episode_0068

The countless spiders that had already stopped moving when the magic thread started sparkling continued to watch us quietly with each of their eight eyes.

Then, after hearing what I said, Aladikh lightly gestured, and immediately a crunching sound filled the cave.

They slowly moved their legs and stepped back, soon completely disappearing into the darkness.

Only then was Luvia able to slowly come down from the air and stand next to me again.

“Are you okay?”

“..Ah… Yes.. well.. I’m fine-”

I tried to answer as if nothing had happened, but I lightly hugged Luvia, whose face was already covered in cold sweat, as she was about to stumble and fall.

‘No matter how much Luvia is a vampire, she must be exhausted because she had to keep blocking enemies of that size all by herself.’

If the darkness in this cave had not been so advantageous to her, she would not have been able to endure in the first place.

If the circumstances had permitted, I wouldn’t have left her to fight alone like this.

“Thank you for your hard work. If it’s too hard, take a break and-”

“No… it’s okay. I also want to get out of here quickly.”

I couldn’t tell if it was day or night outside, but since Rubia looked very tired, I decided to wait for her to recover rather than risk facing the sunlight right away.

However, Luvia seemed to be more uncomfortable in this darkness, mentally, if not physically.

“If you are worried about his physical condition… the sun must have set outside now. There is no need to worry.”

Aladikh, who was listening to the conversation between Rubia and me, relayed the situation in a calm voice.

Beneath the calmness displayed on the outside, there was a burning desire that did not want to delay going out even a little.

‘The sun was setting when I came in… Did you spend at least one day here?

‘Everyone must be exhausted.’

According to the contract, Aladikh could not harm others against my will. It was not a lie.

I nodded and had everyone gather closer.

In the center of the circle, a white rabbit that had not yet woken up was placed lying down.

“…So how are you going to get out of here?”

The dragon soldier, who was bound by the magic contained in the spider’s web and could no longer resist, asked with his hands tied behind his back as ordered.

The voice was much more hostile than before.

However, that wouldn’t break her loyalty to Catenis, the master who gave birth to her by sprinkling her teeth on the ground, so she couldn’t completely let down her guard…

Ignoring it without responding at all will not bring very positive results either.

“The curse placed on her has the same roots as the curse that imprisoned Aladih and her clan.

So, if you twist her curse, the seal here will also be distorted, creating a gap.”

Originally, in the process, that monster would have finally met its death after a long time…

Unlike Aladih’s plan, which required us to take all of our clans with us, there were only 7 of us in total, so there was no need to overdo it.

‘Actually, I thought a lot about whether I should keep her alive… but if I could control it, it would have been better to keep her for now.’

If one day he wanted to take down the most powerful family in the empire, it was difficult to give up the opportunity to use a being of that level of skill, even if it meant taking some risk.

“Then?”

“Good. Let’s get started.”

Aladikh slightly lowered his head and asked me as if he was asking for my permission. When I finished speaking, he smiled brightly and swung his legs and scratched the floor with his claws.

Immediately, a soft light radiated from the mark and spread in all directions, drawing complex patterns.

The paperweight, which took the form of a circle with numerous symbols and complex symbols inside, entangled the prey placed in its center.

And the moment when the spider web wrapped around her neck connected with the paperweight.

As the light burst out, the rabbit also opened its eyes and revealed its red eyes.

Those eyes, which were momentarily confused, were distorted by the pain of the magic that tightened and twisted their entire body, and then immediately glowed with ferocious hostility again.

She was spouting out her anger with a distorted voice and struggled to escape from the spell that bound her to the floor…

Even that may be what magic wishes for.

The backlash between the magic and the curse of immortality that has been engraved on her will become stronger, and the faster she will get what she wants.

Finally, something like a thin red thread spewed out from the white rabbit’s body, spreading out like an explosion, painting the air red.

It wasn’t blood.

The curse that had been in her a long time ago and has continued to this day was partially transformed into a visible form and was pulled out.

Then, the paperweight surrounding the rabbit also turned red, and a sharp, inexplicable sound rang out, covering her angry howl.

The ear-piercing noises sounded as if someone was trying to forcibly scratch and dig out a very thin, hard piece of metal.

And the result soon appeared before us as more than just a sound.

The space that had been painted red began to fade to white and crack.

Then, the air in the cave, which had been heavily sunken until now, was shaken by the wind blowing from the gap.

“Ah! at las! Finally!”

Aladikh, who felt the wind on his face for the first time in hundreds of years, shouted this and was beaming with joy in ecstasy and anticipation.

However, it seems that someone did not like that joy very much.

Perhaps that rebellious nature is the reason why the curse placed on her by the gods of this land has not been lifted until now.

The rabbit suddenly stopped struggling and twisted its body and quietly looked at the pure white gap torn in the air.

And I took a very slow breath.

The wind that blew along with her breathing, and the gap that was torn and widened, stops.

The space that had been dyed white becomes cloudy again, and red threads are pulled out from it and creep back toward her.

“What is this-”

Even Aladikh, who was conducting the ceremony, could not hide his embarrassment.

No, maybe he was more embarrassed than we were.

To us, it’s just something going wrong, but to her, who has lived since the age of mythology, this curse is a divine punishment.

No matter how long he had harbored such a curse in his body, it would be a denial of Aladih’s common sense to be able to handle it as he pleases.

Of course, she is also the current head of a clan that the gods have been wary of and locked in darkness.

As soon as I was lost in embarrassment, I immediately tried to resolve the situation by touching the paperweights that had been spread out on several legs.

As Aladikh’s legs touch the paperweights attached to the rabbit’s neck, the breathing that had been interfering with his consciousness is disrupted with a choking sound.

“That drama…”

Her red lips began to force out the curse she had been breathing in again, accompanied by a strangled sound.

Although there was a brief problem, the ceremony seemed to proceed as originally intended.

“Hehehehe.. Kahahaha!!”

However, as the mouth lets out a mocking laugh, the previous incident is repeated again.

Contrary to her, Aladikh, who shows his anger by biting his lip, moves the rope again and strangles her.

The rabbit, already immersed in madness, continues to endure without losing his smile despite the pain.

The ceremony itself was not a failure, but it was a deadlock that prevented further progress.

However, it was also very frustrating to keep playing tug-of-war like this.

In the first place, I wasn’t sure if the ceremony I was currently conducting could be dragged out for a long time.

Even if the passage is opened, contrary to our original intention, if its size and persistence grows to the point where not only Aladih but the entire clan can pour out…

“Alladih. What’s the problem?”

“…That monster… I didn’t expect that a warrior in madness would resist so strongly.

Even though he tied the lord and servant’s thread around his neck, he doesn’t completely follow orders… No matter how old the era of mythology is coming to an end, this is-”

“How can I solve this?”

Even though I, who am not a shaman, heard a detailed explanation, there was not much I could do right away.

However, sometimes a word accidentally thrown by an outsider can become the key to solving an expert’s concerns.

She paused as if something occurred to her, then turned to me and said,

“…If we make the master-servant’s contract stronger, we will be able to suppress resistance and complete the ritual. So please, give that monster a name.”

“Name?”

The answer was completely unexpected, so I asked without thinking, but I was the one who said that a detailed explanation would not be of much help.

If giving a new name to the opponent strengthened the magical effect, I could just do it.

However, minimal confirmation will be necessary to avoid adverse effects.

“Can it be any name?”

Aladikh shook his head in response to my question.

“It should be a name that you feel suits her.

For a cursed being whose name has been erased by time, a new name will have such a powerful meaning.

The power of witchcraft is to bring out its meaning into reality rather than abstraction and crush the monster.”

Those words make my mind busy.

What is a fitting name for that crazy white rabbit?

Complex titles or grandiose names didn’t seem to be of much help in suppressing that monster.

However, just giving it a random name will not have the desired effect.

Then, the next moment, when I faced the red eyes of that monster, I remembered.

What came to mind when I first saw her.

White Rabbit (Albus Lepus).

That’s why I stretched out my spear, aimed it at her, at my servant, and declared:

“Alle.”

When the horse was carried on a stopped blade and shot.

Finally she became Ale.