Chapter 137: The Mismatched Puzzle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: The Mismatched Puzzle
Scoffing at his own foolish judgment from his past life, Herdin suddenly realized his and Blair's assumption was wrong.
"...It wasn't the Imperial Family."
At his murmur, which suggested a sudden breakthrough, Blair looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
This time, Herdin met her gaze with eyes full of conviction.
"It wasn't your mother who killed you."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because it was Caligo who brought me the evidence linking Her Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager to the Empress's Palace Fire Incident during the trial."
It had been the same in his past life. The only reason Herdin had been able to reach a settlement with Katrina was thanks to the evidence Caligo had found.
Blair blinked in surprise. Herdin added, "If he were the Grand Empress Dowager's pawn, he would have destroyed that evidence, not brought it to me."
"Then who on earth...?"
Who else could possibly hold such a grudge against Delmark?
Lost in thought, his eyes cold, Herdin looked at Blair and realized the time had come to tell her about the black magic circle. Just as their conversation had revealed that Caligo and Katrina weren't connected, she might know something he didn't. And above all…
He refused to hurt her again by hiding the truth under the guise of protection, just as he had in their past life.
"I believe the mastermind is the same person who cast black magic on you and me."
"...Black magic?"
"You're likely aware of the power of Delmark."
Herdin briefly explained it to her.
In the distant past, the descendants of Delmark, who inherited the power of the Divine Beast, could wield strength that surpassed their natural limits. Fearing this power would be abused, the Divine Beast had imposed a constraint: the price for using it was the life of their most beloved.
Consequently, an ancestor who lost his beloved chose to abandon that potential and broke the constraint.
But someone had used black magic to bind the two of them to that very same constraint once more.
"Here."
He paused mid-explanation, stopping in his tracks to touch the spot on Blair's collarbone where the black magic circle was engraved. Blair flinched involuntarily at the sudden touch of his fingers.
Herdin continued, his gaze fixed on her.
"The imprint is engraved right here."
His eyes darkened as he looked from her slender collarbone to her trembling eyes.
It was only then that a realization seemed to dawn on Blair.
"Was that the only reason you kept your distance from me? Because you were afraid your power would harm me?"
Though Blair's voice was calm, as if she were desperately suppressing a storm of emotions, the eyes looking up at him held an undeniable trace of resentment.
Herdin chose silence as his answer.
She couldn't understand him.
If it was dangerous, he should have told her. If it was their problem, they should have worried about it and solved it together.
But he hadn't.
In the end, he saw her as nothing more than a jewel to be kept flawless and protected—not an equal partner.
Looking at him, Blair suddenly recalled a grimoire she had once seen in his study.
Time magic.
As the memory surfaced, the last of the unsolved puzzle pieces clicked into place.
"...You were the one who saved me."
Once again, Herdin did not answer.
Not only that, but even after she regained her memories, he had never once asked how she remembered their past life. He had only asked why she didn't hate him.
The fact that he knew I returned with my memories…
It meant he had planned it that way.
As the truth settled in, Blair's face contorted in sheer disbelief.
"Why me?"
"..."
"You could have been the one to go back with your memories."
"..."
"You should have just erased my memories. Left me knowing nothing."
Herdin quietly stared at Blair, who was now brimming with resentment, and gave a bitter smile. A knot formed in his throat; even her face, which no longer smiled at him, was painfully beautiful.
He parted his tightly closed lips.
"If you had smiled at me without knowing anything, I was afraid I would become greedy again."
He didn't have the confidence to let her go if he was the one who returned with all these memories.
Her bright, clear eyes looking at him. Her blushing cheeks. Even the lovely sound of her voice calling his name.
"If you looked at me like that, I would have wanted just a little more, just one more time... I would have grown greedy again and..."
Just speaking of her death brought back the moment he had faced her lifeless body with vivid clarity. The mere memory felt like his heart was being torn apart, suffocating him.
Swallowing the rising tide of emotion, he continued, "...I was terrified that I would cause your death again."
"..."
"I couldn't let that happen."
Losing her to his greed once was more than enough.
"Since I lost you to my greed in our past life, I wanted to give you the choice in this one."
Blair was stunned by his answer.
If she had been in his shoes, she would have erased her own memories to escape the pain. She would have wanted to forget and be happy.
But he had chosen to give her the power of choice.
While it was true that he had hurt her, she couldn't say his final choice was wrong. They were simply different.
Yet, the moment she understood his choice, she realized something else.
He and she could never truly fit together.
If you force mismatched puzzle pieces together, their edges might wear down until they slot into place. But could you really say that was for the best?
Did they really have to force themselves to fit, even at the cost of such pain?
At the end of that question, Blair spoke.
"Herdin."
He quietly gazed at his wife, who had called his name in such a calm voice. He looked as if he would grant her anything she asked.
But the words that spilled from her lips were the last thing he ever wanted to accept.
"Once this is all over, let's go our separate ways."
At those words, Herdin's eyes shook violently.
He knew he had to say something, but not a single word would come out.
Because her expression was one of pure relief, like someone who had finally found the answer to a long-unsolved problem.
* * *
"Ah, you're awake?"
The first thing Gerard saw upon regaining consciousness were Miella's eyes watching over him.
He frowned at first, not recognizing her, but he soon placed her face. She was one of the temple clerics he had seen in passing. There were countless clerics in the temple, so he didn't remember every face, but Miella was exceptionally beautiful and known for taking the lead in good deeds. She was frequently talked about by fellow clerics, priests, and believers alike, which was why he recognized her.
Gerard worked his dry, parched lips.
"...Cleric Miella."
"You recognize me!" Miella smiled joyfully.
"Where is this? It's not the Imperial Capital, is it?"
"This is the mansion of the Lord of Nerha. You seemed badly injured, so I brought you here."
Startled by the mention of the Lord's mansion, Gerard immediately sat up. His entire body throbbed with a dull ache.
"You shouldn't overexert yourself yet. I healed your wounds, but you were injured for a long time and lost a lot of blood. It must have taken a toll on your strength. Please, lie back down."
Ignoring Miella's protests, Gerard forced himself up and quickly scanned the room. Though small, it was constructed with expensive materials—clearly a guest room in a noble's mansion.
Noticing his survey, Miella spoke. "Ah, the room is a bit small for Your Holiness, isn't it? I'm sorry, I couldn't secure a larger room because I had to conceal your identity."
Gerard furrowed his brow. "...Conceal my identity?"
"I figured there must be a reason Your Holiness visited Nerha in secret. So, for now, I told them you are a cleric from the same temple as me."
"I see."
"Did I... perhaps misjudge the situation?"
Gerard stared intently at Miella, who was cautiously reading his expression. She was just as quick-witted and clever as the rumors said.
"No. You made a very wise decision."
At his praise, Miella finally smiled brightly in relief. "I'm glad. I'm happy to be of help to Your Holiness."
Handing a cup of water to Gerard, who looked like he hadn't had a drink in a long time, she asked, "The reason you visited in secret must be to catch the black mage, right?"
Receiving the cup, Gerard froze.
The place he had been found was a collapsed villa. A black magic circle had been drawn in its basement, so there was no way the knights of Nerha had missed it during his rescue. Fortunately, it seemed that thanks to Miella's presence, he had escaped suspicion of being connected to it.
Miella would never suspect that he, the Pope, would use black magic. Even if it was strange for the Pope to act in person, she would assume he had come to catch a black mage.
Thanks to her, he had avoided the troublesome situation of having to explain himself directly to the Lord of Nerha.
Gerard offered Miella a pleased smile. "As expected, you have excellent judgment, Cleric Miella."
"You flatter me."
Wetting his throat, Gerard recalled the moments right before the building collapsed and subtly probed her for information.
"By the way, was no one else found with me? Or perhaps... a body?"
The building had collapsed because of his battle with Mikhail. The two had exchanged blows, each powerful enough to be fatal, and the structure, unable to withstand the impact, had caved in. Just before the debris crushed him, Gerard had narrowly managed to form a protective barrier with his divine power, which was the only reason he had survived.
However, he had no idea whether Mikhail was alive or dead.
Is that bastard dead?
Gerard waited for Miella's response, praying that the tiresome remnant of his past was finally gone.
At last, Miella opened her mouth to speak.