Chapter 55
That too—was only thanks to Grace making him practice writing tirelessly ever since he was young.
At first, his handwriting had been so terrible that no one could even read what he wrote.
“……”
The letter, composed of several pages, contained many things.
What had happened after her death.
And…
“…Was it you?”
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t curious.
How could she not want to know why she, who had once faced death, awakened again in this child’s body—and why she had crossed three hundred years to do so?
“Now I understand.”
Artia.
It was because of the spell he cast.
“I don’t know how long it’ll take, but she’ll show up again. I’m sure of it.”
Artia had used a forbidden ancient magic to bind Grace’s soul within her dead body.
And when a body appeared that perfectly matched her soul, the spell would guide that soul to seek out and inhabit it.
“Judging from how she hasn’t appeared even when my time’s come… looks like it’ll take a bit longer.
But that’s fine, right? Even if I’m gone, one of us will still be by your side.”
…He must have meant Kainel.
“I was so pissed off, I didn’t even tell that guy the truth. Watching him act all dramatic about your death was hilarious.
He’s the one keeping your body, by the way. Imagine his face when he sees it crumble to dust after your soul’s gone!”
…Artie, seriously.
“Haa.”
Guessing that Artia had been laughing as he wrote this, Ceres let out a short sigh.
How could they all still be the same, even after so many years?
“Still, I’m relieved.”
“……”
“Because that guy will be there by your side.”
…That hasn’t changed either.
The two of them had fought like maniacs nearly every day, yet when it truly mattered, no one trusted each other more than they did.
“Of course, you’d never reveal that you’re Grace.”
They knew her too well—that was the problem.
Just look at this. Even now, it’s like he can see right through her as if he’s standing next to her.
“But don’t worry. He’ll find you, I promise.”
“What?”
…Where did that confidence come from? What was he so sure of?
With a faintly trembling voice, Ceres muttered back,
“Sorry, Artie—but you’re wrong about that.”
Kainel didn’t recognize her.
Naturally—her appearance was completely different, and she’d crossed three hundred years, after all.
But apparently, Artia thought otherwise.
“He definitely will. So don’t feel too lonely without me.”
Reading those confident words, Ceres couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Sometimes, it felt like Artia believed in Kainel more than she ever did.
“Be well, Grace… no, my friend, who’s now living a new life.”
“……”
“Live this life too—true to yourself, just as you always have.”
And that was how the letter ended.
After finishing the long letter, Ceres let out a deep breath.
“I can’t even resent you anymore.”
When she had first awakened in this body, she’d hurled every curse she knew toward the gods.
Why bring her back?
She had worked so hard to let go peacefully—why revive her again?
‘But…’
To think it had all been Artia’s doing.
How could she resent someone who had even used forbidden magic, all for her sake?
Ceres carefully folded the letter and tucked it close to her heart.
Artia’s final message.
As the Lunaria flowers swayed in the wind, she stood there for a long while, silently watching them flutter.
‘How many hours has it been?’
The clock pointed to 3 a.m.
High up in a large tree overlooking a small white building, a figure concealed his presence completely beneath the deep shadow of the branches.
Dressed in all black from head to toe, the man had been waiting endlessly for Ceres—who had entered the building two hours ago—to come back out.
“What could she possibly be doing in there? She’s not even a mage. Why go inside a place like that?”
He clicked his tongue softly, suppressing even the faintest sound, and focused his gaze more sharply on the building.
‘Ah.’
About twenty minutes later, she finally emerged.
‘What’s that?’
A flower?
Watching Ceres closely, the man tilted his head when he saw the single white flower in her hand.
She hadn’t been carrying anything like that before. Did she bring it out from inside?
Rustle.
“……!”
The moment she stopped walking and turned her gaze directly toward where he was hiding, the man flinched and quickly erased his presence even more.
‘Damn…’
He’d lost count of how many times this had happened already.
It had been over two weeks since he’d started tailing her under his superior’s orders.
And every so often, she would glance exactly toward his direction—almost as if she’d sensed him.
Whenever that happened, his heart would clench so tightly he could barely breathe.
Could she really be detecting his presence?
‘No way…’
She was supposed to be a normal person. There was no way she could notice him—someone skilled enough to slip through even the Tower’s barrier undetected.
‘And there she goes again.’
Every time he thought she might have sensed something, she would always turn away like nothing had happened.
Because of that, Ben—the man watching her—was going insane.
He just couldn’t figure her out.
“What kind of woman is she?”
According to all reports, she was merely a young lady from a nearly ruined noble family.
‘So where the hell did that come from?’
The intelligence organization Sky.
Its name came from the phrase “knowing everything under the sky.”
Personally, he thought it was a corny name—but what mattered was that Sky was the most powerful information network in the Empire… no, on the entire continent.
Not anyone with money could hire them, and even the most powerful nobles didn’t automatically get their requests accepted.
And yet, the whole organization had been thrown into chaos not long ago—because of her.
Or, more accurately, because of the black key she brought with her.
‘Any request made by the one holding that key must be fulfilled. No exceptions.’
‘Why though?’
‘That’s our first rule.’
‘But we didn’t even charge her a fee. Is that really okay?’
‘That’s our first rule.’
…He still remembered how maddeningly repetitive that answer had been.
Anyway, her request had been surprisingly simple.
“Spread one rumor.”
Just one rumor—about the head of the Ellusia family—and spread it as fast as possible.
‘And soon after, the Ellusia family head did change.’
Not long after that, an order came down from the organization:
Investigate the woman holding the black key—Ceres Drow.
‘We must not get caught.’
‘If she realizes you’re watching her…’
‘Come on, do you not know my skills? I’m the best in the organization!’
‘Still, you could get caught…’
‘I won’t get caught.’
‘Hey, I’m warning you—’
‘Heh, relax.’
‘…Whatever. If you do get caught, obey whatever she tells you. Don’t resist her. Understood?’
‘Relax, I won’t get caught.’
‘…You didn’t get caught, right?’
He had said that so confidently back then…
And yet, here he was—still tailing her to this day.
When was this job ever going to end?
“Ugh.”
Watching Ceres disappear into the distance, Ben let out a quiet sigh—and once again, silently followed after her.
