TNZKMA 119

１１９

 

 

The stairs were quite steep and narrow. With my feet, my heels almost protruded off them. Climbing like a ladder, I used both my hands and feet to ascend the stairs.

After reaching the top of the long staircase, I could touch the ceiling. Looking down nervously, the steep stairs looked like a slide. Overcome by a terrifying sensation that made me feel like my spine was curling up, I quickly looked up. I shouldn’t look down. That’s a fundamental rule, right?

The place where the light was leaking was a ceiling quite far from where I was. But the ceiling continued flat from here.

So, this ceiling I’m touching must also be part of some space, or rather, it might be outside.

I pushed and probed the ceiling with my fingers. This ceiling was also made of stone, just like the floor. So there were grooves between the stones. I hooked my fingers into them.

I tried scratching with my nails and hooking stones with my fingertips to see if they would come off. Then, I pressed the ceiling, carrying it on my back. Neither worked.

I thought for a moment.

The fact that there are stairs here means someone must use them, right? Stairs wouldn’t be here just to touch the ceiling, so this ceiling must definitely move. No, it must open. What was it called? Oh, it was like the storage under the floor in rich people’s houses… That’s right, a floor storage! I think it’s the same thing.

The width of the stairs wasn’t very broad either. When I stretched out my arms, I could easily touch both ends of the stairs. I spread my arms and touched the ceiling directly above the stairs, which was the same width. I concentrated on my fingertips, checking if I could feel anything.

And then, I understood. The ceiling directly above had grooves spaced the same width as the stairs. These grooves were interrupted partway through. From the point where they stopped, the grooves continued at a right angle, and my fingers met in the middle.

It really is a cover. I slid my fingers from the center where they were touching. As I moved forward, my finger fit into a small hole.

I found it!

I think this is a keyhole. It seems similar to the keyholes for house key stones.

I grinned, but then realized something. Even if I find the keyhole, it’s no good without a key stone. Hmm, what should I do? A random stone won’t work. It’s not just about plugging the hole.

The keys here are quite complex despite looking simple. When a key stone fits into the keyhole, it triggers some mechanism inside that opens or closes the lock. So it has to be the exact shape that fits the keyhole perfectly.

What should I do? I groped around at my feet. Nothing there. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. There’s no key stone, and I don’t even know what shape would fit.

I pondered and then realized something.

[Kyui? Are you awake?]

I took Kyui out of the drawstring bag. Kyui was sleeping as a tiny cat. I placed the little cat on my palm and stroked its tiny head with my fingertips.

[Kyui, Kyui. Wake up.]

The round calico cat stretched and woke up.

[Kyui, can you become a key stone?]

When I asked, Kyui tilted its head.

[There’s a keyhole here. I think if this opens, we can get outside. So, Kyui, I need you to become a key stone.]

Pointing to the keyhole in the ceiling, Kyui meowed once, did a backflip, and became a key stone.

[Wow! Thank you! Kyui, you’re perfect!]

I had thought Kyui could only become animals, but Kyui turned into a key stone. What Sign said about being able to become anything was true. I matched the key stone Kyui to the keyhole. Kyui, still in the form of a key stone, changed shape and fit perfectly into the keyhole.

As Kyui was absorbed into the keyhole, I heard the sound of a lock opening. I could move the ceiling by pushing against it. I thought it would be lifted up, but it didn’t move. So I tried sliding it instead. This time it moved smoothly, and I finally managed to get outside.

As soon as I stepped out, I called to Kyui inside the door.

[Kyui, Kyui. It’s okay now, come out.]

Kyui must have changed shape. The key stone used to open the door was gone, and the door tried to close automatically. I held the moving door with both hands and waited for Kyui to come out.

A tiny bird emerged, fluttering and landing on my shoulder. Seeing Kyui made me feel relieved, and the door slowly closed as I let go of it.

The door I had seen from the inside was made of stone, but from the outside, it looked completely different. After the door closed, I couldn’t even tell where it had been. The door was now covered by the mossy ground.

I was sitting on a plush green surface. Yeah, it’s moss. I had a bad feeling and looked around. The soft moss, the trees overhead, and the drizzling mist.

I was in a forest.

I took a deep breath. I gently wrapped Kyui and placed it back in the drawstring bag.

Calm, calm. Sign had said to remain calm even if encountering monsters. That way, there was a 50% chance of survival.

I decided not to think about the other 50% and quietly stood up.

I had no idea which direction to go. But I proceeded towards what seemed to be an opening. This was the third time entering a forest, but it felt like a completely new place. The trees were huge.

The moving tree was relatively thin. It was so slender that I could have hugged it. But the trees around me were all thick. Even Sign couldn’t carry them; they were so thick that it would take about three Signs to handle them. But they were short. The thick trees were short and squat. About three meters tall, I thought, which seemed low considering their thickness.

The leaves on the trees were incredibly green. A deep green color. It was different from the moving trees, but the shape of the leaves was the same. Maybe they are like distant relatives.

The thick trees grew in a way that formed walls. I walked down a straight path, not zigzagging, with moss underfoot, which seemed like it was deliberately made.

As I walked quietly, my view suddenly opened up. The trees’ leaves parted to reveal a spacious area.

[Wow…!]

I couldn’t help but exclaim. It was a stunningly beautiful place.

Yellow-green moss spread across the ground with flowers blooming here and there. White, yellow, pink, and purple tiny flowers were scattered around, making it look like a park.

In the center of the clearing stood a single tree. A thick, short tree. It was similar to the trees forming pathways, but it looked a bit different. The tree had large branches spread out and looked heavy.

I approached the tree and touched it gently. Strangely, the tree was warm. I didn’t really understand why, but it was a comforting warmth. I leaned against the tree and fell asleep.

I woke up suddenly. It was night. But not pitch black. I lay on the ground, only moving my eyes.

Despite being in a dark world, there were several soft lights shining in front of me. White, yellow, pink, and purple glowing softly. I realized these tiny flowers were glowing. It was like the white fruits collected by Olphynn.

Illuminated by the light of the flowers, the droplets on the moss also shimmered. It was such a gentle scene that made me want to cry, and forgetting that I was in the forest of monsters, I fell asleep once more.