Chapter 269 - The Curse (1)

Solomon stiffened after hearing the name and he ended up accidentally dropping the last ingredient. With a huff, he hastily picked it up and stored it inside his pouch.

"Come. I'll take you to him."

Solomon mumbled as he made his way to the door.

Inna looked at Solomon curiously. She thought that he was back to his old teasing self but looking at him now, it seemed like he reverted back to when she first saw him after waking up. He staggered slightly in his steps and she could see small tremors on his shoulder.

"Are we walking?"

Inna asked as she tightened the cloth belt by her waist and dusted off her blue robe.

Solomon turned to look at her with a grave look before shaking his head.

"I used too much of my magical energy to make that spell for you to recover. And as for my remaining magical energy, I'm constantly using it to keep all the barriers of this Academy in check. So, I don't have enough to spare to teleport myself, much less both of us, to where he is."

Inna made a sound of understanding as she hopped off the bed. Then, Solomon led the way as they exited the room and walked through the long hallways of the manor.

Ever since they left the room, both of them were silent, so much so that she could even hear the sounds of the wind flowing around them.

With the lack of exchange between them, questions just kept piling up in Inna's mind and she was near her breaking point. She was never this silent for so long, not even when she was sleeping.

But somehow, she just couldn't find the right topic to talk about. She's too afraid that it might make Solomon's mood worse than it already was. Well, once she tried to ask about Raghnall but before the name could even leave her mouth, Solomon's movements suddenly became quick.

It was as though he didn't want to hear it.

Seeing that, she figured out that somehow, the name was a taboo for the moment.

So, although Inna was about to burst from curiosity and discomfort, she endured it until they arrived at their destination.

And when Solomon finally stopped his walking, Inna breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the door before them. The place was considerably somewhere very hidden. It was located at the most confusing part of the manor, with multiple twists and turns that Inna had trouble following. They even once entered a hidden passage behind the library, making her doubt if they were actually going to Raghnall. It looked like she was visiting some high-class criminals from all these hidden passageways instead.

Facing the wooden door before them, she waited for Solomon to enter but after a few moments of waiting, he just stood there like a statue.

"M-master? Is there something wrong? Aren't we going in?"

Hearing Inna's questions, Solomon snapped out of his thoughts and he shook his head violently like he was trying to shake his thoughts off his mind.

"Yes, yes, yes. Sorry, I was thinking about something."

Then, Solomon turned around to Inna as he gave her the most serious look Inna ever saw from him.

"Now, once we enter, don't go near to Raghnall until I say so, okay? His body is still unstable so I'd rather avoid any possibility of him harming someone."

Inna furrowed her brows as she looked at Solomon with confusion.

"Why? What happened to him?"

Solomon looked like he wanted to answer her but he stopped himself.

"Just… I'll tell you when you see him. Just remember what I said."

Solomon spoke as he slowly began to disable to barriers enough for them to enter the room.

"He's a very special boy with a... very special constitution."

Solomon then placed his hand on the door's golden knob before twisting it slowly.

Inna couldn't help but feel her heart thump in nervousness. She didn't know why but the way he acted made it seem like something bad was about to happen.

When the door was finally fully open, Inna failed to hold in her gasp as she tried to process what she was looking at.

It felt as though the place on the side of the door was a different dimension.

But before she could even recognize what she was looking at, Solomon already entered the room.

Snapping out of her reverie, Inna hastily entered as well while looking at everything with shining eyes.

The 'room' they were in couldn't even be considered a room. It was more like a portal that took them someplace else.

They were in a beautiful vast field filled with all sorts of tiny flowers with varying colors. The place looked utterly ethereal and tranquil, as though no human had ever set foot in this place for years until now. The skies were clear from any clouds and the sun shone brightly yet Inna felt that the warmth enveloping around her didn't come from the sun but instead from the flowers by her feet.

Petals swirled in a peaceful dance as they were carried by the gentle wind. The smell of the cold breeze mixed in with the aromatic fragrance of the flower made Inna feel light. It was as though for every breath she took, her body relaxed more but was filled with more energy.

She felt healed just simply being there. And a smile began to form on her face as she merrily made her way to Solomon.

"What's this place?! It's so amazing!"

Solomon looked at her and seeing her big round green eyes filled with the shine of a curious child, Solomon couldn't help but smile warmly.

"It's a place of healing that I made. It's originally hidden in a faraway location but I used Spatial magic to connect the manor to this place through that door. The theory behind it is similar to a Spatial Cube but the space inside is connected to a real area rather than an area made by magic."

Solomon then crouched down as he picked up a small white flower before giving it to Inna.

"Also, these flowers may look small and unnoticeable, but they are the only flowers capable of emitting large amounts of the purest form of Mana. This place was mainly cultivated by my wife, Salvia, but now that she's gone, I've been the one maintaining it despite never being able to use it."

Inna raised an eyebrow at the strange statement.

"What do you mean by 'never being able to use it'?"

Solomon stood up and dusted off his white robes. He looked over towards a distance and he then patted Inna's head.

"We should get going first. He's just right up ahead. Let's talk there."

Inna nodded and they proceeded to walk in silence, taking in the scenery of peace and tranquility.