The black magic he cast on the rat that ran away after wandering around here for two years is as good as 'death'.
Since it is a 'poison' that imprints on the soul, it will inevitably cause death unless the person who cast the black magic releases it.
But what on earth happened?
Crossing that river of death and coming back alive?
She is a very talented person.
Moreover, she knows the warlock's plans, and seeing her approaching them secretly again, they are hostile to them.
She is a top threat who must be identified and killed quickly.
But, how on earth!
'This is a big deal. It has to be... Huh?!'
As Empress Giselle was pondering a solution, something flowed from the corner of her mouth, so she lifted her thumb and slowly wiped it away.
Empress Giselle's yellow eyes sparkled with madness as she saw what it was.
It was bright red blood.
'This.'
The snake familiar that died a little while ago was a powerful familiar among the familiars she had contracted with.
Empress Giselle's face grew even more disfigured as she realized that her lifespan had been noticeably diminished and that her dark magic had also taken a severe hit.
But then a thought occurred to her.
Wouldn't that 'powerful woman' have suffered no harm from such a high-ranking familiar?
Of course, she would have been hurt.
Empress Giselle, her burning anger slightly abated, snapped her fingers.
Then, five dark shadows suddenly rose from the ground.
“Track her, now.”
As soon as her command was given, a relentless and persistent game of tag began.
The year before last.
I, Yvonne Argenthoz, who had been afflicted by the black magic of Empress Giselle, barely returned home and was indeed very ill.
And as a result, I suffered from magical amnesia.
At first, I didn't think much of it, but as I became increasingly unable to use magic or even read magic books, I was shocked.
It wasn't something to be easily overlooked.
I had to make a decision before I reached the stage where I couldn't use magic, complete magical amnesia.
Moreover, the dark magic etched into my soul was terribly vicious. It only temporarily halted its progress, but I knew I would soon die if I didn't get rid of it quickly.
There is only one way.
I had to purify my soul and break the curse, which meant I had to go to the 'other world'.
It was a gamble with life on the line.
It's about stopping time for a moment, being born in another world, living one life, dying, and then coming back again...
There was a high possibility that I would never return.
And it was a situation where I couldn't predict what world I would be born into, what kind of life I would be born into, or what kind of hardships I would experience.
The cost of materials, including magic stones, for this research was so high that I had to sell off all my personal property.
But I didn't want to confide in my father and ask for help.
I didn't think he would trust me, and I didn't want to put him in unnecessary danger.
I don’t think I trusted Duke Argenthoz that much back then...
Anyway, since I was a genius, the experiment was a success.
I was reborn as an orphan and grew up in a relatively ordinary life, rather than the worst I had ever imagined.
A new life, with all memories lost.
I grew up as a South Korean woman with nothing, just as I once hoped.
As you know, the new life was very lonely and sad, and it ended very badly.
And the novel I happened to see in that life was the future that would have happened if I had not looked into the glass greenhouse of Empress Giselle.
It's creepy.
In the end, I fell for their tricks and almost destroyed myself by becoming a warlock.
Fortunately... I returned safely to the body of Yvonne Argenthoz.
I thought I had been possessed by the role of a villainess in a novel, but that wasn't the case.
It was confusing, but there was only one answer.
There's the old Yvonne who was just leaving, there's the Korean readers who thought Yvonne was a villain, and there's also me who's now living Yvonne's life anew.
It's been a long and winding road, but this life is definitely mine.
I am Yvonne Argenthoz.
Even the memories of that time, which had been erased due to the impact of Empress Giselle's black magic, returned cleanly.
And now I know.
The family, money, status, and abilities that Yvonne Argenthoz had when I was born were things that most people don't have, and I realized how precious they were...
It's different now.
I want to live my life cherishing this rich and wonderful life I have been given.
Will that be okay?
Can I ever be forgiven for all the times I was so mean in the past, for acting all alone and proud, just because I was so good?
From now on, I want to live reflecting and accepting the karma of my past actions...
It's so sad, unfair, and painful to think that I'll die as soon as I realize it.
Father, brother.
Rudd...
Help me.
...I want to live. I don’t want to die.
.
.
Blink blink.
The spirit that was floating in the dream is trying to settle into reality.
It felt even more horrifying because I remembered the last moment when I collapsed in front of the Empress's glass greenhouse.
Not dead, but alive.
That means...
"The Empress hasn't killed me yet? Should I just come to my senses and get up?"
Damn it. Rather than being threatened and tortured to death by these crazy warlocks, shouldn't I just bite my tongue and die honorably?
Although I was caught up in a huge conflict, I slowly opened my eyes, deciding that I had to survive by negotiating something.
A faint crimson glow gently touched my retina.
"Ah..."
When I felt a familiar light, I let out a sound without realizing it.
"Are you awake?"
A small creature jumps in front of me and starts talking.
The first thing I saw was Pembe's dark, round eyes.
Why is Pembe here? Isn't this Empress Giselle's prison?
It was a completely unexpected turn of events, so I looked at Pembe in silence.
"Are you in a lot of pain? Why are you crying so much? Or maybe you had a nightmare?"
Pembe gently wipes my wet eyes with his small hands.
Are you really a familiar?
As my memories returned, a mixture of emotions arose, and I must have cried a lot. I smiled weakly and shook my head.
“No, Pembe. It’s okay.”
With Pembe by my side, at least it's not the Empress's palace.
Feeling relieved and my mind clearing, I quickly looked around while lying down with my eyes closed.
"Uh?"
Unbelievably, this was my lab in the Argenthoz Mansion, a place so safe.
Oh my God! What the hell is going on? Why am I here?
I collapsed and passed out in front of the glass greenhouse. Did I use some last-ditch magic to get here?
I frowned, wondering if I was really this much of a genius, but then I realized there was someone next to me and slowly turned my head.
Pale complexion.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a handsome man, as if he were sculpted by a god, lying there with his eyes closed. I couldn't even blink and just stared at him blankly for a long time.
Is this a fantasy?
Was this a hallucination, a desperate, desperate call to him one last time? A wish that he would save me, a wish to see him before I die?
Without realizing it, I reached out and touched the cheek of a man who looked like Rudnine.
A strong, handsome chin.
“Ru, Rudd?”
It's true. Rudnine Iels.
It's not a fantasy.
Startled, I jumped up and walked over to him to check on him. Then, grabbing his arm, I called his name.
“Rudd! What’s wrong?!”
He was breathing, but his complexion was pale. Why was this person always so relaxed and radiant, so...
I was so embarrassed that my hair turned white.
Pembe jumped up and climbed onto Rudnine's chest, stopping me.
"Yvonne! Calm down."
“Pembe! What the hell is this!”
"Really. There's no such thing as chaos. He's an incredible person. That day, he was right in realizing my true identity."
I had a hard time understanding Pembe's sudden explanation, so I looked at Rudnine's face again.
"Rudd. Come to your senses."
I stroked his cheek and called out repeatedly, but Rudnine didn't respond and couldn't open his eyes.
Pembe climbed onto my lap and grabbed my hand.
"Calm down, Yvonne! This guy's just asleep."
“He fell asleep?”
"Yeah. This guy was exhausted from having to remove the snake venom from your calf. It wasn't normal snake venom, it was the venom of a familiar... He didn't die because he's a Sword Master. A normal human would have."
Pembe sighed and shook his head, pointing alternately at Rudnine's mouth and my left calf.
I opened my eyes wide.
This guy found me and gave me first aid to remove the venom from the snake familiar. Something so dangerous?
I was so scared that my fingers were shaking when I thought about how he could have died.
"Anyway, he's a great person. Both you and this person are truly admirable people."
I thought as I listened to Pembe muttering to himself.
How on earth did he find me collapsed in front of the glass greenhouse? I thought he was in Prince Felix's palace.
Did my fervent prayers even work? How could it be so perfect?
Tears welled up in my eyes.
How did you carry me, so heavy, while I was unconscious, all the way to the Argenthoz mansion?
“Did Rudd come here after taking my poison?”
I asked Pembe, barely controlling my trembling voice.
"Yeah. He just gave him first aid and brought you straight to me."
"To you?"
"Yeah. He came looking for me."
According to Pembe's explanation, it was like this.
After I left for the Crown Prince's birthday banquet hall.
Pembe, who concluded after research that the explosion of my magic earring artifact was due to magical instability, was leisurely eating cookies in the lab when he suddenly woke up to a commotion outside.
Rudnine, who had come in through my window carrying me while I was unconscious, threatened Carol with a fierce look on his face and told her to bring Yvonne's pet back immediately.
Carol, who was shedding tears at the sight of my condition, led Rudnine and me, who had passed out, to the lab, and Rudnine immediately kicked Carol out.
And he brutally threatened Pembe, saying that he knew his identity and that he should bring me back to life immediately.
"He said it seemed like you were attacked by a familiar, and told me to do something quickly."
“Oh, I see.”
I glanced at Rudnine, who was now sleeping with a clean face, and imagined him with a fierce expression.
Hey. How could such a kind person have such a fierce expression? Pembe must be exaggerating.
Pembe continued speaking.
"This man and I couldn't communicate, but when I saw your condition, I immediately began treating you. It was a serious emergency."
"Yes?"
"Yeah. If this man hadn't immediately removed the poison and brought you to me, you would have died. Only a familiar can heal wounds inflicted by a familiar."
“Haha... I see...”
As I looked at the man who saved me, all the strength left my limbs.
And eventually tears welled up in my eyes.
I thought the odds of him coming to save me were close to zero.
I was so touched and grateful for his judgment and sacrifice that I didn't know how to repay him.
What, what should I do?
What can I do for you to repay this favor?
Since it is a 'poison' that imprints on the soul, it will inevitably cause death unless the person who cast the black magic releases it.
But what on earth happened?
Crossing that river of death and coming back alive?
She is a very talented person.
Moreover, she knows the warlock's plans, and seeing her approaching them secretly again, they are hostile to them.
She is a top threat who must be identified and killed quickly.
But, how on earth!
'This is a big deal. It has to be... Huh?!'
As Empress Giselle was pondering a solution, something flowed from the corner of her mouth, so she lifted her thumb and slowly wiped it away.
Empress Giselle's yellow eyes sparkled with madness as she saw what it was.
It was bright red blood.
'This.'
The snake familiar that died a little while ago was a powerful familiar among the familiars she had contracted with.
Empress Giselle's face grew even more disfigured as she realized that her lifespan had been noticeably diminished and that her dark magic had also taken a severe hit.
But then a thought occurred to her.
Wouldn't that 'powerful woman' have suffered no harm from such a high-ranking familiar?
Of course, she would have been hurt.
Empress Giselle, her burning anger slightly abated, snapped her fingers.
Then, five dark shadows suddenly rose from the ground.
“Track her, now.”
As soon as her command was given, a relentless and persistent game of tag began.
***
The year before last.
I, Yvonne Argenthoz, who had been afflicted by the black magic of Empress Giselle, barely returned home and was indeed very ill.
And as a result, I suffered from magical amnesia.
At first, I didn't think much of it, but as I became increasingly unable to use magic or even read magic books, I was shocked.
It wasn't something to be easily overlooked.
I had to make a decision before I reached the stage where I couldn't use magic, complete magical amnesia.
Moreover, the dark magic etched into my soul was terribly vicious. It only temporarily halted its progress, but I knew I would soon die if I didn't get rid of it quickly.
There is only one way.
I had to purify my soul and break the curse, which meant I had to go to the 'other world'.
It was a gamble with life on the line.
It's about stopping time for a moment, being born in another world, living one life, dying, and then coming back again...
There was a high possibility that I would never return.
And it was a situation where I couldn't predict what world I would be born into, what kind of life I would be born into, or what kind of hardships I would experience.
The cost of materials, including magic stones, for this research was so high that I had to sell off all my personal property.
But I didn't want to confide in my father and ask for help.
I didn't think he would trust me, and I didn't want to put him in unnecessary danger.
I don’t think I trusted Duke Argenthoz that much back then...
Anyway, since I was a genius, the experiment was a success.
I was reborn as an orphan and grew up in a relatively ordinary life, rather than the worst I had ever imagined.
A new life, with all memories lost.
I grew up as a South Korean woman with nothing, just as I once hoped.
As you know, the new life was very lonely and sad, and it ended very badly.
And the novel I happened to see in that life was the future that would have happened if I had not looked into the glass greenhouse of Empress Giselle.
It's creepy.
In the end, I fell for their tricks and almost destroyed myself by becoming a warlock.
Fortunately... I returned safely to the body of Yvonne Argenthoz.
I thought I had been possessed by the role of a villainess in a novel, but that wasn't the case.
It was confusing, but there was only one answer.
There's the old Yvonne who was just leaving, there's the Korean readers who thought Yvonne was a villain, and there's also me who's now living Yvonne's life anew.
It's been a long and winding road, but this life is definitely mine.
I am Yvonne Argenthoz.
Even the memories of that time, which had been erased due to the impact of Empress Giselle's black magic, returned cleanly.
And now I know.
The family, money, status, and abilities that Yvonne Argenthoz had when I was born were things that most people don't have, and I realized how precious they were...
It's different now.
I want to live my life cherishing this rich and wonderful life I have been given.
Will that be okay?
Can I ever be forgiven for all the times I was so mean in the past, for acting all alone and proud, just because I was so good?
From now on, I want to live reflecting and accepting the karma of my past actions...
It's so sad, unfair, and painful to think that I'll die as soon as I realize it.
Father, brother.
Rudd...
Help me.
...I want to live. I don’t want to die.
.
.
Blink blink.
The spirit that was floating in the dream is trying to settle into reality.
It felt even more horrifying because I remembered the last moment when I collapsed in front of the Empress's glass greenhouse.
Not dead, but alive.
That means...
"The Empress hasn't killed me yet? Should I just come to my senses and get up?"
Damn it. Rather than being threatened and tortured to death by these crazy warlocks, shouldn't I just bite my tongue and die honorably?
Although I was caught up in a huge conflict, I slowly opened my eyes, deciding that I had to survive by negotiating something.
A faint crimson glow gently touched my retina.
"Ah..."
When I felt a familiar light, I let out a sound without realizing it.
"Are you awake?"
A small creature jumps in front of me and starts talking.
The first thing I saw was Pembe's dark, round eyes.
Why is Pembe here? Isn't this Empress Giselle's prison?
It was a completely unexpected turn of events, so I looked at Pembe in silence.
"Are you in a lot of pain? Why are you crying so much? Or maybe you had a nightmare?"
Pembe gently wipes my wet eyes with his small hands.
Are you really a familiar?
As my memories returned, a mixture of emotions arose, and I must have cried a lot. I smiled weakly and shook my head.
“No, Pembe. It’s okay.”
With Pembe by my side, at least it's not the Empress's palace.
Feeling relieved and my mind clearing, I quickly looked around while lying down with my eyes closed.
"Uh?"
Unbelievably, this was my lab in the Argenthoz Mansion, a place so safe.
Oh my God! What the hell is going on? Why am I here?
I collapsed and passed out in front of the glass greenhouse. Did I use some last-ditch magic to get here?
I frowned, wondering if I was really this much of a genius, but then I realized there was someone next to me and slowly turned my head.
Pale complexion.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a handsome man, as if he were sculpted by a god, lying there with his eyes closed. I couldn't even blink and just stared at him blankly for a long time.
Is this a fantasy?
Was this a hallucination, a desperate, desperate call to him one last time? A wish that he would save me, a wish to see him before I die?
Without realizing it, I reached out and touched the cheek of a man who looked like Rudnine.
A strong, handsome chin.
“Ru, Rudd?”
It's true. Rudnine Iels.
It's not a fantasy.
Startled, I jumped up and walked over to him to check on him. Then, grabbing his arm, I called his name.
“Rudd! What’s wrong?!”
He was breathing, but his complexion was pale. Why was this person always so relaxed and radiant, so...
I was so embarrassed that my hair turned white.
Pembe jumped up and climbed onto Rudnine's chest, stopping me.
"Yvonne! Calm down."
“Pembe! What the hell is this!”
"Really. There's no such thing as chaos. He's an incredible person. That day, he was right in realizing my true identity."
I had a hard time understanding Pembe's sudden explanation, so I looked at Rudnine's face again.
"Rudd. Come to your senses."
I stroked his cheek and called out repeatedly, but Rudnine didn't respond and couldn't open his eyes.
Pembe climbed onto my lap and grabbed my hand.
"Calm down, Yvonne! This guy's just asleep."
“He fell asleep?”
"Yeah. This guy was exhausted from having to remove the snake venom from your calf. It wasn't normal snake venom, it was the venom of a familiar... He didn't die because he's a Sword Master. A normal human would have."
Pembe sighed and shook his head, pointing alternately at Rudnine's mouth and my left calf.
I opened my eyes wide.
This guy found me and gave me first aid to remove the venom from the snake familiar. Something so dangerous?
I was so scared that my fingers were shaking when I thought about how he could have died.
"Anyway, he's a great person. Both you and this person are truly admirable people."
I thought as I listened to Pembe muttering to himself.
How on earth did he find me collapsed in front of the glass greenhouse? I thought he was in Prince Felix's palace.
Did my fervent prayers even work? How could it be so perfect?
Tears welled up in my eyes.
How did you carry me, so heavy, while I was unconscious, all the way to the Argenthoz mansion?
“Did Rudd come here after taking my poison?”
I asked Pembe, barely controlling my trembling voice.
"Yeah. He just gave him first aid and brought you straight to me."
"To you?"
"Yeah. He came looking for me."
According to Pembe's explanation, it was like this.
After I left for the Crown Prince's birthday banquet hall.
Pembe, who concluded after research that the explosion of my magic earring artifact was due to magical instability, was leisurely eating cookies in the lab when he suddenly woke up to a commotion outside.
Rudnine, who had come in through my window carrying me while I was unconscious, threatened Carol with a fierce look on his face and told her to bring Yvonne's pet back immediately.
Carol, who was shedding tears at the sight of my condition, led Rudnine and me, who had passed out, to the lab, and Rudnine immediately kicked Carol out.
And he brutally threatened Pembe, saying that he knew his identity and that he should bring me back to life immediately.
"He said it seemed like you were attacked by a familiar, and told me to do something quickly."
“Oh, I see.”
I glanced at Rudnine, who was now sleeping with a clean face, and imagined him with a fierce expression.
Hey. How could such a kind person have such a fierce expression? Pembe must be exaggerating.
Pembe continued speaking.
"This man and I couldn't communicate, but when I saw your condition, I immediately began treating you. It was a serious emergency."
"Yes?"
"Yeah. If this man hadn't immediately removed the poison and brought you to me, you would have died. Only a familiar can heal wounds inflicted by a familiar."
“Haha... I see...”
As I looked at the man who saved me, all the strength left my limbs.
And eventually tears welled up in my eyes.
I thought the odds of him coming to save me were close to zero.
I was so touched and grateful for his judgment and sacrifice that I didn't know how to repay him.
What, what should I do?
What can I do for you to repay this favor?
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