“Truly befitting a king. To think he could interfere with the power bound to his soul by his blessing-name and the royal family’s flower, suppressing the sacred seal...” Left alone in this place, I let the words slip out as I sat down again.
From the perspective of my life before last, the king was my nephew by blood. Perhaps because of that, he was able to wield considerable magic.
Suddenly, I found myself recalling the moment after my body turned to ash, when I entered the wheel of reincarnation—or rather, just before being thrown into it.
“Beljeanne. By the method established in ancient times, you became ruler of the Kingdom of Rovenia, the land promised between the first king and I. But I do not recognize you as ruler. I sympathize with your birth, but forcibly erasing the name I bestowed upon the person who bore it is a sin. The first king was the very spark of conflict my pact-bearer did not desire. Furthermore, you are far too lacking as a human.”
In my previous life, I’d used the power of the sacred beast that dwelled within my blessing-name to reduce myself and the demon I had absorbed into my body to ashes. I had burned away the curse mark the demon had seared into me to claim my body, using the sacred seal.
The name of that sacred beast had been Ahvoyd. It seemed the name had been erased from history; it was only by chance that I’d learned it. But it was because I knew the name that I could wield the power of Ahvoyd, forcing my father to admit defeat and erase my blessing-name.
Back then, the sacred beasts had been bound by contract to future kings and the heads of the Four Great Ducal Houses as a matter of course, due to a promise made to the first king who’d established the nation. The sacred beasts weren’t permitted to break pacts; they were forced to bear that burden. So I’d forcibly dissolved all the sacred beasts’ contracts too. As the ruler of this country, I’d used my own blessing-name as a medium to directly draw power from Ahvoyd and terminate the pacts.
Of course, I’d done this without getting permission from the arrogant pact-bearers—or even the sacred beasts themselves. However, if any sacred beast, like Cas or Lag, had refused the release, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. The other sacred beasts must have desired the release as well.
The demon inhabiting my half brother’s body had become a magical curse within him. So, under the pretense of expelling it from his body, I’d executed the beat-the-hell-out-of-him strategy. Timing it perfectly, I’d shown an opening to the weakened demon and successfully lured it into my body, allowing me to erase it along with myself.
But even that, along with everything else, had been perceived as a sin by Ahvoyd, who had been waiting at the edge of the wheel of reincarnation and had maintained a pact with the first king of Rovenia. The only thing I’d been able to perceive of Ahvoyd was the voice—it was a neutral voice, but it held a stern resonance.
“This is mercy, and preparation for the punishment to befall you. Learn and know humanity in a new land. Pitiful child. Should one appear who fills your broken heart throughout your lifetime, you shall return to this world once more, and the punishment shall be executed alongside the oath.”
There was a long silence, and then Ahvoyd continued with profound sadness. “Ah, but I’m sorry. You poor child, burdened with everything. Perhaps it would be happier for you if no such person ever appeared.”
“I made a promise to Casquette and Laguondol, so that won’t do,” I’d replied. “Besides, I still haven’t given you the choice to be free yourself.”
“What?”
“Surprised? Even the first king of Rovenia probably wouldn’t want you in your current situation. I’ll return someday.” Exhaustion had suddenly overtaken me. Strange, considering I’d had no body. “I’ll return. When I do, you’ll choose again. For now, I’m sorry, I’m sleepy...”
“...Pass away before the one who fulfills you... Or...refuse...”
The warm, soft light that showered down and enveloped me had felt so comforting that I’d been unable to catch every word of Ahvoyd’s farewell. It wasn’t until I’d returned to this world as Laviange that I’d learned I’d entered the wheel of reincarnation right before Cas’s eyes, as he’d chased after me.
“I’d had so many feelings I couldn’t put into words, feelings I wasn’t even aware of myself as Beljeanne.”
The pale blue of a full moon shone down from the sky above and I remembered the face of my husband from our younger years, smiling brightly as always. He’d always been so cute.
“You make such delicious dango, Tsukina! Nothing makes me happier than looking at the moon together while we eat it!”
“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it, darling?”
Beljeanne had been saved by him and our family in that life. But in this life, I’d come to know the loneliness of being without him, and the longing I felt for him.
I wondered what kind of face I was making right now.