After dealing with the two undead, a heavy rumbling sound echoed from one side of the palace. Roland looked toward the source and found that a hidden door had been opened.
The four of them passed through the doorway. The previously bright space immediately became dark and cramped, but that did not stop Roland from asking a question. “What happens to the others now that we’ve defeated the undead?”
Cameron’s voice came through the darkness. “Don’t worry, the Throne Guards regenerate every few days. As for any adventurers who come here before they recover, they’ll just have to take the other path like everyone else.”
“Then I guess our luck is pretty good.”
After walking through the dark for about ten minutes, the surroundings finally brightened. The source of the light was a cluster of blue fluorescent mushrooms growing overhead. They were attached to the rocks, their bodies translucent. An organ inside them emitted a faint blue light, but the light from countless individuals combined was enough to illuminate the entire cave.
“What are these?” Roland asked again.
“Fluorescent Migu. We are currently in the outer area of the second layer, specifically the Fluorescent Migu cave—or biome.”
Leonora asked in confusion, “Mi… gu?”
Cameron smiled and replied, “Actually, the correct name is ‘mushroom,’ but the first person to discover the Labyrinth of Anides had a severe speech quirk. He called mushrooms ‘Migu,’ and those who followed him did the same. Over time, the name just stuck.”
“That’s pretty bizarre.” Roland noticed a specific detail in Cameron’s phrasing. “You said the outer area of the second layer. Does that mean there’s another area further in?”
“Exactly. Further down is the Lake of the Water Sirens. You have to cross that lake to reach the third layer. We’ve never managed to make it that far.”
“What are Water Sirens?”
“Strange creatures. They seem related to merfolk, but they lack intelligence and possess only the most primitive animal instincts. They sing in groups of two or three to lure weak-minded adventurers into the water, and then they devour them.”
“De-de-de-de, devour?!” Leonora’s voice was trembling. The idea of humans being eaten was a bit too much for her.
Royce couldn’t resist showing off, chiming in with a few words. “Humans are animals, too. There’s nothing special about being eaten. Cameron and I have already prepared ourselves for the possibility of becoming food one day. Even if that time comes, I’ll make sure I die in the coolest way possible.”
“I, I, I… I don’t really want to die yet. Ma-Maybe we should find a safer path.”
Roland rejected Leonora’s suggestion. “That would be a waste of time. It’s better to conquer the labyrinth quickly than to linger down here. Besides, your skin will get worse if you don’t get any sunlight. Do you really want to turn into a wrinkled old lady?”
“That’s still better than being eaten…”
“Coward.”
After finding a decent spot to stop, Royce turned back and said, “Let’s take a break. The road ahead is long, and we’ll probably need to rest frequently.”
Roland raised her hand in agreement. “I have no objection.”
She just happened to want to read her book.
“Then I’ll go pick some Fluorescent Migu,” Cameron said with a smile, waving goodbye before heading off to pick mushrooms with a cheerful stride.
Leonora took an interest in the nearby lake. After touching the surface, she found the water was freezing. She suddenly had the urge to soak her feet; after all, they had just been dirtied, and it would be best to wash away the annoying sand and grit.
‘If only the water temperature were a bit higher.’
Thinking of the magic Roland had used not long ago, Leonora ran over to ask her, “Can you boil that lake over there?”
Roland looked at the massive lake Leonora was pointing at. It was crystal clear, a color like sparkling sapphire. Judging by its size, even ten of her combined wouldn’t necessarily be able to boil it.
“If you think water boils the moment it touches fire, I don’t mind you learning a Fireball spell yourself.”
“Fine, forget it. I didn’t have high expectations for you anyway.”
After being assigned an impossible task for no reason and then being looked down upon for no reason, Roland felt her wand twitching in her hand. However, she suppressed the urge to hit Leonora with it.
‘That’s something a child would do. I’m a mature adult.’
However, only seconds after she started reading, a scream erupted from Leonora. Roland was so startled that her book dropped to the ground. After picking it up and making sure it wasn’t wet, she looked toward the source of the scream.
Roland had originally thought Leonora was being attacked by some creature, but the scene looked less like an attack and more like play.
A slime was sprawled on top of Leonora, who had fallen to the ground. Her face was pale, and she was so panicked that she forgot her magic entirely, doing nothing but crying for help.
Cameron, who had just returned from picking mushrooms, looked at the scene and asked Roland, “Should we go save her?”
“I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Then I’ll go boil the mushrooms.”
Roland also turned a blind eye and returned to her magic journal.
“Help! This slime is eating my clothes! Roland, Cameron, come save me!!” Leonora cried out, but no matter how she screamed, there was no movement from the camp.
Perhaps realizing she had been abandoned, she could only rely on herself.
After a struggle, she finally managed to throw the slime off her chest and onto the ground. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed her staff, intending to cast a spell, only to see the slime jump into the water. Its rear moved like it had a motor, and it vanished in an instant.
“That damn slime!!” Leonora looked toward the direction where the slime had vanished with shame and indignation. From that moment on, she put the creature on her blacklist, vowing to hit every one she saw.
She looked down at her dress, which had been dissolved until only her underwear remained. Her heart was filled with grief; this was a dress her mother had left her, its value second only to her grandfather’s journal.
When a shadow fell over her book, Roland looked up to see Leonora standing with her back turned, speaking angrily. “Hand me my bag. I need to change my clothes!”
After taking the bag, Leonora immediately ran back to the lakeside to change. Once she returned, she immediately confronted Roland. “Why didn’t you come to save me!”
“Because I felt like you could beat a slime.”
“But my clothes were eaten by it!”
“You have my deepest sympathies.”
“Argh! I’m really going to get angry! Don’t talk to me for the next few days!”
Roland thought Leonora was just saying that, but she didn’t expect the girl to actually follow through. Leonora completely ignored her, and Roland finally realized she might have gone too far.
*Clang, clang, clang.* “Dinner’s ready!”
Cameron tapped the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. The ingredients were rising and falling in the boiling water. From the look of it, it was a complete hodgepodge stew containing fish slices, wild greens, mushrooms, and other unknown items.
While it didn’t look particularly delicious, it wasn’t enough to make one lose their appetite.
Roland put away her journal and shook Leonora’s shoulder. “Time to eat.”
But the girl was still sulking and didn’t say a word.
Roland sighed, ladled some food into a wooden bowl, and placed it next to Leonora.
“Make sure you eat.”
“Hmph!”
—
“I’ve taught you all the magic I know.”
In just one morning, Isaiah had finished teaching all the magic he was capable of. He had never imagined the process would be so fast.
“You learn so quickly that my knowledge can’t keep up with you.”
The pen floating in front of Isaiah wrote in the notebook: “Does that mean I’ve become stronger?”
“Changes in strength are best reflected in actual combat. I’m not sure if you’ve truly become more powerful yet.”
Thinking about how Roland had fought Isaiah twice, Miya felt that if she could also defeat him, she would surely be as strong as her mother.
“I want to duel you.”
“…”
Isaiah felt like he had fought more this month than in the entire previous year.
What kind of priest was always getting into fights?
Besides, he wasn’t a dedicated combatant; healing was his true forte.
But seeing the look in Miya’s eyes that wouldn’t take no for an answer, he sighed and agreed anyway. “Alright then.”