Chapter : 43
When I stopped, the canary halted mid-flight and turned back to look at me.
I hadn’t exactly lived a life with much connection to animals, so I was completely at a loss about what to do in a situation like this.
For now, I held out my hand toward the canary that was watching me.
“Come here.”
Piyo—.
The canary shook its head side to side.
As if it understood my words.
Rather, perhaps finding me frustrating, the bird flew back toward me again.
Then it grabbed my clothes with its beak and began tugging inward.
Watching the canary do that, I fell into thought.
Hmm, this is troublesome….
When you do business long enough, moments like this come up.
Judging from all the information and objective records I’d gathered so far, that choice was extremely dangerous and high-risk…
But sometimes my intuition pushes me to make that very dangerous choice.
That’s what makes it the most troublesome.
Honestly, dealing with people and digging into their true faces was far easier.
As I groaned and hesitated, the canary flapped its wings and continued urging me on.
Seeing that, I let out a small sigh.
Still… that troublesome intuition has always been right.
And for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to ignore this bird.
Unable to understand why my resolve was weakening like this, I slowly started walking.
“If I really end up in danger, you have to take responsibility and help me.”
Did it really understand what I said?
The canary nodded as if in agreement, then fluttered ahead to lead me.
And so, following the canary, I entered the cave—
a place I had never imagined I would set foot in.
***
The moment I went a little farther inside, my breath caught in my throat.
The mana here is too impure.
It wasn’t the clean, gentle energy I usually felt when using magic.
It was an unpleasant aura, a chaotic mix of everything imaginable.
That filthy mana surged throughout the cave.
So much so that even an ordinary person would feel something was wrong.
Am I sensing it more strongly because I’m sensitive to mana?
If I went any farther, it really felt like it would become dangerous.
As I hesitated, the canary fluttered over and landed on my shoulder.
It tilted its head, then guided me toward the right.
…I guess I don’t have a choice.
I’d already resolved myself to danger by following this bird in the first place.
Suppressing the nausea churning in my stomach, I changed direction and followed the canary.
Then, when we reached a certain point—
Huh?
The nausea vanished instantly.
The impure mana dispersed as if fog had lifted, and in its place, the area filled with an extremely pure mana I had never felt before.
With this level of mana… it’s a step above mine.
If my mana was innately clean, this one carried a refined purity honed over countless years.
To think I’d feel something like this within such chaotic mana.
As I marveled in amazement, the canary—waiting for me—once again began guiding the way.
Every step I took following the bird, that pure mana wrapped around me.
Interesting. I clearly heard there were magical traps inside this cave.
But not mana like this.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I tilted my body slightly off the path I’d been following.
Instantly, the impure aura from before rushed back at me.
Damn.
Sensing danger, I quickly straightened myself.
The canary rushed over as well, inspecting me anxiously.
Piyo piyo—!
It chirped loudly, as if scolding me.
Knowing I was at fault, I apologized without resistance.
“Alright. I’ll stick close to you.”
As if understanding my words, the canary resumed leading the way.
I followed closely, scanning the dark cave.
It clearly felt like I’d entered deep into a magical trap.
Looks like every path except the one this bird leads is dangerous.
How strange.
Even in the original story, there was no mention of a perfectly safe route inside the magic trap.
And yet this tiny bird had found a path even I—someone sensitive to mana—couldn’t detect.
Maybe this bird is even more sensitive to mana than I am.
Still, now that I’d come this far… where exactly was Harten?
I considered calling out to him, but decided against any sudden actions and held back.
As I followed the bird deeper, something rather intriguing came into view.
“That is…”
In this dark cave where not even moonlight reached, a hut had been built.
Having enhanced my vision with mana, I stared at the incongruous hut and slowly curled my lips into a smile.
“So this is why you brought me here.”
The canary nodded in agreement.
Seeing that response, my smile widened further.
I know who this cave—and this mana core—originally belonged to.
If my guess was right, that hut was a genuine gold mine.
In high spirits, I headed toward it.
“I wasn’t even expecting something like this~.”
Following my intuition and trusting the canary really was the right choice~.
Just as I grabbed the hut’s doorknob with a faint sense of excitement—
Hm? There’s some writing here…
“Those without qualification may not enter.”
A chill ran down my spine.
I pulled my hand away from the doorknob in alarm, but it was already too late.
“Ugh!”
A powerful gust of wind slammed into me, and my body lifted helplessly into the air.
Wait—if I stray from the path!
In the distance, I saw the canary flapping its wings in shock.
That was the last thing I saw before my consciousness faded.
***
Flash!
When I opened my eyes, all that lay before me was pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen.
I let my guard down.
The more unexpected the fortune, the more I should’ve clung to reason—but this is the price I paid for momentary carelessness.
Reflecting on my mistake, I forced myself to sit up.
Even with my vision enhanced by mana, I couldn’t see an inch ahead.
“Haa…”
I let out a deep sigh and groped around with my hands.
This is… a bed? This is a desk. And this is a chair.
The more I confirmed my surroundings, the faster my heart began to race.
It was familiar.
Far too familiar.
It’s exactly the same as the room I lived in as a child.
The small basement storage room in the mansion where that family lived.
That had been my place until middle school.
My breathing suddenly grew labored.
Without realizing it, my body moved on its own, running toward the door.
Rattle! Rattle!
As expected, the door was locked.
I clenched my lips tightly, forcing myself to regain reason before pounding on it.
I read this in the original story. This is a trap. It’s not real—just an illusion…!
The mana core inside the Roktabia Gorge cave.
Its trap was an illusion spell that exaggerated the target’s greatest weakness or trauma to an extreme degree.
Because I knew the information, I repeated endlessly that this was only an illusion.
Don’t be deceived. Get a hold of yourself…!
But nothing changed.
I was still trapped in my tiny room.
Without a single ray of light.
Just like those times when the family left for long trips and abandoned the house for weeks—
“Huff… huff…”
The harder I tried to calm myself, the faster my breathing became.
As I staggered, my hand touched something.
“!”
I knew what it was the moment I felt it.
The 2-liter bottles of water and preserved food they’d left by the door so I wouldn’t starve to death…
As the forgotten memory resurfaced, goosebumps ran through me and a scream escaped my lips.
“Aaaah!”
Instinctively, I curled my body inward.
This memory was a deep trauma for me, and the reason I’d suffered from claustrophobia for a long time.
I’d gone through therapy and worked hard to overcome it, and the symptoms had nearly disappeared…
Then why… why is my whole body shaking like this?!
So this is how it targets weaknesses and trauma?
My reason slipped away completely, and fear gnawed at my mind.
It felt like someone was gripping my throat—breathing became difficult, and the fear that I might suffocate from lack of oxygen struck me all at once.
But I knew.
No one is coming to save me.
I’d learned that through long experience.
No matter how much I cried, screamed, smashed things, or begged—
No one ever came to free me from this place.
So I have to endure it alone.
This dreadful, endless time would eventually pass.
When they returned from their vacation, they would unlock the door on their own.
Then I could endure until that moment and simply walk out.
I can do this. I always did.
Just as my body remembered, I crouched down, pulled my knees up, and buried my face.
This was all I could do here—to steady my breathing like this.
I have to handle this on my own. I can’t afford to believe someone will save me.
Empty hope only made things harder.
Muttering as if brainwashing myself, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Whether my eyes were open or closed, there was only darkness—but closing them was better.
In a room without a clock, the only thing that pierced my ears
was the sound of my own trembling breath.
