Volume 2 Chapter 11 – Safe and Sound

The opening above had been completely sealed off. Looking up, they could no longer see how far the surface was—if they wanted to get out, they’d have to find another way.

Dylin looked around. The darkness made it hard to see the surroundings clearly, so he raised his flintlock and activated its illumination function, holding it overhead like a torch.

The light revealed precisely cut walls around them—not naturally formed, but man made. Dylin activated Divine Appraisal, and as expected, the walls bore heavy marks of artificial carving.

“This place wasn’t naturally formed. Including this basement, it’s all artificial,” Dylin said. “If it’s man made, then there has to be an exit somewhere.”

“We should move forward. There’s only one path, after all—no other choice.”

“What about Astrid and Wenfu?”

“No need to worry—they didn’t fall. They should still be up there.” Dylin picked up a stone and tossed it ahead. It passed smoothly through the tunnel-shaped, elliptical passage.

“Didn’t expect the foundation above to be so fragile. One part collapsed and dragged the rest down with it. That collapse probably triggered vibrations, causing the surrounding columns and walls to fall and block the hole. Good thing it got stuck; if the whole thing had crashed down, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable.”

“So then, should I be thanking you for intentionally falling with me, Dylin?” Felicia teased with a smirk.

“No need. I should be thanking you for cushioning my fall so I landed soft and safe.”

“Oh~? And just how soft was it, exactly? Can you describe it, Dylin?” she asked with a playful glint.

“...Let’s focus on finding the exit.” Dylin turned away, knowing full well she was just trying to ease the tension from their claustrophobic situation, but still unable to withstand her “teasing.”

The two of them entered the tunnel. Felicia instinctively took the lead to shield Dylin, while he walked behind, using Divine Appraisal and gripping his flintlock tightly.

Their footsteps echoed in the silence of the passage.

“You know,” Felicia said suddenly, her voice drifting from ahead, “we’ve always traveled as a group.”

“Huh?” Dylin looked up, puzzled.

“So… does this count as our first time alone together?” Her voice held a subtle charm, tinged with an almost imperceptible allure. She turned to throw him a look over her shoulder, her tone like silk on skin.

“Uh, um…”

“The light above us must’ve come from here. There’s probably a source underground.” Dylin quickly changed the subject.

“Any theories, Dylin?” Felicia dropped the playful tone, now sounding formal.

She’d only been teasing him to keep his mind from dwelling on their predicament. But clearly, it had been unnecessary.

Felicia glanced at the usually low-key Divine Child. Most Divine Children were scholar-types—delicate, sensitive, easily rattled, and in constant need of both physical and emotional protection. Taking one into the field was like guarding fine porcelain.

But Dylin wasn’t like that. In normal times he didn’t stand out, but in crisis he remained calm and composed. Even now, after falling from that height—granted, onto her—but still, not a scratch on him. His resilience was surprising.

He wasn’t one of those fragile types. Still, even if he had been, Felicia would’ve carried him out safely regardless.

“No idea,” Dylin replied. “I’ve never seen a field this strange. Its effects are still unclear, but I’m sure it’s related to mental manipulation.”

The deeper he thought, the more uneasy he became.

Why was only Wenfu affected by the field, while the others were fine?

Who created this field that even Epic Divine Appraisal couldn’t pierce? And why?

What was this ruin originally built for? Why place it in Ruglian?

Escorted by Felicia, Dylin pressed on, though the Divine Appraisal continued to cause a sharp ache in his temples.

He’d used it too much today—his spirit was running dry.

Still, he had to keep going. With just the two of them left, he was the “eyes” of the team.

Ahead, Felicia remained vigilant. They didn’t know how far the tunnel stretched or whether there would be an exit, but neither said it aloud.

They both knew such talk would only drag down morale.

Eventually, a faint light caught their attention. They rounded a bend in the passage.

“How long has this oil lamp been burning?” Dylin asked, staring at the lamp hanging at the corner.

Judging from the ruin’s age, it had to be at least a century old. Was this nuclear-powered kerosene or something?

“The lamp’s enchanted fuel is still very potent,” Felicia said, taking it down and examining it. “To infuse this much magical energy at once, whoever made it must have been a skilled enchanter.”

“How much oil is left?”

“Not even halfway gone yet.”

“Felicia, does your royal palace have magicians with that kind of craftsmanship?”

“No. And even if we did, this style of lamp isn’t used in the palace, or the empire for that matter.” Felicia shook her head.

So it wasn’t from the Kingdom or the Empire.

Dylin grew even more curious about who had built this place.

“Which way now?” Felicia asked, holding up the lamp at the fork.

“Let’s try right.” Dylin tossed a stone ahead to check for traps. When nothing happened, they moved on.

The right path ended in a dead end—a room with no door.

Felicia, staying alert, went in first.

Aside from a moldy bed and a few charred cabinets, the room was empty.

Dylin’s gaze was immediately drawn to the burned cabinets. He walked over, noticing scorched scraps of paper and books among the ashes. Producing a pair of gloves from somewhere, he carefully picked through the carbonized remains.

They were too damaged to yield any clues.

Frowning, Dylin activated Divine Appraisal, trying to extract legible information.

To his surprise—it worked.

A thin white thread of light extended from the charred fragments, forming faint lines of partially restored text.

Most of it was beyond recognition, even for Epic Divine Appraisal, but a few fragmented words stood out:

"Demihuman", "Test Subject", "Negative Emotions."

They were scattered at the start, middle, and end of broken phrases. Without the rest of the text, their meaning was elusive.

“What is it?” Felicia asked, noticing how long he was staring.

“These pages… I can identify a few words using Divine Appraisal.”

“Really?” She leaned in. To her, the papers were just black smudges. Without Dylin’s appraisal, she wouldn’t have noticed anything.

“So what do they say?”

“Most is unreadable. Just a few words. Not even sure they’re accurate.”

“Write them down for me?” Felicia offered.

Dylin nodded, taking a blank sheet and ink pen from her. He copied the deciphered words exactly.

“...Your handwriting is really weird, Dylin,” Felicia said, studying the note.

“Ah—yeah, a little messy,” he admitted sheepishly, guessing that her literary background made the sloppiness stand out even more.

“No, not messy. I mean the style itself. Where did you learn that script?”

“Huh? Script? I just copied what was written. Maybe it’s hard to imitate, but I followed the shape.”

“Even if we ignore the irregular strokes, whoever wrote this probably wasn’t a native speaker of the common tongue,” Felicia concluded.

“Why’s that?”

“I’ve never seen anyone write like this in common tongue. It’s like they were used to another language and unconsciously carried that habit over.”

Dylin looked again at the ghostly script. Now that she mentioned it, something did seem off.

“Yes… it really does feel that way.”

The looping penmanship looked oddly familiar… but he couldn’t place where he’d seen it before.

Still, these scattered clues weren’t enough. What mattered now was finding an exit.

They left the room and took the left fork instead. Felicia continued to walk ahead with the oil lamp, shielding Dylin.

Dylin glanced at her shoulder thoughtfully.

The deeper they went, the colder it felt. Not just physically—there was an oppressive, nameless presence that grew stronger the further they advanced. It sent shivers down his spine.

At first, the lamp could light the shadows around them. But now, it felt like its range was shrinking. Was it running out of oil? That couldn’t be…

Suddenly, Felicia stopped.

“No more path?” Dylin asked. But when he looked past her…

His face turned pale.

Before them stood a wall, faintly exuding a strange odor. By the oil lamp’s dim glow, they could barely see a pair of white eyes on it.

Dylin froze. A chill spread through him as he raised the flintlock toward the wall.

The silence was suffocating.

He glanced at Felicia and pulled a flash potion from his belt, tossing it behind them.

Snap! A burst of blinding white light lit up the area—revealing the truth of those eyes.

The dry wall was stained a dark, blood-like red in the shape of a human figure. Where the eyes should’ve been, there were two eerie white spots. Other pale white patches marked the “head” and “torso.”

As if—As if someone had been pressed into the wall alive.

A twisted piece of horror left behind by whoever built this place?

Near the grotesque wall stood an iron gate, with a switch built directly onto it.

“Felicia?” Dylin lightly tapped her shoulder.

“Hm? What is it?”

“There’s a door. Let’s go.”

“Alright.” Felicia nodded and approached the gate.

Dylin sighed.

“Felicia, you don’t have to force yourself.”

“What do you mean?” She turned and smiled.

“You’re not great with dark places… are you?”

“Eh? What are you saying, Dylin?”

“Your shoulder’s been trembling.”

“What? It must be your imagination.”

“Your smile right now… it’s forced too.” Dylin shook his head. “Everyone has their weaknesses. Admitting them doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human. There’s no need to always act tough.”

He’d noticed it earlier, but hadn’t said anything. Now it was confirmed—Felicia was afraid of the dark. Maybe even afraid of ghosts.

Compared to her usual image as the formidable Knight Princess, it was… surprising.

Yet, even while trembling, she stood in front of him, protecting him without hesitation.

Felicia didn’t respond. She stepped forward silently and placed her hand on the lever.

“I’ll get you out of this ruin safely. You can count on me.”

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