“You. Who are you?”

Argention’s question shattered the dense atmosphere.

His voice cold and unforgiving.

The eyes that had seemed to melt a moment ago were now icy.

“Who am I? It’s me.”

Rose, the Ancient Witch, replied, trying to hide her bewilderment.

‘Has he realized that I’m not Roselina?’

But it couldn’t be.

‘Even if he did, it doesn’t matter.’

She quickly regained her composure.

Rose, the ancient witch, hadn’t lived to rule the world for nothing.

She quickly changed her plan.

“No. You are not Roselina.”

That made it easier for her to respond to Argention’s adamant words.

“Why do you doubt me?”

Rose, the ancient witch, angrily shoved Argention in the chest.

She turned to Argention, who obediently stepped back.

“If you want to reject me, come up with some other excuse. Knowing me, how could you do this to me?”

Ancient Witch Rose pretended to sob.

At the same time, she secretly moved her hand.

After such a long absence, she was able to manipulate her magic freely.

In an instant, all of the energy in the cave was compressed.

It had condensed into a tiny, invisible amount, but its attack power was immense.

It could take anyone’s life.

‘I’ll end this.’

The moment she flicked her hand, Argention’s life would be over.

It was a close call.

Whether he knew it or not, Argention was nonchalant.

“Rose. You’re right.”

“What?”

But the conversation took an unexpected turn.

“That I know about you.”

“Then why would you tell me that…….”

“Rose, the ancient witch. That’s who you are.”

Argention whispered harshly and grabbed Roselina by both shoulders.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Why would an ancient witch come out here?”

“With you in front of me now, it’s not impossible.”

Argention’s voice was calm, as if he really knew who she was.

“How long have you known?”

Finally, Rose the Ancient Witch stopped acting like Roselina.

“Since the beginning.”

“You’ve known since the beginning?”

But she was stunned by Argention’s reply.

“Then why did you obediently bring me here? The odds are not in your favor.”

“True, the odds are stacked against me, but they are against someone else.”

“What?”

“Roselina.”

That was the moment.

Rose, the ancient witch, felt the energy welling up inside of her.

* * *

“I’d rather be alone with you than that.”

“What?”

“I want to be with you.”

I wanted to slap her rambling mouth.

‘What do you think you’re doing!’

I was appalled at the behavior of the ancient witch Rose.

‘You’ve stolen my body, and all you’re doing is trying to seduce Argention?’

Why did the ancient witch, who I thought had disappeared, suddenly reappear and why was she acting this way?

I had countless questions, but no answers.

I couldn’t be alone with my thoughts.

“I know you actually have feelings for me.”

Rose, the ancient witch, kept dropping bombshells.

‘Please stop, you’re making a mess that we’ll have to clean up later.’

I’d rather have Argention draw the line in the sand.

‘Argention. I trust you.’

But his eyes wavered.

His lips pressed together as if he were speechless.

‘What’s wrong with him? Are you kidding me?’

Time passed, but Argention remained silent.

As if silence were a substitute for affirmation.

Then I couldn’t think of anything.

‘No way. No, no, that’s ridiculous.’

It was the last thing I wanted him to do, even as I vaguely realized it might be true.

“Argention. You know how I feel without me telling you.”

But Rose, the ancient witch who didn’t even know my position, kept stoking the flames in Argention’s mind.

“Is it wrong for us to want to be together?”

“……No, it’s not.”

No. Please don’t.

I screamed, hoping this cry would reach Rose, the ancient witch.

‘If I don’t divorce Argention, my life is over!’

I still remembered clearly the moment when the system pressured me to divorce Argention.

‘It said I will be enforcing a predetermined fate.’

The memory of my eventual execution was intense.

At that moment, I wondered.

‘Now that I think about it, how strange is that?’

I’ve been staying close to Argention lately.

Still, there were no warnings.

‘Can I bring up the system window in this state?’

I tried, cautiously, and watched as it fluttered away.

‘But Rose the Ancient Witch will be able to see the system window.’

I glanced at Rose the Ancient Witch and Argention.

“Will you stay with me then?”

“Yes. But it’s cold and dangerous here, so I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, they seemed preoccupied with something else.

‘Let’s just check what we need and turn it off.’

I quickly checked the system window.

[List of ongoing quests (2/5)

<Reveal the secret hidden in the curse of the rose! (7)>

<Overcome the ancient witch Rose and awaken!>]

There were two quests in progress.

‘Huh?’

I couldn’t see the quest that asked me to divorce Argention.

‘It was a quest to break the wheel of fate and pave a new path.’

Something wasn’t right.

‘I can’t possibly have divorced Argention without realizing it. Why did the quest disappear?’

Uncompleted quests remained in the system window.

But then something happened: the uncompleted quest disappeared.

‘What?’

I asked, but I didn’t have the energy to pay more attention to the issue.

“But you’re shivering, aren’t you, and if you’re cold, let me warm you up.”

“S, sure.”

Inside the cave, the ancient witch Rose and Argention hugged.

They weren’t the only ones.

Ancient Witch Rose reached out and wrapped her arms around Argention’s neck, then pulled.

‘What are you doing!’

They were so close, their lips were about to touch.

In an instant, the atmosphere was ripe.

I jumped, unable to stand the tainted air.

‘No! No!’

If I kissed Argention like this…….

‘It’s my first kiss in my previous life and this one combined, so I don’t want it to end up like this, with my body taken over!’

Rose, the ancient witch, sure, it can’t be helped, but what the hell is Argention doing?

‘You can’t see that this is out of the ordinary? Can’t you see that it’s weird? What use is a man this stupid?’

Or is he just too happy about this situation to think of anything else?

“Who are you?”

Thankfully, Argention splashed me with cold water.

‘Argention. I was counting on you, you’re a genius!’

I cheered, sharply changing my stance.

“I know about you.”

“Rose, the ancient witch. That’s who you are.”

First it was Rose the Ancient Witch, and now it was Argention throwing down the gauntlet.

I could sense that Rose the Ancient Witch was deeply flustered, as I had melded with her.

“From the beginning.”

“You knew from the beginning?”

Ancient Witch Rose’s voice trembled.

She was trying to sound composed, but she couldn’t hide the fact that she was deeply agitated.

‘This is an opportunity.’

As Ancient Witch Rose became confused, her power began to falter.

I gathered my strength while she was distracted by Argention.

Little by little, Ancient Witch Rose’s power transferred to me.

It was only possible because her power and mine were nearly equal.

‘Hmm?’

But a chunk of it stayed where it was, and it didn’t pass to me.

There was a slight difference between Ancient Witch Rose’s power and mine.

‘Let’s think about this later.’

I continued to focus on gathering my strength.

“Then why did you bring me here in the first place? I don’t think the odds are in your favor.”

The conversation between the Ancient Witch Rose and Argention was going well.

The more he agitated the Ancient Witch Rose, the more power she transferred to me.

“Yes, the odds are against me, but you are against someone else.”

“Roselina.”

Argention called my name.

In that moment, I realized that Argention’s red eyes could see through everything.

They seemed to be looking directly at me as I cowered in the corner with the Ancient Witch Rose.

At the same time, Ancient Witch Rose became very agitated.

‘Now!’

I unleashed the power I had gathered.

[Quest confirmed <Overcome the ancient witch Rose and awaken!>].

[Quest <Overcome the ancient witch Rose and awaken!> completed].

[You have received  <Awakening the hidden power>  as a reward].