Chapter 99

99

It seems I lost consciousness for a moment. During that brief time, my mind was protected by Somnia.

Lily, can you hold on?

‘Yeah…’

It was harder than I thought. Listening to the cries of so many suffering people.

Moreover, the memories of their deaths kept flowing into me… I felt like I was going to go mad.

‘Aaaah!!’

‘It hurts…!’

‘I’m in agony…’

‘Save me!!’

‘I don’t want to die!’

By peering into their memories, I finally understood. The Everett family truly drove so many people to their deaths…

‘…Duke Everett.’

His face flashed in someone’s memory.

Dozens of people, including the owner of the memory, were being pushed into a large pit of fire. On the nearby ground, a complex magical array was drawn, exactly matching what I had seen in the documents.

The pit of fire and the magical array were connected by the ‘∞’ symbol, and the black aura flowing out of the pit was continuously condensing at the center of the array.

The nature of that black aura was all too clear.

‘…The emotions and souls of those who died in agony in the pit of fire…’

The entity created by refining those numerous emotions and souls was the very spirit.

Lily, just a little longer. We’re almost there.

‘…Yeah, I’m okay.’

The key to this plan was to put the spirit to sleep using Somnia’s power. To do that, we had to put each of the thousand deceased to rest, one by one. Of course, it was no easy task.

I’m fine, but I’m worried if you can hold on… You can’t be swept away by the emotions of the deceased, Lily. You need to keep your wits about you.

While Somnia put the deceased to sleep one by one, I had to vividly experience their memories and emotions as they flowed into me.

There were several moments when I felt like I was losing myself in the whirlpool of those memories and emotions, and each time, Somnia helped me regain my composure.

Just a little longer, don’t give up! You can’t forget who you are! Don’t become one with the memories of the deceased, Lily!

Perhaps because I also hate the Everett family, the resentment of the deceased felt as if it were my own. Their pain and sorrow felt like my own.

‘Help us…’

‘We don’t want to suffer anymore…’

‘Set us free. Give us freedom…!’

‘Take revenge for us!’

The deceased, who had been wailing uncontrollably, began to speak to me at some point.

As I listened to their stories in a daze, I felt a surge of emotion rising within me.

It could have been compassion or anger.

I spoke softly to the deceased.

‘I also want to take revenge on those demons.’

The cries of the deceased grew louder, as if in agreement with my emotions. I continued with a stronger, more emotional voice.

‘I will take revenge for you, in your place.’

The cries of pain gradually turned into sobs of sorrow. The deceased spoke with deep sorrow.

‘Thank you…’

‘You must have suffered a lot too.’

‘I’m grateful for your words.’

‘I’m sorry for making you suffer with our pain.’

At that moment, I realized that the deceased had also been peering into my memories and emotions.

It seemed we were in the same boat, sharing the same resentment.

…It’s okay. This is the last one.

After a long while, Somnia murmured in a tired voice. I had no idea how much time had passed. Of course, Somnia’s power distorts time, so it would be different from the flow of reality.

The last soul was that of a child. In the realm of dreams and the subconscious, I faced the child. …For some reason, a small light appeared, and I felt a sense of sadness.

Did the small light’s soul go to a better place? If it was reincarnated… I hope it will have a happy life this time.

‘Big sister.’

‘…?’

Suddenly, the child’s soul spoke to me. The blurry, grayish form gave a hint of its appearance in life, but it wasn’t clear. However, I could tell that the child felt a bit sorry for me.

‘Big sister, you don’t need to take revenge for us.’

‘…’

‘I don’t know about others… but that’s what I think.’

After saying that, the child’s soul, like the others, gently fell asleep.

Somnia’s voice echoed faintly in the now quiet dream space.

It’s over, Lily. You can wake up now.

“Huff…!”

I opened my eyes wide, taking a deep breath. The vivid sensations of reality told me that I was still alive.

Although I was mentally exhausted, I was relieved that I hadn’t gone mad.

As I blinked to clear my vision, I suddenly realized that I was in someone’s arms.

The person holding me, with a worried expression, was… as expected, Theodore.

“Lily, are you alright?”

He asked gently. As I noticed that his attire seemed incomplete, I felt the warmth and comfort of the coat wrapped around my body. It was Theodore’s coat.

“…I’m fine.”

I replied in a matter-of-fact tone, trying to pull the coat off. However, he gently held my hand to stop me.

“Keep it on. It’s chilly. Can you stand up?”

I looked at him for a moment and nodded in response. My heart raced, and an indescribable emotion welled up inside me. It was a chaotic mix of feelings, like an abstract painting.

Suppressing that emotion, I asked,

“What about the mage?”

“He’s been captured.”

Theodore answered as he helped me stand up. I looked in the direction he was looking. The mage was kneeling, restrained by shackles.

There were five shackles in total: one around his neck, two on his wrists, and two on his ankles.

The mage, now deprived of his freedom, looked down at the ground with hollow eyes.

The shackles were controlled by Blaise. I approached him and asked,

“Did you find anything out?”

“Duchess Valentine, you’re finally awake. I couldn’t get anything out of him. He won’t speak at all. It’s as if he’s been brainwashed… like a puppet.”

A brainwashed puppet… Indeed, this mage might lack self-awareness. The Everett family might have turned him into a puppet that only follows orders.

“I’m curious about the spirit. Did you put it to sleep?”

“Yes, I successfully put it to sleep.”

Somnia, who had been hovering near me, spat out something.

It was a black stone, resembling obsidian. It seemed to be a kind of sealing stone created by Somnia’s power. The spirit was trapped inside the stone.

“Wow, this is….”

Blaise, who had picked up the sealing stone from the ground and examined it, quickly handed it to me.

As I took the sealing stone in a daze, he waved his hand and said,

“Even though it’s asleep, it’s a particularly vicious entity. It’s best if Duchess Valentine keeps the sealing stone. That way, nothing will go wrong….”

I looked down at the sealing stone in my hand. The irregularly shaped black crystal-like stone emitted a faint light.

‘Certainly, it’s a vicious entity…’

Perhaps because I had met the souls that were sacrificed to create the spirit, I now felt compassion and sorrow instead of fear or disgust.

For these souls to truly rest in peace, I must succeed in avenging them against the Everett family.

Of course, it’s also my revenge.

* * *

The captured mage was locked in a storage room of the Valentine mansion’s annex.

Since he remained silent, we couldn’t learn anything from him for now.

We could examine his memories using Somnia’s power, but I was too exhausted and needed rest.

‘Besides…’

I looked at the wound on Theodore’s arm with a sense of unease.

Blaise was examining the wound. The ominous black aura was no longer flowing out, but the area with the bite marks had turned black.

After trying various spells and applying potions, Blaise clicked his tongue and muttered,

“This… won’t heal easily.”

My heart sank. I opened my mouth and asked Blaise in a slightly anxious voice,

“Is there no way to heal it at all?”

“Well… wounds caused by the curse of the dead don’t heal easily. It would be fortunate if it doesn’t start to rot… The elemental power is holding it back for now.”

Blaise, with a troubled expression, wrapped a bandage around Theodore’s arm.

As I watched this scene in a daze, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Arendelle’s coral bracelet.’

Could that heal this wound?

I grabbed Theodore’s shoulder and asked urgently,

“Arendelle’s coral bracelet, where did you put it?”

“That….”

Theodore, as if realizing something, had a faint light in his blue eyes.

A moment later, a maid, whom Theodore had sent, returned with the coral bracelet from his room.

I quickly took the bracelet and approached Blaise, asking,

“Will the magic of this bracelet be effective?”

Blaise, looking at the bracelet, murmured in a very surprised voice,

“This… is the bracelet of Locke Share.”

Taking the bracelet and examining it carefully, Blaise had a deeply moved expression.

“Everyone called Locke Share a genius, but to me, he was more than that. He had certainly reached a realm beyond human.”

Come to think of it, Locke Share and Blaise were said to be close friends.

Blaise probably offered to become the prince’s mentor because of that.

“Indeed, this bracelet will help with recovery. It won’t completely heal, but it will help.”

Blaise returned the bracelet to me, saying. It was fortunate that it would help with recovery, but… it wouldn’t completely heal.

What exactly does it take to completely heal?

I asked, feeling a bit troubled,

“To completely heal… what do I need to do?”

Blaise, as if telling me not to worry, patted my shoulder. He looked like a kind old grandfather.

“The source of the curse is the resentment of the dead. Once that resentment is resolved, the wound will heal naturally.”

* * *

After resting for a while, I headed to the annex’s storage room with Theodore and the others.

To interrogate the strange mage.

“…Lily, are you sure you’re okay without resting more?”

“I’m fine.”

I replied indifferently to Theodore’s worried question. As I did, I glanced at his right wrist. The Arendelle coral bracelet was on it.

‘Who’s worrying about whom…’

For some reason, I felt frustrated. I pushed through my fatigue and quickened my pace.

Just as we reached the storage room, an urgent cry came from inside.

“No!”

It was Derek’s voice, who was guarding the mage.