"Ah, yes."
―You're not hurt anywhere, are you? Are you in a dangerous place?
"No, I'm not."
―Where is that servant you're keeping around!
"He's not a servant."
I replied appropriately while moving the necklace here and there. Still, no particular presence could be felt. Falides too was muttering that it was strange as she continued forward.
―If you've been hired, you should ensure your employer's safety……!
"Sorry, but could you be quiet for a moment? I'm looking for someone right now."
―Ah, my apologies.
"Instead, I'll contact you again after finishing the work. I'll be able to greet you properly then."
This was truly sincere. Anyway, I was grateful, so I planned to properly express my thanks after resolving the urgent matter.
Fortunately, Heinley answered briefly that he understood and quietly maintained the connection.
"Sigor!"
"Tristan!"
My voice and Falides' echoed throughout the cave. If they were inside, they couldn't have not heard, yet somehow no answer came back.
After calling their names a couple more times, we resumed our previously halted steps.
Feeling along the damp cave walls, I followed behind Falides when she suddenly stopped again.
"Captain, there's something ahead."
Peering forward, I could see something glowing faintly white.
"Inside there... isn't that Sigor and Tristan?"
"It appears to be."
What are those two doing over there?
With bewildered feelings, I approached a bit closer. A hazy barrier was blocking our path, with Sigor and Tristan just inside it.
Both were standing facing each other in their true forms, appearing to be conversing.
The strange thing was that even though we had approached quite close, they didn't perceive us at all.
"Is it magic?"
Not knowing its identity, I was afraid to touch it. I picked up a stone rolling on the ground and lightly threw it toward the barrier, and the stone passed through easily.
I could see Sigor and Tristan startled by the suddenly thrown stone, stomping their feet. Their voices couldn't be heard at all.
"It's not a threatening aura, Captain."
It wasn't threatening, but seeing as they couldn't come out, it was clearly something serious.
"Wait, Falides!"
The moment Falides touched the barrier with her hand, her body was rapidly sucked inside.
Startled, I hastily grabbed Falides' arm, but I too was dragged inside along with her.
A faint sensation of passing through something occurred, and the communication that had been quietly maintained suddenly cut off.
Stumbling and nearly falling, I sat on the ground, and when I raised my head, Sigor and Tristan with flustered expressions shouted simultaneously.
[Captain!]
[Captain!]
Fortunately, the hazy white barrier was glowing like illumination, so I could distinguish things.
Though it was frightening to see headless dullahans rushing toward me in the darkness, I was relieved to confirm both were safe.
But where was Falides?
[Ack! What is this?!]
Falides, sitting on the ground just like me, was enveloped in black smoke.
Then she instantly transformed into her true form. When I looked at her with dumbfounded eyes, she waved her hands in bewilderment.
[C, Captain! I didn't transform on purpose…….]
"What on earth is happening, and what is this?"
Long hair falling over the back of my hand touching the ground entered my vision. Why is my hair silver?
I dazedly grabbed my hair and examined it this way and that, while Sigor and Tristan hunched their large bodies to examine me.
[Captain, how did you come here?]
"You weren't coming so I came to find you. What is this place? What's going on?"
[We're sorry, Captain. We tried to go back right away too.]
Sigor said while tearing up.
[We can't get out.]
"You can't get out?"
[That barrier is preventing us from leaving. As soon as we entered here, our transformations were undone, and we were trapped.]
Tristan explained with a sigh mixed in his voice. According to them, this barrier was a magical trap to imprison monsters.
Not long after they were caught in the trap, a village resident came to check the barrier.
He said the person was frightened by the dullahans' appearance and fled in panic, not returning.
I blankly looked back and forth between the two, then turned to Falides. Falides, forcibly transformed into a dullahan form, was trembling with fear at her own appearance.
I didn't know exactly, but it seemed magic-like things were blocked inside this place.
That would explain why communication was cut, my appearance alteration magic was undone, and the dullahans' transformations were released.
Gazing at the white barrier with displeasure, I first stood up. I could see Falides throwing herself at the barrier in disbelief, then bouncing back spectacularly.
[What is this! Why is it so solid?]
Falides, rising in agitation, this time threw a punch at the barrier.
Bang!
A solid impact sound rang out loudly, but the barrier was unharmed. Tristan and Sigor stopped Falides, saying they had already tried everything themselves.
Looking at them absently, I suddenly looked around. Earlier Falides had said three, right?
"Where's the other knight?"
[Ah, Ganic is currently asleep.]
"Asleep?"
[Ganic was trapped in this trap first.]
[He said there was a recent battle. He expended a lot of energy and needed to rest, but he kept enduring it. He finally felt relieved enough to sleep after meeting us. He slept all day yesterday, so he'll recover and wake soon.]
Where Tristan pointed, there was a dullahan lying in a proper posture.
Beside it, what was surely the dullahan's horse was lying quietly asleep. Even though it must have been quite noisy nearby, there wasn't even a twitch.
So to summarize the current situation: Ganic was sleeping to recover his energy, and Sigor and Tristan were anxiously searching for a way out of this place.
"Well, at least everyone is safe, which is fortunate."
Now getting out was the problem.
Despite Sigor and Tristan's dissuasion, Falides, who had been vigorously hitting the barrier, collapsed from exhaustion. Looking at such Falides with pity, I carefully stood before the barrier.
It's supposedly that solid…….
"Huh?"
My hand that passed through the barrier slipped right out to the outside.
Standing frozen with my arm extended, I carefully took a step. I felt something similar to when entering inside the barrier.
"……."
I stepped outside the barrier without anything blocking me, and turned around blankly.
Beyond the barrier, I could see Sigor, Tristan, and Falides frozen solid, facing my direction.
Thinking it might be possible, I went back inside the barrier, and I could see Sigor, Tristan, and Falides clasping hands in surprise.
"……I guess I'm not a monster, at least."
Sometimes I wondered if I was undead, but this barrier determined I wasn't a monster.
After going in and out of the barrier a couple of times, I confirmed I could indeed come and go without any problem.
"I need to go ask for help."
If it was Xenon, he might know something about this barrier. After calming the dullahans, I came outside the barrier. First go out and call Xenon…….
"Why isn't this working?"
The one-way communication red jewel necklace wasn't working. No matter how much I tried to activate it, there was no response.
Looking down at the necklace in bewilderment, I tried the appearance alteration magic thinking it might be possible. Same result—no change. Wait, are all my magic tools dead now?
"Nadav?"
The dimensional bracelet was silent too. Of course, Nadav wasn't summoned either.
Standing before the barrier with a dazed face, I gazed into the dark cave beyond.
Even though I knew the end of the path, could I really get out through such darkness?
In this layer-upon-layer difficult situation, my head was pounding as I stood rooted to the spot, when I saw something like a small light flickering in the distance.
That light was approaching this direction, growing larger and larger.
Someone was approaching with a torch. Holding my breath, I watched the other person, and in the flickering light, a face was briefly illuminated, turning toward me.
The person who discovered me suddenly stopped walking.
And shortly after.
"Aaaah!"
A scream echoed throughout the cave.
* * *
"Ridle?"
"Yes. I really want to go there."
Near Immon, there was a separate villa used by the imperial family. Naturally, Maxel had planned to rest there, so he frowned at Lillia's sudden stubbornness.
He was already on edge due to the sudden addition of the young Lord of Roam to their schedule, making him even more irritated.
However, Lillia seemed determined to go to her desired location. Maxel reluctantly nodded.
"I'll have the carriage prepared for departure tomorrow."
"Thank you so much! It's a place with memories of my mother, so I really wanted to visit again."
Since she mentioned her deceased parents, he felt he couldn't express more irritation, so Maxel sighed. His aides busily moved for the changed schedule.
Arriving at Immon through the warp gate, lodging was prepared in less than an hour. The party first moved to their accommodations. Amidst the swiftly proceeding schedule, Lillia looked around with excited eyes.
'……Very good, everything is proceeding as I want.'
She really liked this trip. Because everything felt like it was returning to its proper place.
Frijian was also accompanying this trip. He had postponed his own schedule out of concern.
Lillia, who thought the recent atmosphere of the Roam family was unpleasant, was inwardly relieved by Frijian's attitude. This aspect seemed to prove her unchanged position.
"I am Mint, the baron managing Immon. It is an honor to serve you."
Mint baron, who came running out of breath, bowed and introduced the mansion they would stay in.
It was a schedule with the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess-to-be, and even the young Lord of Roam accompanying them.
Adding the accompanying guards and attendants, it was a large group, so they had to empty an entire mansion to accommodate everyone. Maxel praised Mint baron's efforts and entered the mansion.