Day 1
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And like that, we arrived!
Sure, I was labouring around all day and I had to wait as Hammond calmed the locals.
Waiting in the dark and eerie cave still gives me conniptions, but alas, my reservations will not stop me from achieving my goal.
I will reach Lady Marianne's heart, even if I must lift every boulder in this cave.
Anyway, she’s in a separate tent and I've been forced to share one with the middle-aged bag of farts that is Hammond Cooper.
Hehe, it would be a shame if he were to read through my diary.
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Day 2
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Ugh!
Today wouldn’t end.
First, the locals went on and on about us trespassing on sacred grounds and Hammond was forced to lie to them about how we were actually anointed by some divine power.
Then, after calming those mud-crawling serfs, we had to clear about a castle’s worth of stone.
But we’ve seemingly reached a level of tidiness that pleases Lady Marianne.
Oh, how I relished the face she made when her big green eyes scanned the cave floor.
Her thick red hair was tied in a bun that made my heart surrender itself even more to her.
As she walked, her pale skin reflected the harsh sunlight as though it denied any and all forms of tarnishing .
My goodness, she’s amazing!
Her small lips, small frame and enormous well of intelligence…
I want her.
I want her badly.
So much so that I’d gladly sleep in this dirty tent for years if I have to.
Anyway, she and Hammond had their usual exchange.
I honestly understood none of it, but my ignorance is far better than father's brown-nosing.
I swear, that man has no spine to speak of.
Especially when Lady Marianne’s family visits.
Ugh, my mood has been spoiled.
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Day 3
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Today was hot.
REALLY HOT!
But the heat came with its perks.
Lady Marianne took off her jacket today, revealing her beautiful arms.
My goodness, I don’t know if I’ll be able to contain myself!
Unfortunately, she and Hammond made some sort of discovery.
A ball.
I’ll never understand the minds of the intelligent.
They find intrigue in the mundane and gawk at stone walls for hours on end.
Too bad one of those minds is in Lady Marian’s skull.
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Day 4
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Mmm…
Lady Marian looked awfully distracted today.
I caught her staring at nothing a few times.
This got so bad that old man Hammond found himself calling out to her several times.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
I tried to offer her comfort today at dinner, but even then, her eyes drifted off into the nothingness.
At least I got to touch her precious legs.
Oh, how I’ll forever cherish that moment!
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Day 5
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Ugh!
Today was a complete snore-fest.
Lady Marion and that idiot Hammond seemingly made a breakthrough or something.
They went on and on about some runes and how they would decipher even more of the ancient text in the coming days.
Ugh!
Sometimes I wish Lady Marion wasn’t so smart.
But then again, she probably wouldn’t be the same.
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Day 6
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Today was definitely not a good day.
Lady Marion awoke in with a rather sour-looking expression and she seemingly had an argument with Hammond about something related to a garden?
Meh. I don’t really care.
Also, as if things weren’t bad enough with me staying in this cesspool, the lady scolded me for trying to comfort her.
All I wanted to do was to lend her an ear or maybe a hand, but she completely rejected me!
Ugh!
What am I even doing here?
Chances are, had I stayed in father’s manor, I could’ve awaited her return.
But then again… spending time with her, good or bad, is beyond precious.
Mmm… I guess this is what it must feel like for engaged couples.
They argue and disagree, but in the end…
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Day 7
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Lady Marion has lost her mind!
She ate one of Hammond’s eyes.
I mean, I feel almost nothing for the fool, but still…
And she kept yelling at us about how we were unaware.
About how we don’t know what she has seen.
She also said that there was something inside her.
Dammit! Now we’ve had to lock her in one of the villager's homes.
She keeps yelling at us about an entity that haunts her dreams.
Just when did she fall this far from her past grace?
I must find a way to help her.
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I inspected her tent and found her journal and the orb the lady kept with her at all times.
I won’t invade her privacy, but I will investigate this damned orb.
Humph, I may even just cooperate with Hammond.
I’ll do anything if it means helping Lady Marianne.
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Day 14
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Mr. Hammond and I have made some decent progress with the site and we’ve documented almost every rune.
It would seem as though the ancients partook in a great ritual involving countless people.
The details aren’t clear, but their civilization was on the brink of collapse.
Famine starved the people.
Storms flooded what little crops grew and disease killed off most of the survivors.
I must get to the bottom of all this.
Oh, speaking of which, the lady is… in a bad state.
She claws at herself so often that we’ve had to restrain her.
Actually, she mainly targets her belly.
Oh, how I would have loved to see her bare belly…
But now isn’t the time.
I must work.
Yes, for her sake.
Dammit!
What could’ve caused all of this?
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Day 25
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Mr. Hammond and I have deduced that the Athraicheans summoned a strange being and begged that it fix all of their problems.
I’m not necessarily the most religious person, but I can see why they turned towards it for help.
Anyway, the being complied and the entire tribe disappeared right after that.
I… don’t know what to make of any of this.
I’m not as smart as the lady. After all, I know just enough of the basics to read and write.
She, on the other hand, could fathom the unfathomable.
She was perfect.
Was.
Now she rots away in a dirty damp room in her own filth.
Oh, how I wish I could hold her.
No.
I must find a way to help her first.
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Day 30
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Ugh!
That idiot Hammond thinks we’ve learnt all we can.
I’ve begged him for more time, but alas, I am the fourth son of a merchant and he shares blood with the Duke, or so I'm told.
Mmm…
Well, there is some good news in all this, at least.
The lady has somewhat recovered.
We undid her restraints and we even cleaned her without fear of mutilation, hehe.
She asked that we hand her the journal she kept and we did so.
Ah, I cant wait until she’s back to normal.
She’ll probably be extremely grateful for what I did.
I fed her.
Bathed her, hehe.
Almost as though she were mine own.
Hehe, I really cannot wait.
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Day 31
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I…
She’s gone.
I took my eyes off of her for a moment and when I returned to her side, she was gone.
I don’t know what to do anymore.
Hammond says we should leave her body and return to Anvil, but I can’t.
Not like this.
I’ll bury her
Yes.
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Day 35
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Finally, the old fart is gone.
I couldn’t convince him to leave some of the lady’s research, but I managed to steal what I needed.
I’ll continue the lady’s work in her stead.
I’m sure she’ll be eternally grateful once I arrive in the next world with all the answers.
Or maybe she’s already seen the truth.
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Day
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It would seem I have gotten myself into a bit of a pickle
A stupid pillar collapsed on me as I leaned against it and it would seem as though I am stuck
I cant feel my legs, although I’m sure they're simply bored of not being able to move
Ah well, this might be an opportunity for me to ponder on the nature of my existence
What am I doing here
What’s the point of all this
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Day
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I’m going to die
It’s been days since I last sipped water or a bite of food
I’m so scared
Mmm… at least I can finally join lady Marianne
That doesn’t sound too bad