Chapter 53: Regrets.

(*Victoria’s POV*)

When Celia explained her System, I already wanted to have such a thing like it almost instantly. Honestly, I didn’t expect that such a thing could be given to someone. Thinking back to that day, I am still angry at myself…

I assumed that it was only for higher beings like Celia, who was a Supreme Goddess before coming to this world. After escaping from that cannibal village, Celia was sleeping peacefully in the carriage.

Selen and Clarisa were interested in their Statues, and Celia willingly provided the information on them. Eventually, just as a joke, I undid my invisibility and asked Celia to give us a System.

It was completely a joke. I didn’t expect for Celia to actually be able to give us one. In the end, she did. Celia said that it would just make her sleep for a month. Just a little bit of sleeping? What a small price, I thought…

At the time, we saw this as an amazing and small side effect of us having something that Celia uses. When she spat up enough blood and then passed out, we all freaked out. This wasn’t what she said would happen…

Instantly, Celia was weak. Selen kept healing her, but with our new Systems, we could see that Celia’s HP kept lowering. Penni had more on hand, but I sent her away. With the remaining stockpile of healing potions in my storage ring, it was enough to keep Celia alive until we made it to my estate.

Just a month… We just have to protect her like this for a month, was what we hoped for. But that hope was shattered. From inspecting her Status, we could tell that her soul was damaged. Soul aren’t something that can be healed easily.

Regardless of how many extremely expensive healing potions and Mana Crystals that we put next to Celia in her bed, she never woke up. The bottles were left as well. Since they contained mana from housing such powerful healing liquid.

My plan to take over Coltern was almost completely abandoned. My only goal now was to make sure that Celia survived. Days turned to months, months turned to years. But Celia never woke up, and her health never got any better at all.

Selen, Clarisa, and I were all responsible for this. We took advantage of Celia, which caused this to happen. With her domain, it would make sense why she was so willing to help any woman. We exploited that part of her, and now she is suffering because of our selfishness.

Celia… she probably doesn’t hate or blame us at all. That is just her nature. The way she talked about that Creator who stole her family away from her, and forced her to play these games, wasn’t the way one someone would talk about someone that they truly hated.

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If she could forgive such a sin, she would obviously forgive us as well. Which made it hurt even more. If we were close friends, this would be more forgivable. But Celia barely knew me, let alone Selen and Clarisa.

Thanks to the System, the three of us have gotten so much more powerful. Even at the start, we got stronger fast. Each of us had thousands of unspent SIP’s, which allowed us to get more powerful, very fast.

Frankly, it was mostly because we assumed that she would be better in a month. We thought that she realized the risk, and sacrificed herself for us. But that had to be wrong. Her reaction from spitting up blood said that much.

Celia didn’t expect this at all. When she did it before, she must have been very powerful. But as a weak child, her body couldn’t stand the impact, and her soul took the brunt of the damage.

All for what? Just so us three could have an easier time of getting stronger? Celia has sacrificed her body, and almost over four years. She hadn’t found a single hint to find her mother, and now she has spent years trapped in bed.

Due to our selfishness, Celia had to sacrifice so much. I highly doubt that this is the first time that she’s let herself suffer, just so that she could help someone else out.

Knowing that, it makes the sin even worse… Us three have killed so many people, but this sin was the heaviest that we’ve ever had to bear. Practically for just a little cheat, we stole Celia’s time. And that is something that we can never atone for.

Selen: “Do you want to check on Celia?” She asked.

Clarisa: “We’ve almost checked on her every day for four years…” She said with a sad tone.

Victoria: “As tedious as it is, we owe that much to Celia.” I reply.

Clarisa: “I know… I just wish that she would wake up soon. She won’t be asleep forever, right?” She asked with an unsure tone.

Selen: “…”

Victoria: “…”

Selen and I couldn’t answer her question at all. There was no way to know when Celia would wake up, or even if she could. If Celia sleeps for another year, I will have to go out on a journey to find some magical item that can heal her.

With sadness in the air, we walked up the stairs to the room where Celia was resting in. Once inside, the girl was still sleeping. With a sigh, Clarisa was about to go over to her, but then Celia opened her eyes.

Once again, Clarisa was about to happily go over to greet Celia, but I held her back. What happened next was heartbreaking… Celia seemed to have difficulty seeing. She next checked out her hearing, which was clearly gone.

Celia tried to pick up an empty healing potion bottle, but she had no strength to do so at all. Her intent was to probably cause noise to have someone come help her. With no other options, Celia started crying.

To see such a powerful woman brought to tears was beyond heart breaking. This girl had killed practically an entire army of bandits, ending up with various wounds in the process. But she didn’t shed a single tear at the time.

Weakened beyond belief, lacking her strength and lacking most of her senses. It was no wonder why she cried so heavily. I have no right, but I want her to be my daughter. No longer will I see her as a replacement for my lost daughter.

Instead, I want to treat her like my true daughter. Even if she won’t accept it. It was really the only way for me to atone for hurting her like this. Not only did she lose so many years, but now she was very, very weakened.

Swallowing my guilt, I walked over to Celia to give her a hug. She accepted my hug, and she then cried into my chest. Regardless of how long it will take, us three will do everything in our power to heal and help Celia.