NOVEL NEXT chapter 31
31 – 9. Curse of the Witch (4)
1.
A dungeon discovered near the Demon Gate.
There, an uncountable number of forces awaited.
Black-armored knights with demonic bodies.
Fortunately, or unfortunately.
The black knights lacked the ability to think on their own.
They were designed to guard the dungeon like dolls, attacking anyone who intruded.
The underground dungeon was like a bomb ready to explode at any moment.
Although there were no signs of the knights guarding the dungeon coming out immediately, if a being controlling them from the lowest level of the dungeon acted capriciously, the danger would be uncontrollable.
So, the dungeon had to be conquered now.
If conquering was possible, that is.
The Imperial Knights attempted three times but failed every attempt. They managed to push through to the second underground floor by sheer force, but advancing beyond that would have led to their annihilation.
They had wanted to conquer the dungeon from their position, but they lacked the resources.
It wasn’t that there weren’t talents worthy of becoming heroes in the Imperial Knights. It was due to the shortage of forces available for dungeon exploration.
Most of the knights making a name for themselves are actively engaged on the Northern Front, and the relatively lower deployment of troops on the Southern Front made diverting those forces for dungeon exploration impossible.
So, they assembled the best they could, but the results were grim.
It became inevitable to seek outside help.
They reached out to the Crimson Flame, a veteran mercenary group known for hunting monsters in the Southern Front, but they hit a wall at the entrance to the third floor. They sought cooperation from the Adventurers Union, yet even they couldn’t descend past the second floor.
Finally, there was only one place they could turn to for reliable aid—the Order of the Star.
They could have asked them from the beginning, but considering their influence here, it was difficult for the Empire to casually request their assistance.
If the Order of the Star vacated the dungeon for their own quests, there was a high chance of being invaded by the Demon King’s forces without any defenses.
With that concern in mind, they cautiously made their request. Fortunately, it was accepted.
The commander of the Order of the Star, alone, decided to make the journey to face dozens of the Demon King’s army.
Considering the danger of the underground dungeon, one should dissuade from going alone. Strangely, there was no worry at all. It felt more like worrying would be an act.
The story of the leader of the Order of the Star, Leuwyn, is renowned.
When the war ends, she will undoubtedly be celebrated as a war hero.
The number of demons and monsters felled by her sword is uncountable. And the victories led by her sword are beyond enumeration as well.
They say she even toppled a giant a few days ago.
“We’ll arrive shortly,” the knight driving the carriage said.
Leuwyn started preparing to disembark slowly.
She strapped her sword to her waist and attached a pouch of emergency potions to her belt.
Clumsy as it might seem, her subordinates insisted she carry them just in case.
…Not like a guardian or anything.
Even if she were to face unexpected circumstances, she wasn’t overly concerned.
Leuwyn, who had been gazing at the carriage floor all this while, lifted her head slightly to steal a glance at the man sitting ahead.
The sorcerer from the demonic realm, Evan.
Evan was accompanying them on this dungeon raid.
Leuwyn had repeatedly told Evan it would inconvenience him to ask him for help and that she’d go alone, but after the members heard there might be magical traps inside the dungeon, they went to him and personally pleaded.
…And Evan accepted that request.
“I never imagined you would come with me.
I thought you’d refuse, of course.
“Um, there…?”
Lewin, who had been silent for a while, cautiously parted his dry lips.
“Why?”
Evan replied, gazing out the window.
Just asking made his body tremble with anxiety. Still, Lewin decided to honestly convey what he was feeling right now.
“…Thank you.”
As if it were an unexpected statement, Evan looked at Lewin.
“What for?”
His tone was stiff and slightly brusque.
“I didn’t expect you to come along.”
Evan sighed heavily as he spoke.
“Don’t mistake it for coming because of you.”
Really.
It wasn’t because of Lewin.
He wanted to enter the dungeon and test various magic he had learned so far. Hearing about magic traps, he wondered if there might be a new grimoire at the end of the dungeon, so he chose to accompany.
“I know that!”
He doesn’t even hope for that.
Even Evan, as dense as he might be, knows it’s ludicrous to think he followed out of concern.
“But still, I’m grateful that you came with me. Just having you nearby makes me feel secure. Every time we explore the dungeon together… Oh!”
Lewin urgently covered his mouth with his hand.
He had unconsciously blurted out the story he should never have mentioned.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
As if blood had been sucked out from under him, Lewin turned pale and collapsed onto the carriage floor, apologizing.
Undoubtedly, for Evan, talking about the past would be as sensitive as poking a dragon’s scales.
“P-Please, stomp this foolish girl’s head!”
Lewin trembled uncontrollably.
The fact that he had touched upon Evan’s feelings was more terrifying for Lewin than facing thousands of demon armies.
“…Enough. Get up.”
Evan, with a mocking smile as if finding it absurd, raised his chin and turned his gaze back out the window.
“I’m tired of getting angry. I’ve decided to forget about the past, so you should forget too. We’re not the same as we were back then.”
“…”
“You might miss the past, but I don’t. I’m leaving my old self behind and starting anew. So, you should start fresh too.”
Evan pretended to give advice and laughed playfully.
“I don’t know if I can do it.”
I can’t.
The burden of the past is firmly lodged in Luwen’s chest like a curse.
This is a curse I placed upon myself.
A curse that reflects back to the witch, becoming an even stronger curse.
Is there a way to break this curse?
There is an old saying that curses can only be broken by curses, but there is no curse in this world stronger than this.
I will live in pain for the rest of my life.
Even if Evan is gone, I will suffer while thinking of him.
When my heart aches every time I think of someone I love, it just proves that this curse is indeed real. A curse so agonizingly powerful that even magic cannot undo it.
“How long are you going to continue like this?”
Evan pointed with his chin toward the window, where the back of the carriage driver could be seen.
“What do you think he’ll think if he sees you like this?”
Luwen hurriedly got up.
And then, bowing politely, she apologized once again.
“…I’m sorry.”
Every time she says sorry, her melancholic voice irritates Evan’s ears, but he closed his eyes and held it in. If he let stress build up over every little thing like that, his determination to start a new life would just burst like a bubble.
The remnants of her emotions still cling to the corners of her heart.
He believes that time will resolve it.
2.
“The entrance to the dungeon is over there.”
The carriage driver, who had stopped the carriage near the dungeon, pointed his finger down the cliff.
Pillars carved out of the cliff and an arched entrance.
Simple but magnificent architecture.
Even a novice adventurer could immediately recognize that place as the entrance to a dungeon. And not just any dungeon, but an extremely dangerous one.
“I’ll be waiting nearby. Please be careful.”
He descended down the narrow path that led below the cliff.
– Crunch, crunch.
With each step on the ground in his boots, the dry earth crumbled.
The sky was dark.
The ground, ashy.
It was a place where you couldn’t find a trace of lively greenery anywhere.
Surrounded on all sides by the landscape that had only been seen from a distance, it truly felt like entering the demonic realm.
Evan glanced at Leuen, who was walking beside him with a slight distance.
Leuen, while glancing at Evan, hurriedly adjusted his pace to maintain a certain distance. His movements had been bothersome for a while.
“Who told you to walk beside me?”
“Ah…!”
Leuen hastily moved ahead, starting to walk quickly.
“Who told you to walk in front of me?”
This time, with a sound of hesitation, he ran back and followed behind Evan.
“Who told you to walk behind me?”
Now, as if experiencing a mental shutdown, Leuen stammered, making confused sounds, not knowing what to do.
Since it had been irritating him, Evan played a little prank, and the reactions were amusing.
It felt like teasing a puppy and observing its response.
“Uh, well… Should I jump off?”
Leuen pointed to the cliff below with a serious expression.
If he said to jump, he seemed like he would really jump.
Even though one could land gracefully even when jumping from a high place, Evan didn’t want to encourage such a risky behavior.
“Never mind. Do as you wish.”
Evan silently continued down.
“Um, then… Can I walk beside you?”
Leuen asked with a trembling voice.
If he had walked beside him without asking, it would have been fine, but seeking permission triggered a rebellious spirit.
“No.”
Evan spoke firmly.
“…Is that so?”
Having boldly tested the waters, Leven took a few steps back, concealing his disappointment.
He knew it wouldn’t work out, but it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
They arrived at the entrance of the dungeon.
Even from a distance, it had seemed large, but up close, it was even more enormous than expected.
Has it been eight years?
Entering a dungeon was truly a rare occurrence during the five years Evan spent as a rogue adventurer, as he only took on single extermination missions.
Although he occasionally entered the lair of a mine to defeat a mage, it was distinctly different from a proper dungeon.
“I’ll lead from here.”
Leven, gripping the handle of his sword, had a serious expression.
Just moments ago, he had seemed like a foolish cur, but now his impression had transformed into that of a sharp beast, a face Evan was well acquainted with.
“Fine.”
Evan stepped into the dungeon.
In the past, Leven would have unquestionably entered first, but things were different now. Evan was a mage who could protect himself, even without assistance.
Especially, Leven’s help was not needed at all.
When dealing with a giant, he reluctantly needed her strength, but he had no desire to borrow her power.
Standing at the entrance, Evan playfully kicked his foot once.
Spell Destruction.
He eradicated all the traps felt from the entrance.
Magic circles, hidden as if in stealth, shattered like glass. Fragments of mana scattered in all directions.
The dungeon conquest had begun.