76
Chapter 76
Centering around the Kitchen we had entered through the window, the Living Room was to the left, and a short Hallway with a closed room at the end was to the right.
It wasn't a particularly large space, so having a Hallway made for an awkwardly partitioned layout.
It didn't make sense logically, but common sense rarely applied in situations like this anyway.
However, one thing was certain.
There was something beyond that short Hallway.
Creak, creak-
No matter how carefully we moved, the old wooden floor didn't easily allow for stealth.
Every time two fully grown men wearing Equipment took a step, the floor creaked like a ragged breath, leaking out a warning.
Holding our breath at every sound, we slowly began to make our way down the Hallway.
Reaching the door, we looked at each other in silence.
Our eyes met for a moment.
'What are you going to do?'
'I will support you from behind with Magic. Just open the door.'
'Understood.'
I nodded, gathering a Water Bullet at the tip of my Staff.
Baldic carefully turned the doorknob with one hand.
Click.
It didn't budge.
It was latched from the inside.
We locked eyes for a brief moment.
"...It is locked."
"Alright. Then I will open it."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Baldic took a step back, braced his shoulder, and charged.
Thump!
The door of the old Cabin could not withstand Baldic's charge and shattered with a loud crack—.
The entire door was shoved inward, and Baldic lost his balance, tumbling into the room.
"Uwaaagh!"
Hearing Baldic's scream mixed with a groan from inside the room, I instinctively raised my Water Bullet.
"Baldic, are you okay?"
"Ugh... I am fine, just get in here quickly!"
I was momentarily taken aback by our clumsier-than-expected entry, but I quickly gripped my Staff and threw myself into the room.
Stepping inside through the pouring dust, a strange tension spread across the space that had been silent for so long.
I initially assumed it would be a Bedroom, but opening it revealed it was actually closer to a Warehouse.
Inside the long, rectangular room lay Wooden Boxes of unknown use and scattered pieces of Junk all over the place.
Without a single tidy corner, the smell of dust filling the room spoke of how long it had been neglected.
And right in the middle of that room.
"Bill...!"
Just as expected, Bill was there.
Fortunately, he didn't appear to have any major external injuries.
But what caught my eye first was the Rope wrapping his entire body tightly like a Spider Web.
And right beneath him, a dark red Pattern spread across the floor like a stain.
It wasn't fully exposed, but its shape was clear.
Geometric lines and metaphysical Patterns were densely packed inside a circular outline.
It was a structure anyone would have no choice but to call a Magic Circle.
"...This is, could it be."
I approached slowly, lowering my gaze.
The hidden lines slowly revealed a faint outline, barely visible.
Anyone could see it was not a simple drawing.
This was... something with a deeper, ominous purpose, like a scene of human sacrifice straight out of a cruel fairy tale.
Suppressing the breath catching in my throat, I carefully pulled Bill's body away.
Once he was completely out of the Pattern, the Magic Circle finally wavered as if faintly shaking.
"Bill! Snap out of it! Bill!"
I shook his shoulder.
But Bill only exhaled with half-closed eyes, showing no reaction.
A moment later, Baldic, who had followed me in belatedly, approached.
Roughly brushing off the small Thorns stuck in his hands, he collapsed next to me.
"...His body looks fine. But why isn't he waking up?"
"It seems like he was subjected to some kind of Magic."
I wasn't exactly sure.
Even though I am a Magician, my magical knowledge isn't that deep.
Baldic, being a Priest, might know more about that kind of Magic- especially the Curse type.
I glanced to my side.
Baldic was quietly clenching his teeth, averting his eyes.
"...Damn it."
Everything was contained in that tone.
An expression that showed he was quite clueless about it.
Right, I expected it, but it was still just as I thought.
Even so, we couldn't just sit around idly.
At the very least, we couldn't leave Bill like this right now.
Slowly, I looked at the Pattern on the floor again.
"Is it okay to leave this alone."
I closed my mouth.
The Magic Circle was vibrating very slowly, as if it were still alive.
A structure maintaining itself without any activation.
Someone, or something, had designed this.
Just in case, I tried throwing the Water Bullet I had gathered, and even tried pouring Mana directly into it.
But the Magic Circle merely wavered for a moment before returning to its original form.
At best, we had only scratched the surface.
"...In this case, we have no choice but to find another way."
I turned my head and spoke.
"There might still be something more in here."
I slowly raised my Staff, pointing it toward the Living Room connected to the Kitchen.
At the end of the dark Hallway, where almost no light reached.
It had been quiet so far, but that silence was rather ominous.
Following my gaze, Baldic also turned his head.
Then, he muttered softly, barely audible.
"...I have a bad feeling about this."
Leaving the uneasy Baldic behind, I stood up first.
"...What should we do with him? Should we leave him like this?"
Baldic nodded and glanced over at Bill.
"We have no choice for now. We can't move around with him in this state."
"Right. If a fight breaks out now, he'll only be a burden."
Carrying a person around in a combat situation is like giving up your lifeline.
That wasn't helping; it was just putting us all in danger together.
"By the way, no one has come out even though we made such a fuss."
I turned my head and looked down the dark Hallway.
With this amount of noise, the Owner of an ordinary Cabin would have run out by now.
"Exactly. They set it up like a bunch of things would pop out, but there's nothing."
Baldic scoffed and spat once, getting up to leave the room first.
I also lifted my Staff slightly and followed behind him.
Step, step. Clack.
It was then.
Someone's footsteps echoed.
To be exact, it was an unfamiliar presence slowly approaching from outside the Cabin.
A subtle stride as if placing the lightest possible weight. But mixed within it was the sound of something tapping the floor.
Baldic and I stopped moving at the same time.
And instinctively, we turned around and hid back inside the room where Bill was lying.
"...Did you hear that?"
Baldic whispered, moving only his lips.
I slowly nodded, lowering my body behind a Wooden Box.
Even breathing felt precarious.
Click. Creak-
A low, heavy sound.
It was the sound of the Cabin's front door opening.
It was a definite sign.
Someone had returned.
The stranger took a few steps inside and slowly began to look around, as if inspecting the house.
The footsteps were familiar, and their purpose seemed clear.
Most importantly, they were slowly approaching the room we were in.
'...There is a possibility they have already noticed we are in here.'
I slightly raised my Staff.
Gathering a Water Bullet at the tip, I prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.
"Should we ambush?"
Baldic asked quietly.
"We don't know yet. Let's check first before making a move."
It was then.
From the Hallway right in front of us, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard quietly but clearly.
The creak, creak sound of stepping on the old wooden floor hesitated before drawing closer.
The door was still broken just as we had smashed it.
If this was the Owner of the house, there was no way they wouldn't notice the anomaly.
I slightly raised my Staff and took a shallow breath.
There was only one presence. At the very least, only one person was approaching from down the Hallway.
'First, I need to check their face.'
Baldic, seemingly sensing the presence from behind, naturally rested his hand on his Sword Hilt and nodded.
Both of us slowly turned our gazes toward the Hallway without uttering a single word.
"Hmm? They broke the door?"
A low-pitched voice echoed from the end of the Hallway.
It was the hoarse voice of an Old Woman, but the tone carried within it was closer to displeasure than mere bewilderment.
Holding my breath, I slightly poked my head out and looked at the end of the Hallway.
And I saw her standing there.
A skinny figure wearing a black Robe pulled down deep.
The hooked nose, sharp jawline, and graying, disheveled hair peeking out from the gap reminded me of a Witch straight out of a Fairy Tale Book.
'...It really was an Old Woman.'
It seemed people's words weren't a lie after all.
But she wasn't just a simple Old Woman.
Beneath the hem of her Robe, bizarrely glowing Patterns flowed faintly.
Baldic also swallowed his breath beside me.
She hadn't fully seen us yet, but it was only a matter of time before she noticed.
She crossed the threshold.
And found Bill sprawled out in the middle of the room.
"...So they didn't take him."
A strange lingering feeling hung at the end of her words.
Her gaze moved slowly, turning toward the pile of Wooden Boxes where we were hiding.
"So you're still inside?"
"...!"
In that moment, cold sweat ran down my spine.
Startled, I flinched, and my foot grazed the corner of a Box.
Thud.
Dust scattered from the small impact, and a few Boxes rattled, revealing our presence.
We were caught.
"...Come out."
Baldic and I looked at each other, gauging the timing to jump out.
"I said come out, you brats."
Her voice became much rougher.
As if noticing we were hiding behind the Boxes, the Old Woman strode closer, leaning on her Staff.
Judging that I could no longer hide, I popped out.
As I lifted my Staff and drew out Mana, a Water Drop formed at my fingertips.
That Water Drop vibrated and floated in the air.
"......Magic?"
The Old Woman's eyes narrowed into slits.
Her gaze fixated on the flow of water hovering at my fingertips, glancing over my face.
Then, she scoffed.
"Pfft, this is the first time I've seen such trashy Mana sensitivity. Who taught you?"
"...What did you say?"
At the unexpected reaction, I unconsciously stopped my Magic and asked back.
"Well anyway, the fact that you entered this space looking like that means you have some skill."
She glanced at Bill and leaned on her Staff again.
"That Kid won't die. So don't go poking around for nothing and stay quiet."
"Does that even make sense right now? You kidnapped him and-"
"Kidnap? Kidnapped, you say? Hah, kids these days talk too much. If I wanted to kill him, I wouldn't have left a trace in the first place, you idiot. Why would I go through all this trouble? Things are getting twisted because of short-sighted fools like you!"
With the end of her words, the tip of her Staff slammed into the floor with a thump.
Baldic flinched, but that was all the Old Woman did.
She panted, catching her breath, and soon turned her head toward me with a slightly calmer voice.
"What is your name."
"...It is Riv."
The Old Woman narrowed her eyes for a moment and stared intently at my face.
"You're a strange one. Your Magic is clumsy, and your eyes bring bad luck." ...I couldn't argue about the clumsy Magic part, even if I wasn't sure about my eyes. I didn't feel particularly wronged either. Because it was the truth.
"What is your relationship with the Blue Magic Tower?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Is there any other Magic Tower that plays with water like that? You clearly learned it, but it's obvious you were kicked out halfway."
...She was exactly right.
To see right through my past just by looking at one Magic.
She was different from the people who had marveled at me being a Magician up until now.
This was a tone filled with certainty.
A nuance born from experience.
...Is this person a Magician too, as expected.
"But, what about the other Missing Persons then? Where exactly did they go?"
It wasn't just Bill.
There were already several other people missing from this Village.
If she brought Bill here to treat him, why hadn't the others returned?
No matter how I thought about it, it was strange.
"...Other Missing Persons?"
The Old Woman tilted her head as if it was the first time she had heard of it, but soon nodded and spoke.
"...Ah, those guys?"
She sighed and looked at Bill one more time.
"...Alright. It's a good thing it turned out this way. Right now, saving this Kid is the priority, so stop spouting nonsense and cooperate. If you try anything else, I won't let it slide."
"Huh? Save him? And what do you mean cooperate...."
Before I could finish speaking, the Old Woman was already striding toward Bill.
Her back looked so resolute that I felt like I would get smacked on the back if I needlessly added anything else.
What is with this person?
She was taking control of the situation so naturally, as if it was a given.
It wasn't like I had agreed to it, and I didn't know what she was trusting to act like this.
I couldn't tell what hidden agenda she might have, or if she was truly someone to be trusted.
But for this moment at least, it didn't seem like she had any intention of harming Bill.
As I quietly stepped back toward Baldic, he whispered to me.
"...Are you saying we should trust this crazy old hag?"
Baldic sighed and whispered back.
"But if there's really something wrong with Bill, we have no other way."
"That is... true."
"Then wouldn't it be better to trust her for now?"
"Damn it. Even so, it's too suspicious. Especially her dragging the kid to a Cabin like this out of nowhere."
I nodded as well.
"That is strange too. I didn't expect a Kidnapper to even provide treatment."
"No, that is even weirder!"
Baldic shouted quietly, then closed his mouth again as if reading the room.
We quietly looked toward the Old Woman once again.
She was still calculating something with her brow furrowed.
Perhaps if this were a game, a prompt like this would have popped up.
[A suspicious Witch says the Kid is under a Curse. The Witch claims only she can save him. What is your choice?]
[1. Trust her for now.]
[2. Cannot trust her. Stop her.]
If it were a game, I would have pressed number 1 without hesitation.
Even if I failed, I could just use the save and load trick or start over from the beginning.
But right now, this is reality with only one life.
Knowing that a single mistake would be the end, my choice had to be careful.
I let out a short sigh and finally made up my mind.
"...Then, what should I help you with first?"
I decided to trust her for now.
I was still anxious, but right now, everything depended on this eccentric Magician.
If she wanted to attack, she would have done so already.
The Old Woman glanced at me and scoffed.
"Hah, you sure took your sweet time. A grown man being so sluggish."
Ah, that feels incredibly insulting.
It wasn't just a slightly bad feeling.
It would be unpleasant even if a beautiful woman spoke to me like this, but hearing that kind of talk from someone with the appearance of an eccentric Witch made the annoyance double.
Of course, I didn't have the luxury to argue about that in the current situation.
'Hah, is this why Magicians get told they have nasty tempers?'
Cursing inwardly like that once, I decided to focus on the matter at hand for now.
"I will expand the Magic Circle, so you just assist with Mana from the side."
"...What kind of Magic Circle is that?"
The Magic Circle in front of my eyes was of a color that could never give a good impression.
Dark red spreading lines, and Thorn-like patterns stretching inward.
It gave off the vibe that it was going to rip someone's heart out right this second.
She narrowed her eyes at my question.
"Would you even understand if I explained?"
"...Still, I need to know what it is to help."
It was because it was an incredibly suspicious Magic Circle no matter who looked at it.
I could end up burning to death alongside him if I helped incorrectly for no reason.
"Tsk, tsk. I don't know who your Master is, but they must have fed your etiquette training to a Dog. You aren't supposed to pry into another person's Magic, originally."
She gave a small scoff and placed her finger on the outer edge of the Magic Circle.
The lines that were just beginning to expand started shaking irregularly.
"Whatever. Perk up your ears and listen carefully. This is a Backflow Suppression Circle. It is a Magic Circle that forcibly reverses the flow when an external power flows into the body and goes berserk without being purified."
"...External power? What is going on with Bill?"
"Demon Stone. This Kid seems to have picked up a Demon Stone Piece in the forest. It is a miracle in itself that he held onto it and lasted this long."
"Demon Stone...."
To think that Stone would appear here too.
Seeing as it keeps appearing, it seems to be an undeniable flow of this world.
She clicked her tongue.
"Normal people would lose their minds or start twisting from the inside out in less than an hour. But this Kid's Piece was small, and he was found quickly. If we keep going like this, there is a chance he will survive."
"...Then, perhaps the Missing Persons from before-"
"Tsk, those guys had already mutated, so I took care of them quietly."
I looked down at Bill again.
He looked like he was sleeping quietly, but looking closely, cold sweat was beading on his forehead, and his fingertips were stained a purplish-blue.
"...So, what happens if we expand the Magic Circle?"
"Right now, I am going to contain the Reflux Magic Power that the Demon Stone has spread inside this Kid's body. Once that is done, he won't be able to return to normal, but he can at least remain human."
Baldic, who was listening to the situation from behind, could be heard gasping as if he also realized the severity of it.
So this meant it wasn't a treatment, but a suspension.
I suppose it means it is that serious.
"Then... what should I do now?"
She glanced at me and nodded.
"From now on, while I expand the Magic Circle, you make Mana flow through the outline. You just need to maintain the balance."
"I just need to flow Mana, right?"
Feeling anxious, I asked back once again.
Instead of answering, she drew up Mana and fixed her gaze.
"If you mess up, both our hearts will melt, got it?"
"What!?"
Wondering if it was a joke, I inadvertently looked up at her face, but her expression was as hard as a Boulder.
A cold and expressionless face.
It was a face that held not even a speck of a joke.
Is this person... truly crazy?
"...Could you please say things like that a little earlier?"
"Then shut your mouth and focus. There's almost no chance of that happening in the first place, and you'll just be next in line to die after me anyway."
...This person is truly eccentric.
Can I really trust her.
Left with no choice, I let out a short sigh and gathered Mana at my fingertips.
And carefully placed my hand on the outer edge of the Magic Circle.