Hana felt she understood what he was about to say. It was something similar to what Boyd had told her. She initially intended to sit in front of Rutis but instead chose the bed.

Casually, she asked.

“So, are you saying I was meant to die too?”

Rutis remained silent for a while. Still kneeling, he bowed his head, making it difficult to read his expression. He looked nervous for some reason.

After a pause, he said something unexpected.

“…Gold, in this world, signifies a strong vitality. It was said to be God’s will. We regard those with golden eyes as beings closely linked to the core and the principles of this world.”

Hana tilted her head slightly.

“Like Weed?”

“Yes, and you too.”

“…But I’m just an ordinary person?”

“That… I cannot say for sure. We’ve barely spoken; how could I know everything?”

Hana closed her mouth as Rutis continued.

“As I said before, this world was fundamentally flawed at its creation. It needs strong life forces to fill these gaps. We believed those with golden eyes would qualify, and we found a suitable one from another world.”

A world created with arrogance is now paying its dues with thousands, perhaps millions, of lives. Sacrifices were made to slowly perfect it, and now, the world was on the verge of settling all dues.

All this while, sacrifices were summoned to prolong life, and finally, when Weed’s life ended, everything was supposed to be resolved. That was why Weed was content and had stopped the summoning ritual.

The priests knew this, but they owed too much to Weed. They didn’t want Weed to die, so the unauthorized, forcefully continued summoning ritual was carried out…

Rutis sighed deeply. Obviously, that wasn’t all he wanted to say.

“Weed’s… essence is rapidly withering.”

Hana thought she had misheard.

“…What did you say?”

“He’s using all his overflowing vitality just for you. He’s forcibly keeping you alive.”

‘I live for you.’

Weed’s words echoed in her mind.

22. Premonition

When asked why one lives, who can truly answer precisely?

If someone responded without hesitation, it would be either a gross exaggeration or a sign they carried some profound sense of mission.

It was a phrase often thrown about lightly or heavily, depending on the context. How would Weed have answered that question? Hana habitually let his words slip by, but Weed’s words were never meant to be taken lightly.

Hana clutched the flower in her hand tightly.

“…So, there’s a reason you brought this to me before Weed?”

“No.”

“What are you denying? What is it not? Weren’t you all about Weed? Asking me to die, or trying to persuade Weed…”

“No, Hana, whatever you might think… it’s not like that.”

Rutis sighed deeply, his voice sounding very dry.

“Weed is important to us. We did not want him to wither away completely, which is why we proceeded with the summoning ritual. However, we don’t just wish for him to exist alone. Merely living is meaningless.”

Weed was both the most brilliant golden tree and the most withered tree in this world, not just because of the divine disease. He had nurtured the most blessed lands in the world and had been at the forefront of solving the void and the divine disease when the world suffered.

Thus, he rightfully assumed such authority and position and all the blessings of this world, yet Weed felt nothing.

He only looked up at the sky. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, feeling nothing. Occasionally, when he did show emotion, he cried as if the sky was falling. The priests, indebted to Weed, could only watch as he crumbled for a very long time.

The reason they forcibly continued the summoning ritual was that it was too hard to watch him suffer like that. The priests hoped for his happiness. They wanted him to feel emotions, to be happy about something, however trivial.

They hoped he wouldn’t suppress his emotions and could simply rest and smile peacefully. They wanted peace for him.

The priests had awakened Weed’s emotions and were overjoyed whenever he managed even a smile, feeling whatever joy he could. That was all they had hoped for, to repay him for allowing them to root themselves in this blessed land.

Once the sacrificial ritual was complete, everything would end. The world would no longer suffer from the void or divine disease, and a healed Weed would no longer endure unnecessary guilt and sadness.

Still, it wasn’t to be.

The priests hadn’t foreseen this outcome.

They now had to accept.

Only one thing could truly stir his heart. The woman from another world, her golden eyes, the emotions that had built up in Weed over time. What made Weed happy, what drove him to despair.

What Weed showed Hana was not mere interest. It was not a whim or mere curiosity. There was no need to try to understand what he was thinking or why he did what he did. It was more accurate to say there was no time for that.

The priests simply chose to accept the present and whatever might come next.

Finally, their wishes were realized. Weed smiled more brightly than on any previous day. He remembered and called their names. However, the reward for their long efforts was fleeting. Nevertheless, the priests just wanted to see Weed like this for a bit longer.

“…As long as possible.”

Rutis’s voice was thick.

“Please stay as long as possible, I beg you.”

They were all looking towards the end. They did not deny that some form of conclusion was approaching for all of them.

“Do you see the condition of the flower? It’s like your condition.”

“…Yes.”

The withered yellow flower. Outwardly beautiful but unmistakably dead.

It was akin to the divine disease that withered life forms.

Hana couldn’t take her eyes off the flower. If it truly mirrored her condition, it confirmed the presence of the divine disease. It seemed to symbolize Weed’s fate as well, leaving her feeling uneasy.

“Weed… cannot keep filling a bottomless pit. That’s why I am planning to leave. There are others like you in the kingdom, I’ve heard.”

“…The divine disease?”

“Yes, it’s certain that those humans have delayed the effects of the void and the disease. That’s why I want to go and see for myself. I’m not expecting much, though…”

Rutis stopped there and sighed heavily once again. He raised his hands to cover his face, seemingly struggling to control his emotions.

His voice was ragged and worn.

“…If there seems to be any way to extend it, we have to try.”

Hearing those words mixed with resignation, Hana felt her own heart sink. Was there really no other way? Was there truly no cure for the divine disease? Was there really no other method except for one that requires endless sacrifice?

The divine disease. If only it could be resolved.

She fiddled with the flower that was influenced by the divine disease. It was brittle, seemingly on the verge of crumbling at the slightest touch, yet its form remained intact.

“Why am I… afflicted with the divine disease?”

She hadn’t been influenced here. Hana had been suffering from this mysterious, aging disease even in her original world. She thought she would die from it and had accepted her death.

There was a time when she might have been slightly relieved at the thought of a peaceful death.

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