The Last Smile
"No... No...!"
Tears streamed endlessly down her face, and her legs trembled so violently she could barely stand. Yet driven by her single resolve to see Venice, Erielle forced herself upright. She fell again and again, but each time she rose and sprinted deeper into the cave.
"Please... Please..."
The cave had seemed short before, yet now the path stretched endlessly, as though she were running toward an unreachable finish line. Her vision blurred and warped; the black tent that had been right in front of her moments ago now seemed impossibly distant. The once-brief corridor had become an infinite corridor. It was utterly unreal, but Erielle had no room left to question it. Only one thought consumed her mind.
Each step grew heavier. It felt as if guilt and remorse had bound her body, dragging her backward.
"...Kh. Let go...!"
Crack—! Crack-crack—! Her violet eyes blazed with brilliant mana, and the hands clutching at her tore apart and fell away. The moment she cast aside the thoughts clouding her judgment, the endless corridor snapped back to its true length. Before she knew it, she stood directly before the black tent.
Whoosh—! She flung the fabric aside. Already tattered, the tent ripped open and fluttered in the air. Erielle followed the trail of blood deeper inside.
"...........!"
In the dark workshop of the black mage, Venice leaned against the innermost iron bars, breathing raggedly. The river of blood ended at his feet.
"Ve... Venice...!"
Joy flooded her chest. At last, she could see him. He had been foolish, idiotic, and utterly reckless, yet now she finally understood his sincerity. She had learned of every noble sacrifice he had made. Erielle wept even as she smiled brighter than she ever had before, imagining the happy future they would share and the memories they would build together.
She dropped to her knees before him. Her frail knees scraped against the stone and bled, but she didn't notice.
"Cough......"
"Venice! Stay with me...!"
"Cough, cough...."
She shook his limp body, but Venice only continued coughing up blood. A crimson river already pooled around him—enough to convince anyone several people had died there.
"....Just wait a moment! I'll... I'll heal you right away...!"
Still, Erielle smiled. Now that she had broken through every wall, she felt she could even save someone on the brink of death.
Mana resonated around her and gathered into her hands, flowing gently into Venice's body. Even a layperson could tell it was healing magic—pure, warm, and full of life. Erielle's mana filled him from within. Wounds and punctures across his body began to close. In an instant, the man who had looked like a corpse was restored to a healthy appearance. It was nothing short of miraculous. Magic capable of perfectly healing the dying belonged only in legends and myths.
"I... I'm sorry, Venice..."
"........"
Erielle pulled him into a tight embrace, tears falling as she apologized. Simply touching him filled her with joy and drew a smile to her lips. His warmth was enough to melt her frozen, shattered heart.
'....I'll take responsibility for everything now.'
Whatever he wanted, whatever he wished for—she would grant it, even if she had to use every ounce of her status and power. Tears welled again, yet a soft smile remained. The mere thought of all the moments they would share from now on made her feel overwhelmingly blessed.
...Let's leave together. I'll prove your innocence, and we'll return to our ordinary days.
"....Cough."
"......Huh?"
But her happy fantasy shattered. Venice, still in her arms, coughed up a massive amount of blood that stained her white clothes crimson.
"Huh.... Huhhh? Why is this happening...?"
Ah... the healing isn't complete yet. I'm sorry, just wait a little longer. I'll heal you right away...
She smiled as she cast the healing spell again, yet she couldn't stop her lips from trembling with rising dread. This mustn't happen. If that fear took root, it would grow uncontrollably. Erielle shook her head and muttered to herself as if trying to hypnotize her own mind. Such a thing would never occur. Venice would recover and show her that beautiful, pure smile once more.
"Cough... Keheuk...."
Splash—!
"Huh.... Huh?"
Venice vomited blood again. Erielle's hands, still pressed against him, were soaked in it; red stains marred her snow-white skin.
"Th... This is strange. It shouldn't be like this..."
Her healing magic had been perfect. Unless the person was already dead, it should have saved them. She had proven it on her own wounds—they vanished in seconds.
"Cough... Cough..."
Venice coughed blood once more. The fragile smile on Erielle's face crumbled, replaced by overwhelming anxiety.
"Ah... No...! Venice's condition is...!"
She couldn't finish. When she examined his body with mana sight, she saw it was already ruined. Most of his organs were soaked in demonic energy, blackened and rotting. No matter how much mana she poured into healing spells, nothing improved.
"Th... This can't be..."
"Cough... Is... someone there..."
".......!"
Erielle, clutching her head in denial, rushed to Venice's faint voice.
"Ve... Venice! Stay with me...!"
"I don't... know who you are... Cough. But it's already too late for me..."
"What.... What...?!"
Erielle's eyes widened, her mind going blank. Venice couldn't see or hear her properly. He didn't even recognize the woman right in front of him.
After coughing several times, he managed a bitter smile and continued.
"My body... has become irreversible because of the demonic energy. I... I'll probably die soon."
"No... Don't say that...! I'll... I'll definitely find a way...!"
"....Haha. I can't really hear what you're saying...."
Erielle's desperate cries never reached him. No matter how loudly she called or how hard she shook him, Venice only smiled faintly and kept speaking.
"If you can... Cough. Could you listen to my last words?"
".........!"
No... Please don't say that. I'll save you no matter what. Erielle pounded the ground, screaming in regret, desperately searching for any way to keep him alive while continuing to pour healing magic into him—using every drop of mana she possessed and all she had accumulated over the years.
Taking her actions as consent, Venice quietly thanked her and began.
"I... really tried. To save everyone... truly..."
"I know...! I know everything now...! Please stop talking...! I'll save you...!"
"But... I don't know if what I did was truly right... Haha..."
Please stop. Every word you speak makes more blood pour out. Your actions were heroic and noble—no matter who looks at them. So please...
"...I knew this might happen. It was the path I chose...."
"Stop... Stop...! You're really going to die if you keep this up...!!"
"Still... it's a little sad. The people I loved and cherished... will only remember me as a criminal..."
Haha— His hollow laugh broke Erielle all over again. That laugh sounded like a final farewell. She felt she would never see his face again.
"No...! I... I'm here..! I know everything now...!"
"....I was prepared to endure it. But just thinking about it... hurts. Haha... I must seem pretty foolish, huh?"
"No...! You're not foolish at all. Please, please stop talking...!"
Venice's once-faint pupils grew cloudier. His body, which had been holding on with sheer will, finally began to lose strength.
"Ah.... No...! Please wait just a little longer, Venice...! Just a little more...!"
"....I... think it's time for me to go. I'm... so tired...."
"No, no no no no no!!!!!!! Please, just a little more...!"
His once-vivid eyes grew dim, gazing somewhere far away. Erielle begged and begged. She would accept anyone—just give her a little more time. Time to save him. Time to apologize.
"....Everyone... all of you..."
"Ah... No! Just a moment, just a moment! It's almost done...!"
"....Sister... Kayle... Fria..."
His blurred eyes curved as if seeing illusions. His trembling hand reached into empty air.
"....Lady Erielle."
"............!"
When he called her name in that shaking voice, Erielle froze. Her racing thoughts stopped instantly; every nerve in her body focused on that single sound. Her heart felt as though it had dropped.
Venice's lips curved into an arc. Then he smiled—the warmest, purest smile she had ever seen from him.
"....Please live well... Goo...d..."
Before he could finish, the light faded from his eyes. The gentle smile remained, now silent.
".....Ve... nice?"
"........."
Erielle called his name without thinking. But Venice gave no answer. With violently trembling hands, she shook his cooling body. It swayed limply in her grasp. Her mind was fogged; no thoughts formed. Her heart ached as though it had burst.
"Ah.... No..."
"..........."
"Ah... Aaaaaah...!"
Erielle's eyes became hollow, like those of the dead. A scream tore from her throat—one no human should ever make.
"Ugh.... Aaaah... Aaaaaah...!!"
No. Don't joke around, Venice. This isn't funny... Please. She shook his body desperately. Through her warm hands, she felt only bone-chilling cold. No matter how much mana she poured in, the cold corpse never responded.
"Aaaaaaaaah-!"
Clutching the cold body of her butler, Erielle could only wail. She tasted blood in her throat, her heart felt torn open, and tears flowed endlessly, yet she registered none of it.
Thud-thud-thud—!
"What in the world is this memory...!"
"Venice, where is Venice...!"
"Where are you, Venice!!"
The Frost family members entered the cave with grim expressions, teeth clenched. Kayle and Fria followed, faces filled with guilt and tears. What they saw upon entering was only the already-dead Venice and Erielle, cradling his corpse while screaming in anguish.