The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 47: The Secret Passageway 

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

Hersey passed two bags full of food and water to Fern and Stan. In fact, he used magic and made the bags fly towards them. “These supplies are enough to last you one week. I’ve only put a small amount of water in there because after you step out of the secret passageway, you can melt the snow and drink it.”

“But our horses…” Niss said dejectedly. Her mare had followed her from Shawana to Doyle, so she was unwilling to part with it.

“We don’t have a choice. Furthermore, you’ll have to go on with your journey on foot for a long time in the future.” Hersey shrugged. “I think right after all of you stepped into the Source of Magic, Byron informed the mayors of other towns in Doyle to keep an eye on you. As soon as they discover you, you’ll be hunted down.”

“Damn it!” Stan cursed.

“Stan, you have never thought that you’d be on the wanted list in Doyle one day, right?” Rae teased.

Nevertheless, Stan wasn’t irritated. “The moment I heard the conversation between the king and the lady, I knew that this day would come. I just didn’t expect that it’d come so soon.”

“You have to leave the city before dawn. I’ve recovered most of your spiritual energy during the treatments, so all of you can walk for an entire night without sleeping.” Hersey hid his hands in his sleeves and gave them a reminder.

“Alright, let’s go now.” Fern nodded at Hersey and put the bag on his back.

***

Hersey walked up to the fireplace and raised his hands. In an instant, the fire was put out, and the room fell into darkness. Following that, the fireplace lit up again as a stone door with the Seven Gods carved on it appeared before their eyes. Two torches were on the sides of the door, and with the help of the firelight, they could see that even though centuries had passed, the sculptures were still well-maintained.

Hersey raised his right hand and pushed forward in the air, whereupon the door screeched open, and the chilly air whisked across their faces. What fell into their sight was a dark passageway, which was so narrow that only one person could get into it at a time. Fern even had to bend his back to enter.

“Are you ready?” Hersey asked sternly.

“Yes!” the quartet answered in unison. 

“Heroes, it’s time to embark on your journey. May the Seven Gods be with you.” Hersey nodded at every one of them solemnly. When it was Niss’s turn, he stopped for a moment and hovered his hand above her head as he chanted a spell. After that, he kept his hand in his sleeve, but he appeared to be weaker than just now. “Niss, I’ve placed the Ring of Life on you. I hope it’ll be able to protect you once at the most critical moment.”

“The Ring of Life? But… that would deplete the origin of your power!” Niss exclaimed.

“I’m old now, so it makes no difference that I’ll live for a few years less. I just think that all of us, including the Magician’s Tower and the citizens of Wallis, owe it to you, for you have to endure so much hardship at such a young age. Just see the Ring of Life as my apology to you.” Hersey appeared to be older now, but the smile on his face remained benevolent.

Seeing that Niss was on the brink of tearing up, he hurriedly urged them to get into the passageway. “Heroes, go now. The future of Wallis depends on you. Trust your companions and stick to your faith. As long as you remain upstanding, even the Dark Lord won’t be able to harm you.”

With a torch in his hand, Fern stepped into the passageway first, followed by Rae and Niss. Stan took the other torch and stayed at the back of the group. After casting one last glance at Hersey, they turned around and moved forward without hesitation.

After they left, the room fell into darkness again. Hersey recited a spell, after which the stone door disappeared, and the firewood started crackling again, as though nothing had happened just now.

Then, he lowered his hands and kept them in his sleeves. “All of you will make a name for yourselves in the history of Wallis.”

***

After the initial slope, the passageway was basically flat for the next four hours they would walk. There was no other light other than the torches in their hands, and the narrow passage was depressing. Aside from their breathing and footsteps, the only sound they could hear was the crackling of the torches. The walk in the passageway hadn’t been a pleasant journey for them.

Unable to take it anymore, Niss said, “Fern, when will we reach the exit? I’ll go mad if we keep walking.”

“I’m not sure. The exit will be near when we see an upward slope.” Fern wasn’t certain how long they had to keep going. In fact, as the one walking at the front, he faced greater pressure than Niss.

“Why don’t we take a rest first and eat something?” Rae appeared to be unwell as she clenched her magic cane.

“Alright.” Fern took a seat on the floor. “Fortunately, it’s not damp here. Otherwise, it’d be more troublesome for us.”

Stan sat down on the ground as well. “Yes, the weather in Doyle has always been frigid and dry.”

After a moment of hesitation, Niss and Rae took their seats as well. Fern and Stan took out some food and water from their bags and shared them with the magicians as they started having their meals in this dark passageway.

***

As Niss was having her food, she kept looking around. “Luckily, Fern and Stan are at the front and the back. Otherwise, I’d go mad.”

“You’re right. I don’t feel safe here at all.” Rae also appeared to be unnerved as she rubbed her own arms.

After stuffing a smoked sausage into his mouth, Fern looked into the dark distance. “Stan, how far do you think we’ve left Wolfsburg?”

Leaning his back against the wall, Stan tipped his head back and gave it a thought. “I believe we’re ten miles away from the city now, but it’s still within the patrol range of the knights, so we have to go further.”

“We don’t even know what direction we’re heading as though we’re blind. This feels terrible.” After gobbling down the sausage, Fern drank some water. “All the conventional methods used to measure distance or ascertain the direction are useless here.”

“Fern, what if we’re trapped here forever?” Niss asked worriedly as she appeared to be frightened. 

“Don’t be too worried. I don’t think Hersey would try to harm us.” Fern consoled her with a smile.

“Of course he won’t, but maybe he doesn’t even know that the passageway has changed. If that’s the case, what should we do?” Terrified, Niss leaned closer to Fern.

“If there’s really no exit, we’ll just dig a hole upward after we get out of the knights’ patrol range. You can even make an explosion using magic as long as you don’t hurt us.” Fern continued eating his food as he wasn’t worried at all.

“Oh yes, why didn’t I think about it before? I’m less terrified now after talking to you. Thanks, Fern!” No longer feeling fearful, Niss nibbled at her fruit joyfully.

“Niss, sometimes, I’m really envious of your personality.” Rae said melancholically.

“Really? But I’m envious of how calm you always are. Compared to you, I feel like I’m still a kid.” With an apple in her hand, Niss flashed a smile at her.

“Well, the grass is always greener on the other side.” Rae smiled helplessly. “Niss, you’re an innocent girl, so you have to be wary of a certain bad guy and don’t be fooled by him.”

“A bad guy? Who are you referring to?” Niss batted her eyes and looked at Rae in puzzlement.

“I’m talking about the one who is eating beef jerky.” Rae gave Fern a look. 

Niss immediately turned to Fern, who was about to place a beef jerky into his mouth. After he heard what Rae said, his hand froze in the air as the beef jerky was hung above his mouth.

“There’s no way Fern is a bad guy. He’s saved me many times before. I can’t even thank him enough—” Niss seemed to have a lot to say.

With a grin, Rae questioned, “After your trial, Fern will have completed his task, right?”

Niss hadn’t realized that she had fallen into her trap. “Yeah. Why?”

With a smile, Rae continued, “When the task is over, Fern will have to go back to Deville, and you’ll return to the Magician’s Tower. Do you know what I mean now?”

“You mean Fern and I… Well…” Niss was lost for words.

Rae stopped talking and drank water with a smile.

***

“Rae, after coming out of the Source of Magic, you seemed to have become more talkative—in a negative way.” Fern shot her a look and patted Niss’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to her. The most important task at hand is to complete your trial. It’s a tough one, so we have to give it our best shot and don’t be distracted by other matters.”

“Alright…” Niss looked at Fern as she appeared to be reluctant to part with him.

“Finish your food quickly. We’d better get out of this place as soon as possible.” Fern said.

Niss pursed her lips and fell silent as she continued having her food. Fern, I think I’ll miss you if we have to part ways in the end. Initially, I just treated you as a mercenary whom I had hired to help me pass the trial. But now, I realize that I’ll willingly listen to you. I hope that we’ll never go separate ways. At that instant, she could hear her inner voice clearly.

***

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