Chapter 84

With the blinding blush ahead, there was an unparalleled gust of wind.

"Oh."

Having managed to climb to the end of the rock along Callisto, I stumbled, unable to hold my balance in a moment, in the rush.

It was then, a sense of dizziness hit the whole body.

"Careful."

A strong force gripped the wrist. The crown prince stood firm and held me steady, as if there was no blow in the wind.

It was when I held my flying head with one hand and opened my eyes with difficulty.

"This is…"

A large circle formed around the body. A complex pattern began to be painted like someone who was invisible in it, and soon a blue light exploded over it.

Like a swaying fire, an unknown intangible force swirled frantically around the corpse. Strong gusts seemed to be caused by it. A ragged strip of cloth hung over the remains fluttered roughly.

"Magic circle."

The crown prince, watching silently, spat out its identity.

'Magic cir...?'

It was when I was looking at a pattern of blank blue at an unfamiliar sound.

It was not long before the wind stopped. Even the intangible power gradually reduced the range, and soon disappeared without breeze along with the pattern. The tumultuous cave had subsided again.

"There was a disturbing element in the Imperial Palace that used magic without permission. It was already long ago."

I let go of his wrists that I had held tightly so that the Crown Prince wouldn't be pushed out. As he said, the condition of the remains standing in the middle of the disappeared magic circle seemed to be incredibly old at a glance.

'Is it magic preserved?'

The cave was damp inside, so the remains that old as that usually melted and could not maintain shape.

Moreover, it was amazing that even a normal person could stand upright like that in a stormy environment.

" ...why is it gone under the waist?"

Sometimes there were mummies found standing upright, but that was possible because the skin and muscles of the lower body were preserved.

But the remains in front of me could not be called mummies at all. The shape of the ribs and the severed vertebrae looked just before they were fused to the rock.

"Did the stone water impregnate the molten remains?"

I was observing the remains with interesting eyes.

"The shape is still maintained because of the remaining mana."

"What?"

"It looks like he used his body as a sacrifice for the Magic Circle to tie the spirit to this place."

Suddenly the Crown Prince answered with open mouth. Only then did I realize that I mumbled out a question.

"How many times have you seen a skull gourd? Seeing that you're not surprised."

He was staring at me with interesting eyes, observing the remains interestingly.

"Usually, they replace them with animals but the author seems to have died halfway through the magical cast and couldn't survive."

"The body… …half split?"

I was astonished a step later. Callisto raised his head and answered with a sour look.

"When you cast a magic team, you need to supply strong vitality.""

"...strong vitality?"

It's the magic team's invocation and vitality, and I don't know a thing like that.

'What? This didn't come out in normal mode.'

Besides, I was very embarrassed because it was a completely different answer from the direction I was guessing.

'It's not some fantasy movie, how the hell do you tie up your soul?'

But I was convinced right away. This is not a reality, but a world of games where magic is practiced in real life.

"… …why would he want to tie his soul to this place?"

"I guess he was trying to keep this magic crew on the line after he died. What magic he'd tried to cast, it's very damn strong."

Callisto added with a frown.

"To the palace, I'm glad this bastard died in the middle."

I nodded in agreement with the remark. It was quite appalling to try to secretly practice magic deep in the woods inside the imperial palace.

The crown prince slowly walked along where the circular border of the Magic Circle carved to check the condition of the remains.

"The spirit that he was trying to tie up is gone, and it seems that only the mana in the body remains and it's stuck in the magic circle.."

"….."

"It's still enough to trigger a magic crew, so he must have been the one who did it in his life."

Approximately I understood it as a sound that the remains could be preserved as much as they were because there was still some mana left.

"With only one mana without all the chemicals, we can preserve the remains.'

What an amazing and convenient world. It was then.

Oooh-ooh-ooh-. Another blue light began to be clearly drawn on the rock with a faint vibration. The Magic Circle seemed to be reactivating.

"Stay back for a while, princess, it's dangerous."

Callisto stretched out his arm at me and ordered me to back off. I stepped back steadily down.

Whi-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee! The magical power left on the body began to fluctuate by the magic circle.

Srrrrrrrrrrrr, Kwasik!

The prince, who pulled the sword, relentlessly lowered the sword over the intangible vortex.

Quang-!

A loud rupture resounded through the cave. The enchanted power and the sword that tried to cut it were smashed, and a lustful blonde blew up without a blow due to the relentless wind.

But apparently not bothered at all, the crown prince flashed his red eyes toward the air, with his sword in the floor. A blue spark splashed around him.

quasik, quasz, quasik- Soon after, cracks began to appear on the rock, as soon as he began to bloom his sword. The fine thread soon became a deep crevice and spread through the entire magic circle.

quasic, quasitic- The rough wind gradually died down with him. frantically

The fluctuating mana and magic circle disappeared at some point.

"Hu…."

The Crown Prince pulled out the sword from the flower. It was quite a bit of power, and there was a cold sweat on his forehead.

"...Is it done, Your Highness?"

I asked, lowering my hand, which was closing my ears because of the roar.

"I completely destroyed it."

Calisto answered with an insincere nod.

"Now let's see what magic he was trying to do."

With the sword in his hand, he walked aimlessly across the cracked rock. It was the thin arm of the remains, each holding a thick scroll.

"Hmm."

After stopping in front of it and stroking his chin for a moment, he suddenly grabbed the sword he was holding. He was ready to chop up the remains.

Only then did I notice what he was going to do, so I cried with my eyes wide open.

"Your, Your Highness!"

"…Hmm?"

Callisto paused and looked back at me. I rushed to where he was.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'll cut the arm."

"Why?"

"Looking at the scroll will give us a clue as to why he's been trying to carve a magic ring inside the palace."

"You don't have to take it out while damaging the remains."

The crown prince wriggled his eyebrows as if he couldn't understand what I said.

"Then will the princess touch the body and give it to me?"

"Yes."

"…what?"

"I'll get it out."

I nodded quickly. That's great. In fact, it was one of the things I wanted to do.

Furthermore, the sword wielded by the Crown Prince could not immediately bring the remains to a collapse. The remains were preserved for a long time in an unusual form.

"Stay back for a moment, Your Highness. Especially, put that sword away."

I slipped a dangerous prince back.

"Hah."

The crown prince burst out laughing as if he were dumbfounded. Srrrr-and-but he simply grabbed the sword into the sheath. The crooked look seemed like, 'Let's see what you're doing.'

I confirmed that he had completely retreated, and stood in front of the remains. Then I gathered my hands together and gave a short silent salute.

'I'm sorry. Can I touch you?

Archaeologists have the most tension when excavating human bones or tombs. It's unbelievable, but there are more supernatural phenomena than you think. Therefore, there have often been cases where a ritual was held or prayed before the excavation work began.

"… …what are you doing?"

It was just after the silent tribute to the remains. The prince, who had stepped back, was standing close by and looking down at me as if I had a toothache.

"I'm setting some salute because I'm touching the bones."

"Why would you do that?"

"To pray for the repose of the deceased, and to pray that the removal of his belongings will not cause any harm."

"You're doing all sorts of useless things."

The Crown Prince glared at me with a strange glance and narrowed the space between his eyes.

"I didn't know the princess would be so superstitious."

"...?"

I immediately ignored his sarcasm.

A condition investigation was needed before the excavation. I leaned down, and looked closely at the scroll and the knuckles holding it.

The paper and bone of the scroll had rotted away, perhaps because they died holding onto it. There was a thick layer of dirt and sand around it.

'Is there a brush or something?'

There could not have been such a thing in this desolate cave.

'Ah!'

As I was looking around and looking for tools, I had a flash of ideas in my head. I put down the crossbow I was holding on the floor, and took the dagger I had brought out of my arms one by one. Then I grabbed a handful of hair, and then I scalded it, cut it off.

It was then.

"Princess!"

Flip-. The dagger's hand held and turned rough.

"What the hell are you doing?"