I didn’t ask any more questions and took his hand, climbing up.

The carriage traveled for a longer time than I had expected. The sun, which had been high in the sky, descended, and the air grew damp. Thick clouds gathered, and the weather seemed unusual.

During our journey, the carriage passed through the bustling Central district and eventually reached a relatively quiet village.

“Where are we going?”

“We found lodgings on the outskirts of Central where some hedgehog individuals stayed just before the rebellion.”

“Before the rebellion?”

“I suspect there might be clues related to the curse, so I want to investigate.”

I nodded in agreement.

I had never discussed the moment of the rebellion or the curse with Idrysh before.

I was curious, but Idrysh’s wounds seemed too deep to inquire about it easily.

At a young age, she had lost her family in front of her eyes, and she had been burdened with a lifelong curse.

However, I couldn’t postpone it indefinitely.

I needed to understand why the curse had befallen her and how to lift it.
I contemplated why I had been cursed and needed to learn more about how to break it.

“Idrysh, do you happen to remember anything? I mean, from the time you were cursed,” I cautiously inquired.

I carefully broached the subject.

“I don’t remember much. When the hedgehog-like creatures invaded the palace, most of the Artigrado were already dead. I was in a terrible state too. There was no strength left to resist,” she replied in a composed tone.

Her voice remained composed, but scenes from the novel I had read came flooding back.

The Artigrado family had been brutally massacred to such an extent that the rebels showed no mercy, sparing neither the elderly nor the young.

“Thorns pierced my entire body, and I felt excruciating pain as if my chest were about to split apart. Perhaps that moment was when the curse was cast upon me. I lost consciousness like that.”

“It must have been incredibly painful,” I remarked.

Idrysh locked eyes with me and let out a faint chuckle. “When I woke up, it had already been a long time. Initially, when I regained consciousness, I couldn’t recall anything from the time of the rebellion.”

Perhaps Tesmillion had hidden Idrysh, who had lost consciousness, along with the newborn Loderio. If it hadn’t been for him, Idrysh would have surely lost her life that day.

“After several years passed, I finally remembered the last words I heard just before being cursed. They said, ‘Only Cecilia Eriso, whom you killed with your own hands, can undo your curse.’ It sent shivers down my spine.”

A chill ran down my spine as well. “Wait a moment. Did you just say ‘Cecilia Eriso, whom you killed with your own hands’?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

I was taken aback. “For some reason, they believed that I had killed you. So, they placed a curse that only Cecilia Eriso, who is now deceased, can lift. It means the curse will never be broken.”

“But I’m alive,” I pointed out.

“Indeed, but until I met you, I wholeheartedly believed that Cecilia Eriso had perished. I searched for her for years, but I couldn’t find any trace of her.”

I recalled the intruder who had called my name the first time I encountered him. He had regarded me with shock, as if he had seen a ghost. Did he also believe I was deceased when he was in Serbienka?

That left me wondering where I had truly been during that extended period. While I knew about most events in this world, there was hardly any information about me.

I became intensely curious about my own identity.

“So, what happened next?” I asked, my nervousness palpable. Sharing my own story with someone else felt incredibly strange.
In the novel, there was no mention of Cecilia Eriso. While I knew about most of the events that happened in this world, there was little information about me.

I became curious about who I was.

“So, what happened next?” I asked, my anxiety evident. Sharing my story with someone else felt peculiar.

“Since that statement jogged my memory, I began searching for information about Cecilia Eriso. They said Cecilia was the daughter of the hedgehog clan’s leader. She had concealed her whereabouts just before the rebellion erupted. Perhaps they thought it was my doing.”

Where did I go then? The gap between the disappearance of Cecilia and my appearance… what could have happened during that time?

“Why did they think it was Idrysh’s doing?”

“Well, perhaps we’ll find out today.”

The carriage gradually slowed down.

In the dimly lit street, an old mansion came into view.

“That’s it.”

Idrysh and I got out of the carriage together. Mogus remained to watch over the carriage.

“I’m nervous,” I admitted.

I reached for Idrysh’s clothing as she attempted to disembark first. She turned to me and gave a wry smile. Then, she gently removed my hand from her clothing and held it. Her hand, much larger than mine, enveloped mine.

“Let’s go.”

I stepped outside. Thin raindrops were falling from the sky. I quickly headed towards the house, shielding my head with my hand.

Thump, thump.

As I knocked on the door, I heard movement from inside.