Chapter 62
The Secrets are Always in the Deepest Place (6)
Listening to Therion’s words, I passed by the parchment depicting a cliff and pressed my finger firmly on the parchment showing a castle.
Ethan approached and looked down at the parchment with me.
“…Can you read it?”
“Roughly, yes.”
For his sake, I softly read the text written at the very top of the parchment.
“In exchange for the caster’s life and memories, one wish is granted and time is turned back.”
It was the most suitable curse to enshrine in the castle.
But what was the point of granting a wish if time would be reversed? That part didn’t make sense to me.
While I furrowed my brow, as if sensing my thoughts, Therion lowered his head to my ear and whispered.
“Lady Edith. It seems that in the temple, they call a place where causality overlaps like this a ‘relic site.'”
He tilted his cheek, smiling gently.
Whoosh!
At that gesture, blue flames suddenly ignited on a torch holder I hadn’t even noticed was on the wall. The surroundings instantly brightened.
Magnificent and grand engravings covered the entire wall, even in corners that seemed impossible for human hands to reach.
I turned my head from looking around the cave walls to face Therion and asked.
“…Why didn’t you light the fire when we were examining the parchment?”
“I just thought of it now.”
…What a personality.
While I glared at Therion, he went on with what he wanted to say.
“When countless causalities overlap, a space with power that can’t be fully explained by magic or divine power alone is created.”
“…Are you saying this place is such a relic site?”
“If that curse is indeed enshrined here, then yes.”
What do curses have to do with relics? As the crease between my brows deepened, Therion finally added,
“The curses and spells I brought are said to only have meaning when located in these ‘relic sites.'”
“…Why?”
“They say relic sites are connected to every moment of possibility. So, even if time is reversed…”
“…It wouldn’t matter inside here.”
“Exactly. If you fulfill a wish in this relic site, that wish remains fulfilled even after time is reversed.”
“Is such a thing really possible?”
I instinctively denied it. But if those words were true, it would explain why the curses could only be enshrined in relic sites.
Then, who made what wish here?
Who on earth would engrave ancient characters all over the well walls and subject all the people of Crowell Castle to brainwashing…
…To achieve “the deepest love”?
“But isn’t it lovely how humans always find a way, no matter what?”
“…Haa.”
Therion broke my reverie, shuddering as if he couldn’t contain how lovely he found it. Watching him, Ethan frowned and said.
“Don’t talk like a demon.”
“But I am a demon?”
“Even so.”
What kind of banter is this?
Therion shrugged once and spoke.
“Anyway, the relic site always exists—in your previous life, the life before that, maybe even your first life, Lady Edith. All while embracing every change in your lives.”
“…I see.”
“It’s amazing that something else exists eternally along with you. If you had known this fact a little earlier, you might have felt less lonely. Poor Lady Edith.”
Therion smiled shyly, far from comforting.
Ethan looked at him with an expression that said ‘he’s showing off.’
“…”
I couldn’t stop either of them and looked down at the parchment with a strange feeling.
Therion spoke briefly in a voice tinged with laughter.
“And congratulations. This time, you’ll truly be able to see the ‘end.'”
The end, huh.
I was gripped by a brief shudder.
The word ‘end’ makes me sentimental. So, this time… I really found a way to be free.
I raised my head towards Therion again.
“…Can Therion keep the parchment safe? Please also take measures to prevent the temple from discovering it.”
“Yes, of course.”
Therion nodded, lightly picking up the parchment with his fingers. I looked at Ethan standing beside me.
“And Ethan.”
“Yes?”
“You know you’re an accomplice now, right?”
If we were caught arbitrarily removing documents from the temple’s archives, it would be all over that very day.
Ethan was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“…I understand.”
“That silence was a bit long.”
“I said I understand.”
“Alright then. We’ve confirmed that there’s some kind of brainwashing or curse beyond there. Shall we move on now?”
After getting a definitive answer from Ethan, we finally decided to advance into that darkness.
Thanks to Therion lighting the torch holders, it was easy to navigate the path.
The path was so smoothly refined that it was more like a large underground cavity filled with beautiful craftsmanship rather than a cave.
“…This is the entrance now.”
Even that was just the entrance; only after walking for a long time could we see that what was at the far end was the entrance to the cavity, a closed door.
“This is… a sculpture.”
“It’s of desperate skill~”
On both sides of the huge push-to-open doors, a woman was carved.
The skill was so crude that detailed facial features couldn’t be discerned, but undisguisable affection seeped through the sculptor’s touch.
“Then I’ll open it.”
“Please do.”
Ethan stepped forward and pushed the stone door. Seeing that it didn’t budge with just pushing, it seemed it wasn’t just ordinary stone.
There was a slow scraping sound as the door gradually rubbed against the floor.
As the door opened, a massive cavity was revealed. Blue-tinged magic stones were embedded in every corner of the high and wide walls, and their intricate arrangement resembled the night sky.
Was it a coincidence that I was reminded of counting stars in the night sky while lying in the garden of Crowell Castle with Diana?
For my previous self, this would have been a place with such concentrated magical power that it would be hard to breathe. To hide such a level of magical power… Just how powerful is this curse?
“…..”
The one who sent the purple envelope must surely know about this space. I still don’t know their identity.
“Lady Edith, this way seems to be the center.”
Therion skillfully navigated the cavity he had clearly entered for the first time. He not only led the way through the various maze-like paths but even casually evaluated the quality of the cavity’s construction.
“The preservation is good, given how hidden it was. But it’s not to my taste. There’s not a single idol…”
“Why would you need idols?”
“Don’t you believe in God?”
“Do you, a demon, believe in God?”
“You don’t know anything. It’s because I’m a demon that I believe.”
As Therion piously clasped his hands together while arguing with Ethan, I quietly thought to myself.
Isn’t this blasphemy?
Anyway, I didn’t know that the curse was sleeping so close to the underground of Crowell Castle where I had just ended my previous life.
To mediate between the two, I gently tapped Ethan’s arm. As he tilted his head towards me, I whispered in his ear.
“Do you understand me a little better now?”
He looked at me with a blank expression for a moment, then slightly raised the corner of his mouth. It was an expression that didn’t quite match his next words.
“…Edith, I think I understand why you wanted to die.”
“Thank you.”
“Then all the more reason you shouldn’t give up on this life.”
“…That’s right too.”
Ethan smiled faintly. His firm lips drew a satisfied smile.
“…..”
Feeling strange because of Ethan’s expression, I continued to follow Therion.
As we walked, something that had been subtly felt gradually became clearer. It felt like a thick fog was lifting.
As if something beyond was calling me…
Finally, we reached an open square after passing through a narrow, long path. This was certainly the deepest part of the cavity.
“…「Secrets are always kept in the deepest part.」'”
I muttered the phrase as I moved forward. No one held me back.
On the rounded ceiling was a map that seemed to look down on Crowell Castle, and directly beneath the center of that castle drawn on the ceiling was a stone pedestal.
A single sheet of paper enshrined on the pedestal glowed strangely, receiving energy from the magic stones.
I approached the paper as if entranced.
Neither the cold that numbed the fingertips nor the pressure of time weighing down on the body could stop me.
There were a few short sentences written on the paper. The ink seeped into the letters as if just written.
「My sister died.」
…Sister? Diana? Surprised by the unexpected word, I hurriedly read the next sentence.
「My sister was a noble genius and a hero who saved Crowell Castle. After her death, I wandered searching for the footprints she would have left in the world.」
…I had never imagined that someone would dig up my actions again in the world after my death.
And the sentences that were almost certainly left by Diana continued on the parchment.
「Then I discovered an amazing fact. In reality, my sister was a regressor who had already repeated her life several times.」
…It seems it was a cycle where I hadn’t revealed the fact that I was a regressor even to my family. So, quite early.
「Until when must my sister repeat the same life, simply saving others?」
“…..”
Diana’s pain seemed to seep through the writing. I lowered my gaze, forgetting even to breathe.
「Doesn’t my sister think she has failed this life again?」
…No. That’s not true. I probably…
And the next sentence was no longer in the form of a diary. I could tell. This must be the ‘wish’ that Diana fulfilled through the curse.
「How long must you wander without a place to rest your heart? Who remains by your side? I love you, but I wish to love you even more. I pray that Crowell Castle will always be a warm sanctuary welcoming you.」
All of this was written in Diana’s handwriting, tinged with pain.
🥀
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