Still… the path I chose now would matter.

It wasn’t just about gaining power—it was about direction. Identity.

And so, I had to choose carefully.

Both blessings were, in their own way, a win.

A boon.

A cheat code that would help me tear through the constraints of my current fate—especially the fate I shared with Liyana.

If either could help me break free from that thread, they were worth considering.

Objectively though…

Erebil’s blessing—the Blessing of Death—was the better choice for me.

I didn’t know why she gave it to me.

It came at the very end of that quiet dinner, after the conversation had shifted into silence and meaning lingered unspoken in the air.

“You can have it little light… so your spark will shine~”

“No! take it out of him now!!! there’s no way he’ll shine with that wretched authority!”

“Use it well~”

“Heyy!!!!”

There was something in her eyes then… something that told me she had seen more of my path than she let on.

And maybe—just maybe—she had her own reasons for giving me that blessing.

But that’s exactly why I couldn’t fully trust her.

It was too calculated.

Meanwhile, Eris’s blessing—the Blessing of Change—felt… gentler. It was trustworthy. Clear.

It was tied to progress, growth, and metamorphosis. All things I valued.

But it came with a catch.

Eris’s power, as divine as it was, wasn’t exactly tailored for dealing with someone like Liyana.

The kind of chaos that wrapped around her couldn’t be controlled with simple “light” or “order.” She was entropy personified—her very existence clashed with the concepts Eris stood for.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t defeat her using Eris’s blessing.

It just meant it would be harder. Much harder.

Like trying to cut through flame with ice—possible, but never clean

[—Blessing of Change]

[Confirm?]

“…Yes.”

I made the safer choice.

Because no matter how enticing Erebil’s blessing was, at the end of the day, she was still the epilogue boss.

god with a history of breaking mortals like toys—and despite her calm demeanor and cryptic words during our dinner, her agenda was clear.

She had plans for me.

And I don’t think those plans are any good…

It would be good If everything went well and facing off Erebil wasn’t going to be a thing, but considering the route of happiness I’m aiming for… fighting Erebil was bound to be my end game.

[Note: First Sequence Absorption automatically set to [Blessing of Change]. Option can be changed until automatic absorption begins.]

…Good.

At least I still had the option to change it.

That helped. It meant I wasn’t locking myself into a singular fate—not yet.

And while Erebil’s blessing was dangerous, it wasn’t something I intended to throw away.

No. Letting that kind of divine power just sit in my system untouched would be foolish. I planned to use it.

Eventually.

“…Hooh.”

I exhaled slowly, the breath leaving my lungs as a white puff of frost against the cold morning air.

I came to a sudden stop in the middle of the academy park, boots crunching against the icy stone path.

Only then did I realize I’d zoned out for longer than I thought.

My feet had brought me to the center of the courtyard without me noticing, and by now, I’d gathered quite a bit of attention. I could feel their stares before I heard the whispers.

“Hey, look… that’s—”

“Didn’t he disappear?”

“I thought he died?”

“The scary senior is back…”

“Hey don’t look at him he’ll assault you!”

“Wait… isn’t that the Hero of Light?”

“Senior Riley…?”

“Hide your girlfriend’s!”

Ah.

It had begun.

When I first arrived at the park this morning, the place was empty—just a few students here and there, doing their own thing, ignoring the winter chill.

But as noon neared, the academy began to wake up, and now the park was flooded with people.

It was inevitable, I guess. My return wasn’t something I could keep under wraps for long.

The murmurs spread quickly, carried like wildfire across the cold air.

And just like that… my peaceful morning training session was over.

“…Tch. Guess I should’ve seen this coming.”

I cracked my neck and stretched my arms behind me, glancing around casually as more students gathered. Some whispered with awe. Others with wariness. A few with fear

News of my return would spread through the entire campus by the time lunch rolled around.

I looked up at the pale sky, the sun barely peeking through the drifting clouds.

For now… I should probably meet up with some of my friends.

Especially Emilia and Lucas.

They were the ones who most likely carried everything in Act 3 while I was gone.

It would be nice to check in, to see how far they’ve come—how much they’ve grown. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d surpassed their limits again.

That’s just the kind of people they were.

Still… I wonder how Emilia will react when she sees me again—especially now that there’s this weird divine aura clinging to me like a second skin.

No matter how well I suppress it, people like her would sense the change immediately.

Evelyn mentioned that no romance had bloomed between Emilia and Lucas, which was a bit… disappointing.

Or maybe concerning was the better word.

After all, it was Lucas’s divine nature, his bond with the Holy Sword, and his selfless personality that originally drew Emilia to him.

In the game, her fall for him was inevitable—something so beautifully tragic and honest.

And here I was, hoping that at least Lucas, with all his protagonist charm, would have caught a heroine or two by now.

But nope.

The guy’s romantic density was apparently off the charts.

At this rate, he’d reach the end of the semester without even realizing he’d stolen a dozen hearts.

If no one bloomed beside him, if no connection formed… well, that might just alter the trajectory of everything.

But there’s no use dwelling on it now.

I had already made a promise to the goddess.

So ignoring Emilia wasn’t even an option.

Kagami and Clara, too. And the other first-year heroines as well.

Though the most important one…

…was probably Reina.

That little sister of mine was probably going to try to kill me the moment she saw me.

She always did get too emotional, especially when it came to me.

And after months of silence—months without any proper explanation or even a word—I wouldn’t blame her.

She must’ve been left answering questions she couldn’t bear to answer, carrying the burden for me, for our family… and for herself.

I could only imagine what she had to say to the duke…. Or Mom’s. Or Dad’s.

Not to mention…

Liyana.

Damn it.

The cold was beginning to settle into my skin now, not from the weather—but from the creeping reminder of what awaited me.

Winter was becoming clearer and clearer in more ways than one, and the semester’s winter vacation was approaching fast—only a few days away.

Which meant one thing.

Soon… I’d have to return home.

Back to the estate.

Back to the obligations I’ve been dodging.

Back to the mess I left behind.

And worst of all—

Back to my bloody fiancée.

Of course, I had the option of not going back.

I could just… stay. Lay low. Pretend like nothing was waiting for me back home.

But by this point?

That was wishful thinking.

There’s no way Liyana would just sit still—especially not now, not with the White Queen gone. That power vacuum was like an open invitation for chaos, and she thrived in that.

She was chaos. And if there’s one thing I knew about her, it was that she was always watching. Always listening.

Although my Liyana senses weren’t tingling for some reason… I know for a fact she’s probably watching..

She was probably already aware of everything—around my affairs… and that includes me openly cheating as well… I know her heart doesn’t beat for me but I doubt she’ll just let it be…

“Great…”

I muttered to myself and dragged a hand through my hair, the weight of responsibility crashing back down all over again.

I really needed to meet up with those two now.

I touched the blue earring hanging from my ear—its surface glimmered faintly with celestial magic, subtle yet powerful.

Inside it, I could still sense the lingering presence of time and space—bound, stable, and humming with dormant energy.

That meant it was still on its path.

Still tracking.

And if I followed that trace, with a little celestial manipulation, I could pinpoint its origin.

A perfect job for someone like Rose.

Looks like seeing Lavine might be happening sooner than expected.

Not that I could really guarantee her help—hell, she probably wouldn’t lift a finger even if the world was ending and I was dangling off the edge of it.

But even so… I could probably earn her assurance. Maybe even a fragment of her support, especially if she met Rose.

The other one, though…

That was going to be trickier.

I didn’t know if I could truly persuade him to get involved.

His motivations were more subjective, layered in loyalty, pride, and an old debt.

But maybe—just maybe—if I leveraged my connection with the Duke, I could sway him.

And I had a feeling Seo would like that too.

I sighed and tugged the scarf up higher around my neck as I moved through the slowly thickening crowd.

The last thing I needed right now was another set of weird rumors popping up.

Especially if anyone caught a glimpse of the marks Snow had left behind this morning.

The hickeys were still faint, but visible enough in this light.

I’m really, really glad the other girls woke up before she could do whatever she was planning.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep