The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 156

#156.

So, I ended up in the prayer room. It was surprisingly ordinary, not at all what I expected.

A perfect *mise-en-scène* [a carefully arranged setting or scene] relying on a single candle. The dim light barely illuminated a corner of the room.

It looked like a place for ascetic practices [self-discipline and abstention].

Then Jonathan spoke.

“There’s some kind of hollow space here.”

Of course.

There’s no way Naaman would frequent this empty prayer room for no reason.

It seemed there was a separate passage to the basement after all. My heart fluttered with anticipation.

“Alright. Let’s go in.”

I tapped the spot Jonathan indicated.

Tong— Tong—

A faint echo indicated a space beneath the floor. Judging by the echo, it seemed quite deep.

“There must be a way to open it.”

After carefully feeling around, I heard a click. Applying pressure there revealed stairs leading down to the basement.

‘Nice!’

“Be careful. We don’t know what’s down there,” Tabi warned.

I nodded and cautiously began to descend.

I tried to make as little noise as possible, in case someone was inside.

At the bottom of the stairs, a rather narrow space appeared. It felt like just a passage for moving through.

Swish, swish.

And water was flowing in the corridor. I carefully stepped forward and thankfully it wasn’t too deep.

It only reached my ankles, but strangely, it didn’t feel wet. Besides, the energy swirling around me felt quite familiar.

‘This is Mishr’s water. Does that mean this place is connected to Mishr?’

If Mishr’s water was flowing, there might be a passage connected to Mishr.

But I heard that Naaman couldn’t enter Mishr except for atonement ceremonies.

“Ah.”

I belatedly realized something I had missed and let out a soft exclamation. In the first place, the prohibition against entering Mishr was only Hebel’s law.

It was all the first Hebel’s idea to spread strange rumors and create rules under the pretext of protecting Mishr.

Frankly, when I was Larien, that place was practically my personal swimming pool.

‘Now that I think about it, he blocked access and secretly used Mishr’s water like this.’

Mishr’s water was like holy water imbued with the power of the Divine Beast. It was the only place without restrictions in a place with so many restrictions due to Hebel’s mist.

Moreover, since pheromones were amplified just by touching it, there must have been quite a few beastmen who came seeking it in the past.

Perhaps the first Hebel strictly forbade entry to Mishr to prevent such individuals.

‘Beastmen who try to offer sacrifices recklessly may incur the wrath of the Divine Beast and have their pheromones stolen.’

Naaman had jokingly told me such ridiculous stories before my sacred woman test, so it seemed he had been monopolizing Mishr in that way.

Preventing anyone from even thinking about entering.

Meanwhile, Mishr’s water was gradually being pushed to one side.

Following the water’s path, a room appeared. The flowing water naturally gathered in a circular space in the center of the room.

A space like a fountain. There were only glowing stones illuminating the area, and nothing else.

The humble appearance was strange for a secret hideout.

Mustering courage, I approached the circular space, and something different than I expected was reflected.

“!”

It seemed like another space was visible in the water. I leaned in to get a closer look and saw someone inside.

‘Evenseve?’

Surprisingly, Evenseve was there.

Why is Evenseve here?

Surely Evenseve’s body should be in the deep-sea cave.

Was Heathcliff’s prediction wrong?

Confused, I touched the water with my hand, and Evenseve flickered.

‘Ah, it’s just a reflection.’

Only then did I realize that she wasn’t trapped in the water, but that the Mishr water was reflecting the place where she was.

Looking again, the place where she was seemed too vast to be under the circular space.

‘Why was Naaman looking at Evenseve from here?’

The head of Hebel cannot leave Hebel.

Perhaps Naaman had been watching Evenseve from here. I didn’t know the reason why.

Evenseve’s hands and feet were tied. It was clear at a glance that she couldn’t move freely.

Being turned to stone must mean she couldn’t move.

Her surroundings were dark, like a cave. The only light seemed to be coming through this circular space.

I was wondering what principle connected this place to that place.

Suddenly, Evenseve’s head turned upwards.

“Hup!”

Our eyes met in an instant, and I was startled and stepped back. I covered my mouth with my hand and rolled my eyes.

My heart was pounding. I hoped to pass by quietly.

Unfortunately, Evenseve seemed to have seen me.

After a moment, Evenseve’s voice echoed in my ear. It was as clear as if she were next to me.

“Long time no see, Larien.”

She seemed to recognize me at a glance. Even though I look completely different from my past life.

It felt like my essence had been pierced the moment I met those eyes. As I held my breath, Evenseve called me again.

“I know you’re there.”

Eventually, I reluctantly approached the circular space and greeted her awkwardly.

“Long time no see, Sister.”

“You remember me this time. You never used to remember me.”

“You’re still following me around, I see.”

“And you are still loved. I am trapped here, suffering for an eternity, while you alone are…”

Evenseve’s voice sounded somewhat weary.

Why are Hebel’s basement and the place where Evenseve is connected? And what is Naaman’s connection to her?

As my head was filled with complicated thoughts, Evenseve began to say nonsensical things.

“But Larien, you shouldn’t think that you alone will be happy forever. My body is here, but my soul has already become free.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve found a way to sever the power that the Divine Beast has bound. I wonder what expression the Divine Beast will make when he finds out about this? I’m so curious.”

Evenseve giggled, and I felt a chill.

Perhaps it was because she had been trapped for so long. An ominous aura seemed to overflow from Evenseve.

Her eyes gleamed like those of an evil snake.

“You still have a pure soul. That’s why I recognized you at a glance. By the way, how is your black lion doing?”

“You’ve been living too long and seem to have gone crazy. Barbie is gone now. And I’m no longer that person’s younger sister.”

“Is that so?”

Evenseve smirked and gestured with her chin.

“First, come here and let’s talk.”

At that moment, before I could do or say anything, my body began to be sucked into the water.

“Whoa!”

In the blink of an eye, I was transported inside the deep-sea cave. The very place where Heathcliff had been studying and interpreting the scriptures.

“What is this…”

Is this even possible?

To be able to move such a long distance in such a short time.

As if understanding my question, Evenseve said.

“Don’t be surprised. I just borrowed a little of Mishr’s power.”

Then she waved her hand, beckoning me to come closer. But in this potentially dangerous situation, I had no intention of closing the distance with her.

“Let’s talk from there. It’s close enough anyway.”

At those words, Evenseve burst into laughter. As if dealing with a cute younger sister, she said kindly.

“Don’t be so wary after our reunion.”

“Have you been trapped here all along?”

“You could say that.”

Evenseve was readily telling her story.

But I knew.

That she was the type to lie to get her way if something she wanted came up.

So, it would be a waste to have a long conversation with my sister. It was more important to find out why she was doing this.

“Why did you spread the epidemic across the continent?”