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“Judgment?” Axel asked with a cynical edge to his voice. “When exactly will that judgment come? After they’ve lived their whole lives in luxury and died peacefully?”

His response was typical of a mage who didn’t believe in gods, but Bael simply continued to smile serenely, bowing his head slightly.

“If his life was peaceful, then that too must have been the will of the gods. Mere mortals do not question the will of the divine.”

Axel scoffed, clearly finding Bael’s words absurd. “You’re spouting that nonsense in front of us, knowing full well why you have so many enemies in the Central Church?”

Bael’s soft laugh accompanied a nearly inaudible reply, “Yes. I have once judged a sinful priest with my own hands.”

Bael had grown up in an orphanage run by the Church. The priest in charge there was a wicked man who exploited, beat, and violated the children. He would always carry himself with arrogance in front of the children, claiming that only the divine could judge him.

He constantly asserted that no matter what the children did, it would be futile; he would always return to that place. To the outside world, he was seen as a kind and benevolent priest. No one doubted him. The children, isolated and indoctrinated, couldn’t reach out to anyone for help. Bael was one of those children.

“And so, I, too, live my life waiting for the day of judgment,” Bael said calmly.

Axel let out a deep sigh. “That wasn’t the kind of confession I was trying to provoke. I was just frustrated with the situation. I apologize.”

“No need. It’s the truth. And I have no intention of hiding it,” Bael responded, once again making the sign of the cross. “Living with the weight of a heavy heart is also a form of divine judgment.”

Axel shook his head at Bael’s matter-of-fact tone. “Priests, really…”

“A troublesome lot, indeed,” Bael said with a smile, bowing his head slightly, which made Axel chuckle. Watching their tiresome exchange, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“For a moment, I thought we’d gone back to the old days… when we were hunting the Mad Dragon.”

With such different personalities gathered together, these kinds of arguments had been a constant occurrence.

‘But still…’

Looking back now, maybe they were all just fond memories.

Just as I was lost in thought, a bright flash suddenly appeared before my eyes, and a message window popped up.

[Message from Heaven]

(Notice) 〈Reincarnation〉 Trial Period Ended.

As per the plan you signed up for in advance, the 〈Reincarnation Subscription〉 trial period ends upon reaching the age of 5.

From now on, the 〈Reincarnation Subscription〉 service will transition to a fully paid plan, with subscription fees payable in ‘Heaven Coins’ each month.

※ Please note that according to the terms you accepted in advance, this subscription cannot be canceled.

It was a message I was all too familiar with.

Just a month before my fifth birthday, I had received a similar message and regained my past life’s memories.

‘But if the trial period is ending now…’

The realization struck me, and I quickly grabbed Axel and Bael by their arms.

“?”

“?”

Their puzzled gazes focused on me.

“I…,” I stammered, still feeling a bit bewildered before I shouted, “It’s my birthday today!”

* * *

“Young Lady! It’s such a relief that you’ve safely made it to your birthday!” 

“We were so worried…!”

Rose and Daisy, who were helping me change into my clothes, sniffled repeatedly. Although Lily tried to chide them, saying, “Why are you crying on such a good day?” they couldn’t seem to calm down. It seemed like they were struggling to control their emotions after nearly losing me.

“It’s okay! I’m perfectly fine!” I exclaimed cheerfully, ruffling their hair to reassure them. Thanks to Heaven’s body readjustment, I really was in perfect health, without a single ache or pain.

“Young Lady…!”

“You’re so kind, forgiving us like this…!”

Instead of calming down, the two burst into tears even more dramatically, overwhelmed by my actions. I had meant to comfort them, but now they were crying even harder. Feeling a bit awkward, I slowly withdrew my hand from patting their heads.

‘People’s hearts are such complicated things.’

In the first place, there was no need for them to feel this guilty.

‘It wasn’t their fault that they lost me.’

The priests had planned everything meticulously, and there was no way the innocent maids could have resisted. 

‘Besides, there was a traitor involved, too.’

I had been shocked to learn that Gallio Elpinard had colluded with the priests, and even more shocked that the Duke had expelled him without hesitation.

The first shock was because it was incredibly foolish.

The second was because it was incredibly decisive.

‘Relying on external forces…’

Even if Gallio’s plan had succeeded, he would have been at the mercy of the church forever. Power that isn’t obtained through one’s own means is always fragile, like a sandcastle ready to crumble at any moment. 

As I thought about the Duke and Gallio, Noah’s face naturally came to mind. With his father expelled, it must have been a huge blow for that sensitive little boy.

‘Is he okay?’

The thought of the usually confident kid feeling down tugged at my heart a bit.

“Well, now we just need to finish with your hair decoration,” Lily said as she gently pushed Rose and Daisy aside and took over fixing my hair herself. Her skilled hands quickly turned my plain hair into something increasingly ornate.

‘We don’t usually go to this much trouble,’ I thought. Maybe they were paying extra attention because I had just been through the ordeal of being kidnapped.

While I was still feeling a bit bewildered, Lily finished with the hair decoration.

“Perfect,” she said, smiling as she admired my reflection in the mirror. Then, she glanced at the firmly closed door. “He should be arriving any moment now…”

Even before she finished speaking, I sensed someone approaching from outside. Rose and Daisy, still sniffling, hurried to open the door, despite the visitor not having announced themselves. The door swung open, revealing Duke Elpinard.

‘Wow.’

The Duke was dressed in splendid attire, quite different from his usual, more casual clothing. Even in everyday clothes, he was a sight to behold, but now, dressed up, he seemed almost to radiate a glow from behind. His shimmering blond hair resembled the sun, and his cool blue eyes sparkled like topaz.

‘Who would believe that this man has two grown children and a grandchild?’

Even now, I could imagine women at social parties hovering around him, hoping for a dance. The graceful man strode forward, stopping directly in front of me. His blue eyes scanned me up and down.

‘He’s so handsome! But… why doesn’t he seem scary anymore?’

I realized something felt off. Normally, being in the Duke’s presence made me incredibly nervous, with my heart pounding like crazy out of fear.

‘But now, I feel completely calm?’

Curious, I placed my hand over my chest to feel my heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart was beating steadily and calmly. I blinked and looked directly at the Duke. Despite making direct eye contact with him, I didn’t feel the usual fear.

‘Oh?’

Surprised, I widened my eyes, and the Duke raised an eyebrow, also looking somewhat taken aback. This was the first time I had ever looked him in the eyes for so long without flinching.

‘Could it be…!’

A theory suddenly flashed through my mind.

“Your body has been readjusted, and you are now returning to reality!”

Serlus had mentioned that my body had been readjusted. Could it be that all the fears and traumatic experiences embedded in Reshia’s body had been wiped clean?

While I was pondering this, Lily bowed her head toward the Duke.

“All preparations are complete, Your Grace.”

The Duke reached out and effortlessly lifted me with one arm. In the past, I would have instinctively recoiled and trembled in fear…

‘But now, I feel completely fine!’

To further test my theory, I extended my arms and wrapped them around the Duke, hugging him tightly.