I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 293

* * *

…Is it a dream?

 

“Get ready to leave, Dana.”

 

Dana stared blankly at Rumie’s face. Inside the room, bright sunlight streamed in. Rumie lifted his pocket watch. It was 7 AM.

 

“The sea breeze will grow stronger at noon. Let’s leave before then.”

 

What is this? She was sure that last night, Anton had struck her on the head and knocked her unconscious. Yet when she opened her eyes, only Rumie was waiting for her. There was no Anton or Ingria. That’s strange. I saw Rumie injured and tied up with ropes.

 

Dana had been out of her mind at that time and hadn’t noticed. But thinking about it now, the man seemed a little different from Rumie. To be exact… His body. She stole a glance at Rumie. Broad shoulders and a firm, muscular body that stood out even beneath his suit. Unlike his pretty face, his sturdy build was certainly something the man from yesterday had not possessed. Right. It seems he was someone who only had the same face. However…

 

“I saw someone yesterday who looked like Brother.”

 

“Did you dream about it?”

 

“…”

 

“It must have been a good dream. To think there were two of me.”

 

With him responding like that, she couldn’t ask any further. Even the room was spotless. Although the man who resembled Rumie had been injured and bleeding profusely, there wasn’t a single drop of blood left in the room.

 

Has it really all been a dream? Seeing the neat, spotless room and Rumie drinking tea in his beautiful bearing made her even more suspicious.

 

“What about Ingria and Grandfather?”

 

“Unfortunately, it seems they were contaminated by the rotten land,” Rumie said casually, setting down his teacup. “Rotten land appeared on Godom Island, and everyone died.”

 

“…”

 

“It’s fortunate that at least you survived.”

 

“…”

 

“Isn’t it?” Rumie looked at her with a subtle smile and asked gently once more. “Isn’t that right, Dana?”

 

“…”

 

Dana swallowed. She found it strange that Rumie was so willingly volunteering to be her accomplice, and the sense of incongruity made her throat prickle, but…

 

“Yes.”

 

It wasn’t a bad scenario for her. Though Rumie’s detached attitude only made Dana feel as though she were sinking deeper into a maze. Could it really all have been a dream?

 

“Get up and take a shower. Let’s have our meal after we get to Eldiva Island.”

 

“Yes, Brother.”

 

Dana answered like that and got up from the bed. It was the moment her feet touched the floor. Drip.

 

“…Ah.”

 

Dana froze in place. This. Something. A strange sensation. Yes, the feeling of something dripping down… She was so shocked that she simply stood there, then creakily turned her head to look back at Rumie.

 

Rumie was leisurely drinking tea while admiring the sea spread out beyond the window. Perhaps sensing Dana’s gaze, he looked back at her. “What’s wrong, Dana?” He smiled gently. “Do you have something to say?”

 

“…”

 

Dana’s face flushed bright red. It hadn’t been a dream. Definitely not.

 

* * *

While Rumie prepared the boat, Dana headed underground to retrieve the holy relic. He had willingly allowed her to go alone.

 

In this place full of contamination, just stepping on the wrong patch of rotten land by mistake could kill you at any time.

 

“Be careful. Don’t take too long.”

 

From the simple warning alone, it was clear that he knew about her ability.

 

What on earth happened after I collapsed yesterday? As she walked through the hallway of the grand temple, it was filled with corpses that had rotted to death. She also discovered corpses believed to be Anton Rolland’s and Ingria’s. Their entire bodies had rotted away, making their faces difficult to see, but she was certain it was them…

 

Is Rumie alright? He seemed to care quite a lot about Ingria. More than anything, hadn’t he regarded Anton Rolland like a father? But that wasn’t all.

 

Dana stopped dead in her tracks. She had been certain earlier as well, but having a relationship with Rumie had not been a dream. There was still a dull, throbbing sensation left behind, too much to call it a dream. And more than anything else, it had spilled out. Traces left behind from what Rumie had released last night. Truly, it had been an enormous amount, enough to make her face burn with embarrassment.

 

She gently rubbed her abdomen. It’ll be okay, right…? She couldn’t possibly have gotten pregnant from just that one time, right? But just in case, should she take medicine as soon as she returns?

 

“Aaaah.” Dana let out a scream-like groan and clutched her hair. The strength left her legs, and she briefly sank down.

 

At the very last moment, Rumie had clearly tried not to create a dangerous possibility. Even while he had been that far gone, he had still done so. But she had grabbed him. She really must be insane. But then again, it had been her insane time.

 

Hurry… Dana staggered to her feet. She needed to retrieve the holy relic and fix her mind, which went crazy whenever night came. “Holy relic, hurry, holy relic…”

 

Dana walked past the decaying corpses. And at last, she arrived underground. On the stairs leading toward the altar, there was still a thick pile of dust that had once been Demian. For an instant, anger surged through her. Because of you, I’ve gone this crazy, you b*stard! Because of you! All because of you! She stomped hard on the dust without hesitation, then passed it and stood before the altar.

 

Aah, here it is. It had been safely engulfed in contamination. Her beautiful holy relic. Dana gazed down at the amber-colored jewel embedded in the altar floor with an entranced expression. Finally, she could get her hands on the holy relic!

 

Dana bent her knees and reached out. In that brief instant just before her hand touched the holy relic, countless thoughts raced through her mind. First, I need to deal with this body’s lifespan. Now she had only 52 days left to live. And then I’ll fix my mind. She would fix this mind that lost all reason and became clouded by madness whenever night came. Right. I’ll do that first, then decide the priorities among the things I need to do. There’s so much to do…

 

At last, her hand touched the holy relic. At that instant, Dana’s thoughts went black. Her mind turned completely white.

 

“…Huh?”

 

What is this? Dana traced the holy relic with her fingertips and grasped it in her hand. The more she did so, the more certain the strange sensation became. What is it? Something’s different.

 

The feeling was completely different from when she had previously touched Carl Windsor’s ring, the holy relic. That holy relic had been light yet heavy, cold yet hot. It was as if the sun had been placed inside a small glass marble. Its presence had been distinct even while it was in her pocket. But this was just… It felt like a stone. No. Surely not. Her heart pounded rapidly as she sensed something ominous. She shook her head. That couldn’t be.

 

Dana clenched the holy relic tightly. “Lifespan.”

 

It was daytime now. The sun’s time. A time when she could use the holy relic as much as she wanted.

 

Gripping the holy relic, Dana whispered desperately. “Extend my lifespan…” She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed. “Extend my lifespan. Solve the problem my heart has.”

 

Why… Just why… Why Wasn’t anything happening?

 

Dana slowly lifted her eyelids. With hollow eyes, she looked down at the holy relic. It was simply lying quietly in her palm like an ordinary jewel. This can’t be happening. She gripped it again. The cold and warm stone, from which she could feel no power at all.

 

“Open the dimensional gate.”

 

It was very quiet.

 

“Take me to Ice Lake.”

 

Very still.

 

“Bring Demian back to life.”

 

Unmoving.

 

“Or at least try lighting the torch.”

 

As the silence stretched on, Dana’s tone gradually became sharper. “Do anything! I don’t care what, just do something!”

 

Just do anything! Anything! Do it! Only her sharp cries echoed back through the underground chamber.

 

Dana breathed heavily. Her eyes burned red. “What a joke.” She picked up the fake holy relic she had given Demian, the amber-colored jewel that had fallen to the floor. A laugh escaped her in that instant. Only after holding the two jewels in her hands did she become certain. “Ha.”

 

This holy relic was fake. It was just an ordinary jewel. Just as she had deceived Demian, someone had switched it with a jewel resembling the holy relic. Probably before she opened this altar. No, before she even came to this island. Perhaps long before that. The holy relic here had already been taken by someone else.

 

A wave of dizziness rose up, and Dana staggered before collapsing inside the altar. Her head spun, and her stomach churned. How? Who? Why? Who could have taken the holy relic? The holy relic was buried in the middle of the rotten land, the contamination. No one should have been able to touch it. Who on earth!

 

No. That’s not it. No, no. There was someone who could touch it. The Geranze family. Those imperial family members blessed by the Sun God Ramun! Whether it was Raios, Yustio, or even Wilhelm Geranze, they wouldn’t become contaminated. They could easily take it without being affected by the contamination!

 

Who is it? Who took my holy relic! Whoever it was, she would take it back. Even if it was Yustio Geranze, she would take the holy relic back no matter what!

 

With bloodshot eyes, Dana placed her hand on the altar. Then, without hesitation, she opened it. Insight. That enormous demonic eye that looked down upon time. I need to see who took this holy relic.

 

Perhaps it was because she was excited to the very tips of her hair, or perhaps because Rumie had filled her source of power, lust, to the brim the night before.

 

“Show me who took this holy relic.”

 

Her insight activated with astonishing ease. Flash. Another eye opened. And the past unfolded before her eyes.

 

“Gah!”

 

Creeeak. The stone door to the underground chamber opened. A priest of the Somora religion tumbled into the inner chamber as though thrown headfirst.

 

“Le-Let go of me! T-This is the underground chamber!”

 

A hand lightly gripped the priest by the back of his neck and dragged him along like a dog. It was the hand of an enormous man.

 

“As promised, I guided you all the way here, to the underground chamber! So let me go!”

 

The priest trembled while caught in that grasp. His eyes shook with terror.

 

“Le-Let me go. I won’t tell anyone that you broke into this place.”

 

Eventually, his tear-filled face began to plead.

 

“Please, spare my life! I won’t tell anyone!”

 

Then the hand gripping the back of the priest’s neck loosened. Perhaps relieved by this, the muscles in the priest’s face relaxed for a moment. But that hand then grabbed the priest’s jaw and ripped it off with a crunch. It was a gruesome killing. The priest died without even a scream. He collapsed face-first, blood pouring from him.

 

The man passed by the corpse without the slightest interest. Step by step, he calmly walked up onto the altar. He stared down at the altar’s cover for a moment, then lightly tapped it with the toe of his shoe. It didn’t open. The man let out a sigh, as though annoyed.

 

“Aah, if you had placed a spell on the altar, you should have told me beforehand, Priest. Then I would have kept you alive until I opened the lid.”

 

A low mutter laced with irritation. But a moment later, the man reached out and forcibly tore the altar’s cover open. Crackle, crackle. The electricity of light sparked in resistance. However, when a vein rose once on the back of the man’s hand, everything ended in an instant.

 

Boom! The lid fell unceremoniously to the floor, sending up clouds of dust. But the man paid it no attention. He simply looked at the bottom of the altar, buried beneath pitch-black contamination. At the holy relic floating within it like the sun.

 

“So this is it.”

 

The man’s amused mutter scattered into the air. He then reached out, picked up the holy relic buried in the middle of the contamination, and pulled it free. The gesture was light and easy, without a trace of contamination sticking to his fingertips.

 

“This is…”

 

Then he brought it close to his face. As though fascinated, he began turning it this way and that, examining it.

 

“So this is the holy relic.”

 

An unusual light glittered in his clear green eyes. He then tore off the amber-colored jewel attached to the ring on the middle finger of his left hand. After that, he placed it in the spot where the holy relic had been. On the floor of the altar.

 

The man brought the holy relic to the place where the jewel on his ring had been. The holy relic filled the empty setting of the ring and adhered to it as though water were seeping in. It was as if it had been the jewel in that ring from the very beginning. As if that jewel had adorned the deputy head’s ring from the very beginning.

 

“Pretty.”

 

Carl Windsor smiled in satisfaction.

 

“Will Dana like it?”

 

He smiled brightly.