TFPOTRN | CHAPTER 66

[CHAPTER 66]

After hearing my words, Noah was silent for a moment.

He looked as though he were thinking deeply about something.

“Is that… possible?”

“Yes.”

I gave a small nod toward his doubtful expression.

“Then why didn’t you do it sooner? Wouldn’t it have been better to heal Sian with that and let him fight instead of you wielding the holy sword yourself?”

“It’s not something I can do carelessly. Especially not in an emergency like that. What if it failed and caused even worse side effects? And this is…”

I stopped myself and swallowed the words that were about to spill out.

“Anyway, this is the best option right now. And back then, I made the best choice I could.”

Even as I spoke calmly, a question lifted its head.

Was that really the best choice?

Taking Sian’s sword and fighting in his place.

I don’t know.

I don’t know.

Looking back, there was never much I truly knew.

I didn’t know what sin I had committed to be trapped in this cycle of regression.

I didn’t know whom to trust.

I didn’t even know how to treat the person I held in my heart.

I simply survived each day by dealing with whatever was right in front of me.

It was the same now.

Rather than dwell on past events that could have gone differently or futures filled with possibilities, the most urgent thing was to deal with what lay before me.

I never had the luxury to indulge in sentimentality.

Whenever I fell into self-pity, life always dragged me into another incident.

“This must be one of those incidents too.”

Looking down at Sian’s pale face, I gently brushed my fingertips over his features.

From his brows, to the corners of his eyes, down the bridge of his nose, and finally to his lips.

I traced each feature as though drawing him with my fingertips.

His sweat-damp face kept knitting its brows tightly, as if he were in considerable pain.

“Close the door and leave.”

I spoke to those outside without taking my eyes off Sian’s face.

“…Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Before obediently closing the door and leaving, Jahar asked me with lingering concern.

I slowly nodded without turning around.

But I probably would not be okay.

Absorbing demonic poison that had spread through another person’s body was not, in itself, a major problem.

I was the Demon King, and I had a fair degree of resistance to poison, especially demonic poison.

The problem was Sian.

More specifically, the divine power filling his body, which was playing a crucial role in keeping him alive.

Just thinking about how I had once fainted from receiving his divine power made me uneasy.

And now I was far weaker than I had been then.

Would it really be all right?

How much they’ve mixed is the key.

There was no way to know that right now.

I quietly sat on the edge of the bed where Sian lay and removed the bracelet.

It was the bracelet Noah had given me.

The one he said I would need to meet the World Tree, doubling as a protective charm.

It should protect me from most threats, especially anything related to divine power.

Right now, being protected from divine power would be a problem.

The same went for poison.

If my body judged it as a threat and rejected the poison coming from Sian’s body, it would cause serious trouble.

After removing the bracelet, I looked down at Sian’s face again.

From his brows, to his eyes, his nose, and his lips.

I traced each feature slowly with my fingertips once more.

His sweat-soaked face continued to crease in pain.

“Close the door and leave.”

I repeated, still not looking away from him.

“…Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Jahar asked again, worry heavy in his voice, before finally closing the door.

I nodded slowly without turning back.

But I probably would not be okay.

And yet, even so.

I hoped that someday, both Sian and I would be able to look at each other warmly again.

The poison spreading through Sian’s body began to flow rapidly into mine, as if returning to where it belonged.

I felt the shoulder I was holding twitch slightly.

As the poison was drawn out, his divine power was being pulled along with it, draining his strength.

I placed the bracelet I was holding onto Sian’s hand.

I didn’t know if it would restore his stamina, but it was better than nothing.

Ah, my body…

My vision wavered, and I closed my eyes.

Then my body began to tremble violently.

No matter how many times I received Sian’s divine power, I never seemed to get used to it.

Even so, I did not pull away.

I could not leave even a trace of poison behind in his body.

After going this far, it would be meaningless if any poison remained.

Clenching my teeth, I endured with that single thought in mind.

And finally, when I had absorbed every last trace of poison from Sian’s body.

I pulled away and forced myself upright, utterly exhausted.

“Hah… huff…”

I struggled to steady my ragged breathing.

It felt as though every ounce of strength in my body had been drained.

The one saving grace was that Sian’s complexion had visibly improved.

Unable to properly support myself, I staggered and collapsed to the floor beside the bed.

“Ugh…”

A nauseating sensation surged up from my stomach.

It was a side effect of absorbing too much divine power.

“Jere… me…?”

Just as I thought his breathing had stabilized, I heard Sian’s voice.

Sian opened his eyes slightly and, propping himself up with difficulty, looked down at me sitting beside the bed.

“Don’t get up yet. I just finished drawing out the poison…”

“Jerena, just now…”

His voice, as he tried to speak, broke mercilessly.

It was like someone who had just risen after a long illness.

Ah, but his face does look much better than before.

That was a relief.

At least I could see that face at the end.

If I lost consciousness now, would it be the next cycle, or not?

Honestly, I can’t be sure.

The demonic poison and divine power inside Sian’s body had mixed far more than I had expected.

It seemed the divine power had been suppressing the spread of the poison.

In truth, I had already reached my limit when I was only halfway through absorbing it.

I was severely weakened, and I had already scraped together every last bit of magic I had.

Ah, a nosebleed.

I had thought I smelled blood, and sure enough, it was running from my nose.

Damn it.

This cycle really was determined to make me bleed from every hole in my face.

“Jerena, you’re bleeding!”

“I know.”

My distorted vision only grew worse, whether from the blood loss or not.

I could barely make out Sian’s face even though it was right in front of me.

Covering my nose with my sleeve, I steadied my voice as calmly as I could and spoke.

“Sir Sian, please call Noah. Or Ifrit would be fine. Jahar too. Anyone who’s outside.”

“What?”

“I’m really sorry, especially since you just woke up, but I…”

I think I’m about to collapse again.

Before I could finish the sentence, my vision spun, and I lost consciousness