“I mean, it does bother me too.”
A ghost had openly said things like “a cursed castle” and “do not approach.”
Anyone could tell that this was the intention of the mage who had created the barrier using that ghost. It seemed likely that a command had been embedded into the ghost’s soul; an order to keep everyone away from the castle. If so, then there was probably something important hidden inside… but…
“We can’t ignore the possibility that it’s a trap. If we rush in for no reason, we might just end up wasting time instead of clearing the dungeon.”
They had already sent Xuemei and Lee Pyeonghwa outside the barrier. Even after confirming there were no monsters outside, leaving only the three of them behind for too long still felt risky.
“If anything, this might waste even more time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s say we defeat these monsters. Are you really confident that will clear the dungeon?”
Han Jaeyeong looked momentarily caught off guard.
The system judged dungeon clears based on whether humanity’s territory had been
expanded
; whether the world had been “conquered.” In other words, even if they defeated the core monsters, the dungeon wouldn’t clear unless the system recognized it as a conquest. Normally, defeating an A-rank monster was enough to count… but…
“You felt it too. The lifeless idol we saw last time was S-rank, but this one is only rated A-rank, even though it’s maintaining a barrier this strong.”
Han Jaeyeong had found that odd as well. The previous lifeless idol, its body crudely stitched together like Frankenstein’s, had been S-rank. So why was the lifeless idol in front of them now only rated A-rank?
“So you’re saying there’s probably another core monster controlling this area?”
“You already knew that. You just wanted to ignore it because you’re in a hurry.” Jeong Daon spoke coolly. “I get that you want to return to your hideout as soon as possible. But what if we break through the barrier and nothing gets resolved? We’d spend resources and gain nothing. I don’t want to take that kind of loss.”
"...Haa." Han Jaeyeong let out a sigh. She was right. Breaking through a barrier of this scale, even temporarily, wouldn’t be easy. “Two against one, huh. As a member of a democratic society, I guess I have no choice but to comply.”
“So, are we heading to the castle for now?”
“Yeah. Let’s look for another approach, just like Hunter Yu Hanul suggested.”
Han Jaeyeong did think Jeong Daon had a point, but—
They glanced sideways at Jeong Daon’s face.
There was something both of them had been deliberately avoiding mentioning: the old banner hanging from the castle wall. Though it had faded with time, the emblem was still recognizable.
It’s the same symbol I saw in Yeongjong.
A snake.
They had investigated the organization that used that symbol, but found nothing of substance. Yet here it was. Not on Earth, but in an unfamiliar dimension.
This might be a clue to who Jeong Daon really is.
There were a few possibilities, but nothing more than speculation for now. Still, it was worth observing.
In the end, under that lukewarm agreement, the three of them began heading toward the inner castle.
“They’re really staring.”
“Yeah.”
Behind them, the villagers’ gazes clung stubbornly to their backs. There were clicking tongues, and even open mockery.
“There they go again, heading for that castle.”
“Shouldn’t we stop them? Where’s the village chief?”
“Aren’t those the ones who threatened a child out of nowhere? Let them be!”
“That’s a bit unfair. It wasn’t ‘out of nowhere’.
We
were hit with stones first. Want me to clear that up for them, Daon?”
“If Your Highness is concerned—”
“Don’t say nonsense.”
The sharp rebuke applied to both Han Jaeyeong and Yu Hanul.
As they drew closer to the inner castle, the contrast became clearer. Unlike the smooth, well-maintained castle walls, the village itself looked utterly worn down. The houses still stood, barely holding their shape, but the clothes the villagers wore were uniformly tattered, their eyes dull and lifeless. And above all, the closer they got to the inner castle—
“They don’t have any expressions on their faces.”
Unlike the people who lived closer to the outer walls, who had reacted with visible fear and caution, the ones staying nearer to the inner castle seemed completely unfazed by the trio’s presence. To be precise, they ignored them entirely.
“If the main body is inside the inner castle, then the closer you get, the harder it probably is for them to maintain their sense of self.”
“That makes sense. The closer they are, the more mana they’d be supplying.”
After exchanging a few theories, they arrived at the inner castle. As expected, the structure, more like a massive mansion than a fortress, had its doors tightly shut.
Jeong Daon issued an order to Yu Hanul as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Break it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Bang!
Yu Hanul kicked the door down without hesitation, as if that were equally obvious. Clearly, he wasn’t entirely sane either.
Han Jaeyeong leaned toward Jeong Daon and whispered, “Is it really okay to use him like this? Weren’t we supposed to avoid provoking him because he’s mentally unstable?”
“That’s a misunderstanding. I would’ve ordered him to do it even if he weren’t unstable. And Yu Hanul would’ve done it anyway.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
Han Jaeyeong gave Jeong Daon and Yu Hanul an uncertain look, then stepped through the doorway, which had been completely reduced to rubble. Inside, a stone path led toward a massive central door, with gardens spreading out on both sides.
Just as the three of them were about to cross the garden and move deeper into the castle—
Thud!
“…Damn.”
Something invisible blocked their way, a transparent barrier.
Han Jaeyeong reached out and touched it with a finger, but the barrier reacted as if repelling an intruder, bouncing them back immediately.
“There are three layers of barriers.”
The first concealed the entire area from the outside world; the second allowed the spirits to absorb ambient mana while simultaneously sustaining the barrier; and the third, this one, carried a far more explicit intent: to protect the castle’s interior at all costs.
To get through this…
Han Jaeyeong scanned their surroundings.
The inner garden looked immaculately maintained, as if someone had tended it just yesterday, which made no sense.
They crouched down and brushed their fingers across the soil. Normally, soil should be brimming with vitality, but here, they felt nothing. It was like touching dust. The sensation was deeply unpleasant.
“They’ve stopped time for the land itself.”
That explained why the garden looked so pristine. The grass and trees weren’t truly alive; they had simply been preserved in place, frozen while still standing.
Han Jaeyeong lifted the staff slung across their back and drove it into the ground.
In the world of the fairies, the World Tree is the source in which all life converges.
A staff made from its branches carried not only life energy, but purifying power as well.
Fwoooosh!
“Just as I thought.”
From the point where the staff pierced the earth, a vivid green glow spread outward. Wherever the light touched, the grass and trees, once carefully restrained by human standards of beauty, began to grow wildly, as if driven mad. Time, which had been forcibly halted, resumed its flow as life energy flooded back in.
Crash!
Even the ivy clinging to the castle walls grew with such force that it shattered stone, and the change didn’t stop with nature.
Crack!
Fractures formed in the invisible barrier. Nature, infused with life once more, was resisting the magic that sought to freeze its time.
And even that much damage was enough to create an opening large enough to slip through.
Seeing Han Jaeyeong’s magic, Jeong Daon smiled; a rare sight. "Excellent."
“It wasn’t anything special.”
“Must be because you’re half fairy. That was genuinely creative magic.”
To anyone listening, it would’ve sounded as though Jeong Daon, not Han Jaeyeong, were the senior mage. Her tone carried unmistakable pride.
Strangely, that didn’t feel particularly unpleasant.
When they opened the massive inner door and stepped inside, all that greeted them was a long, pitch-dark space stretching ahead.
“We’ll need some light. I can’t see a thing.”
Sunlight filtered in through the open doorway behind them, but it wasn’t enough to illuminate the interior.
Han Jaeyeong sent a bright flame flaring up from the tip of their staff. And then—
“Daon? Yu Hanul!”
The two people who had been standing right beside Han Jaeyeong just moments ago were gone.
"Answer me!" Han Jaeyeong shouted, but there was no reply. Only complete darkness had taken hold of the castle interior.
Stunned, Han Jaeyeong stared into the void.
I was briefly startled, but I quickly realized that I had been separated from Han Jaeyeong and clicked my tongue.
“A textbook trap spell.”
I had expected
something
to happen the moment we stepped through the castle doors.
This was a place guarded by layer upon layer of barriers, of course it was prepared. Still, anticipating danger and actually countering a trap were two different matters, especially when the mana inside the barrier was under the enemy’s control.
Of course, dealing with it is only a matter of time…
Honestly, being separated from Han Jaeyeong might even be a blessing.
They’re sharp. They had probably already noticed that the emblem on the banner hanging in this castle was the same one the alchemist bore in the Yeongjong dungeon.
Keeping Han Jaeyeong interested was important, but giving them any more information than necessary wasn’t. I’d already gotten good use out of them up until breaking into the castle. Meeting again after dealing with whatever monster lay at the core wouldn’t be a bad outcome.
After all, I’m still holding a much stronger card.
“Princess, what should we do?”
That card not being entirely sane was the problem.
Yu Hanul stood at my side with his sword drawn, as though he truly believed himself to be a knight. The moment he saw this castle, his subconscious seemed to be triggered, recalling his past personality. The moment he saw the castle, something must have stirred in his subconscious, awakening memories of a past life.
With a faint sense of nostalgia mixed with a stronger sense of unease, I shook my head. “I wish you’d stop calling me ‘Your Highness’.”
“Then may I humbly ask how I should address you?”
“…Just call me whatever you want.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I sighed. Right, there
had
been a time when that hero had addressed me with such formal titles. I hadn’t been born as the Destroyer of Worlds, after all. Still, that form of address was anything but welcome. If anything, it sent a chill straight down my spine every time I heard it.
Damned system, just how much of his memory did you restore?
The system had claimed that Yu Hanul regaining memories of his past life would help him locate the Enemy of Humanity. And if its goal really was to stabilize the connection between this dimension and Earth, then perhaps it would help…
But it’ll be dangerous if he realizes that the princess from his memories and I are the same person.
If he recalled personally slaying the king’s sister, the princess, then he would inevitably realize that I was also the Destroyer of Worlds.
The destructive force I had felt when I grabbed Yu Hanul’s hand was still vivid in my mind.
Power so overwhelming it felt like he could split a star in two with his sword. He was a double-edged blade, one that could turn on me at any moment.
I’ll have to handle him carefully.
I glanced at Yu Hanul, then started walking forward. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he followed closely behind.
“Where are we going?”
“To put an end to this nightmare.”