The patrol officer who had just brought the letter stared wideeyed at Eric.

His expression indicated that he had no recollection whatsoever.

The patrol officer standing next to him was also surprised by the situation and quickly questioned his colleague.

“What are you talking about? You just brought it.”

“I did? What did I bring?”

Looking at the bewildered patrol officer, Eric closed his mouth.

‘Hypnosis? Or some spell? Or even magic?’

Eric’s expression became serious.

‘No, finding Alicia now is the priority.’

(This is a time marker.)

The abandoned temple located in the north of the capital was originally the base of the wizard Sevier, who had brought about the Dark Ages 500 years ago, and it was also known as a tomb.

The Britannia Empire had tried to develop the land after its founding, but perhaps due to a curse, artificially cultivated crops did not grow, and buildings would inexplicably collapse; it was called the land of death.

The last building that was constructed was a small temple, but even that had collapsed 10 years ago and had been left in ruins ever since.

Alicia lay motionless on the innermost altar of the collapsed temple.

A man in a black robe placed his hand near Alicia’s, and an indiscernible black symbol appeared.

It was a mix of a sword and a snake.

“What do you think?”

“Wait. Quiet.”

The moment a similar symbol darkly swirled on the man’s hand.

Spark…!

Golden sparks flew.

“Damn.”

“We were a step too late.”

“Exactly when?”

“Exactly.”

The man in the black robe seemed disappointed for a moment, but then smiled again.

“This much is necessary for it to be fun.”

“You say that every time.”

“Do I?”

“What will you do now? Will you retreat?”

“There’s no choice. It’s too much for me as I am now.”

“I… see.”

“Well, it’s just a matter of sequence. Let’s handle other matters first.”

“Alright.”

The two men stood up without hesitation.

“Should we leave her like this? It would be troublesome if something happens to her.”

“That’s why I called her fiancé.”

“I’ve released monsters. A lot of them.”

“Ah, yes. It’s okay. Someone is watching over her.”

“?”

Puzzled, the other man watched as the man in the black robe smiled slyly.

“Didn’t you feel it?”

“No, not at all.”

“Tsk tsk. You still have a long way to go.”

Though the man in the black robe clicked his tongue in disapproval, the other man’s expression remained unchanged.

Finally, the man in the black robe turned away, seemingly bored.

“Well, we have no more business here. Let’s get out.”

“Aren’t you going to see how long that person you went to so much trouble to summon can last?”

“Either way is fine. Whether they survive or die.”

“Isn’t it better if they die?”

“Then it wouldn’t be fun.”

“Ah, so it’s better if they survive?”

“Then it would be a hassle.”

“… .”

Annoyed, the other man finally closed his mouth.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

The two left the temple, leaving Alicia on the altar.

(This is a time marker.)

“Where is this?”

Alicia was endlessly walking in a dark space.

The air felt heavy all over her body, but surprisingly, it wasn’t bad for breathing.

At first, she thought it was an empty space, but as she got used to the darkness, it began to look like a massive temple.

“Eric must be worried. I need to go back quickly.”

“It’s okay, child.”

Suddenly, someone spoke to Alicia.

The sound seemed to come from both near and far, as if it were directly inside her head.

It was a strange sensation, but it wasn’t scary, so Alicia calmly asked.

“Who are you?”

“A secret for now. But we’ve met before, albeit briefly.”

“We’ve met? I don’t remember hearing a voice like this.”

“You wouldn’t. We didn’t converse back then. Actually, you almost killed me.”
“Ah—. But I don’t seem to remember that either.”

The voice that reached Alicia seemed to be smiling.

“Of course you wouldn’t. I’ve been waiting for 500 years; it was quite an impressive meeting.”

“500 years—”

Confused, Alicia tilted her head.

“Where are we?”

“Inside you.”

“Me?”

“Even so, being here isn’t good for you.”

“?”

“I wished we didn’t have to meet here. But it probably would have been too difficult for you with your current power.”

The tone was tinged with a sigh, but it also sounded caring and genuinely concerned.

That’s why Alicia was curious.

“Who are you, really?”

“Me? You’ll find out soon.”

“When is ‘soon’?”

“No point in telling you now; you won’t remember it anyway. It’s that kind of magic.”

“Magic?”

Realizing that what was happening was beyond the ordinary, Alicia began to feel scared.

“No need to be scared. There’s someone looking for you; should we go back now?”

“Me?”

“It would be good if you could hold on.”

Just as Alicia was about to ask why, her voice seemed to get stuck in her throat.

Despite her efforts to speak, no sound came out, which left her flustered until another polite voice was heard.

“Let’s go back quickly. I can help with that at least.”

With those last words, Alicia’s vision suddenly brightened, and she opened her eyes wide.

(This is a time separator.)