The Count asked the Duke, who was giving an unexpected order with a serious face.

“The presence of a common grave up there means the ground is soft enough to dig. And if Hyperion’s roots had stretched up there, they undoubtedly played the role of support for that ground. Now that support is all dead, so what will happen?”

Drip[Dash].

As soon as Valige’s words ended, raindrops began to fall from the sky again. Count Harren, who was looking at the falling raindrops, sighed quietly.

Though unseen, Hyperion’s roots must have already spread all over the place.

Maybe not all will collapse, but the part adjacent to the river will easily collapse. Especially in this situation where it’s raining again.

The Count, too, must have felt that something was not right, as he spoke to the people with a darkened face.

“Everyone, from today, going up there is prohibited. And just in case, stop cutting down the trees for now[Dash].”

“S, Sir Count. There’s a little girl who went up there a while ago…….”

“What? A little girl?”

Valige, who was talking to Lawrence behind him, turned around at a man’s words.

“What are you talking about?”

“Um, I saw some little girl go up.”

Frightened by the Duke’s stern face, the man stammered.

‘No way.’

A foreboding feeling gripped Valige’s ankles.

‘That can’t be. Lina surely took the carriage to the castle….’

“Your Grace. The groom just came and said that he waited for a while, but the maid did not show up.”

Lawrence’s face had also become serious, having heard the situation from the groom who had grown tired of waiting.

And as soon as Lawrence’s words ended, the Duke began to run towards the sealed area without even looking back.

“Your Grace[Dash]!”

Desperate voices trying to stop him were heard, but Valige didn’t hear them.

Because there was only one person in his mind right now.

(This is a time separator.)

Meanwhile, Lina, who had climbed the hill in search of Hyperion’s magic, began to look for the place where the roots were.

“There must be a place where the roots are sticking out even a little.”

Removing the magic left in the deep roots of the ground was no easy task.

That’s why, given the short time now, she needed to directly touch the main body to finish quickly.

After wandering around the hillside for a while, searching for it.

She discovered Hyperion’s root protruding slightly on a cliff adjacent to the river. And as if to prove that there was still magic left in the root, a leaf tinged with blue was still visible.

“I found it!”
The river flowing violently below the cliff seemed quite threatening, but as it was within arm’s reach, it did not appear to be a significant problem.

“Alright. Shall we wrap this up quickly?”

The weather was already gloomy, as if a heavy rain was about to pour. Without hesitation, Lina lay flat on the ground and reached down.

However, the distance, which seemed close, was farther than she thought, and her hand barely missed. Furthermore, raindrops began to fall carelessly from the sky.

“Just… a little more…”

She stretched her arm with all her might, and she felt the scratchy sensation of a root at her fingertips.

“It’s done…!”

And the moment she touched it, she began to extract the magic without delay, and the little remaining magic was easily removed.

“Phew. It’s all done.”

Finally, having removed all the magic, Lina sighed and leaned back, looking at the sky.

Suddenly, heavy raindrops were wetting her body. Already soaked, Lina slowly got up, giving up on avoiding the rain.

“Why does it rain so much?”

She barely managed to adjust the hood that had become heavy due to the pouring rain.

Her shoulders, already strained from reaching out, felt even stiffer due to the wet robe.

“Let’s go back quickly.”

She wanted to soak her body in hot water as soon as possible and relieve the fatigue that had accumulated.

Hot tea with sweet pastries. Soft and fluffy bed was being missed at that moment.

“Li…!”

“What?”

Was it an illusion in the sound of heavy rain? She heard someone calling her name.

‘Did I hear wrong?’

Lina, momentarily tilting her head, pricked her ears to the sound again. Then, her name was clearly heard, as if she hadn’t misheard.

Perhaps, since she did not come, the steward had informed the Duke. The voice calling her name somehow sounded familiar.

“…Lina!”

“Duke?”

The voice that had become clear was one she knew all too well.

Looking for the Duke, Lina turned her head to see Valige running towards her.

He also seemed to have found Lina, and, panting, he shouted.

“It’s d…dangerous. Come… here quickly!”

His voice was drowned out by the sound of hitting raindrops, and she couldn’t hear him properly.

“What?! I can’t hear you!!”

“It’s dangerous!!”

‘What? Dangerous? What is…’

And by the time she understood the Duke’s words, she suddenly felt her body floating in the air.

‘Huh?’

She simply blinked her eyes, not comprehending the situation. As if someone was pulling her down, her view gradually descended, and only then did she realize.

She was falling off the cliff.

Ah.

Why didn’t she think of it?

The ground where she was standing was supported by Hyperion’s roots. And she had just removed that support.

“Lina!”

The Duke’s voice echoed in her ears like tinnitus. His distorted face imprinted in her mind like an afterimage. Unable to answer his call, Lina continued to fall endlessly.