Chapter 1 - Part 1
Lelia felt like her heart was broken in half when she read the letters she had received before separating the magic stone from the fountain pen.
Heartbreak was what Lelia was feeling at the moment.
When the night came, she couldn’t sleep properly.
The memories she had shared with her friends kept coming to her mind one by one.
[If I had known then, I would have been nicer to my friends…]
She didn’t know at that time.
She never thought memories with those kids would be all she had.
For a long time, Lelia cried with her face buried in her knees.
***
A long time later.
By the time she looked up again, a large full moon was shining through the gap in the window.
The light was so beautiful and bright that it made Lelia squint her eyes.
That was when…
[…what’s that?]
Something caught Lelia’s eye while she was squatting on the floor.
Something was gently shining under the cabinet opposite to the bed.
[No way…]
Lelia slowly got up and approached the cabinet.
Then she squatted down again and checked.
It was not visible at all when she was standing, but it was clearly visible when someone crouched down on the floor.
In addition, even though it was not normally seen, it gave off a peculiar glow in the moonlight.
If Lelia’s prediction was correct….
[It’s a moonlight stone…]
It is said that moonlight stones have a unique power that is neither sacred, nor magical. So some wizards use their power to hide treasures.
Lelia slipped her hand into the narrow gap from which the light glowed.
At that very moment, she pressed her hand onto something.
Surprisingly, an ordinary wall cracked and a small door appeared. It was a very small room where things could be stored.
“…”
Lelia moved her trembling hand slowly to the handle. She opened the door, imagining all sorts of gold and silver treasures would be revealed.
“…!”
However, what appeared in the small space was unexpected.
[What is this?]
In the small secret storage room, there was only one round pocket watch.
The pocket watch, which had the color of old metal, looked very worn out.
Lelia paused for a moment to recall her memories of the novel she had read.
[…Maybe this is it? Did it look like this?]
There was one thing that came to mind. Half of the Holy Relic that Julianna obtained in the story. She didn’t say specifically where she got it.
But when she read that Julianna later boasted to Emperor Perseus that she had obtained the treasure from her hut…
[Did you find it here?]
It is a sacred item of the temple.
A Holy Relic known to have mystical powers, although there is only half of it.
In this world, it was known as the “Holy Relic” of the temple that could grant any wish.
Not all relics have that kind of power, but the relic obtained by Julianna did have that power to some extent.
[It was said that if you turn the minute hand of the watch under the moonlight, the Holy Relic will grant your wish at that moment.]
In the original story, Julianna did not know that, so her subconscious wish came true, and that was ‘a harmonious family’.
To live in harmony with her family was a deep wish that was ingrained in the story’s Julianna.
This half of the Holy Relic made Julianna’s wish come true.
“…”
Lelia didn’t put her hand on the pocket watch, but moved closer and looked at it.
Unlike regular watches, there was only the minute hand. That’s because this relic was only half of a whole.
[The other half was the holy item that the original male lead would get.]
The hero gets his wish granted in a similar way to Julianna.
‘My wish is to become stronger.’
The hero, who was always weak, joins the Dragon Slaying team with the power he gained from the Holy Relic.
Lelia narrowed her eyes.
All of a sudden, the sadness that had engulfed her disappeared, and her heart began to pound.
She also felt as if she was a thief for wanting the watch.
[However…]
Since the hero and heroine are on a solid road, they had no need for the Holy Relic.
[In the story, the two of them eventually donated the completed Holy Relic to the temple.]
The two halves, held by the hero and heroine, became more powerful when joined together.
You can get more than what you want from just half though.
There were constraints though. It was not possible to revive the dead because it was a sacred object born according to religious doctrine. It was also said that only your own wish could be granted and that you had to pay a price for it. There seems to be a bigger secret than that, but it didn’t come out in more detail in the story.
[But if I complete the Holy Relic, it will be easy to break the magic of the Golden Words.]
Honestly, it’s a waste to return it to the temple…
Hope began to rise in Lelia’s eyes.
[If I get the other half of this watch…]
Lelia would be able to break the life long curse that Emperor Lydios cast on her to seal her mouth shut about his secret. If she could break the magic of the golden words… She could visit her friends, confess the truth to them and ask for forgiveness for deceiving them.
After returning to the castle from the temple, the guilt of deceiving her friends sometimes haunted her.
She used to make excuses for herself that she couldn’t help it, but that didn’t take away all her guilt.
As the most precious thing left for Lelia is the memories of her friends, she wanted to make it right to them.
[No, I don’t even need to find the other half. My wish may come true with just this piece.]
Lelia looked at the moonlight outside her window with a strained face.
[It’s a wish to be made under the moonlight…]
After a moment’s hesitation, Lelia seemed to have decided something, and she slowly extended her hand.
[I’m sorry, Julianna]
No, she actually didn’t have to be sorry for her. Julianna’s wish will come true anyway.
It is her destiny to be loved and to be happy in her harmonious family for the rest of her life.
Lelia picked up her half of the pocket watch, and ignored the creeping guilt.
She approached the moonlit window, lifted the watch up in the palm of her hand, closed her eyes and muttered.
[Let the magic of the Golden Words be broken. Please…!]
Lelia turned the minute hand of her watch, earnestly making her wish. That was when…
“Uh… !”
A piercing light emanated from the pocket watch. Lelia opened her eyes involuntarily.
Blinding light poured into her eyes. Confused by the light, Lelia dropped the watch.
A stronger light poured out from the watch that had fallen to the floor. Lelia turned her head away, covering her eyes with her arms.
Then her vision became blurry.
***