CH 38

Clyde, left alone, remained motionless in his seat for a while.

His eyes were empty and fixed on the fireplace.

Suddenly, Clyde stood up and approached the fireplace. He pulled out a poker from it.

He briefly gazed at the poker, emitting smoke and glowing hot, before placing his fingertip on it.

With a sizzling sound, a slight pain spread through his fingertip.

Clyde grimaced and removed his finger from the poker.

The cut was extremely small, and the skin quickly regenerated to its original state.

‘…I see I still have my sense of pain.’

What had disappeared was only the sense of touch.

When Ruby held his hand earlier, Clyde realized it.

Her soft skin, her cool body temperature, which is still evident in his mind, doesn’t feel anything.

Unlike when his sense of taste disappeared, his mind was surprisingly calm.

It was a sensation he didn’t need anyway.

What’s the point in having a sense of touch if he can never touch her again?

*****

The next day, the research team finally set off for the Decoswan canyon.

A procession of over twenty carriages formed a considerable line.

“Are you still not feeling well?”

Inside the carriage, Aslan, sitting across from me, suddenly asked.

“…Huh? No, why?”

“Your complexion seems a bit pale. If you’re not fully recovered, there is no need to push yourself. We’ll have to sleep outside for the next five days, and if your condition worsens, it could be a big problem.”

It was a question Aslan had asked several times before setting off this morning.

“No. I’m fine now.”

“You do realize that if anything happens to you, it’s all on me, right? I don’t want to incur Father’s wrath, so if you feel unwell, let me know immediately.”

“Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Brother Aslan.”

I consciously smiled brightly.

Aslan looked at me suspiciously and let out a light sigh.

It seemed that my thoughts about Clyde were written all over my face.

In truth, I couldn’t sleep a wink last night because of what happened.

There was no way I could sleep well.

「Because you’re too beautiful. When I look at you, I want to hold you, touch you… I couldn’t bear it, and I was afraid I would hurt you again. That’s why I pretended not to know.」

It was a clumsy and awkward confession, but it was sincere.

Even at this moment, just thinking about those words and Clyde’s expression and gaze from back then made my face heat up.

My accelerated heartbeat seemed to echo in my ears.

‘…This can’t happen, it’s not allowed.’

It was a great relief that I couldn’t see Clyde for a while due to the research team.

With this kind of feeling, I couldn’t possibly meet him with a calm face.

‘It’s okay, we have enough time until we see each other again. By then, things will surely be better.’ 

There was no doubt about that. It had to be that way.

*****

The Decoswan Canyon boasts overwhelming grandeur.

As if a giant of enormous size had dug up with his fingers, deep and steep valleys continued endlessly, overlapping.

It was comparable in scale to the Grand Canyon, which I had only seen in videos in my past life.

‘To think that such a place was hidden… It’s no wonder it remained undiscovered for a thousand years…’

After circling the canyon for about two hours, we spotted a small camp set up by the advance team.

As it was impossible for wagons or even horses to go down into the canyon, they set up a campsite at the shortest point.

“How long will it take to reach the ruins from here?”

“If we take the shortest route, it’ll take about thirty minutes. The return trip will be about three times that.”

The one who answered the question of Marquis Colliwood, the leader of the research team, was Count Polden, who had arrived at the expedition camp several days earlier.

“You’re going to use a slow fall on the way there?”

“Yes.”

Slow fall magic was a spell that literally reduced the falling speed, allowing for a safe landing.

It could be considered the optimal method for entering deep valleys like this.

However, on the flip side, there was no magic that could fly up these high cliffs, so they had to choose a long detour for the return journey.

“While the camp is being set up, I’ll take some members ahead to check the entrance of the ruins. You lead the way.”

“Yes, sir.”

I was among the researchers selected by the Marquis Colliwood.

It was clear that he wanted me to decipher the runes.

In addition to me, there were two more research members capable of ancient rune decryption, but for now, I was the one most recognized in this field within the Royal Magic Department.

When I was chosen, Aslan also volunteered to come along.

We set off for the ruins with a total of five research members, Professor Aslan as a consultant, and two knight escorts.

Using slow fall magic, we descended the cliff and followed the waterway.

After about twenty minutes of walking, a huge waterfall appeared in front of us.

“So it was hidden behind the waterfall.”

Aslan muttered softly.

As Count Polden recited an incantation, a transparent barrier enveloped us. Thanks to that, we could enter behind the waterfall without getting wet at all.

Behind the waterfall, there was an entrance to a cave.

We conjured magical lights and made them float inside as we entered.

At each intersection, we noticed iron stakes driven into the walls, as if the advance team had marked the path.

After passing through a total of seven intersections, we arrived in front of a massive door that blocked the passage.

“Si Etera Marson.”

As Marquis Colliwood recited the spell, the magical illumination expanded, becoming larger and brighter.

“It seems to be made of rock-like material, different from the cave walls.”

Marquis Colliwood commented as he lightly brushed his palm against the door.

“There are no door handles or gaps. It’s more like a wall than a door.”

“Given the ancient runes carved along the edges, it’s clearly operated by magic.”

“May I take a closer look?”

“Of course.”

Marquis Colliwood stepped aside at my request.

I examined the runes while levitating a ball of light above my palm. The runes were densely inscribed along the edges of the door, from the floor to the ceiling.

“The formula itself seems to be written the same way as the magic circle.”

“Could it be opened with a code?”

“It’s possible. Or it might be a structure that only responds to the mana of a spellcaster. In that case, we should consider physically breaking the door as well.”

“How long do you think the interpretation will take?”

“We won’t know until we try, but it shouldn’t take more than two days. Shall we start right away?”

“Is that possible?”

“Yes. I’ve made the necessary preparations.”

I spread out the scrolls I had brought to the floor, and began to cast a spell.

Soon, my body began to emit a blue glow, which spread and enveloped the door. As a result, the runes inscribed along the door’s edges shimmered in a deeper shade of blue.

After completing the incantation, the runes on the door were perfectly copied onto the scroll.

“Excellent craftsmanship.”

Marquis Colliwood remarked with narrowed eyes, seemingly surprised.

“It’s just a simple copying spell,” I replied.

“Copying such a large amount of runes in such a short time is no easy feat. You’re still young, but it seems blood doesn’t lie.”

I noticed a meaningful glance from Aslan behind me.

I awkwardly smiled and retrieved the scroll

“Let us return to camp for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

We retraced our steps and returned to the camp.

I immediately began deciphering the runes with the two other researchers.

By the next day’s lunchtime, we had completed the deciphering process.

I reported the results to the assembled members of the expedition.

“As I suspected, it seems to be a structure that responds to a spellcaster’s mana. When a spellcaster infuses mana into the rune barrier on the door, it will open.” 

Marquis Colliwood furrowed his brow deeply.

“So, does that mean we have no choice but to break the barrier, as we discussed earlier? How troublesome.”

“For now, we need to destroy the barrier. The rune we deciphered revealed the presence of defensive magic as well. It won’t even flinch at most physical impacts. If you apply more force than that, there will be a risk that the cave itself will collapse.”

A sigh of disappointment rippled through the group.