I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 174

Season 2

 

Rumie Rolland opened his eyes and immediately realized. Another nightmare. For the past few months, he had nightmares every single day. Even though he couldn’t remember the contents of the dreams at all. Still, he was certain they were nightmares because he always woke up with a heavy pain in his chest, just like now.

 

Rumie sighed and sat up.

 

“Rumie.”

 

Did she wake up because of that? His wife reached out to him.

 

“Did you have a nightmare again?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

With a short answer, Rumie swung his legs down from the bed. His wife seemed to want to get up as well, but—

 

“Go back to sleep.” Rumie gently pressed her shoulder, laying her back down. “I’ll just get some fresh air for a bit.”

 

Leaving those words, Rumie went out onto the terrace. The cold night air seemed to ease the pain in his chest a little. He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. As he was smoking for a while, the terrace door opened and his wife came out.

 

“Are you alright, Rumie?”

 

Rumie gave a wry smile and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. His wife was, as always, gentle. Soft and warm. And… a bit bothersome. It’d be better if she just left me alone. If he thought like that, would that make him a bad husband?

 

“Rumie, I’m worried about you.”

 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

 

She came closer and stood next to him. Her blonde hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight. Maybe that’s why—it looked almost like pearls.

 

“Rumie.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Maybe the nightmares are because of that?”

 

“That…?”

 

“Rumie, you lost part of your memory a few months ago, didn’t you?”

 

It was true. Was it about ten months ago? Rumie had suffered memory loss. From what he heard, he fought against dozens of demon worshipers. But he didn’t remember any of it.

 

Foolishly, he single-handedly attacked the headquarters of the demon worshipers swarming the capital and succeeded in killing them all. But in the process, he fell victim to a strange spell and lost part of his memory—or so the doctor concluded.

 

Why on earth did I do that? Rumie didn’t understand himself. Why did he do that? Why did he attack the demon worshipers’ headquarters alone?

 

At that time, he wasn’t even a soldier anymore. So he had no duty to fight the barbarians. Around that time, he had been discharged from the military. He’d taken off the navy uniform he was so proud of. He had left the Windsor family and transferred to the Rolland family, becoming the heir to the duke.

 

Why did he do all that? He remembered none of it.

 

Rumie had lost all memories from the past few years—most of all, some memories were simply missing. There were even people he couldn’t recall at all.

 

Danae Windsor, his cousin, was one of them. All memories of Danae Windsor had completely vanished. He’d heard they were quite close, but he remembered nothing. Absolutely nothing. If only I could see a portrait, maybe I’d remember something. But the Windsor family had a strange tradition of never leaving behind portraits. Maybe that was why. He felt nothing even when he heard the news that his cousin, Danae Windsor, had died. After all, he didn’t remember her.

 

Regardless of his memory problems, the world moved on. Rumie soon let go of regrets over his lost memories and carried on with his duties. His work as the heir of Rolland, his political marriage with Princess Ingria, and sending a gift for his younger sister Allice, who was about to give birth.

 

“Rumie?”

 

At that moment, his wife’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Ingria was looking up at him, eyes full of concern.

 

“I wish you’d try treatment one more time,” Ingria suggested hesitantly. “You’re leaving for the sanctuary tomorrow, after all.”

 

“…”

 

“I heard there’s mystical energy in the sanctuary… Maybe there’s a way to recover your lost memories there?”

 

“I don’t know.” Rumie smiled awkwardly. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

 

“I guess so. You’re going to find your younger sister.”

 

Rumie almost laughed. There was another shocking truth—a suddenly revealed younger sister. So I had another younger sister.

 

A few days ago, his grandfather, Duke Rolland, made a shocking announcement in front of the family. In fact, Rumie had a hidden younger sister. She had been sick from birth and had lived in the sanctuary to recuperate. Luckily, she had recently gotten better, but…

 

“She went missing from the sanctuary, I heard.”

 

“…”

 

“So, Rumie, go and bring her back yourself.”

 

It was absurd. A hidden younger sister suddenly? I think her name is Danaena Rolland. Maybe because he’d just found out about a little sister he never knew he had, he felt strange. And since she went missing in the sanctuary, he was also worried.

 

The sanctuary is even bigger than the empire itself. How could he possibly find her in that vast land? The more he thought about it, the more overwhelming it seemed.

 

“I wish I could go with you,” Ingria murmured regretfully.

 

Unfortunately, Ingria was not allowed to enter the sanctuary. No one could enter without the permission of the leader of the Daiana Church. Even the emperor wasn’t an exception. The newly crowned Emperor Raios, too, had been trying to enter the sanctuary—but he hadn’t received permission from the leader.

 

“If there’s a chance, let’s go together next time.”

 

Ingria wrapped her arms around his. “If you happen to meet the leader, please let them know I’d like to visit the sanctuary someday, too.”

 

“Yes, I will.”

 

“Take care tomorrow. And please find your younger sister, Lady Danaena.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Ingria seemed to hesitate, then, as if gathering courage, she rested her head against his chest. “Rumie.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I love you.”

 

“…”

 

Rumie didn’t answer. He just smiled gently in silence. Fortunately or unfortunately, that alone was enough for Ingria, who beamed as if in bliss.

 

“Travel safely tomorrow, Rumie.”

 

“Yes, I will.”

 

They were three months into their marriage. She was such a good woman that sometimes Rumie wanted to return the words ‘I love you’ even as a lie… But he simply couldn’t make his lips say it. He tried, but it was too hard. Much too hard. He felt sorry for that.

 

“Go inside and get some sleep.”

 

After sending Ingria inside, Rumie smoked another cigarette. Maybe because of his memory loss, he felt a void in his heart. It felt like he’d forgotten something very precious, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

 

* * *

Yeon Dana opened her eyes.

 

“Yeon Dana.”

 

It was a dark night.

 

“Would it hurt to fall from a high place?”

 

On the rooftop of a tall building.

 

“It would hurt terribly. Or perhaps you wouldn’t feel a thing and just die. Right, Yeon Dana?”

 

And then, a relative walked towards her, step by step.

 

“Your family just wishes for you to become a corpse, Yeon Dana.”

 

She backed away, but soon bumped into the rooftop railing, her way blocked.

 

“The inheritance grandfather left is too much for you to monopolize, isn’t it?”

 

And then—a hand suddenly reached out. That hand grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back with all its might.

 

“So, goodbye. I’ll say farewell on behalf of the family.”

 

No. This shouldn’t be happening after all she did to get here. She finally cut off that b*stard, Carl Windsor’s finger. Then she obtained the holy relic and opened the dimensional gate. She even sacrificed Lord Ignis in the process and managed to return to this world.

 

Dana barely managed to return as Yeon Dana. So why have I returned to this moment? Why! It was bitter. Unfair. Frightening. The scariest part was that after the fall, she couldn’t really remember what happened next.

 

Dana struggled with all her might. But the difference in strength was overwhelming. In the end, her body was pushed back, and then back again—

 

“Goodbye, Yeon Dana.”

 

She toppled over the railing. And began to fall. Down, down, down. So far down, into the darkness…

 

Her fall felt like eternity. It seemed like it would never end.

 

* * *

Danaena Rolland opened her eyes. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Her heartbeat rang in her ears like a drum. That dream again. The falling dream. Feeling chilled, she hugged her blanket tight.

 

It was a nightmare she had often. She couldn’t remember the details, but the vivid sensation of falling always lingered.

 

Ugh, I really hate it. Still feeling like she was falling, Dana shivered. It was unpleasant. If the sensation is going to be so vivid, I wish I could at least remember it properly. But her memory was hazy. Not just the memory of the dream, but everything.

 

Dana couldn’t remember anything. Not just the dream—nothing at all. It was what people called amnesia. Her first memory was on a beach. Waves crashing on the sand—Dana woke up there, soaking wet as if she’d nearly drowned.

 

From the moment she opened her eyes, she couldn’t remember anything. Who was she? Where was this place? Why was she lying alone on the beach? But she had only one thing.

 

[Danaena Rolland]

 

A necklace with her name on it.

 

At least I was lucky enough to still be able to read.

 

Sitting blankly on the beach, maybe she looked so pitiful? A passerby cautiously approached her.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I don’t know if I’m alright or not. I can’t remember anything.”

 

“Aah. That’s amnesia.”

 

Thankfully, the passerby was a good person. He helped her a lot. Thanks to him, she found a house and a job. And she found out where she was.

 

This land was called the ‘Sanctuary,’ a massive island ruled like a king by the leader of the Daiana Church. And this was a small seaside village at the edge of the sanctuary.

 

I’m really lucky. Even though she’d lost her memory, at least—she’d met a kind benefactor and could live peacefully like this… Wait.

 

Wait a minute. What’s that sound? Dana closed her eyes and listened. Whooshhh. Could it be raining? Dana sprang up from her seat. Sure enough, rain was pelting the window hard.

 

I left the laundry out in the garden! Dana hurriedly threw on a shawl and dashed outside. But soon, she stopped. Someone was already gathering the laundry from the garden.

 

“Oh, Dana.” He rushed over, carrying the blankets in his arms, and smiled brightly. “It started raining, so I brought the blankets in—are you alright?”

 

“Of course, I am.” Dana took the blankets from him and smiled in greeting. “Thank you, Lord Carl.”

 

He really was kind. To even come into someone else’s garden and help like this. He really is my benefactor.

 

Carl. This man was the passerby who had helped her.