104. clue (4)
Adeline didn’t know why she was so afraid. From the moment she sensed the energy of the dungeon, Adeline felt that it was very familiar and yet terrifying. familiar fear. learned fear. Adeline sighed heavily, suppressing her beating heart. Black magic’s evil engulfs the whole body. All she could do was hold on to what she could get her hands on to prevent the gradual flooding of memories.
‘who… nine… .’
Someone’s hand was holding him tightly. Although she had felt the touch somewhere before, Adeline could not recall the owner’s name. I just hope and hope that that hand will not let go of myself drifting in pain and fear. Adeline crouched down even more and clung to his hand.
His sensitive senses were accepting everything in the dungeon. The air, the smell and the evil aura of black magic. Adeline had no choice but to let the fragmented memories float to the surface, unable to resent her more sensitive senses than ever.
‘You have cheeky eyes. I don’t like it very much.’
whose voice is it?
The voice was so familiar, so warm, so cold to the point of freezing, and so frightening to the point of shaking hands and feet. The energy that Adeline felt was creeping up through her body. It climbs up your legs and body, grabs you by the nape of your neck, and forcibly revives your sealed memories. It couldn’t have been, but Adeline constantly denied him even after realizing his true identity.
The earl’s voice said, there was no way he could say such a thing. Adeline kept repeating.
‘Let’s see if I can turn those eyes to me even if I can no longer look at the world with those eyes.’
The pain of memories became real and overtook Adeline. It hurt like my eyes were burning. It might actually be on fire. It felt like boiling water was being forcibly poured into my eyes, and it felt like I was burning them out with a red-hot iron.
It wasn’t just physical pain. The pain was rooted deep in Adeline’s bones and in her soul, leaving an imprint on it.
‘Obey my words.’
‘Kill the enemy.’
‘Become a puppet.’
“ah… green onion… .”
Adeline let out a voice like that without even realizing it. The hand that had been holding her tightly was now trying to let go. Adeline clings to the departing hand and clings to it. don’t go, don’t go Words that couldn’t come out lingered in my mouth.
“not… okay… .”
the hand is gone A mixture of chill and morale surrounded Adeline instead. A stench, a familiar stench rises from somewhere.
‘You were defeated by me.’
‘Look at me with those invisible eyes and serve me.’
Memories and pains that shouldn’t come to mind seemed to haunt Adeline constantly. However, in the chain of nightmares, someone’s words squeezed into my ears.
“Adeline.”
The turbulence of memories began to subside. Very slowly, other sensations covered the horrible voice and pain. The feeling of something covering your eyes again, and someone’s hand covering your trembling face. The waves of memories stopped. Adeline was in the dark like an empty void. What came out of it was a voice I had heard somewhere else.
“sorry. Please wait a little longer.”
Adeline then felt the hand leave her. But the memories did not flood again. Adeline became like a fishing boat that had let go of a storm and drifted in the sea of consciousness.
Then, another sound is heard. Adeline’s consciousness progressed slowly, using the sound as the light of the lighthouse.
The sound of a sword hitting something, the breath of a knight engrossed in battle, the friction of footsteps sweeping the floor, the sharp piercing sound of a blade cutting through the air. The sense that living dominates the air.
The sound that Adeline’s senses receive became the weapon against the monster called memory. Adeline uses the sound of Arsene swinging her sword as a weapon to erase her emerging memories. With each sound of a sword cutting through the air, the pain gradually disappeared. A void remained and hovered where the monster had been. It was not known yet whether it was originally a place where only monsters were located, or whether there was something that the monster had eaten.
Adeline unconsciously found her breath. A terrible smell of rotting corpses rises. Rather, it was better that way now. The more the stimulating sensation was felt, the faster Adeline’s mind returned. Consciousness rises like fish caught on a fishing line. What I was holding in my hand was the hilt of the sword. The right hand, which had returned to its senses, slowly expanded consciousness to the entire body.
“ha… .”
The first thing Adeline felt when she regained her awareness of her surroundings, holding back the reins of the spirit that had been running amok and running amok alone, was a familiar knight standing in the middle of a space where the stench of corpses vibrated. Adeline called the knight’s name with a consciousness that was still half-floating.
“Arsene.”
As I uttered the still unfamiliar name, I heard the sound of his footsteps. It wasn’t the sound of my feet hitting the stone floor, but a terrible sound, like walking on a piece of flesh. The presence came close, and before Adeline could say anything, Arsene’s words were heard.
“Are you okay?”
His voice wasn’t trembling, but he looked exhausted. It didn’t seem hurt. Adeline straightened the hilt and leaned her body against the sword. I didn’t know that I would be glad to hear that voice.
“… Yeah.”
“Hearing your voice, it seems that you are fine, but you are not. But I think I’ve found my sanity, so I’m glad.”
Then, Adeline realized that all the sensations that she had unconsciously heard and that seemed to surround her were all due to Arsene. It was a strange feeling. Adeline threw a question at Arsene, ignoring that suspicion.
“… What happened?”
There was a thump, the sound of Arsene sinking to the floor. Adeline flinched for a moment, knowing he was about to collapse, but the voice immediately followed.
“As you may have already felt, you have entered a dungeon. After I stunned the wizard, I sensed someone trying to enter the room.”
“… .”
“I tried to go out again through the entrance I came in, but I couldn’t open it. We are currently looking for another way to exit this dungeon.”
As a bonus, if you’re good, you might be able to find the research materials.
Arsene added. Adeline asked about the identity of the stench that had been bothering her nasal passages.
“Was there a battle?”
“It’s no big deal. A dungeon is a place like this. I’ve only dealt with a few synthetic monsters.”
It was Arsene who spoke casually, but Adeline could see that the monsters he was dealing with were not just ‘a few’. Because the smell of rotting corpses that filled the space was proving it. Why, I could have chosen to just leave it at this place. It wouldn’t have been okay if I didn’t have to take the risk of dealing with all those monsters.
He was protected by Arsene. Having reached that conclusion, Adeline kept her mouth shut.
Adeline did not know why Arsene had kept her till the end without abandoning her. But at the same time, I also thought that I shouldn’t ask why. My head was still too crowded. The pain and voice that dug into the eyes. A command still governing one’s own body.
“The stench is too strong to sit still here. Shall we move slowly?”
A voice calling for Adeline. Adeline raised her head.
“Can you stand up?”
Hands were not visible. However, Adeline could tell by signs that Arsene hesitated and reached out to her.
For some reason, I felt like this had happened a long time ago.
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Normally, I would have ignored my hand and stood up using the sword as a staff, but now, for some reason, I don’t think I can just ignore that hand.
He carefully reached out and took Arsene’s hand. It couldn’t be said to be familiar, but it was a texture that was firmly engraved on the head. Subsequently, Adeline stood up from her seat, using the power that supported her as a pillar. When Adeline stood up, Arsene immediately explained the structure of the space.
“There are three doors ahead. And there are two stairs at either end going down to the basement. The monsters came up the stairs on the left.”
Adeline nodded and expanded her senses. There was nothing left that could be called a trap. A fine stream of air that had been covered by the scent of perfume touched Adeline’s cheek.
“There are no pitfalls. Judging by the air flow… , I think you can find another exit by going down the stairs on the left.”
Arsene’s hand left Adeline’s. Adeline twitched her fingers in her empty hand for a moment, then moved her hand to the sword to hide the movement.
“Let’s investigate the door.”
When Adeline tilted her head, Arsene shrugged.
“Now that this has happened, wouldn’t it be better to search for a way out while also investigating? It is a space whose existence itself is illegal in the first place, but you won’t be able to openly protest that you escaped after stirring it up properly.”
Arsene’s voice was excited with a slight momentum, as if he was going to leave his anger behind. Adeline let out a small sigh as if she couldn’t help it.
“All right. I don’t know how much time has passed now, but it would be even better if we could escape before morning.”
“Sure. I am thinking about that.”
Arsene started to move forward. Adeline followed that sign and followed. As soon as I stepped on my feet, a thick, damp lump of flesh touched my ankle. Arsene and Adeline reached the door at the end of the space, crushing the flesh.
Maxim rubbed the doorknob and frowned. It felt even more suspicious that there was nothing that caught my senses. Maxim looked back at Adeline. The corners of his mouth hardened slightly, as if he felt a little uncomfortable about stepping on the masses of flesh that were lined up on the floor.
Maxim looked at Adeline quietly. The mark of a curse caught in the eye. Adeline, who seemed to know nothing. Should I let you know? Maxim bit his lip. The blood that flowed from the bite gave off a fishy smell. That you are cursed, that you are being deceived by the Count, and that the point where your sword should be pointed is the Count’s throat.
“This is the door on the left.”
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Now, I couldn’t. At least after escaping this damn dungeon and finding clues about Christine. Maxim gritted his teeth again.
“Can you feel anything?”
At Maxim’s question, Adeline shook her head.
“There is not. Maybe that space inside the dungeon is the most intact.”
“The space beyond those three doors is all… ?”
Adeline nodded. Maxim closed his eyes and grabbed the doorknob. If the room beyond this was a research space, I wouldn’t have installed any magical devices. You don’t want to accidentally blow up a place full of research materials.
“I will open it. Just in case… .”
“Yes. I am ready.”
Maxim twisted the door open only after confirming that Adeline was ready for battle. The smell of musty dust and fungi wafted in, but was quickly erased by the scent from the back. The space could be like this, but it was a normal structure that made me want to.
“… Is it really just a laboratory?”
A desk, a chair and an extra bed. A bookshelf filled with messy papers and worn-out old books. Maxim picked up a piece of paper that had fallen to the floor. All kinds of formulas and terms I couldn’t understand were written in bad handwriting, so I just put them back on the desk with a frown.
“What do you have?”
“I can understand that it is a place for research. I’ll have to find out more about what he was researching… .”
Maxim rummaged through the papers on the desk. What were you researching more? Maxim’s brow twisted. Black magic, biosynthesis, beast control, compatibility issues. Intrusive words run past my eyes. Maxim suppressed the desire to tear all the papers at once, folded up the piled up materials and put them in his bosom.
“Most of them are related to biosynthesis. Nothing else stands out.”
The language written on the cover of the stuck old book was something Maxim could not decipher. You shouldn’t feel impatience. Maxim bit his lip.
“… Let’s go to the next room.”
The second room also didn’t have much special results. It seemed to be close to the furnishings room, and it was just piled up with clutter that I didn’t know where to use it. Maxim sighed as he grabbed the doorknob of the last room. When was the last time I thought I shouldn’t feel impatience, but my heart became impatient again. Maxim deliberately grabbed the doorknob strongly and twisted it, calming his thoughts.
“Here… .”
A room with piles of papers. Maxim looked around at the space, which was much simpler than the previous two rooms, but whose use had become more obscure.
“Which room is it?”
At Adeline’s question, Maxim sighed and approached the desk piled with papers.
“The papers are piled up. I guess I need to find out what type of document it is… .”
Maxim took out the topmost document and turned it over. A cover that says research report. Maxim froze as he read the title to find out what kind of research it was.
[In-depth study of the suitability of rare mana]
Experimenter: Alain Marco
Subject: Christine Watson