Chapter 433
Chapter 433
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Acalusia (5)
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The corridor seemed to stretch on forever. Torches mounted on the walls every twenty paces were the only source of light. His elongated shadow rippled across the stone floor.
"Stay calm... stay calm, Asel. Stay calm."
Asel muttered to himself.
His teeth chattered from the biting cold that dug into his flesh. The reason he was certain this was an underground level was simple. Despite the endlessly long corridor, there wasn't a single window.
'To think a place like this exists in that mansion... I can't believe it.'
It couldn't be any other building. The dense mana in the air matched exactly what he'd felt in the Acalusia mansion. The musty air and the unique chill of the underground supported his hypothesis.
'How did I end up like this? How did I get here...!'
Asel desperately racked his brain. He needed to recall the chain of events that led him here. But no matter how hard he tried, all that surfaced were the softness of the pillow crumpling by his bedside and Ronan's back as he left the room.
"Haa... haa..."
Asel, who had been hanging his head, lifted his gaze back to the corridor.
"...Hic."
He involuntarily gasped.
It was a sight no word like "gloomy" could describe. The darkness blanketing the corridor didn't feel like mere shadow—it was like a monster lying in wait for its prey.
The moment even one torch went out, skeletal arms or tentacles would shoot out and drag him away. If there was a passage somewhere in the world that malevolent beings like ghosts or demons passed through before heading to hell, this place was undoubtedly one of them.
'Why is this happening? Why me?'
Honestly, he just wanted to faint. If Ronan had been dropped here, he'd probably complain about the cold, piss on the wall, and then start his adventure. Unfortunately, Asel was far from courageous. As he tried to stand, he collapsed with a thud.
"Ow."
His legs had no strength. He knew rationally that he had to escape to avoid freezing to death, but his body refused.
'Pathetic. I'm the world's biggest idiot.'
Tears welled up in his large eyes. A miraculous opportunity had brought him to the Acalusia mansion, yet here he was, unable to even stand. He had no face to show his late parents or Ronan, who had trusted him and brought him this far.
Even so, as he strained to rise—
Kiiiiik...
A creaking metallic sound echoed from behind him.
"...Huh?"
It sounded like rusted hinges. Asel turned his head. About seven paces away, beneath the flickering torchlight that made it waver like a ghost, a stone door was slowly opening.
"Wh-what?"
He hadn't noticed it because it blended with the wall. The recessed handle had contributed to the illusion. Upon closer inspection, identical doors were installed beneath every torch. By the time the stone door's maw had half-opened—
A single pale white hand suddenly protruded from beyond the door.
"...Uh."
Time stopped for Asel. The fingers were disproportionately long compared to the palm, resembling an insect's legs more than a human limb. A bony arm connected to the wrist. The hooked fingers stabbed the floor.
Crack.
The arm bent, producing a sound like pulling a potato sack. As it extended again, more of it was revealed. From beyond the motionless open door, a grotesque voice that was neither male nor female bubbled up.
"Kya... aaah..."
Asel could no longer breathe. His limp legs flailed pitifully.
The raised hand stabbed the floor once more. The arm bent, and the sack-pulling sound rang out.
Crack.
As the now-longer arm extended, a pallid boy's head came into view.
"Kyaah... kyahaah..."
The eerie voice emanated from the boy's mouth. Asel nearly fainted. The boy, who appeared about his own age, had no eyes. In the sockets where eyes should have been were two black voids.
'M-monster.'
It was absolutely not human. His disheveled hair writhed as if alive. Inside the torn mouth extending below his earlobes gleamed shark-like fangs.
'Move.'
Asel clenched his fists. He didn't know what it was, but he knew what he had to do now.
He had to run before the boy noticed him. As he barely managed to stand and began backing away bit by bit— the boy, who had crawled forward once more, suddenly whipped his head toward him.
"Urk."
"......"
The two empty holes met Asel's eyes. His breath escaped in a flood. The instant his foot, already hovering in the air, touched the ground—
"Keeeaak—!"
The boy's mouth gaped wide, unleashing a horrific roar.
"Kyaaah!"
Asel's paralysis broke. His shrill scream echoed through the corridor. His stiffened legs sprang like springs. Without looking back, Asel bolted away from the boy.
"Heek. Hic! Hieeek!"
He never knew he could run this fast. The sound of his soles slapping the stone floor rang out loudly. After running for about five minutes, Asel realized the only footsteps echoing in the corridor were his own.
'I-is it not chasing?'
His heart was already at its limit. Maybe the boy was still in the same spot, and he was the fool running alone.
Asel, steeling himself, glanced back. And realized two things.
"Ah."
First, his assumption was wrong.
Second, this scene would haunt his nightmares until death.
The boy, now fully revealed, was chasing him—just ten paces behind.
"Hya aaaah!!"
Another scream burst forth.
His speed was one thing, but the shocking form was the real problem. The boy moved on all fours like a beast, crawling not on the floor but on the ceiling. That explained the lack of footsteps. With each grotesque twist of his unnaturally elongated limbs, the distance closed.
"Haa...! Haak."
Tears streamed down his face, scattering behind him. His guts felt like jelly. His heartbeat pounded clearer than ever. He wanted to run faster, but he had no strength left.
When he glanced back again, the boy was right above his head.
'It's over.'
Asel's mind went blank. The boy had deliberately slowed, preparing to grab him. Finally, fingers peeled from the ceiling. The instant the boy supported himself with his toes and reached out—
"Aaak! Invisible Hand!"
It was pure survival instinct. Asel skidded to a halt, spun, and swung his fist. Just as the hooked fingers brushed his nape, an invisible fist smashed the boy's face.
Kwaaaaang!!
His body slammed into the ceiling with a thunderous boom, like hitting a shell.
"Heek?!"
Asel was aghast. The output far exceeded his expectations. As the dust settled, the boy dangled like a hanged prisoner. His head had vanished entirely into the ceiling, his body twitching in spasms.
"D-did it die?"
He backed away warily. The boy no longer moved. Scattered messily on the floor were dozens of shark-like fangs, shattered and dislodged by the telekinetic punch.
"Haaaaah... I survived."
Asel exhaled in relief. His jelly-like guts solidified. Steam rose from his flushed skin.
'...Am I... stronger than I thought?'
Asel clenched and unclenched his right fist, the one that had struck. Ronan's words echoed: You'll be the greatest mage. Pride boiled from his gut, making his body tremble.
It was warranted. He'd tasted his first victory, snatched life from death, and achieved unprecedented magical progress all at once.
But now wasn't the time to celebrate.
"I-I need to find the exit."
Catching his breath, Asel tied back his hair. He'd survived for now, but who knew how many more monsters lurked.
He straightened his clothes and pressed on. After another ten minutes down the endless corridor, a new type of mana he'd never sensed before halted him.
"This is...?"
Asel froze. Following the mana flow, he spotted a door. It looked nearly identical to the others lining the corridor, but the atmosphere was different.
"......Acalusia."
Examining it closely, Asel paused. A familiar crest was engraved on the handle: an unmistakable Acalusia symbol of a lion roaring at the moon. As he reached out curiously, the closed door opened on its own.
"Wh-what?"
No creak from the hinges. It moved smoothly, as if oiled. An exotic blue glow and thick mana, denser than any he'd felt, poured from within.
"I-is someone there?"
It felt like an invitation. Entranced, Asel stepped inside.
Blue light from mana stones in the ceiling illuminated the interior. Piles of books and experimental apparatus suggested a research lab.
Suddenly, Asel froze in place.
"......!!"
Shock stole his voice. In the room's center stood a massive box. Inside the fully open side, a woman stood with eyes closed.
'A-a doll?'
She was as tall as Ronan. Acalusia uniform draped elegantly over her form. Her crossed hands over her chest evoked a vampire from a fairy tale.
'I've come this far; I can't back out. I need to learn something.'
Normally, he'd flee without looking back. But after the recent ordeal, perhaps his heart had toughened—Asel approached, curiosity overriding fear. Ready to unleash a telekinetic punch at any sign of trouble.
Examining her closely, Asel murmured hoarsely.
"She's beautiful."
She was stunning. High nose, thick lashes. Hair cascading to her waist like a black waterfall. Her beauty made him forget his plight momentarily. If only she weren't so much taller, he'd muster courage to speak.
But soon, a horrifying truth dawned as he inspected her.
'...Not a doll.'
She was a corpse. In eternal slumber. How had such beauty met her end? Why lay in this frigid basement instead of a grave? No decay odor—perhaps preserved. As Asel observed, half fear, half fascination—
The woman's eyes snapped open.
"......!!!"
Asel staggered. He nearly collapsed. Her ash-gray irises were beautiful yet lifeless, pupils vacant and fixed on nothing.
As he deflated like a balloon, about to slump—
"What is it? Someone's here?"
A voice and footsteps echoed from the corridor simultaneously.
"Hic."
A clear woman's voice. Asel's heart spasmed. Desperately scanning, his eyes landed on an open chest. It could hide his body amid the clutter.
Thud.
Asel dove in and closed the lid. Pure instinct. He couldn't be caught.
The footsteps drew nearer, finally right outside. Asel cracked the lid and peered out. A robed figure stood before the corpse.
"Gasp."
Seeing the face, Asel raised his brows.
Violet hair, upturned cat-like eyes.
It was Erzsebet, the lady of the great Acalusia house.
'Th-the rumors were true...!'