because he was worried about me, but that restraint only led to disaster. He’ll surely blame himself.”

Her skin melted, her flesh peeled away, and her bones were exposed.

Even as her bones turned to dust and her consciousness faded, she strained her voice to convey her lingering feelings.

“And… tell him… tell Jamil…”

She spoke the name of her beloved.

And in this place, she wept bitterly over the regrets she couldn’t convey to him.

“…Will that be enough?”

As I memorized each word she spoke, she smiled softly at me.

“Yes, that’s enough.”

It was hard to believe she was about to face her end.

With a remarkably light smile.

“Because I love him, I want him to be happy.”

-*Crunch.*

Her body crumbled.

Finally, the energy sustaining her body ran out, and her flesh turned to dust.

All that remained in the place where her self, memories, and emotions had just existed were the fragments of her bones and a pile of debris.

I quietly reached out to the debris, searching for her remains, and placed them in an empty jar.

“…Love.”

I honored her spirit in this way.

And as I pondered her words, I spat out the bitterness in my mouth.

“What is love, that it allows such heart-wrenching words to be spoken so freely?”

It was a question I hadn’t thought of in hell.

The greedy and selfish demons wouldn’t understand this sorrowful and beautiful emotion.

*****

After the commotion in the sewer ended, I handed David over to the security bureau and went to Isabella’s family home.

To deliver her remains to her parents and convey her final words.

When I met Isabella’s parents, they wept bitterly at the sight of the urn and treated me kindly, sharing stories about Isabella.

From her childhood to her adulthood, and the people she was involved with…

Every story was filled with love and sorrow for her, and I listened silently, comforting them.

For parents who had lost their only daughter, delivering her final words was the least I could do.

“Here, your reward.”

And a few days later.

I received a reward from Carly, the security officer who handled the case.

Although I had met the client who requested the case, the reward for resolving the case was to be delivered through the security bureau, as per the city’s regulations.

“…It’s several times more than I expected.”

“You recovered the criminal and the remains. The parents must be grateful. But there were opinions on whether to give the full reward to a new, low-trust problem solver…”

Ah, I forgot.

The Problem Solvers Association prevents low-trust individuals from using unauthorized methods to handle high-difficulty requests.

Following that rule, most of this reward might be confiscated by the Association. Just as I was feeling uneasy, Carly continued in a calm voice.

“…I took care of that, so you can take it without worry.”

“Did you handle it, Carly?”

“Well, you’ve caught thieves that even the security bureau struggled with before.”

So my previous achievements earned me some trust.

Relieved, I thanked Carly.

“Thank you for your help, Captain Carly.”

“Anything I can do. Skilled problem solvers are always welcome.”

Carly smiled lightly, brushing it off.

Thanks to her, I received a hefty reward for this case, so I should be able to prepare for the upcoming ball without any issues.

“By the way, there’s one thing I’d like to ask…”

Before leaving, I remembered something and asked her a question.

“Go ahead.”

“Do you know someone named Jamil? I have something to tell him regarding this case.”

Isabella’s lover.

I had to deliver her final words to him.

It was my duty as the one who saw her to the end. No matter how he reacted, I had to deliver her message to ensure her end wasn’t in vain.

“Jamil Asran… It’ll be hard to meet him now.”

But her next words were not what I wanted to hear.

Worried that things might get complicated, I immediately asked Carly.

“Why is that?”

“Before this case was resolved, he joined the church as a practicing priest and is focusing on his training. During training, communication with the outside is strictly prohibited, so it won’t be easy to meet him.”

“…A practicing priest?”

“Yeah, he vowed to remain chaste for life.”

When the meaning sank in, I felt my breath catch.

After Isabella’s death, he became a practicing priest, vowing to remain chaste for life.

That meant he intended to live without ever forgetting her, didn’t it?

“From what I heard, he was originally the first heir of his family, but by joining the church, he passed the succession to his younger brother. But if you have something to tell him, I can give you his address…”

“…No, it’s fine.”

After a moment of thought, I made my decision.

Feeling the weight of guilt growing in my heart, I quietly turned away from her.

“If he’s decided to do that, it would be rude for me to visit.”

Leaving the security bureau and heading home.

On the cold, empty streets, I recalled the final words Isabella had left.

‘Tell him to forget me.’

To forget her.

The lover who loved her more than anyone else, to live on without remembering her.

‘…Will that be enough?’

‘Yes, that’s enough.’

If he remembers her, he’ll live in eternal unhappiness.

So perhaps delivering that message is the right thing to do.

‘Because I love him, I want him to be happy.’

No matter how he reacts, conveying her feelings would be the right choice for him.

Yet, my steps carried me away from their story, back to my own daily life.

“What is love…?”

A love that wanted to end because they could never meet again.

A love that wanted to continue even though they could never meet again.

What is love, that it can create such beautiful and sorrowful stories?

“Ah, Sebastian, you’re back?”

Feeling that bitterness, I returned to the mansion and found a woman standing in the yard.

Jeremiah Anderson.

The one I now serve as master.

“What are you doing, miss?”

“Well, while you were away, I got bored… so I bought some flower seeds from the market and decided to grow them.”

She stepped aside, revealing a neatly piled mound of soil. As she watered it, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Was she imagining the moment when the flowers she planted would bloom?

While her simple joy was pleasant to see, I couldn’t hide my unease and quietly took my place beside her.

“It’s good to grow them, but if you water them too much, the roots will rot.”

“Huh? You’re not supposed to water them too much?”

“Haha, if you don’t know, let me teach you.”

The lesson was given with great care.

Hoping that her heart, still unbloomed, would one day blossom like a flower.

Even for her, who had yet to escape her fate as a villainess…

I sincerely hoped that one day, someone who could share love with her would come.

---