After Lavinia’s words, the atmosphere within the group grew heavy.
Liami clenched her “Twin Moons” tightly, frequently glancing at the shadows around them.
Lavinia clearly regretted speaking out earlier, but she had no time to dwell on it now. After all, she kept drawing her bow, aiming at the surroundings, then lowering it again, repeating the motion incessantly, her mood unsettled.
Eleanor was even more fervent in her prayers, her voice louder than usual, as if trying to dispel the unease in her heart.
Although Sephnie seemed slightly better off than the others, she still gripped her staff tightly, bowing her head, lost in thought.
Only Colin remained as steadfast as ever, walking firmly at the front. It wasn’t that he had a solution to their predicament, but he understood that as the team’s pillar, if even he lost his composure, they would truly be doomed.
That said, Colin couldn’t just watch the morale plummet so drastically. After a moment’s thought, he stopped and turned to reassure everyone.
“Everyone, don’t worry so much. We’ve faced similar situations before, and every time, we’ve overcome the obstacles, haven’t we? This time will be no different. There’s no need to be so anxious. As long as I’m alive, I will protect all of you!”
As expected of the team’s backbone, Colin’s words lifted the spirits that had dipped moments ago.
Sephnie seized the opportunity to add, “Colin’s right. What’s wrong with you all? Why do you get discouraged over just a little trouble? Looks like this month-long break softened your courage! This kind of atmosphere can’t happen again, or it’ll only make things harder for everyone.”
Sephnie spoke confidently, as if she hadn’t just been hanging her head moments ago.
Liami, Lavinia, and Eleanor all shot Sephnie disdainful glances, immediately shutting down her words. Of course, they understood the logic; Sephnie was just voicing what they already knew.
Though Liami disliked Sephnie taking this moment to lecture them, the points were valid. She couldn’t keep causing trouble for Colin.
Glancing at Colin, Liami felt a sense of reassurance wash over her, and her mood gradually calmed. She no longer felt as worried as before.
Meanwhile, Sephnie didn’t stop her actions just because she was told to be quiet. She used her magic to create an image—the unmistakable image of the Blooming Stone Bead that Liami had handed to Sephnie half a month ago, which Sephnie then passed on to the Holy Knights!
Liami was puzzled. She didn’t understand why Sephnie would conjure the image of the Stone Bead now, but she knew Sephnie wouldn’t do anything meaningless. Sure enough, Sephnie quickly began explaining, and her explanation immediately reignited Colin and the others’ spirits.
“Lavinia and Eleanor might not know this, but this was obtained by Liami from a slave trader. It very likely comes from this very labyrinth. It has teleportation magic and a hidden function. It allows the user to bypass the main teleportation array at the entrance and teleport directly in or out. If we can find this, we can easily come and go as we please.”
Sephnie’s words jogged Liami’s memory about the Stone Bead’s use, and excitement quickly filled her once more.
The others were equally thrilled; this was a way out of their current predicament! But when Lavinia asked Sephnie for the Blooming Stone Bead, Sephnie simply shrugged, indicating she didn’t have it.
Liami then remembered—it was still in the hands of the Knights. Her excited expression quickly faded again.
Yet Sephnie remained unfazed, speaking nonchalantly, “Since we don’t have it, then we go find it. After all, it came from this labyrinth. Since we’re inside it, if we keep moving forward, we’re bound to find it.”
As soon as Sephnie finished, Colin’s eyes lit up. He understood what she meant.
“Sephnie’s right. Our only option now is to keep moving forward. Whether it’s to find the Stone Bead, to head deeper in search of what we need, or to meet up with the Knights, only by pressing onward can any of this happen!”
Colin’s words motivated the group. After a brief exchange of looks, they resumed moving. Colin returned to the front, and the others settled back into their positions.
Everyone understood why Sephnie had said that, but hearing it from Colin was more effective. After all, this team existed mostly because of him. His words carried the most weight.
After some time passed, during which they passed through many rooms and fought numerous “Bronze” armored foes, they still hadn’t found what they were looking for—neither the Blooming Stone Bead nor a way to reverse their predicament.
But rather than saying they hadn’t found anything, it was more accurate to say they couldn’t find anything. Most of the rooms they entered were completely empty, and when they weren’t, only those “Bronze” armored enemies appeared.
“This makes no sense at all!”
Lavinia complained, her voice forcing the group to stop again. This wasn’t the first time she had voiced such frustration; in fact, with each room they passed, she complained once more. The root of it was that the rooms were all empty.
“Is this really labyrinth exploration? Normally, you search for treasure in a labyrinth. After defeating enemies, there should be treasure chests, right? Why are all the rooms empty? What’s the point of this? This has to be the worst labyrinth I’ve ever been in!”
Lavinia’s complaints made Liami frown. She was also displeased with the situation, but they had no time to deal with it now.
Who knows what the creator of this labyrinth was thinking? There were so many rooms, yet none contained anything! Worse, they placed guards to watch over nothing? What could possibly be so important to guard here?
Liami thought this over and couldn’t help but vent silently. But unlike Lavinia, she refrained from complaining aloud—she didn’t want Colin to think she couldn’t endure even this small issue.
So after a short rest, they pressed on. As for Lavinia’s complaints, they had been heard so often that even Colin began to ignore them.
This, in turn, sparked a new round of complaints from Lavinia, making the once quiet group lively again.
Seeing this, Colin smiled wryly. He knew Lavinia meant no harm; she was just trying to lighten the mood in her own way.
After all, it was her earlier remarks that had dampened the team’s spirit. She was probably trying to make amends. Colin understood her intentions.
Still, understanding aside, he wanted to remind Lavinia to try using this method less often—it was getting a bit noisy.
He could almost hear her complaints echoing in his head whenever he closed his eyes; he really didn’t want to hear any more.
So, during the next rest, Colin quietly gave Lavinia a gentle reminder, and she stopped complaining afterward. Everyone but Lavinia was pleased with this outcome.