V1C2

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“I’m home…”

My house is an inn.

It’s a rather reasonable inn that caters to adventurers who venture into dungeons. The building is old, the rooms are a bit rundown, and it’s a bit far from the dungeon, but it’s cheap, and thanks to my father’s delicious food and my mother’s attentive attention to detail, it’s doing fairly well.

Best of all,

“Welcome home, big brother! Did you bring me a present?”

My sister Mary asked me with a smile like a flower blooming. She’s one year younger than me, and she thinks she’s already the poster girl. Well actually, she is. She has a charming face like her mother’s and is popular in town.

She dashed over to me standing in the back doorway and asked me again.

“You went to the castle, didn’t you? Did you get souvenirs?”

“Nope.”

“Can you tell me a story about your dreams being dashed?”

“How did you know about that?”

Mary was taken aback when I raised my voice.

“Oh, I really didn’t. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

I walk past my sister.

“I’ll just quietly become an innkeeper. I promised Father that if I didn’t become an adventurer, I’d take over the shop.”

Mary looked back at me.

“Big brother, you haven’t even tried going to the dungeon yet!”

“…It’s fine, already.”

“You can’t give up! Even the most useless skills could be of some use to you!”

“My skill is 【Breathing】! It lets you breathe in and out! What good is that?”

“No, you’ll never know unless you try! Breathing, breathing, right? Hmmm, um, I can’t think of a single thing to do with it!”

“It’s all right, just leave me alone…”

My sister then tried to say something, but then went silent.

I’m sure she’s imagining my disappointment. She is a kind person. It’s so hard for me.

“Brother…… Oh, um….”

“What?”

“Pierina stopped by earlier and said she’d be back later…”

That was my childhood friend’s name. It’s probably about skills.

“Okay. Thanks.”

With that, I didn’t look at my sister’s face until the end. I just stepped straight to the outside stairs.

The very next moment,

I heard Mary scream behind me. But I couldn’t turn around. My body was frozen, as if I was encased in ice. It was as if an unseen force was grabbing me.

–Magic…..!?

Not metaphorically, but in front of my eyes, it becomes pitch black. The stairs, the walls, the sky, my feet, and my hands become so black that I can’t see them. I just heard a voice. It was a woman’s voice.

“There is no doubt about it”

–What? Who?

“We will take her [Time]”

–Mary! This isn’t funny! Who the hell are you?

“The Witch of the North”

With a flutter, the pitch-black darkness turned into a crow and flew away.

“Mary!”

I turn around and see my sister collapsed in the doorway. She was breathing, but no matter how many times I called out to her, she would not wake up. She wouldn’t move, not even a twitch.

“Ra-kun!”

My childhood friend, Pierina, comes running in.

“Was that……..Mary-chan!”

“You heard it too…. Pierina, go get my mom and dad!”

“Oh, Mary, poor little girl”

“Pierina! Dad and Mom!”

“Right!”

My parents arrived shortly thereafter.

“This is the [Witch’s Curse]…….. I can’t handle it myself……..”

Dr. Jean, the Magic Doctor she always saw, shook his head in disappointment.

After that, Mary was put to bed in her room. The mysterious voice calling itself the [Witch of the North] seems to have reached my parents’ ears. They immediately called for a magic doctor, but it seems that even the best doctor in the country is unable to wake Mary up.

“Mary……….. What will happen to Mary, Doctor………!”

“She will probably become weakened… and die within a year”

You mean my sister is dying?

Because of that nonsense?

“Oh no… Mary… How could this be…”

As my mother continued to cry over my sister, Dr. Jean spoke to her.

Maybe [The Philosopher Seed].

I jerked.

Father asks.

[The Philosopher Seed]? That’s the cure for this?

“Yes, probably. You know where it is, right, Rana?”

He turned the conversation to me and I nodded slowly.

“The lowest level of the dungeon”

No one has ever reached the lowest level of the dungeon.

It is said to contain the [The Philosopher Seed], which is also known as the Universal Stone. It is the gem that all mages and adventurers covet so much that they can’t stop searching for it. I’m sure it will break Mary’s curse.

My father, the innkeeper, called other spellcasters and mages to examine Mary, but none of them were able to wake her up.

Then this is the only option we have left.

The next day.

I was standing by the back door with two nights’ worth of luggage.

I was going to register with the dungeon guild, receive my job class, and become an adventurer.

Then, I will reach the lowest level of the dungeon within a year and obtain the [The Philosopher Seed].

The goal of every adventurer, the [The Philosopher Seed], that can be exchanged for great wealth.

Even with a skill as obscure as 【Breathing】, I will never give up on it again.

Just like Mary encouraged me.

“Rana.”

When my mom and dad came to see me off, they were so worried.

“I’ll tell the guild about the [Witch of the North]. If anyone finds her, they’ll ask an adventurer to subdue her.”

“So, Rana. You don’t have to worry about it, okay?”

I repeated the same question and answer over and over again from last night, and each time I laughed and said it was okay. I can’t stop thinking about what would be like to come home and not be able to see my sister.

I squeezed their hands tightly.

“I’ll make sure Mary wakes up.”

I turned on my heel and set off.

It had been my home ever since I was born.

I could feel my nose start to run.

After ducking into an alleyway and wiping my eyes, I start walking again down the road that leads to the guild.

We were supposed to meet up around here…

“No, please don’t! Let go!”