It was a resurrection I had never wanted in the first place.
Having abandoned all will to live upon the execution platform, I did not dream of an enthusiastic future simply because I had been brought back to life.
Even now that I had taken Zenon into my heart, that fact had not changed. I was still weary, and I believed that at the end of all this, I would obtain what I desired in some form or another.
"......Just as in the past, it seems you would not refuse death now either."
Samuel saw me accurately.
I do not actively crave death, but if death is offered to me, I will not refuse it.
I do not know what Zenon saw in my brief answer. However, he still appeared angry, and he did not bother to hide that from me.
"Must you really obtain that rest you speak of?"
He asked through gritted teeth, forcefully suppressing his voice.
I could clearly feel him struggling to contain his agitation.
"I tried not to ask, but now I need to know. What exactly are you trying to do, Lady Anelli?"
His gaze upon me was so intense that I could no longer bear to meet it.
I lowered my eyes again. In the brief moment I had looked away, I saw something caught in a spider's web, struggling.
It was a white butterfly.
A spider I hadn't even noticed moved swiftly toward its prey.
"Granting rest to those who could not die."
"......Those who could not die?"
Zenon seemed to think of the Dullahans immediately.
"Yes, bestowing free birth and death upon all living beings. This is something my past self should have completed, but things went awry. My resurrection is for that purpose as well."
The spider rapidly spun its web. The butterfly struggled even more violently as if resisting. Yet the more it moved, the more the web ensnared it.
The sight looked pitiful, but I felt no urge to intervene and save it.
"You said you would watch the world end while eating snacks."
"I intended to."
Without taking my eyes off the spider and butterfly, I slowly nodded.
Perhaps my calm demeanor angered him further, for Zenon's voice grew even rougher.
"Then why did you suddenly change your mind? Is it because you learned about your past life?"
So now he's criticizing me for not standing idly by while the world ends?
At Zenon's words, so completely off the mark, I inadvertently let out a laugh.
To think his absurd reaction seemed endearing—this certainly confirmed that I do treat Zenon differently.
'Just as Sir Samuel said.'
Regardless of whether I liked Samuel, I thought he understood me well.
Or perhaps I'm simply an easy person to read.
Samuel wasn't the only one who recognized that I cherished Zenon. Recalling that others had occasionally noticed this, there must have been something I revealed without realizing.
I must cherish Zenon far more than I myself realize. Even more than when I treated Maxel.
"Do you think that man would accept your death?"
Just as Samuel predicted, Zenon was expressing anger I hadn't anticipated. But not everything Samuel said came true.
"You cherish that man, so his words will sway you, I suppose."
Even if Zenon tried to stop me because of the possibility of my death, I had no intention of halting this work.
My desire to escape this wretched world and rest was not the whole of it.
"Do you remember, Zenon?"
As Samuel said, I had no attachment to the world.
The world I encountered upon resurrection was still filled with detestable things. If anything, I had gained even greater revulsion than before my death.
Yet, amidst all that, from some point on, the Dullahans and certain animals and monsters had weighed on my mind.
To think I even met the one person who cherishes me amidst those terrible humans.
I slowly blinked, then raised my eyes.
'......Just one person.'
It had not been long since my resurrection, yet I found it both wondrous and slightly regrettable that I had finally encountered someone I had never met in my entire life.
No, if I had met Zenon in the past, I would not have developed these feelings.
It is because we met now that we could become this close.
"I do not wish to harm your tomorrow."
Zenon widened his eyes as if shocked.
"Lady Anelli."
"Therefore, whatever lies at the end, I am content with it."
At my declaration with no room for compromise, Zenon's pupils wavered slightly. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing and fell silent.
The conversation was over. He quietly bowed his head, and I turned away with an indifferent expression.
Where my gaze landed, there was the spider web I had seen earlier.
At that moment, by coincidence, a strong wind shook the entire thicket.
The precarious web, unable to withstand the wind, snapped. The butterfly, which had struggled ceaselessly, did not miss this opportunity and finally managed to escape.
'Ah.'
The spider, having lost its prey, quickly hid beneath the grass. Under the moonlight, only the empty, swaying web remained.
Was that the result of the butterfly's refusal to give up on life, or the spider's mistake in weaving its web so carelessly, or perhaps the coincidence of the wind that happened to blow at just that moment?
What were the odds of those three things converging?
Shaking off the futile thoughts, I slowly moved my lips.
"I believe I've conveyed my intentions sufficiently, so I'll go ahead."
Zenon, lost in thought, did not stop me. He is emotional, but also someone who strives to understand others, so he must have understood my words.
The path back to the campsite felt particularly long and silent. Perhaps because of that, the thoughts I had cast off once again troubled my mind.
How much influence would my refusal to give up on life truly have?
* * *
The journey that had briefly halted resumed. I had urged us to hurry, after all.
The cracks in the jewel containing Dasha were gradually becoming clearer, so it couldn't be helped.
I had to reach the destination as soon as possible, part ways with Samuel, and realize the final divine authority before Dasha went on a rampage.
Of course, I didn't think Samuel would leave willingly once we reached the destination.
However, it was already a great relief that he wasn't insisting on guiding us further.
It seemed to be because Zenon was complying with my wishes without any particular resistance.
Samuel seemed quite surprised by Zenon's quiet demeanor, as if he had expected him to take some action.
"Are you really determined to complete the final divine authority?"
"Sir Samuel, if you're going to interfere, say so now. There are plenty of Dullahans who hold grudges against you."
Perhaps because even Zenon couldn't persuade me, Samuel's resolve to stop my death seemed to have diminished somewhat.
I don't know why he caused such trouble when it would come to this anyway.
"We should reach the entrance to the mountain range by tomorrow. Inside the range...... there are no maps, so I can't tell how rugged it will be. We don't know what monsters we might encounter either."
Zenon, looking at the map as he led the way, turned back to speak to me.
"Hmm, I see. We're almost there."
"We're not almost there. The destination is Belladia Castle."
"At this point, we're practically there."
Samuel avoided looking at me with a complicated expression.
He seemed to sense that even if he suddenly refused to guide us now, he couldn't stop me any longer.
"Let's rest for a moment. I'll check the external situation and return. I heard the Temple has begun their heretic purge operation."
Samuel said in a resigned voice. Zenon also moved away, saying he had things to confirm at the Magic Tower.
"......"
I had things to check before entering the mountain range as well. Stroking Nadav's mane as he stood docilely, I activated the communication magical tool.
The mana stone in the center flickered, then glowed brightly as someone's voice flowed out.
—Anelli.
"Lord Heinri. It's been a while since I contacted you."
I had acted openly while in Montel Territory, so he must have heard news of me.
Along with news of Maxel and Lilia, who had been causing trouble here.
When I was kidnapped by Dasha and reunited with them, Samuel and Zenon said they had received summonses flown in from the capital.
As the Crown Prince and prospective Crown Princess, they weren't bound, but from the atmosphere, it was said to be no different from escorting criminals.
"I know you're busy, but I wanted to ask for news."
Before I could ask anything specific, Heinri spoke as if he had been waiting.
—I don't know if the news has reached you, but the Temple has publicly accused Roam of worshipping and spreading heresy.
"Ah, because of Lilia."
I had already heard that Samuel had branded the trading company cooperating with Lilia and the monster hunters belonging to it as heretics.
Also, since there was a disturbance during my kidnapping by Dasha, they might have found some clue about their relationship.
—Not only that, but the Temple confirmed footage showing Roam kidnapping a Resurrected person who was staying at the imperial palace. Furthermore, they found additional evidence that they recently tracked and attempted to harm Resurrected persons.
"So coming all the way to the Dead Land was a problem too."
At that moment, I thought of Frigian, who had chased us all the way to the Dead Land to find the kidnapped Resurrected person.
She probably wanted to be seen as a devoted sister trying to save her kidnapped younger sister, but from a slightly different perspective, the opposite interpretation was possible.
For instance, the interpretation that she was a heretic who recklessly pursued tracking, risking danger to make it look like the Resurrected person was killed by monsters.
—Duke Roam vehemently denied it, but as Lilia Roam fled, his claims lost all credibility.
I nodded, then froze.
"......What?"
—Maxel and Lilia have fled.
I hadn't misheard. As I stared blankly at the communication tool, Heinri continued in a grave voice.
—At the same time, Count Ruesak and his family have been arrested for the crime of harboring those criminals.
Oh, this is quite surprising news.