CH 139

“…isn’t he late?”

Aria asked impatiently.

Looking at the watch that Vincent had brought with him, three hours had already passed.

At some point, the sound of burning flames began to feel like they were burning inside.

“Hmm, you’re right.”

Vincent, who was thoroughly prepared, said as he pulled out the jerky from the bag.

“Would you like some?”

Aria shook her head softly. She had no appetite.

“Don’t worry too much. It looks like the cave is deeper than we thought .”

“I want to go too.”

“What?”

Aria jumped up.

Even Vincent, who was casually chewing the jerky, got up in thought.

“Do you know how to swim?”

“No?”

“Are you going to drown, being swept away by the current?”

She doesn’t know why he worries so much. Aria said, pointing her finger down the river.

“Lloyd jumped right in, but we can cross over there if we go around.”

“Anyway. No way.”

“Why?”

“Ha…….”

Vincent sighed deeply and brushed his bangs. And he put his hand on her shoulder and said firmly.

“I know that Sister-in-law was not in a good condition since you sang earlier.”

Aria had been shaking her body impatiently, but looked up at him with startled eyes.

How did he know that?

“It must have been well known by Brother. Although he didn’t express much of it.”

“Ah, no way…”

Aria realized later.

When Lloyd doesn’t think Aria will give up and go back, he just thinks he’ll finish it quickly, so he leaves her. The exploration was an excuse and he just wants to figure it out and fix it himself.

“It’s a useless consideration. You know that. I’m the only one who has heard that song, a Siren. There must be a reason for that.”

“Do you want to say that it is a call to Sister-in-law?”

“Yes.”

Aria was a descendant of Atlantis. That Atlantis that God had entrusted God’s feelings to.

And this was the place where the Prince who was taken hostage from Atlantis and God’s feelings were intertwined.

How could it be unrelated?

“Even if that was the case, you’re not in a good condition right now. At least, right now you won’t be in danger, so if you just wait…”

Kkwaawaangg-!!

It happened as soon as Vincent spoke confidently. Suddenly, the ground rumbled with a huge roar as if something was collapsing. The earth’s axis shook like an earthquake.

Vincent reflexively covered Aria protectively and fell to the ground.

“What, what?”

After a while, he barely got up, and then, in anguish, brushed off the leaves that had fallen on his head.

“What…….”

And he turned to the side of the cliff inadvertently and hardened. It was because the entrance to the cave where Lloyd had entered had collapsed.

Aria, who saw that scene, also turned pale at the same time.

“N, no, tha, that…”

Vincent became the fool he hated extremely when the accident stopped his thoughts. With a confused face, he couldn’t properly arrange a sentence for a long time.

“…he’ll be fine. Since the entrance just collapsed, I’m sure he’ll find another exit and come out.”

He tried to reassure Aria, even more surprised and not knowing what to do.

“If there is another way out.”

However, Aria, who was trembling pitifully, regained her composure faster than Vincent.

She’s terrified, and letting the time pass is of no help to her. She threw everything cumbersome to the floor except her shirt and pants, just like Lloyd did.

“Sis, sister-in-law?”

And she jumped into the river.

“Sister-in-law?!”

She said she can’t swim!

“I mean, I can’t swim either!”

It was when Vincent fell on the river bank and stretched out his arms to grab even a part of her back.

Aria, who was immersed in water, and then raised her head in a “Puah!”, exhaling her breath.

“A bright light is coming from over there.”

“What? Really…”

The direction that Aria was pointing at had a flashing light bright enough that they could barely see it from above the surface of the water.

She didn’t know if she could get a clue if she went there.

No, more than that…….

“You don’t need to learn to swim.”

Vincent stared in dismay at Aria, floating on the water.

Large and small fishes circled around her, as if escorting her.

The dark, gloomy cave where he could not even see an inch in front of him had an openly gloomy energy.

But Lloyd relentlessly stepped into the cave. It was a cave that seemed to have been neglected for quite some time, but strangely, there were no signs of life at all.

‘This is usually the cave where the wild beasts nest.’

However, there was no sign of any animals living in the cave. None at all.

‘It was good for me to see it first too.’

It’s an uncomfortable place. And the inside of the cave was unnecessarily wide.

He’ll have to look around himself to find out, but he didn’t know that maybe he’d have to spend an entire day exploring.

Lloyd paused for a moment while walking along the endless cave like an anthill.

‘Two-way road.’

He stared alternately left and right.

In the passage on the right, there was a hum and the sound of the wind blowing. It meant good airflow inside. It also meant that there was a high probability that it would be safe.

But Lloyd without hesitation turned his head to the left.

‘Is it because of this?’

He doesn’t know what it was, but he could feel a clear energy. And strangely, he couldn’t see the inside.

Heading this way, he seemed to be able to discover why Aria kept hearing the singing all by herself. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he felt a certain energy that belonged to God.

‘It’s unpleasant.’

His stomach churned. Because the malice in his body was too agitated and fluctuating.

He set his feet without hesitation into a place that seemed dangerous to anyone.

And at that moment,

Splash–

‘Ugh!’

Something grabbed Lloyd’s ankle. And he was dragged straight into the water in an instant. He went endlessly down.

‘What is this?’

The passage on the left was an underwater cave filled with water.

Lloyd was thrown into the water without warning, but he held his breath without panicking.

He looked towards the caught leg, and a lump of light surrounded him as if clutching his ankle. It looked like it was really going to drag Lloyd to the bottom of the cave.

‘Water ghost?’

He doesn’t know if it’s ‘God’s feelings’ or something that was doing this filthy thing.

‘…… No.’

But it seemed right.

As the light and skin touched, the churning inside him grew even more intense. Nausea came up. It felt like someone was squeezing him inside, stabbing and tearing him apart.

‘What kind of feeling is it, it seems like it is constantly colliding with the malice locked in my body…….’

One thing was certain: malice and an opposite feeling had met.

Lloyd decided to stop being lenient of God and face reality. No matter how physically strong he was, he couldn’t hold his breath in water for long.

‘It tried to lure Aria off the cliff and kill her.’

His eyes flashed in a murderous energy.

Whatever it was, he raised the dagger and cut the light without hesitation. But, of course, the mass of light was not of the kind that could be physically cut.

The dagger was just creating bubbles and splitting the current.

‘Can’t be helped.’

There was no choice.

He knew from the beginning that the only thing that could oppose God’s power was another God’s power.

Lloyd drew out his own power, ‘God’s malice,’ to the fullest, and made it dwell in the dagger like a sword.

And he swung hard towards the mass of light.

Kkwaawaangg-!!

That was the moment.

As part of God’s malice and feelings collided, a fairly distinct roar was heard, even though it was in the water.

Lloyd, who reflexively turned his head, was startled.

It was because the light that had wrapped around his ankles quickly grew in size and covered him.

His eyes were all painted white.

“- Lloyd.”

A sweet voice tickled his ears. It feels a lot more mature than he remembers.

‘Aria?’

Lloyd suddenly couldn’t understand what was going on.

He closed his eyes for a moment because of the bright light flickering around him, and then slowly lifted his eyelids.

It was a familiar landscape.

“What is this…”

Even though he breathed in with big mouthfuls, there was no such thing as water coming in.

Because he was in the banquet room of Grand Duchy Valentine. It has never been used specifically except for family birthday parties.

“What are you spacing out about?”

A smiling voice tapped Lloyd’s back with a finger. Lloyd turned his head.

“Come here. Today is my coming-of-age ceremony.”

Aria, who was smiling brightly, was beckoning him to come closer.