Gently curled handwriting. The scent of flowers permeating the paper. Letter envelopes without any family crest. Sometimes people exchange secret messages under the guise of a wife’s name, but these were undeniably love letters.

“Tell me immediately if you sense anyone coming.”

The butterfly sitting on my shoulder promptly flew to the doorknob and perched there.

In the dark room, I placed the letters under a single lit candle. The thin papers were stacked nearly two finger joints thick, who knows how many letters he had collected. Under the flickering flame, I carefully untied the string binding the letters.

I picked up the most faded letter and opened it cautiously.

[Darling. The servants are acting strange. They keep crying and trying to place white flowers beside you. But purple suits you best, doesn’t it? I plan to write letters for you to read when you wake up. Someday we’ll play together with our children. I’ll make it happen. Let’s meet again soon.]

Hyacinth and her children had passed away. Only Baron Klaus foolishly refused to let them go. The next letter, and the one after that, all contained nothing but longing for Hyacinth.

Then I discovered a letter that felt different from paper. Unlike the previous neatly written ones, this letter was different. Ink had splattered everywhere, and the handwriting was excited, like a child’s diary.

[Darling. I think I’ve found a way. It’s magical power. When I used magical creatures’ power, even flowers that bloom for only one season bloomed again. It seems to be connected to life force. Could this make you bloom like a flower again? My Hyacinth who will never wither. Let’s meet again soon.]

A dried purple flower was attached to the bottom of the letter, like a memento of Hyacinth. Perhaps it was the result of his first successful experiment making flowers bloom with magical power. Unfortunately, the flower had crumbled beyond recognition, not even attracting insects.

After that, the letters continued irregularly.

[Darling. Spring has already come. Yet I’m still in that winter when you fell asleep. Surveillance is still tight here, making it difficult to obtain magical creatures. But I won’t give up, no matter how much time passes. Let’s meet again soon.]

[Darling. With summer, insects keep swarming to you. Beautiful flowers always attract bugs, I suppose. But don’t worry anymore. No one will nibble at your pale petals. I’ve created a perfect greenhouse for you to rest in. Let’s meet again soon.]

The shocking content made my hand go limp, and I dropped the letter. A carrion beetle carcass forcibly attached to the edge of the paper fell to the floor with a thud. Only Baron Klaus would be oblivious to what it had fed on.

Another season passed like that. After letters with no special content, a new figure finally appeared.

[Darling. Listen. I finally met someone who appreciates the value of my research. They showed me an effective way to gather magical creatures. I’ve created a drug, so I just need to experiment now. If all goes well, magical creatures will naturally gather in my hands. Let’s meet again soon.]

“…Someone?”

Who could it be? A nobleman? Or perhaps he was referring to Reton, the deity Klaus believed in. It seems this person referred to as “they” is sponsoring Klaus’s research. Amid endless questions, I opened the next letter.

[Darling. It’s winter. You said you wished for snow on the purple flower field, didn’t you? There was a brief snowfall at dawn. How wonderful it would have been if you had seen it. Oh, by the way, I found a vessel for you according to their wishes. Her purple hair resembles you so much. Her name is also a flower, like yours. I hope you like her. Let’s meet again soon.]

Purple hair. A flower name. All clues pointed precisely to one person. Despite trying to deny it by considering other possibilities, there were none. Iris Dillen, the baron’s cherished ward, who still doesn’t know the truth, was destined to become Hyacinth’s vessel.

“How disgusting…”

The letters continued endlessly after that.

[Darling. Sorry I couldn’t write for a while. I’ve been busy preparing for the first experiment. Remember Bivrint Forest? We went nearby when you were pregnant and wanted to travel. Apparently, useful magical creatures gather there. Don’t worry. I’ve taken measures to avoid detection. They will protect us. Let’s meet again soon.]

[Darling. The vessel I prepared for you broke. She never matched your gentle nature from the start. Her begging for her life was so vulgar that my hand moved before I knew it. But I’ve chained her tightly, so she won’t dare interfere with our grand aspiration. It’s fine. I can simply find another vessel. Let’s meet again soon.]

[Darling. It’s been a while. Are you well? They showed me another way to gather magical creatures. This time it’s truly certain. I won’t leave you and our children in the cold place for long. Trust me and wait just a little longer. Let’s meet again soon.]

[Darling. Today a new paradise will open. Let’s meet soon. Very soon…]

And so the letters ended. The truth buried under beautiful flowers had rotted over time, emitting a terrible stench. I exhaled painfully, suppressing the instinctive nausea rising within me.

No method exists in this world to resurrect the dead. But Klaus sacrificed countless lives trying to solve an unsolvable problem.

The Sainur, Iris, all were merely consumables for his research. How many more magical creatures had fallen victim to his twisted desires?

[Are you okay?]

The butterfly guarding the door asked in a concerned voice. I wasn’t okay. There was no way I could be okay. But I had to keep moving. If I didn’t stop the baron now, there would be no way to end this cycle of sacrifice.

I returned the greenhouse model to its original state, tied the letters with string, and tucked them into my jacket’s inner pocket. The letters alone weren’t enough to corner the baron.

I needed a key that would lock all doors, leaving Klaus, who was skilled at cutting loose ends, nowhere to escape.

“Think… I need to think…”

The baron denies his wife and children’s deaths. His puzzled reaction to my sympathy about the obituary, the painting titled “Paradise Regained” hanging in the gallery, and the letters to his wife all proved this fact.

He even went so far as to extract magical power from living magical creatures to resurrect his wife. That laboratory must exist somewhere in the mansion.

If I were Klaus, where and how would I hide it? Being someone who cleverly manipulates psychology, he wouldn’t use ordinary methods. Moreover, with many servants under his employ, there were many eyes to be cautious of, making the conditions for hiding a secret space even more stringent.

A place Klaus could frequently visit without arousing suspicion, yet undisturbed by others.

A place within reach of servants at any time, yet untouchable by them.

The only place where, despite raising suspicion, that suspicion itself could be avoided.

“That’s it!”

After eliminating rooms one by one from the mansion’s floor plan, only one room remained.

[Hey! Where are you going?!]

I rushed out of the study and arrived at the place that met all conditions. The butterfly that followed me seemed unable to understand my choice and spoke in a grumpy voice.

[Why are we here again?]

“Can you open it?”

[It’s not difficult, but~]

Creeeeak—the old hinge made an eerie sound as the door opened. As I carefully entered, dozens of candles swayed in unison, seemingly beckoning me.

Knowing all the truth now, every element filling the room made my skin crawl. The portrait of the woman with gentle eyes, the fresh flowers replaced daily, the snow-white cloth draped like a shroud, all were laughable.

I stopped in front of the platform, offered a brief silent prayer, and removed the piled flowers one by one. When the heap of flowers tumbled to the floor, a rectangular coffin remained.

Even with certainty, I was reluctant but had to do it.

[What are you doing?]

“It’s here. No, it can only be here.”

I closed my eyes tightly and grabbed the coffin lid, pushing it sideways forcefully. Then, with a rush of cool air, what was hidden beneath the coffin was revealed.

“…Found it.”

[Stairs leading underground…?]

The passage hidden by the coffin was barely wide enough for one person to pass through. 

Moreover, it was so dark inside that I couldn’t see an inch ahead. While looking for a candlestick to replace a torch, the butterfly hovered in the air and said:

[You said it wasn’t here earlier.]

“I was deliberately deceived by that man too.”

Who would dare think of opening a coffin? Klaus’s denial of his wife’s death while openly creating a memorial space in the mansion had bothered me all along. Yet that contradiction was the final key…

“Agnus.”

A black wolf emerged from the shadow cast by the candle. Together, we carefully descended the stairs one by one. The air grew heavier the deeper we went into the seemingly endless space. It wasn’t simply because we were underground.

After descending for quite some time, we discovered a heavy iron door.

“…Is this it?”

By now, the butterfly opened the lock without being told. Muttering thanks, I grabbed the doorknob when—

“…Huh?”

Agnus vanished without a sound. Sensing something strange, I immediately rolled up my sleeve to check and found that Hyperion’s bracelet had also lost its vitality. Only the butterfly summoned from a flower remained, perched on my shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

[Yes. But I think I’ll have to go back soon.]

It seems magical power is being suppressed by external pressure, like in a temple. I should first enter and find the device suppressing magical power.

When I pulled the heavy door open with both hands, a massive underground facility appeared.

A circular table sat in the center of the facility, with everything around it blocked by pitch-black curtains. As I approached the table with silent steps, I saw several papers detailing the experiments.

Just as I was about to flip through the records, a chilling breeze brought a suppressed voice.

[…Give.]

It was the voice I had heard in the passage from the underground to the first floor. System had clearly said that based on a magical creature’s will, I could hear voices not registered in the encyclopedia. So this was a message filled with strong desire.

[…Give me…]

As I moved, the faint voice gradually became clearer. My steps eventually halted behind curtains that hung like blackout drapes. Unable to simply pull them aside without knowing what lay beyond, I circled around.

Right then, a delicate voice entered my mind directly.

[Kill me.]

“…What?”

The moment I heard those words, I pulled the curtains aside with both hands. Then I met eyes filled with terror, trapped in an iron cage.

—New communication with magical creature confirmed.

That was merely the beginning of the nightmare. When the curtain with space-blocking magic disappeared, everything was exposed in detail. The pungent smell of filth and blood stung my nose, and sharp cries of agony spread throughout.

[I want to die.] [Free me from this terrible swamp.] [Where are my children?] [Get me out of here…] [Just kill me!] [Why does no one know we’re here?] [Why?] [Please save me.]

It wasn’t just one. Countless magical creatures were imprisoned in cages, too many to count with the n*ked eye.

Ding, ding, ding.

The simultaneous encyclopedia notifications scraped my brain. All sounds penetrated my ears at once, making my head feel like it would explode. Covering my ears with my hands was useless.

“Wait, stop…”

My desperate voice was mercilessly drowned out by their cries.