LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 67
Chapter 1: To Be Sealed
“It hurts.”
“But it’s fine.”
“It hurts.”
“But it’s fine.”
“It hurts.”
“But it’s fine.”
“Is it really fine?”
“This feels like my bones might be broken in several places.”
“My body isn’t moving well.”
“Even when I try to move, some muscles just won’t listen to me at all.”
“Where’s the medicine?”
“Medicine.”
“I can’t see it.”
“It’s too dark.”
“…Si-Hoo?”
“I’ve called out a few times, but there’s no response.”
“It’s too dark to see anything.”
“Or maybe I’m already dead?”
“Though, with how vivid this pain is…”
“This dusty air…”
“And the cold, hard floor I’m lying on…”
“My sense of pain is still alive.”
“I can feel the dullness from the medicine, but it still hurts.”
“So please give me more medicine.”
“No, it’s bearable.”
“I’m still okay.”
“It’s just my body malfunctioning.”
“Si-Hoo, Si-Hoo, Si-Hoo.”
“I’m just calling out into the void.”
“Not long ago, we were talking together.”
“I’ve been trapped in here for hours.”
“If my sense of time isn’t distorted, it might be over ten hours now.”
“I’m feeling a bit of pain…”
“It only hurts enough for me to talk about it.”
“If it gets any worse, I won’t be able to do anything but shudder.”
“If I keep calling Si-Hoo, won’t he come?”
“Is nobody there?”
“I just woke up in the lab, and was it all just a dream?”
“It feels similar to when I was left alone in a dark lab.”
“But at that time, at least I had some medicine.”
[Deactivated]
“It seems broken.”
“Deactivated, huh?”
“I can’t see the timer either.”
“Damn it.”
“Where’s the medicine…?”
“Wasn’t I supposed to transform into a dragon?”
“When I touch my head, there’s no horn.”
“I guess my eyes must have changed a bit.”
“I think I know what the problem is.”
“I’m out of magical power.”
“This room is structured similarly to the lab.”
“They must have removed the magical power inside the room to prevent the test subject from acting out.”
“Then there’s almost nothing I can do.”
“No matter what, you can’t create something out of nothing.”
“You need magical power to use skills.”
“There are physical laws unique to this world.”
“Medicine…”
“I need to take medicine to feel better.”
“That’s also a form of rule.”
“If I don’t take it, I’m going to feel awful.”
“It’s just how it is.”
“By showing a superhuman will, I can push aside my thoughts of medicine for a moment.”
“But exerting that will also consumes energy.”
“I simply don’t have that strength.”
“I think the effects of the medicine have worn off.”
“Show me the timer.”
“There can’t be much time left.”
[Deactivated]
“And then, some more hours pass.”
“I’d like to at least sleep, but I just can’t do that.”
*Click.*
“I hear a door opening from somewhere.”
*Thud.*
“The lights are on.”
“It’s so bright that I can’t see anything.”
“Seo-A.”
“It’s Si-Hoo’s voice.”
“It seems like he’s speaking from the other side of a wall.”
“Si-Hoo?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m sorry. This is the only way.”
“Give me medicine.”
“My eyes are adjusting to the light.”
“I can’t see Si-Hoo anywhere.”
“I see a door that looks like it was made of iron.”
“The place I’m lying in is a small room that would only fit a bed.”
“It reminds me of a solitary cell in a prison.”
“Why am I in a place like this?”
“It looks too similar to the lab, which makes it even more unsettling.”
“At least they gave me medicine there.”
“Give me medicine.”
“I ask once more.”
“…Just a moment.”
“I hear a rattling sound as the lock is opened.”
*Squeak.*
“The door opens.”
“I can feel the magical power mixed in the air.”
[Activated]
“Breathing is getting easier.”
“My strength is returning.”
“And my body moves on its own.
“I can’t stay cooped up in this tiny solitary cell for the sake of some grand goal of world destruction!”
“Let’s go kill Si-Hoo and get out of here.”
“How do I kill him?”
“Given my lack of magical power, I can’t accomplish anything great.”
“O divine medicine, please give me a weapon.”
“At that moment, a familiar feeling dagger materializes in my hands.”
*Thud.*
“The door closes.”
“Han Si-Hoo entered the room.”
“He’s close.”
[Deactivated]
“And I extended the knife toward Han Si-Hoo.”
“Uh—”
“My magical power vanished.”
“The weapon I had created disappeared, and my strength drained away.”
“I was about to fall over when Si-Hoo caught me.”
“It’s because the door closed.”
“All my magical power is completely gone.”
“…Ah…”
“Si-Hoo doesn’t seem too flustered.”
“He looks like he was expecting this.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, sorry Si-Hoo. I didn’t mean to attack. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I know.”
“Uh, thanks, I need to use medicine. Do you have any?”
“Si-Hoo shakes his head.”
“Seo-A.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Are you feeling less pain now?”
“Huh?”
“Now that I think about it, my body doesn’t hurt.”
“It’s just that I can’t exert myself much.”
“I really needed the medicine just a moment ago.”
“Uh… I’m not hurting. How did you do that?”
“Because it was the same last time.”
“…Last time, you say?”
“Yeah. Here.”
“I vaguely remember.”
“We were definitely talking together not long ago.”
“In this very place.”
“But did my memory just fade away?”
“…Where is this?”
“I should have asked this question a long time ago.”
“A solitary cell. It’s an old abandoned facility that I modified.”
“A solitary cell?”
“It’s a room that has magical power shielding functions.”
“Magical power shielding?”
“Yeah. If you come into contact with magical power… you might try to attack me again, or you won’t be in your right mind.”
“This sounds serious.”
“It seems like without this solitary cell, I’d lose my mind.”
“Is that when the dragon comes out?”
“What the—”
“Is that so? Then… I don’t really know, but I guess I just have to stay here.”
“Yeah.”
“But how did I even end up in here? I can’t remember.”
“My head feels foggy.”
“I don’t know what’s happening.”
“My recent memories are hazy.”
“When I tried to attack Si-Hoo a moment ago, it just got blurrier.”
“…You don’t remember?”
“I’m not sure… How did I end up here? The lab?”
“I came out of the lab.”
“What happened after that?”
Ah, I was about to become a dragon.”
“In the lab?”
“No, that’s not right.”
“My memories are jumbled.”
“Ah, did you save me? Si-Hoo? Thank you. But I guess I can’t go outside yet, right?”
“It looks like my questions are making Si-Hoo hesitate.”
“It’s nice that I’m okay even without medicine.”
“It seems that as long as my magical power is supplied on time, it’ll be fine.”
“Maybe I’ve turned into something dragon-like.”
“It seems like I don’t need medicine anymore.”
“Then, how about treatment? Do I need to stay here?”
“Si-Hoo remains silent.”
“He seems to be holding back the words that are on the tip of his tongue.”
“Well…”
“Si-Hoo finally opens his mouth.”
“There should be a way to come out safely. There are methods available…”
“Methods?”
“Si-Hoo hesitates.”
“He says there’s a method, but I can’t fathom why he’s hesitating.”
“…They sell it in the black market. A device for controlling magic.”
“A device? If I have that, I’ll be fine?”
“Enchanted objects are commonly found.”
“Usually, it’s just to enhance clothes, but sometimes there are items with useful characteristics.”
“You told me about it before.”
“I did? What did I tell you?”
“But even so, it doesn’t seem good for you…”
“Huh?”
“What’s that about?”
“I see Si-Hoo pondering deeply.”
“…You don’t remember?”
“If it’s not important, then I probably don’t recall. What was it I told you? A magic control device?”
“It feels like I’ve had this conversation with Si-Hoo before.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“That only piques my curiosity more.”
“What could it be?”
“Just sit here and wait a moment. I’ll go get it.”
*Clank.*
“I hear the doorknob turning, and the door opens.”
[Activated]
“The door closes.”
[Deactivated]
“Does the magical power supply only cut off when the door is closed?”
“It’s really similar to the lab.”
“But I don’t understand what’s activated or deactivated.”
“Is it the presence of magical power?”
“Is the dragon really about to awaken?”
“The black dragon sealed in my right hand was just a joke.”
“Why has it come to this?”
“If my memories were intact, it would have been a bit easier.”
***
“This is it.”
“What Han Si-Hoo presents in front of Seo-A is a collar.”
“It looks like a dog collar, but it’s a magically enhanced version.”
“Seo-A tilts her head, wondering what it is.”
“I bought it at the black market… It seems to work. I haven’t really tried it yet though.”
“A collar?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, I know this.”
“Yeah.”
“Of course, I know.”
“If Seo-A hadn’t told me beforehand, I wouldn’t even have thought to buy it.”
“Seo-A seems to have no memory of it now.”
“It was the day I was transferred to the solitary cell.”
“A week ago from now.”
“Oh, Si-Hoo, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to attack, it’s my body acting on its own.”
“I said something similar back then too.”
“Oh, there’s better equipment for blocking magic.”
“A collar… it’s what we used when moving from the lab…”
“We somehow got a collar.”
“If possible, could you bring me some medicine as well?”
“But I wasn’t able to fulfill that request.”
“The more I touch magical power, the bigger the problem becomes.”
“The phenomenon of memory distortion becomes prominent.”
“Using medicine won’t help the symptoms get better.”
“That doesn’t mean I can keep you locked up here.”
“Since this is an old government facility, there’s a risk that we might get caught if we continue using it.”
“It’s important to stay out of everyone’s sight right now.”
“I have to secure Seo-A’s safety.”
“This is the thing, right? The one used for movement?”
“Movement.”
“Seo-A puts on the collar?”
“For a moment, I wonder who would put a collar on and drag her around.”
“Movement?”
“Yeah. It’s often used when moving around facilities, or when we need to tie you down in a car… Oh, I think I mentioned this before. I remember now.”
“Seo-A beams with a bright smile.”
“But I don’t think this is something to smile about.”
“Han Si-Hoo just feels a tickle of discomfort.”
“I’ll show you how to use it.”
“Seo-A says that and takes the collar in her hands.”
“Here, grab the leash.”
“Si-Hoo grabs the leash, while Seo-A puts on the collar.”
*Click.*
“It’s fine since Si-Hoo is here, even though I can’t take it off by myself.”
“Seo-A has no particular thought about it.”
“She’s just happy to be able to go outside.”
“Han Si-Hoo blankly watches Seo-A.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It feels oddly familiar.”
“Ah, no. I mean, are you okay? Does it feel strange?”
“What? The collar? I could just say it’s a fashion statement. It’s alright to go outside now, right?”
“Saying it’s a fashion statement is a bit much, though.”
“It clearly evokes images of taking a dog for a walk.”
“It wasn’t made for humans.”
“If you look closely at the collar, it faintly says ‘for transporting magical beasts’.”
“…It feels weird if I’m the one holding the leash. Just take it.”
“Is it strange…?”
“I wonder what is strange about it.”
“Is it a bother to hold the leash?”
“But someone has to hold it.”
“I’m going to try opening the door.”
“Okay.”
*Click.* The door opens.
“Fresh air mixed with magical power.”
[Activated]
“No, that’s not okay.”
“It seems like I brought back a defective item from the black market.”
“One of Seo-A’s eyes sparkles.”
“Her eyes are those of a dragon that devours magical power.”
“She tries to attack Han Si-Hoo again, filled with murderous intent.”
“First, I need to create a weapon.”
[Deactivated]
“Han Si-Hoo grabbed the leash.”
“Seo-A seems to sway as if her strength has drained away.”
“She’s become obedient.”
“…Ah.”
“So someone has to hold the leash for it to work.”
“Han Si-Hoo grasped how it operates.”
“Heh…”
“Seo-A gives a sheepish smile.”