HTWBB Chapter 5

There was only one way to enter together. If the resistance proved too severe, she'd intended to give up, but Abel simply furrowed his brow slightly and left it at that.

At his silent permission, Rietta wasted no more time and took his hand. It wasn't exactly pleasant for her either. While the magic she'd wrapped around him stabilized, she had no choice but to maintain this unnecessary contact.

Pushing aside distracting thoughts, she wrapped her magic around him like thin cotton thread. As she drew out every last bit of remaining magic, she felt herself emptying from the inside.

Sweat began beading on her forehead, and fatigue accumulated rapidly. Her grip loosened involuntarily.

"You're different from what you appear, Rietta."

Abel's gaze moved to Rietta's hair. His dry purple eyes examined her very slowly. The somewhat messily dyed hair was changing rapidly.

It looked as if someone had splattered ink of the same color, or perhaps like a process of erasing worthless foreign matter. The transformation didn't take long. Just as the remaining brown dye seemed to fade, vivid coral-colored strands fully settled into place.

"It's done now."

At the same time, Rietta, having finished her work, opened her eyes. The voice flowing between her lips sank even lower, rough and hoarse to the point of being difficult to hear.

The lost magic was regrettable, but it had been worthwhile. Abel's strangely different quality—as if he were qualitatively different—hadn't disappeared and remained. It might have been due to his appearance, but at any rate, he now blended somewhat with the surrounding landscape.

When he asked if it was done, she nodded and pulled on their clasped hands with force. Abel, who had been looking down at his arms and chest, was drawn along obediently.

In that state, she stepped through the door again without hesitation. He seemed to hesitate slightly, but this time, as expected, there was no interference whatsoever.

"It's not worn down at all."

The interior with the closed door was so dark that only the places lit by candlelight could be made out. But even that was enough to notice—there wasn't a speck of dust that should have accumulated over the years.

"Places like this can't wear down."

Considering the path they'd taken, rust or cracks would have been stranger. Rietta looked around at the ceiling, walls, and floor that she could distinguish.

On both walls, very antique candlesticks were attached at regular intervals, and on the right side of the entrance, an empty lamp had been placed.

Rietta, who had been about to use the old lamp, noticed that candles lit themselves when she approached the candlesticks and left it alone. However, the candles went out without warning when she moved beyond a certain range, making it difficult to examine where they'd been and where they were going. To turn back now would mean they'd wasted too much time.

Rietta began walking at a moderate pace and listened carefully. Aside from the footsteps of two people, it was silent enough to make her ears feel stuffed. She couldn't sense any sign of living things at all.

"What was the problem?"

Abel, who had been quiet all along, suddenly asked. He still hadn't let go of her hand.

"There must be divine power here or something."

"That's related to it rejecting me, then."

"Probably."

"I don't understand."

Rietta opened her mouth, then closed it again. She couldn't tell him it seemed to have recognized him as a demonic beast or demon. He might be carrying some ominous object, but there were many other suspicious causes besides that.

Perhaps he'd summoned demonic beasts, or maybe he really was a demonic beast or demon. Since most demonic beasts and demons had disappeared after the Great Calamity, she should have put more weight on other possibilities.

However, for Rietta right now, there was no reason to care about such things, nor did she have the capacity. When silence resumed, Abel spoke again after a brief pause. It was a different topic.

"I asked why you're looking for the necklace."

"Right."

Snap!

At the small noise, Rietta looked down at her feet. Abel, who had quickly pulled her toward him, was stepping on something. The thing that looked like a clump of black smoke wriggled like an insect. She thought she could hear something like a suppressed scream.

Abel lifted his leg slightly and brought his foot down like an executioner. The smoke, which had stopped all movement, dispersed weakly and disappeared as if seeping into the floor.

"I lost something."

"The necklace?"

"No. But there's a possibility it transformed into a different form."

"It must have been a long time ago."

"It hasn't been a short time."

They continued forward. The smoke-like things appeared several more times before vanishing instantly at Abel's hands.

They appeared sssslipping into view from underfoot, mid-air, or overhead without discrimination, approaching soundlessly in a most irritating manner.

When Abel had crushed them about five times, Rietta pointed at it.

"Are they spirits or something?"

"If my thoughts are correct, probably. Even if they touch you, they won't cause much harm."

Other than that, there were no particularly threatening traps or devices. Though she felt weak magic from somewhere, she sensed no aggression at all.

Rather, the passage they were walking through was unexpected. Considering the building's overall size, they should have already reached the opposite side. However, the end still wasn't visible, and the faint magic filling all directions seemed to be because of this.

Abel, who had been quietly walking beside her for a while again, spoke.

"Why did you come all this way?"

"A request."

Abel slowly tilted his head.

"Is that all?"

"You seem to think there's more."

"Well..."

When their eyes met, he smiled faintly. His eyes still weren't smiling at all.

"You handle magic so freely, and you even use a nymph halfblood as a guide. It would be hard to regard you as an ordinary treasure hunter."

"Is that so?"

Rietta answered briefly and stopped abruptly. Suddenly, the area ahead brightened. She pulled Abel back two steps. All she had done in the meantime was meet Abel's eyes and blink. Up until that moment, the dark corridor had seemed endless.

Rietta stared blankly at a wide space about the size of a small banquet hall. In the empty place with nothing in it, only a single door stood alone like the entrance they'd come through.

'The magic didn't move at all.'

Rietta moved her steps again toward the door with clearly masterful, ornately engraved intaglio work. The footsteps of the two people struck the high ceiling and echoed hollowly.

Abel, who had been walking behind as if following, moved ahead. Rietta examined the door from behind him. It was open, revealing a very slight gap.

The interior wasn't visible at all. Only darkness blacker than night filled the inside.

"I think it's here."

"If only it's not a trap."

Retracing the path they'd taken, they had been wandering in the same place. It seemed to have been designed to make them circle around so they couldn't easily approach where the treasure was stored.

Rietta gave Abel a look. It was strange that the main body had suddenly revealed itself without any particular warning. As if thinking the same thing, he nodded.

"We have to go even if it's a trap."

It was something they'd expected from the moment they entered this place. Rather, it was strange that there weren't hidden weapons or demons everywhere.

This time too, Rietta thrust her arm first into the pitch-black space. Nothing caught on it, but she couldn't see the arm she'd inserted, as if she'd dipped it in black water. She leaned her body forward.

And when she was perfectly embraced by the darkness, all sound disappeared. She couldn't hear Abel's footsteps following behind, nor the faint sounds of flying creatures that had been audible from outside the window. It was a silence painful to the ears.

Her moving gestures felt heavy, as if weights were attached. She seemed to be getting slightly short of breath too. At some point, she realized the hand that had been holding Abel felt empty.

She opened and closed her fist a couple of times, then lifted her hand close to her eyes. Not even a faint outline could be grasped. All directions were dark as if she'd gone blind.

"Abel."

Even the voice she uttered sounded muffled and stuffy as if blocked. Rietta gave up on finding Abel. And she forced her drooping legs to move. Though everything around her was black as if floating in the air, there had been only one path coming here, so she should just keep moving forward.

How long had she walked with her sense of direction and time lost? Suddenly, a reddish light began seeping from behind.

"Rietta."

A voice calling her from nearby could be heard. It was a voice she'd never forgotten for even a single moment.

Melian tilted his head back to glance at the sky. The moon had been up for quite some time, and the summer dawn constellations had adorned the sky long ago.

Rietta, who had disappeared into the sunset scenery, still hadn't returned. The boy, who had been wondering whether to wait a bit longer, soon shook his head. In any case, his role had only been guidance, and any further companionship depended entirely on Rietta's goodwill.

First, he had to leave this place as she'd said. If he waited in Helron, they could meet without missing each other. Assuming she didn't forget about the boy and returned.

'I wouldn't tell a nymph that the mountain is dangerous.'

How on earth did she know? Melian recalled Rietta as he descended the mountain as if flying. No matter how severe the physical changes were, it was impossible to discern bloodlines from that alone.

Clearly she had something no one knew about. A secret he couldn't fathom at all.

By the time he had descended to about the middle of the mountain, Melian's clothes had shrunk by about a hand's width. His brown hair fluttered in the quiet forest. Since there was no need to go to walkable places, his speed gradually increased.

The boy very slowly settled the magic he'd fully absorbed. The steeper the slope he slid down, the narrower his stride became and the smaller his frame grew.

Melian stopped on the gentle path and checked himself. His body was about twelve years old, like when he'd first met Rietta.

"Lady Rietta..."

The boy let out a sigh with a complicated expression. Because she was famous in many ways, he wasn't too worried. However, he couldn't help being concerned.

Melian slapped both his cheeks loudly, then clenched his fists. First, he had to go to Helron. The reason Rietta hadn't specifically designated a Luemmasa inn was likely because of the 9th Knight Order.

Melian put on a childlike expression, then adjusted Rietta's bag. It would be a lie to say he didn't miss his grown body, but in an age when most of the non-human races had been exterminated, wandering around in his true form was too dangerous. He'd already painfully experienced it once.

The boy, who had exhaled again, moved his steps toward the village wrapped in silence. It was time to wait again.

The sweltering wind of midsummer brushed past her cheek. Sunsets at this time of year had a more persistent quality than other seasons—even after the red sun hid itself, the remaining crimson edges would burn across the sky.

Rietta gazed at the sunset settling over the rice paddies covered in deep green. It was burning red as if someone had set it on fire. Sweat running down the side of her face dropped onto her hand with a plop.

A basket full of grapes was tucked under one arm. The fingertips of her opposite hand were sticky from the amount of grapes that had disappeared. Belatedly, the sweet and sour taste of grapes burst inside her mouth.

"Rietta."

It was a voice exactly that sweet. The summer here, which she was experiencing for the first time in her life, was excessively hot. So even without walking long distances, her face would flush readily, and her heart would beat at a slightly fast tempo as if she'd been running.

Rietta, who had roughly wiped her sticky fingers on her skirt, finally lifted her gaze. A small laugh tickled her ear.

"Did you go to the fruit shop?"

His affectionate eyes creased gently. His deep auburn hair looked even redder, colored by the sunset. Rietta smiled back and nodded.

"Yeah. They gave it to me, saying it's most delicious right now."

"Your fingers will taste like grapes again. Come here."

He approached and took the basket from Rietta's arm. Then he naturally grasped her empty hand and shook it lightly back and forth. It was somewhat firm grip, but not uncomfortable enough to pull away.

The hot wind that blew again swept away the flowing sweat as it passed. Rietta slowed her steps a bit. Since the road back to the house where they were staying still had a long way to go, she had to consider the stamina of the man walking beside her.

"Do you have any favorite fruits besides grapes?"

"I don't particularly dislike anything."

"But there must be something that especially suits your taste."

"Besides grapes, I don't really know. I haven't eaten many."

"What ripens in the fall? We can start eating those."

He seemed happy. A long discussion about fruit, nothing special, continued. Rietta threw out short answers while appreciating the surrounding scenery.

Beyond the wide rice paddies, she could see the sea that had swallowed the sun. In front of that, the few shops and residences would be gathered. Though it was a small fishing village without even any notable specialties, Rietta rather liked this place.

"Rietta. I have something to say."

It was when the lingering sunset had almost disappeared and the purple night sky was mixing like paint and spreading. It was also about when the roof of the cabin where they were staying came into view.

The man stopped under a large tree and turned to look at her. Rietta raised her head to meet his red eyes. He grasped Rietta's fingertips lightly and hesitated for a while. His earlobes were red.

"I think you've probably noticed..."

When she stared at him intently, this time the reddish tinge spread even to his cheeks. It was behavior that didn't suit his usual manner, which seemed overflowing with confidence to the point of appearing arrogant. He licked his lips a couple of times hesitantly before continuing.

"I hope you feel the same way as I do. So what I mean is..."

Because he kept breaking off his words, she noticed his attire, which she hadn't paid attention to before. Instead of the comfortable clothes she always saw, he wore a crisply ironed shirt and pants, and his hair was neatly combed back in a tidy appearance.

Due to the heat that hadn't cooled, sweat beaded on his neat forehead. Rietta touched her own cheek that the wind had caressed. It should have been hot, surely.

"Won't you come to the capital with me?"

As if the shy demeanor had been fake, it was an expression full of confidence that didn't even anticipate rejection. Eyes shining like jewels were gazing at her unwaveringly.

Rietta blinked slowly. She wiped the sweat running down her face and spread her hand, placing it in the path of the wind.

Realization came quickly.

She knew what answer the man before her wanted. She also knew what expression and what reaction he was hoping for.

"If you come, you'll definitely like it too."