THIFSGSTW CH 41

Chapter 41: That place looked lonely

The flickering status window disappeared from my view in an instant. It was pitch black.

At the same time, a blue light flickered in a circle in the air a short distance to the left. The swelling and sparkling light soon dissipated like a burst of light.

‘Yeah. That must be a hint.’

After a long walk of about ten large steps, I reached an area where the grass grew knee-high. Ran through dry grass. What appeared before me was a small mound, about the size of two fists…

“A grave?”

No, it wasn’t. It was too small to be called a grave.

But that was my first thought upon seeing it. A thin wooden stick was loosely tied in the shape of a cross and stuck into the ground in front of it. Maybe that’s why. Next to it was a small wooden box. The faded surface showed signs of age. I swept the surface with my hands. The dry soil crumbled and scattered.

Click.

Inside was a flat, golden key.

It wasn’t rusted at all, in fact, it was smooth and polished. A small white gemstone was embedded in the center of the handle, and a faint blue light surrounded it. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.

‘…This is a hint too.’

It was certainly no ordinary key. But that voice from earlier hadn’t given me any more information about where to use it. Just threw out a question without giving an answer. Life was full of uncertainties. I cut off my thoughts and stood up. It was time to head back. If I delay any longer, Park Yul and Raen might notice. I took a step forward then hesitated.

‘A place no one would see.’

The small mound of earth somehow caught my attention. If I hadn’t looked closely, even I might not have found it. For some reason, it looked lonely. I plucked a small, low-growing flower and placed it in front of the mound. Even though it was one of the more intact flowers, like all the plants here, it was slightly wilted.

The night air was cold. Since it was always nighttime here, did that mean it was forever chilly? A place so piercingly cold that even something insignificant felt lonely.

I started walking again. The small blades of grass beneath my feet crumbled like thin ice.

◇

Returning didn’t take long. The flickering glow of the campfire was visible from afar. I carefully made my way toward where Park Yul and Raen were sitting. Moving silently enough that no one would notice was something I was good at…

“Oh, Yihan-ah.”

…Or not. Park Yul suddenly turned his head sharply in my direction. His light green eyes gleamed quietly in the dark. Raen also turned his body toward me, looking my way. In his hands was a round flask. Inside, a transparent pink liquid swirled in a vortex. I felt like I had seen the same thing before somewhere….

As I focused on it, Raen made the flask disappear in an instant. 

“Yi-han? When did you wake up?”

I moved closer and sat beside them. “Just now. What were you guys talking about?”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Huh…?”

“Yihan-ah.”

Park Yul slowly reached out his hand toward me. His unreadable expression made me flinch unconsciously. Did he figure out what I was about to say?

“Your cheeks were red from the cold. Are you freezing?”

His hand brushed lightly against my cheek before pulling away. My tension had been pointless. A bright smile spread across Park Yul’s face. The warmth from his fleeting touch lingered vividly. I had planned to show them the key and discuss it together. They probably knew more than I did, so we might be able to figure out where to use the key.

‘But it’ll definitely look suspicious.’

Saying I just happened to find a key sounded awkward no matter how I put it.

Especially since Park Yul… As Raen called him, he was the leader. He still seemed somewhat wary of me. He would be even more so about something like this. But it was better than hiding it. I took out the wooden box and spoke in the most natural voice I could manage.

“I think it’s because I went for a short walk. I’m not that cold.”

“It’s winter. Of course, it’s cold. Come sit closer. But what’s that?”

“…I found it while walking. In a corner of the grass.”

Park Yul opened the wooden box with a soft click.

“A key? It’s not worn out at all.”

He picked up the key, turning it over in his hand. At that moment, Raen spoke up quickly.

“Leader hyung, did you see that just now?”

“Huh? See what?”

“The blue light… It flickered around for a moment….”

Raen took the key and examined it against the dark sky.

They said Raen was good at sensing mana, but maybe he was just incredibly perceptive. Aside from healing, no one seemed able to perceive the system’s light.

“…Maybe not. I can’t tell anymore.”

Raen sounded uncertain. After a brief pause, Park Yul turned to me.

“So, you just happened to find this while walking…”

How should I answer? Park Yul’s direct gaze felt strangely sharp. Park Yul opened his mouth while I hesitated to answer. And the moment I try to speak more,

Whoosh.

A gust of wind blew beside us. Song Ha-gyeon and Min Joo-hyuk had arrived.

“We’re back!”

“It’s almost done now.”

Park Yul shifted his gaze toward them and spoke softly.

“Yeah, good work.”

Now was the time to think of an excuse. My mind raced.

But no reasonable answer came to mind. Couldn’t they just believe it was a coincidence? There were always more things in the world that couldn’t be explained than things that could. As I was thinking that, I heard Min Joo-hyuk spoke.

“Raen hyung, what’s that?”

“Joo-hyuk. You can see this?”

“It’s a key, isn’t it?”

“Do you see anything special about it?”

“There’s nothing in this world that isn’t special.”

“…….”

His usual bright tone made it impossible to tell if he was joking or being serious. Raen, in contrast, looked at him calmly, as if this was familiar.

Raen spoke again in his gentle voice. “No, I mean—”

“…? It’s sparkling.”

Min Joo-hyuk looked puzzled. Song Ha-gyeon seemed unable to see the light either. When Raen explained, Song Ha-gyeon muttered, “…That’s interesting.”

Though, with his slow speech, he didn’t sound all that amazed.

Min Joo-hyuk continued, “The box is old, but the key isn’t. There’s definitely magic cast on it.”

“Yeah, Joohyuk-ah. And it’s a pretty complex spell. I can’t analyze it.”

Min Joo-hyuk turned to me and casually asked, “Hey, Sun Yi-han. Where’d you find this?”

“It was just lying there…”

I trailed off hesitantly, glancing at Park Yul. Park Yul ruffled my hair and continued in a voice tinged with laughter.

“I see. More importantly, I think there’s only one place where this key could be used.”

Was that it? Were we moving on? It was a relief, but something about it worried me. Earlier, he seemed like he was going to ask more questions. Song Ha-gyeon projected a glowing map into the air and pointed at a specific spot.

“…Here. East District 3.”

“Hmm, it’s on the way out, so we should be able to walk there.”

“Alright. Then let’s rest a little before heading out.”

“Oh, I’m fine to leave now.”

“…Me too.”

Everyone’s attention turned to me. Oh, was I supposed to have a say in this? I hurriedly spoke up.

“I’m good to go too.”

“Are you sure? It’s okay if you want to rest a little longer, Yi-han. There’s no need to rush.”

“Yeah, Sun Yi-han. By the way, aren’t you cold?”

Min Joo-hyuk conjured a thick scarf out of thin air and loosely wrapped it around my neck. I’d noticed before, but he seemed to like putting things on me.

“I’m not cold. But thanks.”

Min Joo-hyuk grinned before neatly tucking in the scarf, tying it into a round ribbon-like knot. I’ve never seen it tied like this before. Maybe he’s good with his hands. I touched the scarf around my neck and spoke.

“You don’t have to worry about me. We can leave right away.”

“How could we not worry, Yi-han? Let’s see.”

Park Yul swept my hair back and met my eyes. His gaze scanned me carefully as if checking my complexion. I really was fine. I looked at Park Yul sincerely. Soon, he curved his eyes into a smile and spoke. “Then let’s pack up and move.”

At Park Yul’s words, Song Ha-gyeon nodded and turned to me. Then, slowly, he spoke. “…We’re going to the mansion.”

That was unexpected. I hadn’t thought Song Ha-gyeon would explain it first.

“There’s a mansion here?”

“…Yeah.”

And that was all he said. …I see. That was enough.

Raen spoke up from the side.

“We found it while exploring. It looks old, and the door was locked tight.”

“Then this key might be able to open it, hyung.”

“Right. Hold on a second. I’ll just finish packing up.”

Raen lightly ruffled my hair before walking off. Park Yul, standing in front of the tent, made a small gesture with his hand. The tent crumpled inward as if being sucked in, then vanished in an instant. Song Ha-gyeon returned the log he’d dragged over to its original spot. Raen and Min Joo-hyuk dispelled the defensive spells around us and came back.

“I’ll wrap it up.”

Min Joo-hyuk snapped his fingers.

The campfire was extinguished in an instant. The crackling of burning wood ceased. Wisps of thin smoke gradually faded into the pitch-black darkness.

Fwshh.

Then, a soft light spread through the surroundings. Song Ha-gyeon was floating a white box in the air, its pale glow gradually expanding. It was the same as when we first arrived.

“Let’s go now.”

All that remained was the lingering scent of burnt wood and the deep darkness. I took a step forward.

◇

After walking for a while, a large gate made of pitch-black iron bars came into view.

“This is it. We’ve arrived.”

A massive mansion stood before us. The dark bricks covering its walls had small cracks here and there, with vines creeping up through them. The windows were dusty and fogged over. The sharp peaks of the roof jutted skyward as if piercing through the night. Above, the darkness stretched out endlessly.

Min Joo-hyuk’s hand landed lightly on my shoulder. His gaze was fixed upward. Looking up at the mansion, he spoke.

“Doesn’t it feel like time has stopped here?”