STM 43

Dia’s warning echoed from all directions. I realized my situation as I came back to my senses.

Oh, I fell into the pond… I have to climb up…

But even raising my head was difficult. My body sank deeper, as if the light were pulling me down. I heard Dia shouting again.

[I’ll explain everything properly to Lord Hyuu…]

But I was so focused on escaping the light that I didn’t listen. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t even stop, let alone rise.

Just as I was about to give up, knowing I couldn’t escape that light, someone grabbed my wrist tightly. And in an instant, my body was pulled out of the water.

Splash!

“Cough, cough… haa, haa…”

The water poured down like a waterfall and dragged my body down as if it were a heavy weight. I stumbled, coughing, and clung to the one who held me.

Thanks to that, I avoided falling back into the pond. But I couldn’t even stand upright.

It felt as if all strength had drained from my body. And everything around was spinning.

Why is this happening?

I clenched my teeth and clutched the wet clothes in my hand, trying to stay conscious. Like me, the other person was soaking wet.

I absentmindedly lifted my head and realized who was supporting me.

Golden eyes looked down at me, as if they were about to devour me. The light was so intense that I forgot everything and was caught helplessly.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart beat so loud it was deafening, as I was entranced by the sight of the golden eyes. I was barely able to keep my wits about me, yet I was so captivated by someone else’s gaze.

I felt sorry for myself.

Still, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Strangely, the eyes I met didn’t mock or laugh at me. Instead, they were so eerily serious that I couldn’t even think about looking away.

It didn’t even occur to me that now wasn’t the time to be staring at him like this.

Fortunate or unfortunately, the owner of those golden eyes moved first. He slightly lowered his gaze and stopped.

Where are you looking… my lips?

Panic washed over me like a fever.

Why?

Confusion and a strange flutter in my chest collided inside me. That brief yet suffocatingly long moment was broken by someone suddenly shouting.

“What happened?! Where’s the diamond?! What happened to the diamond?!”

Gollum 1 shouted. I turned toward the sound without thinking, and suddenly my body lifted.

What, what? Why are you holding me?!

I was so startled that I couldn’t resist and ended up in Tairok’s arms. I looked up belatedly and pushed him with my hand.

“Put me down. What are you doing?”

“Did you go near the non-human domain?”

What? The bright light that had pulled me came to mind, and I couldn’t open my mouth. Meanwhile, he carried me out of the pond, holding me like a princess, and spoke quietly so only I could hear.

“I told you, uninvited humans die. Even getting close drains your life force until it kills you. Adeye Lu, stay awake!”

He suddenly gave a stern command, but it was difficult to follow. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I felt dizzy, like I was on a roller coaster. Then I lost cons ciousness.

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“I never thought that that pond would be a passage to the non-human world.”

High Priest Cheki spoke in astonishment when she was alone with her disciple. Adeye Lu had gone to the center of the pond to discard the diamond, but suddenly vanished as if someone had dragged him down.

A dim light had appeared there, but few people had seen it. Only those with high divine power had. The High Priest, her disciple Ariona, and one more, Tairok, who had jumped into the pond.

“That light… could it be the Forest of Crimson Waves?”

When Ariona asked, High Priest Cheki nodded with certainty.

“Yes, the only place that emits that kind of light is the Forest of Crimson Waves. I’ve heard the reason the Central Temple was built here is also connected to it.”

“How did Adeye Lu manage to find that place?”

Cheki recalled the one who had dared to argue against her and frowned.

“Hmph, he must have been bewitched by the Demon King’s Tear. You saw the other priests fall under that diamond’s spell. Adeye Lu was no different. Since he once possessed it, the enchantment must have been even deeper. That’s why diamond chose him as the one to lead into the pond.”

Ah. Ariona nodded, looking somewhat relieved.

“When I first saw the diamond, I was so mesmerized by its beauty that I only thought about holding it in my hands.”

“If even you, who have trained in restraint, were shaken, how much worse must it have been for Adeye Lu? He must have been controlled by the diamond. But to recklessly go into the pond… Tsk tsk, if it weren’t for Grand Duke Kun, the temple would’ve faced disaster today. Adeye is the temple’s greatest benefactor.”

Cheki wasn’t afraid of the Adeye family head’s anger if Lu died, but the thought of the temple’s powerful supporters causing chaos gave her a headache.

“But will he be alright? He didn’t look well.”

Ariona’s eyes darkened as he recalled the scene. Adeye Lu collapsing was shocking, but what stayed on his mind was Tairok. He had jumped into the pond without hesitation to save Lu.

“He won’t be alright.”

At his master’s cold voice, Ariona quickly lifted his head. The High Priest’s face was cold. She looked displeased that Lu had stubbornly gone into the pond with the diamond.

“If Adeye Lu truly reached the Forest of Crimson Waves, it wouldn’t be surprising if he died tonight. Even we, who hold divine power, can’t be sure we could enter that place safely. Yet he, a mere human, dared without knowing his limits.”

High Priest Cheki clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“If Grand Duke Kun had moved even a moment later, Adeye Lu would already be dead. I thought he disliked the Adeye family, but it seems the righteous blood of Kun cannot be denied.”

Ariona lowered his head to hide his face as he heard his master’s murmur. Even though Tairok’s action was praiseworthy, the thought of Adeye Lu in his arms twisted something inside him.

I want to be held like that too. How can I get closer to Grand Duke Kun?

“By the way, Master, didn’t you say you found a clue about the curse on the Kun family?”

“I did. I found something in an ancient text that might serve as a clue, and I plan to begin deciphering it in secret tomorrow at the Ma family’s library.”

“I’d like to assist with the deciphering as well.”

Normally, High Priest Cheki would have praised her disciple’s devotion, but this time was different.

Ariona’s eyes pleaded so earnestly that his feelings were plain to see.

Cheki looked at him for a while, then spoke.

“You must not give too much of your heart to Grand Duke Kun.”

Flinch.

Ariona’s shoulders trembled, and he lowered his head deeper. Cheki sighed as she saw him visibly dispirited.

“I know how hard it is to turn away once you’ve given your heart. But we must not forget our purpose. Grand Duke Kun is important for Tubain’s future, but only to that extent. Ha, I’m afraid you’ll get hurt because of him.”

Even with his master’s concern, Ariona didn’t say he would give up.

In the end, Cheki sighed and granted his request.

“Follow me tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing his disciple’s brightened expression, Cheki gave a helpless smile.

Ariona smiled awkwardly, then remembered something.

“But… will Adeye Lu really have a hard time surviving?”

“Well, perhaps the Adeye family matriarch will try every possible way to save him. They said he barely survived once before, and now this again. Tsk tsk.”

Cheki clicked her tongue, then noticed Ariona’s face grow serious.

“What’s wrong?”

“Adeye Lu is completely different from before.”

“Ah, I’ve heard that too, that he’s changed. But that must be because the experience of surviving a monster attack was that intense. Humans can be foolish, but they also change after facing death.”

Even so, Ariona bit his lips and couldn’t raise his head. Cheki sighed and tried to reassure him.

“Adeye Lu isn’t someone we should be overly concerned about. Besides,”

She paused and patted her uneasy disciple’s shoulder.

“Adeye Lu went near the non-human world. Even if he wakes, he’ll never regain his former health.”