Chapter 6-4:
My Final Wish
THERE WAS A LARGE SORCERY TRAINING ground in the basement of the duke’s manor. High-ranking nobles would never be called to fight directly in a war nowadays, but many of their ancestors had been excellent knights or fighters. House Rosenberg’s founder was a first-rate mage. This underground training space remained from the olden days, and while it was still used to practice spells, it had originally been built for magical rituals.
In this day and age, it wasn’t unusual for one to practice spells in the yard under broad daylight. However, magic was once considered a secret art. One wasn’t supposed to use magic for all to see, and so, long ago, many created training grounds in basements to practice covertly. This dimly lit training ground was surrounded by black stone walls and felt like the perfect place for ghosts to haunt.
It was midnight, and everyone in the manor was fast asleep. Alice drew a massive magic circle on the floor of the training ground and placed an altar in the middle. On the altar were the Record, which served as our catalyst, and several other cursed items which I assumed would be used somehow.
To provide enough mana for this ritual, my squires and I stood equidistant from each other, forming a ring around the magic circle. Everyone had some mana, and so even Richard, who wasn’t a mage, could offer his supply. This ritual, called Reset, was a powerful spell that could meddle with the fate of the world. Even this rite that offered a replacement sacrifice required an immense amount of mana.
Richard and Oscar, who often joked around, didn’t utter a word when they set foot on the training grounds. A tense air surrounded us, and I couldn’t blame them for keeping silent. They might happily offer their lives for my sake, but it was still scary to think that their very existence would disappear from the face of the world.
Alice stepped away from the center of the magic circle and headed for the edge. All seven of us, including me, now surrounded it.
She began to chant the spell. I felt the mana begin to drain from my body. The massive magic circle emitted a pale blue glow, and the floor within the glyphs began to distort. I assumed that the inside of the circle was trying to form a link with something. Alice’s chant continued, and I felt the area around the altar gather power. It wasn’t from mana—this force felt more primal and fundamental. It was impossible to describe; I was surprised that we were even able to form a link with this inexplicable something.
Alice and Marius must have been completely out of their minds. I would have been too scared to do it.
All the while, I heard Alice’s voice grow louder and stronger as she chanted. The ritual was almost complete. Finally, a white pillar erupted in the middle of the magic circle.
“Lady Serena, the one who steps into that light shall be the one to pay the price,” Alice explained. “Please select your person.”
She was gasping for air as she made her request. She had used up all her power for the ritual, and she looked like she might faint at any moment. Truth be told, I had already selected my sacrifice from the beginning—me. I had lived eighteen years in my previous life and eighteen more in this one. It was a bit short for a full lifespan, but I was supposed to have died when I was eighteen. I had lived twice as long, and that was more than enough.
I silently headed for the white pillar of light.
“Lady Serena!” my squires cried.
Richard instinctively tried to rush forward, but he tripped over his legs and fell.
“My legs?” Richard muttered. “No, my body’s gone numb…”
He had noticed that his body felt unusual. It wasn’t just Richard; none of my squires could remain on their feet. One by one, they slowly sank to the ground. Before we headed downstairs to the training grounds, I’d invited my squires to my room and personally treated them to a cup of tea. No matter who I chose as my sacrifice, it was a small token of my gratitude for their loyalty until now.
Every noblewoman was taught tea etiquette, but perhaps due to my high rank, it was extremely rare for me to pour tea for others. In fact, if I were to include my previous life, this was my second time. My first time had been in my prior timeline, when I’d served a cup to Eleanor. It felt like a strange twist of fate that I had mixed a drug in for both my first and second times serving tea. Admittedly, Eleanor had realized that I’d mixed something in her drink, and my plan ended in failure. However, this time around, I was successful because my squires placed complete faith in me. Even if they did notice something in my tea, I could have just threatened and accused them of rebelling if they refused my drink.
I suppose I’d earned my reputation as the wicked princess.
“Lady Serena!” my squires shouted. “Please don’t!”
Their voices were so loud that they reached the depths of my heart. And that was more than enough for me. I had many people now who worried about me—I couldn’t have imagined this scene in my past life.
I was probably lonely in my past life, I thought. I was lonely because I knew that I was truly alone. That no one was around me.
Yet, my one friend had given me a second chance at life. I was incredibly lucky I had him. As I stood in front of the white pillar of light, my body stiffened with apprehension. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t scared, but in this world, I had battled against countless monsters without hesitation. I had the courage to press on.
I likely hadn’t had this bravery in my past life; I probably would have used one of my squires instead without hesitation. The fact that I now chose to sacrifice myself made this second life all worthwhile. I glanced at my squires and did my best to muster a smile on my aloof face.
“You may forget me, but this is my final order,” I said. “I want you all to be happy.”
Tears streamed down my squires’ cheeks. No one had shed a tear for me in my past life. This is quite a nice ending, isn’t it? I worked hard, I think. And no longer do I have any regrets as I had in my prior life.
I took a deep breath and tried to step into the light, when the door of the training grounds creaked.
“Huh?” I gasped.
Everyone in the manor was asleep at this hour. I even had a barrier set up so no one would be able to approach this place. I turned around as the door opened, and six dogs rushed inside. They’d all aged quite a bit and now spent most of their days fast asleep. No longer could they run around as much. Yet they were now running toward me with haggard breaths, just as they had done when I first met them. I was so taken aback by their energy that my body instinctively recoiled at the sight of the beasts. Richard’s dog, the most powerful of the pack, used that opportunity to knock me away from the pillar of light.
“Why?” I asked.
I watched the six dogs run past me and into the light. I hastily tried to head to the pillar as well, but Alice’s dog growled and barked at me, its red hair standing on end.
I cried out as I fell.
I was still afraid of dogs, and this clear show of aggression terrified me. The six dogs remained in the pillar of light.
“Get out of there!” I shouted.
However, I was only met with the dogs’ calm and composed expressions. They wagged their tails as they stared at me. Those twelve eyes looked at me with undeniable kindness and affection. The time that I had spent with them flashed across my mind. I didn’t really enjoy being with them, but…