I Love You... I Love You Too!
Killing one's own father with one's own hands.
This act was always difficult to evaluate, no matter the circumstances.
But for Jessica, doing this was not only about revenge, but also about removing the biggest cancer from the Empire.
For the Empire, this was nothing but beneficial.
Eliena looked at the severed head on the ground, its eyes still wide with disbelief, and fell into a momentary silence.
She looked at her daughter, noticing the unwavering determination in Jessica's eyes, without a trace of doubt, and finally felt relieved.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Eliena coughed several times, startling Jessica, who immediately crouched down to check on her mother.
"Mother, what's wrong?"
"Hmm... It seems my time is almost up." Eliena probably guessed what was happening. A faint smile graced her lips, as if she had long since come to terms with everything.
But these words terrified Jessica, turning her face pale.
She had just been reunited with her mother; was her mother going to leave so soon?
She held Eliena tightly, her heart filled with overwhelming sorrow.
Eliena couldn't hug Jessica back. Although she also wanted to cry, she was, after all, the mother. She didn't want to shed tears in front of her daughter.
"Whoosh!"
Two figures descended from the sky.
Merlin and Reina had rushed back immediately after dealing with the sacrificial magic.
Merlin had sensed the unusual changes in the imperial capital, so after finding Lena, they worked together to resolve the trouble.
He had also heard that Henry and Crown Princess Jessica were facing a puppet of Eliena, meticulously crafted by the cultists.
Regarding Eliena, he was probably one of the people who knew her best.
"Eliena."
Merlin's aged voice sounded.
Eliena looked at the old man before her, her lips pressed tightly together, a complex mix of emotions swirling within her.
But she still uttered the address.
"Teacher, it's been a long time."
Hearing Eliena's address, Merlin responded with a hoarse acknowledgment.
He walked up to Eliena and, under Jessica's surprised gaze, crouched down.
He looked at Eliena's puppet body, his tone bitter.
"Look at you, how did you manage to get yourself into such a wretched state after just going out?"
"You said back then that I was too idealistic, that my worldly experience couldn't compare to Reina's. Now I finally understand."
Eliena looked towards Reina, who was not far away.
Reina’s eyes were slightly downcast, her expression somewhat somber.
"I told you back then that your taste in men was terrible, and in the end, you really got schemed against by such scum."
She stared at the headless corpse, a nameless fire rising in her heart.
Then, she snapped her fingers. Instantly, a gravity magic spell crushed Joseph's body into a pulp!
The scene was somewhat gruesome.
But no one present was moved by it.
A faint smile touched Eliena's lips. Some things, even unspoken, were understood between them.
Merlin continuously channeled magical power into Eliena's puppet body.
But the puppet body seemed to have lost its vessel, unable to store any magical power.
"Teacher, don't waste your efforts. Those cultists refined an entire city's population, turning them into Philosopher's Stones, which is how I could be reborn. Now that the Philosopher's Stone is shattered, my soul cannot remain here forever."
Eliena understood her condition best.
She just didn't want Merlin to waste his magic power trying to save her.
This body had committed acts that harmed this nation, and now she had to atone for her sins.
"Mother, is there really no other way?"
Jessica was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. She couldn't accept her mother leaving her side again.
Lena, who was nearby, walked over and held her, letting her cry.
Eliena looked at Jessica with gentle eyes, wanting to see her daughter one last time.
"I've been imprisoned for too long. For me now, this is a form of liberation."
Her gaze shifted to Henry, her voice growing increasingly faint.
"Thank you, Henry. Thank you for saving Jessica. I just hope that in the future, if Jessica encounters trouble, you can help her. This is the request of a mother."
"I will, Auntie."
Henry half-knelt, taking Eliena's hand.
Suddenly, he wondered: could he infuse this puppet with his spiritual power?
Although he didn't know if it would have any miraculous effect, Henry resolutely poured a massive amount of spiritual power into the puppet!
A gentle breeze sprang up around them.
Merlin, Reina, and Eliena all seemed to sense a certain energy continuously gathering into the puppet.
They looked at Henry in surprise.
Sweat beaded on Henry's forehead as golden light seemed to transfer from within him into the puppet's body.
The originally severed torso began to heal rapidly.
Eliena's mouth opened slightly; she instinctively wanted to stop Henry from doing this.
But she was astonished to find that she could actually lift her arm!
Although her consciousness was gradually blurring, her soul seeming on the verge of dissipation.
Jessica stopped crying and turned to see her mother raising her arm.
Finally, Henry's body could no longer endure, and he collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
Seeing this, Jessica cried out in alarm.
"Henry!"
Reina and Merlin acted simultaneously. A radiance instantly enveloped Henry.
His body floated in the air before Reina grabbed him and slung him over her shoulder.
"Little guy, what did you do?"
"Not sure, but it seems Empress Eliena can move now."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Eliena.
And Eliena stood up from the ground.
Jessica, relieved, then excitedly threw herself into her arms. Eliena reached out and embraced her, her hand sinking into Jessica's beautiful hair.
"Jessica, I love you. I love you so much. I hope you find your own happiness in the future."
"Mother, I love you too!"
The two held each other tightly. Though they couldn't feel each other's body heat, they could feel each other's love.
Reina, carrying Henry on her shoulder, turned away, seemingly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
Merlin silently took off his hat, murmuring what seemed like a prayer under his breath.
Under the setting sun, the shadows of the mother and daughter stretched long, as if reaching to the ends of the world.
Henry sank into his subconscious.
Not far away, Cataclysm was dancing on the spot.
Seeing Henry arrive, it excitedly circled around him.
'You worked hard this time. But do you know what happened with that last burst of spiritual power?'
Henry was very curious why his spiritual power could restore the puppet's body and also allow Eliena to move briefly.
Regarding this question, Cataclysm also seemed puzzled.
For it, this seemed like a natural reaction.
"Never mind, let's not dwell on it too much. Being able to help them fulfill their final wish is enough."
In the end, Eliena departed while embraced by Jessica.
For her, living like that would have been a burden anyway.
Henry never expected to get involved in such a huge mess right from the start.
It seemed his luck really wasn't that great.
But come to think of it, Eliena was actually Merlin's disciple and also Reina's senior sister.
This secret wasn't even revealed in the game.
It seemed there were still many things in this world waiting to be discovered.
But after going through such a series of troublesome events, he finally had time to take a long vacation!
It felt like the illusion that summer vacation was coming right after school started just a few days ago.