[You have died]
[Unlike all previous deaths, this time you chose to walk into death of your own will]
[The flames charred every inch of your skin, yet you closed your eyes in silence]
[The two people who had given you the most headaches were both dead. You could have simply fled the Northern Territory and no one in the world would have searched for you again. Yet because of a certain obsession, you chose to walk side by side with danger, determined to achieve the ending you considered ideal]
[Was all of this truly worth it?]
[New death ending unlocked: Dying for Love]
[This is a hidden ending. Osha and Ailia both died for you, and you actively chose death for the two of them as well. Everything arose from love]
[Reward unlocked: Heart (Select one item as a medium and gift it to those you care about and who care about you. The deeper the bond between you, the greater the increase to all of your attributes)]
[This death has triggered Task Two: Return to the day you first met her]
[There is no need to deliberately restore the scenery of that day, nor to force false words of affection. Your most sincere smile and words alone will make her feel as though she has returned to the first moment she met you]
[Task Two reward obtained: Sense of Death]
[When sudden danger approaches, you will always perceive it in advance. At the critical moment between life and death, you will always be able to sense where the aura of death is weakest and thus find a path to survival]
[Remaining reload chances: 1]
Everything fell silent once more. The world pressed the pause button.
When Zhe Zilin opened his eyes again, time began to rewind.
His charred skin recovered bit by bit.
Still holding Osha, he retreated from the sea of fire and once again saw the peaceful, contented expression on the girl’s face.
This rewind was especially long.
Zhe Zilin stepped backward one pace at a time.
Ailia reconstituted herself from fragments of light, her petite figure appearing before his eyes once more.
That youthful face was etched even more deeply into his heart than before.
Everything continued rewinding until it finally stopped inside Osha’s room.
Unlike the nightmare-like awakenings of the past, Zhe Zilin gazed calmly at the ceiling.
On his chest, Osha lay quietly like a contented little cat.
Zhe Zilin reached out and gently brushed aside the few stray strands of hair that had fallen into Osha’s mouth.
The touch of his fingertips was soft and warm, carrying the unique faint sweetness of a young girl. There was no cold emptiness of life and death—only real, living warmth.
The room was excessively quiet. Osha’s breathing rose and fell in even rhythm.
Zhe Zilin lowered his eyes.
The same hands that had wiped the dirt from Osha’s face were trembling. In his mind, the image of Osha sobbing and fearing she was no longer beautiful replayed again and again.
His heartbeat could no longer remain steady. No matter how many times he saw those scenes, they would always pierce deep into his heart.
Osha furrowed her brows slightly. Sleepy-eyed, she lifted her head and rubbed her dazed eyes.
She had slept deeply. There was no place in the world that could make her feel safer than Zhe Zilin’s chest.
“Your heart is beating so fast. Did you have a nightmare?”
“Mm. A very terrifying dream.”
Zhe Zilin answered.
“It’s a good thing it was only a dream.”
Osha affectionately pressed her chin against Zhe Zilin’s chest and blinked as she asked, “Was it about me?”
“Mm. You were in it.”
Osha lowered her eyes and asked tentatively, “What about me?”
Zhe Zilin drew a deep breath. His tone carried a slight heaviness.
“We were both buried in a sea of fire.”
Osha pursed her lips.
“That doesn’t count as a nightmare for me. It might even be a sweet dream.”
Zhe Zilin only smiled and said nothing.
The calm before the storm was always like this—lulling people into lowering their guard, only to arrive in an instant and destroy every fantasy of the future.
But he did not want to repeat the same mistakes, and he would not.
Experiencing those heart-wrenching scenes once was enough.
Therefore, Zhe Zilin intended to change the outcome and achieve the ending he considered most ideal.
“What’s wrong?”
Osha propped herself up. She had sensed the shift in Zhe Zilin’s emotions.
Zhe Zilin also sat up and began putting on his robes without waiting for anyone.
Outside the window it was still daylight. There was still some time before nightfall. No matter what he needed to do, there was still enough time.
“Can you do me a favor, Osha?”
“Send your personal guard south to pursue the half-orcs. Bring the half-orcs back to the castle completely unharmed.”
Zhe Zilin believed the half-orcs would not betray them.
The only one he needed to deal with now was Tana, who was impersonating Leon.
Because of the other party’s status as the future King of the North and the constant presence of the knight Airigo at his side, killing him rashly would inevitably draw the siege of every Northern soldier.
Osha shook her head slightly and refused.
“My father ordered that the personal guard must not leave my side by even half a step. Even I cannot change that command.”
Zhe Zilin’s expression turned serious. “Osha, I need your personal guard.”
“I’m sorry, Ed. I cannot leave your side by even half a step. Unless you are with me at every moment, I cannot feel at ease.”
Zhe Zilin fell silent.
From his item inventory he took out a Contract Ring and activated [Heart], selecting the Contract Ring as the medium.
He stepped forward, took Osha’s hand, and slipped the Contract Ring onto her index finger.
Osha stared blankly at the unbroken Contract Ring. Her heart pounded violently.
If Zhe Zilin had betrayed her, even putting on another Contract Ring would have caused it to shatter instantly.
Now, complex emotions surfaced in Osha’s eyes. The corners of her eyes grew moist.
“Ed, I…”
The Contract Ring was meant to be unique.
When Zhe Zilin had placed a ring on Ailia, the Contract Ring belonging to Osha had ceased to be unique and had automatically shattered.
Yet at this moment, on the third floor, Ailia seemed to sense something.
She looked down at her own finger.
The Contract Ring remained completely intact.
Zhe Zilin had chosen the Contract Ring as the medium, originally believing it would only strengthen him through his bond with Osha.
But the instant the bond formed, he suddenly felt Ailia’s presence.
His heart jumped. He thought silently to himself.
Is it because I chose the Contract Ring as the medium?
Did Heart create a connection with both Ailia and Osha at the same time, breaking the uniqueness of the Contract Ring?
The deeper the bond, the greater the increase in power.
When Zhe Zilin checked his current attributes, his eyes widened.
[Swordsmanship Level: Magic Swordsman LV3 → Magic Sword Cavalier LV5]
[Magic Level: Mage LV1 → Grand Mage LV4]
[Name: Zhe Zilin]
[Strength 200: (An ordinary swordsman’s strength is 10. You can face twenty soldiers head-on)]
[Agility 260: (An ordinary soldier’s agility is 10. Even if twenty soldiers attack you simultaneously, you can handle them with ease)]
[Magic Power 300: (Grand Mage. You can learn fifty percent of the world’s magic and one forbidden magic)]
His swordsmanship had jumped two full ranks, while his magic level had leaped an even more astonishing three ranks.
The magic books he possessed had gone from allowing him to learn two spells to one forbidden magic and ten ordinary spells.
The rapid growth in strength was a good thing, yet it was still far from enough to influence the overall situation. He needed the help of both Osha and Ailia.
Osha gently stroked the Contract Ring. Her voice was soft. “I am willing to go.”
Driven by guilt over her past suspicions, Osha moved quickly.
She opened the door, looked back at Zhe Zilin once more, and the former warmth reappeared in her eyes.
When she issued the order, a smile even spread across her face.
Osha led thirty members of her personal guard and charged out of the castle on horseback.
All anger and astonishment vanished in that moment. In her eyes there was only anticipation for the future.
To reverse the entire situation, Zhe Zilin still needed Ailia.
He walked up to the third floor.
Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened on its own.
Ailia’s small figure stood in the doorway, her gem-like eyes gazing at him with complete devotion.
“I know. I felt it. You need me, Ed.”