"Baron Atreus… I'm sorry…"
On the bed, Leysha hugged me tightly, crying softly.
Her ample breasts and sexy thighs seemed to be locking around me.
We were both naked, covered only by a blanket.
Just as the healer said, hugging like this lessened the pain of the curse Leysha was suffering from.
Although Leysha's pain and soreness had subsided, nothing could alleviate her guilt.
I don't know how many times she had whined, apologizing to me for feeling like a failure after nearly being killed by Baroness Cecile.
But I didn't blame her at all.
"Come on, Leysha. Why must you apologize over and over? It's already happened. We need to focus on fixing our current mess. We only have seven days," I said, gently stroking her.
Leysha wiped away her tears.
Her cheeks looked puffy.
"I-I caused Baron Atreus trouble. I shouldn't have done this…"
"No one expected Baroness Cecile to be so hostile, Leysha. I'm more grateful you didn't die at her hands. If that had happened, everything would have been ruined."
"D-destroyed, Baron…? Why?"
"Because you're the woman I must protect, Leysha. Now let's put our sorrows behind us and move forward together to avenge our defeat before the Vermillion territory is completely taken over by them. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, Baron…! I-I understand…!"
"Good… I like that you're back in good spirits, Leysha."
Leysha may have recovered, but the image of Baroness Cecile in my imagination still haunts me.
That bastard Cecile is indeed strong. I confidently could say we're equals in strength, but she has a much larger and stronger army.
Even if I win against Cecile later, I might lose to her forces because I'm exhausted.
Luckily, Cecile would challenge me to a duel, allowing me and her to fight manfully, one-on-one.
But I knew that my level of strength wasn't enough to defeat Cecile completely.
I had to find a way to strengthen myself!
If I searched my memory again as Baron Atreus, I couldn't find anything that could give me any clues about new magical abilities or magical gear that could enhance my powers as a Wizard.
"Baron Atreus... do you remember Time and Dimension Magic?"
Leysha's sudden question immediately caught my attention.
"Time and Dimension Magic?" I asked, trying to search my memory for it.
And I found it.
Time and Dimension Magic can only be used by families descended from pure wizards and possessing high-level magical abilities.
Typically, Time and Dimension Magic are magical abilities passed down through the bloodline, not from ordinary learning.
"Why are you suddenly asking about that, Leysha?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing, Baron Atreus. It's just that I remember that back when Lord Vermillion was still around, he forbade maids, even knights, from entering the hidden dungeons in this castle. He said that if anyone entered those rooms, they would lose their magical abilities. After I was cursed by Baroness Cecile, I felt as if I were under the threat Lord Vermillion had warned me about," Leysha replied slowly.
Wait a minute.
There's a dungeon like that here?
"Did you go in there after Lord Vermillion—I mean, after my father died?" I asked, probing deeper.
"Almost, Baron Atreus. But in the end, no one dared. Lady Vermillion once warned us that that was where Time and Dimension Magic resided. However, those abilities aren't commonly used by Wizards, so we decided against delving deeper."
Interesting.
It seems Lord and Lady Vermillion are hiding something about this dungeon.
When I think back to the time I was reading the book my parents left me, I read about Vermillion, though I didn't really understand its contents.
"Then, shall we go there, Leysha?"
"E-eh...? Baron Atreus wants to go to that basement...?" Leysha asked.
"Yes, who knows, there might be something good there, Leysha."
"B-but... Lord Vermillion said that place can damage our magical abilities... I'm worried that Baron Atreus' magical abilities will be damaged..."
"I'm more worried that my magical abilities will remain stagnant and I'll lose in my duel against Baroness Cecile, Leysha. Let's go now!"
*
In the basement, there was a small secret passageway leading to a room sealed by a special gate.
I found no keyhole or lever, only a single red gem.
Baron Atreus' memory in my head informed me that the red gem was a kind of access card to the gate that only descendants of Vermillion could open on. "Leysha, are you ready?" I asked before trying to open the tall steel gate.
"Y-yes, Baron Atreus. I will definitely go wherever you go. Whatever the risk!" Leysha dared, even though her body was trembling with fear.
I just smiled amusedly at her, but on the other hand, I was happy for a loyal woman like her.
I placed my palm on the red gem, and a bright red light appeared, as the gate vibrated until it swung open.
Inside, there was a circular room, with a pentagram star symbol engraved in the center of the room.
Many inscriptions were carved on each side of the star, meaning something like: 'uncertain time'.
But when I thought back, I felt a familiarity with the star inscriptions.
I tried to recall them more deeply, and then realized that the inscriptions on the star resembled the inscriptions in the book my parents left me.
"Uncertain time... uncertain dimensions... but in the end... all is one..." I tried to reread all the writings, exactly as I had said when reading the book my parents had left me.
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, red and blue lights flashed, bursting from each side of the star.
Leysha immediately took cover behind my back; we happened to be at the center of the star.
"B-Baron Atreus...! The light from the star is getting stronger...!", Leysha warned.
"I know, Leysha! Don't run!", I exclaimed confidently.
My instincts told me there was some magic at work, though I didn't know what, but I was certain it had something to do with the Time and Dimension Magic Leysha had told me about.
"N-no...! I won't run...!", Leysa dared.
Then, in a matter of seconds, the entire world seemed to glow white.
Leysha and I hugged each other, holding each other close.
We no longer felt the floor we were both standing on, as if we were flying, floating, who knows where.
"Baron Atreus...!"
Leysha's voice, which had been clear before, slowly faded, then disappeared.
I couldn't even feel Leysha's hand anymore!
ZAAAPP!
From a shimmering white, it turned to darkness.
I opened my eyes and saw a familiar street.
Cars and buses were moving along it.
Tall skyscrapers all around me.
People in shirts walking briskly while talking on the phone and checking their watches.
Young men skateboarding.
Teenagers filming their friends with their smartphones.
Wait a minute.
Am I back in my world?
I slowly got up from my chair, looking down at my appearance, wearing only a t-shirt and an old coat.
This was exactly how I looked when my wife divorced me and my child abandoned me.
My right hand still tightly gripped the black book with its yellowed pages, a legacy from my parents.
Did this mean Time and Dimension Magic was the ability to transmigrate?
My mind felt like it was spinning, piecing together all the scattered pieces of the puzzle, until I finally came to the tentative conclusion that my parents were somehow connected to Lord and Lady Vermillion in that magical era.
I hastily skimmed through a few pages of my parents' legacy, and then I discovered an important clue.
'Continue the Vermillion wand relay.'
The Vermillion wand?
Now that I thought about it, it seemed like my late parents had kept it in their garage.
Was the Vermillion wand related to magical gear I could use later?
With all these relevant clues, it was worth a try.
I had to try to find the Vermillion wand, which meant going to my house, which was now occupied by my ex-wife.
"Mom, look! Atreus now looks like he's homeless!"
A familiar girl's voice.
Yes, the voice of my daughter, whom I had always nurtured and protected since she was little, has now grown into a daughter who dares to insult her own father.
I know I'm no longer her father, but I'm still her biological father.
Hearing my daughter now dare to insult and belittle me makes my heart ache.
I looked at my daughter, Rite, who used to smile and greet me, now looking at me with a look of scorn and disdain.
"Oh my... so you're still in this city, Atreus. I thought you went to the countryside to live your life as... I don't know, a farmer maybe? You don't deserve to live in a city like this anymore."
My ex-wife, Ela, stared at me arrogantly and haughtily, uttering her harsh words right to my face.
Ela's appearance, covered in expensive gold necklaces, bracelets, and rings, along with her luxurious fur coat, seemed to make her seem better than me.
Ela and Rite, two people I had dedicated my life and soul to for their well-being, had now transformed into people who brought me down to ashes of my dignity.
I may have been happy that I could change my fate in the magical world as Baron Atreus Vermillion, but deep down, I still resented the way my ex-wife and child had treated me.
"Here. Go away. Don't let me see you in this town again," Ela suddenly handed me five dollars, then shooed me away like I was a beggar begging.
This jerk.
"Keep that money, Ela. I don't need it," I said, holding back my anger that was about to explode.
"Hey, don't tell me you don't need this. The homeless I met were always grateful and thankful whenever I gave them cash, no matter how much. Now look at you, Atreus. You're no different from those homeless. Jobless, shelterless, penniless, and without self-respect. Your era in this city is over. It's time for you to leave and let the chosen ones enjoy the glamorous pleasures of this city."
"You talk so much as if you're the winner, but you're the real traitor and villain, Ela. I'm truly disappointed in you."
"Are you disappointed in me? Hah! I don't care if any homeless people are disappointed in me! Your life has been a disappointment! That's why Rite and I went out and got rid of you, you lousy man!"
"Yes, Atreus is a lousy man!" Rite chimed in.
These two really got on my nerves.
Before I could lash out, a young woman's voice suddenly approached me.
A soft, gentle voice, I knew it was a comfort to me when I was devastated by the way my ex-wife and child had betrayed my trust.
"Baron Atreus…! Leysha is here…!"