The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 156

156. The Truth Revealed (3)

2024.04.04.

The book Joshua read mentioned a place called the ‘Boundary of Time.’ It was described as a mysterious world where different timelines intertwined.

Time was originally a domain governed by God. However, after extensive research, wizards discovered magic that could turn back time.

But turning back time was not easy. Some lost their lives simply by attempting it, and others were said to have ended up in the wrong place altogether.

Therefore, the fact that Rosette had safely turned back time and remained unharmed for over ten years was almost a miracle.

However, the book also stated that side effects could occur as the returned timeline gradually aligned and became similar to the original. The caster could become trapped in the boundary between the two overlapping timelines, never to return.

Joshua was convinced that Rosette was wandering in that ‘Boundary of Time’.

The book also described how to bring Rosette back. Someone had to go directly into the ‘Boundary of Time’ and retrieve her.

As soon as he confirmed this, Joshua rushed to Adrianza. He didn’t hesitate. He knew intellectually that someone else could do it, but he felt compelled to go himself.

Even if things went wrong and he also got lost in the ‘Boundary of Time’, he felt he was the only one who could truly fix this.

In the carriage heading to the mansion, Joshua told Silver about his plan in advance, in case he couldn’t return.

“If I don’t wake up after some time has passed, go to the Witch of Fire. You can tell the Witch of Fire’s familiar.”

Silver showed his displeasure.

[Woof!]

Silver liked Rosette. But familiars typically prioritize their summoners. Of course, the most important person to Silver was Joshua.

He was worried about Rosette, but he was even more concerned about Joshua taking such a risk.

Joshua stroked Silver’s back as the familiar questioned whether someone else could do it.

“I have to go.”

Still, Silver whined.

“Yeah, I know. This plan has a high probability of failure.”

It wasn’t that Joshua hadn’t considered the worst-case scenario. He had also thought about the repercussions that would occur in Adrianza and the Imperial Palace if he were to fall alongside Rosette.

Ophelia would be devastated, and the Lillis family and Louis would become emboldened.

Knowing all that, he still decided to go himself.

“Then I’m counting on you, Silver.”

Joshua entrusted his back to Silver, who opposed his plan until the very end, and put his plan into action.

He headed to Rosette, using the pendant Ophelia had given him as a medium.

His consciousness blurred, and he felt like his body was floating.

When he opened his eyes again, Joshua was standing in darkness where he couldn’t see anything. He didn’t know where to go, but he started walking forward aimlessly.

Just in case, he tried to summon Silver, but the connection was completely severed.

‘Does that mean Rosette is wandering around this empty place without even a pager [a device for summoning or alerting someone]?’ Thinking of his lover being alone in this place for so long, his pace quickened.

Joshua was walking, endlessly searching for Rosette, when suddenly, something started to materialize around him.

Joshua stopped and focused on the changing scenery.

‘This is…….’

Even without explanation, he knew that what he was seeing now was Rosette’s memories.

The first memory was of Rosette meeting Marquis Dallas at the orphanage where she had lived since she was a child.

-I’ll take this child.

Marquis Dallas, recognizing Rosette’s magical talent, was very happy and declared that. He didn’t listen to Rosette’s opinion.

-Marquis. I am grateful that you have decided to adopt her, but we must also consider Rosette’s feelings…….

-Who dares to object to me taking her?

-I would be grateful if you could consider it with a broad mind…….

-I don’t know why you are opposed to me adopting this child as part of a charitable project, not with bad intentions. Or has my donation been insufficient?

Rosette, who had been quietly watching the situation, whispered in a small voice as the atmosphere became tense.

-I’ll go. Director, I’m really okay.

So, Rosette left the orphanage, where she had grown fond of it, with the children seeing her off. Everyone thought that she would live happily without any hardships after being adopted into a noble family.

However, the reality that Rosette faced was very different from the children’s expectations.

-Take her away separately. She smells terrible.

The Marquis, who ordered Rosette’s few belongings to be thrown away, took the main carriage alone and left. Rosette took a shabby carriage that his servant had hurriedly prepared and headed to the Marquis’ residence.

The situation that followed was even more desperate.

-Is this child my sister? Father, aren’t you being too harsh?

-Ah, she smells vulgar. How can she smell like a sewer?

The children of Marquis Dallas did not welcome Rosette. In particular, Elisha Dallas, the youngest daughter of Marquis Dallas, harassed Rosette. Sometimes subtly, sometimes openly.

Rosette lived as if she were treated worse than the maids, let alone a noble lady.

Marquis Dallas treated Rosette only as his chess piece. He thoroughly neglected the education she should have received as a noble and only taught her magic, especially offensive magic.

When Rosette grew to some extent, he even engraved a spell on her heart that would make her unconditionally obey his orders.

Joshua walked, examining each and every scene without missing a single detail. The murderous intent towards Marquis Dallas, who was already dead, rose from within him.

‘I shouldn’t have let that man die so easily.’

How did Rosette endure this and live?

How could that small and fragile child…….

Joshua, who had been walking through Rosette’s pouring memories with his teeth clenched, stopped in front of one memory.

-Your skills are good. Did Marquis Dallas send you?

It was the memory of the day Duke Adrian died.

-You remind me of my daughter. It’s not too late now. Go back. You don’t belong in this kind of work.

Joshua vividly felt the emotions Rosette felt when she heard Duke Adrian’s words.

‘I didn’t really want to do this kind of work. I was happier when I lived in that orphanage.’

The moment he heard her thoughts filled with pain, Joshua closed his eyes tightly.

Even though he knew very well what would happen, Joshua hoped for a different future. A story in which Duke Adrian, who reached out to Rosette Dallas, saved her from the Marquis’ clutches.

But reality was cruel. Rosette, who tried to leave the office against Marquis Dallas’ orders, returned and pierced the Duke’s heart with magic because of the spell engraved on her heart.

-Never go back to him.

Rosette sat down in front of Duke Adrian, who was worried about her until the end, and shed tears endlessly.

‘How can I escape this hell? Won’t you give me the answer?’

Joshua, listening to Rosette’s heartfelt thoughts, moved forward again.

If this space shows Rosette’s memories, Rosette must also be suffering while looking at her past.

Rosette was sometimes so bold that he wondered where she got such courage, but in fact, she was a very fragile person.

Maybe she was crying alone somewhere right now.

But finding Rosette was not easy.

Something rose from under the ground and grabbed Joshua’s ankle, knocking him down, and a thorny field appeared and blocked his path.

Even though he was clearly wandering in his consciousness, the feeling of sharp thorns scratching and tearing his cheeks felt as real as it actually was.

Still, Joshua walked and walked again. The anxiety that he might fail in this task had disappeared without a trace.

‘I will definitely take you out.’

A burning sense of duty drove him forward.

Rosette had already given him a new opportunity. Joshua seized that opportunity and lived a second life without regrets.

He saved the people he loved. He found new love.

So now it was his time to return all of that to Rosette.

He would find Rosette and tell her that she had suffered a lot and that he would never let such things happen again.

After walking for a while, he heard sobbing from somewhere. Joshua walked towards that direction.

Soon, he saw Rosette sitting far away, huddled up. Rosette was in the form of a small child.

The appearance was similar to when she was abused by Marquis Dallas and cried alone in her room.

“Rosette!”

Joshua ran to her.

“Rose!”

Rosette, who raised her head and found him, widened her tearful eyes. Joshua grabbed Rosette’s transparent hand and hugged her tightly.

‘It’s okay, everything will be okay now.’

As he whispered that, the surrounding scenery changed.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in reality.

Joshua shed tears as he looked at Rosette, who was barely opening her eyes.

The tears that he didn’t shed when he lost Ophelia, the tears that he couldn’t hold back and poured out when he lost Duke Adrian and Daniel, poured out again like that.

It was tears filled with regret, gratitude, pity, and relief.

“Thank you, Rose.”

Thank you for not giving up and living through all that pain, and thank you for being by my side.

Joshua couldn’t bring himself to say those words and only shed silent tears.

That was the end of the story.