* * *

“I couldn’t see where he went since I was hiding, but… I can sense an immense amount of magical power coming from the birch forest.”

As I stood there, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of finding Jerome in that vast forest, I felt the pocket watch in my pocket grow hot.

I took it out and checked it. The second hand was pointing to a specific direction.

‘The pocket watch is reacting.’

I remembered that the pocket watch had reacted first when I encountered the heretics for the first time.

Ber, who had climbed onto my shoulder at some point, saw the pocket watch and gasped.

“Master, isn’t that Maya’s Pocket Watch? It’s a 4-star sacred relic! How did you get your hands on something so valuable?”

A 4-star sacred relic, huh.

I recalled the clock-shaped magic circle that had appeared beneath Lily’s feet.

So that immense power had come from this pocket watch. I spoke urgently.

“I’ll explain later, Ber. You need to get out of here quickly.”

“But then Master…”

“Don’t worry about me.”

I gave Ber a confident smile.

Jerome was the only character in the original story who loved Jeanne.

Even if Mephisto was sealed inside Jerome, knowing the extent of Jerome’s affection for Jeanne made him a manageable opponent for me.

‘And after meeting him, I’m even more certain. With such strong magic, it might actually be possible to fulfill the request for Jeanne’s complete annihilation.’

Erasing Jeanne from everyone’s memory—there wasn’t a more appealing option for me, who wanted to live proudly as a man.

So, I made up my mind to keep Jerome alive rather than eliminate him.

Though it deviated from the original plot, I felt an inexplicable certainty.

A conviction that my choice was the right one.

I started walking in the direction indicated by the pocket watch. In a confident tone, I muttered.

“Jerome can never defeat Jeanne.”

---

As I stepped out of the asylum, it started raining lightly.

My eyes met those of a trembling young priest covered in blood.

The moment he saw me, he burst into tears.

“L-Lady! The heretic…”

“I know what’s happening. Are you alright?”

“Yes, for some reason, he just passed me by. But all the other priests have been taken out.”

So it was true that he wouldn’t harm the children. I comforted the crying young priest and asked calmly.

“Stop crying and calm down. Did you see what Jerome looked like?”

“Well… It seemed like the heretical transformation had already begun. One of his arms was completely deformed.”

My heart sank. The transformation had already started—there was no time left. Just as I thought I needed to find Jerome quickly, the surroundings began to grow darker.

The young priest, frightened, pointed to the sky.

“Lady, the sky…”

Following his gaze, I looked up. The sun, which had been high in the sky, was slowly being eclipsed by the moon.

I stared blankly at the darkening sky as a sense of foreboding washed over me.

‘A total solar eclipse…’

I bit my lower lip. I didn’t know why this phenomenon was happening, but it didn’t seem like a good sign.

I pulled the hood of my cape over my head and spoke.

“Is there a place nearby where I can borrow a horse?”

“Pardon? How could someone as noble as you ride a horse…”

“Just answer the question.”

Startled by my sharp gaze, the young priest cautiously replied.

“There is a stable near the edge of the birch forest where the priest’s favorite horse is kept, but I’m not sure if it will let you ride it. It has a notoriously bad temper.”

“Sounds perfect. Where is it?”

“There’s a stable at the entrance to the birch forest. You should find it there.”

I reached out and patted the young priest on the head. His face flushed, and I spoke firmly.

“Thank you. If anyone from the temple comes, make sure to tell them to head to the birch forest. Understand?”

“Yes, I will. But…”

Hesitating, the young priest nervously grabbed my hand with his small one.

“Lady… Are you really the Saintess of Maya who will save us?”

His question made me flinch. I couldn’t bring myself to look into those bright, innocent eyes and say, ‘No, actually, I’m a man, so being a saint is out of the question.’

I awkwardly averted my gaze, feeling troubled.

“No, I just…”

I had no interest whatsoever in being the Saintess of Maya or anything like that.

Having such a grandiose title felt way too much like being the protagonist.

Protagonists always stand out, and the last thing I wanted was to stay in this story any longer. I sighed and muttered quietly.

“I just want to be forgotten as soon as possible.”

Yes, it might sound trivial, but my current goal wasn’t love, self-fulfillment, or even a dream.

I simply wanted to be forgotten. I wanted no one to remember Jeanne. And to achieve that, I needed Jerome’s magic.

‘I have a bad feeling about this. I need to find Jerome quickly.’

Having made up my mind, I headed to the stables, as the priest had informed me. The rain was pouring down heavily from all directions.

It was already dark because of the eclipse, and with the rain, it felt like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

‘There it is.’

I heard a horse neighing from the stables. Rushing inside, I found a frantic white horse thrashing about. It seemed to have been startled by the loud thunder.

‘I’ve learned archery, but… I’ve never ridden a horse.’

As I was panicking, unsure of what to do, the wild horse suddenly made eye contact with me. This might not be the right time to say this, but it was truly a beautiful white horse.

Its coat was sleek and its mane had a golden sheen. Even to my untrained eyes, it looked like a rare, fine horse.

For some reason, the horse seemed to calm down and stared at me intently before approaching.

“Huh?”

I looked at the now calm horse in front of me, finding it odd. It seemed like it wanted something.

After a moment’s hesitation, I reached out and gently stroked its nose. The horse neighed as if pleased.

“Hehe.”

“What, do you know me?”

I chuckled softly, watching the horse perk its ears playfully.

I had heard that horses were usually wary of people who weren’t their owners, so it was surprising that this once wild horse had suddenly become so tame.

With my hand still on its cheek, I asked,

“Hey, could you give me a ride? I need to go catch a lunatic who’s escaped from the hospital… I’ll make sure to reward you later.”

The horse blinked its large eyes and then lowered its body. Curious, I clumsily mounted it.

‘I thought they said it was fierce, but why is it so gentle?’

Riding a horse for the first time wasn’t as difficult as I expected.

Perhaps it was because Jeanne’s body had some inherent sense of balance, likely from being a part of a nomadic tribe.

I urged the horse to run, following the ticking hand of my pocket watch.

“Jerome!”

Even as I galloped through the pitch-dark forest, I kept calling out Jerome’s name.

The further I went into the forest, the more anxious I became.

How long had I been running?

Suddenly, the horse stopped abruptly.

“This is a cliff.”

Just in case, I got off the horse and looked down at the dizzyingly high drop.

As I did, the horse suddenly neighed loudly and struggled, sensing something ominous behind me.

‘It’s Jerome.’

Slowly, I turned my head. Not far away stood Jerome, who had already transformed into a heretic. He was much larger and more menacing than the heretic I’d seen before.

How could I describe it?

The current Jerome looked just like…

‘A wolf.’

Is this the true form of the great demon Mephisto?

My skin crawled.

A massive body. Black, coarse fur covering him entirely.

A mouth drooling with tar-like saliva.

Exposed ribs that curved inward. His glowing red eyes shone in the darkness.

Grrr―.

Jerome, now a heretic, thrashed about in apparent agony, shaking his head.

Kraaa―!

With a roar that echoed through the forest, flocks of birds took to the sky. I chuckled bitterly and muttered,

“Jerome, maybe…”

I clutched the stone of Maya that I had received from Ver.

“Perhaps this is our fate after all.”

Suddenly, I remembered something Carlisle had said: Even a cursed fate is still a fate.

In the original story and here, Jeanne and Jerome seemed to be bound by an unbreakable cursed fate.

I took a deep breath, focusing all my attention on the stone.

Silently, I recited the incantation Ber had taught me.

“Oh, Maya, with the power of purification, respond to my call and awaken your servant.”

The once ordinary-looking stone cracked with a small sound.

A bright light burst forth, revealing the gem hidden within. With my eyes closed, I made a desperate wish.

“Maya, please. If you truly desire peace in this world…”

When I slowly opened my eyes again, I found a bow glowing with white light in my hand.

“Lend me your divine power.”

The feeling of holding a bow again was both terrifying and exhilarating.

I fixed the hand drawing the bowstring under my chin.

After calming my breath, I recited the routine I had repeated thousands of times in my head.

“The first shot…”

With a snap, the broken hair tie fell to the ground. My long hair, reaching my waist, fluttered in the wind.

With unwavering eyes, I drew the bowstring tightly. Jerome, dripping with black saliva, charged at me. I bit my lower lip and read the direction of the wind.

“Be bold.”

As the arrow left my hand, I was already smiling.

“I hit it.”

The golden arrow flew through the air, leaving a trail of feathers.

A giant clock-shaped magic circle appeared beneath both Jerome and me.

As Jerome reached out a massive hand toward me, I looked at him blankly and murmured,

“Sorry, but this time, it’s your defeat, Jerome.”

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the arrow of light pierced Jerome’s heart.

* * *