‘Do you not trust me? This young man is quite skeptical.’

‘It’s not that. It’s just… hard to believe….’

The one conversing with Ethan in his memories was none other than Duke Everett.

Though it was just a fragment of memory, it hinted at what might have happened to Ethan in the past.

Swoosh.

But due to Somnia immediately picking it up, the remnants of the memory ended there.

I swiftly moved on to the next box. While the boxes had a consistent shape, there were slight differences in the shades of their colors.

Finding the boxes, I pierced them with my fingertips, causing them to burst, again and again. It was already the 79th box. There was still a long way to go… I’m starting to get tired. When will I burst all these boxes?

—Well, I did say it would be difficult.

‘….’

Hearing that made me feel strange. Even if I end up bedridden after all this, I was determined to see it through.

After taking a deep breath, I started moving again. Mechanically finding and bursting boxes over and over. I immersed myself in the task without counting.

It felt like I had reached a trance, as if I had become a machine existing solely to burst these boxes.

However, the effectiveness of this method was clear. By emptying my mind and repeating the same action, the efficiency increased.

How much time had passed?

Before I knew it, I stood in front of the last remaining box.

—You’re quite persistent too.

‘….’

Ignoring Somnia’s words, I gazed at the last box with a hint of reluctance.

What memories could be inside this box? Perhaps because it was the last one, I wanted to examine the memories this time.

‘This time, let me examine the memories first before you pick them up.’

—Aren’t you tired? Are you okay?

‘I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion, but… it’s the last one.’

I slowly reached out towards the box. As I lightly touched it with my index finger, the box burst like a water droplet, and memories flowed out from it.

‘Brother will make sure to succeed and live in a nice house. You’ll wearing pretty clothes every day and eating delicious food.’

‘Ung, that’s great, but don’t overdo it.’

‘…My little sister is so kind.’

Ethan gently smiled and stroked the head of a little girl.

The sound of the child’s pure laughter echoed, and the memory scattered. I blinked blankly. Somnia, who had quietly approached, gathered the memory.

‘…It’s a short memory.’

—Yes.

But, how should I say it… I felt that it was a very precious memory.

Having released all the memories, changes began to occur in this unconscious space.

The colorless world slowly started to gain color. In addition, shapes like trees, houses, and people were emerging.

—Oh, I guess it’s time to leave?

‘What’s happening?’

—As the scattered selves merged into one, the deep world began to reconstruct. Let’s get out of here. You need to rest soon too.

‘…Alright.’

I felt Somnia’s energy wrapping around me.

And the next moment, I opened my eyes in reality.

“Lily…!”

…As always, I was in Theodore’s arms.

As I sighed and tried to get up, Theodore supported me.

I glanced at the ground. Judging by the direction of the shadows, it seemed that not much time had passed in reality. Although, subjectively, it felt like about 10 hours had passed.

‘Ethan…’

Ethan was surrounded by Philist and others, making it hard to see.

I dragged my exhausted body over there despite feeling like I might faint at any moment.

Zen, who was anxiously watching Ethan, turned to me and asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I nodded in response. I didn’t even have the strength to speak.

“Huuh… Huh… Uuuhhh…”

Ethan was crying. Still restrained, his head was hanging low as he poured out his tears.

But it was a dry sob. He couldn’t shed tears because he was already dead.

Seeing that, Philist clicked his tongue and said to me,

“It seems the Duchess used the power of that legendary spirit again.”

“…..Yes, I restored his consciousness with Somnia’s power.”

Explaining the deep world was complicated, so I kept my answer brief.

Philist clenched his chin, sighed, and spoke again.

“I don’t know much, but it seems there’s some story behind this. Did the Duchess find out something with the power of that spirit?”

I recalled the memories from the last box but chose not to answer, silently shaking my head.

Certainly, that was a memory that shouldn’t be mentioned lightly by others.

It took some time before Ethan stopped crying.

He stood there, shoulders slumped as if exhausted, staring blankly into space. However, it wasn’t the vacant look he had earlier. Now, his eyes… contained emotions.

“….Ethan.”

I called him gently, and he lifted his head to look at me. The expression on his corpse-like, pale face felt unsettling, but I spoke without revealing any emotion.

“Now, tell me everything. Everything you’ve been through.”

“…”

Ethan quietly lowered his gaze. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“….I will tell you everything. However, I have one request.”

“A request?”

I asked, and Ethan raised his head again. He was crying again.

“After I tell you everything, please kill me.”

Surprised by the unexpected request, I paused for a moment. Ethan’s voice, filled with a deep plea, continued.

“Please… Promise me that you won’t use me anymore. I don’t want to kill people anymore. Please, I beg you…”

“…”

For some reason, I….. felt a bit choked up. Was it empathy? Or perhaps because I saw a reflection of myself in his appearance, exploited as a puppet of the Everett family.

Whatever the reason, there was no reason not to grant his request.

With a firm voice, I said,

“Yes. After everything is over, I promise to send you back to the earth.”

“….!”

__