“Who…”
A hoarse voice slowly came out. He fumbled on the floor, trying to turn his neck in Adelaide’s direction. His vision was blurry, and he couldn’t find her for a while.
“I’m Adelaide, the owner of Greenville Dungeon.”
“I don’t know if you remember me.” Adelaide added.
Even as she thought about it, she and Raham were not that close. It was surprising that she had come this far for him.
‘What if he says he doesn’t remember?’ Contrary to her concerns, Raham greeted her with a welcoming voice.
“Ah, the scammer. It’s been a while.”
“I am not a scammer.”
“Haha, I’m sorry. The image of you pushing for a stupid contract is so engraved in my impression of you.”
Raham laughed. The playful conversation made her feel as if they had returned to the plains where he lived for a while. It would have been true if it weren’t for his ghastly appearance and cracking voice.
“You don’t look good at all.”
As if just realizing this, Raham’s voice suddenly became bitter.
“… What happened? I heard a little bit from the other Durahans, but I wanted to hear Raham’s side.”
“You met my colleagues. Are they well?”
Adelaide nodded instead of answering. She couldn’t be honest with him and say that they were cursing at him.
“That’s a relief… Well, they must have told you exactly what happened to me. They aren’t friends who lie.”
He tried to pretend to be cheerful. He didn’t want to end the first conversation he had in a long time in a depressing tone.
“By the way, you went there… Did your dungeon become an E-Class?”
“Of course. It’s an E-3 now.”
“Wow, that’s great. I underestimated you. I made that promise thinking you couldn’t do it.”
Raham praised Adelaide continuously, saying that she was really amazing. Adelaide, who had grumbled “Do you really think that?”, put a lonely smile on her lips and spoke cautiously.
“You remembered. The promise.”
“Ah.”
Raham let out an exclamation like a groan. A brief silence passed.
“… I can’t keep it. I’m sorry.”
Adelaide tried to break the silence. But she couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t say that he would be able to keep his promise. She couldn’t confirm that she could help either. Such a promise was a luxury. She couldn’t dare say that his leg would no longer be amputated.
Silence passed. She came all the way here to talk about something. Adelaide looked through her memories, but she just wanted to have a conversation, she didn’t have a plan.
Then, footsteps were heard nearby. Adelaide turned her head in surprise. However, when she saw the calm Lisianthus, her mind became at ease.
Then she remembered she hadn’t seen someone.
“Oh, I finally found you.”
At the same time, Caladium appeared, complaining about disgusting demons. He didn’t look very good, perhaps because he struggled to find Adelaide.
“So, have you finished talking?”
“We’re still talking.”
After checking Raham’s condition, Caladium furrowed his eyebrows.
“He’s not even an animal, f*ck, what kind of demons would put someone in a cage…!”
He stretched out his hand towards the iron bar. Before Adelaide could warn him, his finger reached the cage.
“Ack, it stings!”
Chhhkk. The sound of electricity was heard then a smell of burnt flesh wafted through the air.
“You can’t touch it!”
“You should have told me before I touched it! It stings, d*mn it!”
Caladium roared and groaned. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be dying. Lisianthus clicked his tongue as if he was genuinely disappointed that he didn’t die.
“Hey, another demon is coming. It looks like they’re trying to take that demon away.”
Caladium blew on his fingers. Then Raham, who had been silent for so long, hurriedly opened his mouth.
“Adelaide. I’m really sorry that I couldn’t keep my promise. Can you do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Please give a message to the Harpy who was on stage earlier on my behalf. Since we aren’t allowed together.”
Adelaide pondered for a moment, then nodded her head. It wouldn’t be that difficult.
“What should I tell her?”
“I’m fine, so she shouldn’t worry too much. That I’m more worried about her having to watch a scene like that…”
The figure of the howling harpy came to mind. Her face, who was forced to look at Raham because her neck was tied in place, looked as if Raham’s pain was hers.
“That I’d rather have her look at my face in that case. That my true heart will be there. If you say that, she will know.”
Adelaide blinked at the words she couldn’t understand. How could she look at his face when he didn’t have a face? Was it a metaphorical expression?
But she did not dare ask. They soon had to leave. Lisianthus informed them that someone was approaching.
Soon, some large demons appeared and dragged him away. The party, who were just with Raham, also disappeared. Adelaide watched the situation, then moved away from the shadows after they left.
“Are you going to see the Harpy?”
“Ah, yes. I will. Since he asked me to…”
Adelaide replied with a blank face. She met Raham and had a conversation, so her purpose of coming to Esperanza was accomplished, but somehow her heart was empty.
“I know where she is. When I came here earlier, I saw some demons taking her.”
“This way.” Caladium beckoned. Adelaide, who had fixed her scarf, followed quietly.
The place where the Harpy was was quite far from the cage where Raham was locked up. The roads and turns were complicated, and the guards were much stricter, so they had to hide their presence as hard as they could.
They almost ran into a guard a few times, and Caladium suggested going alone, but Adelaide refused. It was her who received the request, so she wanted to deliver the message directly.
“How are we going to break through the security?”
“Should I just kill them all?”
Caladium spoke curiously, but Adelaide shook her head. They couldn’t use such a conspicuous method.
“Um, how about that?”
She said, pointing to the three large boxes in the corner. Anxiety lingered on Lisianthus’ face.
“… Those boxes?”
“Uh-huh! Those!”
There were countless boxes identical to that at the location where the guards were. Adelaide argued that they could hide in a box and move when they were not looking. They wouldn’t get caught.
Lisianthus was silent at the absurd suggestion. On the other hand, Caladium said with a surprised face.
“Hey, are you a genius? You’re a lot smarter than I thought.”
“Right? It’s good right?”
“…”
So they hid in the boxes, and when the guard was not looking, they moved. Surprisingly, the guard didn’t even notice that the boxes were changing positions.
Lisianthus wondered if they had lost demonic intelligence while living in the dungeon.
Anyway, the three succeeded in finding the Harpy without being noticed by anyone. It took them an hour which should have only taken 10 minutes. Fortunately, the harpy was not dragged away and stayed where Caladium had seen it.
Contrary to Raham, her appearance was quite normal. Her blonde hair still had a lustrous sheen, and the white skin had a soft radiance. However, her beautiful eyes were so swollen that it would’ve been difficult for her to see, and her wings, which had been deprived of Heavenly power, were weirdly bent.
“Pia?”
The Harpy turned her head in surprise. Like Raham, it was a name she hadn’t been called in a very long time. After falling into the Demon Realm, there was only one person who called her name.
However, looking around, she could not find even a single ant. She could only see three boxes she had never seen before. And suddenly, a face popped out of the box. Pia, the Harpy, was naturally terrified.
“Kyaa!”
“Shh, shh! Raham sent us.”
Adelaide quickly shushed her. As she heard the name ‘Raham’, Pia’s eyes widened.
“It’s not a lot, but he wanted to tell you something.”
Adelaide recited Raham’s message. Each time a word followed, Pia’s blue eyes fluttered endlessly, in the end, she burst into tears.
“Thank you, thank you…”
Pia wept and repeated words of thanks.
He didn’t even come to rescue her, but only gave her a secret message. Adelaide smacked her lips in embarrassment.
“Master Adele. We have to go back now. The warp stop will close soon.”
Lisianthus advised in a low voice. Adelaide looked at Pia’s eyes as she burst into tears, closed the box, and started walking again.
Now that she had talked to her and granted Raham’s request, it’s really time to go back to the Greenville Dungeon.
***
While riding the ladybug flying across the sky, Adelaide, who had been looking at the clouds in the distance, opened her mouth.
“Is it really possible to love someone like that?”
At the sudden topic, Lisianthus and Caladium simultaneously turned to her.
“He risked his life, and… They didn’t resent each other even in that situation. They said it was love at first sight. If you think about it, it hasn’t been long since they met.”
Suddenly, she felt a sense of dread. Adelaide tilted her head and wondered if she had ever thought of this, but nothing came to mind.
“Yeah. I understand.”
Caladium said. Contrary to usual, it was a tone that was not playful at all.
“Time doesn’t matter. If you really like someone, you don’t even think about that.”
Adelaide was slightly amazed as she hadn’t expected to receive a serious answer to her grumbling. She didn’t know that Caladium was also capable of having serious thoughts.
“What about Lisian?”
“I… I do not know.”
On the other hand, Lisianthus, who always gave perfect answers, seemed hesitant. He continued with an indifferent expression on his face.
“I don’t believe in love at first sight. Whether it’s love or whatever, I think it takes time for any emotion to develop.”
“Hmm. I think it’s hard for me to fall in love at first sight too.”
As Adelaide agreed, Caladium shrugged his shoulders.
“Some people think it’s difficult, but it’s not such a big deal. They think it’s something like ‘From the moment I first saw you, I will risk my life!’. It’s not like that. It’s strange, like, just seeing that demon, your eyes would widen. For no reason, words and actions that didn’t matter when other demons did it, feel different when it’s that person. It becomes something special.”
Caladium, who was sitting comfortably on top of the ladybug and speaking his words, was startled for a moment. It was because Adelaide and Lisianthus were staring at him in surprise. Realizing that he said something cringey, he turned his red face and smirked.
“What are you looking at?! Look ahead! It’s dangerous, sh*t…”
“Caladi, your pose looks more dangerous.”
“Even if I fall, I won’t die, but you will!”
“Yes, yes. Lovesick Caladi, live long!”
Adelaide retorted playfully and buried her face in the ladybug’s back. Although she was talking casually, a corner of her heart was still uncomfortable. It was because the appearance of Raham and Pia kept flashing in front of her eyes.
“So, what about you?”
Caladium asked with a quick glance.
“Have you had one?”
“Who…”
A hoarse voice slowly came out. He fumbled on the floor, trying to turn his neck in Adelaide’s direction. His vision was blurry, and he couldn’t find her for a while.
“I’m Adelaide, the owner of Greenville Dungeon.”
“I don’t know if you remember me.” Adelaide added.
Even as she thought about it, she and Raham were not that close. It was surprising that she had come this far for him.
‘What if he says he doesn’t remember?’ Contrary to her concerns, Raham greeted her with a welcoming voice.
“Ah, the scammer. It’s been a while.”
“I am not a scammer.”
“Haha, I’m sorry. The image of you pushing for a stupid contract is so engraved in my impression of you.”
Raham laughed. The playful conversation made her feel as if they had returned to the plains where he lived for a while. It would have been true if it weren’t for his ghastly appearance and cracking voice.
“You don’t look good at all.”
As if just realizing this, Raham’s voice suddenly became bitter.
“… What happened? I heard a little bit from the other Durahans, but I wanted to hear Raham’s side.”
“You met my colleagues. Are they well?”
Adelaide nodded instead of answering. She couldn’t be honest with him and say that they were cursing at him.
“That’s a relief… Well, they must have told you exactly what happened to me. They aren’t friends who lie.”
He tried to pretend to be cheerful. He didn’t want to end the first conversation he had in a long time in a depressing tone.
“By the way, you went there… Did your dungeon become an E-Class?”
“Of course. It’s an E-3 now.”
“Wow, that’s great. I underestimated you. I made that promise thinking you couldn’t do it.”
Raham praised Adelaide continuously, saying that she was really amazing. Adelaide, who had grumbled “Do you really think that?”, put a lonely smile on her lips and spoke cautiously.
“You remembered. The promise.”
“Ah.”
Raham let out an exclamation like a groan. A brief silence passed.
“… I can’t keep it. I’m sorry.”
Adelaide tried to break the silence. But she couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t say that he would be able to keep his promise. She couldn’t confirm that she could help either. Such a promise was a luxury. She couldn’t dare say that his leg would no longer be amputated.
Silence passed. She came all the way here to talk about something. Adelaide looked through her memories, but she just wanted to have a conversation, she didn’t have a plan.
Then, footsteps were heard nearby. Adelaide turned her head in surprise. However, when she saw the calm Lisianthus, her mind became at ease.
Then she remembered she hadn’t seen someone.
“Oh, I finally found you.”
At the same time, Caladium appeared, complaining about disgusting demons. He didn’t look very good, perhaps because he struggled to find Adelaide.
“So, have you finished talking?”
“We’re still talking.”
After checking Raham’s condition, Caladium furrowed his eyebrows.
“He’s not even an animal, f*ck, what kind of demons would put someone in a cage…!”
He stretched out his hand towards the iron bar. Before Adelaide could warn him, his finger reached the cage.
“Ack, it stings!”
Chhhkk. The sound of electricity was heard then a smell of burnt flesh wafted through the air.
“You can’t touch it!”
“You should have told me before I touched it! It stings, d*mn it!”
Caladium roared and groaned. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be dying. Lisianthus clicked his tongue as if he was genuinely disappointed that he didn’t die.
“Hey, another demon is coming. It looks like they’re trying to take that demon away.”
Caladium blew on his fingers. Then Raham, who had been silent for so long, hurriedly opened his mouth.
“Adelaide. I’m really sorry that I couldn’t keep my promise. Can you do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Please give a message to the Harpy who was on stage earlier on my behalf. Since we aren’t allowed together.”
Adelaide pondered for a moment, then nodded her head. It wouldn’t be that difficult.
“What should I tell her?”
“I’m fine, so she shouldn’t worry too much. That I’m more worried about her having to watch a scene like that…”
The figure of the howling harpy came to mind. Her face, who was forced to look at Raham because her neck was tied in place, looked as if Raham’s pain was hers.
“That I’d rather have her look at my face in that case. That my true heart will be there. If you say that, she will know.”
Adelaide blinked at the words she couldn’t understand. How could she look at his face when he didn’t have a face? Was it a metaphorical expression?
But she did not dare ask. They soon had to leave. Lisianthus informed them that someone was approaching.
Soon, some large demons appeared and dragged him away. The party, who were just with Raham, also disappeared. Adelaide watched the situation, then moved away from the shadows after they left.
“Are you going to see the Harpy?”
“Ah, yes. I will. Since he asked me to…”
Adelaide replied with a blank face. She met Raham and had a conversation, so her purpose of coming to Esperanza was accomplished, but somehow her heart was empty.
“I know where she is. When I came here earlier, I saw some demons taking her.”
“This way.” Caladium beckoned. Adelaide, who had fixed her scarf, followed quietly.
The place where the Harpy was was quite far from the cage where Raham was locked up. The roads and turns were complicated, and the guards were much stricter, so they had to hide their presence as hard as they could.
They almost ran into a guard a few times, and Caladium suggested going alone, but Adelaide refused. It was her who received the request, so she wanted to deliver the message directly.
“How are we going to break through the security?”
“Should I just kill them all?”
Caladium spoke curiously, but Adelaide shook her head. They couldn’t use such a conspicuous method.
“Um, how about that?”
She said, pointing to the three large boxes in the corner. Anxiety lingered on Lisianthus’ face.
“… Those boxes?”
“Uh-huh! Those!”
There were countless boxes identical to that at the location where the guards were. Adelaide argued that they could hide in a box and move when they were not looking. They wouldn’t get caught.
Lisianthus was silent at the absurd suggestion. On the other hand, Caladium said with a surprised face.
“Hey, are you a genius? You’re a lot smarter than I thought.”
“Right? It’s good right?”
“…”
So they hid in the boxes, and when the guard was not looking, they moved. Surprisingly, the guard didn’t even notice that the boxes were changing positions.
Lisianthus wondered if they had lost demonic intelligence while living in the dungeon.
Anyway, the three succeeded in finding the Harpy without being noticed by anyone. It took them an hour which should have only taken 10 minutes. Fortunately, the harpy was not dragged away and stayed where Caladium had seen it.
Contrary to Raham, her appearance was quite normal. Her blonde hair still had a lustrous sheen, and the white skin had a soft radiance. However, her beautiful eyes were so swollen that it would’ve been difficult for her to see, and her wings, which had been deprived of Heavenly power, were weirdly bent.
“Pia?”
The Harpy turned her head in surprise. Like Raham, it was a name she hadn’t been called in a very long time. After falling into the Demon Realm, there was only one person who called her name.
However, looking around, she could not find even a single ant. She could only see three boxes she had never seen before. And suddenly, a face popped out of the box. Pia, the Harpy, was naturally terrified.
“Kyaa!”
“Shh, shh! Raham sent us.”
Adelaide quickly shushed her. As she heard the name ‘Raham’, Pia’s eyes widened.
“It’s not a lot, but he wanted to tell you something.”
Adelaide recited Raham’s message. Each time a word followed, Pia’s blue eyes fluttered endlessly, in the end, she burst into tears.
“Thank you, thank you…”
Pia wept and repeated words of thanks.
He didn’t even come to rescue her, but only gave her a secret message. Adelaide smacked her lips in embarrassment.
“Master Adele. We have to go back now. The warp stop will close soon.”
Lisianthus advised in a low voice. Adelaide looked at Pia’s eyes as she burst into tears, closed the box, and started walking again.
Now that she had talked to her and granted Raham’s request, it’s really time to go back to the Greenville Dungeon.
***
While riding the ladybug flying across the sky, Adelaide, who had been looking at the clouds in the distance, opened her mouth.
“Is it really possible to love someone like that?”
At the sudden topic, Lisianthus and Caladium simultaneously turned to her.
“He risked his life, and… They didn’t resent each other even in that situation. They said it was love at first sight. If you think about it, it hasn’t been long since they met.”
Suddenly, she felt a sense of dread. Adelaide tilted her head and wondered if she had ever thought of this, but nothing came to mind.
“Yeah. I understand.”
Caladium said. Contrary to usual, it was a tone that was not playful at all.
“Time doesn’t matter. If you really like someone, you don’t even think about that.”
Adelaide was slightly amazed as she hadn’t expected to receive a serious answer to her grumbling. She didn’t know that Caladium was also capable of having serious thoughts.
“What about Lisian?”
“I… I do not know.”
On the other hand, Lisianthus, who always gave perfect answers, seemed hesitant. He continued with an indifferent expression on his face.
“I don’t believe in love at first sight. Whether it’s love or whatever, I think it takes time for any emotion to develop.”
“Hmm. I think it’s hard for me to fall in love at first sight too.”
As Adelaide agreed, Caladium shrugged his shoulders.
“Some people think it’s difficult, but it’s not such a big deal. They think it’s something like ‘From the moment I first saw you, I will risk my life!’. It’s not like that. It’s strange, like, just seeing that demon, your eyes would widen. For no reason, words and actions that didn’t matter when other demons did it, feel different when it’s that person. It becomes something special.”
Caladium, who was sitting comfortably on top of the ladybug and speaking his words, was startled for a moment. It was because Adelaide and Lisianthus were staring at him in surprise. Realizing that he said something cringey, he turned his red face and smirked.
“What are you looking at?! Look ahead! It’s dangerous, sh*t…”
“Caladi, your pose looks more dangerous.”
“Even if I fall, I won’t die, but you will!”
“Yes, yes. Lovesick Caladi, live long!”
Adelaide retorted playfully and buried her face in the ladybug’s back. Although she was talking casually, a corner of her heart was still uncomfortable. It was because the appearance of Raham and Pia kept flashing in front of her eyes.
“So, what about you?”
Caladium asked with a quick glance.
“Have you had one?”
