The Hippocratic Oath.
When I was 8, I watched a doctor recite it in a drama I can’t even remember the name of.
[I solemnly pledge to dedicate my life to the service of humanity.
I will give respect and gratitude to my teachers.
I will practice medicine with conscience and dignity.
The health and life of my patient will be my first consideration.
I will uphold the noble traditions and honor of the medical profession.
I make these promises solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.]
– Dad! I’m going to become a doctor!
It was so dazzling, so brilliant, that I immediately dreamed of becoming one.
There were many difficult times while studying, but I barely managed to endure, holding onto that pure-hearted dream from childhood.
When I was finally accepted into Seoul National University’s medical school, I was over the moon.
…Of course, I quickly learned that surviving med school was even harder than getting in.
Still, I was happy.
Every single day was fulfilling, thinking that I could someday be like that doctor in the drama.
…But in the end, I died, rendering it all meaningless.
– I can’t let it end like this. I’ll become a doctor even here.
In this new life, I found a new goal.
A lot happened.
I practiced medicine in ways I could never have imagined in my previous life.
I received words of gratitude from many people.
One day, I saved a sick boy I met by chance, and his elderly mother cried tears of gratitude.
That moment still feels as vivid as if it happened yesterday.
It was fulfilling but also heartbreaking.
Even with modern medical knowledge, the most I could do was save the person right in front of me.
‘Do I have regrets?’
It would be a lie to say I didn’t.
There are countless times I wished I had done something differently for Sena back then.
‘Going back home is out of the question now.’
I couldn’t even achieve what I wanted most.
But if the goddess asked me, “Do you want to live again?” I think I’d refuse.
I don’t think much would change.
– Then why don’t you come now?
I heard the Goddess’s voice in my head.
It was like a ripple spreading gently across the surface of a tranquil lake.
For a moment, I was tempted.
If I just said yes here, I’d wake up no longer in pain.
There’d be no worries, and my heart would be at ease.
But still.
‘I still have something left to do.’
After all, there was only a little bit left.
Sena had something left that he absolutely had to finish.
“Sena.”
When Sena opened his eyes, Astria urgently called his name.
“How are you feeling?”
It felt like waking up from a dream.
Dreams are definitely better than reality.
The moment he regained consciousness, his mind felt hazy, like being drugged.
More than anything, he could feel his body breaking apart in real-time.
He didn’t even need to read the numbers to know his lifespan anymore.
Only a single day.
Less than 24 hours left.
“I’m fine.”
“…You’ve grown wings.”
“Haha, I thought I’d tucked them away neatly, but they’re acting up again.”
“I don’t care. Whether my personal physician has wings or not doesn’t concern me.”
“You’re a generous empress.”
“Can you stand?”
“Of course.”
However, contrary to his words, Sena’s body didn’t budge.
He realized just how absurdly weak his strength had become.
“…I’ll help you.”
“Thank you.”
With Astria’s support, Sena was finally able to stand.
“Follow me.”
“I’m not hungry yet.”
Astria grabbed Sena’s hand and led him somewhere.
Astria’s usual composed demeanor was absent, and his steps seemed unusually hurried today.
“May I ask where we’re going?”
“There’s no need for you to know.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes. All you need to do is follow my orders, now and in the future.”
Astria led Sena to a dark, gloomy underground prison.
Sena wrinkled his nose at the musty smell typical of such places and looked at Astria in confusion.
“Your Majesty?”
“These are death-row prisoners.”
“…?”
Two unconscious men lay inside the cell.
Astria gestured to the guards, who opened the prison door with precise movements.
“I’ve heard the situation.”
“…From whom?”
“Cruyff.”
‘So he did come.’
It would’ve been nice if he’d at least shown his face.
“I’m sorry for not saying anything until now.”
“Reprimands come last.”
Sching!
Astria unsheathed her sword and handed it to Sena in reverse grip.
“Take it.”
“What…?”
“This is the only way to cure your illness.”
Sena blinked, struggling to understand.
An underground prison.
Two unconscious prisoners.
A sword in his hand.
The secret he’d long wanted to hide and the years of research Cruyff had dedicated to curing his illness—this was the result.
“…?”
Sena looked at Astria with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
“Do you think I can do this?”
It was only a brief moment, but for Sena, it felt like an eternity.
The fact that someone could even suggest such a thing to him was a shock.
“One of them r*ped 30 young women.”
Astria stated the facts calmly, without embellishment or understatement.
“The other one murdered his own parents with his bare hands.”
“…”
“Do you think even such criminals, who are unworthy of the very air they breathe, deserve to live?”
Who would want to save such criminals?
Even Sena believed that some people didn’t deserve to live.
But that wasn’t the role of a doctor.
A doctor must not pick and choose their patients.
“I have no intention of killing them.”
Astria saw the unyielding determination in Sena’s eyes.
As an empress, she had seen that look in people many times before.
Those with eyes like that would hold firm to their beliefs, even at the cost of their own lives.
“…You always wanted to save as many people as possible.”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever considered that you need to survive to save more lives?”
“But if that requires taking someone else’s life, then it defeats the purpose.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Yes?”
“What you’re saying is nothing but nonsense.”
Astria approached one of the prisoners roughly, slashing their shoulder with the Holy Sword without hesitation.
“What will you do now?”
It was a fatal wound.
Not immediately lethal, but without intervention, death was inevitable.
“They’ll die like this.”
Sena silently moved toward the death-row prisoner.
Without hesitation, he prepared to use his healing light.
Astria, furious, shoved him against the wall.
Finally, unable to contain herself, she shouted.
“Why? Why do you pity them? Your conviction is wrong!”
She knew Sena’s character all too well—down to the point of exasperation.
But for him to refuse to kill even when his own life was at stake?
To go as far as trying to save a death-row prisoner?
It was beyond reason. It was pathological.
What was driving him? What made him so relentless?
Was it simply the conviction of a healer? Or the blessing of the Goddess?
Whatever the reason, Astria knew she would never understand it.
“No. It’s not because I pity them, nor is it about preserving my conviction.”
“Then why…!”
“Simply put, as someone who heals people, I refuse to take another life to save mine.”
Sena spoke quietly, then gently lowered Astria’s hand, which was gripping his collar.
Astria didn’t resist his touch.
“Please, don’t do this again, Astria. Sena Birkender will die tomorrow. That’s a fact.”
“…!”
Astria’s eyes filled with shock.
Sena walked over to the bleeding prisoner and administered emergency care.
He deliberately avoided using divine power, knowing Astria might try to stop him.
After stemming the bleeding, he left the prison with an emotionless expression.
Astria couldn’t do anything.
It wasn’t until long after Sena had left that her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
– Only Your Majesty can save Sena.
Cruyff’s words echoed in her mind.
Astria had anticipated this outcome.
She had intended to force Sena to take a life, even against his will, believing that only by doing so could he be saved.
But now…
‘You were wrong, Cruyff.’
Astria couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t extinguish the light in Sena’s resolute eyes—a light that vowed to uphold his beliefs no matter what.
Because extinguishing that light would be a sadness greater than Sena’s death.
‘I can’t do it.’
**
[1]
Astria returned from the underground prison hours later.
Sena was in the manor.
He was sipping his favorite coffee and reading a book, his eyes bright as they often were.
“Ah, Your Majesty. You’re back?”
Sena greeted her with a warm, genuine smile, as if nothing had happened earlier.
“…Yes. What are you reading?”
Astria could only respond in kind.
Wasting the little time they had left on trivial quarrels seemed meaningless now.
Sena likely shared the same thought.
“It’s a new book on medicinal herbs. A new release just came out, so I was reading it.”
“I see.”
Astria’s gaze softened with a tinge of sadness.
“Oh, by the way, there’s something I’d like to do.”
“…Speak.”
Her somber tone made Sena laugh.
It was amusing to see Astria so dispirited for the first time.
“Let’s go eat.”
Closing his book, Sena stood up.
As he passed Astria with light steps.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“…Indeed. It’s time for lunch.”
With a bitter reply, Astria followed after him.
But as Sena reached out to open the door, his hand fumbled awkwardly in the air.
The doorknob was much higher than where Sena was searching.
Astria paused, watching as Sena, after a moment of confusion, turned to her with a sheepish smile.
“What are you doing?”
Sena laughed awkwardly.
“My grip strength is so weak now. Could you open the door for me, please?”
“…You insignificant fluffball.”
“It’s been a while since I heard that.”
With a sigh, Astria stepped forward to open the door.
But then, a fleeting thought crossed her mind.
‘This is strange. No matter how weak his body is, Sena is the type to stubbornly insist on doing things himself.’
More importantly, she recalled Sena holding his teacup and sipping coffee earlier.
If he had enough strength for that, opening a door shouldn’t have been difficult.
‘…Now that I think about it, this door seems to have been changed not long ago.’
The Birkender estate appeared to have a long history, but this particular door was recently installed, reflecting a more modern design.
A chilling suspicion crossed Astria’s mind.
“Sena.”
Her voice trembled.
Sena was still smiling, but now she noticed something was off.
Sena, who always met her gaze squarely when speaking, wasn’t looking directly at her. Instead, his eyes were fixed on some ambiguous point.
Astria exhaled sharply, her words escaping like a gasp.
“Tell me the color of the clothes I’m wearing right now.”
“…”
“Answer me. Quickly!”
Sena didn’t respond.
Or rather, he couldn’t.
Because since this morning—
He hadn’t been able to see a thing.
