Compared to the constant chatter so far, it felt like a long period of silence. Soon, a positive response came.

[ …Understood. I can wait a bit more. ]

Hana knew what it meant to wait.

This voice had consistently sought her death or the life of every sacrifice. Probably, all the sacrifices so far have gone through this procedure.

“Instead, you’ll grant what I want?”

[ Yes. But you should decide quickly. That body can’t endure much longer. ]

There was a moment of silence. Hana could roughly guess what this voice was. It seemed like she could know without asking.

This voice was closely related to the void of this world. From its words, it seemed to know what a divine disease was. And perhaps this voice had summoned her because she was dying in a car accident. The priests had mentioned opening a dimensional portal.

What it was waiting for was undoubtedly a sacrificial ritual.

The priests had sent down the blood extracted from her to the final void, and this voice claimed to have tasted that blood. If she thought that the blood had gone to the essence of this voice, it made sense.

She also understood that her body couldn’t endure much longer. She had initially heard that she had only a few months left, and that was why she had planned a vacation. Due to her ongoing relationship with Weed, she had never felt sick enough to feel the threat of death.

However, she could sense that time was passing.

She had already been here close to a month. Instead of answering the voice that kept questioning, Hana decided to reverse the roles and ask a question herself. However, she refrained from asking about information she already knew.

“Can you cure divine diseases?”

[ Are you referring to the current state of that human just now? Yes, it’s possible. As I mentioned, there’s no need to go around in circles. I can help. ]

Once again, it seemed that the only way to resolve the void and the divine diseases was through a sacrificial ritual. She had to dedicate her life to the void. That was how it had been for every life summoned so far.

Even though she knew that her lips were not stained with blood in the dream, Hana wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Will what I just did have an effect?”

[ Certainly. It’s the only way. However, it’s not perfect. ]

“I see…”

She thought about Weed, who had been covered in blood and unable to regain consciousness.

According to the priests, Weed carried the most powerful divine disease. They knew the solution, but the blood sent to the void that day had only a temporary effect, so she didn’t know what was ultimately needed.

The voice had asked her once, ‘Why didn’t you die back then?’ Hana had thought about the meaning behind those words and quickly understood.

On the day she sent blood to the remaining void, there was a disturbance in the sanctuary.

That day, this voice had tried to kill the owner of the blood, transmitting unbearable agony. Still, she didn’t comply. Thanks to Weed administering painkillers without side effects every morning. If it hadn’t been for him, she might have succumbed to the pain and died.

‘If I had died back then, maybe everything would have ended well.’

It wouldn’t hurt to learn more about the situation in the Kingdom of Eatinte.

She wanted to find out if there was a way to cure the divine diseases. The priests boasted that they knew everything, but the issue of the divine diseases was never resolved within their ranks. She also wanted to understand how the people here perceived the divine diseases.

Therefore, Hana considered cooperating with Calden, who needed blood. If there were someone she truly wanted to heal, it would be Weed. How wonderful it would be if she could help him recover without dying. She could then see him restored to health.

‘And…’

Hana thought of the elderly woman in the rose-colored dress. Certainly, her heart was moved partly due to this.

“…I miss Grandmother.”

She missed her.

There were things she wanted to say to her grandmother before she passed away. In response to Hana’s unconscious words, a voice resonated in the empty space.

[ Do you want to resurrect her? No, no. You know that it’s not the natural order. Ah, the meaning behind your words… Yes, it seems you need consolation. ]

Hana felt an inexplicable heat rising to her face.

“You’re so noisy.”

[ …If it’s to that extent, it’s possible. If you’re satisfied, then you too would need me… ]

The voice faded away.

Hana lay down and sighed deeply.

‘What does it mean that it’s possible? She passed away a long time ago.’

She continued to sigh heavily.

Whenever she thought of her final moments, her chest tightened. After a while, someone’s hands embraced her. They were two slender hands, passing warmth through the thin skin and a soft texture.

…No way.

No way. No way?

Hana blinked rapidly, and even without a clear vision, she urgently opened her mouth.

“Gra, Grandma…! I, I—”

“Sister?”

“Ah…”

When she opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of a girl with white hair.

Her eyes, as brilliant as rubies, were even more beautiful than the face Hana had anticipated. She had black hair originally, perhaps? The hair color had not fully returned, and it remained a slightly uneven, whitish hue.

The girl’s voice was unexpectedly mature, far from what a girl would sound like. However, it still possessed a delicate and charming quality.

She resembled her late grandmother, who aged gracefully.

Hana urgently bowed her head. It was good that her appearance had improved, but staring too intently might be impolite.

As she lowered her head, what came into view was quite different from her face. The wrinkles adorned both hands, which were holding her hands. For some reason, the hands that were holding hers were trembling. In addition, the voice was almost identical to the one in her memories.

“Pretty sister, thank you.”

“Ye, ye, yes.”

Her vision blurred.

The tip of her nose became stuffy, and the inside of her throat felt prickly. Ah, she was weak in places like this.

Inevitably, she had to be weak.

“Pretty sister, thank you.”

Her only family, her grandmother.

After combing her hair, putting on the floral dress she liked, and adorning her with cheap cubic rings, she would grasp Hana’s hands tightly and say those words with joy.

While struggling with a debilitating illness that cost a lot of money, she never lashed out or threw a fit, quietly enduring her pain. She would just cry alone. The reason she had gathered money and put in effort was for those times.

If possible, she wanted her grandmother to live longer. In the end, it amounted to nothing.

“Sister, are you crying?”

“N, no…”

“Don’t cry. I’m the one who wants to cry with gratitude. Thank you so much. I’ve never been able to hold a party because of this face.”

She hugged her.

Hana buried her nose in the faint, nostalgic scent that emanated from the girl’s perfume. Unbeknownst to her, tears streamed down from Hana’s eye, which she couldn’t even close or blink.

Watching from the opposite side, Calden approached her. Without saying a word, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away her tears. However, no matter how much he wiped, it was futile.

The tears continued to flow.

“…I thought I would age and die, even though I’m this young.”

The princess spoke lightly, as if in a good mood, with a tone of low-key joking before she laughed with a gentle voice.

‘Aging and dying while being young?’

It was a familiar phrase. She had never thought about hearing such words from someone else’s mouth.

Just as Hana was about to say something hesitantly…

Boom.

The cave echoed.

Due to a significant vibration, dust fell gently from the ceiling.

Hana pushed away the princess who was hugging her and wiped her tears as the bed shook. It wasn’t because of an earthquake. Something resembling a plant stem rapidly grew from the ground, winding around the bed as if crushing it.

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