Weed ~The One’s Gardener~ - Chapter 81

Again, Thud.

As she planted the staff firmly into the ground, her vision shifted abruptly.

“Huh.”

Hana bent her knees. It was manageable. Despite it being only the second time, she had grown accustomed to it. This time, it wasn’t as dizzying as before.

Taking a few more steps forward, she waited for her unsettled stomach to calm.

[I’m pleased. I’m delighted to meet you.]

Even as Void spoke with an excited voice, Hana responded lightly, as if on a casual outing.

“Really?”

[I have been waiting for this moment.]

Even when she was on the verge of death from the accident, she had heard the same thing. It was always about waiting for this moment.

A strange smile appeared on Hana’s face.

Void had said that if she wanted answers, she should come to him.

It was true. It wasn’t a lie.

The answer had come, and the answer was just this.

A cheerful laugh escaped her. The summer night air felt pleasant. Hana laughed at the void above, and then, after finally stopping, she spoke.

“So have I.”

She, too, had been waiting for this moment. Until now, she had wanted to die but couldn’t—not because she lacked courage or reason.

However, today was different. She was ready, and more than anyone, she wanted it.

What regrets did she have left? At first, she thought Void was chastising her for not dying yet. She thought he was trying to kill her without reason, but Void had merely asked the fundamental question of this entire process.

[You, who are merciful and self-sacrificing, always wanted to save others, didn’t you?]

It was a penetrating statement.

Hana had obsessively focused on that throughout her life and had pushed her already fragile body to its limits just to achieve it.

“Yes.”

She wanted to make others happy. She wanted to repay them. She wanted to avoid death. She wanted to save and revive. She had sought God and hoped for miracles. But she must have known.

As Calden had insightfully observed, humans were unnecessarily realistic.

Deep down, she knew she lacked such abilities and that such miracles wouldn’t happen. Yet, this made her more desperate. If there was a way, she wanted to save her. She had let go of the only person she had truly loved, and that remained as her regret.

She was the only family Hana had.

In a world where she was loved unconditionally and truly, her disappearance left Hana without a reason to live. Unless a miracle appeared, there was no reason for Hana to want to continue living.

In essence, they were completely estranged. This made Hana cling to the idea even more. Without her, Hana would have lost her place in the world. She was the only one who had acknowledged her as she was.

Still, even with all the care she provided, there were limits. Money couldn’t save her.

She couldn’t even be with her in her final moments, and Hana endured scorn from all sides. During that time, she directed her resentment and sense of responsibility toward the stalker. She had to channel her chaotic feelings somehow.

If she had stayed there, she might have ended up killing him herself. At the very least, she would have hired someone to do it. After all, she had plenty of money.

But it was an illusion.

What she truly wanted was not that kind of revenge. Realizing that she genuinely didn’t want such one-time vengeance made her feel a little more at ease.

No, did she even have the right to seek revenge? She simply needed someone to hate. How noble it was to prioritize compassion over hatred. There was no more shameless thing. She could look up at the sky without feeling embarrassed.

“I hope that Weed isn’t suffering.”

It was a promise to Void and a personal affirmation.

Hana knew better than anyone how heartbreaking it was when a precious, unique person vanished before her eyes. Weed, who had always been a pillar of support for others, had no place to lean on himself. As the years went by, Void had said that Weed’s emotions had crumbled.

“We don’t just want him to live alone. Simply being alive isn’t meaningful.”

Rutis’s words wouldn’t leave her mind.

To her, Weed was a miracle. She wanted to live because of him. Just as he had said she was his reason to live, she could also take him as her reason to live, and the reason for living was closely related to the reason for dying.

She was bound to die anyway, but she was satisfied knowing that she could repay the happiness she had enjoyed so far.

She would save him. Simply saving him wasn’t enough. Just being alive wasn’t meaningful. That’s why she would erase his memories. It pained her that he would forget her, but she thought it would be okay.

Yes, he could remain completely unaware. That way, he wouldn’t suffer anymore. That would be enough for her.

“Void, I’m selfish.”

Hana had condemned Weed, who wanted to save her and die, as selfish. She even went so far as to say she hated him for it. If that was the case, she was selfish too. She knew that if his feelings were the same as hers, he would never want this.

“I have always been greedy. I still am.”

Weed wouldn’t want it. He had tried to sacrifice himself, and Hana had witnessed his intention. Even knowing this, she would still push through.

Because she wanted to.

While pretending to act for his sake, she was actually doing what she most wanted to do. She admitted it. If this wasn’t selfish, what could be?

“Huu…”

…But why were tears falling? Today was supposed to be a good day. She was doing something she wanted so badly.

The gem at the end of the staff began to hum and vibrate. Hana slammed the end of the staff into the ground again.

Thud.

The disorienting sensation of floating returned. No matter how many times she did it, she could never get used to the feeling of her body lifting off the ground.

After her vision shifted abruptly, Hana collapsed onto the ground.

“Huu. Uhh…”

It seemed that running earlier had caused the problem. The dizziness was manageable, yet her legs were starting to ache. It was difficult to calm her churning stomach while walking. She wished she had brought some Tifolia medicine.