Chapter 49

The day of the procedure had arrived.

“This procedure will use a miracle of mental stabilization to protect both of their minds while gradually and completely lifting the sealing magic to restore Princess Iomene’s mental state. It requires a combination of powerful miracles and precise magical techniques.”

The court mage adjusted the intricate magic circle set up inside the Mage Tower before explaining to the Emperor.

“If I understand correctly, the procedure relies on the twin-born trait, where if one mind is injured, the other, being intact, can help restore it. Is that correct?”

“Precisely, Your Majesty.”

“The goal is for Almeine’s stable mind to transfer over to Iomene, allowing both of them to recover, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“And what are the chances that Iomene’s negative emotions and memories could transfer to Almeine, causing problems instead?”

The court mage nodded grimly at those words.

“There is a definite risk. Completely lifting the barrier means that their memories, emotions, and thoughts will be shared in real time. Instead of restoration, there is a possibility of simultaneous mental collapse.”

“That would be the worst-case scenario.”

“But we cannot keep their connection artificially severed forever. If this forced separation continues indefinitely, it may eventually lead to permanent damage to the shared soul they both possess.”

The Emperor pressed his fingers against his temple, looking troubled.

Of course, he was conflicted.

If they left things as they were, it would be detrimental to both sisters in the long run. But if they lifted the barrier, there was a real risk that both of their minds could break together.

Sensing the Emperor’s hesitation, the court mage continued speaking in a calm tone.

“Of course, the chances of success are still significantly higher. Both princesses have a strong will to recover, and multiple priests will cast powerful miracles to protect their minds. And above all…”

The court mage paused and turned his gaze toward me.

“We have Saint with us. Even in the worst-case scenario, if Saint intervenes, there is still a possibility of success.”

He wasn’t wrong.

I did have Absolute Hypnosis, an absurdly overpowered skill.

However, my Absolute Hypnosis only forced others to obey my commands—it wasn’t a precise tool for healing a shattered mind.

Ideally, we wouldn’t reach a situation where everything depended on my ability.

My role here was nothing more than a last resort, a reassurance to calm everyone. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Do not worry too much, Your Majesty. I am here.”

Even though I was planning to leave soon, I genuinely wished for Iomene and Almeine to be happy.

Today, during the procedure, I would do everything in my power to ensure they recovered.

At my words, the Emperor and Empress visibly relaxed.

“Very well. Begin the procedure!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The priests of the Lillia Order and the court mages stepped toward the princesses.

Iomene, sensing what was about to happen, began hissing nervously.

But when I held her hand, she slowly calmed down.

“It’s okay, Iomene. Don’t be nervous.”

At my words, Iomene stopped hissing.

“If I get better, kiss.”

I nodded.

“Yes. I’ll give you one. But you have to get better first, okay?”

Hearing that, Iomene gave a happy smile and fell silent.

After soothing Iomene, it was Almeine’s turn.

Seated beside Iomene, she extended her trembling hand toward me.

“I’m nervous, Saint. Could you hold my hand too?”

I nodded.

I held both of their hands—Almeine’s and Iomene’s.

“It’ll be fine. Both of you are strong. And even in the worst-case scenario, I’m here. So don’t worry too much.”

Almeine smiled at my words.

She took a deep breath, then nodded firmly.

“Please begin. I’m ready.”

“Me too.”

Iomene also nodded seriously, her face determined.

At their words, all the priests and mages in the room sprang into action.

The massive magic circle engraved on the floor began glowing.

The priests of the Grace Order channeled divine energy into the foreheads of both princesses.

“The miracle of mental protection is in place!”

“Princess Iomene’s emotional state is stable!”

“Slowly! We must release the barrier in gradual phases! Once the magic circle is fully activated, we’ll begin!!”

The sealing magic on Iomene’s right eye and Almeine’s left eye began to glow.

Both of them gripped my hands tightly.

“Proceeding with the barrier removal now.”

The court mage’s tense voice filled the room.

And at that moment—

“Ugh! …Aaaahhh!!”

Both princesses screamed in unison.

“Hold on! You must endure! Almeine! Iomene!”

At my urging, they clung to my hands with a desperate grip, forcing themselves to withstand the pain.

They held on so tightly that my hands began to bleed, but I didn’t even feel the pain.

I could heal my body instantly.

But these two—

These two needed to survive this.

Please.

Please let them be okay.

Was my wish coming true?

For nearly an hour—

The two princesses endured.

The procedure was proceeding smoothly.

“Phase Two of the barrier removal is complete! Proceeding to Final Phase, Three!!”

Everyone performing the procedure was drenched in sweat.

The court mage wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke, his voice tense.

I stared at the twins anxiously.

Please.

Please, let nothing go wrong.

If everything continued like this, it would all go smoothly, and both of them would be healed without me needing to intervene.

That was what I hoped.

But—

“N-no!! Aaaaahhh!!”

Suddenly, Almeine let out a sharp, piercing scream.

At the same time, Iomene rolled her eyes back and began convulsing violently, as if struck by a seizure.

The limit had been reached.

“It hurts!! It hurts!! It’s unbearable!! S-stop!! Please, stop!! Make it stop!!”

Almeine’s desperate screams filled the room as the priests casting the miracle of mental protection around her head began to panic.

“The miracle is breaking apart!!”

“Her mental state is highly unstable! If this continues, she will collapse!!”

“She won’t last much longer!”

Almeine’s face was twisted in excruciating pain, and Iomene’s convulsions were only worsening.

“Saint!! Please, help us!!”

And then—

The one sentence I never wanted to hear came out of Almeine’s mouth.

Goddamn it!!

Should I use Absolute Hypnosis to command them to stop feeling pain?

No.

Pain is necessary.

If I forced them to ignore it, I had no idea what kind of side effects that might cause.

Think!! Think, you idiot Kim Min-kyu!!

What should I command them to ensure they make it through this?

How could I help them endure this moment?

Come on, think!

There had to be a way.

Something. Anything.

And then—

I had it.

There was a way to save them with Absolute Hypnosis.

Both of them fell under my hypnotic suggestion at the same time.

I wasn’t capable of performing some grand miracle that would completely heal their minds.

But I could help them hold on just a little longer.

Please.

Please, just endure.

I prayed as I gave my command to the two princesses.

“Think of joyful memories! Remember the happiest moments of your life!!”

It had been something she resolved to do with unwavering determination.

Iomene.

Her other half.

A being who had, unfortunately, suffered for sixteen years.

Almeine wanted to save her.

That was why she had insisted on undergoing the procedure.

It was something that had to be done sooner or later.

And Saint was with her.

She believed, without a doubt, that he would help her.

With that mindset, she had begun the process.

But—

The moment Iomene’s accumulated sixteen years of suffering began flooding into her—

Almeine realized her mistake.

She fought desperately to endure it.

But no matter how much she tried, the pain had no end.

And at some point—

She knew.

She had reached her limit.

With all her strength, she clenched Saint’s hand as if trying to crush it.

It hurt.

It was unbearable.

She wanted to escape.

“Saint!! Please, help me!!”

Like a black tidal wave, Iomene’s suffering came crashing down, ready to swallow her whole.

With a final scream—

Slowly—

Almeine felt herself sinking beneath the waves.

If she allowed herself to be swallowed, that would be the end.

She, too, would end up like Iomene—a shattered soul.

How pathetic.

Was this the extent of the resolve she had when she said she would save Iomene?

Was this all she could endure?

Drowning in fear and regret, Almeine was sinking further—

Until, suddenly—

A single powerful command yanked her back up to the surface.

“Think of joyful memories! Remember the happiest moments of your life!!”

The flood of pain and darkness continued.

But among them—

A small memory surfaced.

Her father.

She remembered the Emperor holding her in his arms.

She recalled an afternoon in a sunlit garden, drinking tea with her mother and father.

The moment she first saw a cute little puppy.

The beautiful paintings, the soft touch of silk clothing.

The taste of sweet, delicate desserts melting in her mouth.

And the day she first heard about Iomene.

The moment she resolved to save her.

The waves of suffering still came crashing in.

The pain of sixteen years, the loneliness of being abandoned every single week—

Iomene’s memories were eating away at her mind, threatening to erase her.

But Almeine held onto her joyful memories, clinging to them for dear life.

Her happiness was protecting her.

Compared to the overwhelming tide of agony, her happy memories seemed fragile—weak.

They were small, and foolishly naive in the face of such overwhelming darkness.

But no matter how violently the waves struck—

They never disappeared.

Using those small, fragile memories as her staff, she endured.

And at some point—

The waves stopped.

Silence found her.

And in that silence—

Almeine heard the soft cries of a child.

A child whose mind had been eroded by suffering and loneliness—

A child who had never been allowed to grow, still broken and small.

She was crying.

Almeine slowly approached her.

And softly—

She called her name.

“Iomene.”

At those words, the small, battered child—covered in bruises and self-inflicted wounds—slowly lifted her head.

“It hurts. It hurts so much.”

Iomene sobbed.

“It’s unbearable. I’m lonely. There’s no one. I want to die. I don’t want to live anymore.”

She mumbled like a lost, foolish child.

Almeine understood.

She gently wrapped Iomene in her arms.

“I know. Now, I know everything.”

Almeine then held out something—a small orb of light, the same light that had shielded her from the crashing waves of pain.

“There are still so many good and beautiful things in this world. Your suffering… will be a burden the two of us carry together from now on. But my happiness… will also be something the two of us share.”

Iomene hesitantly reached out.

She took the light into her hands.

Tears quietly trickled from her eyes.

As she touched Almeine’s light, a faint chuckle escaped her lips.

It was no longer the clumsy, childlike voice she had always spoken with.

Her voice was now clear and strong.

“The Baumkuchen and desserts you ate… the cookies and cakes… I want to try them too.”

At Iomene’s words, Almeine laughed through her own tears.

“Then we’ll eat them together. As much as we want.”

“I want to hear Mom and Dad tell me they love me.”

“They will. I know they will.”

“I want to walk barefoot on the grass under the warm sun, just like you did, Almeine.”

“Of course, you can. And I… I want to…”

Almeine looked at Iomene.

No.

She—a single, unified soul—spoke to the past version of herself.

She declared, with unwavering certainty:

“I want to keep looking at the face of the man I love.”

The terrible memories.

The moments of overwhelming joy.

Everything—all of it—was now part of one person.

There was no longer any difference between them.

Now, the only thing that separated them was the name that distinguished their bodies.

“The mental barrier has been fully lifted! Both of their consciousnesses are stable! It’s a complete success!!”

With the court mage’s elated announcement, the two princesses opened their eyes at the same time.

The magical sigil that had once kept one of their eyes shut was now completely gone.

They both looked down at the saint holding their hands.

Their grip was so tight that their nails had dug into his skin, causing blood to trickle down his fingers—

Yet he showed no sign of pain.

“Iomene. Almeine. Are you okay?”

His eyes, as he looked at them, were filled with nothing but worry.

And at that moment—

Neither of them could hold back anymore.

At the same time, they threw themselves into his embrace.

They buried their faces against his chest.

“S-Saint, I… I’m sweating right now, so—”

Good.

Even that scent of sweat felt like an intoxicating pheromone to them.

They loved him.

The man before them—

The one who had saved them.

The one who had finally made them happy.

They loved him so much it hurt.

“…Thank you.”

As the two princesses spoke through their tears, the saint finally smiled and wrapped his arms around them.

“I’m glad. I hope… from now on, you both find happiness that’s even greater than the pain you’ve endured.”

That was their plan.

They would definitely be happy.

After holding him tightly for a while, Iomene and Almeine slowly pulled away.

They turned their eyes toward the Emperor and Empress, who had been watching them anxiously.

Almeine took a small step back, gently nudging Iomene forward.

Iomene slowly walked toward her parents.

A soft smile appeared on her face.

But at the same time, tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I… I’m home, Mom. Dad.”

Her voice was no longer hesitant.

It was clear. It was certain.

“For so long, I was in so much pain. For so long, I…”

She opened her arms wide.

“…Please hold me. Tell me you love me.”

At those words, the Empress threw all formality aside and ran to her daughter.

She, too, was crying.

Her tears were a mix of happiness and guilt.

“My daughter.”

The Empress embraced her child.

“My beloved daughter. Ah… Oh, God. Lillia… Saint… Thank you. Thank you so much…”

The Emperor, on the other hand, approached more slowly—

His face filled with guilt and remorse.

“…Do I… Do I have the right to love you? To hold you? To tell you that I love you? Can you forgive me, Iomene?”

He, too, was crying.

And Iomene—

She smiled at her father.

“Hold me, Dad. And tell me that you love me.”

The Emperor wrapped his arms around her.

“I love you. I love you, Iomene. I truly love you.”

And Iomene—

Like a child, she sobbed.

She wailed and wailed, releasing sixteen years of sorrow all at once.

Yet, on her face—

There was a faint but undeniable smile.

The Emperor and Empress held her even tighter.

The room fell into silence.

No one spoke.

They simply watched.

In this moment, there were no rulers of an empire.

There was no Emperor, no Empress, no princesses.

There was only a father who had been forgiven, a mother who had been redeemed, and two daughters who finally felt loved.

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