“It’s just common sense.”

“That’s surprising. You know about this place.”

“There are things called books in this world.”

“That little collection of letters, they’re of no use at all.”

“You don’t have water, right? Then don’t talk to me. My throat is hurting too much right now. It’s hard to breathe.”

I responded nervously. I was just as breathless as this guy. Breathing was not easy.

“Huh? This little…”

Jean let out a chuckle as if he were speechless. Cough, cough. I kept coughing. There was a taste of blood in my mouth. It seemed the climate here was really bad.”

“How unusual.”

After saying that, the man shut his mouth. I blinked slowly. Was it because my body was shaking? I was strangely sleepy. The blanket prickled my right cheek.

But that disturbing sensation was slowly blurred by a blunt sense of falling asleep.

***

“Why…, this…”

“Then…, … will…, this.”

There were a lot of unclear words beyond the dim curtain of consciousness. Surprisingly, there was a fragrant smell in the air. But the breath I exhaled felt hot. At least the fabric I was touching was soft, but my feet were burning as if they had been skinned.

In any case, it seemed like I arrived in one piece. But did I really fall asleep? Was that also inside my dream? Wow, my circumstances are quite good for someone who was kidnapped.

No, that’s not it! When can I wake up from my dream?

The footsteps of a stranger were getting closer. When the footsteps stopped next to my head, I opened my eyes wide. A young man with disheveled hair was reaching out his hand towards me.

I clearly remembered the man’s name, which had escaped my mind as it had been a long time since I finished writing. Charles.

Our eyes met, and he flinched. I frowned at the sudden stabbing headache.

“No, wait! Don’t get me wrong! Don’t be mad! It’s not like that!”

Charles stepped back, startled. He was the only one misunderstanding. Coughing, I raised my body. I pressed on my temples once more, and covered my throbbing eyes.

I was dizzy. It seemed that this weak body was getting sick again. And I was only up there for a moment.

“Jean. What did you do to this woman? Why is she like this?”

As soon as Charles threw his question, I could hear Jean snorting.

“The Leader asked me to bring something nice, so how could I have done anything? She’s just incredibly weak.”

“Even so, how can it be this bad?”

I pressed my eyes as I listened to their conversation.

“Hey. Just look at me for a second. Let’s look at the rumored face.”

A clear, sweet voice, without any impurity, came out. I turned my head straight towards it.

A woman with short red hair leaned against a gray pillar, with a long, thin cigarette between her teeth.

Her concave eyes and protruding cheekbones stood out. That slightly tall woman was Zeno’s closest confidant, who was the leader of this underground city.

Red Tail approached me in big strides.

“Oh, she really looks like this. It’s even more amazing when she opens her eyes.”

Then, speaking in a way that I couldn’t figure out whether it was a compliment or an insult, she sat down at the end of the bed, and began touching Celina’s body with a stubby hand that was missing two fingers. She gently touched my hair, and then grabbed my long and elegant neck over the restraints.

“But Jean. What’s wrong with this woman’s cheeks? Did you throw her on the floor while coming here?”

“Did no one hear me? I think she got scratched by that.”

Jean, who was warming up in the distance, pointed to the blanket spread over the chair.

“By that? You want me to believe that?”

Red Tail frowned.

“Excuse me. Can you give me some water?”

Whether they believed it or not, I looked around and spoke confidently. It was clear that this was the castle where Zeno lived. Otherwise, they couldn’t have put me in such a spacious and luxurious room.

“What did you say?”

Red Tail seemed taken aback by the courageous demand.

“Give me some water. My throat is too dry.”

The walls and floor of this room were made of colorless stone. Because of this, it felt very dark and cold, even though it was actually bright and warm. Well, considering the nature of the area, it was natural.

But the furniture wasn’t that bad. Surprisingly, most of it was glossy timber. Several small flowers bloomed in the flowerpot by the window.

What kind of effort and hard work would it take to have things with such vitality in this desolate place?

Inside the display cabinet in the distance, there was a half-finished bottle of wine. The label was in a murky turquoise color, a color that for some reason felt dizzying.

[It’s the same as what Elijah Dell used to drink.]

I flinched in surprise at the sudden appearance of the chat window. Ah, that scared me. Why does she only come out at times like this?