As I gazed at the enchanted pendant, the golden light sparkled like stardust and soon gathered within the crystal, resembling a pond. The more it accumulated, the brighter it shimmered, seemingly endless.

“Why is this happening?”

“…I sense Enzo’s magical power in this pendant.”

“Oh, does that mean it can be the wizard’s magic?”

I recalled God’s words.

If I returned to my original place, everything else would return to its original place, right? Elliott, the elementalist, and even the discovery of this necklace—it all seemed strangely in line with what God mentioned.

No, that was right.

I never expected the usually reliable Paul to make such a mistake, triggering a subspace explosion. Nor did I intend for Amber to put food ingredients in the Duchess’s subspace pouch. Who would have expected that the necklace, crafted by a magician from the Leon family who lived long ago, would be inside?

Such luck for me.

Considering my past life, it was truly a miraculous occurrence. In my previous life, it seemed like nothing went well, and I suffered a lot…

“It seems like I’ve truly returned to my place…”

A strange feeling enveloped me—joyful yet accompanied by worry. Things were going too smoothly, making me increasingly uneasy. My ultimate source of anxiety was always Lucian. What if something happened to him?

With a vague sense of worry, I clutched the necklace and took a step toward Elliot.

Behind me, Damian stuck close while Oscar and Paul followed on either side. Even with just that, I felt reassured, realizing that I no longer needed to desperately escape from him as before.

As I approached, the contorted expression on his face clearly showed discomfort.

“Ha, girl.”

He licked his lips while gazing at me. The mysterious aura still emitted an eerie vibe.

“Something seems different, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.”

“If you don’t know, just leave it be.”

“Haha, I suppose that’s possible. Why are you so uncomfortable, though? Hm, girl? I wanted you so badly, but why do I feel discomfort even with you in front of me now?”

The dark spirit still lingering within him seemed to dislike me. Well, the water spirit, purified and returned, also seemed to strongly dislike the dark spirits. I thought of that because they were moving on their own accord rather than being forced by my command.

After giving the initial order, I hadn’t issued any specific instructions. Nevertheless, the water spirit continued to pursue Elliot, the dark elementalist and kept it captive all along.

Still tightly bound by the water spirit, he sat on the floor, dripping with cold sweat.

“Oscar, Damian. Drag him over to that altar.”

“Yes, master.”

“Got it!”

The two of them grabbed Elliot from both sides. Despite his struggles, it was futile. After placing him on the altar, I placed the wizard’s necklace that I held in my hand on the altar, too.

“Will this work?”

Since God didn’t provide any specific instructions, I first tried placing the pendant next to the saint’s body, but there was no change. Wondering if there might be another command to complete the barrier, I glanced at Paul.

He was silently watching me, and as our eyes met, he slowly lowered his head.

“…I don’t know the activation conditions for the barrier.”

“This isn’t the right way?”

Aside from the power of the spirits, it seemed like the necklace, imbued with the wizard’s magic, required the actual magic power of a real wizard.

I sighed deeply, put the necklace back into my pocket, and began gathering the Duchess’ scattered jewelry on the floor. Meanwhile, Paul, Oscar, and Damian also assisted me in collecting the accessories.

After gathering the food ingredients in one place, I pondered what to do next.

At that moment, the temple rang loudly. The temple, enduring for nearly a millennium, didn’t waver, though the dust falling from the ceiling couldn’t be avoided.

“Ah…”

I g at the food ingredients with a helpless face. Even though we had gathered them, the white dust covering the ingredients made the scene truly pitiful.

I sighed in regret.

“…Saint.”

Then, Paul called me. His voice was filled with surprise.

“Yes?”

“…It’s the wizard.”

“The wizard? Where?”

“…Coming this way right no—”

Before his slow words could finish, the door burst open. I turned my head toward the figure confidently approaching, and my eyes widened in confusion.

“Luci?”

The person I had longed for had come to this unexpected place. Instead of joy, a sense of surprise overwhelmed me, but he didn’t look at me.

Passing by with a face full of longing, he rushed to the altar.

Ah…

What was this? Just seeing Lucian pass by me was enough to make my mind dizzy.

Why did he pass me as if he didn’t recognize me? As he passed by me, he approached the saint lying on the altar. Then, with trembling hands, he embraced the lifeless body that had long been dead.

“Selena!”

Certainly, the voice was his, but…

Why was he hugging the saint, not me? My frozen brain, confused by his strange behavior, gradually loosened. There was no way Lucian, who holds the long-dead saint, could shed tears.

The answer was clear… someone had possessed Lucian’s body.

Probably an ancestor of the Leon family, who knew the saint well. In addition, this person seemed to have deep feelings for her. Who could be like that? Considering the stories I had heard so far, I could deduce who might have possessed Lucian.

Representing my rapidly sinking mood, a dry voice echoed through the air.

“Enzo de Leon.”

Lucian, who had been shedding tears while holding the saint’s body, slowly lifted his head. His side view, where the corner of his mouth slowly lifted, entered my sight.

When our eyes finally met, his face was not the one I knew.

Instead of the always affectionate gaze toward me, his golden eyes now showed a hint of annoyance and a bit of curiosity, making it all feel very awkward. His expression, always indifferent but willing to smile for me, had transformed into anger and madness.

His lips, which had been scrutinizing me, slowly parted.

“So, you recognize me, Ray.”

Even though he spoke with the same voice, it felt like a different person was talking. Nevertheless, I could still see his appearance, causing a great sense of dissonance.

“…What did you do to Luci?”

I didn’t know much about the characteristics of possessors. However, Lucian was not the type to easily succumb to the spirit of his ancestor. If he had been taken over, could it be that he was in danger?

“Kuh, kuk-kuk.”

He suddenly burst into laughter. His shoulders shaking up and down seemed somewhat eerie, but I couldn’t step back.

“You’ve lived long enough. I understand that you feel unfairly treated, but it doesn’t mean you can forcibly take the body of someone who’s still alive.”

“But I didn’t forcibly take anything…”

“…You had forcibly taken it.”

“Oh, I see. Ray, you should know. Lucian is not the type to do that.”

“Don’t call me that nickname.”

Feeling goosebumps, I shuddered when he called me ‘Ray’ with the same face and voice. The man I loved was not the current Lucian. It was not just the outer appearance that mattered… the inside was more crucial.

Enzo took a quick breath. His face contorted his discomfort.

“Ha, it’s strange. Why do I hate it when you’re making that expression?”

Enzo muttered as if describing someone else’s emotions.

“Girl, what’s going on? Care to explain?”

Elliott, who had been on the altar all this time, asked me with an annoyed face.

As I stared at the figures on the altar, I felt a tingling sensation on the back of my head, as if I had been hit. There were precisely three figures on the altar: the wizard, the saint, and the elementalist. They were the key figures that should be at the center of the barrier sealing the Demon King.

More precisely, the descendants of these figures had gathered in this space—me, Lucian, and even Elliott. Only now could I fully understand the meaning of what God had said, asking why I didn’t step forward.

It was embarrassing.

If God foresaw the future like this, give me a heads-up. I probably wouldn’t have such disrespectful thoughts as before. Now that I found the clue to complete the barrier, it was time to reclaim Lucian.

At that moment, I noticed the familiar necklace in his hand.

“…Huh?”

It was the same necklace I had been holding a moment ago. Without thinking, I reached into my pocket and felt the necklace with my fingertips. As I did, I witnessed his golden eyes widen, and I saw a white light gathering on the necklace he held.

Unaware that Enzo was watching me intently, I quickly withdrew my hand from my pocket.

In an instant, he reached me, and a trail of black smoke followed him. Lucian, or rather Enzo, grasped my wrist that I had taken out of my pocket tightly.

With an ecstatic voice, he whispered.

“Was it you?”

__