He reopened his wound.
A new inscription bled onto the grimoire's page as his blood dripped upon it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/3
Subject: Hastora Vallois
3. The Truth Behind the Disappearance of the Hidden Dimension in the Underwater Cave Pool.
Reapshade's entrapment within the Nihility Collapse caused his mana to become chaotic and trapped there. His leaking mana, seeping through the fractured reality, kept the hidden dimension stable. Reapshade's escape from the Nihility Collapse destabilized and destroyed the hidden dimension, resulting in its disappearance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hmmm...."
After reading the inscription, a truth settled in his mind.
The reason the hidden dimension had remained stable was because of Reapshade's leaking mana.
Meaning, Reapshade had been trapped in the Nihility Collapse long before the dimension even existed.
He didn't care about the cause.
What truly mattered was that Reapshade was now free—and had chosen to trust him.
That was more than enough.
However, just knowing how powerful Reapshade was sent shivers down his spine.
Reapshade's mana alone had stabilized a dimension—that was beyond comprehension.
What kind of monster was Reapshade, really?
At last, the truths had all been revealed.
He was lucky; the truths he'd seen were the ones he most wanted to know.
His limit was three, and he'd used all three.
No more glimpses of truth; they were all spent.
"..."
As he shut the page, the grimoire crumbled to dust and vanished.
"Huh?"
Did the grimoire actually have two functions?
In the novel, it only served as a key to enter the Nihility Collapse.
But now, it was different.
Not only was it a key to the Nihility Collapse, but it also had the function of revealing truths.
He seemed to understand what had happened.
He took a deep breath.
"Another ripple from the altered story... I've had enough of this. My knowledge as an author is almost useless in this world."
He removed his shirt.
"Ultimately, I can't keep relying on my knowledge to survive in this world."
"Looks like I need to train my thinking skills; that'll be far more useful."
"I should clean myself first."
He took off his pants and underwear, then jumped into the pool in front of him.
His body was caked in filth.
Entering a smelly building and being chased by monsters had left him reeking.
No one would dare approach him with that stench lingering on his skin.
After cleaning himself, he put on his clothes, sat down, and leaned against the cave wall.
He wanted to test Flamma Infernus, but he couldn't do it inside the cave.
He took out his smartphone and checked the time.
"1:23 AM. It's already night."
"Looks like I'll be spending the night in this cave."
He turned off his smartphone and created a shadow blanket.
He closed his eyes.
He could hear someone talking outside.
But he didn't care.
He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep, like a bear in hibernation.
...
...
"What do we do now?"
Lysette asked, panicked.
She sat restlessly among the coral, knees drawn to her chest like a lost child.
"Calm down, Princess. We'll find a way to save the Queen."
Mirellia clasped Lysette's hands.
"Don't worry. She'll be alright."
Mirellia knew this wouldn't alleviate Lysette's worries.
But she would do her best.
As the Queen's loyal servant, she couldn't act rashly.
She had to find another way.
But… what path remained?
They had tried various methods, but none had worked.
Mirellia cried incessantly every night.
It was bad for her health.
"It's late. We should go back and rest, Princess."
Mirellia hugged Lysette tightly.
"We'll look for the plant tomorrow. Don't push yourself."
"...Okay."
Lysette stopped crying and pulled away from Mirellia's embrace.
"But…"
She gazed at the night sky from underwater.
"How do we get back to the palace? Do you remember the way? Look, it's very dark."
It would be dangerous to return in the dark.
They could get lost or attacked by monsters.
Lysette didn't want to endanger them both.
She squinted, looking around.
"There."
She pointed to an underwater cave.
"What if we spend the night there?"
Mirellia looked in the direction Lysette indicated.
"That… an underwater cave?" Mirellia asked.
"Right. Seawater usually can't enter underwater caves because magic crystals inside block it."
Lysette quickly swam towards the underwater cave.
"Come on."
Lysette urged.
Mirellia hesitated, but ultimately followed Lysette.
They swam through a passage between coral.
The passage was narrow, but Mirellia slipped through with ease—her slender frame untroubled by the tight space.
But not Lysette.
She got stuck in the middle of the passage.
Something was odd.
Her body was quite slender and athletic.
Her buttocks weren't large enough to get stuck there.
She realized something.
Her chest proved a slight hindrance, the passage less forgiving than she'd expected.
She pushed her body, forcing her way through.
"Damn… why does this have to happen to me?"
Realizing her efforts were futile, she focused her mana on her legs and shot forward before hitting the cave wall.
"Princess!"
Mirellia rushed to her, panicked.
"Princess, are you alright?"
"I… I'm… fine…"
She smoothed her hair and stood up, panting.
"Did you look?" Lysette snapped.
Mirellia's face flushed, and she looked away.
"N—No, I didn't see anything."
"Good."
She walked into the underwater cave.
"Don't just stand there. Follow me."
"O—Okay, Princess."
Mirellia followed, then bumped into Lysette, who had suddenly stopped.
"Princess? What's wrong?"
She looked at Lysette's face.
Lysette froze, eyes wide with disbelief.
Mirellia followed her gaze—
And gasped.
A man with black hair, red eyes, and a handsome face…
Sound asleep in the cave.
To be continued in the next chapter…
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A/N:
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Over and out, Zalario