Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Quentinuus
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Amella’s answer was, “I can’t.” She must have thought her words had wounded Luon’s pride, as she quickly added an explanation as to why it was impossible.
For Luon, who possessed no magical knowledge, it was a rather long-winded explanation, but to put it simply, it was this:
The power she had invested to seal the fragment could not be immediately recovered or restored.
Nodding as if he understood, Luon listened as Amella spoke.
“...Luon, I’m truly sorry, but as you can see, I’m not in my right mind and need to meditate urgently. Could you stand watch for me just for today?”
*Is today my unlucky day?*
Luon let out a hollow laugh, having suddenly been saddled with watch duty for the entire night.
“I will.”
**
Low walls, shabby watchtowers, and inside them, lazy soldiers dozing off.
Surveying the scene, which was utterly devoid of motivation, Kyle muttered to himself.
“Even Relizan isn’t this bad…”
As he said, the state of security in Dumfries was pathetic, even when compared to Relizan, a city that was little more than a giant pleasure district.
At least Relizan was bustling; here, not even a stray dog seemed to have any energy.
Even Luon, who had wandered through all sorts of places, had never seen such a listless city. He looked at Amella and asked.
“You’re saying there’s someone in a place like this who can help you?”
“There is. He’s the type of person who likes this kind of atmosphere.”
Amella’s face was a bit pale as she answered, but not ashen like the previous night. It seemed her all-night meditation had had some effect.
The party entered a worn-out inn, dropped off their belongings, and gathered around a table on the first floor.
After ordering a simple meal from the innkeeper, Amella spoke.
“You all rest here. I can go by myself.”
“Are you sure? Your complexion, Amella…”
“I’m fine.”
When Amella cut him off firmly, Kyle had nothing more to say and fell silent.
“I’m going to head up first.”
Amella, who had been picking at her soup, rose from her seat.
Watching her grip the railing tightly as she ascended the stairs, Kyle whispered.
“It’s like all her energy vanished overnight. What in the world happened?”
Luon, who had downed his soup in one gulp as if it were beer, shrugged.
“Must’ve had a bad dream.”
He stood up and added to the sullen-faced Kyle.
“I need to get some rest, too. I was up all night.”
Watching Luon head straight upstairs, Kyle muttered to himself.
“Up all night? Damn, what were those two doing yesterday?”
**
At the presence brushing past his door, Luon opened his eyes and sat up.
He opened the door and peeked out, just in time to see Amella’s back disappearing down the end of the hallway.
*Going out at this hour?*
He glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, quickly armed himself, and was about to step out when—
“Huh?”
The door across the hall opened, revealing Kyle, his eyes wide.
“Where are you going?”
“What about you?”
Kyle answered without hesitation.
“Me? I was worried about Amella, so I was secretly keeping an eye on her. What about you, Luon?”
At the confident reply, Luon smirked and gestured with his chin.
“Let’s follow her.”
Amella seemed quite taken aback when Luon and Kyle fell into step beside her not long after she had left the inn.
She said.
“I told you I’d go alone.”
“Looking at the state you’re in, I doubt you can even walk properly.”
“Is that really the reason?”
Unsure how to explain that he was simply following his gut, Luon walked on in silence. Amella turned her head toward Kyle.
“And you? Why?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
Pressing her temples as if her head was throbbing, Amella slowly opened her mouth.
“Fine. This concerns you two as well… If you insist on coming, I won’t stop you.”
The moon was already hanging in the sky. The night in Dumfries, which lacked even the commonality of lanterns, was all the more desolate for it.
Proceeding along a narrow street bathed in the faint moonlight, the group soon arrived at a rusted iron gate.
“This is it.”
At Amella’s words, Luon glanced at the nameplate fixed to the side of the gate and tilted his head.
“It says ‘Orphanage.’”
“You read it right.”
*Read it right?*
Meanwhile, Amella placed a hand on the iron gate and said.
“I’m not trying to scare you, but don’t trust anything beyond this gate. Not even a child.”
With that, Amella pushed the gate open. The rusty hinges screamed as the scene beyond was laid bare.
“What a mess.”
Luon muttered under his breath, looking at a yard that seemed to have been without a gardener for at least a hundred years.
Beyond the overgrown, chaotic weeds, a large mansion entwined in thorny vines came into view.
If such a grotesque building was truly an orphanage, one could only feel pity for the children who would grow up inside.
The three of them made their way through the weeds, which could have passed for a thicket, and stood side-by-side before the mansion’s door.
Letting out a soft sigh, Amella parted her lips, not to knock, but to speak.
“...I’m here.”
At that moment, the sound of a lock disengaging was heard, and the mansion door swung open.
Seeing that no one was standing beyond the door, Kyle flinched and drew a sharp breath.
Stepping through the open doorway, Amella spoke as if to remind them.
“Both of you, remember what I said just now.”
“We will.”
Nodding, Luon followed her into the mansion and frowned.
Amella, who had been right in front of him, was gone. Kyle, who had been right beside him, was also nowhere to be seen.
It was a sudden turn of events, but having been warned, he wasn't flustered. He strode forward, taking in the mansion's interior.
A musty, moldy smell, a gleaming floor, a table covered in pools of melted wax, a half-open door creaking feebly, and a pale face visible within.
Without hesitation, Luon threw a dagger. It flew as if sucked through the crack in the door and embedded itself in the pale face.
There was no scream. Instead, the unexpected sound of a child’s laughter came from within the room.
The giggling, so out of place in the gloomy mansion, could be quite eerie depending on how one heard it, but Luon simply snorted.
“What’s so funny?”
He strode forward without a second thought and threw the door open.
“Hello?”
A little girl, tightly clutching a grotesque doll that looked like five different dolls had been torn apart and stitched back together at random, smiled sweetly.
“Were you looking for this lady?”
The tip of the girl’s outstretched finger pointed to Amella, who lay on the floor with her eyes wide open, a dagger piercing her forehead.
Luon pulled the dagger from her forehead, wiped the blood-soaked blade on his clothes, and put it away.
Then he immediately drew his holy sword.
Seeing the sword, which glowed with a faint light, the little girl frowned slightly.
“What’s this? It feels nasty.”
“Shut up. Where’s Amella?”
“Can’t you see? She’s lying right here.”
“Is that so?”
Luon immediately swung his sword down. The startled girl thrust the doll forward.
*Crack!*
The girl gritted her teeth as the sword broke through about half of a translucent barrier.
“You’re the one who killed her, so why… why are you taking it out on me?”
Then, her eyes flashing with malice, she shouted.
“Why!”
With a sound that tore through the air, Luon’s body was thrown back. He quickly grabbed the doorframe, thick veins bulging on his hand.
Fighting against the overwhelming force, he pulled his arm back in, and unable to withstand the strain, the doorframe splintered.
The sight of Luon forcing his way back into the room seemed to terrify the girl, and her face went pale.
“G-get away!”
Despite the girl’s terrified screams, Luon remained unshaken, raising his holy sword high as he said.
“This is why you shouldn’t take jokes too far.”
Just as he was about to bring the sword down on the weakened barrier,
“That’s far enough.”
A voice from behind made Luon pause his sword for a moment. He glanced back and replied.
“No.”
And he brought the sword down.
“Aah!”
The holy sword, which could cleave a troll in two, shattered the flagstones on the floor.
*Where did she go?*
The little girl had vanished without a trace.
“You really intended to kill her.”
Hearing the man’s voice again, Luon turned around.
A tall, middle-aged man with pointed ears was shaking his head. In his arms was the little girl, who was motionless, as if she had lost consciousness.
“My daughter may have a nasty temper, but aren’t you going a bit too far?”
“I was about to ask what kind of parenting you’ve been doing.”
The middle-aged man chuckled at the blunt reply.
“If you’re looking for Amella and that fellow who brandishes that unpleasant shield, follow me.”
Before following the man, Luon glanced down at the floor. A large doll with a hole in its head lay there.
He had acted without hesitation because he had trusted Amella’s warning not to believe anything, but Luon still frowned, slightly bewildered by the convincingly real corpse.
*What a waste of my mood.*
Following the man, who led the way into a large room deeper inside the mansion, Kyle, who had been sitting on a sofa, shot to his feet.
“Luon!”
He clutched his shield tightly and said.
“The floor suddenly gave way, the stairs started spinning… If I didn't have this shield, I don't know how many times I would have died. What is this place?”
“You should have asked Amella.”
“Amella’s been asleep since I got here.”
Kyle jutted his chin in a certain direction. Luon turned his head to see Amella sleeping soundly on the sofa.
Just then, the middle-aged man who had been leaning against the wall spoke. The little girl he had been holding was gone, and he now stood with his arms crossed.
“The mage herself falls asleep from a simple sleep spell, yet the ones with no connection to magic are perfectly fine. How ironic.”
After saying that, the man glanced at Amella for a moment before speaking.
“What is your relationship with my daughter?”
“Daughter?”
Luon answered, ignoring Kyle’s dumbfounded question.
“We have aligned interests.”
“And why did you come here?”
“Amella said she could get help here.”
At Luon’s unhesitating replies, the middle-aged man clicked his tongue.
“My daughter, who left over a decade ago saying she was sick and tired of this place, comes back on her own two feet. I was wondering what was going on…”
Not particularly curious about what had happened between the two, Luon simply looked at the man.
Like a doctor examining a patient, he placed a hand on Amella’s forehead and closed his eyes. Soon, he opened them and asked.
“Most of her mana seems to be bound to something. What is it?”
After a moment of thought, Luon took the stone slate from his pouch. The man looked back and forth between the slate and Amella’s face.
“She’s trapped the essence of that stone slab within an image created from her own mana? What a foolish thing to do.”
Muttering to himself, he clapped his hands once. The sleeping Amella gasped and sat bolt upright.
She looked around for a moment, then spoke to the man.
“...Quen.”
“It’s been a while, Amella. Thirteen years, has it?”
“You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Such a way to speak to your father… Besides, I’m an elf, so it’s only natural that I age slowly. You’re speaking nonsense.”
Their exchange was far from a typical father-daughter conversation.
“Father? Don’t make me laugh. You’re…”
Amella trailed off and let out a deep sigh.
“Right, let’s cut the pointless talk. I’m just here to make a deal.”
The elf called Quen shrugged.
“You want to fully recover your mana that’s tied to that stone, right?”
“And I need you to prevent the stone’s essence from returning. Even if it’s only for a short time.”
At Amella’s added request, Quen shook his head.
“Hey, Amella. My lovely daughter. As a full-fledged mage yourself, you know how difficult that is, don’t you?”
“...I know.”
Quen smiled, as if he thoroughly enjoyed seeing Amella’s dejected response.
“But for me, Quentinuus, it is indeed possible.”
*What is he playing at?*
Luon frowned, looking at Quen, who had proudly spread his arms wide. He had reserved judgment until now, but it seemed this one was definitely not in his right mind either.
“So, Amella. What can you do for me?”
“You’ve always been one to demand what you want. Not one to listen, are you?”
At Amella’s words, Quen’s cheekbones seemed to rise in a grin. He chuckled, finding something incredibly amusing, then abruptly stopped laughing and pointed a finger at the holy sword hanging from Luon’s waist.
“I want that sword, Amella.”
Luon shot back in an icy tone.
“Want me to cut that finger off for you?”