The old woman’s cheek turned red upon hearing Hana’s words. She, who greeted her flawlessly in Hana’s eyes, disappeared into the cave. It wasn’t clear if there were separate rooms here; since nothing had been visible until now, there might be some division of space.

Now, something else was important.

Confirming that she had disappeared into the distance, Hana reached out to Calden.

“Give it to me.”

“What?”

“That dagger, hand it over.”

Surprisingly, Calden handed over the dagger obediently. Hana touched the blade, gripped it properly, and pricked her palm. When pressed firmly, there was a sound as if something folded, and the blade sank inward.

“Huh.”

The blade was dull, and there was no chance of getting injured by stabbing with something like this.

Hana glared intently at Calden. While her attitude demanded an explanation from him, despite the veiled threat and being caught in the act, Calden didn’t seem embarrassed. He gazed at her as if it were fascinating or wondrous.

He stammered unusually.

“Th, this, you seem familiar with handling people afflicted by this disease.”

Hana nodded. She was too weak for such problems.

She had to be weak.

The grandmother who took care of Hana before passing away lost her mind. Since no relatives tried to take care of her, Hana endured all kinds of hardships, receiving only occasional money from them.

Many tend to exhibit wicked behavior, but Hana’s grandmother was simply a gentle child. She liked dresses with floral patterns and happily smiled while wearing large hairpins, cheap toy necklaces, and rings. She spent her time sitting quietly, watching fairy tales or children’s TV programs.

Her grandmother couldn’t remember Hana. She always called her ‘pretty sister.’ Even when she was in pain, she never made things difficult for Hana.

Hana bowed her head, recalling the day her grandmother passed away.

At first, she was only surprised, but thankfully, she was very familiar with such people. Individuals like them became sensitive, susceptible to even the smallest words causing harm.

Perhaps that was why Calden looked at her with a tense expression.

“…She’s my younger sister.”

“Younger sister?”

Hana widened her eyes.

“Yes. It’s uncommon, but she’s been suffering from a divine disease since she was young.”

“Younger sister?”

Calden nodded. His expression questioned what the problem was. Hana had to ask.

“…A divine disease?”

“Yes. A disease that withers away one’s youth.”

Calden nodded, smirking. Hana was lost in thought for a moment.

A divine disease.

A disease influenced by the Void… A disease that slowly dries up living beings, twisting their youth. It seemed like a condition that robbed one of time in this world, a terminal illness that couldn’t be healed by any means.

“…Thank you.”

It seemed clear what the gratitude was for. After hearing Calden’s quietly spoken words, she sighed.

“Tell me the story.”

She was too weak for such things.

16. The Only Cure

Caldenos de Ferzan Eatinte.

Calden introduced himself again. Why he chose such a name upon their first meeting was unclear, but Calden was Caldenos’ nickname.

As Hana had anticipated, he was a royal from the Kingdom of Eatinte. Furthermore, it was as expected that he had stepped into the sanctuary to find a way to cure the divine disease. This wasn’t his first attempt. Calden had tried and failed to converse with Ligna several times before, returning without success.

One unexpected aspect was that his main goal wasn’t to cure his sister.

“Just trying to test it out. I wanted to make sure everything is safe before attempting it once my sister is healed – to check if she returns safely and if there are any side effects.”

“And you willingly agreed to help with that.”

Calden had visited this place several times. Even if he used the Treasure of Eatinte, the Wand of Light, entering the sanctuary was a difficult and arduous task for a human.

He glanced at the inner cave where his sister had disappeared and spoke.

“…I couldn’t just leave it be.”

Eatinte was a magical kingdom situated at the westernmost edge of the continent. About a decade ago, the kingdom had been grappling with the Void, which had manifested right in the heart of its capital. The Void’s area within the kingdom was not extensive, but the issue lay in its influence.

There were divided opinions — some believed they had to flee, while others argued they could withstand it. Those who thought they needed to escape clashed continuously with those who believed they could endure by utilizing spatial magic.

However, in the end, they had to live with the Void.

People were reluctant to abruptly abandon their homeland, and due to geographical constraints, leaving their homeland was not an easy option.

There was a temporary solution, probably why they endured. As a magical kingdom, Eatinte could use magic to minimize the damage. The method involved distorting the space around the Void. It was only a makeshift solution, but it seemed to be effective.

The protective barrier blocked the Void’s influence, redirecting it to uninhabited areas. It was a compromise, acknowledging the Void’s impact to some extent. As long as the barrier was in place, there were no outbreaks of the divine disease within the kingdom.

Over time, it became a solution that satisfied everyone.

The problem arose when the Void finally disappeared due to the efforts of the priests, and it was time to lift the spatial distortion barrier.

“Until then, we believed the barrier was performing its role perfectly. Every magician thought so. There were no issues until then.”

As it was a crucial decision, the royalty and nobility created and lifted the barrier. Being of royal descent, they were the most skilled magicians in the magical kingdom. The fact that they endured the Void without leaving only heightened their pride.

However, ultimately, they couldn’t completely avoid the Void’s influence.

The royalty, carried away by the joy of the Void’s disappearance, should not have hastily lifted the barrier as if showcasing it as if holding a festival. It might sound ironic to say it in hindsight, but at least if they had proceeded with some caution for a few more months, things could have been different.

The distorted space blocked the Void’s influence, redirecting it elsewhere.

Unfortunately, they only realized later that these were not happening simultaneously. After the barrier disappeared, the accumulated influence of the Void that hadn’t been relocated elsewhere poured directly onto the magicians present at that location.

“The royals present there were affected, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then did that princess absorb all of that influence?”

Calden nodded and removed the gloves from both hands. His hands, which had been covered by gloves all along, were revealed in front of them.

“All the royals and nobles present at that location were affected.”

“Ah…”

Calden’s right hand was that of a robust adult man with prominent veins on the back, typical of a skilled swordsman.

However, the opposite hand was not the same. While it also had scars and bold lines indicating a history of wielding a sword, it was unmistakably the weathered hand of an elderly man, wrinkled like a dried-up tree branch.

“Although it’s somewhat dispersed, it’s still there.”

He compared his hands for a moment, showing them before putting the gloves back on. Looking at the speechless Hana, he continued with his story.

“I believe we need to eliminate the remaining Void completely as soon as possible.”

Hana raised an eyebrow. It was a bit strange. If it was the Void, she had heard it was an incurable disease. There couldn’t be a stance on eradicating such an incurable disease.

Everyone should have the same opinion.

That was the only way it should be.

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