You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿-Chapter 89

"Well, I'm concerned too."

The ghost directly mentioned the 'Cursed Castle' and that 'no one should approach it.'

Anyone could see that the wizard who created this barrier must have intended to use the ghost in this way.

Perhaps they implanted the instruction into the ghost's soul, telling it to prevent anyone from approaching the castle.

If that's the case, there must be something important hidden inside that castle...

"But we can't ignore the possibility of it being a trap. We could waste time just barging in, and it might not even help with clearing the dungeon."

We hadn't even let Seol Mae and Lee Pyeong-hwa outside the barrier yet.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Even though we confirmed there were no monsters outside, leaving the three of them alone for too long felt risky.

"It could actually be more of a waste of time," he added.

"What did you say?"

"What if we go ahead and defeat these monsters? Are you sure the dungeon will be cleared?"

Han Jae-young showed a surprised expression for a moment.

The system's judgment for clearing a dungeon is based on whether humanity has expanded its domain by 'conquering' the world.

In other words, even if we kill the core monsters, if it’s not considered a conquest by the system, the dungeon won’t be cleared.

Usually, defeating an A-rank monster would count as a conquest... but...

"You noticed too, right? The last 'dumb statue' we saw was S-rank, but these monsters here are rated as A-rank, even though they're maintaining this kind of barrier."

Indeed, that was something Han Jae-young also found odd.

The 'dumb statue' from last time was S-rank, while the one in front of them was rated as A-rank, despite the powerful barrier.

"So, what you're trying to say is that there might be a core monster in charge of this area, is that it?"

"You already knew that without me explaining, right? You just wanted to ignore it because you're in a rush."

Jeong Da-on said coldly.

"I understand you want to go back to the hideout as quickly as possible, but if, like you said, we break through the barrier and nothing gets solved, what would we gain? We'd only lose time and energy. I don’t want to take that risk."

"...Sigh."

Han Jae-young sighed.

Indeed, as Jeong Da-on said, breaking through this kind of barrier, even for a short time, was a difficult task.

"Two against one. I guess as a member of a democratic society, I have no choice but to follow along."

"So, are we going to that castle now?"

"Yes. Let’s look for another way, just as Yoo Han-ul said."

Although he thought Jeong Da-on's reasoning was sound...

Han Jae-young glanced at her face.

There was something both Jeong Da-on and Han Jae-young had been avoiding mentioning since earlier.

It was the old banner hanging on the castle wall.

Though it had faded with time, the pattern was still recognizable.

"The same pattern I saw on Yeongjongdo..."

The snake motif.

He’d researched organizations using that pattern, but no relevant information had come up.

To think that he’d encounter it here, in a strange dimension...

"This could be a clue about Jeong Da-on’s true identity."

There were a few things he suspected, but it was still just a possibility.

It was worth observing further.

Eventually, the three of them began heading toward the inner fortress under this lukewarm agreement.

"You're staring a lot."

"Yeah."

And as they walked, the village people’s eyes followed them persistently.

He could hear the sound of tongues clicking, and some openly sneered.

"Ah, they're heading to that castle again."

"Shouldn’t we stop them? What about the village chief?"

"They're the ones who threatened the child, right? Just leave them be!"

"This is a bit unfair. Should we tell them that we only retaliated after being hit with stones, Da-on?"

"If you're concerned about the village chief..."

"Stop talking nonsense."

This harsh tone applied to both Han Jae-young and Yoo Han-ul.

The closer they got to the inner fortress, the more the contrast became apparent. The smooth walls of the castle stood in stark contrast to the dilapidated village.

The houses where people lived still maintained their shape, but the clothes worn by the people they passed were all worn, and their eyes seemed dim.

Most unsettling was how the closer they got to the inner fortress...

"Their faces have no expressions."

Unlike the people living near the outer fortress who looked alarmed and wary, those closer to the inner fortress didn’t seem to care at all.

In fact, they ignored the three of them entirely.

"If there’s a main entity in the inner fortress, it would make sense that those closer to it would find it harder to retain their personality."

"Indeed. The closer you get to the inner fortress, the more magical energy is supplied, so that would make ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ sense."

After some speculation, they finally reached the inner fortress, and naturally, the large castle appeared with its door locked.

Jeong Da-on ordered Yoo Han-ul without hesitation.

"Break it."

"Yes, your highness."

Bam!

Yoo Han-ul casually kicked the door down, but he too seemed out of sorts.

Han Jae-young whispered to Jeong Da-on.

"Is it okay to command him like this? You said he’s in a state of confusion."

"That’s a misunderstanding. Even if he wasn’t confused, I would have ordered it. And Yoo Han-ul probably would have done it anyway."

"...I can't deny that."

Han Jae-young exchanged an ambiguous look between Jeong Da-on and Yoo Han-ul, then stepped into the completely broken door.

Inside, there was a long stone path leading to the large central door, with gardens on both sides.

Just as they were about to step inside the castle...

Thud!

"Damn."

Their path was blocked by something invisible.

It was a transparent barrier.

Han Jae-young touched the barrier with his finger, but it instantly bounced him back, as if it was guarding against outsiders.

"There are three layers of barriers."

The first barrier concealed the entire area from the outside world.

The second barrier allowed the souls to absorb the surrounding magical energy while maintaining the barrier.

And the third barrier was even more explicitly focused on protecting the interior of the castle.

"To break through this barrier..."

Han Jae-young looked around.

The garden of the inner fortress looked as though it had been tended to only yesterday.

Though that should have been impossible.

He knelt down and brushed the earth with his fingers.

The soil, which should have been teeming with life, felt completely empty.

It was like dust.

A sense of discomfort washed over him.

"You've stopped time for the earth," he muttered.

No wonder the garden looked so perfectly maintained.

The grass and trees weren't alive; they were simply preserved as they were, frozen in place.

Han Jae-young drew his staff from his back and thrust it into the ground.

In the fairy world, the World Tree gathers all life force.

The staff made from its branches carries both life force and purifying power.

Whoosh!

"As expected."

From the point where Han Jae-young planted the staff, a distinct green light spread outward.

Wherever that light reached, the plants that had been maintained as if in perfect condition began to grow wildly, almost out of control.

The time that had been forcibly stopped began flowing again, filling the area with life.

Crack!

Even the ivy that had been draped on the castle walls started breaking through the stone as it grew.

And this change wasn’t limited to nature.

Crack!

Han Jae-young could feel the invisible barrier cracking.

The nature, now filled with life, was resisting the magic that had been halting time.

This crack was enough to provide an opening to get inside.

Jeong Da-on smiled, something rare for her.

"Well done."

"This is nothing."

"Maybe because you're a half-fairy, but that’s definitely some creative magic."

Anyone who heard it would have thought Jeong Da-on was the senior mage, not Han Jae-young. She sounded proud of him.

Oddly, that didn’t bother him.

As they opened the grand castle door and stepped inside, all they saw was a long, dark space.

"We need to light the place up. We can't see anything."

Though sunlight streamed in through the open door, it wasn’t enough to illuminate the inside.

Han Jae-young cast a bright flame atop his staff.

However...

"Da-on? Yoo Han-ul!"

The two people who had been right next to him a moment ago were now gone.

"Answer me!"

Han Jae-young shouted, but there was no response.

Only the total darkness inside the castle greeted him.

Han Jae-young stood still, staring into the black void.

After a brief moment of confusion, I realized I had been separated from Han Jae-young and clicked my tongue.

"Classic trap magic."

I had a feeling something would happen as soon as we entered the castle.

This castle had so many layers of barriers and precautions in place. It was obvious they'd prepared for something like this.

However, the magical energy in the barrier was under the opponent's control, and dealing with this kind of trap was a whole different problem.

'Of course, solving it is just a matter of time...'

In fact, being separated from Han Jae-young might be an advantage.

He was perceptive.

He probably figured out that the pattern on the banner inside the castle matched the one the alchemist had in the Yeongjongdo dungeon.

Keeping his interest piqued was important, but giving him more information at this point was unnecessary.

We’d made good use of the information regarding the banner. After dealing with the monster at the heart of the castle, it wouldn’t be bad to meet again.

'There are still stronger cards here, though.'

"What should we do, Princess?"

Of course, the problem was that those stronger cards weren’t exactly sane.

Yoo Han-ul, acting like he was a knight, had drawn his sword and was standing guard by my side.

Upon seeing the castle, something unconscious must have triggered memories from my past life.

I shook my head, feeling a slight nostalgia mixed with even stronger rejection.

"Could you stop calling me ‘Your Highness’?"

"Then what should I address you as?"

"...Call me whatever you want."

"Yes, Your Highness."

I sighed.

Yes, once, that hero called me by such formal titles.

I hadn’t been born to destroy the world, after all.

But hearing that title wasn’t exactly pleasant, and honestly, it made my stomach turn every time.

‘What the hell is the system doing, bringing back these memories?’

The system had said that once Yoo Han-ul regained his past life’s memories, it would help him find the ‘enemy of humanity.’

If his goal was to stabilize the connection between this dimension and Earth, it could be useful, but...

‘If he realizes the princess in his memories is actually me, it could be dangerous.’

If he remembers that I was the one who personally eliminated the king’s younger sibling, the princess, he’ll also realize I’m the ‘destroyer of worlds.’

I still vividly remember the destructive power I felt when I held Yoo Han-ul’s hand.

That power was enough to split a star in half with a sword.

A double-edged sword that could cut down anything, but could just as easily turn on me.

‘I’ll have to be careful with him.’

I glanced at Yoo Han-ul and started walking ahead.

He, of course, followed me obediently.

"Where are we going?"

"To end this nightmare."