My Dream is to Get My Own House - Chapter 118

Episode 118

Lotvart had his eyes tightly closed, as if in disbelief.

A gentle and warm sensation enveloped his entire body.

Like rewinding a clock, the dark magic that had enveloped his body was disappearing.

Peace replaced the agony on his previously pained expression.

And then…

It was when the mana surrounding my body was absorbed by the magic circle.

The geometric patterns of the magic circle that shimmered under my feet shattered.

“From now on, live freely.”

“…Freely?”

“Yes, but in exchange, after you’ve paid the price for what you’ve done.”

Having barely finished speaking, I collapsed onto the ground.

As I transferred powerful mana and exerted my abilities, my breath reached its limit, and cold sweat formed on my forehead.

It was the expected side effect after the powerful purification spell had been cast.

Lotvart, unable to use dark magic anymore due to the purification, looked at me while rubbing his head.

‘Is it finally over, then?’

It seemed like I had dispelled his dark magic more easily than I thought.

I wondered if all that remained for Dylan and me were sweet and affectionate days; right then, a weak smile formed on my lips.

Clang!

With a loud noise, the door began to creak open.

Startled, Lotvart muttered in consternation.

“We need to escape. With the dark magic gone, this place is now…”

“…What is that sound?”

As I responded, I realized.

The space we are in, at the bottom of this lake, is created by dark magic.

And I’ve just about purified the dark magic.

It also meant that this space created by dark magic would inevitably become unstable.

“…Damn it!”

Should I command him to use dark magic again?

But if I provoke him, who has just been purified, his sanity might collapse and he could go on a rampage.

Amidst my indecision, the squeaky lever snapped, and the door opened.

Water from the lakeside poured in like madness.

“Gah…!”

In an instant, the underground floor was filled with water.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped my vision, and I couldn’t breathe.

I thrashed my arms, struggling to rise above the water’s surface.

At that moment, Lotvart opened his eyes underwater.

His brown irises had turned red.

Was this the influence of the dark magic that Saxon had brainwashed him with?

Dark and viscous aura started emanating from his body.

A dangerous energy was slowly freezing the surrounding water.

Just as his sharp fangs clacked and his lips turned parched.

The surrounding water solidified, turning into ice.

And so, I lost consciousness, trapped in the icy lake.

* * *

At that moment, Dylan had just arrived at the Castilla Grand Duchy.

Due to the powerful side effects of teleportation magic, his legs were wobbly, and blood streamed from his arms.

However, he paid no attention to the side effects and arrived at the place where the dark magic was most intense.

The lakeside was frozen by the storm of dark magic.

He clutched the broken lilies and lisianthus, lifeless and uprooted.

The flowers that had shared these grounds for years had lost their vitality and were now dead.

Not far away, Duke Saboia lay on the ground, covered in blood.

At that moment, Dylan sensed.

That many things had gone wrong.

“Listen. Our child, inside there…”

He stood before the essence of the dark magic that had entangled his life for so long.

Once, the nightmarish dark magic and curses that enveloped the entire Castilla Grand Duchy had been a source of terror for him.

Whenever facing dark magic, fear and helplessness had caused his abilities to vanish involuntarily.

But now, it is different.

He had something to protect.

Ignoring primal fear, Dylan raised his sword and shattered the surface of the lake.

The outer layer of ice crackled and broke, but that was all.

The lakeside frozen solid by dark magic resembled perpetual snow.

However, Dylan raised his sword again.

In the center of the transparent, glass-like lake,

Ishael lay as if dead, her eyes closed.

As if resting in a massive glass vessel.

Coincidentally, her hand was placed on her belly.

Dylan’s heart ached, thinking of the tiny socks he had placed in his pocket as a reminder.

“My wife and child are inside there.”

To steel himself, Dylan recalled the tiny baby socks he had tucked in his pants pocket.

His sword struck the lakeside in a single blow.

A blade could not cut through water.

However, imbued with the vitality of the swordsman, it could part the water.

He spent his life energy to cleave the ice of the lake.

With a strange crackling sound, a gap appeared in the once solid lake.

In an instant, his breath quickened.

Roughly tearing off his shirt buttons as he struggled to breathe, he entered the cracked ice.

Some ice shattered, but the lake’s condition remained.

Sharp ice shards grazed Dylan’s body roughly.

Despite the agony, he raised the sword again.

Suddenly, a faint yet warm light emanated behind Dylan.

“Hurry, let’s go. We need to save our… baby.”

Despite the sudden appearance of dark magic and injuries, a true Archmage is still an Archmage.

The light magic cast by Duke Saboia felt like gentle sunlight.

The ice around that light started to melt bit by bit.

Dylan infused his sword with vitality and cleaved through the iceberg to enter inside.

One step, two steps, three steps…

As his whole body grew cold and his hands lost all sensation,

He closed his eyes and discovered Ishael, holding hands with Lord Bavarde and lying still.

“How dare that trash…”

Approaching the unconscious Ishael, Dylan shattered the icy barrier around her.

He gently cradled the unconscious Ishael in his arms.

“How much pain were you in?”

Tears fell from Dylan’s eyes, moistening Ishael’s face.

Yet, even as the tears touched her cheeks, Ishael did not open her eyes.

With her violet lips and tightly closed eyes, she seemed as though she might pass away any moment…

Trembling, Dylan held Ishael in his arms and walked across the ice-covered lake.

He carried the responsibility of healing her.

And right at that moment,

a strange beastly sound emerged from beside him.

“…Grrr.”

With eyes turning reddish and a tortured expression, it was a half-mad Lord Bavarde.

“Is his mind collapsing?”

Dylan silently raised his sword, aiming for Lord Bavarde’s heart.

Is this his final struggle?

Malicious magic emitted from him, once again freezing the surroundings.

A familiar voice echoed in Dylan’s ear.

“You are the only flaw in my life.”

The voice of the Archmage who had made his life painful dominated his mind.

What Lord Bavarde was releasing wasn’t just simple magic.

It was an act of summoning painful memories that seemed to gnaw at his heart.

“Do you think someone precious will come into your life?”

“You’re better off dying just like this.”

It was a malicious voice trying to break down Dylan’s vulnerable mind in the face of dark magic.

He had succumbed to this voice every time and had faced failure.

He had lived in frustration, unable to unleash his abilities.

But now, things are different.

He had something to protect.

Ignoring the incessant voice in his ear, Dylan once again aimed his sword.

Dylan gnashed his teeth and relentlessly attacked the illusion.

“A human waste that should never have been born.”

“Cut off your life forever, cursed.”

Once, these painful words had shaken his heart, but now, they didn’t matter.

Thanks to meeting Ishael, my past wounds have been cleanly healed.

I was only afraid of a future where I might not be with Ishael.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

He gripped his sword again.

At that moment, Lotvart’s hand, infused with dark magic’s curse, began to tighten around his neck.

But Dylan remained calm, whether his throat felt tight or not.

With the hand not holding the sword, he grabbed Lotvart’s hand.

And…

“Get lost.”

He spat out a curse and twisted the opponent’s wrist from there.

With blood dripping from his arm, Lotvart still tried to grip Dylan’s neck.

But Dylan wasn’t afraid.

If he could just stab the spellcaster emitting magic with his sword, everything would end.

“You dare threaten my wife, you damn scum.”

As Dylan gathered strength once again to swing his sword, a small voice came from behind him.

“Dylan…?”