ESMLT 23

Chapter 23

Even so, I glared breathlessly at Jaeger, who ignored my words and tried to cut the rope.

“I told you not to cut it!”

“At this rate, we’ll all die here!”

Jaeger, already pulled in up to his chest, raised his voice in unusual urgency.

My legs trembled, sweat trickled down my forehead, and I gritted my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut. The rope was slipping from my hands.

“Let go!”

As I barely held on to my fading consciousness, Jaeger shouted again.

I was only human—his words almost broke my resolve for a moment.

‘Damn it, damn it!’

I clenched my jaw and gripped the rope tighter.

Don’t be ridiculous. Who do you think you’re going to let die here? Who are you trying to give nightmares to again?

“For my sake if nothing else, you can’t die here! If you have the energy to give up, then use it to pull this rope!”

Because I will never let you die here.

Ha—just then, the Crown Prince, who had been staring blankly at me, suddenly furrowed his brows and gave a faint, incredulous laugh. A bead of sweat rolled off his red eyebrow.

Even he looked pressed for time, with the sand already up to his neck.

“It can’t be helped. Duke, watch this for a moment.”

“What are you doing?”

“Your Highness!”

Despite Jaeger’s and my outcry, the Crown Prince swiftly tied the slack of the rope around his waist and plunged into the sand.

Rumble—!

It all happened within seconds.

The sand vibrated, and then a mole’s claw shot up a short distance away.

Soon after, with a whoosh, a heavy body was flung into the air.

The mole crashed down, blood pouring from it, and Jaeger, as if waiting for this, hurled his sword.

Thunk!

The mole, pierced by the blade, convulsed briefly before its life ended.

Thanks to that, the quicksand ceased its pull, and the surroundings instantly fell silent.

Once Jaeger crawled out of the sand, all of us stared fixedly at the spot where the Crown Prince had disappeared.

‘The Crown Prince? Could he be dead?’

My mind went blank.

Rustle, rustle—

The sound of sand shifting, then the tip of a spear broke through, and the Crown Prince stepped out from the sand.

‘Ha… thank goodness.’

I slumped down, clutching my chest in relief.

“Are you alright, Lady Ria?”

Cien patted my back from behind.

Nodding weakly, I glared at the Crown Prince.

‘Always making people worry, honestly.’

The Crown Prince and Jaeger stood side by side, brushing the sand off their bodies.

Shaking his hair roughly, the Crown Prince looked at me and grinned.

“You’re more timid than you seem.”

“You almost died—who wouldn’t be shocked?”

I shot him a glare and dusted the sand off my body.

Jaeger too brushed off the sand and sheathed his sword. Slinging his pack—which, luckily, had landed far enough away to remain intact—he gave me a look I couldn’t quite read.

“What?”

“…I don’t like admitting it, but we owe you our lives.”

“So I finally get a word of thanks?”

“I didn’t say thanks. I merely stated the truth.”

‘Ugh, should’ve just let him die, maybe.’

But since he turned away, oblivious to my furious eyes, I could do nothing but fume at his back.

‘Ha…’

I sighed, brushed myself off, and picked up my hammer.

Just then, Cien, who had been scanning the sand, walked over holding something.

“Is this yours, Lady Ria?”

What he held was an A6-sized traveler’s notebook.

“No, I’ve never seen—”

But then I spotted the name Hayton engraved on the leather cover and snatched it up quickly.

“…It is mine.”

It must have slipped out when I pulled the rope earlier.

“Do you write a diary?”

Cien, looking oddly languid for someone who had just danced with death, spoke in a drowsy tone.

“Uh, well…”

A diary, my foot.

Every year on January 1st I promised myself I’d keep one, but I’d never gotten past five pages.

Turning my back to Cien, I flipped through the notebook, frowning.

‘Strange. I don’t remember packing this.’

Was it in the subspace pouch from the start?

That seemed the most likely.

I opened the half-spread notebook of thick paper.

Flipping through the pages, I found them completely blank.

‘What the—? Did he buy a diary for a New Year’s resolution and never use it, too?’

I was about to close it when—

At one spot, a line scrawled diagonally across the page caught my eye.

My mind filled with question marks.

[ I must go to the Holy Domain, no matter what ]

?

??

???

A mad scientist kicked out of the Mage Tower—what business would he have there?

Sure, even he could visit a grave. But with his narrow circle, there was no one special enough to warrant that.

At least not in the original story.

And yet, “must”?

‘Then he had a specific purpose…’

I frowned, tapping my forehead, when a sudden thought chilled me.

The desert’s heat faded, the sweat on my skin turned cold.

No way.

‘Was the zombie mist… not an accident, but deliberate?’

He had to go to the Holy Domain for preliminary research, then released it on purpose?

I screamed inside.

The original story said it was an accident. But thinking about it—how did zombie mist from a hidden lab no one knew about reach the Holy Domain?

I pressed my throbbing forehead, squeezing my eyes shut.

‘Calm down, Redria. It’s just speculation.’

In the original, he testified it wasn’t intentional.

Even so, my heart pounded like a war drum.

“Lady Ria.”

I jumped at the sound of someone approaching from behind.

Startled, I tore out the page with Hayton’s message and shoved it in my pocket.

“What’s wrong, Lady Ria?”

“Ah, nothing.”

“Good, then. Let’s move on.”

Thankfully, Cien didn’t seem to have seen the note. He let my odd reaction slide without question.

“My lady.”

“Aren’t you coming?”

Turning my head, I saw the other two men waiting by the stone hall entrance.

I tucked the notebook into my pouch and walked over.

‘Stop thinking about it. Wild guesses are just delusions.’

Even so, the crumpled scrap of paper stabbing at my thigh with every step gnawed at all my focus.

“Whiiine…”

The rabbit, sprawled out, finally gave in. The male leads and I glared at it.

‘Oh, so you can behave when we make you.’

The rabbit whimpered and corrected its posture. Its little tail sticking up, long ears sprawled out on the ground, pink body trembling—it was ridiculously cute, but that didn’t erase the irritation.

When we first escaped the trap, the rabbit had been in front of it—eating a squirrel—when we ran into it.

Our eyes had flared.

‘We nearly died because of you, and you’re feasting alone?’

It tried to run, leaving its half-eaten squirrel behind as an offering, but we caught it and forced it down.

Ten minutes later, it was still whining, staring at me. My heart began to soften.

Maybe it was time to forgive it.

“Come here.”

“Kiing…”

I beckoned, and the rabbit rose carefully, inching closer.

Climbing onto my lap, it wiggled nervously. I stroked its head.

“Don’t touch the traps again, or I’ll really eat you.”

“Kyau!”

It nodded with its tiny paws raised, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Then I glanced around.

An hour had passed since we escaped the trap and took our rest.

Everyone was preparing for the next battle.

Jaeger was polishing his sword. The Crown Prince was drilling with his spear. As for Cien…

‘…Asleep, of course.’

Anyway, with enough rest, it was time to head west as planned.

“Everyone, attention.”

Waking Cien and spreading out the map, four shadows leaned over it.

“Before we cross into the Western Dawn Forest, let me explain.”

Most Imperials would already know, but still.

I pointed at the striped border between the Northern Holy Forest and the Western Dawn Forest.

“Once we cross here, we’ll be in the Dawn Forest.”

The west was split into ordinary forest and the Dawn Forest, the latter being smaller.

But smaller didn’t mean safer.

Because the Dawn Forest had a time called “Darkness” where not even a foot ahead could be seen.

The Northern Holy Forest housed the Saintess’s grave, while the Western Dawn Forest held the Mage Tower Lord’s grave.

Thus, the Holy Forest was protected by wards against zombies, but the Dawn Forest was periodically engulfed in “Darkness,” turning even noon pitch black.

‘And that’s not even the worst of it.’

During that time, the land itself shifted like waves, reshaping chaotically.

Meaning: from the moment we set foot in the Dawn Forest, we couldn’t let down our guard for even a second.

I shook Cien’s shoulder as he blinked sleepily.

“And Lord Mage, for safety’s sake, we’ll look for the previous Tower Lord’s urn only when there’s no ‘Darkness.’”

The other men looked like they wanted to ask about that, but I ignored them. There was no need to tell everyone about the promise between me and Cien.