Chapter 03

I died.

Of course I died. A Gate had exploded right beside me. There was no way I could have survived.

Besides, the Gate that exploded before my eyes had been on a scale so enormous that there wasn’t even anywhere for me to run.

And yet, I sniffed the air like a madwoman.

It was because of the fragrant scent that had been lingering around me and the strange sensation of something soft and fluffy, almost like a cloud, gently enveloping my body.

‘Could it be… I’m not dead yet?’

With a faint glimmer of hope, I cautiously opened my eyes.

And what filled my vision was a scene that looked like it had been taken straight out of a painting from a history book.

I slowly raised my upper body and blinked blankly.

A crystal-clear, brilliantly blue sky and lush greenery as far as the eye could see.

A refreshing breeze brushed against the tip of my nose, carrying the scent of nature, while the air was so clean that there wasn’t even a speck of dust in it.

For someone like me, who had known nothing but a world covered in ruins and dust, this scenery was utterly unfamiliar and strange.

It was so beautiful that it felt like a paradise on earth, and I thought I might simply lose myself in it.

Unable to tell whether this was reality or a dream, I pinched my cheek as hard as I could.

It hurt.

It felt exactly like reality.

“If this isn’t a dream and I’m not dead, then… where on earth am I?”

I looked around, searching for someone I could ask for directions or at least an explanation.

That was when—

“S-Somebody, please save meee!”

A child’s desperate voice rang out from deep within the dense forest.

“Somebody help!”

As if to make sure I had heard correctly, the voice echoed once more from somewhere near the boundary between the forest and the grassland.

The moment I heard it, I instinctively sprang to my feet.

“Ah!”

My foot caught on the hem of some ridiculously frilly lace, and I fell forward.

To be more precise, it was the dress I was wearing.

I stared down at it with an incredulous expression and muttered,

“Why on earth am I wearing something like this?”

I’d never worn such a fancy dress in my entire life.

And just moments ago, I had been wearing brown leather pants.

I was so dumbfounded that I hesitated for a moment.

Then—

“GRAAAWR!”

This time, I heard the roar of some unknown creature.

There was definitely a person and some kind of beast nearby.

Although the sound was weaker than a monster’s roar, there was no doubt that whatever it was, it posed a threat.

As if to confirm that fact, the child’s voice rang out again, much closer this time.

“Aaah! G-Go away! I don’t taste good!”

Whatever that creature was, it was threatening a child.

I’d never fought anything on my own before, so fear suddenly washed over me.

But after hearing the child’s screams, there was no way I could simply ignore what was happening.

Why?

Because I was a healer.

A healer whose very destiny was to save people!

Whatever was going on, I needed to assess the situation first.

I jumped to my feet, grabbed the skirt of my dress tightly with both hands, and hurried toward the sound.

The faster I ran, the more the grass and flowers brushing against my legs tickled my skin.

The refreshing breeze, carrying the scent of the forest, made me feel more alive with every breath.

Even though the situation was urgent, I couldn’t suppress the happiness that surged through me as my newly sensitive senses took in everything around me.

Before I knew it, a huge smile had spread across my face.

‘Oh my goodness, this feels amazing!’

Anyone watching me might have thought I’d lost a screw somewhere.

But who cared?

If being happy meant I could run even a little faster, then that was a good thing.

Not long after, I reached the middle of the forest.

And the moment my eyes met those of the terrified child—

WHOOSH—

As though it had been waiting for the perfect moment, the black body of a beast lunged toward the child.

The child, apparently sensing his impending death, murmured with clouded eyes,

“Maybe the angel has come to take me…”

For a moment, I thought, Huh?

But I didn’t have time to worry about that.

The little kid genuinely thought he was about to die!

“No! Don’t!”

A life was precious!

I immediately threw myself forward and wrapped the child in my arms.

At the same time, I shouted the name of my skill in my mind.

‘Shield!’

A blue barrier shaped like a shield appeared instantly.

The charging beast slammed into it, was sent flying backward, flipped once through the air, and crashed onto the ground.

“Hey, little one, are you okay?”

I quickly checked the child’s condition.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he simply nodded with a dazed expression.

He clearly hadn’t even processed what had just happened.

“Grrrr…”

The beast suddenly sprang back to its feet.

It arched its back, wrinkled its nose, and glared at us.

I was relieved that it wasn’t a monster.

But that didn’t mean the beast itself was harmless.

I was just trying to decide whether I should run away while carrying the child or attack first when—

Pwooooo!

A loud horn suddenly sounded from somewhere in the forest.

At the sound, the beast turned around and immediately bolted deeper into the woods.

I had no idea where the sudden horn had come from, but at least the beast had run away.

That was what mattered.

“Ugh… that hurts.”

Only then did I look down at my hands, which were tingling painfully from the recoil damage caused by my Shield.

Then I noticed something strange.

“Huh? Are my hands always this small and pale?”

I stared at them.

“They’re so soft, too…”

Wait.

Now that I thought about it—

I grabbed the pink hair that had been bothering me ever since I woke up.

The fluffy, cotton-candy-like strands even carried a pleasant fragrance.

I gave them a firm tug.

“Ouch!”

A scream escaped me.

‘No way…’

This time, I brought both hands to my face and squeezed my cheeks.

“This can’t be.”

I had no idea what I actually looked like, but the strange sensation beneath my fingers made one thing certain.

This wasn’t my face.

‘Is this… what people call transmigration?’

Just as I stood there with my mouth hanging open in disbelief—

Flash—!

[System: Congratulations! F-rank Healer Iverta Enrick has successfully made first contact with the future Emperor, Leo Astra.]

For a moment, I was delighted to see the system window again.

Then I was horrified.

‘Contact? What? What did I do with Leo Astra?!’

No, wait!

If that was the case…

The only person I’d come into contact with since arriving here was the child I’d just rescued.

‘Then this kid is the villainous Emperor…’

‘No, wait.’

‘This is the child version of the villainous Emperor?!’

“This can’t be.”

I swallowed nervously and carefully examined the child’s appearance.

…Those bright-red eyes, exactly like the ones in the portrait.

That honey-colored hair, identical to the portrait.

And those sharp, cat-like eyes, just like the ones in the painting.

The only difference was that he seemed slightly younger than the age depicted in the portrait, with rounder cheeks that still retained a considerable amount of baby fat.

Aside from that—

He looked exactly like the villainous Emperor.

…No.

He looked perfectly identical.

For some reason, I felt like crying.

I’d just saved the very Emperor I had hated so terribly with my own hands.

I couldn’t exactly call it a good thing.

But I couldn’t call it a mistake, either.

My face naturally crumpled into a miserable expression.

“Um, Angel…? Are you okay? Your eyes are red…”

Apparently worried about me, Leo carefully reached a hand toward my face.

And then—

Pop—!

[System: Stopwatch loading… …20%… 100%. Stopwatch is now functioning normally.]

The stopwatch activated.

Time stopped for everyone except me.

Leo froze in place, becoming as still as a wax figure.

The system continued rapidly displaying messages in the system window.

[System: Your world has just been destroyed.]

[In order to turn back time and rebuild the world, the assistance of a Hunter is absolutely necessary.]

[A quest has been issued to Hunter Iverta, who was the first person to come into contact with the Emperor.]

Another system window appeared.

[(Quest) Save this world from Leo Astra, who will become the First Emperor and open the First Monster Gate.]

Then came a warning.

[※ Warnings]

1. If Leo Astra, a major historical figure, dies, the mission will immediately fail.

2. During the quest, access to information may be granted depending on the system recovery status.

*Recovery status: …21%

3. If you reject this quest, all worlds will immediately be destroyed.

At the bottom of the window were two options.

[(Accept) / (Reject)]

I stared at the system window and swallowed a curse.

‘If I reject it, the world will be destroyed?’

‘So basically, you’re telling me I have no choice but to accept!’

And as if suddenly receiving a quest wasn’t enough, they were asking an F-rank healer—not even an offensive-type Hunter—to save the world.

It was basically the equivalent of trying to smash a boulder with an egg.

But apparently, there was no other Hunter who had fallen into this world besides me.

Which meant I was well and truly trapped.

‘I thought I’d finally managed to survive, and now I’m being thrown into another trial immediately?’

I wanted to complain a little longer.

But there was no time to waste.

I took a deep breath and calmly organized my thoughts.

1. I had time-slipped several hundred years into the past, to the era of the Pandenion Empire.

2. I was possessing the body of an unfamiliar woman.

3. The child I had accidentally rescued was Leo Astra, the future villainous Emperor who would open the First Gate.

4. I had to succeed in stopping Leo Astra in order to rebuild the world that had been destroyed.

I couldn’t simply dismiss the system’s warning that the world would be destroyed if I failed to stop Leo Astra.

After all, I’d personally witnessed the destruction of the world right before coming here.

After thinking it over, I bit my lower lip.

‘All right. Let’s think positively.’

‘This isn’t a losing deal for me, either.’

I could survive, stop Leo from opening the Gate, and afterward live out the rest of my life peacefully in this safe and beautiful world.

As freely as I wanted!

Perhaps my long-held dream could finally come true.

And if I could even keep the promise I’d made to my younger brother—to survive no matter what—

I drew a faint smile and clenched my fist.

“Well, then. It’s worth a try.”

But before I blindly accepted the quest, I needed to think carefully about Leo Astra as a person.

I had to understand him first.

Only then could I figure out how I was supposed to navigate the situation ahead.

‘Hmm… So, in the end, what was the reason Leo opened the Gate in the first place…?’