CH 11

“If you become a VIP member, you can enjoy all the facilities of Hyregia for free. From hot springs, swimming pools, and amusement parks to magical tools crafted by artisans and various goods, everything is available at a 90% discount.”

“…”

“Just by reselling them, you can become wealthy. It’s not a benefit given to anyone. It’s a membership that even the Imperial Prince and the Chief Minister don’t have.”

Even Adandito and Dianel don’t have it. Although my mouth watered at the thought, I knew I had to be more cautious at times like this. With a composed expression, I asked Izaya.

“If I die after opening the door, will everything become void?”

Upon hearing that, Izaya let out a helpless sigh.

“That’s unlikely to happen, but if you’re genuinely concerned, you can let the Chief Minister open it first. If the opposite of magic, the divine door, can be opened without any issues, you can feel relieved.”

I wasn’t sure if Adandito would agree to that. For now, I nodded, indicating that I understood, and followed Izaya.

* * *

Izaya immediately recorded the information she mentioned. She brought a whole bunch of wizards to prove it to me multiple times. Seeing the numerous people summoned because of me, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. It made me wonder if it was necessary to be so thorough in a situation that was going smoothly.

‘Well, it’s better than being too careless.’

Amidst the internal conflict, Izaya handed documents to me and the witnesses, then spoke.

“Come this way.”

I sighed and followed Izaya. She released several layers of barriers along the path leading to the door and drew aside the hanging curtains on the wall. Behind the deep purple curtains, there was a rough wooden door that didn’t match the elegance of the mausoleum.

“This is the door. Just pulling the doorknob slightly should be enough.”

Supposedly existing since the beginning, the doorknob was so corroded that it was difficult to discern its color, and the wood was covered in patches of mold. It resembled a door that would hang on an unattended cabin deep in the forest.

“I will open it first.”

Adandito stepped forward and grasped the doorknob, but nothing happened. His brawny forearm swelled, but nothing changed. The door remained quiet as if it had never been pulled before. Naturally, there was no magical response either.

“It seems safe.”

Now it was my turn. I cautiously reached out and grasped the doorknob. Contrary to my worries until the very end, the doorknob felt ordinary, like plain iron. I could sense the rusty and rough texture on my palm.

‘Just ordinary.’

Without thinking, I pulled the doorknob. At that moment, with a cheerful sound, the door swung wide open.

“Huh?”

…The door opened. Why did it open? Wasn’t it not supposed to open?

Before I could find an answer to my question, a whirlwind gushed out from inside. It felt as if it was pulling me in.

“Ahh!”

“Siara!”

Terrified, I reached out my hand, but it didn’t touch anything. Outside the door, I saw Adandito with a helpless expression. He couldn’t retract his hand that was reaching towards me and just stared at me. Behind him, I noticed other wizards, including Izaya, with sparkling eyes.

“Just as I thought! You are the Administrator!”

“No way!”

Thud!

However, my outcry was cut off by the sound of the door closing. As soon as the door closed, the wind ceased. I floated in the air for a moment and finally landed on the ground.

“Ah, what is this?”

Although I felt dizzy, I didn’t have time to lament. I ran straight towards the door. Then, tendrils sprouted from the ground and covered the wooden door.

In an instant, it happened without any intervention.

‘Clearly, the door was here, but now it’s gone.…’

I ran my hands over the wall, but I couldn’t touch anything. Not only was it covered by tendrils, but the door seemed to have completely disappeared.

“Well, I guess these things happen?”

Without a moment of hesitation, a hollow laughter echoed, accompanied by the sound of crackling beneath my feet. A whiff of floral fragrance brushed past my nose.

In a hurry, I turned my head and beheld a hill behind me and a forest stretching out to the side. Scattered wildflowers bloomed here and there, and the trees were filled with tempting fruits. Butterflies fluttered around the surroundings.

A pleasant breeze tousled my hair. As I lifted my head, I saw a clear sky without a single cloud, a refreshing sight.

“…The sky?”

They said the sky couldn’t be seen in Hyregia…

Perhaps the restricted area for administrators was an entirely different space.

Around that time, I heard a strange sound from a distance.

“Uh, ow.”

Faint moans, undoubtedly the voice of a person.

‘If it’s someone who could be in the restricted area for administrators… Hierian?’

Could it be that he got injured? I started walking immediately. Though I was concerned about getting lost in the dense forest, I found him surprisingly easily. He was lying near the mossy lake at the edge of the forest.

However, the person I found was not Hierian. The one before my eyes was merely a fragile child, perhaps no more than six years old.

“Who is this? He resembles Hierian.”

If Hierian had become younger, he might have looked just like this. They resembled each other so much that I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a blood relation between them.

‘But only administrators can enter this restricted area.’

Amidst my confusion, a groan escaped from the child’s mouth.

“Uh…”

The child had a pained expression. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his fingers anxiously dug into the soil as if unable to control his body.

With each hunch of his body, tears streamed from his tightly shut eyes. Constantly, a name flowed from his small lips.

“…Ra. Sia…”

…That can’t be my name.

Suppressing the immediate urge to flee, I placed my hand on the child’s forehead. His forehead was as hot as a burning ember. I was taken aback and quickly withdrew my hand.

“Why is it so hot?”

It felt as if I had touched a well-heated iron. Although it seemed like a burn sensation, there was no redness or mark when I examined my palm.

Looking down at the child with a puzzled expression, his trembling body gradually calmed down.

He pressed his cheek against the ground, and a faint smile appeared on his familiar face that I recalled. Maybe, just maybe…

However, his face was clouded with uncertainty. From his lips, which had calmed down, a sigh escaped.

“Uh…”

It felt like burning flesh. Nevertheless, he tightly bit his lips to endure the pain. The more he endured, the more tranquil his complexion became.

His lips that were trembling, the tears that flowed drop by drop, and the furrowed brow gradually regained serenity. As that happened, I felt my strength being drawn out from my body.

It felt as if I were imparting my life force to the child. It wasn’t overly draining, but I felt increasingly tired and hungry.

Healing requires the healer’s energy, so it was a natural result. Unfortunately, I had given the ring to Adandito, so I was pouring all of my energy into this.

“…feeling sleepy.”

Suddenly, drowsiness enveloped me. It was a level of sleepiness that made it difficult to keep my eyes open.

“Mmm.”

Blinking my eyes became a challenge, as I was too exhausted to even lift my eyelids.

After tilting my head several times, I eventually collapsed to the ground. Without even a moment to spare to lie down properly, I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Hierian stood up from the spot. The pain that felt like joints disconnecting and the excruciating agony as if his body was burning had completely disappeared, and instead, his body felt incredibly light.

“…Interesting.”

Hierian clenched and unclenched his hands. The magical energy that had been dissipating as if it would vanish completely suddenly surged inside him, filling him to the brim.

The blockage of blood that had been halted at the point of contact with the Demon King and the twisted blood from his childhood encounter with Dianel had completely cleared. Thanks to that, even his right arm, which had been numb, now felt vibrant.

The magical energy rising like a lively waltz was overflowing with vitality, just like when he first manifested magic as a child. Hierian’s lips formed a thin smile at the sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.

‘There were times like this.’

Back then, everything seemed amazing. The floating magical energy before his eyes, the energy radiating from his body, and all the small things he could create with that power were simply fascinating and mysterious.

Lost in his admiration, he quickly shook his head and stood up from his spot.

No, he tried to stand up. Until he saw the woman lying in front of him, he had no idea what was happening.

“Huh?”

His delicately stretched eyebrows immediately furrowed. Displeasure flickered in his hazy gray eyes, and his plump cheeks trembled with anger.

This land overflowing with magical energy was a restricted area for anyone other than administrators. Only those chosen as administrators were allowed to enter. That meant…

“…The next administrator?”

Hierian lowered his eyes with a faint squint. He had fallen unconscious and woken up again, so he had no idea how much time had passed.

Before collapsing, he had sensed the eruption of the pillar of magical energy and poured all his strength into it. However, the rampaging magical energy viciously seemed to devour him instead.

After a long confrontation, Hierian was overwhelmed by the eruption of the pillar. Just as the pillar scattered all the magical energy he possessed, he sensed his annihilation.

But unexpectedly, he opened his eyes again. Considering the enormous amount of time it would take to recover, it wouldn’t be surprising if a candidate for the next administrator had been chosen.

Anger flashed in Hierian’s eyes. He had no intention of relinquishing his position as an administrator. And to top it off, how dare someone sleep in front of the former administrator.

“How disrespectful!”

The human who was supposed to replace him was unnecessary. Hierian reached out his hand toward the fallen woman without hesitation.

Hierian’s magical energy began to seep into her from her head to her toes. He intended to drain all of her magical energy and then leave her lifeless, like a stiff log. 

If he absorbed all her magical energy, down to the thinnest blood vessels and individual cells, and turned her into a body that couldn’t regenerate, even as a candidate for the next administrator, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

However, Hierian’s plan went completely awry. It was because the woman had no magical energy, not even a pinch.

Hierian muttered with a vacant expression.

“…This is unbelievable.”