Chapter 13

The next morning, during breakfast, when I told Nonna and Sir Clark about the stone wall I had found last night, they rushed out to see it. Nonna came back with an excited look on her face, still chewing.

"Nonna, you're eating."

"Mmmph, mom, I, I finally found it!"

"Nonna, that's really bad manners."

"Teacher, Nonna is saying, 'Mom, I finally found it!'"

"I know, Sir Clark."

Somehow, Sir Clark is always kind to Nonna.

After that, we hurriedly finished breakfast and started moving the piled stones. As we removed the stones from the top, we saw a space that was too narrow to be called a tunnel, more like a 'fissure in the cliff.'

Before we had even removed half the stones, we saw something terrible. Human bones. The bones were complete, and there were tattered clothes on them. There were two skeletons, one leaning against the wall and the other lying in the fissure.

I told the children to wait while Jeffrey and I went in first to examine the skeletons.

Both had severe injuries to their chests. There were wounds on the ribs as if they had been cut by a sword.

"Quite a skilled swordsman."

"Yes. The ribs were cut. They might have died without even suffering."

"Mom, can we come in too?"

"If you're not scared, it's fine."

Nonna approached and looked at the skeletons. She seemed fine. Sir Clark was scribbling in his notebook.

"Mom, is this what it means, 'Be brave'?"

"Maybe. Look at this."

I directed my gaze to the back of the fissure.

In the dim light, there were three more skeletons at the back. A total of five. What had happened here?

We all went in to the skeletons and looked further back. It was pitch black. The wind was still blowing, but there was no light.

"Their clothes are not from the tribe that considered this area sacred. They are more like the clothes of Ashberry, Randall, and Haggle."

"Shall we go as far as we can?"

"It's quite narrow. We won't be bringing our bags since no one is likely to come here."

We moved forward in the narrow fissure, bent over. The fissure was so narrow that we had to twist our bodies and rub against the walls to get through. The ceiling was low, and we had to stay bent over for a long time. It was also an uphill slope.

Among the four of us, Jeffrey, who is the largest, must have been the most uncomfortable. But Jeffrey kept encouraging us and looking after everyone.

My leg and back muscles were screaming, and my legs were swollen by the time we found what we expected: an exit, and one that was just wide enough for a person to pass through.

Now, we were all lying on our backs. We were all tired from walking in an unfamiliar posture.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Yes. Are Nonna and Sir Clark okay?"

"I'm fine!"

"I'm fine too."

The place we were in was strange. The cliffs rose gently in a curve on both sides, forming a large, round, flat area, like a giant soup bowl or a washbasin. The cliffs were almost vertical. The fissure seemed to have cut through the wall.

"I'm grateful that the fissure extended this far."

"It was narrow in a few places, so our clothes got dirty."

Indeed, everyone's clothes were covered in dirt.

"Jeff, where are we?"

"We're inside a crater."

"Is this known in the Ashberry Kingdom? I didn't know about it."

"I've heard that there's a crater, but I've never heard of anyone entering it. There were no adventurous people willing to climb the almost vertical cliffs. Even the illegal plant growers, who believed the rumor that they would be attacked by the tribe guarding the sacred site, never went further."

"Is the tribe that guards the sacred site still around here?"

"They seem to think so."

"Mom, is there a crown here?"

"Maybe. But there must have been a reason to hide the fissure."

Sir Clark was writing in his notebook again.

Jeffrey was massaging my back and thighs, even though he must have been the most uncomfortable.

I found it endearing that Jeffrey, who was always trying to protect and care for us, was so considerate. Having him by my side was incredibly reassuring.

Until I married Jeffrey at the age of twenty-eight, I had always believed that entrusting my life to someone else and being protected was foolish.

But now, I don't doubt Jeffrey even a little. The strength I feel from him is immeasurable.

Nonna gently touched my arm, which Jeffrey was massaging.

"Mom."

"What is it?"

"I think I trained a lot in the Shen Kingdom for days like this. If we were attacked by the people guarding this place, I would protect you."

"Nonna, thank you. But it's the parents' job to protect the children."

"Still, I'll protect you."

"Teacher, I'll do my best too."

"Thank you all. We need to find out what's here together."

We all descended into the crater. Various types of shrubs were growing in the crater, about two to three meters tall. We could hear birds singing.

As we walked, looking at the scenery and the ground, we found a thin stream of spring water. Nonna was amazed and peered at it.

"There's a spring even on the mountaintop."

"Probably the rain that fell in the crater is stored in the soil and trees and gradually becomes a spring."

Jeffrey scooped up a little water in his hand and tasted it.

"There's no irritation. It's actually delicious water. But don't drink too much at once. You might feel sick later."

We all took a sip of the spring water.

"It's so refreshing, Jeff."

"It tastes sweet."

"Nonna, that's just your imagination."

"Really, even Sir Clark thought so."

Everyone seemed to have regained their energy from the water.

Now, is the crown supposed to be here?

"Hey, let's think about it together. I believe the place with something called a crown is here."

"But Mom, there's nothing but trees, grass, and rocks, right?"

What could the crown be a metaphor for?

We decided to walk around freely, judging that there were no large carnivores. We could hear each other because we were surrounded by cliffs. If anything happened, we could run to each other.

Nonna quickly ran far away, and Sir Clark followed her.

Jeffrey and I headed for the center of the crater from the exit of the fissure, following a gentle slope.

In the center of the crater, where shrubs grew, there were various sizes of rocks and stones. Most were white.

Nonna was jumping on and off large rocks in the distance. Why is she so energetic?

"I wish there was something to eat! Sir Clark!"

"Me too! Nonna!"

We could hear the loud voices of the two children walking in different directions.

There was no awkwardness between them like when they first returned. They were back to being good friends from their language study days.

I suddenly noticed that Nonna had rubbed something in her hands and put it in her pocket.

"What's up? Did you find something interesting?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Okay. Don't go too far from us!"

"Okay."

In the end, we didn't find anything significant, and it was time to head back to the other side of the wall. Jeffrey called the children back and explained the plan for the next steps.

"Let's retreat for a while. We can come back for more exploration after lunch. The fissure is too narrow to bring our bags, so we'll set up our base on the other side. We'll camp tonight. If it rains, we'll sleep in the fissure with the skeletons."

The children started breaking branches and digging the ground or moving stones in a distant area again.

I told Jeffrey what I had been thinking about. I didn't want to do it without telling him.

"Jeffrey, remember I said there was a scroll in the pot with a novel? There was another piece of parchment with incomprehensible text. Here, take a look. I think it's a more difficult code than 'The Lost Crown.'"

I handed the parchment with the incomprehensible text to Jeffrey. He looked at it for a while and said, "I can't understand it at all," and returned it to me.

"Anna, so what?"

"I want to decipher this before giving it to Sir Clark."

"I think that's a good idea. No one has the right to complain. You deciphered the book's code, and you and Nonna found the pot. You don't have to give it to Clark. You could even give it to Uncle Bernard as a souvenir. He would be thrilled. Do what you want. It's your property."

"What about you? Don't you mind? That your wife loves deciphering codes?"

Jeffrey turned his gaze from Nonna and the others back to me and gave me a look of indescribable tenderness.

He has a handsome face and a loving expression. Even after living together for five years, I still find myself captivated. I think Jeffrey will be a handsome old man even when he's old.

"You should do what you love. I want to see your face when you're deciphering codes. You must look beautiful when you're seriously deciphering codes. I'll be so captivated by how charming my wife is."

"Hehe. Nonna would make a disappointed face if she heard that."

"Let her be disappointed. And someday, when you and I are lying side by side in our graves, someone will say, 'My parents were so close, it was embarrassing.'"

I imagined it. My grave next to his.

Yes, it would be very peaceful. If I could be next to him even after this life, I wouldn't be afraid of growing old and dying.

"While we're at it, I'll be honest with you."

"What is it?"

"I always try not to lose your affection. I always want to be close to you and not be taken by anyone. I wish you would love me more."

"Jeff..."

Heh, saying it out loud is quite embarrassing.

After saying that, Jeffrey covered his face with one hand.

I could feel my face and ears turning red.

I often think that my entire life has been leading up to meeting and living with this person. But I haven't told Jeffrey yet. I want to keep such sweet words a secret and tell him at the right moment.