Volume 4 Chapter 1 Part 9

「Well, for the time being, I think it is too dangerous to be staying near it. 」

「Yeah, I agree as well. 」

But even though he said that, Theo still had a concerned expression on his face. and continued to stare at the willow for a good while longer. And then…

「However, this place is close to the village. It might be dangerous to leave it unattended. 」

「I thought you would say that… 」

At this point, Siluca could confidently say that she knew Theo’s personality pretty well. If there was even a shred of a possibility that something like this tree could cause an accident near the village, then it was a given that he will not be leaving it to its own devices.

「Let us just look into it for now. 」

With her magic wand in her hand, Siluca approached the willow tree.

Then the big willow tree moved its trunk with a loud shudder. Naturally, the rainwater on the leaves started pouring down at that moment. Siluca’s whole body got wet all over, since the amount of water that fell on top of her was too much for even the raincoat to prevent.

「It got me… 」

Siluca wiped her face with her left hand. As far as she was convinced, there was no feeling more unpleasant than this.

「Are you okay? 」

「Yeah, for now at least… 」

Siluca said dejectedly. She was not hurt by that water, but she was feeling uncomfortable. She then looked inside of the tree through the crack in its trunk, but it was too dark inside and she could not see anything in there at all.

「Light, shine, oh light… 」

Siluca lit a magical light at the tip of her magic wand.

Since she started learning magic from the Elder Witch Zelma, she has become strangely adept at witch-style spellcasting. It may be because she has been called a 「Witch」in a bad way ever since she started her education at Magic University.

Siluca aimed her magic light around, but she could not reach the depths of the tree no matter what angle she tried.

「I think that the inside of this tree might be connected to the spaces from different worlds, so there is a possibility that the projections of the beings from those different worlds might be making their appearance here. 」

That was a type of Chaotic Phenomenon known as Cave. It is a type of a small-scale Chaos Disaster in which a group of monsters from another worlds, like Orcs from the Orc World appeared in small, confined spaces in order to ambush the unsuspecting prey.

「What should we do about this then? 」

「The best way of dealing with this Cave would be to release the Chaos Core that anchors it in place and incorporate it into your Crest, Lord Theo. 」

However, in order to utilize this strategy, they would have to locate the Chaos Core first and then Theo would have to absorb it without any interruptions. So Siluca sharpened all of her senses and began to search for clues, starting with any hints of Chaos in the air.

「As expected, it looks like it is located inside of the tree itself. 」

「So we need to come inside in order to proceed? 」

「Yes. Although I do not know what will happen to us once we do. 」

Theo tethered the donkey to a remote location, picks up whatever they might be needing from among the luggage and packed it into a separate backpack. Siluca also took out her rations and magic materials and put them in the inner pocket of her overcoat.

Theo stood in front with his shield up, and Siluca followed him with her magic wand in her hand.

Then the two of them stepped into the hollowed trunk of the willow tree.

As soon as they entered, the light at the tip of the magic wand went out. That was to be expected, since magical light is also a product of the convergence of Chaos, so it must have been overwritten by a stronger Chaos Phenomenon.

「It is pitch dark in here… 」

Theo’s voice sounded in complete darkness, and Siluca looked behind her, but there was no light coming from outside. She took a few steps to try and feel her surroundings and then take a few steps back, but she could not feel anything all around her or get out the way they came here.

「It looks like we have been trapped in a different dimension. 」

To some extent, it was a predictable outcome.

「The fact that we cannot get out means that the residents of the village will be fine no matter what kind of dangerous monsters are inside here. 」

Theo muttered to himself. Even in this situation, it is very typical of him to worry about the residents first.

「There is something shining in the back. 」

「that is great to know, but I do not know which way is back. 」
There was a faint light beyond Siluca’s line of sight.

「For now, let us head over there. Watch your step. 」

Theo said so and started walking forward. Siluca also began to move towards the light along with him. But for some reason, their footsteps started to drift apart. Theo seemed to notice that too, and immediately stopped.

「Is there light there too? 」

「Is there one for Lord Theo as well? 」

Siluca tried to turn only her neck back and check… but then she found out that the light always moved so that it would remain in front of their line of sight.

「That is not how it should be… 」

That which was happening right now clearly defied common sense. Then again, common sense does not apply to Chaos Phenomena.

「It might be bad if we end up getting ourselves separated.

「I think so too… 」

Siluca agreed with Theo.
「Do not move, Lord Theo. I will come over there to you. 」

「I am here right now. It may be difficult to understand because my voice echoes though… 」

Theo called out in order to guide Siluca.

Siluca stretched her left hand forward, probing her surroundings, moving towards the source of Theo’s voice, if only ever so slightly. And then she took a few steps and her palm touched something hard and rigid, which felt like armor

「Stay still! 」

She heard Theo’s voice as he put his hand on Siluca’s arm. She then did the same and moved to check the shape of his arm, then found his wrist and ended up at his finger. And without hesitation, Theo grabbed her hand.

At that moment, Siluca could hear that her heart started beating noticeably louder.

「Let us proceed like this so that we will not get lost. 」

「Y-Yeah, let us do that. 」

Siluca pretended to be calm because she did not wanted Theo to know actually how nervous she was feeling, but the longer they continued like that, the more she could feel that her heart was beating faster and her face was getting hotter.

「Let us make sure that we will face the light so that we could see it at all times, okay? 」

「I understand. 」

The light was always beyond their line of sight, and that is why they did not manage to move anywhere. In other words, wherever they go, they should make sure to never let the light disappear from their field of vision if they wish to proceed.

However, they do not know what kind of supernatural laws are at work in this different dimension, so they need to try different things and see which one of them is going to work.

The two walked hand in hand through the darkness.

(What should I do, I am so happy…)

Right now, in that moment, the only thing that Siluca could concentrate her consciousness on was how her and Theo’s hands were connected right now.

Luckily for her, there was no steps leading upwards or downwards along the way, and the ground beneath her feet remained as soft as the fallen autumn leaves. Thanks to that, even though Siluca’s mind was wandering all over the place, she did not end up tripping over her own legs or falling.

That being said, even though Siluca and Theo have been advancing forward for quite a while now, they seem to be getting no closer to the source of the light than when they were at the very beginning.

「Do you not think that this is strange? 」
Theo stopped and muttered.

「No, I actually had a hunch that something like that might happen. 」

「Let us change the direction then. 」