Home/I Saved the Villain and Fell Asleep/ch 1

Chapter 1

"Elder, may I ask you for directions?"

The old man, who had been sizing up the short, thin man, nodded his head.

"The fog is so thick I can't see the mountain entrance at all. Which way is it?"

"Surely you're not trying to go up to that castle?"

The old man pointed toward the mountain shrouded in thick fog. In the middle of the mountain, whose size was impossible to gauge, a pointed spire stood tall.

The man nodded in agreement.

"Goodness, man! It looks like this is your first time entering. Just turn back now."

"Pardon?"

"The goblin castle gates have been closed for less than a week now. You'll have to wait at least four more days for them to reopen. Stay in this village and head up when the gates open."

"Oh... Haha, it's alright. Just tell me the way. I'll go on my own."

"Young man, are you going there to die? Many have died trying to force their way in when the gates weren't open."

The man looked at the old man, who clicked his tongue and shook his head, with a troubled expression. Then he bowed to the elder.

"Just point me in the direction, please. I'll be fine."

The old man, squinting as he looked the man over, pointed to the right with the tip of his chin.

"I really don't get it. But you asked, so I'm telling you. Go straight down that road and you'll find a wooden signpost with nothing written on it. Follow the path it points to."

"Thank you, Elder."

The man adjusted his wooden box once more and set off. The old man watched his retreating back and let out a short sigh.

"I don't feel good about this..."

The man walked straight in the direction the old man had indicated. He walked until the scattered farmhouses completely disappeared, and there, as the old man had said, stood a wooden signpost with no writing on it.

"This must be it..."

Ravian, the man carrying the wooden box, stared into the foggy mountain and swallowed hard. The elder's warning—that he would die if he entered now—was no lie. The moment he plunged into that fog, he would surely lose his way.

But Ravian had faith that he would reach his destination, the goblin castle, safely. The necklace hidden beneath his shirt would show him the way.

Suddenly, Ravian recalled the moment Caelius had handed him that necklace.

"When you brew a peach wine that satisfies me, bring this and come find me anytime."

Caelius had come to see Ravian alone, without Hariella, who used to cling to him like glue. Without any greeting, he had thrust the necklace out.

"Caelius? This is... a necklace? What is it?"

"A key that will get you safely to where I am."

"You've moved?"

"Come to the goblin castle. The gates will open."

"The goblin castle..."

Ravian could not understand Caelius's words at all. After years of being untraceable, he suddenly appeared and said to come find him when he brewed the finest peach wine.

"I'll pay you handsomely."

"No, the payment isn't the issue. I can give you peach wine anytime. I owe you both such a great debt."

Caelius slowly nodded, his face blank. The more Ravian spoke with him, the drier his mouth felt. Caelius's icy expression made Ravian shrink his shoulders.

Unlike the Caelius of the past, who had been easy to approach, the Caelius before him now was like a sharply honed blade.

"Um... Caelius. Didn't you come with Hariella?"

Surely, surely they haven't broken up?

Finally, he blurted out the question that had been circling in his mouth. There had been times when Hariella came to see Ravian alone, but this was the first time Caelius had come alone.

"Hari is sleeping."

"Huh? Ah... She must be tired these days. Is she alright? No pains or illnesses?"

"She won't answer me even if I ask. Because she's asleep."

"Huh?"

Only then did Ravian sense that something was wrong. Caelius's eyes were red and swollen. His heart sank.

He realized that "sleeping" didn't simply mean being asleep.

"Uh, since when...?"

"About six months ago... Hari loved your peach wine, so deliver it regularly yourself. You never know. She might wake up wanting a drink..."

With those final words, Caelius turned and disappeared. Ravian could only stare blankly at his retreating back.

After that, Ravian visited the goblin castle once or twice a year to deliver peach wine. The castle's location changed frequently, and the gates' opening and closing cycles were irregular, so he had to time his visits well.

Having always visited when the gates were open, today Ravian faced closed gates for the first time.

"I... I'll be okay, right?"

Ravian had also heard rumors that visiting the goblin castle while the gates were closed meant your life was not guaranteed.

He knew well that it wasn't just a rumor. How could an ordinary person reach the castle gates in fog so thick you couldn't see an inch ahead?

"I'm going in. Caelius? I'm coming in, okay?"

Knowing no one could hear him, Ravian still muttered to himself and stepped forward boldly. Instantly, the fog surrounded him.

It somehow felt suffocating. The mysteriously moving fog coiled around Ravian's legs. Seeing the fog constrict his legs like a damp snake, Ravian stifled a scream.

A strange sound—whether it was leaves rustling in the wind or a snake's hiss—sent a chill down his spine. He gasped in surprise, and the fog, which had stopped moving, slowly began to disperse.

He hurriedly looked down at the necklace around his neck. The gem set in it was glowing brightly. Soon, like the parting of the sea, the fog split open, revealing a narrow path barely wide enough for one person to pass.

Ravian opened his eyes wide and followed the path. Though he hadn't walked long, he was already at the castle gates.

"Ravian?"

"Urgh!!!"

Someone called his name from beside him. Startled, Ravian jumped and nervously checked his wooden box.

"Hehe, I apologize. Did I startle you?"

It was Bern, the butler who always guided him whenever he visited the goblin castle.

The castle looked unchanged from when he'd last visited eight months ago. The location had changed, but the interior was the same—how curious.

"Come to think of it, you always visited when the gates were open, Ravian. This is your first time coming when they're closed, isn't it?"

"Th-that's right. I do hope next time I can visit when they're open."

He still felt a creepy sensation lingering on the back of his neck.

"Um, is Caelius...?"

Ravian looked around and asked Bern. It had to be Caelius who received his peach wine—no attendant, no head butler.

Last time he had handed it to someone else... well, something had happened.

Ugh, that disaster. I can't even imagine how much worse it must have gotten.

"I'm afraid you probably won't be able to see the lord... For now, I'll take you to the reception room."

"Huh? That won't do. You remember what happened last time, don't you? If I leave the peach wine with someone else, he'll throw another fit."

"When the gates are closed, it's an exception. He's usually not in his right mind."

"Pardon?"

Just then, the floor began to shake as if an earthquake had struck. A booming sound came from the ceiling, and dust began to scatter in the air.

"Oh dear."

"Wh-what is this?!"

"Ravian, follow me for now. Hold that wooden box tight."

Ravian followed Bern's instruction, clutching the wooden box with both hands as he moved. Bern grabbed Ravian's arm firmly as he staggered with each tremor and quickened his pace.

Just then, as they hurried along, a desperate, harrowing scream reached Ravian's ears—one impossible to ignore.

"W-was that a scream just now?"

It was a man's cry mixed with metallic sounds. Animalistic howls followed, and another boom resounded from the ceiling.

The ceiling shook as if it would collapse at any moment.

"B-Bern! It's not going to collapse, is it?!"

"Hehehe, surely the lord wouldn't dare. It's just that Lady Hariella simply won't wake up, so he's throwing a tantrum. When the gates are closed, he does this quite often, so you'll get used to it."

Ravian was dumbfounded by Bern's sharp words. Was it his imagination, or was Bern's attitude toward Caelius growing more and more insolent?

"It would be proper to take you to the reception room, but as things stand, even the reception room isn't safe. You'll have to come with me to the situation room—will that be alright?"

"Yes, yes, yes!! Of course!! I don't want to be alone!!"

It felt like the ceiling could come crashing down on him at any moment, so Ravian quickly followed Bern into a large room called the situation room.

The first thing that caught his eye upon entering were dozens of crystal balls illuminating the entire room.

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