Salvation Through Delusion C43

Chapter 43

The Diamond’s warning echoed all around, a deep, resonant hum that seemed to reverberate through the air itself. At that sound, my senses snapped back into focus, and I became aware of my situation.

Ah, right—I’d fallen into the pond… I have to get back up…

But even lifting my head felt impossible.

The light above wasn’t helping—it pulled at me, drawing me deeper instead of up. My body was being dragged down, swallowed by the depths. Again, I heard the Diamond shouting something.

[I’ll… hhhyyuuu~ report this properly to the Masteeerrr!]

But I couldn’t afford to listen. My only focus was escaping that blinding light. No matter how desperately I struggled, I couldn’t rise—or even stop myself from sinking.

The moment I realized there was no escaping that light, and resignation began to take hold, someone seized my wrist with a powerful grip.

In the next instant, my body was yanked out of the water.

Splash!

“Cough, cough—haah, ha…”

Water poured off me like a waterfall, heavy as lead, pulling me back down. I doubled over, coughing and choking, clutching at the person who had caught me.

Thanks to them, I didn’t tumble back into the pond—but I couldn’t even stand properly.

It felt as though every ounce of strength had drained out of me, and my head spun dizzily as the world blurred around me.

What’s happening to me?

Grinding my teeth, I grabbed hold of the wet fabric of the clothes before me, forcing myself to stay conscious. The person was soaked just like I was.

I lifted my head without thinking—and realized who was holding me up.

Golden eyes stared down at me, sharp and consuming, as if they could devour me whole. The light in them was so intense that I forgot who I was facing; I was caught, helplessly drawn in.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart pounded violently under that gaze, loud enough to drown out all thought. I should have been trying to regain my senses, yet I was losing them, mesmerized by another’s eyes.

Pathetic. I truly was pathetic.

And yet—I couldn’t look away.

Strangely, those golden eyes weren’t mocking or scornful; they were grave, piercingly so. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t even think of turning away.

There wasn’t a single rational thought left in me reminding me that this wasn’t the time for such a gaze.

Whether it was fortune or misfortune, the one with the golden eyes moved first. His gaze lowered slightly—stopping somewhere below.

Where was he looking… my lips?

Heat surged through me like wildfire.

Why—why was he—

Confusion tangled with the strange flutter in my chest. The brief yet suffocating tension shattered when a shout rang out.

“What on earth happened?! Where’s the Diamond? What happened to the Diamond?!”

Golum¹ cried out, almost in anguish. Instinctively, I turned toward the sound—but then my body was suddenly lifted off the ground.

What—what the hell? Why is he carrying me?!

Before I could react, I was cradled in Tyroc’s arms. Shocked, I shoved at him, glaring upward.

“Put me down. What are you—”

“Did you go near the Nonhuman Realm?”

What?

The blinding light that had pulled me down flashed in my mind, and I couldn’t answer.

Meanwhile, Tyroc carried me out of the pond in a bridal hold, speaking in a low, quiet voice meant for me alone.

“I told you, didn’t I? An uninvited human dies upon entry. Even just approaching it drains your life force until you perish… Adeye Rue, stay awake!”

His sharp command barely reached me.

My vision swayed violently, and it felt like I was tumbling through a rollercoaster of dizziness. I couldn’t even keep my eyes open before consciousness faded completely.

“I never imagined that pond would be a passage to the Nonhuman World.”

When High Priest Chegi found herself alone with her disciple, she finally gave voice to her astonishment.

Adeye Rue, who had gone to the pond’s center to dispose of the Diamond, had suddenly vanished beneath the surface as if something below had seized him.

Then a faint light had flared up from that spot. Few had witnessed it—only those sensitive to divine power: the High Priestess, her disciple Ariona, and one other.

The man who had leapt into the pond after Rue—Tyroc.

“The rainbow shimmer… could it be the Forest of Crimson Tides?”

Ariona asked, and the High Priestess nodded with certainty.

“Yes. There’s no other place that emits such light. I’ve heard the Central Temple was built on this site because of its connection to that forest.”

“How could Adeye Rue possibly have found it?”

Chegi’s face twisted in displeasure at the memory of his audacious defiance toward her.

“Hmph. No doubt he was bewitched by the Demon King’s Tear. You’ve seen how others have fallen under its spell, haven’t you? Adeye Rue is no different. Only, since he possessed it, the corruption must have run deeper. That’s why the Diamond chose him—to lure him into the pond.”

“I see…” Ariona murmured, looking somewhat reassured.

“When I first saw the Diamond myself, I couldn’t think of anything else. It was so beautiful that all I wanted was to hold it.”

“Exactly. Even a disciplined cleric like you wavered. Imagine how much worse it was for Adeye Rue. He must have been completely under its control. Still, to recklessly step into the pond like that…”

Chegi clicked her tongue. “If Grand Duke Tyroc hadn’t acted, the Temple would’ve suffered a grave scandal today. The Adeye family is our greatest patron, after all.”

It wasn’t Rue’s death that she feared—it was the chaos the Temple’s benefactors would raise if their patron’s heir perished under her watch.

“But will he be all right? He didn’t look well,” Ariona said softly, recalling the scene. Adeye Rue collapsing wasn’t surprising—but what truly disturbed him was Tyroc. The way he’d leapt into the pond without hesitation, just to save him.

“He will not be all right,” his master replied coldly. Ariona lifted his gaze, startled.

Chegi’s expression was glacial. Rue’s stubbornness in bringing the Diamond into the pond had clearly offended her deeply.

“If Adeye Rue truly reached the Forest of Crimson Tides, it would be no surprise if he died by tonight. Even we, blessed with divine power, cannot enter that place without risk. For a mere human to dare—how foolish.”

She shook her head with disdain.

“If Grand Duke Tyroc had hesitated even a moment longer, he’d have been too late. I thought he despised the Adeyes, yet… it seems the righteous blood of the Koons cannot be so easily denied.”

At her murmured remark, Ariona lowered his head to hide his expression. Tyroc’s act of bravery should have inspired admiration—but the image of Adeye Rue in his arms twisted his heart with jealousy.

I… I want to be held like that too. How can I possibly get closer to the Grand Duke?

“By the way, Master,” Ariona said suddenly, “didn’t you mention finding clues about the Koon family’s curse?”

“I did,” Chegi replied. “I discovered something promising in an ancient document. Tomorrow, I plan to conduct a secret analysis at the Ma Family’s library.”

“Please—allow me to assist you with the interpretation,” Ariona said eagerly.

Normally, Chegi would have praised her disciple’s zeal—but this time, she did not.

His eyes were too earnest, his feelings too transparent.

After a pause, Chegi said firmly,

“Do not let your heart fall too deeply for the Grand Duke.”

Flinch.

Ariona’s shoulders jerked, his head bowing lower. Seeing the visible tremor, Chegi sighed deeply.

“I know how hard it is to turn away once affection takes root. But do not forget our purpose. Grand Duke Tyroc is vital to Tuvine’s future—but only in that regard. I worry that your feelings for him may someday wound you.”

Despite his teacher’s concern, Ariona gave no answer—neither denial nor promise.

In the end, Chegi sighed again and relented.

“Very well. You may accompany me tomorrow.”

“Thank you!”

Ariona’s face lit up, and Chegi let out a helpless chuckle at his unrestrained joy.

But Ariona’s smile soon faded as a new thought struck him.

“Master… do you truly think Adeye Rue will not survive?”

“Who can say? Perhaps his family head will employ every means to keep him alive. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s returned from death’s door.”

Chegi clicked her tongue again, but she noticed her disciple’s face had gone grave.

“What troubles you?”

“It’s just… Adeye Rue feels entirely different now.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard the same. But it’s only natural. Surviving a demonic attack would change anyone. Humans are foolish, yes—but sometimes, they are transformed by near-death itself.”

Despite those words, Ariona bit his lip and kept his head bowed. Chegi sighed softly and patted his shoulder.

“Adeye Rue is not someone worth our concern. Besides,” she added, voice low,

“He has now brushed against the Nonhuman Realm. Even if he wakes, he will never recover his former health.”