Ch. 228 May You Rest in Peace
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 228 – May You Rest in Peace
Surprisingly, it wasn’t all that shocking.
Perhaps it was because I already knew about the atrocities the seasons had committed after reading Lucille’s memories.
They were the ones who invaded paradise, tore apart the ‘Ancient One’, and drove out the monsters.
They were the cold-hearted gods who whispered love and bestowed blessings, yet consumed the saintess as a tool when it suited their needs.
So even after learning the truth—that they had abducted me, turned me into ‘Lucia’, and tried to erase all my memories to transform me into Lucille—I wasn’t particularly flustered.
Lucille’s refusal to follow the seasons’ orders was also something I could understand.
Honestly, I would’ve done the same. They were the ones who trapped her in the labyrinth of time for hundreds of millions of years.
While Agares designed the regression of time, it was the seasons who used Lucille as the needle of causality.
From Lucille’s perspective, the seasons were just as detestable as Agares.
In fact, what surprised me more was that she had followed their orders at all. Maybe it was because she wasn’t Lucille herself but a remnant of her.
Well, in any case, it was fortunate for me.
The thought of losing myself was chilling and unpleasant. Honestly, it made my heart race, just like when I self-harm.
But now I know. That impulse stems from Lucille’s desire for destruction. It’s a remnant of her longing for peace during the endless years of repeating time.
“Sorry. Because of me, your tastes have become… strange.”
“Hehe, no. I enjoyed it too.”
And it’s not really Lucille’s fault, is it? I wonder if anyone could have endured that situation without going mad. Even the blessed saintess had her faith shattered over the eons.
“I still get shivers down there when I recall walking around in a bunny girl outfit at night.”
“Ah, I know that feeling. When I walked through the park naked with just a coat on, I felt so liberated it was like my heart would burst.”
“Yeah, thinking about how I’m wasting my life like a gambler betting everything on a moment of pleasure… Hehe, hehehe…”
“Just imagining getting caught by someone and being socially ruined, thinking about the terrible things that would happen… Hoo, hohoho…”
It was a sinister laugh. The excited breaths of the two of us mingled. Lucille covered her flushed face with both hands. The corners of her eyes narrowed like a fox’s.
Wow, what a seductive expression. It’s almost lewd. Not exactly the kind of expression a saintess should be making, right?
Hehe, not that I have room to talk. My face probably looks just like hers right now.
“…Ah, uh, ahem.”
Lucille seemed to snap out of it, coughing awkwardly. Even though her time was running out, she had wasted precious moments.
The remnant of Lucille was racing toward her end, and she surely had a lot more to say before disappearing completely.
“The seasons didn’t just put you in my body to deceive the chosen ones. That’s more of a secondary goal. The main reason is different.”
Well, of course. They’re gods, after all. It’s too pathetic to think they’d swap out the saintess’ contents just to fool their chosen heroes.
“They said that in the final regression, the repeating causality will break, and a new horizon will open.”
“Breaking causality means…”
“It means fate won’t repeat. Humanity’s victory won’t be guaranteed.”
The fate that was fixed by using the blessed saintess as an needle.
The chain of causality that made the events of the first loop repeat.
If that breaks, we’ll escape the fate that repeated 374,104,561 times.
“The seasons want the saintess to guide the heroes again. Like in the past. Like in the first loop. So that humanity can win.”
“…Isn’t that incredibly shameless?”
They stood by and watched while Lucille suffered in hell, and now they want her help?
“That’s just how gods are. You can’t understand them from a human perspective. Their way of thinking is completely different.”
“Humans are the same, aren’t they?” Lucille let out a faint laugh.
She was right. Humans can’t understand the thoughts of other species either. We can guess, but we can’t fully know. How can we understand when we can’t even communicate?
At least gods and humans can speak to each other, but the gap between them is so vast that conversation is meaningless. It’s more productive to talk to a wall.
“I don’t want to follow the seasons’ wishes. It’s not just out of defiance.”
Lucille smiled faintly, like moonlight obscured by clouds. She slowly reached out and tapped my chest.
“My—Lucille’s time ended long ago. Lucille’s personality and soul were worn down and crushed by time, and what’s left here is just a mirage that will soon disappear.”
“…”
“So, moving forward isn’t my role—it’s yours. After all, you’re ‘Lucia,’ aren’t you?”
I’ve thought about it sometimes.
That I’m just an intruder who’s taken over Lucia’s body.
That someday, I’ll have to return it to its original owner.
How can I give Lucia’s body back?
…But I never expected to hear this from the body’s original owner.
“…Are you okay with me taking over your body?”
“I told you. My time is over.”
“But…”
“And the thought of having everything taken away by a complete stranger… it’s kind of thrilling… Hehehe…”
I’d forgotten for a moment.
My masochistic tendencies were inherited from this woman.
I imagined what I would’ve done if I were in Lucille’s position.
…Yeah, honestly, I get it. The switch would’ve flipped.
“Lucia, I believe in you. You’ll guide everyone in the right direction. You love happy endings, don’t you?”
“Yeah, of course. The best endings are the ones where everyone’s happy, right?”
That’s why I tried so hard to stick to the ‘original story’. An ending where the characters could be happy.
Of course, I know. Not everyone can be happy. Happiness is finite, and if someone becomes happy, someone else becomes unhappy. It’s impossible for everyone to be happy.
But it’s not wrong to wish for the happiness of those within reach.
The protagonist of this world, Eugene.
The main heroine, Alice.
The golden generation, Leo and Arin. Anastasia.
Our homeroom teacher, Angelica… and so many others around me. I wish for their happiness.
When the curtain falls on this story.
May it end with the cliché but heartwarming conclusion:
“Everyone lived happily ever after.”
“Hehe, that’s right. Everyone lived happily ever after. Please, make the ending I couldn’t create…”
Lucille didn’t finish her sentence and closed her mouth. Her smile deepened. The finger that had tapped my chest began to dissolve. It turned into golden specks, disappearing like drops of water. Even as her body faded, there was no panic in Lucille. She just smiled bitterly.
“My time is up.”
“Lucille…”
“There’s more I want to say… but, well, most of it is embedded in your subconscious. You’ll figure it out later.”
“Yeah…”
“Really, don’t make such a sad face. This is the ending I wanted. Do you know how long I’ve worked without rest? Finally, I can rest. After working for over 700 million years, I can finally rest. Shouldn’t you be smiling as you send me off? It’s retirement! I’m throwing off all the chains and shackles of the world and leaving to find peace.”
I know. I’ve seen her memories. I understand better than anyone how much Lucille longed for peace. Yeah, of course. A gloomy face would be rude. It’s better to smile and say goodbye, just as she said.
“Lucia, there’s something I want to ask of you.”
“Tell me anything. If it’s something I can do, I’ll do it.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
I could roughly guess what she wanted to ask, even without hearing it. There was only one thing left that she might still care about.
“Take care of Yoo-seong for me. Please explain it to him gently so he doesn’t get too shocked.”
“…Yeah, I’ll do my best.”
“Hehe, it’s strange. I thought I’d long forgotten about love. Why is it that at the very end, I want to see him?”
Yoo-seong would probably find it absurd. He doesn’t remember the regressions. How would he feel if he suddenly heard that Lucille, who was fine just a while ago, had vanished? That some stranger had taken over the body of his dear friend…
“That body is yours now. It’s your freedom to use it however you want. So don’t worry too much about me. Do what you want. Live as you wish. You’re ‘Lucia’ now.”
Lucille, who had been dissolving from her extremities, was now mostly made of light. Her expression was serene as she faced her end.
There was no fear or terror to be found. Just a faint trace of lingering attachment, which soon faded as well.
Lucille smiled. It was a smile like a cracked statue, but it was genuine.
“Ah, finally, I can rest.”
It was a single sentence filled with the weight of all the pain she had endured.
A voice that marked the end of the time she had to endure.
“Goodbye, my hero.”
Whispering a farewell that would never reach him, she looked at me.
“Take care, Lucia. I’m sorry for burdening you. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Lucille’s pink eyes slowly closed. The fading remnant lost its form and crumbled. The scattering light was like fireflies. It was beautiful, but also bittersweet.
The final will of the blessed saintess was disappearing. The saintess, who had lived through eons of time, had departed to find peace.
Goodbye, I said.
I bowed my head toward the fading light and bid her farewell.
After enduring so much pain for so long.
May you, from now on.
“Rest in peace.”
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Lucille’s end is already stated in chapter 169.But now, Lucille’s thoughts have completely disappeared.
However, she still has an influence on Lucia’s subconscious, knowingly or unknowingly.
The reason Lucia became a masochist was thanks to Lucille!
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Let’s kill everyone now!
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