CH 97

“It’s not regression.”

The words came out of nowhere, but Richard was accustomed to it.

“Yes.”

“Will it rain fire again?”

“It was when it rained that we tried to regress.”

“Come to think of it… that’s right. It wasn’t that we didn’t regress, it was because it rained and the assassins came out.”

Ophelia’s face darkened at once.

That would be too.

Until now, she thought that because they had regressed, the signs of destruction appeared as the world collapsed and shattered.

However, it was not like that. Now, even if they tried to not regress, destruction like a sign began.

“Richard.”

To organize her thoughts, Ophelia brought up a story.

There were times when getting the thoughts that were just swirling in her head out through her mouth actually helped her organize them.

“We can regress arbitrarily, but can we really call it arbitrary?”

Tilting her head, Ophelia continued talking.

“Richard wanted to regress. But the assassins who appeared the moment you wanted to eventually come at someone’s request, in other words, Raisa Neir’s order, right?”

“That’s right. In the end, it means that the regression period I wanted overlapped with the regression period Neir, who sent the assassins, wanted.”

The two of them, who had exchanged conversations like flowing water all the way to this point, became silent at the same time.

It wasn’t long before Ophelia, deep in her thoughts, started speaking again.

“Looking at this, it seems that Lady Neir is leading the regressions, but there’s virtually no way to be sure unless she confesses with her own mouth.”

“Kidnap and…”

Physically covering Richard’s mouth, the corners of Ophelia’s mouth twitched and she burst into laughter.

It was a sudden laugh, but a smile that resembled hers also surfaced on Richard’s face.

In time, as her laughter subsided, Ophelia rubbed her sore sides and shook her head.

“I had the same thoughts, but I quit. I want to leave that as the very last resort. I don’t want to be on the same level.”

“I heard that lovers become more alike.”

“I don’t think it’s something to be proud of.”

Ophelia hugged him and whispered.

“It’s true that I love you. So…”

Ophelia paused for a moment, then closed her eyes.

“I hope this world with you will not perish.”

“I’ll protect you if you wish.”

It was like a sweet whisper that he would pick the moon, the stars, or whatever she wished for.

However, the person who spoke those words was none other than Richard.

If he really put his mind to it, wouldn’t he be able to save or destroy the world?

“This was the fourth sign.”

“Earthquakes, floods, locusts. And fire rain.”

“If what I think is correct… Again, there is no evidence.”

“What if?”

“The real destruction will come at the sixth or seventh sign.”

It was a memory from that world that had now become a distant past.

It was not accurate because the memories were already worn out and faded, but the number of signs of destruction must be similar.

“Then, do we have two or three chances left?”

“The glass is half empty… it’s not… there’s still half the chances left!”

“Ah, when there’s half the water left, it will be divided into another half, and half of that will be left.”

“…Let’s just say we have half the time until destruction.”

On the face of Ophelia, who spoke of the destruction of the world, there was no despair, astonishment, sadness, or confusion like before.

In her blue eyes, blue flames that were hotter than the rain of fire from the sky rose.

“I will not let this world fall apart. Never.”

Neither before nor at this time did Ophelia and Richard know.

In order to restore a painting that had been torn to pieces and overlaid with different colors, there was no choice but to go back to the beginning before the painting was torn.

That’s why they didn’t know that the moment of choice would come when they had to weigh the painting, that was, the world and Ophelia.

.

Right when Ophelia was about to leave for Richard’s office for the interim report.

Raisa was heading to her mother’s room.

It had been days since her regression, but Raisa hasn’t touched anything but that.

No, she couldn’t touch it.

A realization that came along with wrath caught Raisa’s feet.

The day when fire rained down from the sky.

A regression was done.

Except for the locust swarm, all three disasters had gone unnoticed.

However, could it be said that it really disappeared?

Raisa chewed the inside of her mouth.

It was to the point where she couldn’t register that she was alive unless she tasted blood.

Her head was in a mess and she couldn’t think properly.

At that time, while watching the red burning sky, what Raisa felt was fear and helplessness.

Like the first death. She had to wait for the coming death without being able to do anything.

As Raisa’s eyes turned red, she sat down on the spot, clutching her neck frantically without realizing it.

“Ugh, euk, heuk, hah!”

Raisa, who vomited blood-mixed saliva along with choking breath, crawled on all fours for a few steps before finally stopping.

How long had it been since she did nothing to the point where she should be fortunate enough that things were running successfully?

However, Raisa could not bring herself back up after she had collapsed.

She was alone. As she used the people around her as tools and killed them mercilessly. And she didn’t even know that she had collapsed herself.

In the midst of that, there was one thing Raisa did not let go of.

Poisoning the Marchioness of Neir.

Even though she was overwhelmed by the absurd regression and destruction that it was hard to breathe.

The corners of Raisa’s mouth twisted grotesquely.

“Mother…”

‘Only you can’t be forgiven.’

‘The world will not perish if my mother’s head falls.’

‘No, should I just say that I want to see my mother die and fall apart, even if the world perishes?’

‘Even if I fall into the abyss, I will not fall alone.’

Eventually Raisa reached her mother’s room’s door, which used to seem very big, but now looked like an ordinary door.

—Tachak.

Raisa, who opened the door without knocking, frowned.

The sweet smell of medicine wafting from the room stung her nose.

Despite knowing that the smell had no effect, Raisa unconsciously covered her nose with her sleeve.

Raisa fully entered the room and took her sleeve off her face, finally uttering,

“Mother.”

The voice was so loud that the quiet room resounded like a tomb, but no answer came back.

The corners of Raisa’s mouth twisted.

‘Are her ears gone now?’

As she went a little further inside, she saw the figure of Marchioness Neir.

Raisa’s gray eyes swelled with joy as she looked at her mother, who was stretched out like a corpse.

No one could guarantee tomorrow, or any day or year.

What flourished was bound to decay.

The full moon would wane, who could deny the unchanging truth?

Flowers must bloom and fall, and the moon would change in size.

But if one looked at Marchioness Neir now… could he or she think of a blooming flower or full moon? This question couldn’t be answered.

Marchioness of Neir was lying down.

To be precise, it was close to stretching.

She was so messed up that the woman she once was couldn’t be seen, where she never showed herself disheveled in front of others to the extent that she was called the ‘iron lady’.

Raisa never once thought she looked like her mother.

Her mother must have thought the same.

But the funny thing was, now that she had her mother in front of her in such a broken state, she could see how much she resembled her before she died.

“With the way things are you, will you even blink?”

“Who… who is it?”

“Mother.”

When Raisa’s voice was heard, light briefly returned to Marchioness Neir’s eyes, which were like empty shells.

She waved her hands and demanded in an almost hoarse voice.

“Did you bring the medicine?”

“Isn’t that what you called me for?”

It was Marchioness Neir’s call that pulled Raisa out of her room.

“A little more.”

But Raisa just stared, clutching the vial.

Then Marchioness Neir immediately shouted. It was a roar-like shout.

“I asked for more!”

But who could you scare by waving your skinny arms with your eyes closed?

How many people would be able to see at once that the addict in front of them was Marchioness Neir?

Addiction was a very quick, easy, efficient and simple way to break people.

“Today is the last. The medicine is no longer available.”

However, whether or not she heard that, Marchioness Neir drank the medicine like she was possessed.

Raisa openly sneered at the sight.

“Why don’t you swallow the bottle?”

As a result, the trembling hand of the marchioness stopped abruptly.

Soon after, bright, no, strangely shiny eyes turned to Raisa.

“You… you.”

Before reaching this state, Marchioness Neir definitely felt things were strange.

She wasn’t an idiot, and she was obsessed with her health more than anything else.

However, by the time she noticed it, it was already too late, and her craving for and dependence on medicine had reached a point where her mental strength alone could not help it.

Ame: o_o choose between the world and ophelia…? Uh oh?

Dea: …i don’t like where this is going…