SWY 143

“Yes, Sir Rael. Our house has two wells. But how did you know that?”

Adam’s voice was filled with surprise.

“There are two wells?”

Sharhan shot to his feet and moved to stand beside Rael, looking outside. But from where he stood, only one well was visible.

“Do you see that slightly raised area about ten steps to the left of the well? It looks like something was used to seal off another well.”

Noticing that Sharhan hadn’t found the second well, Rael explained in more detail. Only then did Sharhan recognize it.

“When was it sealed?”

At Sharhan’s question, Adam scratched his chin and replied,

“It was already like that when I was born. I just assumed it had gone dry and they sealed it up and dug a new one, so I never questioned it. My father never said anything about it either.”

It wasn’t unusual for an old well to be sealed off and replaced. But in their current situation, even the slightest suspicion had to be investigated.

As Sharhan stepped outside, Lestel naturally followed. Adam and Kuph came out as well.

“You’re going to open the well?”

Lestel asked.

“Yeah. We couldn’t find anything inside the house.”

The old well was covered in dirt and grass. If someone hadn’t already known a well had once been there, it would’ve been impossible to notice. It was honestly impressive that Rael had caught it.

“How did you notice it?”

“The raised area was round, about the size of a well opening. That alone made it suspicious. But we should hurry and open it.”

Rael looked up at the sky as he urged them on. Sharhan felt the same sense of urgency and joined in, clearing away dirt and grass with his sword. Before long, a carved stone lid was revealed.

There was a handle, but the passage of time had filled the gaps with dirt and grime, making it difficult to open.

“Not sure if this will budge.”

Lestel frowned as he examined the lid.

“Still, we have to try.”

Sharhan scraped away the debris as much as he could with the tip of his sword. With every scrape, a loud, grating sound rang out, much sharper and harsher than expected. He flinched at the noise but didn’t stop.

“I’ll keep watch. Focus on getting that lid open.”

“Thank you.”

While Rael stood guard with tense focus, the rest of the group gave their all trying to lift the lid.

But as expected, it wasn’t easy. Even with veins bulging at their temples from exertion, it wouldn’t budge. Sweat rolled down their backs from the heat.

“This isn’t working.”

Kuph, who had taken over for the exhausted Sharhan, Lestel, and Adam, stepped back, his face red with effort.

“Let me try again.”

Sharhan rotated his sore shoulder, but Kuph stopped him, concern etched on his face.

“Wouldn’t it be better to try again tomorrow? The sun is about to set, and you look exhausted, young master.”

“I’ll give it one more try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll stop for today.”

“How about this?”

Adam reappeared, panting, carrying a metal bar. Sharhan took it and wedged it into the gap without hesitation, then pulled with all his might.

The bar bent under the strain, but fortunately, the long-sealed lid, which had seemed impossible to open, began to shift slightly before falling back into place.

Sharhan, sweating profusely, pulled again. As the crowbar bent completely under the strain, the lid finally started to lift more noticeably, the gap becoming visible.

“Lest–”

Before Sharhan could finish calling him, Lestel quickly shoved his axe blade into the crack. Adam and Kuph, who had been watching anxiously, rushed over to help lift the lid, and Rael joined in as well.

Griiiind

The lid, which had remained sealed for who knew how many years, slowly began to rise. As Kuph, breathless and worn out, stepped back, Sharhan took his place. With everyone working together, they finally managed to lift the heavy lid off.

They set the lid down and collapsed to the ground, not even bothering to speak. Sweat drenched them, their palms throbbed, and their strained muscles ached.

“Let’s check inside.”

Sharhan was the first to get up. As he peered into the well, a musty smell, sealed in for years, hit him. It tickled his nose, and he sneezed several times.

“What do you see?”

Sniffling, Sharhan shook his head. From above, the well looked shallow, but the darkness within was unexpectedly deep.

It seemed the aboveground structure had been intentionally minimized to conceal the well. That alone made it even more suspicious.

“It’s pretty deep.”

Lestel picked up a stone and dropped it in. Rael came closer.

“We’ll need light to see inside.”

“I didn’t bring any flint.”

“I’ve got it.”

Kuph pulled out some flint, and Lestel lit it. Dry grass was easy to find nearby, so starting a fire wasn’t difficult.

As Lestel worked on the fire, Adam brought over a chair leg from inside. Once they lit it, they lowered it into the well. As expected, it was quite deep.

“We’ll need a rope if we want to go down.”

“I’ll find one.”

Adam handed the torch to Kuph and ran off to a nearby house. After searching a few homes, he returned with a rope.

Sharhan took it and gave it a strong tug to test it. It held firm, it would do.

“I’ll go down and check it out.”

“……”

“Lestel. Did you hear me? I said I’m going.”

Sharhan narrowed his eyes at Lestel’s displeased expression. His tone made it clear he wouldn’t allow any argument. After a moment of chewing his lip, Lestel finally muttered,

“It might be dangerous.”

“What’s dangerous? I’m just going to look.”

“I’ll go.”

“Lestel. You need to listen.”

Sharhan’s tone was like coaxing a child. Reluctantly, Lestel nodded. Sharhan suppressed a laugh when he saw the wrinkle on Lestel’s nose.

He clearly wanted to insist on going himself, but was holding back for fear of upsetting Sharhan. If they’d been alone, he’d have smacked that cute butt of his just for the expression.

“…Fine.”

“Give me a bottle of oil so I can make a real torch. Adam, do you have any old clothes?”

Even though the sun hadn’t fully set, it was pitch dark inside the well. The torch from the chair leg wouldn’t be enough, they needed something longer-lasting. The only usable oil they had was the perfumed oil Lestel had brought.

Adam immediately fetched some old clothes, and Lestel handed over the oil. It was a waste, sure, but Sharhan’s safety came first.

“Thanks.”

Sharhan snapped off a thick branch, stripped the twigs, and wrapped the cloth tightly around it. He soaked it with the oil and lit it. The flame burst to life, carrying a sweet floral scent.

It made his backside tingle for no reason, but this wasn’t the time to get flustered. Shaking his head, Sharhan tied the rope around his waist. The other end was secured to Lestel, while Adam and Rael each took hold of the rope as well.

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

“If anything seems dangerous, pull the rope. We’ll haul you up right away.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll put my safety first, no matter what.”

Sharhan gave Lestel a reassuring smile before slowly descending into the well. With one hand holding the torch, his movements were extra cautious.

Gripping the rope tightly with one hand and bracing his feet against the wall, he climbed down slowly. The bottom was solid and dry, not even damp. It didn’t seem like it had ever been used as an actual well.

‘This is it.’

He couldn’t explain why, but Sharhan had a gut feeling, there was something down here. Nervously licking his dry lips, he shone the torch downward.

‘Stone? My hunch was right!’

The feel beneath his feet had been solid, and just as he thought, the bottom of the well was made of carved stone. Excited, Sharhan tugged the rope. Lestel, who immediately rushed over, leaned into the well and called out,

“Shan! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. The bottom’s stone.”

“What?”

“I think there’s a secret passage in this well.”