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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Half-Relic's Wish
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And a long while later.
When she lifted her head again, the large full moon, once obscured by clouds, was shining through the window.
The light was so beautiful that Lellia narrowed her eyes.
It was in that moment.
*...What is that?*
Something entered Lellia's line of sight as she crouched on the floor.
Something was faintly glowing from beneath the display cabinet opposite the bed.
*Could it be...*
Lellia slowly stood up and approached it.
And she crouched down again to check.
It was a spot completely invisible when standing, but clearly visible if a child sat on the floor.
Moreover, though it was usually invisible, it emitted a peculiar light when illuminated by the moonlight.
If Lellia's guess was correct...
*It's a moonstone.*
It was said that moonstones possessed a unique power, neither divine nor magical. That's why some mages used its power to hide treasures.
Lellia slid her hand into the narrow crevice from which the light was flowing.
And the moment she pressed something with a click.
To her surprise, a crack formed on the ordinary wall, and a small door appeared. It was a tiny compartment, just big enough to store things.
“……”
Lellia slowly reached for the handle with a trembling hand.
And she opened the door, imagining all sorts of gold and jewels might appear.
“……!”
But what appeared in the small space was unexpected.
*What is this?*
Inside the small secret compartment, a single, round pocket watch lay alone.
The pocket watch, with the distinct color of aged metal, looked very old.
Lellia froze for a moment, trying to recall her memories of the original story.
*...Could this be it? Did it look like this?*
One thing did come to mind. The half of the holy relic that Yuriana obtains in the original story.
It wasn't specified exactly where she got it.
But considering how Yuriana later boasted to Emperor Perseus about finding a treasure in the cabin...
*She found it here?*
A holy relic from the temple, no less.
A holy relic known to possess mysterious power, even if it was only half of the whole.
In this world, the temple's 'sacred artifacts' were known to grant any wish.
Not all holy relics had such power, but this one that Yuriana was supposed to get did, to some extent.
*I'm sure it said that if you turn the watch's hand under the moonlight, the relic will grant your wish in that moment.*
In the original story, Yuriana didn't know this, so her subconscious wish was granted—a 'harmonious family'.
Living in harmony with her family was a deep desire rooted in Yuriana's subconscious.
The half-relic granted Yuriana's wish.
“……”
Without touching the pocket watch, Lellia moved closer to look at it.
Unlike a normal watch, it only had a single hand. That was because this holy relic was only one half.
*The other half was the relic the male lead of the original story would obtain.*
Similarly, the male lead also fulfilled his own wish in the same way.
*The male lead's wish was to become stronger.*
The always-frail male lead used the power he gained to join the Mad Dragon subjugation squad.
Lellia narrowed her eyes.
The sadness that had consumed her vanished, and her heart began to pound.
She felt like a sinner committing a theft.
*But...*
The original female lead and male lead had a smooth path ahead of them, so they didn't particularly need this holy relic.
*In the original story, the two of them ended up donating the completed holy relic to the temple anyway.*
When the two pocket watches held by the male and female leads were combined, their power grew even stronger.
They could obtain something greater than the wishes that could be granted when the relic was in halves.
However, there were restrictions. As a holy relic born from the Creutz doctrine, it couldn't bring the dead back to life. It was also known that it could only grant a single wish, and a price had to be paid for it. There seemed to be other, greater secrets, but the original story didn't go into further detail.
*Still, if I complete the holy relic, breaking the curse of silence should be easily possible.*
Honestly, it felt like a waste to return it to the temple...
Hope began to spring up in Lellia's eyes.
*If I can get this watch and the other half...*
She could break the curse that would bind her for her entire life.
The curse of silence that Raidios had placed on her to keep his secret.
If she could break the curse of silence... she could go to her friends, confess the truth herself, and ask for forgiveness for the sin of deceiving them.
In truth, both at the temple and after returning to the imperial palace, the guilt of deceiving her friends would wash over her from time to time, tormenting her.
She would make excuses to herself, saying it couldn't be helped, but that didn't make the guilt disappear entirely.
Since her most precious remaining possessions were the memories with her friends, she wanted to set things right, no matter what.
*No, I might not even need to find the other half. This alone might be enough to grant my wish.*
Lellia looked at the moonlight outside the window with a tense expression.
*A subconscious wish...*
After a moment's hesitation, Lellia, as if having made a decision, slowly reached out her hand.
*I'm sorry, Yuriana, but.*
No, in fact, there was no need to feel sorry.
Yuriana's wish would come true anyway.
It was her destiny to be loved and enjoy happiness in a harmonious family for her entire life.
Lellia ignored the slowly rising guilt and picked up the half-relic pocket watch.
Then she approached the window where the moonlight poured in, lifted the watch resting on her palm, closed her eyes, and murmured.
*Please let the curse of silence be broken. Please...!*
Lellia desperately made her wish and turned the watch's hand. It was then.
“Ah...!”
A brilliant light shot down intensely onto the pocket watch. Lellia's eyes flew open without her realizing it.
An unbearable light flooded her eyes. Startled by the light, Lellia accidentally dropped the watch.
An even stronger light poured out from the watch that had fallen to the floor. Lellia shielded her eyes with her arm and turned her head away.
And just like that, her vision began to blur.
