Chapter 6: No Clue (One)

People had claimed that the owner of the Tower of Dawn, also known as the "Witch of the White Night," had achieved divinity.

Even if an individual had transcended beyond the category of humans, it was still sacrilegious to use the god’s name. but despite this, she was already revered by people all over the world as a living god.

One day, gods from another world suddenly arrived, causing the sky to open, the ground to turn upside down, and tens of thousands of monsters to descend upon the earth like rain. The aftermath alone led to the collapse of one of the seven mage towers of the continent, known as "Twilight."

Humanity stood on that devastated earth and formed a full-scale army. Their once eternal and immortal empire dwindled to only a few dozen and eventually fell apart. Many species had gone extinct, and even those that survived could barely cling to life.

However, the continent's story did not end there. 

It was a tale of who united the survivors in a world filled with despair, facing the imminent destruction. Who brought together the isolated transcendentalists and led them to fight against the foreign invaders? Who lifted the abyss that loomed in the heavens, bringing light back to the world?

Who was the hero who achieved the seemingly impossible task of killing the untouchable god? Not only did they bring it down from heaven to earth but also shattered it into pieces, utterly destroying it. The name of this hero was Elena Edelweiss, "The Witch of the White Night," the owner of the Tower of Dawn, the eternal sun.

There was not a single person on this continent who did not know the name of this hero who accomplished all these feats.

When she saved the world from destruction, people worshipped her as a hero. When she destroyed the god of the other world, the cause of all the chaos, in front of everyone, she was worshipped as a god. Even the gods they believed in couldn't achieve what she did. If she proved it in front of everyone's eyes, what else could she be but a god?

All surviving transcendents knelt before her, and among them were those who believed in her divinity.

***

 "Miss Elena, wake up. We're almost there."

"Eh... Mnn... Ughh?"

Guided by a familiar voice, her consciousness emerged from the darkness.

"Lady" was a title she hadn't heard in a long time. 

Despite maintaining her youthful appearance, having lived for over a century, no one addressed her with such an awkward designation. Even her comrades who fought alongside her referred to her as "Goddess." It was needless to say how everyone else regarded her.

So, who exactly was calling her in such an affectionate manner?

When Elena opened her eyes, she saw a familiar face. She had lived a long life, over a hundred years, yet her memory was sharper than anyone else's. Her keen perceptiveness quickly retrieved the identity of the person from her sea of memories.

“Hai…ley?”

"Yes, I am Your Ladyship's head maid and the cutie of the Merohim, Hailey. But more importantly, you still seem half-asleep. How can you sleep so soundly in this bumpy carriage? You need to gather yourself! You'll be meeting your fiancé soon, but you can't meet him with a drowsy face full of eye gunk!"

“What?”

The spring sunlight illuminated the scene, as birds of all sizes flew gracefully over the well-maintained city. When the carriage turned a corner, Elena could see a beautiful manor in the distance.

There stood a towering spire and an unbreakable rampart. She knew exactly where she was.

As soon as she saw it, she could tell that all these things she was seeing were things that had already entered her memory once.

'I’ve really returned…'

Contrary to her expectations, all the buildings that should have been ruined and broken remained intact.

She had thought it was a futile wish, something that could never come true, but she never expected it to actually happen. It truly was a miracle. Although all the magic formulas remained in her head, they were still entirely incomprehensible.

“What? Did you say something, miss?””

“No, nothing.”

"Ah, a lie. How can it be nothing when you’re making such an expression? It’s because of your fiancé, right? I knew this would happen so I prepared everything in advance. From what I discovered, your fiancé, Damian, is known for his kindness around here. He’s really handsome too! Oh, you’ve already seen his portrait…”

"Hailey, be quiet."

Hailey fell silent at Elena's cold reply.

At the mention of Damian's name, mana surged within her. Even though it had been a long time for herself, the scars he had inflicted still remained.

'Elena. Oh, my beautiful Elena. you are mine It's my own.'

'Why are you looking elsewhere? Your eyes should only look at me. I said, don't not paying attention to others. If that happens again, I'll gouge out those eyes.'

“Tsk.”

Her teeth trembled as she recalled the days when she had been a victim of his twisted obsession in the past. The momentous day of returning to the past was, of course, the day she first met him. The more she thought about it, the more disgusted she felt. Fortunately, the engagement ceremony hadn't taken place yet, so breaking off the engagement would be relatively uncomplicated.

'Just wait, Damian. As soon as we meet, I'll blow off your head.'

While Elena was such scary thoughts, Hailey was confused about whether that person was really the lady she knew when she saw her owner gazing out the window with glowing eyes and untied her hands.

The castle stood grand and magnificent, befitting the esteemed lord of the south. It was not the crumbling ruins she had seen before, but rather a masterpiece crafted by a skilled sculptor with utmost dedication and passion.

The knights stationed at the main gate wore uniforms adorned with the family patterns, and they stood as formidable as their master, one of the empire's finest swordsmen.

Count Kraus, the castle's owner, was among the five sword masters on the entire continent, so it was expected that his family's soldiers would possess exceptional skills.

Come to think of it, Damien was indeed extraordinary. Both Count Kraus, as well as Damian's younger brother Alphonse, were outstanding warriors and personalities, but only Damian resembled his father in appearance, but everything else was a man full of flaws.

After confirming the wolf, which symbolizes the Edelweiss family, engraved on the carriage, Hailey showed the knights who approached her a platinum plaque to prove her identity, and they were able to enter the castle without further inspection.

"Lady, don't be nervous. Just do what you normally do. Oh, that doesn’t mean you should look dispirited. They did say Damian was a big shot, but what about my lady? Of course, my lady is the best. The most beautiful lady in the North! No, in the empire, wait, the entire continent! Our Milky white Elena!!!”

“Hailey. I’m getting more nervous by you saying that.”

"Ouch! Okay!! I’ll hold my breath until the two of you finish your talks! Hph!

“Pfft… I'm kidding. And don't worry too much, it'll be over in an instant."

Elena had no intention of engaging in conversation with Damian. Her only desire right now was to confront him and deliver a blow with her own hand.

Before regression, Damian was not only excommunicated from his family, but even if he had tried to seek revenge later on, the destruction of the world was just around the corner, so it didn’t matter whether he was dead or alive.

However, this second chance she had been given allowed her the opportunity to personally punish him. She had no intention of letting it go to waste. Although he had yet to do anything wrong, he was a trash individual regardless. Breaking off the engagement would also be beneficial for her mental well-being.

Therefore, hearing Hailey spout off about Damian’s virtues was very unpleasant as she knew his real nature. For some reason, she had never heard those things about him in her previous life, but it was obvious they were all fabricated. She didn’t have to pay heed to it.

“You got this, miss!”

Before she knew it, she arrived in front of Damian's room. Hailey cheered her up by clasping her hands, and Elena also clasped her hands to prepare herself.

Although she was a magician, her body was one that had fought against warriors who had reached the pinnacle of their strength. She wasn't sure what to expect if Damian was a typical member of a swordsman family, but she was certain that she could easily overpower the indolent Damian with a simple martial arts move.

It might not have been a swordmaster, but there was someone strong near him. It wasn’t Damian, so maybe it was his personal butler, Ken? Elena wasn’t sure since she didn’t come across him often before, but she never knew he had been hiding his skills.

“Lady Elena Edelweiss has arrived.”

Hailey knocked on the door and announced Elena's arrival. She could sense the energy emanating from the room.

That was the starting point. As soon as Hailey opened the door, Elena even used 「Haste」 to prevent Ken from interfering and rushed at Damian, and immediately plunged her magic-enhanced fist into his chin.

-Bang!

She could hear the sound of a thud at the collision. Since the punch she threw had been enhanced with magic, the impact would’ve been enough to break something if it hit his bare body.

On the contrary, the outcome was completely different from what she had imagined.

“What is the meaning of this, Elena Edelweiss?”

That was her first encounter with 'him'.