Chapter 184 (1/2)

Ellis’ eyes widened at the sudden bouquet. She alternated between looking at me and the bouquet with a puzzled expression. After a short ensuing silence, she finally opened her mouth, “Excuse me... I already have a darling.”

There seemed to be a serious misunderstanding. Well, it was understandable since I suddenly appeared and handed her the bouquet. On second thought, it was a bit out of the blue. I felt a bit sorry. I told her, “It isn’t like that. Will you look at the flowers?”

“Flowers...? Her eyes passed over my face and headed toward the bouquet. Ellis’ eyes gradually widened as she saw the five colorful flowers. She probably recognized it. According to Helena, she told me not to worry because it would definitely be recognized.

“This...” Ellis looked closely at the flowers with a deep gaze. Then in a completely different mood from before, she asked seriously, “I’ll ask you again. Why did you come~?”

I looked into Ellis's eyes and answered, “Helena sent me.”

“...I see. Do you know the password?”

She was certainly a cautious woman as Helena had said. I noticed her intentions and shook my head. “No, there was no such thing from the beginning.”

Perhaps her words were just a test. Ellis smiled as if to prove I was right. “Follow me.”

I followed her to a huge fireplace in the hall. The fireplace was clean because a fire hadn’t been lit yet. Ellis shook the bell attached to the fireplace with a fixed beat.

Rattle, rattle. Rattle, rattle.

“......”

What was she trying to do? I was curious and watched her actions closely. Ellis shook the bell and stood still like she was waiting for something to answer. Finally, the reply she had been waiting for came.

Rattle, rattle.

It was a bell sound that rang out with a different beat than before. Ellis looked at me and smiled. “Can you please turn around for a moment?”

“Um, can I do this?” I frowned and closed my eyes. It was to show that I had no intention of looking at all.

Ellis laughed when she saw it. “Yes, this works.”

She seemed to manipulate something as I closed my eyes. Something rattled like bricks were moving. Was it the bricks of the fireplace...?

“You can open your eyes now.”

I opened my eyes the moment she said that. The inside of the fireplace suddenly rose and I saw a staircase that went down. If I watched TV series or movies, there were secret passages in places like this...

In fact, I had a rough idea.

“If you go down there and reach the end, there will be a dead end. Don’t panic. The door will open and he will show up. Take this and you won’t have to worry about falling down.” Ellis gave me a small lantern floating in the air. It seemed there was magic attached to it. It wouldn’t be necessary if Solar was here but Solar was currently doing an important job.

I thanked her and started going straight down the stairs. The lantern that floated behind me followed me and revealed the way.

“Where am I going?”

The spiraling staircase was lasting longer than expected. I had been on the second floor so I was probably passing the first floor and going underground. Once I finally reached the bottom, I saw a huge space. I walked to the end of the path as Ellis had told me. There was nothing to see along the way. There was just a peculiar smell and the lonely sound of my own footsteps. There was only my shadow cast by the lantern.

Finally, I reached the dead end that Ellis had mentioned. All that was left to do was to wait.

“...Hmm. It’s really complicated.”

It might be for security, but I thought this was a bit much. Why buy flowers like that to maintain security? Additionally, things like ‘angel,’ ‘eternity,’ and ‘memory.’ It was a bit fresh because I had never experienced it.

“...Wait.” Just then, something flashed in my head. It was really creepy, like I had found a missing puzzle piece 10 years later. I unfolded the paper with the meaning of the flowers from earlier. “Is this perhaps...?”

I thought I had seen something similar somewhere before, and now I remembered. I pulled out another piece of paper from my inventory. It was old stationery that was a bit faded. It remained unopened as it waited for its owner.

[Sarah’s Letter (Quest Item)]

[Rating: Normal

Sarah’s letter to a man called Aren.

“I will forever remember the always shining angel who was my joy.”]

The moment I saw it, the first thing I muttered was, “Oh my god.”

My mind was tangled in a complicated manner, like a twisted thread finding its way. Sarah’s letter and the flowers. Was it just a coincidence? There was also that sentence on the outside of the letter. They were the same as the meaning of the flowers I bought earlier.

“Don’t tell me...”

The wall that was blocking the way slowly rose along with the shaking of the ground. Finally, once the wall completely went up, there was a man standing there in modest clothes that was unlike a nobleman. He reached out to me. “It is nice to meet you. I am Aren.”

* * *

Park Muyeol and his companions headed west of Fortren. The people gathered here were more than expected. In addition to the group he previously met at the training camp, there was Mido that he met at the Colosseum. Her voice echoed in his ears, “Raise your hand if you need buffs!”

“Me! Give me one, Noona.”

The pink brush and palette in Mido’s hand moved. Subsequently, the painting in the air clung to Park Seongchan’s body. It was an image of a pink cutie holding a small sword.

“Ohh, it is amazing. However, this cutie is a bit... Ah, I don’t know. I’m going first~”

Mido didn’t hunt with them. She just buffed them from behind. If she was in a party with them, then the people hunting wouldn’t get a lot of experience. There was still a level difference so the easiest way for Mido to help was to use buffs from behind. In fact, it was a great thing. No, these people were great.

“Haha! My body is very light!”