Chapter 67
Night had fallen before she knew it.
Katrina was about to leave the tent again to meet Samuel.
“Where are you going?”
Silas asked.
“…Just stepping out for a bit.”
“What? Don’t go.”
Silas grabbed her.
“…It’s dangerous out there.”
“You’re the one who brought me to this dangerous place.”
“…You can just stay with me. Then you’ll be safe.”
Katrina looked at his thick hand holding her back.
“I don’t want to be with you.”
Silas’s expression hardened.
“That’s why you’re leaving, isn’t it?”
But Katrina deliberately spoke harshly.
“I can’t stand the sight of you right now.”
A hurt expression.
The strength drained from his hand holding her arm.
She didn’t feel good about it.
But Katrina still shook off Silas’s arm.
“…I’ll be back.”
Katrina left the tent and arrived at the place where she had agreed to meet Samuel.
Samuel was already there.
“Here… This is the secret notebook I stole from the island.”
Samuel carefully handed the notebook to Katrina.
“You have to read it and return it right away. No one knows I stole this. If I get caught, I’m dead!”
“Alright. Thanks for bringing it to me.”
Katrina opened the secret notebook Samuel had given her.
Was this supposed to contain something about dimensions?
She didn’t expect much as she flipped through the pages. But then…
She saw a familiar handwriting.
[On Dimensions.]
…It was Arabella’s handwriting.
Katrina froze. Was it just a coincidence that the handwriting looked similar?
But if not, then why was Arabella’s possession here on this island?
“…You’re saying this belonged to an ancient great mage?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Samuel’s answer left Katrina shocked. Ancient? That was hundreds of years ago.
So it wasn’t Arabella’s?
With trembling hands, Katrina turned the pages.
What kind of content was inside that Silas had brought her all the way here for?
[There exist hundreds, thousands, millions of dimensions. Beyond them are other worlds we do not know.]
No matter how she looked at it, the handwriting was identical to Arabella’s.
Earth and this world she had transmigrated into—
They were clearly different dimensions. This book probably meant countless such worlds existed.
[And there are pathways between dimensions. When a pathway opens, sometimes beings from beyond another dimension appear.]
Like Katrina herself.
[Anyone can cross dimensions. Among countless beings, one just happened to get lucky—or unlucky. Conversely, if chance does not allow it, one cannot cross dimensions.]
[But long ago, there was a peculiar being. That being possessed a ‘relic’ and could freely cross dimensions anytime. That relic no longer exists in this world.]
[One day, that being told me it would cross dimensions again. So I became curious. I wanted to prevent that being from crossing. I wanted to see it fail, even with the relic in its possession.]
Huh?
The content started to feel strange.
[Enough preamble. From here on, I will describe my research.]
Katrina turned the page.
And then she saw something shocking.
[There is a way to prevent dimension-crossing.]
[It is by altering the body.]
…What?
Chills ran down her spine.
[This requires meeting a few conditions.]
[First: gather a vast amount of dark magic power.]
At that, Katrina’s expression froze.
Back in Asius territory, Silas had been gathering dark magic power.
[The second condition is…]
[The relic of Madrino Island.]
“…Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
Now she understood.
Silas’s true purpose.
He wanted to make Katrina into someone who could never cross dimensions.
He wanted to keep her from returning.
When Katrina returned to the tent, Silas was waiting outside.
He must have been there the whole time since she left.
When she came back, his face brightened noticeably—then he pressed his lips together.
Katrina couldn’t quite understand that expression.
“Ahem. You’re back.”
Silas awkwardly spoke.
“About… what happened yesterday.”
Katrina silently stared at him.
When she didn’t respond, Silas looked uncertain.
“I… uh…”
He opened his mouth, but seemed unsure what to say.
“…Sorry.”
Silas apologized.
“It was my fault.”
“…”
“I’m sorry.”
She couldn’t make sense of this.
You’re going to do whatever you want anyway, so why care about how I feel?
Why apologize if you’re just going to hurt me again?
‘When you’re planning to make it so I can never go back.’
Katrina wanted to throw those words at him.
“Let’s go in.”
At her words, Silas’s face brightened.
Katrina ignored him and stepped inside.
…So ridiculous.
Finally, the day of the party arrived.
“The party will begin shortly! Everyone, please gather in the center!”
The islanders began preparing for the party.
They were setting up tables and food in the open area.
“I wonder what that handsome outsider will ask us to do?”
But everyone’s attention was clearly fixed on him.
“Katrina, everything you asked for has been prepared.”
At that moment, Samuel approached Katrina.
“Just one drop in the drink will do. Even a big beast would drop instantly.”
First, she had secured the sleeping drug.
Silas had no intention of returning quietly.
He intended to use Madrino Island’s relic to carry out his plan.
‘So I’ll just have to drag him back by force.’
“Good job, Samuel. Come to my tent at the agreed time.”
Katrina had no intention of letting Silas’s plan succeed.
About an hour before the party started, Katrina spotted Silas near Angele’s tent.
“You must return it right after the party.”
Angele handed the “Relic of Madrino” to Silas.
‘So that’s why you joined the treasure hunt.’
The relic was shaped like a crown.
Katrina watched as Silas received the relic.
The moment he had it, he came back to her.
“Silas, after the party… we really are going back, right?”
“Yeah. Let’s go back.”
“Before that, I have something to tell you. Come with me.”
Katrina led Silas to the tent where they had been staying.
Silas looked puzzled, not knowing what she wanted to say.
“I’ve had a lot on my mind since we got here.”
Katrina casually brushed her fingers against his hand.
Startled, his fingers curled inward.
“I’m sorry for what I said yesterday.”
“…What?”
“You apologized, but I didn’t.”
Katrina raised her hand.
“The truth is, I felt bad after saying that.”
Then she stroked his cheek.
His skin was hot. Katrina slowly caressed his face.
“I was wrong too.”
Her hand fell away.
Silas’s gaze was fixed, as if entranced, on her hand.
