TFPOTRN | CHAPTER 49

~CHAPTER 49~

After leaving Leaf’s kitchen, I ran nonstop until I reached the estate.

I considered taking a carriage, but in a town with so few people, it seemed faster to use what little magic I had to strengthen my legs and run instead of waiting around to hire one.

I kept thinking as I ran toward the mansion.

They said the person was from the temple. If that’s the case, Sian likely knows them.

I didn’t think Sian would ever let someone dangerous into the house. The only issue was…

He doesn’t think many people are dangerous.

Sian trusted people by default. There weren’t many he’d deem bad enough to keep out.

But what bothered me the most was…

Noah said he couldn’t dare interfere.

That wasn’t normal. And for a Spirit King to say he “couldn’t dare”?

Who in the world could it be?

Thanks to running without stopping, I arrived at the mansion twenty minutes after leaving Leaf’s kitchen.

“Haah… haa…”

By the time I reached the door, I was completely out of breath and exhausted.

I couldn’t remember the last time I ran like this.

If there had been even a hint of a smile on Noah’s face when he warned me the visitor wasn’t ordinary, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.

Maybe I should have just let Noah carry me.

No, he’s not a wind spirit. How fast could an earth spirit even move?

The lobby was empty.

It had been about twenty minutes since Noah told me about the visitor.

They would’ve been escorted to the reception room by now.

I took a deep breath and walked.

The reception room wasn’t far, so I arrived quickly. I paused in front of the door to catch my breath.

My harsh breathing had calmed down a great deal.

While I waited, I heard voices chatting comfortably inside.

What are they talking about? The mood doesn’t seem bad…

The door was thick, so I couldn’t make out the words clearly, but I could tell the conversation was amicable.

Judging by the voices, it sounded like… Sian, Zahar, and the guest.

A woman’s voice…

I narrowed my eyes slightly and stepped away from the door.

I thought it would be a holy knight, but apparently a priest was sent instead.

If Noah said it’s unusual, does that mean there’s something off about them?

Considering what happened with Theo, it wasn’t strange for me to distrust priests now.

I relaxed my expression and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

The soft sound echoed. Inside, the conversation immediately quieted.

A moment later, the door opened.

“Ah, Jerena.”

The one who opened the door was Sian.

“…I heard we had a guest.”

“Yes. They arrived earlier than expected.”

The bright reception room was visible behind him.

Two people sat across from each other with a small table between them.

One was, as expected, Zahar. The other was…

“Ah.”

I couldn’t help being shocked.

A woman sat there calmly in priest robes, looking straight at me.

That “guest” was someone I knew.

This is impossible.

Why is she here…?

She didn’t seem fazed by my reaction and met my eyes directly.

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you for the first time.”

“……”

“My name is Seria. I’ve been dispatched from the temple. I’ll be in your care for a while.”

Even though she greeted me naturally, I couldn’t speak.

You… why are you here?

I was so shocked I felt like I’d blurt out something I couldn’t take back if I opened my mouth now.

“Jerena?”

Since I stood there silently instead of replying, Sian called my name with concern.

“…N-Nice to meet you.”

I finally managed to force out a response.

“So you are Jerena. I look forward to your care.”

Seria smiled and sipped her tea, finally looking away from me.

Zahar?

Anyone here could tell. Seria was very interested in Zahar.

Seeing it again made my fingertips go cold.

“…Sian.”

I barely managed to take my eyes off Zahar and Seria and looked at Sian.

“Yes?”

“I need… to talk to you. Outside.”

“Ah… yes.”

Thankfully, he didn’t argue and followed me out.

Even after we stepped away from the room, the uneasiness wouldn’t go away, so I put some distance between us and the door.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Sian seemed to sense something was off, and asked with concern.

“Sian, that woman—”

“You mean Lady Seria?”

Hearing him say her name made my head hurt.

I pressed my hand against my forehead and nodded.

“The temple sent her? To investigate this town’s temple?”

“Yes. She’s a candidate for Saintess. Is there a problem—”

“A candidate for Saintess? Seriously…?”

I let out a deep sigh. I didn’t even know where to begin explaining what was wrong.

There were too many problems. Too many to even list.

But the biggest problem was that I couldn’t tell Sian, or anyone, the real reason.

Why is Seria in the temple? And how can she be a Saintess candidate…?

I had lived, died, and repeated countless times, meeting countless people and saying countless goodbyes.

It was impossible to remember every connection. I forgot far more than I remembered, and some memories mixed with each cycle.

But there were always a few people I remembered clearly. Those who started as good connections but ended in tragedy stood out the most.

Seria was one of those tragic ones.

After all… she was the one who killed me in the second cycle.

“Jerena.”

Sian gently held my shoulder, worried by how many times I had been rubbing my face in frustration.

“Are you hurt? If so, I’ll bring Ratia—”

“No. I’m fine. Just tired, I guess.”

I shook my head at his worried tone.

But his eyebrows remained furrowed. He still wasn’t convinced.

“I’m fine. You should be with Zahar instead.”

“With Zahar?”

“Yes.”

I pressed my fingers against my temple. My head was pounding.

“And… no, never mind. Where’s Illay?”

A sudden thought interrupted my frustration.

Had Illay seen Seria?

Someone who was a candidate for Saintess wouldn’t fail to notice a demon. And a demon like Illay wouldn’t fail to notice a Saintess candidate.

If the two recognized each other, there was no way they’d be sitting quietly like this.

Sian’s expression stiffened. It had been that way ever since I mentioned Illay’s name.

He clearly didn’t like the subject, but still answered properly.

“He’s locked himself in his room. He said not to bother him.”

“I understand. Thank you. I’ll be going now.”

I turned to go find Illay. Then Sian called out to me again from behind.

“Jerena.”

“…Yes?”

I assumed he wanted to lecture me about seeing a doctor or something.

Instead, he said something completely unexpected.

“If you have worries… tell me.”

“……”

Tell him my worries? How meaningless.

Even if Seria killed me, that was something that technically never happened now.

Anything from a previous cycle vanished the moment I returned.

Those memories existed only inside me. I couldn’t explain such things to anyone.

I rubbed my cold fingertips together. My skin made a dry sound.

What could I possibly say in a moment like this?

There was only one answer I could give.

“…Alright.”

I nodded and turned again. I needed to find Illay.