[Epilogue] The Decision

The air near the Seirei no Tami shimmered, and Rio appeared in a flash, cradling the blood-soaked body of Christina in his arms. He gently laid her down beside the tranquil spring, his voice laced with desperation.

“Christina-sama, are you conscious!?”

A faint groan escaped her lips. She was still conscious, but her gaze was unfocused, lost in a daze of pain.

“I’ll heal you right away!” Rio declared, pressing both hands over her wounded chest and pouring his energy into a healing spirit art. But something was wrong.

…The bleeding won’t stop.

The deeper a wound, the more time and skill a healing spirit art required. Even for a practitioner of Rio’s caliber, sealing a fatal injury was never instantaneous. It was a race against time he was terrified to lose.

No! This can’t be happening! I absolutely will not let her die!

He focused, single-mindedly pouring every ounce of his power into the healing. Just then—

“…Lord… Amakawa…?”

Christina’s eyelids fluttered open, her hazy gaze locking onto his face. For some reason, despite being far beyond the Galarc Kingdom’s barrier, she seemed to recognize him.

“You know who I am?” Rio asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.

“The laws of the gods act upon the soul,” a calm voice explained from behind him. A human presence had appeared without a sound. “For her to remember you now means she is on the verge of death. It also shows just how strong her feelings for you are.”

Rio didn’t need to turn to know who had spoken. He merely scowled, ignoring the voice as he silently continued his desperate healing.

“…Am I… Is this… a dream?” Christina whispered, a faint smile gracing her lips as her eyes began to lose their focus.

“Don’t speak,” Rio urged. “I’m healing you.”

“I wanted… to see you. Forgetting you… was so lonely…”

It was hardly a conversation. Her words were like final thoughts spoken aloud, confessions at the edge of life and death. But there was no mistaking it—she knew him.

“To see you… before… I die… I’m glad…”

Lying on her back, she slowly lifted a hand toward his cheek.

“You are not going to die!” Rio shouted, his voice cracking as he watched the life rapidly draining from her face. “I will absolutely heal you!”

“My final… request…” Her voice was growing hoarse, each word a struggle.

“Don’t say it’s your final! I’ll listen to as many as you want after you’re saved!” he pleaded.

“Hold… me…”

That was her dying wish.

“…Hk!”

A choked sound escaped him. It wouldn’t be long now; he could feel it. Even his spirit arts were powerless. Understanding this, Rio’s face twisted in anguish. He gently supported Christina’s body, helping her sit up before pulling her into a soft embrace, prioritizing her last wish over the futile healing.

“I’m so… happy…” she murmured against him, her smile shy and utterly blissful.

With her wish granted, the last of her strength faded, leaving her limp in his arms.

“Christina Beltrum is dead,” Lina stated coolly from behind him.

Rio laid Christina’s body back down, his expression demonic.

That’s a lie

He activated his healing spirit art once more.

“You understand, don’t you?” Lina continued, her tone unwavering. “It’s already too late.”

“…Be quiet.”

“Spirit arts cannot resurrect that child.”

“Be quiet!” Rio roared, whirling to face her.

“But,” Lina said, completely unfazed, “if you make her your vassal, she will breathe again. She will be able to live on, as just Christina.”

She watched him, his hands still stubbornly glowing with healing energy.

“You know how to do it, don’t you?” she stated, not as a question, but as a fact.

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