Chapter 72: Those Who Can Never Be Forgiven (23)

They say good things come to those who wait, and that patience is a virtue.

Enduring is difficult, but the rewards are always sweet.

Lina knew this well.

If it meant she could reunite with her beloved, what did 300 years matter?

That was what she had believed—until recently, when she felt her patience reach its limit.

Originally, her plan was simple.

She would quietly erode Sera’s memories from within her body.

That way, when the time came, she would be able to fully revive herself using the power she had left behind in the World Tree.

A few more months, even years, wouldn’t make a difference.

But what did make a difference was the severe absurdity of her host’s mental state.

The first thing Lina did after awakening within Sera’s body was inspect her memories.

She needed to erase every single happy moment stored deep within.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to maintain her own identity.

But when Lina looked through Sera’s past, what she saw was… a life she had never encountered before.

A woman holed up inside a strange, unfamiliar structure, doing nothing remotely productive.

Lina’s confusion only deepened.

This… is supposed to be a happy memory?

Had she simply been sleeping all day, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

But no—Sera sat in front of a strange, square box, grinning vacantly while fiddling with an odd tool.

Lina recalled something the first Hero had once told her—something called a “computer.”

So this was it.

All day, Sera would read incomprehensible texts, and when her back started to hurt, she would simply slide off her chair and lie on the floor.

The first Hero had spoken of Earth as a place full of joy and entertainment.

But Sera’s life seemed completely detached from all of that.

More than that—why does this girl, Sera, have memories from another world?

Upon closer examination, her appearance was completely different as well.

Lina’s goal remained unchanged.

She had to erase these memories.

But the entire situation was too bizarre.

She decided to wait and observe a little longer.

“Hmm… Cute!”

And then, for the first time, Lina was truly horrified—when she saw Sera standing in front of a mirror, proudly wearing dog ears.

Admiring herself with a satisfied expression, turning this way and that…

Lina had somewhat expected this.

After all, the Hero, Kim Suhyeon, was meant to be the vessel for the first Hero’s memories.

It was only natural that Sera, as Lina’s host, would develop feelings for him.

But there should have been some hesitation.

A slight attraction at most.

Like giving a slight push to someone climbing a hill—just enough to make things easier.

That was all Lina had influenced.

And yet, this woman, Sera, had somehow interpreted that as a green light to go out and buy dog ears?

It was as if she had no brakes.

“Virginity Theory…? What even is that?”

Sera—this woman—had absolutely no concept of boundaries.

She got carried away with the slightest praise.

And when she was discouraged, she completely lost her ability to function and just sat around sulking.

She constantly spouted nonsense that only she found amusing, never once stopping to consider how others perceived her words.

No.

No, this couldn’t be happening.

Lina refused to believe that her chosen vessel—the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom—could be this pathetic.

The moment she truly accepted the reality of Sera’s foolishness was when she heard her ask the Hero if he preferred virgins.

Lina was speechless.

How could anyone be this oblivious?

This wasn’t even just about being unaware—Sera had practically thrown herself at Kim Suhyeon, her entire demeanor screaming, “Please devour me.”

And yet, she genuinely believed there was nothing wrong with her actions.

Had Lina been too heavy-handed in her influence?

She went back to check.

No.

All she had done was erase a few memories and nudge Sera’s feelings toward mild affection.

At some point, Sera did need to fall in love with Kim Suhyeon.

Eventually, she would overwrite his memories and claim him entirely as her own.

So, in theory, this was a good development.

But…

“…She’s still wearing those dog ears?”

Another day, another pathetic display.

When Sera and the Hero had slept in a tent together, she had put on the headband, claiming it blocked the wind.

Lina wanted to scream.

Why had she even brought such a ridiculous thing in the first place?

At this point, nothing Sera did surprised her anymore.

But the real problem came the next morning—when Sera forgot she was still wearing them and walked outside like that.

This woman…

Was supposed to be…

A Saintess?

It was laughable.

No, the real cherry on top was that Kim Suhyeon had complimented her.

And Sera—incapable of reading the room—took that as an excuse to keep wearing the headband.

Clearly, he had just been polite.

But Sera, with all the social awareness of a rock, had failed to grasp that.

Lina hated it.

She hated it.

She hated it.

She couldn’t tolerate another second of this.

More than once, she had debated simply consuming all of Sera’s memories and taking over her body completely.

But every time she tried, she would see Sera getting way too close to the Hero—and she would lose all focus.

“Why are you emphasizing your chest? What’s with the corset belt? At this rate, you’re really going to sleep with Kim Suhyeon!”

Kim Suhyeon, the man who possessed the Charm Eyes—he and Sera must never sleep together.

Even if Lina had consumed the Demon King’s power and claimed it as her own, Charm Eyes were something entirely different.

The moment she fell under its influence, she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

No.

She had to wait until all of Lina’s power within the World Tree was fully awakened.

Only then could she claim both the Charm Eyes and the Demon King’s power together.

She just had to endure this a little longer.

Yes.

A little longer.

She had already waited 300 years.

She could wait a bit more.

That was what she told herself.

But when she saw Sera talking to Kaellia—she couldn’t contain her fury anymore.

Listening to Sera mock Kaellia, calling her “as dumb as a monkey” and pitying any man who would end up with her…

Lina could only think one thing.

“That describes you perfectly.”

A woman like this—a Saintess?

How could she possibly deserve love?

Kim Suhyeon deserved better.

Then, Kaellia asked if Sera planned to stop wearing the dog-ear headband.

Sera scoffed, saying she would never do something so humiliating again.

But inside—she wasn’t completely against the idea.

Lina nearly screamed.

And when she saw Sera smugly declare that Kaellia was only fit for marriage and nothing else, it was too much.

She had waited so long.

She had put up with so much.

And yet, this was her host?

Then, that morning—Sera had tried to climb on top of the Hero.

Lina had only slightly influenced her.

Only enough to help her write a proper prayer.

But that tiny push had led to this?!

Sera, panicking, had blurted out, “Do you hate used goods?”

Lina nearly lost her mind.

And so, for the first time, she abandoned all pretense and spat out the words from her deepest heart:

“Ha. You idiots. What the hell is wrong with your brains?”

She no longer cared about formal speech.

She only prayed that Baek Minjun’s plan would succeed soon.

She wanted to erase every trace of this stupid woman’s memories.

She just wanted to live like a normal person again.