The kingdom of Permanent is broke. It survives only by borrowing money from the wealthy merchant house Cordias. The knightly house Hazard has lost its power, and Queen Elzard is desperate. The Cordias family is rising fast, and they plan to save Permanent's finances through a marriage between Prince Telius and Ellilite.
But Ellilite Cordias, 18, carries a secret. Her late mother left her a 'return-from-death' potion. It has brought her back 100 times. Now it is the last dose — the 101st run.
O
The 101st Witch Trial - The Choice to Abandon, the Final Tears — The Negotiation Begins at the Abyss of Solitude —
The staircase leading to the East Tower smelled of cold stone.
The night's moisture, soaked into the walls, clung to her skin through the thin chemise. From the soles of her bare feet, the chill of the stone seemed to crawl up to the very core of her body.
Elritte Cordeas, bracing herself against the wall, climbed one step, then another, through the darkness.
Her knee wound ached. Her scraped palms stung. Her throat was dry, her lips chapped.
(Just a little further.)
She told herself this.
The top floor of the East Tower. The room granted to the Mercurius Empire's resident military attaché. Beyond that door should lie the path to Emperor Gaius.
But.
(Is it really all right to open that door?)
A small voice questioned her from the depths of her heart.
(Even though I abandoned Father.)
Her father's anguished voice, heard in the underground cell, still lingered in her ears. The sound of a whip tearing through air. A voice that seemed to cough up blood, wrung out from the depths.
(Even so, I will go.)
Elritte bit her lip.
There was no choice but to go. She could no longer turn back.
She moved her feet.
Midway up the stairs, moonlight streamed through a small window. The pale light illuminated her silvery, light-blonde hair. Tied in a ponytail, it was disheveled with sweat and dust, clinging to her cheeks.
Her deep emerald eyes reflected the moonlight, faintly glowing in the darkness.
A delicate body. Thin limbs that looked as though they might snap at any moment. Yet only her gaze was filled with a quiet intensity that had surpassed a hundred deaths.
She touched the amulet at her chest.
Her mother Yulia's keepsake. The Star-Burst Amulet. A small silver vial hung from it. The vial that had contained the Return-by-Death potion—now empty.
(Mother.)
(I've finally made it this far.)
Elritte gripped the vial.
The cold sensation of silver. It calmed her heart, just a little.
She began climbing the stairs once more.
One step, one step.
Her breath grew short. Her legs grew heavy. Her vision blurred slightly.
(It's all right.)
(I still have options.)
(The me of a hundred loops says so.)
She repeated this in her heart like a mantra.
Eventually, she reached the landing.
Leaning against the wall, she steadied her ragged breathing. Her lungs wheezed, craving the cold air.
(From here, just a little more.)
She raised her head.
Beyond the dim corridor. She could see the final staircase leading to the top floor.
That was when it happened.
"...Is someone there?"
She thought she heard a faint sound from the floor above.
Footsteps. And not just one person's.
Elritte held her breath.
Pressing her back against the wall, she slowly hid herself in the shadows of the staircase.
(Soldiers?)
(Or the resident military attaché?)
Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
Her fingertips grew cold.
She climbed the stairs carefully, without making a sound.
One step, one step.
The footsteps drew closer.
"...Are you really coming here?"
A voice she recognized.
Elritte's body froze.
(Telius.)
Her former fiancé. The smiling traitor who had denounced her as a witch.
"Yes. That woman will definitely come here. Given her nature, she'll undoubtedly try to cling to Mercurius."
Telius's voice continued.
"Keep this from Mother. I will capture that woman. That way, it becomes my achievement. As crown prince, no less."
Elritte gritted her back teeth.
(Telius is here.)
(Waiting in ambush for me.)
She pressed her hand against the wall, desperately supporting herself.
Her knees trembled. Her vision swayed.
(What should I do?)
(Turn back?)
(But where to?)
Gunther was in the underground cell. Her father was captured. The castle's security must already be on high alert.
(I have no escape.)
Elritte closed her eyes.
In the darkness, the memories of a hundred loops surged like a tsunami.
The night she revealed the truth to Telius and knelt before him.
"Witch."
He had spat out the word.
The smile that should have been kind had twisted into a cruel sneer.
The day she vowed to offer her entire fortune to Queen Elzard.
"Ahahahaha! Your entire fortune? You think I would accept the money of that upstart merchant family?"
Elzard had laughed loudly.
The morning she piled gold coins before the minister and pleaded.
"Rest assured. I shall certainly convey your request to His Majesty."
The minister took the gold coins and vanished.
In every life, she had tried to cling to someone.
And no one had protected her.
(There is no salvation in this country.)
(That was the conclusion of the 100th loop.)
(But now, in the 101st—)
Elritte opened her eyes.
In her deep emerald eyes, even in the darkness, a clear light dwelled.
(I will no longer rely on anyone.)
She wiped her tears roughly with her sleeve.
Then, gritting her teeth, she stood.
Killing her footsteps, she climbed the stairs.
Before the door on the top floor.
A heavy wooden door. Carved into it was the golden eagle—the crest of the Mercurius Empire.
From beyond the door, Telius's voice could be heard.
"...If you're coming, come quickly. El. I'm waiting for you."
Elritte stood before the door.
She reached out her hand.
Her fingertips touched the cold wooden door.
(I cannot let it end here.)
She drew a deep breath.
And knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
A small but clear sound echoed through the quiet corridor.
Beyond the door, a presence stirred.
"...Who is it?"
Telius's voice.
Elritte did not answer.
She knocked again.
Knock, knock, knock.
"...Enter."
A low voice came through the door.
Elritte pushed the door open.
Creeeak...
The sound of hinges groaning.
The room was dim.
Only the moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the room in pale blue.
In the center of the room stood Telius.
A young man of twenty, with soft brown hair slicked back. He had drooping eyes that always seemed to be gauging others' expressions.
He wore a splendid prince's attire, but his smile was somehow hollow.
"...So you came after all. El."
Telius slowly approached Elritte.
"I knew you would come here. You're a clever woman. You'd think that clinging to Mercurius is your best path to survival."
Elritte looked straight at Telius.
"...Lord Telius. It has been a while."
She spoke in a calm, polite tone.
"Ah, it has. To think you'd wander the royal castle in your undergarments—you're as outrageous a woman as ever."
Telius wore a thin smile.
"So? You want to see the Emperor? Too bad. There are no Mercurius people in this room anymore. I drove them out."
Elritte's heart jumped with a throb.
(The resident military attaché is gone.)
(The whisperer is gone too.)
(My last gamble—)
She bit her lip.
"...But don't worry. I will save you."
Telius stood before Elritte, looking down at her.
"El, come back to my side. If you do, I'll have the witch trial overturned. I'll protect you with my authority as crown prince."
Elritte silently looked up at Telius.
"However, there is a condition. Hand over the entire fortune of the Cordeas family, and your entire life, to me. If you do, you'll be saved. What do you say—not a bad deal, is it?"
Telius spoke while smiling.
The smile she had once loved.
But now, it was merely cold and terrifying.
(This person says he'll save me, while trying to take everything from me.)
(My family's fortune, my life, all of it.)
(And that means I'm saved?)
(No.)
(That's just being kept alive.)
Elritte slowly shook her head.
"...I must decline, Lord Telius."
She spoke quietly, but clearly.
Telius's smile froze.
"...What?"
"I will not return to your side. Nor will I offer my life to you."
Elritte looked straight at Telius.
"I will survive by my own strength. I have no need of your help."
Telius's face twisted slightly.
"...Are you serious? El. You don't seem to understand your situation. You've been denounced as a witch. The inquisition will convene soon. You will be drowned in water."
"Yes, I understand. But even so, I will not rely on you."
Elritte's voice did not tremble.
"...Why? Why go that far to refuse my help? I love you."
Telius took a step closer to Elritte.
"I don't believe you're a witch. That's just Mother doing as she pleases. I want to protect you. So come back to my side."
Elritte stared into Telius's eyes.
Drooping eyes that always seemed to gauge others' expressions.
(Does this person truly love me?)
(Or does he just want my family's fortune?)
The memories of a hundred loops whispered to her.
(This person betrayed me.)
(This person denounced me as a witch.)
(I must not believe his words.)
"...Lord Telius. At the engagement announcement ceremony, you denounced me as a witch. With false evidence. Is that your love?"
Telius's expression clouded for an instant.
"...That was unavoidable. It was Mother's order—I couldn't defy it. As crown prince, I must protect the nation. To do that, I had no choice but to sacrifice you."
Telius spoke as if making excuses.
"But now it's different. I am trying to save you by my own will. If you return to my side, everything will work out. So please. El, come back to my side."
Telius extended his hand to Elritte.
Elritte gazed at that hand.
A white, slender prince's hand.
(If I take this hand, I'll be saved.)
(But I'll be controlled by this person again.)
(Just like in the 100th life.)
Elritte shook her head.
"...No. I will not take your hand."
She stepped back.
"I will no longer cling to anyone. Not to you, not to the Queen, not to the minister. I will carve open my future with my own strength."
The smile vanished from Telius's face.
"...You'll regret this, El. If you refuse my help, you will certainly die. Drowned in water, suffering, dying."
Telius's voice was cold.
"Is that still all right? Do you hate me that much?"
Elritte looked at Telius.
(Hate?)
(No.)
(I loved this person.)
(But this person betrayed me.)
(So I will no longer expect anything from him.)
"...Lord Telius. I do not hate you. But I can no longer believe in you either."
Elritte spoke quietly.
"I will survive without your help. Even if you try to kill me, I will not die."
Telius stared at Elritte for a while.
Then, slowly, he lowered his hand.
"...I see. Understood. If that's how you feel, I have nothing more to say. You'll regret this. No—I will make you regret it."
Telius said this with a twisted face.
"You will die alone. With no one to watch over you, at the bottom of cold water, all alone."
Leaving those words behind, Telius left the room.
Slam.
The sound of the door closing.
Elritte was left alone in the dim room.
Silence.
In the distance, the sound of wind.
She stood there, rooted to the spot.
(I am alone.)
Father is being tortured in the underground cell.
Marta betrayed me with false testimony.
Telius became an enemy.
The whisperer of the resident military attaché is gone too.
(Every door has been closed.)
Elritte placed her hand against the wall.
Strength drained from her body.
She slid down against the wall and sat.
The cold stone floor.
With only a thin chemise, her chilled body began to tremble.
(What should I do?)
She hugged her knees.
(I can't go anywhere anymore.)
(No one will help me.)
(Will I die alone?)
Tears overflowed.
She couldn't stop them.
A hundred deaths.
A hundred betrayals.
A hundred solitudes.
All of them surged at once.
She wept, stifling her voice.
"...Father..."
A small, hoarse voice escaped.
"...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
She apologized again and again.
For not being able to save her father.
For abandoning her father.
For coming this far alone and ultimately being able to do nothing.
"...Mother..."
She gripped the vial that was her mother's keepsake.
The cold sensation of silver.
"...What should I do...what should I do..."
She continued crying alone in the darkness.
How long had she been crying?
Until her tears dried up.
Until her voice grew hoarse and wouldn't come out.
She
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