Chapter 117 – Along the Alley.

Medea blankly looked around. It was a dark space. It was a natural thing to say since we came into a tunnel where there is no light, but what if there is a field full of red flowers? As she placed her hand on one of her flowers, even the gentle touch of the petals was vivid. It was a strangely shaped flower that glowed red. Even the thin petals split into many branches and the stamens that look like sharp thorns. She had never seen a flower like this.

“Here is…”

She must have been in a place where there was no sunlight, but she was strangely clear as she and her fields. She clearly remembers going into a tunnel, but where are her friends and why is she here alone? She looked around more, but she saw only endless fields and a sky black as night, with no exit anywhere. She continued to walk, hoping to get out of this place, but no matter how much she walked, the sight of endless fields made her uneasy.

She was accelerating her pace. Fearing that she might not be able to get out of here alone, she ran without stopping, but no matter how much she ran, she couldn’t get out of the field.

“Lyuda! Belka! Usher!”

I called out the names of my friends who had entered the tunnel together, but no answer came back anywhere.

“Where has everyone gone?”

In the end, Samuchi was the moment when she collapsed in the middle of the field due to her loneliness. The fact that someone grabbed her hand at the same time as a red thread passed in the corner of her field of vision.

“Belka?”

Thinking that it must be the owner of that hand, when Medea raised her head, the intense light made her close her eyes.

“What?!”

Blinking for a moment, avoiding the light pouring from the front, the first thing Mediah felt was the warmth of her hands holding each other. Looking to her side, everyone who went into the tunnel with her was together. Was it just a dream? Medea thought that she had been dozing off for a while, but she suddenly realized that the people next to her didn’t say anything.

“Why is everyone like this? Any problem.”
“Me, mea. Ah, in front… In front!”

Then, Lyudmila, who was next to her, said in a trembling voice as if she had been frightened of her. Mediah wondered what the hell was wrong, so when she looked ahead, the intense light covered her eyes again. Even though it was a setting sun, the light was still too strong to look straight at, so it was only after some time had passed that Medea recognized what was in front of them and she froze. Because there, an existence that could never exist here, and shouldn’t exist, was looking down at them with the setting sun behind.

Scales of pure silver that are as smooth as mirrors that scatter the sunset light. He looks a few heads taller than them. Sharp claws like sharpened swords. A long neck and a longer tail. Wings resembling a large curtain that could cover them many times when spread wide.

“Dragon…”

It was more worthy of being called a disaster than any other monster. In front of the inorganic reptile’s eyes, they couldn’t do anything because of the suffocating tension just by facing them. Usher was holding the handle of the sword with trembling hands, but his body refused to pull it out. Even a long sword with a sharpened blade doesn’t seem to be able to scratch that scale.

Standing in front of the dragon in such a defenseless state was the story that the only thing left was death. If you’ve ever heard of a dragon’s name, there’s no way you wouldn’t know. Then Usher realized that Mediah had let go of their hands and was walking towards the dragon.

“Mea! What are you doing…!?”

Ludmilla was surprised to find it, but she had already reached the dragon’s nose. Seeing Mediah standing in front of a monster that was no different from a weapon by itself, anyone could have guessed its future. If the next moment, when she stretched out her hand as if possessed, the dragon hadn’t put its head in her hand like a docile sheep.

“What?”

Soon after, despite Mediah’s action of naturally stroking her hair, the dragon quietly closed its eyes as if welcoming it without any objection. It was an incredible moment. Is that really a dragon that is more ferocious than any other monster and famous for its cruelty? In the light of the twilight sun, Medea did not stop her touch, and the dragon remained calm until the end. And when the sun had completely set, the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

The dragon really disappeared in the blink of an eye. Like what they’ve seen so far is a lie. However, it was certain that they had been staying here for quite some time. Because the sun was no longer visible in the sky where the sunset had just come out of the tunnel. Still, the bright sky signaled that the sun was over there, but it was still the same that it was time to go back. The dragon disappeared without any warning, and Usher was the first to come to his senses.

“…Shall we go back?”
“…Is that so?”

Usher said as if nothing had happened, but they agreed without caving in. Because they were too tired for that.

“By the way, where is this again? It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

Only after the dragon disappeared did they realize what kind of place they were. There was a green field there. Contrary to her dream that Medea had been briefly drawn into, a field with large and small lakes here and there. I didn’t see anything like a private house nearby. The castle walls visible in the distance only let us know that this place was inside the territory.

“I think it’s probably a no-development zone.”
“Is there a place like that?”
“Yes, even if it’s inside the territory, if you recklessly develop it, various problems will arise.”

Usher listened to her and approached the lake with Belka. As if the dragon that was there just before said it was an illusion, there was no trace left there. Instead, what remains is the appearance of a small lake that was hidden from view by the dragon. Here and there in the field, the lakes, containing the sunset and shining, were revealing the sky hidden in the ground. As soon as he soaks his hand for a moment, a cold touch wraps around his hand.

“But why is there only water here? If there is this much water, I think fish or something can live.”

However, unlike the lakes he knew, Usher was puzzled by the lake, which was clear no matter how much he looked into it, but did not see a single fish.

“Fish. Are you talking about things that only exist in the Holy Land?”

However, what returns is rather the gaze of Medea and Ludmilla who look at him strangely. As Usher, feeling ashamed, is only fiddling with his hand dipped in the lake, soon the lake shakes greatly.

“Because I’ve come here. Shall we go play some more?”
“I’m fine! When will you come to a place like a lake again?”

Medea and Lyudmila walked into the lake with their skirts on. Although the lake was a bit wide, at most it ended around the calf, so Ludmila had no problem.

“Aww?! Belka?”

At that moment, Usher was startled by the cold feeling on his face, and when he looked to the side, Belka, who was standing next to him, was touching his cheek with a wet hand. There was a joyous expression in the girl’s golden light that I couldn’t tell unless I looked closely. I put water on his hand, thinking that he could not lose even if he did.

“Hey!”

Belka shuddered at the cold as he ran his hand around her neck. But that’s for a while.

“Kek! What’s up all of a sudden!?”

When Usher looked at the place where the water was flooded by the sudden flood, Medea and Lyudmila were watching them dissatisfiedly.

“Really, do you know that you’re not alone here?”
“That’s what you do when it’s just the two of you.”
“Hey, you guys really!”

Eventually, Usher poured water into his hand and splashed it on them. Forgetting that they had to go back and their tired bodies, they were busy splashing water on each other and playing.

“You think that makes sense now!”
“Sorry, but I’m sure Mediah went into the tunnel, but no one was inside.”

The knight who came as a messenger lowered his head at Aeolus’s scream, but nothing changed. Obviously, the Royal Guard did their best to escort the Mediahs. The leader, Gregory, led a few knights and inspected every nook and cranny of the tunnel. The inside of the tunnel was dark, so I went in with a torch and looked for a secret door or passageway large enough for the children to go to another place, but there was no such thing anywhere.

“So, did the children even break through the wall of the dead-end tunnel?! Or were they pulled into the ground!”

Even Airolos, who was shouting, knew that they would never be idle or neglect their duties. However, he couldn’t come to his senses when he heard that Mediah had disappeared. It was more of a problem because I didn’t know what the problem was.

“From the 1st Knights to the 4th Knights, summon all the knights except for the minimum number of vigilantes! Quickly!”

Donar thought it was a monster attack again due to the summoning order, but she was surprised by the news that Mediah and the children with her were missing as her group. That meant that Usher and Belka had also disappeared. He quickly finished his maintenance and stood with his teammates. Aeolus, who gave orders directly to them, lost his cold-hearted appearance and nervously ordered them to search.

“A search. We don’t know the terrain here at all, do we?”

It was as Odur said. They did not yet know the structure of this estate. It would be nice to have a map. There was no way he could show such a thing to those who had just become vassals, so Donar was embarrassed. He approached him

“Aeolus-nim.”
“What’s going on?”

Despite Aiolos’ nervous reply when he spoke to him, Donar spoke calmly.

“We don’t know the way, so we need someone to guide us.”
“Ha, that’s right. You guys don’t know this place well yet.”

He couldn’t erase his urgency, but he seemed to have regained his composure somewhat. Donard did not miss the opportunity.

“If it’s not like kidnapping, is there another place you can guess?”

Donard didn’t quite know the personalities of Medea and Ludmilla, but he knew Usher and Belka. In particular, if it suddenly disappeared in a dead-end cave with no side roads, it was highly likely that it was related to magic. Magic is obviously difficult to come across, but he knew that the girl was a witch. If it was dangerous, Belka couldn’t have let her children go there.

“Is it where you guessed?”

Aiolos seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then got on the Hilddis Beanie that was prepared as if he had remembered something. Surprised by that appearance, for a moment, they followed him as he was heading somewhere.

“I thought he wouldn’t be a normal person, but did he even tame Hildisbini?”

To Shalby’s admiration, Donard agreed. Having tamed Hildisbini was because, at least, it was safe to say that he had all the qualifications as a knight. And that was easier said than done. Aiolos urged Hildisbini and pushed him. A girl named Belka was a witch. And his wife was also a witch. That meant that Medea could also be a witch. In addition, the tunnel was a place his wife told her that it was her own secret place when she was walking between her alleys.

If there was a spell cast over it, and my daughter and the girl, who were witches, were drawn to it intentionally or unintentionally, where would it lead? She definitely said that it was the most precious place. If he’s not wrong, that’s for sure. The place where they arrived by Hildisbini was a place full of grass and trees growing occasionally, unlike other areas where the city was developed. An area that has been patrolled for a long time in case of an unexpected event, and development is prohibited unless it is really urgent.

When Aeolus arrives there. He was able to witness the memories of his past directly.

“…Sasha.”

He had no choice but to bite his lip and watch the scene in silence. Because he had no right to intervene there.