Chapter 57

57

I nodded silently.

Only then did Sharent Clown straighten the knee he had bent to match my eye level and stand up.

"Whether it's luck or skill... I'm curious to the point of wondering. The bloodline of the Clowns is truly extraordinary."

The emperor approached me with a smile, as if pleased. After observing my face carefully, he subtly turned his head.

'No matter what, it’s better to stay quiet.'

If I did something wrong, I might end up on the emperor's bad side. I didn’t want to be caught using magic, which could lead to trouble.

If someone found out that a person capable of using magic was born into the Clown family, the family's honor would be tarnished.

Then, they might be seen as an obstacle again, and the emperor might consider them a hindrance.

'I know the royal family doesn’t view mages favorably.'

The term "witch" was probably first used by the royal family, whether it was the late emperor or the current one.

The emperor, bending over, stroked my head gently and didn’t add anything more.

He brushed past me and started to walk down the stairs. The knights quickly ran to protect the emperor.

"Ha ha ha, ha."

"Kakururu-."

But at the entrance to the second basement floor, the sound of women's laughter was heard.

It was a clear and beautiful voice.

The pleasant voice, even though it was just a laugh, seemed to have the power to enchant people.

It didn’t sound human.

"Is there a chance that someone has already entered the ruins?"

The emperor asked with a smile in his voice.

The emperor's voice pulled me back to reality from my daze.

I shook my head quickly, trembling.

'Hasn't everyone else noticed yet?'

Looking closely, I saw that Kaishan's eyes were blinking. His mouth was slightly open, and he was staring blankly at the entrance to the second basement floor.

'He’s going to be affected.'

I lifted my head, but Sharent Clown, still looking at the emperor, hadn’t noticed yet.

The holy knight, thinking it was dangerous, put me down.

I ran over and grabbed Kaishan's wrist.

He must be able to hear higher frequencies because he’s still a child, making his hearing more sensitive.

Sirens were known to affect people with better hearing more easily.

'But why am I fine?'

I can hear high frequencies too.

Curious, I bowed my head.

At that moment, the pendant hanging around my neck seemed to emit a faint light.

'What is it?'

It disappeared in the blink of an eye, so I couldn’t be sure if it was real or just a fleeting illusion.

'Anyway, I need to snap him out of it first.'

"Kaishan!"

When I shouted, the attention of Sharent Clown and the others turned to me.

But even after hearing the loud noise, Kaishan’s dilated pupils didn’t return to normal.

"Kaishan."

Sharent Clown, who had just realized the situation, approached quickly.

He picked up Kaishan, who kept trying to walk forward, and easily restrained the struggling child.

"I’ll check him."

Duke Muriel stepped forward.

He examined Kaishan’s pupils, who was in Sharent Clown’s arms, and then took a step back.

"His pupils are dilated, similar to when someone is under the influence of drugs. It seems like he’s been enchanted."

"Siren!"

As soon as Duke Muriel finished speaking, I shouted.

Those who heard my voice looked down at me. The sudden attention made me swallow hard.

"Siren!"

"Siren?"

Ah, can’t you understand my pronunciation? You raised me, and you can’t understand this?

"S!"

"E!"

"R!"

"EN!"

I deliberately enunciated each syllable clearly. They finally seemed to understand and slowly nodded.

"Isn’t Siren the legendary fairy who guides lost travelers at sea?"

They don’t know anything about siren monsters.

Even Sharent Clown looked puzzled.

Of course, they usually deal with humans and rarely with monsters or beasts, so it’s understandable.

But how do I explain this?

"No."

The holy knight interjected.

"Siren is one of the monsters. They don’t guide people with their voices like in legends; instead, they lure people into the sea, causing them to die a painful death before eating them."

His answer, recited without hesitation, was perfect.

Thinking about it, the temple deals with non-humans frequently.

They probably know more about monsters and beasts than the average person because they often perform purifications.

I nodded vigorously beside him.

"I’ll go kill it."

No, that’s not right! Why are you going to do that? Sirens release a deadly poison when killed.

The area becomes polluted and turns red, making it uninhabitable for a long time.

If that poison is released here, we won’t see the light of day again.

"Ah!"

I spread my arms wide and blocked the holy knight who was drawing his sword.

The holy knight paused.

The emperor approached me with a smile, crouched down, and met my gaze.

"Shelina, how do you know this?"

He stroked my head gently while asking, his tone friendly but with an underlying suspicion.

I decided to play dumb.

"I don’t know... My head... Someone in my head is talking... They’re telling me to do this..."

I staggered and covered my ears with both hands.

Yes, let’s just say it’s a strange phenomenon in the ruins.

"Someone is talking in your head?"

"Hmm..."

I forced tears from my tear ducts. I closed my eyes tightly and covered them with the hands that were blocking my ears.

Why aren’t any tears coming? They usually well up so easily.

"My head hurts..."

I discreetly applied some saliva under my eyes to make it look like tear stains.

'Damn, I’m going to get a hundred puddings for this.'

I pushed away my self-pity and sniffled, rubbing my eyes with my sleeve to make them red.

"Shelina, are you okay?"

Sharent Clown bent down, still holding Kaishan in his arms.

"Has this happened before?"

"I haven’t experienced it, but unexpected things often happen in ruins."

The holy knight captain nodded in agreement. That’s certainly true.

Common sense doesn’t apply in ruins. It’s a strange place where unexpected things happen continuously.

"I see. What are they saying in your head?"

"Go and block it!"

Being a child is really tough.

"Cover your ears and go?"

"Yes! That’s it!"

The emperor’s eyes sparkled with disbelief and suspicion as I nodded repeatedly.

"But we might be attacked."

"No! If we don’t see or hear it, we’ll be fine!"

Sirens don’t attack those who aren’t affected. If we don’t see or hear them and just keep going, they won’t attack us.

Their prey is only those who are enchanted by their voices.

"Let’s go then!"

If we all die, that’s it.

The emperor stared at me expressionlessly for a while before slowly standing up.

He seemed to be deep in thought, then finally smiled.

"What do you think, young duke?"

"..."

"Since it’s your nephew, I’d like to hear your opinion."

It seems like he’s hesitant to make a decision, given the stakes.

Of course, we could kill all the sirens and push through the poison, but I can’t handle that.

"Has it been telling you this all along?"

Ah, should I just brush it off like that?

"Huh."

I covered my mouth, pretending to be caught. The emperor slowly nodded.

"Let’s try it this way. If there’s a problem, we can deal with it immediately."

It seemed like a conclusion had been reached.

I wanted to tell them that I’ve dealt with various ruins, monsters, and beasts, but...

That would be too strange.

"I’ll carry the child."

The holy knight captain looked at Kaishan.

"Don’t be ridiculous."

"If he’s been enchanted by a monster, I need to purify him while carrying him. If we go inside, he might be affected more and cause problems."

The holy knight was right. Sharent Clown, who seemed to agree, was silent for a moment.

He clicked his tongue in disapproval and handed Kaishan to the holy knight.

"I’ll protect him."

Sharent Clown didn’t respond.

He glared at the holy knight once and then picked me up.

Why does he have such a serious face? I’m not a child. Does he hate holding me, or is he worried about being separated from his son?

"Be careful."

Sharent Clown looked at me.

"I’ll protect you."

"..."

"Sharent wouldn’t do this if he didn’t think it was necessary."

We will get out of the ruins safely, and once we pass this, Kaishan will be fine soon. I will leave when the time comes without tarnishing the Clown family’s honor.

Nothing you’re worried about will happen.

"I won’t do what Sharent dislikes."

Even now, if I return to Hela’s body or regain my abilities, I don’t think I’ll do anything to ruin the Clown family.

I need to show the same consideration they’ve shown me.

"It’s a temporary alliance."

Think of it as a very brief alliance.

"Even if it’s hard, just bear with it a little."

I whispered softly into Sharent Clown’s ear.

Despite my sincere words, he didn’t say anything. He just quietly moved, covering my ears and eyes with a cloth.