Chapter 43
After combing through Isaac’s knowledge and memories countless times, Hyun finally discovered a passage leading from the mansion’s underground prison to the outside. It was a route that allowed escape to land even if no boat came.
‘But that…’
The moment that passage was revealed, the caretaker would surely report to the imperial palace that there was a vulnerability in this place of exile. If he were to use it, it would have to be either for his own secret escape, or… Hyun gritted his teeth for a moment.
The caretaker couple had a newborn granddaughter. Even though the elderly couple was always wary and sharp when dealing with Hyun, he vividly remembered how they had shown him a sketch of their granddaughter, bragging about her for an hour straight.
Dying here might be better than leaving behind a young daughter, but surely they didn’t want to die in this place either.
‘……’
Unable to make an immediate decision, Hyun hesitated for a moment, then recalled what day it was. The third Friday of every month. The day Misha came to the Ice Lake with his master.
At that thought, Hyun felt as if the ground had dropped out from under him. Could they be on their way here? What if they’d already crossed the barrier? Of course, if the palace had any sense, they would have told the investigator not to come here…
But what if Misha had acted on impulse, worried about Hyun?
Anxiety and unease crept up Hyun from his toes. Most likely, they hadn’t come, they shouldn’t have come, but the very possibility was enough to push Hyun into action.
After all, he had always been that kind of person. Even when it was something he didn’t want to do, once it was within his grasp, he threw himself into it with everything he had.
Raised from childhood to carry a responsibility twice as heavy as anyone else, he could never tolerate doing things halfway.
“……”
Hyun clenched his fist so tightly that his blunt fingernails dug into his palm. Then he rose from the window and headed to the bedroom.
Hyun opened the safe Isaac had hidden with magic and took out the key to open the underground maze. A moment later, standing before the caretaker couple—who had collapsed from sobbing—he was met with their weak gazes.
“Take this key, go down to the underground prison, and put it in the third slot on the farthest left dead-end wall. Turn it, and a long maze will appear that leads to the other side of the lake. Go straight, don’t look back, and run east. Monsters hate fire, so make sure you bring plenty of flint before you go.”
After Hyun finished speaking, he placed the key in the caretaker’s cold hand. The caretaker, utterly shocked, asked with a look of horror,
“Th-this…”
He must want to ask why, and how. Hyun shook his head firmly.
“There’s no time to explain. Hurry and go.”
Then he immediately turned his back, looking out at the mountains where white and purple smoke tangled wildly together. As the elderly couple hurriedly made preparations and reached the stairs to the underground prison, they turned to ask Hyun,
“Th-then, Your Highness…?”
Just a moment ago, they’d worn faces on the verge of yelling at him for dragging them here to die this wretched death, and now they were calling him ‘Your Highness’ again. With a bitter smile, Hyun replied,
“How could a criminal leave the place of his sentence? I suppose this too is my fate.”
The couple paused, then bit their lips and, without looking back, rushed down the stairs.
* * *
Meanwhile, after detouring around Torkan and barely crossing the barrier, Mikhail and Marcel coughed, covering their mouths as the thick miasma made it hard to breathe, both grimacing at the sight.
The situation was far worse than expected.
Mikhail took the lead, hacking through the tangled vines that filled the forest and scattering ash to keep them from growing back.
“Kieeeek—! Kyaaa—!”
If he let his guard down for even a moment, low-level monsters wearing animal skins would leap out from all sides.
Mikhail pierced the monsters’ cores faster than the eye could see, worried Marcel might get hurt.
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