Chapter 153
“Did she fall asleep?”
“We’ll have to hope that’s what it is.”
Elonen accepted the teacup and crouched beside Macy’s bed, carefully checking her condition.
“This… Her condition is much worse than I thought.”
His expression, which had already been poor from the moment he smelled the stench, slowly hardened as he examined Macy.
“Is it that serious? Is there really no way?”
I had grown anxious too, and I asked carefully. Elonen rolled up his sleeves, then calmly steadied his breathing.
“I’ll try first, but I can’t guarantee the results. For now, step back. I don’t know what might happen.”
There was nowhere to step back in the cramped single-room house, but I still shuffled backward. A brilliant light began to pour out from Elonen’s hands.
It was dazzling, so I raised my arm and covered my face. Before long, Macy began to scream.
“Aaaaah!”
At the scream so desperate it made my heart sink without my realizing it. The stronger the light became, the louder Macy’s pained screams grew.
“Lysian, please hold her body down!”
Macy, who had been lying down, began thrashing like a live fish. I approached the bed without even being able to open my eyes properly and held her body down.
“Kyaaaaaaak!”
A sound like a sharp object scraping against an iron plate burst from Macy’s mouth. Thanks to that, my eardrums nearly burst when I was right beside her.
When the light pouring from Elonen’s hands subsided, only then did the screams die down too.
“Phew… The curse is too strong. I don’t think I can do it alone. We have to take her to the Grand Temple.”
If even Elonen said it couldn’t be done, that meant the situation was truly serious. I let go of the hand I had been holding and examined Macy.
Blue veins stood out across her pale body, and to be honest, she looked a little grotesque.
I was able to directly confirm the true nature of the curse, which had only been vague until now. Fear seemed to suddenly surge over me.
“What was she looking for in the ruins of the fallen kingdom that made her stay there for so long? She already knew it was dangerous…”
Elonen, who had admitted that there was nothing he could do, muttered with a sad face.
But at that moment, the door opened, and Bessie rushed inside. Perhaps she had heard her mother’s scream, because her face was full of tears and worry.
“Mother! Is Mother alright?”
The child shouted urgently and tried to run to her mother, but Elonen quickly grabbed her shoulder.
I thought he had grabbed her because it would be dangerous if she went near, but his gaze was fixed on the doll the child was holding.
“This doll… Where did you get this?”
The doll in the child’s arms was shaped like a little girl wearing a luxurious-looking silk dress.
It was an elaborate porcelain doll that didn’t suit her old, patched clothes or the half-broken house at all.
“Um… Mother gave it to me as a birthday present a little while ago.”
The child answered carefully, hugging the doll even tighter in case it might be taken from her.
How had she gotten such a luxurious doll in a rural village like this, where people were rare?
As I thought about it, I exchanged glances with Elonen. If this doll was the reason Macy had entered the Land of the Dead alone…
“Bessie. Could you leave the doll with me for just a moment? It will only be for a very short while.”
Bessie reluctantly handed the doll to Elonen. Elonen, who had been examining it intently, muttered with a serious face.
“It’s as expected. Traces of the curse remain on this doll too. It seems to have come from the Land of the Dead.”
“I threw a tantrum and told Mother I wanted a doll for my birthday present…”
Only then did I understand why Macy had entered the Land of the Dead without a blessing. Her daughter had said she wanted a doll, so Macy had gone there to find one for her.
What she had desperately searched for while risking danger was the birthday present for her only daughter.
Bessie looked at Elonen, who was examining the doll with a serious face, and looked as if she was about to cry.
“So it really is because of me that Mother is sick, right??”
“That’s not true.”
I said it while holding the child’s thin, trembling shoulders. What sin could a child who knew nothing possibly have committed? The situation had simply turned out this way.
“I’ll try to find another way, so Bessie, please wait outside for a moment.”
I sent Bessie, who was still sniffling, outside. The child kept looking back, as if she couldn’t bring herself to leave.
