It was too vivid to be a mere illusion. The woman walked toward me. I was startled and stumbled backward. But she passed through me, her voice still wailing mournfully.
I looked around, my hands on the ground. Julian, who had been holding me until just now, was nowhere to be seen. Above all, this wasn't the mine I'd entered, but a wide, grassy field.
“Where on earth am I?”
I stood up and saw a woman in black. Following her seemed to be the only option for now.
After following the woman for a while, I suddenly realized something. Her gait, though unsteady, was quite formal. The black clothes she was wearing also looked like they were expensive.
What bothered me most was that the woman was wearing black clothes and a black hat, making her look like someone attending a funeral.
But there was no sign of a funeral taking place here. Aside from the woman's footsteps and the wind rustling through the grass, no sound could be heard.
Mumble, mumble. Mumble, mumble.
No, there was another sound. The woman who had been crying the entire time suddenly began muttering softly. She went deeper and deeper into the secluded area. I thought I would be further from Julian if I continued this way, but I followed her, as if possessed.
Mumble, mumble. Mumble, mumble.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
I hurried my steps closer to the woman. More than fear, curiosity about this bizarre situation, and a desire to escape were my overriding concerns.
“...If you... then you will be cursed...”
Curse!
I opened my eyes wide and backed away from the woman a little.
Curses were a form of magic that a person of exceptional magical potential would discover when they fell. Because they were so taboo, fallen wizards were ostracized and forced to live in secluded places.
At some point, a tombstone appeared before the woman and me. I couldn't help but be astonished. The name "Isaac Duchzan" was engraved on it. Judging by the date of his death, which was over a hundred years ago, he seemed to be the ancestor of the Duchzan family.
The woman knelt before Isaac Duchzan's tombstone. Tears fell from her beautiful emerald eyes. She leaned against the tombstone as if embracing it, and whispered.
“I told you I would curse you if you betrayed me.”
A pitch-black energy began to gather at the tips of that woman's fingers.
“Without you, I would really be like this...”
The woman, with her eyes closed, looked like a pitiful beauty. However, a black aura began to spread from the blades of grass she touched. The aura dyed everything around her pitch black. I hesitated, but soon the black aura began to rise up my ankles.
“W, what the heck is this...”
"You!"
As I was at a loss, I heard a strong call. I raised my head and saw the woman staring at me with bloodshot eyes. How? How could a woman who had never even seen me before...? The woman pointed at me, her eyes widening as she bewildered me.
“You too will not escape this curse!”
Before she could finish her sentence, I sprinted backwards. But the black energy clung to my body, refusing to leave, and consumed me even faster.
“Julian, Julian...!”
I shouted the first name that came to mind at that moment: someone strong and someone who gives for me.
“Julian!”
The moment I shouted louder, someone hugged me tightly.
“Layla!”
The call was incomparably stronger than that of the fallen wizard. I clung to the warmth that embraced me, hugging him tightly.
“Layla, are you awake?”
“You, Julian... how are you here...”
I muttered nonsense, then gradually began to grasp the situation. I was still in front of the black rock of the mine. In full view of the miners, I had thrown my arms around Julian, trying to pull him into a hug. Shame overtook the relief of regaining consciousness.
“Uh, I’m sorry!”
I tried to push away from Julian's chest, but Julian hugged me again and lifted me up. Startled, I couldn't help but hug his neck.
“Madam, you don’t seem to be feeling well, so don’t try too hard.”
I whispered in Julian's ear.
“Look, there are a lot of eyes watching...”
“Are you telling me to just watch my wife stumble because of their eyes?”
Julian hugged me even tighter. Only then did I shut my mouth.
I thought he'd just leave, but Julian was still standing there among the miners. It was a stark contrast to my desire to storm out of there right away. I asked cautiously.
“Why aren’t you going?”
“I have something to check, but I can’t send my wife out alone.”
“What is that...”
As I muttered, a rock filled my vision, transparently shimmering with colorful light. It was clearly where a large, black rock had been embedded just moments before. Bewildered, I looked at Julian.
“Did the wizard already come while I was unconscious?”
I wondered if I'd been unconscious for that long. But Julian's expression was different. He was looking at me, as if I were the cause of this. I touched his shoulder and trailed off, saying, "Uh..."
“It’s not like I touched it and the magic stone interpreted it on its own or anything, right? Ahaha.”
I found this situation unbearable and made a joke. But Julian didn't deny it, and the surrounding miners' gazes were also unusual. They were all astonished, as if they had witnessed something remarkable.
“Madam, are you a wizard?”
The miners' leader asked in admiration. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“No, I’m a knight.”
“So you’re a magic knight?”
“No, no. I have never learned magic.”
“Are you a natural-born magic knight?!”
With every word, it seemed to grow more impressive. I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut, afraid that if I said even one more word, the misunderstanding would only get worse.
Julian, who had been listening to the strange and indescribable conversation, spoke calmly.
“We will provide tools to mine this rare magic stone.”
The miners bowed their heads in gratitude. Mining rare magic stones was a great opportunity. They would gain experience and earn higher wages.
But Julian and I benefited the most. To decipher the rare magic stone, we'd have to summon the precious wizard, and that would undoubtedly take a considerable amount of time. But now, without spending any money or time, we had access to a mine of rare magic stones—there was no greater gain.
We boarded the carriage again. I planned to send Julian's trusted aide and a servant here to begin the work. I was lost in thought in the gently rocking carriage, while Julian was naturally silent. I was always the one to break this silence.
“Julian.”
“Why are you calling?”
“Do you happen to know an ancestor named Isaac Duchzan?”
At those words, Julian narrowed his eyes.
“How does Madam know his name?”
I seemed more surprised than Julian. Was the vision real? If so, had I truly seen the past? Could such a thing even be possible? What connection did the black woman have to the Duchzan family? Could it possibly be related to the curse Julian was carrying?
Julian asked me, looking at me, biting my lip, and lost in thought.
“Madam, is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”
"No!"
I was startled and overreacted.
There was so much to hide. My regression was a prime example, as was the vision I'd just seen. I was afraid to tell him about the woman in the vision. She was cursing your ancestors, and she was cursing me too...
It could simply be a curse against those who glimpsed the past, but perhaps, just maybe, I was connected to the curse that flowed through the Duchzan family. The thought made my fingertips tremble. Julian was a man deeply afraid of his own curse.
But, facing Julian's stern gaze, I could only spit out a very small part of the truth.
“...Yes. There is something to hide.”
That was it.
“But I don’t want to say what I’m hiding.”
I told him nothing more, leaving only the fact that I was not a very trustworthy woman.
“Layla.”
Julian would sometimes call my name like this. Every time, I felt my heart pounding. I felt like I could spill everything if I kept this up. My heart ached at the thought that he had something to hide, that he might be disappointed in me. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to open my mouth and say something harsh.
"You won't show your face to me anyway, will you? That's the kind of couple we are."
With every word, I screamed at myself that this was a mistake, that I shouldn't have said it. But the words had already flowed out, and they were enough to silence Julian.
"...Yes."
Julian didn't ask for anything more. That relieved me, and at the same time, it upset me.
I looked around, my hands on the ground. Julian, who had been holding me until just now, was nowhere to be seen. Above all, this wasn't the mine I'd entered, but a wide, grassy field.
“Where on earth am I?”
I stood up and saw a woman in black. Following her seemed to be the only option for now.
After following the woman for a while, I suddenly realized something. Her gait, though unsteady, was quite formal. The black clothes she was wearing also looked like they were expensive.
What bothered me most was that the woman was wearing black clothes and a black hat, making her look like someone attending a funeral.
But there was no sign of a funeral taking place here. Aside from the woman's footsteps and the wind rustling through the grass, no sound could be heard.
Mumble, mumble. Mumble, mumble.
No, there was another sound. The woman who had been crying the entire time suddenly began muttering softly. She went deeper and deeper into the secluded area. I thought I would be further from Julian if I continued this way, but I followed her, as if possessed.
Mumble, mumble. Mumble, mumble.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
I hurried my steps closer to the woman. More than fear, curiosity about this bizarre situation, and a desire to escape were my overriding concerns.
“...If you... then you will be cursed...”
Curse!
I opened my eyes wide and backed away from the woman a little.
Curses were a form of magic that a person of exceptional magical potential would discover when they fell. Because they were so taboo, fallen wizards were ostracized and forced to live in secluded places.
At some point, a tombstone appeared before the woman and me. I couldn't help but be astonished. The name "Isaac Duchzan" was engraved on it. Judging by the date of his death, which was over a hundred years ago, he seemed to be the ancestor of the Duchzan family.
The woman knelt before Isaac Duchzan's tombstone. Tears fell from her beautiful emerald eyes. She leaned against the tombstone as if embracing it, and whispered.
“I told you I would curse you if you betrayed me.”
A pitch-black energy began to gather at the tips of that woman's fingers.
“Without you, I would really be like this...”
The woman, with her eyes closed, looked like a pitiful beauty. However, a black aura began to spread from the blades of grass she touched. The aura dyed everything around her pitch black. I hesitated, but soon the black aura began to rise up my ankles.
“W, what the heck is this...”
"You!"
As I was at a loss, I heard a strong call. I raised my head and saw the woman staring at me with bloodshot eyes. How? How could a woman who had never even seen me before...? The woman pointed at me, her eyes widening as she bewildered me.
“You too will not escape this curse!”
Before she could finish her sentence, I sprinted backwards. But the black energy clung to my body, refusing to leave, and consumed me even faster.
“Julian, Julian...!”
I shouted the first name that came to mind at that moment: someone strong and someone who gives for me.
“Julian!”
The moment I shouted louder, someone hugged me tightly.
“Layla!”
The call was incomparably stronger than that of the fallen wizard. I clung to the warmth that embraced me, hugging him tightly.
“Layla, are you awake?”
“You, Julian... how are you here...”
I muttered nonsense, then gradually began to grasp the situation. I was still in front of the black rock of the mine. In full view of the miners, I had thrown my arms around Julian, trying to pull him into a hug. Shame overtook the relief of regaining consciousness.
“Uh, I’m sorry!”
I tried to push away from Julian's chest, but Julian hugged me again and lifted me up. Startled, I couldn't help but hug his neck.
“Madam, you don’t seem to be feeling well, so don’t try too hard.”
I whispered in Julian's ear.
“Look, there are a lot of eyes watching...”
“Are you telling me to just watch my wife stumble because of their eyes?”
Julian hugged me even tighter. Only then did I shut my mouth.
I thought he'd just leave, but Julian was still standing there among the miners. It was a stark contrast to my desire to storm out of there right away. I asked cautiously.
“Why aren’t you going?”
“I have something to check, but I can’t send my wife out alone.”
“What is that...”
As I muttered, a rock filled my vision, transparently shimmering with colorful light. It was clearly where a large, black rock had been embedded just moments before. Bewildered, I looked at Julian.
“Did the wizard already come while I was unconscious?”
I wondered if I'd been unconscious for that long. But Julian's expression was different. He was looking at me, as if I were the cause of this. I touched his shoulder and trailed off, saying, "Uh..."
“It’s not like I touched it and the magic stone interpreted it on its own or anything, right? Ahaha.”
I found this situation unbearable and made a joke. But Julian didn't deny it, and the surrounding miners' gazes were also unusual. They were all astonished, as if they had witnessed something remarkable.
“Madam, are you a wizard?”
The miners' leader asked in admiration. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“No, I’m a knight.”
“So you’re a magic knight?”
“No, no. I have never learned magic.”
“Are you a natural-born magic knight?!”
With every word, it seemed to grow more impressive. I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut, afraid that if I said even one more word, the misunderstanding would only get worse.
Julian, who had been listening to the strange and indescribable conversation, spoke calmly.
“We will provide tools to mine this rare magic stone.”
The miners bowed their heads in gratitude. Mining rare magic stones was a great opportunity. They would gain experience and earn higher wages.
But Julian and I benefited the most. To decipher the rare magic stone, we'd have to summon the precious wizard, and that would undoubtedly take a considerable amount of time. But now, without spending any money or time, we had access to a mine of rare magic stones—there was no greater gain.
We boarded the carriage again. I planned to send Julian's trusted aide and a servant here to begin the work. I was lost in thought in the gently rocking carriage, while Julian was naturally silent. I was always the one to break this silence.
“Julian.”
“Why are you calling?”
“Do you happen to know an ancestor named Isaac Duchzan?”
At those words, Julian narrowed his eyes.
“How does Madam know his name?”
I seemed more surprised than Julian. Was the vision real? If so, had I truly seen the past? Could such a thing even be possible? What connection did the black woman have to the Duchzan family? Could it possibly be related to the curse Julian was carrying?
Julian asked me, looking at me, biting my lip, and lost in thought.
“Madam, is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”
"No!"
I was startled and overreacted.
There was so much to hide. My regression was a prime example, as was the vision I'd just seen. I was afraid to tell him about the woman in the vision. She was cursing your ancestors, and she was cursing me too...
It could simply be a curse against those who glimpsed the past, but perhaps, just maybe, I was connected to the curse that flowed through the Duchzan family. The thought made my fingertips tremble. Julian was a man deeply afraid of his own curse.
But, facing Julian's stern gaze, I could only spit out a very small part of the truth.
“...Yes. There is something to hide.”
That was it.
“But I don’t want to say what I’m hiding.”
I told him nothing more, leaving only the fact that I was not a very trustworthy woman.
“Layla.”
Julian would sometimes call my name like this. Every time, I felt my heart pounding. I felt like I could spill everything if I kept this up. My heart ached at the thought that he had something to hide, that he might be disappointed in me. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to open my mouth and say something harsh.
"You won't show your face to me anyway, will you? That's the kind of couple we are."
With every word, I screamed at myself that this was a mistake, that I shouldn't have said it. But the words had already flowed out, and they were enough to silence Julian.
"...Yes."
Julian didn't ask for anything more. That relieved me, and at the same time, it upset me.
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