Abraham quickly caught me as I staggered.

“Rosie?”

“Ah... I’m sorry... Just... give me a moment...”

I couldn’t even begin to explain what was happening, so I just handed the letter to Ray.

As soon as he read it, Ray’s expression turned grim.

‘No, Zahid...’

I remembered the tapestry displayed in the Sinessé Marquessate—the one that depicted the awakening of the Divine Beast, where the master becomes one with the beast at the cost of their life.

I had wanted to tell him not to do it, that awakening the Divine Beast came at the price of death—but now he’d found the place and had already left?

I bit down on my lower lip, my thoughts racing.

“I want to stay by your side, but if it’s for your sake, I want to be the one to take on the most dangerous role.”

Even if Zahid knew it meant death, he wouldn’t hesitate. Now that everything had been exposed, he wouldn’t hold back.

Because it meant Aietar was coming to kill me.

“When a truly dangerous moment comes, I’m afraid others might hesitate. I won’t feel at peace unless I’m the one to act first.”

My hands began to tremble as I recalled our last meeting, our last conversation.

‘Don’t do it, Zahid... Don’t...’

I wanted to chase after him right now, to stop him before it was too late.

“Young lady’s first love... already dead? Oh dear...”

This situation was all too familiar to me.

In the past life, it had been the same.

Zahid had left me behind—and died for me.

“How do you forget something like that... Someone dying for you, right in front of your eyes...”

I couldn’t let it happen again. I couldn’t let Zahid die for me again. If he died before me once more, # Nоvеlight # I didn’t think I could bear it.

‘I have to stop him.’

Fear, helplessness, and desperation surged through my body like fire. It felt just like when I’d rushed out to save Yuta.

That undeniable feeling that the other person would sacrifice themselves for me—so I had to stop them at any cost.

Even if it was true that there was no other path... I still wanted to believe we could find a way to live without that sacrifice.

“I have to stop him... I can’t let this happen.”

“Rosie.”

Ray stood before me as I staggered.

I looked at him with desperate eyes.

“Awakening the Divine Beast... it comes at the cost of a life. If we do nothing, Zahid will die.”

“Rosie, you need to stay calm.”

Ray met my gaze and said evenly,

“Realistically, it’s impossible. We still don’t even know where he went. His Majesty doesn’t seem to know either.”

Right. If the Emperor had known the location, he would’ve told us.

“If Zahid found the place in Arhad, then to put it plainly—we have no way of finding it ourselves.”

Ray’s voice trembled slightly, but his words were steady.

“So we need to think about what we can do first, Rosie.”

“...”

“Your identity has been exposed now. Don’t return to the Noart estate. Instead, stay hidden at the Idra Duchy under Linna’s protection as her maid. In the meantime, we’ll try to gather more information—”

I shook my head fiercely at Ray’s words.

“No.”

Before regression, I’d prayed over Zahid’s body again and again, swearing that I would never live powerlessly again.

So this time, I would meet Zahid face-to-face, and tell him I loved him.

That the deep and long-held feelings I had for him were the very key that allowed me to become the master of Fire.

And that because I could become the master of his Divine Beast, I could face Aietar myself.

So there was no need for him to risk his life awakening the beast.

“I’ll figure it out. I’ll find the place.”

At my desperate declaration, Ray slowly shook his head.

“It’s impossible, Rosie. How can you find something you don’t even know exists? And Zahid already left a long time ago...”

“I’ll think harder. I’ll try everything.”

I wiped my tears with my fists as I spoke.

“You never know... Maybe the tutor my brother hired long ago mentioned something. Maybe there’s something I missed in my own memories...”

“There’s a reason we haven’t found it all this time, Rosie. The only places on the continent with strong divine energy are Arhad and the High Temple grounds. If Zahid already left Arhad, then we’re out of options.”

“I still won’t give up. I’ll... I’ll keep thinking.”

I clutched the hem of my skirt and bit my lip.

“I was top of the class... If Zahid, who came in dead last on the entrance exam, figured it out at Arhad, then I can do it too—even without going there.”

It wasn’t logical, but I had to rationalize it somehow, or I wouldn’t be able to endure it.

‘Stupid Zahid.’

My thoughts were blurry through the tears streaming down my face...

“Next time, meet me as Rosie Noart. Not as a maid of Idra.”

We’d promised to meet again next time...

How could he say that—and then run off to die? That was just unforgivable...

Even as tears soaked my cheeks, my mind kept replaying the words we’d exchanged.

“Then next time, I’ll be the one to slip the ring on your finger and ask you to marry me.”

He’d said he’d be the one to give me the ring and propose this time...

Even though it was a ring I had bought, and he dismissed my effort completely—

“You just bought it because your investment in magic stones paid off.”

“How can you say something so cruel? Investing is emotional labor too! If the Lomstone mine project had failed, I would’ve lost everything!”

Even if he insulted my effort again when we met... I thought I’d still be able to smile.

‘Ah, wait.’

It was then that my hand, which had been wiping away tears, suddenly froze.

“You know, right? Lomstone contains more mana than magic stones. You have no idea how much I stressed over it.”

Magic stones could suppress divine power. The ring I was wearing was proof of that.

Of course, it required a ridiculous amount of processing and refinement...

But Lomstone had an even higher mana content than magic stones.

“Lomstone is way cheaper and more effective than magic stones!”

That was why Monica had harshly criticized me during the monthly meeting back then.

‘They say only Arhad and the High Temple are rich in divine power... but maybe that’s not true.’

I bit back my desperate tears and sank into thought.

Crying wouldn’t solve anything, but the tears still came.

‘Maybe one of them was hidden. Think, Rosie. Zahid figured it out—even if he was last in class. Of course I can do it too.’

And then a memory struck me like lightning.

[The volunteer work in the Kingdom of Itaa was miserable, but rewarding.

Lomstone makes divine power less effective, but my divine power is special, so...]

It was a line from an interview that came with the magazine photo Yuta had sent me.

Originally, he hadn’t meant to send the interview, but the text had been caught in the photo and ended up being clipped along with it.

“...Itaa.”

“Huh?”

“The Kingdom of Itaa.”

“Itaa? Where Lord Yuta did his volunteer work?”

When I mumbled the name, Ray’s eyes widened.

“Yes!”

I nodded rapidly.

“That place has huge Lomstone deposits... That’s why they say divine power doesn’t work well there...”

I rambled, but pressed on eagerly.

“Maybe it’s not that there’s no divine power—it’s just that it’s being concealed.”

The more I thought about it, the more certain I became.

Nowhere else on the continent had such a massive Lomstone deposit. Lomstone itself was rare to begin with.

“If it’s a deduction I could make, then Zahid—who was with Yuta—could’ve figured it out too.”

I spoke rapidly, my eyes wide with realization.

“I have to go.”

“Huh?”

“I have to go save Zahid. He must’ve gone to the Kingdom of Itaa.”

The map didn’t pinpoint an exact location, but it did indicate the general area.

I had seen that map with my own eyes.

If Zahid and I had access to the same information, then I was sure I could follow his path.

“Rosie, calm down. Please think rationally.”

Ray grasped my wrist and spoke in a soothing tone.

“Zahid left a long time ago, and if he rode Fire, he’ll be moving incredibly fast. There’s no way we can catch up. And we still don’t know exactly which cave in Itaa he’s headed to.”

Of course, he wasn’t wrong.

“Plus, Itaa is a foreign country. Crossing the border requires procedure—and that means the High Priest would immediately know where you are.”

But even if he was right, I didn’t want to hear it.

Ray kept saying those painfully correct words I didn’t want to listen to.

“If we chase after uncertain information and put you at risk, it’s exactly what His Majesty warned us not to do. Your safety is our first—”

“Ahem.”

Abraham cleared his throat loudly, cutting Ray off mid-sentence.

Only then did we realize—we’d been speaking far too openly in front of Abraham.