Chapter 74 - Entrance Ceremony of Blood (9)

Silveryn's hair swayed lightly in the wind. After reaching the top of the island, she was taking a brief rest while looking at the view spread below her feet.

Along the corridor surrounding the Sky Garden, a man in priest's robes silently approached her.

He stopped four steps away from Silveryn and bowed his head respectfully.

"I never expected to see you again like this, Lady Silveryn."

Silveryn slowly turned to look down at the priest and said, "It's been a while, Price. I thought this place would be ruined by now. Seems its lifeline is quite tough."

The Star Altar no longer accepted successors for future generations. Therefore, its lineage was destined to eventually break and be completely forgotten from the world.

"Haha, we're in a situation where it wouldn't be strange to fall apart at any time."

"Yes, I came to get help quickly before that happens."

"That must be the only reason you'd visit here. When you left before, you said you'd return when you found the owner of the cube. Is it what I think it is?"

Silveryn took out the glass vial containing blood.

When she shook the vial slightly, the cube made a rattling sound.

The priest's eyes flickered with interest upon seeing this.

"To think it's true. I never thought I'd see such a thing in my life. That Silveryn would use the Rosental Cube..."

Silveryn narrowed her eyes and cut off the priest's words with a glare.

"Unfortunately, it's not what you're thinking."

The priest hesitated for a moment, his face showing he didn't understand her meaning.

"...Not what I'm thinking? What do you mean? Surely you haven't ignored the traditions of the Rosental Cube?"

"Yes. Just did it quickly."

"No, how could you... with such a sacred object..."

The priest was too shocked to continue speaking. The Rosental Cube not only had difficult materials to obtain but also took years to manufacture. It was never something to be used carelessly.

Seeing Silveryn's confident attitude, he sighed deeply as if giving up and said, "...You're still as headstrong as ever. The wind is cold up here, unlike below. Let's go inside first."

The priest guided Silveryn to where the Star Altar was. As they walked along the corridor, he asked her,

"So... even if not to that extent, I can't deny this person must be significant to you. After all, that's what the Rosental Cube is originally used for."

"..."

For her, who had never shown interest in romance, to use the cube on someone held special significance.

The Rosental Cube was originally a sacred object meant for engaged lovers to each swallow one to create a spiritual bond.

She wouldn't have fed one of her pair of cubes to someone without any meaning.

Questions filled Priest Price's mind. Her cube was a gift of gratitude for helping the Star Altar.

Though the priests of the Star Altar had survived thanks to Silveryn at that time, everything she had pursued ended in failure.

The cube had been given with the hope that Silveryn, who had fallen into despair, would find another meaning in life.

All the priests sincerely wished for stability and happiness in their benefactor Silveryn's future.

Since Price was no different from the other priests, knowing who her partner was held utmost importance.

"May I ask who this noble person is who has stirred your heart?"

Women generally seek to marry up and didn't meet men below their status. Men matching Silveryn's standards could be narrowed down to the Crown Prince, Sword Masters, or other Archmages.

The priest's lips twitched slightly with anticipation of what remarkable person it might be.

However, for whatever reason, Silveryn maintained her silence.

Realizing he had pried too deeply into personal matters, the priest quickly recovered.

"...I've been rude in my excitement. I apologize."

"..."

Silveryn hadn't swallowed the remaining cube herself but brought it into the vial. Perhaps she really had placed no meaning in tradition and simply taken advantage of its functional convenience. Given Silveryn's personality, this was entirely possible.

While Price was internally disappointed, Silveryn carefully opened her mouth, "...My disciple."

The priest stopped walking and turned to look at Silveryn. Then, he asked again, "Your disciple, you say?"

"Yes."

Price's eyes gradually widened.

The word "disciple" was surprising, but what made him stop and ask again was the unusual emotion buried in Silveryn's voice.

The characteristic sharpness in her voice disappeared when mentioning her disciple.

And there was a faint trace of shyness.

This was something never seen in the Silveryn of the past.

***

Erzsebet's cloud iron bracelet was said to block curses.

This meant a curse was circulating in the labyrinth. However, what kind of curse it was remained unknown.

This was the first time I had seen so many corpses. I frantically crossed the field of corpses, searching for anyone still breathing.

Most of the ground was stained with blood. And here and there, something like black slime writhed on the floor and corpses.

"What are these..."

I peeled off some of the black slime. The black slime were all leeches. The awl-like holes in the corpses were made by leeches sucking blood.

The sight of leeches clinging to bodies and sucking blood was horrifyingly grotesque.

I couldn't understand how leeches got here, who had scattered them, or why.

Just then, a coughing sound came from somewhere.

I put down the corpse and ran immediately to where the coughing came from.

"Damn it, damn it, where? Where are you!"

While running around looking frantically, I spotted a librarian trembling.

I approached to support them but changed my mind. As if craving living blood, countless leeches clung to the librarian's skin.

The librarian trembled like an aspen tree and let out another painful cough.

I removed the librarian's mask. Leeches already covered their face too.

Growing desperate, I grabbed handfuls of leeches and threw them away regardless of the consequences.

"Damn it, damn it, just wait a little. I'll save you."

Only after removing several handfuls could he see the librarian's face.

They coughed up a bowlful of black blood and said, "Cough, W… who… are you?"

Something was wrong. Though all the leeches were removed from their face, and their eyes were wide open, they couldn't see me.

The librarian's pupils had turned white and lost focus. They had gone blind.

I clenched my teeth.

"It's Damian. Don't talk! I'll save you right now!"

I tore off the librarian's clothes. After checking their condition, I bit my lip. There wasn't a spot without leeches.

I quickly removed the leeches.

During this, the librarian suddenly grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"I'm... cough, already too late. You must, must, run... away."

"Never mind that, stop talking!"

The librarian's hand trembled.

"It's targeting... Trisha... in the labyrinth... you must, must escape..."

My heart sank.

Trisha. I had momentarily forgotten about Trisha's existence.

"What happened to Trisha?"

"Not yet... confirmed... cough, quickly, escape... escape... you must..."

"Forget it. Just live enough so we can leave together!"

"It's useless... you must leave immediately... from where the compass points... cough, as far as possible... before it's too late, hurry."

The librarian vomited blood as if their internal organs were being wrung out.

Then the librarian's hand gripping my wrist fell limply. Soon after, their breathing stopped.

I couldn't move from that spot. My heart pounded as if it would burst. I wished this was all a dream.

What is this situation?

This place had literally become a living hell.

I repeated the librarian's words. 

Targeting Trisha? 

When I looked around, only librarians laid dead; there was no sign of Trisha.

Only one thought flickered through my mind.

I have to save Trisha.

Again, strong wind swept through the labyrinth, and red fog rolled in like storm clouds.

The thick smell of blood and rotting corpses stung my nose.

The hair all over my body stood on end and chills ran through me. I immediately stood up and turned toward the direction the bloody fog came from. Though my vision was obscured and I couldn’t see anything, I instinctively sensed something’s approach.

Suddenly, a strange cry echoed through the labyrinth. An evil spirit's cry that could tear one's ears. It clearly wasn't human.

A being that had once pierced a hole in my soul. Thanks to that, I instantly knew what it was.

It was the cry of a Wraith.

I felt my heart freeze. Suddenly, memories of being helplessly thrown off the cliff flashed through my mind.

Abruptly, I sensed someone's presence.

Click, click

Someone was approaching me with the sound of shoes. I stood frozen in place and gulped.

Soon after, something pounded loudly against my chest. I pulled out the necklace had received a gift from Professor Ella. It trembled violently. 

"..."

The danger the necklace detected could only be one thing.

Dark Mage. It was the signal of death.