Chapter 100

100

He hurriedly opened the door and went inside. The wizard was enveloped in a strange dark purple aura. Derek was trying to block it with his own magic.

"Derek, what's going on?"

"It's a self-destruct spell!"

Derek answered Theodore's question urgently, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

"This guy... he's trying to end his own life with a self-destruct spell!"

Bless quickly assessed the situation and began to help Derek. As Bless's magic power was added, the dark purple aura surrounding the wizard gradually faded.

After a while, Derek and Bless finally managed to subdue the wizard completely. I cautiously approached them and asked,

"I'm sure we put restraints on him... how could he use magic?"

"There was another spirit."

At Derek's answer, I froze. A chill spread from the top of my head as if I had been doused in cold water.

"It's a very small spirit. I've suppressed it for now."

I shifted my gaze to the direction Derek pointed. There was a black shape wrapped in silver magic power, resembling a chain. It was a small spirit that looked like black mist.

"It's not strong enough to cause cracks in the surroundings, but it created a spatial distortion that destroyed the restraints, allowing this wizard to break free."

Indeed, I understood what had happened. I slowly approached the small spirit with the sealing stone in hand. I could feel Theodore's tense gaze watching me.

As I got closer to the spirit, the black mist-like shape was sucked into the sealing stone.

At that moment, it seemed as if the cries of nameless souls echoed. I put the sealing stone back in my pocket and looked around at the others. Among them, Derek looked the most shocked.

He opened his mouth and asked a sudden question.

"Could it be that the duchess has learned forbidden magic?"

"…No, that's not it."

After giving Derek a brief explanation of the sealing stone and Somnia's abilities, I approached the wizard who was kneeling on the floor. By then, Bless had already put new restraints on his neck and limbs.

I carefully examined the wizard. The face hidden by the hood was plain and unremarkable. However, his skin was extremely pale, and his eyes were vacant, like those of a dead person.

Could this person... really be a living corpse?

Suddenly, a question came to mind, and I instinctively reached out to touch the wizard's neck. But Theodore grabbed my wrist to stop me. His bewildered voice came from above.

"What are you trying to do? This person is dangerous. Step back."

I blinked and looked at him blankly, then sighed softly.

"I was trying to check his pulse. With the restraints on, he shouldn't be a big threat."

"I'll check. You step back."

With that, Theodore cautiously approached the wizard and extended his hand.

The moment his hand touched the wizard's pale neck, Theodore's expression hardened.

"…Do you feel anything?"

When I asked, Theodore slowly withdrew his hand and shook his head. His face, now looking at me and the others, was filled with shock.

"…I don't feel anything."

"His pulse… isn't beating?"

"That's right."

…It's unbelievable. Someone muttered. The atmosphere grew heavy. The fact that his pulse wasn't beating… meant that this person was truly a corpse.

"…Truly bizarre."

Bless's low murmur cut through the silence. He was the calmest among us.

"Clearly dead, yet moving and using magic like a living person… this is as terrifying as that spirit. Magic to animate corpses was banned hundreds of years ago."

I had heard of the magic to revive the dead, known as 'Necromancy.' It was said that the revived dead were 'dead but not truly dead, alive but not truly alive,' existing in a vague state between life and death.

Naturally, such beings were considered to defy the natural order, and as Bless said, they were banned hundreds of years ago. Knowledge of necromancy could only be accessed through the royal secret archives, meaning only a select few with the king's permission…

"…Ah."

A realization hit me, and a single word escaped my lips. Yes, if it were the Duke of Everett… the king himself must have given permission. The king was under his control.

"The king has finally involved himself in an unforgivable sin."

Bless seemed to have the same thought. He muttered to himself and clicked his tongue. I stood there, staring at the wizard. How did this person end up like this?

Was the creation of the spirit and the attempt to commit suicide just now all his own will?

"…For now…"

I cautiously approached him. Theodore stood close by, as if to protect me. It was a bit annoying, but thinking of the wound on his arm, my heart softened. After all, he had been injured while trying to protect me… to some extent, it was my responsibility. It was an unavoidable accident.

"What's your name?"

I asked the wizard. Since there were multiple wizards, I couldn't keep referring to him as 'the wizard.'

"…"

A faint glimmer appeared in his vacant eyes as he looked up at me. Seeing this, I was half-convinced. This person still had… some of his own will left.

"Ethan…"

After a long pause, a weak, feeble voice came from his lips. It was so quiet that it was impressive I could hear it. I calmly continued the conversation.

"Ethan, is that right? Do you remember who you were and where you came from?"

"I… ugh…!"

Suddenly, he let out a pained groan and shook his head violently. He frowned as if in pain. I didn't push him and waited patiently.

After a while, Ethan looked up at me again. The faint light in his eyes had disappeared.

"…Ethan?"

"…"

I called out to him, but Ethan only blinked, his eyes unfocused and hazy.

'…What's going on?'

As I stood there in confusion, Bless's troubled voice reached me.

"It seems there's some kind of restriction. He can't think about or remember himself."

"Restriction… is it magic?"

"It could be. Or it might be a highly advanced brainwashing technique. Whatever it is, in this state, we won't be able to get any information from him."

"…"

I thought for a moment and summoned Somnia. Somnia appeared, swirling in the air, and spoke with a slightly worried tone.

"Are you going to use my power again? Your stamina is at its limit today. I've told you before, mental fatigue affects the body too."

'I know. But there's no other way to penetrate this person's mind except with your power.'

Somnia sighed softly and gently embraced me. Despite the lack of warmth, it felt strangely comforting.

"This is the last time today. After this, you must get proper rest. Understand?"

'Yes, thank you.'

I felt a strange sensation. At first, I found Somnia hard to understand and somewhat frightening. Now, she feels like family or a friend.

"Then I'll start."

'Yes.'

Somnia enveloped both Ethan and me.

Soon, my consciousness began to drift away from reality, as if falling into a deep sleep.

'Here…'

This is Ethan's subconscious.

I looked around the space where I stood.

The vast, gray world had no discernible beginning or end, no sky or ground, no day or night. The only things present were mysterious boxes. It was a landscape completely detached from reality. This was Ethan's inner world.

'Where is Ethan's self? What are these boxes?'

Well…

Somnia seemed a bit hesitant to answer my question. After a moment, she continued.

"He's fragmented and trapped inside these boxes."

'What…? What do you mean?'

To put it simply, someone has shattered his mind into pieces and scattered them. Each piece is sealed in a box. That's why he can't maintain his self-awareness. Trapped in different boxes, he can never become whole again.

It was an incredible story, and a very terrifying one. To shatter someone's mind like that…

This Ethan must have been manipulated like a puppet, devoid of his will, like an empty doll.

…Thinking of him as an empty doll made it feel less like someone else's problem. I could end up like Ethan if I fail in my revenge. Owen won't leave me alone.

'How can we restore Ethan's mind to its original state?'

Well, those boxes are a kind of sealing magic. In other words, they can be broken with elemental power. However…

Somnia trailed off. But I already knew what she was going to say.

'…There are too many boxes. We have to break them one by one, right?'

Yes, that's the problem.

The space was vast, and the square, grayish-white boxes were numerous. There must be at least a thousand.

…To be honest, I didn't know how long it would take to break them all.

Your mental and physical strength won't hold up.

'…But we have to try, don't we?'

Ethan is an important witness. We need him to regain his self and memory to testify and win over many families to our side.

'And the crown prince will want solid evidence too.'

The crown prince's motivation for joining us is clear.

Ethan is a crucial witness to bring down the king.

Sigh… Let's do it this way. You break the boxes, and I'll gather Ethan's memories and self.

This way, I won't have to see Ethan's memories directly, reducing my mental fatigue.

'Yes, thank you. I'll leave it to you.'

Somnia grumbled but didn't try to stop me. She knew I wouldn't give up no matter what she said.

I cautiously approached the nearest box. …But how do I break it?

Just hit it.

'…Hit it?'

Yes. You can kick it too. Just give it a shock. It looks like a box, but it's actually like a bell.

…So, just a slight poke will make it burst?

I poked the box with my fingertip. To my surprise, it scattered like a soap bubble, and a smoke-like shape flowed out.

"Are you really willing to support us?"

It was Ethan's memory.