Prologue

His wife was dead.

Jekard Evanhart could not believe it.

When he first saw his wife’s lifeless body, he thought he must be trapped in a terrible nightmare.

Why?

Faced with the horrific tragedy unfolding before his eyes, he felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

Even by the most generous standards, Jekard’s marriage could hardly be called a happy one.

And yet, he had loved Ines.

Even though she did not love him, even though she had tried to betray him time and again, he had turned a blind eye to everything.

“I didn’t do it. Please, believe me.”

Whenever he saw his wife pleading with tears glistening in her eyes, it felt as though his own heart were being torn apart.

No. Perhaps he had simply needed to believe her.

Because if he truly acknowledged her guilt, Jekard would have no choice but to cast her aside.

And that was something he could never, under any circumstances, allow to happen.

“I’ll keep a close watch on her myself. Don’t bring up this matter again.”

Those were the words he had spoken to his vassals and subordinates—a desperate attempt to hold on to his wife, no matter what.

Never imagining that things would end this way.

Jekard sank to his knees before his wife’s body. Then, with the utmost care, he lifted her into his arms and held her close.

Her eyes were peacefully closed, as though she were merely asleep.

Aside from her deathly pale complexion and the single trail of blood running from the corner of her mouth, she looked just as she always had. It was almost possible to believe she had simply drifted off to sleep.

“Ines…”

Jekard whispered his wife’s name, biting down hard on his lip.

The moment he finally accepted that she was dead, the last vestiges of humanity left in his heart crumbled away.

He could never accept this reality.

From that day onward, Jekard descended into madness.

Abandoning both his domain and his duties, he became a ruthless killer, rampaging through the land.

He tore across the entire empire, determined to find the person who had killed his wife and exact his revenge.

Everyone mourned the downfall of Jekard Evanhart, the once-great hero who had saved their country.

“What was so special about that woman, anyway?!”

Jekard’s wife, Ines Evanhart, was infamous throughout the empire as a wicked wife.

There had even been rumors in the past that the Duke of Evanhart was in love with the Saintess rather than his own wife. Though people feared the man he had become, they could not understand why he had gone so mad over the death of a woman everyone knew to be a terrible wife.

Years passed.

At long last, Jekard uncovered the truth behind his wife’s death.

He mercilessly slaughtered everyone who had driven her to her demise.

Countless people died.

Innocent priests who tried to stop him were killed, as were heroes who sought to bring the wicked to justice. The sheer brutality of the massacre filled everyone with horror.

By then, no one remembered Jekard Evanhart as a hero anymore.

“There is no way to bring the dead back to life.”

The priest whom Jekard had dragged before him and forced to examine Ines’s corpse spoke in a trembling voice.

“With my divine power, all I can do is preserve her body in its current state, preventing it from deteriorating any further.”

According to the priest, death belonged entirely to the realm of the gods, and it was beyond the reach of mortal hands. In fact, even the gods themselves could not guarantee that they could truly restore the dead to life.

“So please… let your wife go.”

But Jekard could not accept it.

No. I have to bring Ines back to life.

I still have so much to tell her…

Amid the agony that consumed him like hellfire, Jekard gazed at his wife’s pale face and made a solemn vow.

If only a god knew the answer, then he would find that god—and he would bring his wife back to life, no matter what it took.

Of course, everyone who learned of his plan was horrified.

Jekard Evanhart has truly lost his mind.

Even the subordinates who had remained loyal to him until then opposed the idea.

A god?

Someone he could not even hope to meet, let alone make a request of.

And even if he were fortunate enough to stand before a god, there was no guarantee that the deity would grant his wish.

Nevertheless, Jekard ultimately succeeded in meeting one.

He endured countless agonies along the way.

For a mere mortal to even attempt to meet a god was an act of utter recklessness.

But Jekard was prepared to sacrifice everything he possessed.

And he did.

At last, he stood before a god.

Whatextraordinarydeterminationyoupossess.What extraordinary determination you possess.

Looking down at Jekard, who stood battered and bleeding, the god expressed genuine admiration.

Whyhaveyougonetosuchlengthstofindme?Why have you gone to such lengths to find me?

Jekard ground out his answer through clenched teeth.

“Please bring my wife back to life.”

In his arms lay Ines’s lifeless body. Despite all the terrible hardships and trials he had endured, not a single scratch marred her skin.

Suchaconsuminglove.Such a consuming love.

Jekard looked up at the god, his eyes burning with fierce determination. Even standing before an absolute being, his gaze did not waver in the slightest.

Watching him, the god smiled.

Butthatisimpossible.Itisnotwithinmypowertograntsuchathing.But that is impossible. It is not within my power to grant such a thing.

At those words, Jekard radiated such murderous intent that he looked ready to strike the god down on the spot.

But before he could move, the god’s voice rang out once more.

However,thereisanotherway.However, there is another way.

“…What is it?”

The god smiled benevolently.

Ishallturnbacktime.I shall turn back time.

Jekard’s heart lurched.

Ishallreturnyoutothemomentbeforeeverythinghappened—totheverypointatwhichyoucansetrightyourmistakes.I shall return you to the moment before everything happened—to the very point at which you can set right your mistakes.

As he grasped the meaning of those words, Jekard was overcome with emotion.

He could return to the time before his wife died.

Back to the days when Ines was still alive.

Well?Willyoudoit?Well? Will you do it?

Jekard unconsciously bit down on his lip.

“…What must I do?”

Even meeting a god had cost him countless sacrifices.

He could not begin to imagine how much more he would have to give up for a miracle that could turn back time.

Yet the god merely smiled.

Youneeddonothingatall.However,inexchange,Ishalltakethethingyoucherishmost.You need do nothing at all. However, in exchange, I shall take the thing you cherish most.

The god’s long finger pointed toward Ines, nestled in Jekard’s arms.

Ifyoureturntothepast,shewillloseherloveforyou.If you return to the past, she will lose her love for you.

Love.

Without thinking, Jekard tightened his hold on Ines, a sudden fear gripping him—the fear that he might lose her all over again.

She will no longer love me…

Even imagining the possibility made his heart clench painfully.

The truth was, while Ines had still been alive, Jekard had never realized that she loved him.

It was only after her death, when he had uncovered the truth of what had happened, that he finally learned she had loved him all along.

Once he understood the truth, Jekard was consumed by bitter regret. He finally realized that his own foolishness and blindness had caused her so much pain.

That was why, if he ever had the chance to see Ines again, there was something he desperately wanted to tell her.

The truth is, I love you too…

Makeyourdecision.Whatwillitbe?Make your decision. What will it be?

At the god’s resounding voice, Jekard lifted his head.

He no longer hesitated.

“…I accept. Please turn back time.”

At his firm reply, the smile on the god’s face grew ever deeper.

Verywell.Ishallgrantyouafinalmomenttosayyourfarewells.Very well. I shall grant you a final moment to say your farewells.

Jekard gazed at his wife, cradled in his arms.

This time, everything will be set right.

Even if, when she opened her eyes again, she no longer loved him.

For a long while, Jekard could not tear his gaze away from Ines’s face. At last, he lowered his head and pressed a reverent kiss to her forehead.

“…Next time, I’ll be the one to approach you first.”

Soon, their bodies were enveloped in a sacred light.

Jekard felt his consciousness slowly slipping away.

Memories of his time with his wife flashed through his mind like scenes from a passing lantern.

Their years together had been brief and fraught with hardship, but there had been happy moments, too.

Moments when they had loved each other without ever openly confessing their feelings, expressing their affection instead through their eyes and actions.

But those moments would never happen again.

As the price of his regression, Ines would no longer love him.

…It doesn’t matter. This time, I’ll set everything right.

Feeling his consciousness fade, Jekard pulled his wife into one final, tight embrace.

And so, Jekard returned to the past.

Leaving everything behind.

The past that no one else would ever remember remained only in Jekard’s heart…