Around the time May lost consciousness, Persis was in agony as his thigh was torn apart. However, even in excruciating pain, he continued to block Hestia’s attacks until he asked the question. His voice was filled with a grim emotion.

“Is what that guy said true?”

As May expected, Persis followed her and Materosin onto the carriage. Then, after guiding her to a secluded place, he hurriedly followed, but…

He heard Materosin’s hateful voice. How he treated Vinche, the disgusting looks he gave her, and what conclusion Vinche reached. Shocked and unable to do anything, he regained his senses and rushed over, finding his daughter collapsed with a large wound on her abdomen.

“Is it true that Materosin Kiesel did to Vinche?!”

Tears of despair welled up in his reddened eyes.

In response to Persis’ outcry, Hestia nonchalantly retorted, “So what if it’s true? The girl is already dead, and you’ll die here today with that little brat.”

Her voice exuded madness, and her eyes were already consumed by obsession.

Hestia slowly raised her arm and began moving her hand. Unconcerned about her own injuries, she started setting up an explosion spell in this dark and cold underground.

A purple magic circle was inscribed beneath the girl, who was bleeding on the ground.

When the explosion occurred, the girl would die without a trace.

Seeing this, Persis fell into contemplation, but he couldn’t approach May due to Hestia’s indiscriminate attacks.

“Just kill me instead. Just kill me!”

“Why should I grant you that favor? Even if it means I’ll be next, I can never let you go. I will kill you.”

The magic circle began to emit light and caused a storm. The storm was about to engulf everyone.

“Persis!!”

Floa appeared and subdued Hestia. Floa’s red aura covered the magic circle, subdued Hestia’s hands and feet.

“Tsk, how annoying you followed us here.”

She deflected the red aura that bound her hands and feet and fiercely attacked the standing Floa in front of Persis.

Kwakwang—!

Hestia’s purple aura and Floa’s red aura collided with a deafening noise.

They both pushed their magical powers to their limits, trying to overpower each other.

Floa struggled to speak.

“Hurry… Hurry, please take May and evacuate…!”

In response, Persis didn’t hesitate and rushed to pick up his daughter. She was already pale from losing a lot of blood, and her body was cold.

He held her close while trying to stem the bleeding with his hand, but the blood wouldn’t stop.

“May… Hold on a little longer. I’ll take you to the healer, so just hold on a little longer…!”

May’s body was lifted, and she was held in warm arms, gently swaying.

For a moment, she regained consciousness. She could feel his warmth, rushing her somewhere urgently, but she could no longer see him. She couldn’t see anything.

This time, she really was going to die.

She thought it would have been better if she had died a little earlier. Whether it was from her abdomen being torn apart or from being hit by Clara Penso, it would hurt the same.

If only she had died sooner, everyone wouldn’t have been so troubled because of her. She should have just died and be done with it.

As the original story goes, she should have died according to her predetermined fate… At least then, Persis would have been happy.

Just like in the novel “Persis’ Adopted Daughter,” he could have forgotten about the woman who abandoned him and the little child who might not even be his own and be happy.

‘If it wasn’t me, he would have lived happily…’

Unable to bear the guilt, she couldn’t open her eyes. She even considered leaving this world just like this.

When she looked back, it seemed like she had never had a positive influence on him.

* * *

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in a world of dense mist, where nothing and no one existed.

This world, where nothing and no one existed, was unfamiliar and frightening. But even so, if this was heaven that she ascended to after death, she would gladly accept reality.

Where is this?

Looking around, she realized she wasn’t alone.

A mirocagon, a jaguar with devil wings, stood before her on the white ground.

“This is the world of the unconscious. A space created by Floa’s mental magic. Your soul is being kept alive within your unconscious so you won’t die.”

“So, you mean… I’m not dead?”

“Well, it’s hard to say you’re alive in this situation. Depending on your will, you could die. You’re in a very dangerous state.”

Approaching me closely, he stared at me intently. His black eyes grew even darker as he emitted a black aura. The black aura flowing from the mirocagon’s eyes seeped into my eyes.

“Ah, it’s chilly.”

“Endure it. I’m trying to show you something.”

Enduring the chill, I opened my eyes to see a scene floating in the air.

Iris was using healing magic on me from one side of the bed, while Floa was using mental magic. Persis was holding my hand tightly.

Outside the room, Ellen, Joan, Yohan, the maids, and many others from the Flotina family were there, worrying about me and hoping for my awakening.

“In the middle, Iris and Cassius combined their healing magic to save you and killed Hestia. So, the only thing left for you is to wake up.”

“…Why are you telling me this? Weren’t you working for Hestia?”

“Have you ever seen a monster who sides with humans while alive? I’m just following her because she needs to be around for areas not overrun by monsters.”

Living your whole life only in areas overrun by monsters would be a waste, wouldn’t it?

“You’re the same. You felt sympathy because you can see the truth, but it doesn’t mean you’ll take the side of humans.”

“Well, yeah… I guess I won’t.”

Mirocagon didn’t seem like a completely bad guy, so I smiled.

Mirocagon stared at me intensely. It felt like he could read my inner thoughts.

“Do you want to die?”

Startled by the unexpected question, I was taken aback.

“Uh…?”

“Do you want to die because you don’t want to be unhappy?”

“….”

I couldn’t answer. This is the world of the unconscious. If I had the will to wake up, I could wake up.

But the fact that I was still here meant I didn’t have the will to wake up.

“Don’t mistake it, Ha-young.”

Ha-young? My eyes trembled the moment that name came out of Mirocagon’s mouth.

“You… knew, didn’t you.”

I wondered if he also knew that I was a spirit who took over someone’s body since he could see the truth.

Mirocagon had seen my past life, my everything.

“Just because you’ve lived your life twice doesn’t mean you know everything. Even if you lived three times or four times, you still won’t fully understand everything.”

Because you’re not a god.

“People don’t go through unhappiness their whole life. Just because there are unhappy times doesn’t mean there won’t be happy times.”

“….”

“Moreover, you’ve dealt with all the beings that obstruct your happiness. Then why are you afraid of being unhappy?”

The future before my eyes was better than before.

“If you die here, you’ll be the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen among all the humans I’ve encountered.”

“That’s harsh.”

“I’m telling you not to give up on life. You didn’t crossdress just to give up so easily.”

His words were right. I didn’t live to die. I lived because I didn’t want to die.