Chapter 66

"Ah, I can't find it at all."

Neil grabbed his bangs in frustration, let out a big sigh, and closed the drawer.

──It has been a day and a half since we returned to the Arkwright Manor. I have been searching for the magical artifact with everyone else.

When I told them that Mabel said there was a magical artifact somewhere in the manor, Neil and the others nodded, agreeing that it was a possibility.

After Mabel and I took that drug and collapsed, my body was immediately taken to the manor.

Considering Mabel's character, everyone thought she would never entrust it to anyone else.

"Lady Eliza always said, 'The most important things should be kept closest to you.'"

Recalling Matilda's words, I couldn't help but believe they were true.

Mabel hasn't left that room much, and given her unfamiliarity with the manor, the places she could hide it are limited.

Still, there's no sign of finding it, and time is mercilessly passing by.

"Sadey, you should take a break."

"No, I'm fine. Rufus, you have work to do, yet you've been helping us all along..."

Despite being the busiest, Rufus has been with us the whole time.

"…Maybe we have no choice but to release Mabel. Eliza said she would rather stay in that body forever than let Norman die."

"……"

Neil lowered his eyebrows and said, "Why do we always have to suffer like this?" as he looked down.

While searching for the magical artifact, we also arranged the money and means of transportation needed to release Mabel.

Of course, it's the worst option, but we can't just stand by and do nothing when it comes to Norman.

On the other hand, Mabel, using Norman's life as a shield, was acting like the mistress of the manor. Harla and the servants were forced to cater to her whims from morning till night.

It's unbearable that such a person's selfishness can go unchecked, and I wonder how much more God will make us suffer.

"I'll search the room again."

"I'll go with you."

As Rufus and I stood up, the door to the room we were in opened.

"Sadey…!"

Eliza, tears streaming down her face, entered and soon collapsed in tears.

I prayed that my bad feeling wouldn't come true as I rushed to Eliza and asked what happened.

"Norman, Norman is… dying!"

At that moment, my mind went blank.

Neil supported the sobbing Eliza, and the four of us headed to Norman's room. There, we saw Norman convulsing on the bed.

"───"

It was clear that he was in a very dangerous state.

Seeing Norman again, Eliza broke down, and Neil was speechless, standing there in shock.

Although someone was apparently fetching a doctor, it was obvious that it would be too late, and there was nothing we could do.

I wiped the tears from my eyes with my sleeve, left the room, and ran to Mabel.

Rufus followed me, and when we entered my room, Mabel, who was lying on the bed and being massaged by a maid, frowned in annoyance.

I confronted her, grabbed the collar of her dress, and pulled her close.

"Where is the antidote? Norman is about to die if we don't use it now! Hurry up!"

"What? What's with this suddenness?"

"Really, we don't have any time left…! Please, give us the antidote!"

"Listen, I was just trying to—"

At first, Mabel mocked my desperate pleas, but she must have realized that I wasn't lying about needing the antidote.

For the first time, the confidence in her expression disappeared, and she seemed to realize that her fears were becoming reality.

"…You mean, there's no antidote at all?"

A choking sensation rose in my throat, and my voice trembled.

Mabel, regaining her composure, ran her hand through her bangs and sighed.

"Right. I lied about having an antidote to buy time and escape. Oh well, maybe my luck has run out. Maybe it's the result of being too complacent after everything going so well for the past ten years."

"What… kind of… thing…!"

Pushing her shoulder, I ended up pushing her onto the bed.

Up close, our faces and gazes locked. Mabel snorted in derision and smirked.

"It was just a slow-acting poison I had for emergencies. I don't know the details. I thought it would last a week, but maybe it didn't agree with him, hahaha!"

I never knew my face could look so ugly and despicable.

Tears that I had been holding back fell from my eyes.

"Don't play around!"

I slapped Mabel's cheek, and she laughed through her nose, saying, "Is it fun to hit your own face?"

Hating and wanting to kill the woman in front of me, I was about to slap her again when Rufus stopped me.

"Sadey, I understand how you feel, but this is your body!"

"But what can we do…?"

──If we don't do something, Norman will really die.

Wiping away my tears with my trembling hands, I realized there was still a solution.

"Where is the magical artifact!?"

If we can return Norman to his original body immediately, he should be saved.

Gripping Mabel's shoulder tightly, she laughed mockingly.

"There's no way I'm telling you. As long as I'm in this body, you softies can't even hurt me, let alone kill me."

"How dare you…!"

"Besides, even if you search, you'll never find it. I won't break under torture. I'll die with you all if I have to."

Mabel clearly had the confidence that we would never find it.

"Look, while we're wasting time, your friend Norman might already be dead."

"Shut up! Sadey, we can't afford to waste time on her."

"……"

Even though I knew we had to find the magical artifact, my mind was in a panic and couldn't function properly.