Chapter 110
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 110
After tossing and turning all night due to the uncomfortable bedding, I opened my eyes, dragging exhaustion with me.
"Ugh..."
As I writhed about and gradually regained consciousness, I realized I was still cocooned in my cloak like a caterpillar.
I had expected my body to ache from sleeping on the bare ground, but the winter cloak was thick enough that I didn't feel quite as stiff as I'd anticipated.
Though the campfire had died out, the air hadn't fully cooled yet, and Ian was... wait, where did Ian go?
"I...an?"
Now that I thought about it, last night...
"Ian."
"...Yes."
"Your...scent is quite pleasant..."
Oh no!
My face flushed hotly at the memory that suddenly surfaced.
The final atmosphere had seemed rather melancholic, but surely...?
I checked inside the cloak just to be safe, but fortunately(?), I was still wearing Ian's shirt as I had fallen asleep.
It didn't seem like anything improper had happened between us, so where on earth had he gone?
Thanks to the campfire, my clothes had dried completely, and after hastily putting them on, I began searching earnestly for Ian.
"Ian, where are you? Ian!"
"I'm over here."
Unexpectedly, his response came not from outside, but from deeper within the cave.
"Huh?"
Though somewhat startled, I carefully felt my way along the cave wall and moved forward slowly.
The darkness made it difficult to see ahead, but the light filtering in from outside allowed me to take one cautious step at a time.
The path, which had been gradually narrowing, soon became so tight that only a single adult man could barely move through it.
"This is deeper than I expected?"
Sidling carefully to avoid the sharp stalactites rising from the floor, I approached Ian, who was visible in the distance.
Fortunately, the interior had scattered openings as well, allowing natural light to dimly illuminate the space.
As my eyes adjusted, things that had been hidden in the faint darkness gradually came into view.
"This...is?"
First, the cave seemed to end here, with walls on all sides.
And in the center was... a platform.
No, it would be more accurate to call it an altar. A suspicious altar, at that, with some unidentifiable dark-red liquid caked and dried all over it.
The surface of the altar, which looked like something straight out of an occult film, bore deep gouges as if carved by something sharp.
What next caught my eye was a strange pattern on the floor, seemingly drawn with a similar liquid.
As I traced the worm-like markings with my eyes, I reflexively grimaced at the revulsion that washed over me.
'What is this?'
This unpleasant feeling wasn't simply from witnessing something grotesque.
Frowning in thought, I suddenly recalled a memory I had forgotten.
"Ah! This is!"
I stepped closer to the altar and examined the irregularly arranged patterns more carefully, and only then could I be certain.
"I've seen this before."
"Does something come to mind?"
"That day, at the Public Library I visited in the Imperial Capital."
"The Public Library, you say?"
"Ah, well..."
Now that I thought about it, I had never told Ian about the Dark Mage book I'd seen that day, fearing he might get caught up in unnecessary trouble.
I belatedly explained the full story.
"So I ended up skimming through that book, and the illustration I saw there that day was this. To be precise... it was a drawing of a 'human sacrifice altar.'"
But why would traces of forbidden Dark Magic remain so openly within The Empire?
Dark Magic had been taboo since ancient times. Yet no matter how I looked at it, the bloodstains left on the altar...
"They look like something was performed here recently."
"I agree. Even if it's old, the blood traces appear to be from within the last six months or so."
"Then... does that mean there are still people using Dark Magic?"
And if human sacrifice was actually performed here....
"There could be several possibilities. It could be the work of an actual Dark Mage, or perhaps followers of Dark Magic, or it could even be someone's prank..."
I would have preferred it to be someone's prank.
If human sacrifice was performed, it meant someone had a reason to wield forbidden power.
The thought that someone might have died in this place made my breath catch, and a chill ran down my spine.
And besides.
'Why am I suddenly thinking of that village?'
Was it Traga Village?
That strange village where there were no women, elderly people, or children.
After experiencing something so bizarre it seemed like a nightmare, I had later heard from Blaire Grand Duke that it was a criminal hideout that had been exterminated.
I had forgotten about it since then... but why do I feel the same sense of wrongness here that I felt there?
They should be completely unrelated, so why...?
"Why do you have that expression on your face?"
"I have a strange sense of déjà vu."
"Déjà vu?"
"You wouldn't know since you didn't accompany me then, but when I first went to the Imperial Capital, there was a village I stopped at along the way. It may sound strange, but I'm reminded of that village for some reason."
Ian's expression changed subtly.
He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then murmured quietly.
"...It shouldn't be far in terms of location."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing."
His face hardened, and he shook his head before grasping my wrist.
"We should leave this place first. If Dark Magic was truly performed here, we don't know what kind of harmful effects it might have."
"Yes. But I should remember this and tell Blaire Grand Duke. We'll need to report it to the Imperial family."
As I shook off the eerie feeling and emerged from the cave, the mist had already cleared completely.
Bright light filtered through the leaves that sparsely covered the sky.
"As daylight increases, our location becomes easier to expose. If we continue straight in this direction, we'll reach Miel Barony, but it would be safer to take a detour..."
While Ian was explaining which direction we should travel today, the sound of horse neighs and thunderous hoofbeats erupted from somewhere ahead.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The ground trembled beneath the impact, suggesting there were more than just one or two riders approaching.
"Should we... hide?"
The attackers from yesterday didn't seem like the type to charge so noisily, but there was no guarantee these newcomers were our allies either.
If they were enemies, we'd have no chance whatsoever, so Ian and I quickly concealed ourselves behind the nearest trees.
Not long after, through a cloud of dust...
"Gwahahaha!"
"Ohohoho! This is exhilarating!"
The unrestrained laughter of men began to echo through the air.
'Oh no, they're bandits.'
What should we do? Ian had already suffered burns on his leg.
If a battle broke out with these bandits upon discovery, if Ian got hurt again, what would I possibly do?
From what I could see, there were over ten of them, putting us at a severe numerical disadvantage.
Moreover...
'How are they so well-nourished?'
The bandits on horseback all had equally menacing expressions.
They were so well-fed that their builds rivaled mountains, and the horses beneath them were panting heavily with their tongues hanging out.
There was no way we could outrun mounted riders, so I felt utterly helpless.
And I didn't have a single coin to my name!
An unexpected ambush followed by highway robbery? What if I ended up being sold into slavery?
While I was spiraling into panic, Ian suddenly straightened up from our hiding spot.
"What are you doing, Ian...!"
Had he lost his mind?
Did he want to be sold as a skilled swordsman slave to some secret auction house?!
While I was screaming silently in my head.
"Don't you see it?"
Ian's voice came out flat and matter-of-fact.
"Pardon?"
Ian casually pointed his finger at something in the distance.
"Look there."
"...?"
"The crest of Blaire Grand Duke House."
"Huh?"
My gaze naturally followed the direction of his outstretched hand.
'Wait, he's right?'
Just as Ian said, the bandits' horses and flags bore the crest of Blaire Grand Duke House.
These people were on our side?
Then could it be...?
'What is this? Did they come to rescue me?'
The bandit knight, who hadn't yet spotted Ian and me, shouted loudly before my hopeful suspicion could fully take root.
"Third Knight Order of the Blaire House! Let us go rescue the future Grand Duchess for our lord!"
"Yes, Commander!"
In that instant, I doubted my own ears.
I could have sworn I heard the words "future Grand Duchess."
Wait... so they're not here to rescue me? Then should I sit back down?
Unable to comprehend what was unfolding, I turned to look at Ian as though entranced.
"I-Ian?"
He rarely let his poker face crack, but apparently this situation was absurd enough to shatter it completely.
Ian wore an expression of utter disbelief—as though he found it utterly ridiculous that they were coming to rescue someone other than me.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------