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“Why are you like this?”  

Bael tilted his head as he looked at me, frozen in place, lost for words. He must have worked hard to analyze the prophecy amidst his busy schedule and came to me excitedly as soon as he found the answer. My reaction, different from what he expected, left him slightly confused. 

I, unsure of how to explain the situation, grabbed my head in frustration and slumped onto the sofa. 

“I know who the sacrifice mentioned in the prophecy is.”

In a small voice, almost like talking to myself, I let the truth slip out. Bael, who didn’t understand the situation, blinked as if this was good news.

I sighed deeply and revealed the uncomfortable truth to him. 

“It’s Eugene.”

“What?”

“The sacrifice mentioned in the prophecy. Hazen, who is pretending to be a saint and manipulating the former emperor, plans to use Eugene as a sacrifice to fulfill his ‘great purpose.’”

And it’s probably not something that was decided overnight.

Bael, caught off guard by my sudden revelation, clamped his mouth shut, clearly struggling to comprehend it. I shrugged and continued to explain further.

“Eugene and Leonid decoded the cipher. Putting that together with the past events, it all points to this conclusion.”

“Then…”

“Eugene has been receiving strange purification rituals at the temple ever since he was very young. This is… a very old plan.”

What exactly is this ‘great purpose’ that required such long-term effort? 

Bael provided the answer.

“As we all know, this prophecy warns of the resurrection of the Mad Dragon. If Eugene is the ‘sacrifice’… then Hazen’s ‘great purpose’ must be the resurrection of the Mad Dragon.”

“Ah, I see. That’s how it all connects.”

As soon as the subject of the Mad Dragon came up—a foe I had fought bitterly against during my time as a black mage—I already felt a sense of exhaustion. Memories of the many trials and hardships I endured to defeat the Mad Dragon flooded my mind.

Even with five skilled individuals, all strong in their respective domains, it had been no easy task to confront the Mad Dragon. And now they wanted to bring it back?

And Hazen is trying to bring about the resurrection of that dragon?

“I really did a terrible job raising my disciples, didn’t I?”

At this point, even if Axel clicked his tongue and scolded me, I wouldn’t have any words to defend myself.

“Why on earth would he follow the Mad Dragon? What could he possibly gain by reviving it?”

The Mad Dragon was, quite literally, a crazed dragon. Its only purpose was to flaunt its overwhelming power by destroying every city in its path. What could any human hope to gain by aiding in its resurrection, other than a world reduced to ruins?

Despite the numerous clues that were starting to piece the truth together, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t adding up.

The prophecy says that Eugene must be killed, but in the future I came from, Eugene didn’t…

My train of thought came to an abrupt halt.

‘Didn’t Eugene die?’

That day, when I was swept up in that strange explosion and dragged into the future.

In that future where I had accidentally brought back the prophecy, I hadn’t confirmed whether Eugene was alive or dead.  

‘I only met Leonid…’  

The only other person I encountered was Lily.  

‘Now that I think about it, Lily mentioned the Mad Dragon at that time too.’  

The Mad Dragon had resurrected exactly in the year foretold by the prophecy, and I, as the Saintess, along with my companions, had defeated it.  

‘Which means Hazen successfully sacrificed someone and brought about the resurrection of the Mad Dragon.’  

If there were no other sacrifices, it would mean that I neither saved nor killed Eugene and merely watched as the Mad Dragon was resurrected.  

‘No, there’s no way I was that foolish.’  

People might think I was being overly confident, but it’s just me thinking, so there’s no harm in a little self-assurance, right?

I crossed my arms and groaned.  

‘Something doesn’t add up.’  

There was only one surefire way to solve this complicated situation.  

‘I’ll have to use the hourglass and peek into the future again.’  

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Bael, who was watching me, clearly waiting for me to speak. He seemed ready to respect whatever decision I made.

“You haven’t told anyone else about this, right?”  

“No, I came to you first. After all, we’re fellow priests.”  

“Priests, huh…”  

Though I was technically a saint now, my past as a black mage made me instinctively recoil at the title. A shiver ran down my arms, and I shook slightly, prompting Bael to chuckle and pat my shoulder.

“So, you want me to keep this a secret for now? I understand, but Kirke… well…”  

Bael trailed off, seemingly uncomfortable with finishing his sentence. But I knew exactly what he meant.  

“If it were up to him, he’d probably suggest we kill Eugene as the prophecy says.”  

Bael nodded slightly, agreeing with me.

Kirke, though easygoing and kind to his companions, was also a prince who made cold, calculated decisions for the greater good. His ability to make difficult decisions with little hesitation was what allowed him to lead the nation effectively, even with a weak support base after becoming emperor. He was the classic ‘benevolent leader to his own people,’ but many had learned the hard way not to underestimate him.

From Kirke’s perspective, Eugene wasn’t one of ‘his people.’  

He would prioritize the lives of the country’s citizens above all else, and if the sacrifice needed to protect them was the illegitimate son of his political enemy, Duke Kreutz, it wouldn’t even be a tough decision for him.

“But Eugene is important to you, isn’t he?”  

“Yeah.”  

Without hesitation, I nodded at Bael’s question, and a small smile appeared on his face.

“You seem much happier now, Reshia.”

“Oh? Really?”  

“Yes. The ‘old Reshia’ wasn’t one to open up easily to people. You only became friends with us near the end of the campaign.”  

“Well…”  

The “old Reshia” Bael was referring to was the time when I was Greslin, the black mage. Back then, I was indeed guarded and didn’t trust people easily—a prickly person. Growing up in the slums, surrounded by all kinds of unsavory characters, had naturally twisted my personality. I had only joined the expedition because the former emperor had offered an enormous reward for defeating the Mad Dragon. It wasn’t out of any grand sense of justice or duty.  

I had assumed that the others in the expedition were low-lifes like me, motivated purely by self-interest. But once I joined, I realized they all had entirely different reasons.  

“I must protect my country. It is my duty.”  

That’s what the young prince Kirke, always composed, had said with a dignified smile.  

“I can’t let my friend go alone.”  

That was Axel, the reckless son of a duke, who had followed Kirke.  

“I am simply following the will of God.”  

Bael, devout as always, making the sign of the cross with a prayer on his lips.  

“Once we kill the Mad Dragon, can I take its heart?”  

And of course, there was Servian, the eccentric even back then.

‘They were all such oddballs.’

Not exactly normal people, but definitely good ones. And over time, through the hardships we faced together, the sharp edges of my personality had softened.

“If I’m different now, it’s all thanks to you guys.”  

“If one were to say that our bond was guided by the will of God… you’d hate that, wouldn’t you?”  

“Obviously.”  

Bael laughed at my firm response.

“Reshia doesn’t believe in fate.”  

“Exactly. Everything I’ve achieved is the result of my own hard work.”  

As I lifted my chin proudly, Bael smiled gently.  

“Then, just like always, keep moving forward with everything you’ve got. I’ll keep this secret from the others, especially Kirke, until you come back with the answers.”  

***

After sending Bael on his way, I sat down comfortably with the hourglass in hand.

‘When is the point in the future where I can find the answers to all my questions?’

The answer was simple.  

‘The moment the Mad Dragon resurrects!’  

With that, I opened my eyes wide and turned the hourglass.