Chapter 199

A familiar place.

A familiar cage.

‘Can’t say I’m completely used to it.’

Because it was not the imperial palace, but the Great Temple.

Aria groped her ankle.

The shackles, starting from her ankles and continued for long, vividly evoked memories of her unwanted past.

At that moment. The door opened and a man entered the room.

It was Gabriel.

‘In the end, the only thing that has changed from the past is that the Emperor has changed to Gabriel.’

It reminded her of Carlin’s words that the newly applied law would strangle her at a greater price.

Aria raised her head. And she had her eyes on Gabriel, who was getting closer and closer to her.

Certainly, from an objective point of view, Gabriel was so much stronger that he was incomparable to the Emperor.

“What do you want now?”

He wanted to possess her, so he must have a purpose.

Aria said with an expressionless face.

“Do you want me to sing a song?”

“…”

“The song won’t have any effect, though.”

However, Gabriel’s expression changed slightly at her calm question.

He said, slightly furrowing his eyes.

“Don’t say that.”

“Why? Didn’t you say I didn’t have to understand?”

There was no way he would have done this to be understood in the first place. Gabriel would have known that Aria would act like this.

“What you’ve done is beyond my patience.”

“I…. know.”

Does he really know?

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

Although Gabriel maintained his composure on his face, his helplessly swaying eyes revealed his agitation.

Aria sighed.

Even though she knew Gabriel was brainwashed, she found it difficult to contain her anger.

“Right, then at least you can tell the whole story about it for now.”

“……If Lady Aria wants it.”

Did he think that if Aria knew a few more facts in the situation that was already on the verge of catastrophe, nothing would change?

“Anything, I’ll tell you.”

Gabriel agonized, but eventually knelt in front of Aria obediently. His image overlapped with the Emperor’s figure when he begged Aria to sing.

“That pattern, what is it?”

“It’s the Devil’s mark.”

Devil?

Aria froze for a moment hearing the unexpected words.

Did the devil really exist? Although she wondered what a big deal it is that there is a devil in the place where God exists.

‘How far are you going to fall?’

Could it be that they even borrowed the devil’s power?

Her head was all pounding.

“Did the devil and Saint Veronica make a contract?”

“As you can guess.”

“That’s why Carlin was effortlessly taken.”

“In the first place, magic is energy derived from the devil. It is useless in front of a real devil.”

“Then did you borrow the power of the devil to nullify the effect of the spell?”

Gabriel nodded his head obediently in an affirmation.

“I didn’t know that there would be patterns on my neck or other priests’ necks… Of course, I could have guessed, but my judgment got clouded. Or it seems like my memory is interrupted frequently with headaches…”

Gabriel frowned even as he said that. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Why did Angel do that then?”

“An angel is a servant of God. I’ve heard that if God doesn’t exist, angels can’t use their power, no matter how strong they are.”

“Then, how can you get rid of that pattern?”

Gabriel widened his eyes, not expecting to hear such a thing. However, Gabriel immediately lowered his head and muttered in a voice full of resignation.

“It is impossible until the contract is over.”

No, there must be a loophole.

‘He said it was the devil.’

A contract with the devil cannot be normal. There might be some kind of unfair clause hiding there.

As she was thinking about those things…….

“I’m sorry. I should have told you in advance that it wouldn’t work anyway…”

She belatedly recognized his words in her head.

“It wouldn’t work anyway?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Yes, it wouldn’t work.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can never disobey the saint.”

Her. Aria couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

“I thought it was ridiculous at first too.”

But he saw firsthand how Veronica had changed. On several occasions too.

“As you told me to overcome the crisis and become stronger, she became stronger and stronger. Endlessly…”

Gabriel looked at Aria in the cage and flapped his lips with a thoughtful face. However, his expression changed from moment to moment.

“It’s best for Lady Aria to stay here.”

“Best to be kept in a cage?”

“Even if you try to escape from this place on your own, it’s useless. I’m sure the saint will be stronger.”

Maybe she will get the full power of God and there will be no one to stand against her. Gabriel muttered further.

It seemed that he really believed that it would happen, not because he wanted it to be so.

“So you locked me up?”

“It wasn’t my intention, but I’m saying this because I think you’d be better off staying there.”

As he briefly mentioned earlier, if Aria overcomes this difficulty, Veronica will become stronger. If Veronica becomes stronger than now when she has God’s goodwill in her body…… Well.

Will there be anyone to oppose her?

‘Veronica must have been like that.’

It was thanks to Aria that Veronica was able to acquire divine power and accept God’s goodwill into her body.

No matter how hard Aria tries, she will just meet the same fate in the end.

‘It’s something I’ve been hearing since I turned back time.’

I will carve out my own destiny. If I can’t change the future, I’ll get over the bigger hurdles somehow.

Even as she said that she would rather pay the price, she thought to herself. What if I really can’t change it? However, the end of that worry was always the same conclusion.

“I knew that.”

“……you knew?”

“Ten years ago.”

Then Gabriel looked dazed.

Ten years ago, Aria was only ten years old.

“I had a rough idea of what the future was going to bring. So I tried to correct it, and I was constantly warned. Exactly like what you just said.”

Does she know what the future holds? Gabriel had a hard time fully understanding her words, but he didn’t ask for details.

He just replied.

“Is this the result?”

Aria was unfazed when he made a point that struck her to the core.

“Yes. I changed the future, and this is what happened.”

“Then your choice is wrong.”

“No.”

“…?”

“This is not the end.”

“It’s the end.”

“No, the end hadn’t happened.”

“You don’t have to know what’s going to happen in the future. But isn’t it obvious what will happen in the future?”

Even if it looks like Aria can deal with Veronica now, the moment Aria overcomes her difficulties, Veronica will gain more strength.

“It may look like the worst situation in your eyes, but at least it’s not to me.”

“No?”

“I saved many precious people who should have died in the future I knew.”

“Even if it caused the devil to get involved in this world, and you’re like this now?”

“Yes.”

Even when Aria wasn’t involved, God’s goodwill and malice were getting more and more contaminated. The world was gradually collapsing.

After all, it was the end.

The future was foreseen from the moment God lost all the feelings and was broken.

“Remember? You decided to grant me one wish.”

If they meet again someday. No matter what situation they find themselves in, please grant one wish.

As Aria said, she pulled the necklace from her chest.

She put it in Gabriel’s hand. Gabriel was silently looking down at the necklace he had once given to Aria.

“I said I regret being half-heartedly kind to you, but I don’t think I will regret leaving the note that day.”

“…”

“Don’t let me regret it.”

Gabriel slowly raised his head.

You’re right. So, don’t doubt the path you walk.

Even though it was a word he heard through Veronica’s mouth, that word was still strongly imprinted in his mind.

“……Are you saying that even now, after being put through this?”

His face, which had been struggling to maintain an expressionless face, collapsed terribly.

He thought it was useless no matter what she said. He was aware that he had gone the wrong way for a long time.

“Angel.”

Then Aria called him in a calm voice.

“I knew what was going to happen in the future, but when I first saw you, I said it purely for you.”

“…”

“You don’t have to go to extremes just because you’ve made a few bad choices.”

“…”

“You put on the wrong button from the start, but you can stop now.”

Aria believed.

It’s not too late for Gabriel to give up his obsession with her and start living his life. Then, the dream of the young boy who wanted to change the world a little bit better would come true.

“I’ll tell you how to stop now.”

Aria made precise eye contact with the golden eyes and spoke in a strong voice that did not waver at all.

“So, release me.”