Never Saved You

“Because the nature of its magic is different from others. It’s also a type of magic that other races except humans don’t want to do.”

And Alei proceeded to explain.

The essence of magic was to imitate nature.

The laws of nature are interpreted into magical formulas that make up spells, and this would be the start of how a mage could wield their magic power.

“But conditional magic is very different in terms of quality. It’s essentially like a deal in exchange for a soul, either the caster’s or the recipient’s, so it’s unknown what’ll happen if you don’t complete the spell.”

Only then did Ophelia realize why Ariel and Sante were so reluctant about conditional magic.

“It’s a spell that needs something in exchange. That’s why they both reacted that way.”

“Yes. If you put it another way, it’s more like an act against nature through a transactional method.”

“Then who exactly is the one dealing these exchanges?”

“That’s something I’m not sure about. It’s probably the one in charge of mana, so if I were to put a name on it, it would be a god.”

“If anyone from the temple heard you say that, it wouldn’t be strange even if they throw stones at you.”

“They still treat mages as heretics anyway, so why would that matter?”

Alei acted as though he’d listen to her anyway, and Ophelia smiled as she saw his serious expression.

“Then what will happen if the exchange isn’t completed?”

“The exchange falls through, and the receiver of the spell pays for it. Sometimes, the price is one’s life.”

Alei’s words were sharp. He was evidently speaking in the same tone he usually had, but because Ophelia was the one listening to his words, she couldn’t help but feel their jagged edges.

If returning to the past was also due to the conditional magic placed on her, what conditions would she have to fulfill?

Ophelia belatedly realized that she was feeling suffocated.

“…Really, it’s an exchange.”

“The term ‘exchange’ isn’t attached to it for no reason.”

“Do you mean that we could die if we can’t solve the spell that’s stuck on us?”

“If that was the case, would I be able to stay this relaxed?”

Alei replied with his chin propped over the back of his hand. He continued to speak, his tone bitter.

“Well, it’s not really potent enough that we’d lose out lives. Most of the time, it usually ends in a way that a life won’t need to be sacrificed, so in my case, that’s how my memories were taken away. And the worst case scenario is that I won’t ever be able to regain them in the future.”

“But it’s not guaranteed. It’s only ‘most of the time’.”

Meaning that there were times that it didn’t end with just that.

When Ophelia’s voice trembled a little, Alei reached out to wrap his hand over hers on the table.

“Don’t worry, Ophelia. It’s really a rare case. That would only happen if the taboo had been touched.”

Alei tried to comfort him in his own way.

However, considering that Ophelia had come back in time, her anxiety crawled up her spine even more so after hearing these words.

The unknown waters that were always only up until her ankles… rose to her chin.

But at the same time, she couldn’t stop the curiosity.

“And what would be considered… taboo?”

“Touching on species or different races, or the realm of time and space. Basically anything that goes against nature.”

“And what if that taboo is touched?”

“If you participate in the taboo and don’t meet the conditions of the exchange, then there will be a price to pay. You’re asking something obvious.”

And it wasn’t that Ophelia didn’t know what he was referring to when he said there would be a price to pay.

“Is there any way to avoid it?”

“Of course there is. Don’t you remember what I said earlier? They take the price from either the caster or the recipient.”

And a mermaid scale was something that could only be obtained after the death of a mermaid. In other words, it was highly likely that the price had already been paid.

But Ophelia wasn’t too sure about that either.

“I’ll try to dig up more about it, but the most certain way is to figure out the conditions of the exchange.”

Just as he said, if one knew the conditions, it would be possible to make a breakthrough.

So, these were the two options—to find out the conditions and make a breakthrough, or to fulfill the conditions as is.

And those were the only ways of avoiding the price to pay.

By this time, the anxiety that had been bubbling up within Ophelia had turned into a clear answer.

‘As long as the conditions are like this, there’s no way to go back.’

Failure to fulfill or break through the conditions meant that not only would she be unable to return to her reality, but she would also die in actuality.

Obviously, it would be appropriate to say that it all worked out the way she wanted. This was her goal when she swallowed that mermaid scale after all.

‘But I don’t want to die anymore.’

From the moment she jumped off the balcony and met Alei, Ophelia no longer wished to die.

These flecks of gold that she barely managed to gather in the sandy beach were sparkling in her grasp.

She didn’t want it to end like this.

Ophelia quietly clenched her hand into a fist. Then, she asked.

“Then, is there any way to figure out the conditions?”

“There’s a clue. It’s said that the exchange or transaction driving the conditional magic is in line with the recipient’s wishes.”

The clue to the conditions lies not with the caster, but with the recipient.

“It’s in the same line of thinking as to why I’m cooperating with you. I really don’t know anything about myself in the past, so I don’t even know what I wanted to achieve.”

“So in the end, you never really expected me to find your memories.”

“In the long run, yes. But if you tell me about myself, then I’ll be able to figure out the conditions from the hints I’ll receive from you.”

Thanks to Ophelia, Alei added, he felt much closer to the answer than he ever did before.

“You’ll be able to find the answer, too. Just think about what you were hoping at that time.”

By the end of their conversation, Alei had a calm expression on his face.

Considering that he was always smiling mischievously, or that he was always saying blunt things towards Ophelia, this was something unfamiliar to her, even if it’s true that there was no tension between them right now.

But Ophelia couldn’t get rid of the feeling—that she was sinking into a mire.

If it was contrasted with her situation, this trust and peace might soon die.

Ophelia had such a hunch.

She would yearn for another day, living this life.

She didn’t know what the end would bring her, but she just wanted to breathe for another day.

But in order to do that, she would need to face the past again.

When Ophelia didn’t respond to Alei, he mistook this as her having mixed feelings, so he hurriedly added.

“Ophelia, you don’t have to be in a hurry right now. If it’s something that doesn’t resonate with you now, if you think about it a little, you might realize something. I know it’s not much help, but…”

“No, it’s a big help. And it’s all thanks to you.”

Thank you, Ophelia said it to him once more. Then, she said good night, and he left the room.

What she had to do right away was clear to her.

To face the past.

After talking to Alei, Ophelia headed straight to one room—where Ian lay unconscious.

Now that time had returned to the day she saved him, she now knew what to expect once she faced him again.

In any case, right now, Ian’s benefactor was Ophelia, so it was her responsibility to check on his condition after lights off.

She could have come after he woke up, but she wasn’t confident to face him then yet.

Ophelia went down the stone steps.

Ta-dak, ta-dak. Along the dark hallway, the light from the lamp that illuminated her path trembled along with the sound of her footsteps.

Her destination wasn’t far. Stopping a few steps away for a moment, Ophelia opened the door without knocking.

It was a dark room, no different from the hallway, with only the moon bringing light within.

And inside the room that seemed to have been carved by darkness itself, a man lay in deep slumber.

Ophelia called his name.

“Ian.”

It was a name that she had called countless times in her previous life. It was a name that carried love, it was a name that carried sorrow, despair.

But now.

“……”

Only the faint taste of rainwater lingered on the tip of her tongue.
Ophelia walked towards Ian slowly. She had some expectation that seeing Ian would bring her closer to realizing the answer that she wished for, but contrary to this, even when Ophelia had gotten close enough for her shadow to cover him completely—she felt nothing.

It was exactly the same when she saw him on the shore.

Was today just a series of disappointments? Ophelia frowned unconsciously.

‘Is it because I don’t love him anymore?’

Was it absurd for her to hope that there would be something left from the emotions she once held that had already died?

For another moment, Ophelia stood still, holding a hand over her chest where her heart neither pounded nor felt anything. She stepped back to turn away.

If Ian wasn’t the answer, then she was back to square one.

‘It might be better to look somewhere else…’

But the moment she had this thought and was about to turn away from the bed—

“Ophelia.”