Chapter 59
The Secrets are Always in the Deepest Place (3)
“Haahh.”
Can’t be helped.
It would be better to be caught by Mother than to be smashed on the ground.
While tightly hugging his shoulders, I closed my eyes and used flight magic to slow our fall.
As soon as Ethan confirmed that I was using flight magic, he dropped the lantern.
“…?”
The lantern left Ethan’s hand and fell downwards. The light quickly faded away. Only after I hurriedly created a magical light did our surroundings brighten again.
“Why did you drop a perfectly good lantern?!”
“You used magic. Since it’s come to this, could you make some fire too?”
“Haahh, I really…”
I glared silently at Ethan’s shameless, smooth face, then sighed deeply and first expressed my gratitude.
“Thank you for catching me.”
He nodded lightly and asked,
“Why did you suddenly fall?”
“The ladder came loose. It must be very old.”
It had looked quite sturdy… While tilting my head in confusion and looking at the well wall, Ethan whispered softly.
“Seven seconds.”
“…Pardon?”
“When we threw the stone from outside the well, it took seven seconds to reach the bottom.”
“You counted that?”
“I was trying to estimate the approximate height. But… it’s been a long time since those seven seconds passed, and we still haven’t heard the lantern hit the bottom.”
“……”
I fell silent for a moment, coming to the same realization as Ethan.
As we closed our mouths, the inside of the well became frighteningly quiet. I slowly opened my mouth.
“…It seems we’ve entered quite an absurd well. Should we try using teleportation magic to get outside the well?”
“No, it’s too dangerous to attempt. Our sense of space feels off.”
“I agree. An infinitely deep well… I had no idea something like this was hidden in Crowell Castle.”
“At this rate, it’ll be physically impossible to reach the ‘deepest place.'”
Ethan glanced down.
That’s true.
“Hmm…”
I, too, fell into thought for a moment, my arms still on Ethan’s shoulders.
Looking up, I could see a faint crescent-like light, just as much as Ethan had left open when he entered.
If we go up, could we escape?
“…Ah?”
At that moment, moonlight dimly illuminated the inside of the well.
On the well wall, which I had thought was just rough… something stood out.
I narrowed my eyes and reached out to touch the wall. I traced the texture with my fingers and intensified the light magic to stare at the wall.
“Edith? Why…”
“…Shh.”
“…What is it?”
Ethan whispered to me in a lowered voice.
“…It’s ancient script. I need to decipher it. Please be quiet so I can concentrate.”
“You can even decipher ancient script?”
“You think I only know ancient script?”
After my brief retort, Ethan kept his mouth shut as I had asked.
I squinted hard at the wall.
As if it had been engraved a very long time ago, there were sporadic traces of wind erosion.
Countless letters that formed no meaning were scattered about.
However, I instinctively realized what I needed to do now.
「…Secrets are always.」
They must be in the deepest place.
Slowly, I infused magic into my fingers and placed them on the well wall. The wall began to split into individual letters and floated into the air, allowing them to be moved.
I focused and started moving the split letter pieces to form sentences.
「The deepest.」
…There are no letters to make the word ‘place’.
As I glared at the remaining type, a single word flashed through my mind.
Everything in Crowell Castle that loves me…
I slowly reached out and combined the remaining letters.
…There are no letters to make the word ‘place’.
As I glared at the remaining type, a single word flashed through my mind.
Everything in Crowell Castle that loves me…
I slowly reached out and combined the remaining letters.
「The deepest love.」
….The deepest love?
As soon as the sentence was completed, the well wall began to vibrate violently.
Rumble!!
Ethan, who was looking around, said urgently,
“…Edith. Water is starting to rise from below.”
“Yes. And something has appeared.”
Following Ethan’s words, I looked down and saw a black hole slightly elevated from the bottom where water was rapidly rising.
That definitely wasn’t there before.
Like a cave, it was just the right size for a person to enter.
“……”
I couldn’t take my eyes off that black hole.
It was because I felt a very familiar yet inappropriate intuition.
I’m certain. This feeling matched the cavity from the extermination practice site.
Now I could understand. Whatever that black hole is, what’s beyond it isn’t just simple brainwashing.
Brainwashing is probably just a byproduct of something like the ‘curse’ I have.
‘…Why here of all places.’
As a clue to the curse I thought had been broken continued in an unexpected place, my anger focused clearly.
Why do these things keep happening to me?
Who put a curse in a place like this?
“……”
Then suddenly, the sentence I had completed to open that cave came to mind.
“The deepest love.”
…This is love?
Quietly biting my lip, I tightly hugged Ethan’s nape and whispered,
“…Let’s escape there.”
“Alright.”
I used flight magic to descend with Ethan into the hole.
Thud.
The terrifyingly rising water stopped exactly at the bottom of the well hole.
“Ugh.”
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes.”
I staggered from stepping on land after floating in the air for so long, but thanks to Ethan’s quick support, I didn’t fall.
However, instead of letting go of my waist he was holding, Ethan intently looked at my face.
“…?”
Should I ask him what he’s looking at again?
Just as I was about to narrow my eyes at him, Ethan said in a low voice,
“Edith. Your nose is bleeding.”
“…Ah.”
I raised my hand to wipe my nose, and indeed, warm blood was wet on it. Strange. This is just like the symptoms of magic depletion…
I should have plenty of magic left, shouldn’t I?
“……”
I quickly checked the remaining magic in my body.
Surprisingly, there was almost no magic left.
It was like scraping the bottom of a dry riverbed with my fingers.
“Ha…”
While pressing my nose to stop the bleeding, I urged my strangely sluggish thoughts.
‘When did this start? Ever since Therion cast that strange magic on the back of my hand, I’ve had enough magic to use freely without running out.’
That’s why I used magic so carelessly.
What I lacked now was magic, not technique.
Thinking this, I raised the hand Therion had kissed just before getting off the carriage and examined it.
…Surprisingly, I couldn’t feel any magic at all.
‘…Ha.’
I realized without difficulty. The inside and outside of the well are still disconnected.
So, just as magic used inside the well can’t be detected from the outside, the magic brought in from outside must have been undone.
“Ugh…”
“Are you really alright? You look pale.”
Ethan kept his eyes on me.
And for good reason. While the magic I’ve used so far has been nothing to me, at least now it was certainly ‘too much’.
My hand was wet with nosebleed, and my vision was spinning.
Barely holding onto consciousness, I tried to leave words for Ethan.
“Ethan. If I faint, absolutely do not go inside until I wake up…”
The light magic will disappear too, so you must not move at all. It was even fortunate that I was losing consciousness after setting foot on the ground.
As I was gripping Ethan’s arm tightly and stammering out words, suddenly my body felt lighter.
“…and?”
I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“……”
Slowly rolling just my eyes to look behind, Therion, who had placed his hand on my shoulder, smiled brightly as he took off his hood.
[Oh, Edith.]
“…Ha.”
[Did I come at just the right moment when you needed me?]
It was truly an infuriating smile.
I didn’t call out to him aloud.
Seeing that he conveyed his voice through magic, he must be using invisibility magic visible only to me.
“Edith?”
Above all, Ethan didn’t notice.
“…It’s nothing. I think I’ll feel better after resting a bit.”
[Not letting me show off that it’s thanks to me….]
A playful voice lingered in my ear.
Addressing me formally, but without a hint of respect or courtesy towards me… that voice.
[Of course, you can’t use my magic when you’ve come to a place like this. What would you have done if I hadn’t come at the right time?]
I could feel the magic rising again. Touching my shoulder where Therion’s hand had been, I sent my voice to him through magic.
[…Your magic, you say?]
[Yes. Don’t tell me you didn’t know? I made it so you could use my magic. And you’ve been using it so willingly, like your own hands and feet….]
Therion chuckled behind me. So that’s why I felt that unpleasant sensation like his magic every time I used magic.
Pretending not to hear Therion’s voice, I turned back to Ethan.
“I think I overdid it a bit.”
“It certainly has been a forced march. Maybe we should rest for a while…”
“…I’m fine.”
Ethan reached out and brushed back my disheveled bangs.
[Hmm.]
Therion slowly circled around Ethan, making a mocking snort. My eyelids trembled at the tense atmosphere only I could feel.
Please, just be quiet.
🥀
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