In the vast expanse of darkness, the beautiful lady sitting on the throne gazed at the doll's porcelain-like eye.
Questions swirled in her mind as she pondered why she could feel a foreign god's divinity all over her daughter's body.
'Did she spend ti with a god?' the lady thought, considering her daughter's personality.
She shook her head; there was no way her aloof daughter would go out of her way to interact with gods.
'It must be the friend Proctharn was talking about' she speculated.
One of her sons, Proctharn, had inford her of a grand play planned for the sector that took Ian.
For that, they needed a certain god's help.
The lady took a mont to think about why she wasn't inford about the situation and why she hadn't t the god they were talking about.
After so contemplation, she concluded that it was probably for the best they didn't et, as only the rulers of an entire pantheon had a hope of withstanding her presence.
As the lady cleared her thoughts, she swallowed the eye.
The lady closed her eyes and slept.
She dreamt of all the mories and things her daughter saw or heard, like a grand play playing in her dreams.
As she stroked her daughter's head, the lifeless form couldn't even do anything about the invading energy entering her body.
Her expressions changed with all the situations her dear son was put in—sotis her face expressed anger, happiness, sadness, longingness, and, above all, love.
Well, that was until she saw certain scenes.
She could tolerate the first ones, but when the number of ladies increased, sleeping with her son, she couldn't take it anymore and woke up.
She knew it was for the best to allow her son to experience these things before he would spend eternity with her.
But actually, understanding and seeing it are two different things; her heart beat wildly, and her jealousy ran wild.
"Hmm."
"Haha—"
"HAHAHAHA!"
With the lady's laughter, the dark space cracked, and all the monstrosities ceased their actions.
So fled, so hid, and so downright started to prostrate themselves in front of the gigantic floating black throne.
The lady's hair flew into the air, and her once beautiful face turned into pure darkness itself; pale dark hands spread forth from her back. As she gently stroked Nyarla's head.
"You certainly allowed him to do sothing absurd, my dear," the lady uttered with a tone that carried both annoyance and madness.
An eerie purplish aura manifested around her palms, swirling with otherworldly energy. The ethereal mist seeped into Nyarla, rousing her from an unexpected slumber.
"Nyarla...." The lady's voice cut through the awakening, and Nyarla, surprised by the abruptness of her consciousness, responded.
"Mother?" She couldn't recall when she had succumbed to sleep; the sudden transition left her disoriented.
"Nyarla, how long until I et Ian again?" The question, delivered in a whisper that resonated directly into Nyarla's ear, sent shivers down her spine.
In an instant, she found herself latched on her mother's arms, the grip tightening as if trying to anchor her essence.
Her mother's closeness made Nyarla's soul quiver, an unusual reaction for the seemingly lifeless doll.
The aura of power that enveloped her mother created an atmosphere of tension, the weight of an unspoken demand hanging in the air.
This unexpected confrontation led Nyarla to grapple with the reality of her situation.
The closeness, the intense gaze, and the direct inquiry pressed her for answers she may not possess.
She doesn't even know what mories her mother saw, but if those certain mories were also shown, then she was in deep trouble for not preventing it.
There was a reason why no woman lasted more than a year of being together with Ian.
And that was all because of the woman Nyarla was staring at right now.
Ian can't even realize how much influence her mother had over his life, or he just chooses to ignore it.
But one thing was a fact: her mother's obsession with Ian was more than any other thing Nyarla had ever felt.
It was so intense that it even rivaled so gods' peculiarity for obsession.
Not even gods who wielded divinity of obsession probably beat her mother.
The grip on her tightened, and a sense of unease settled in her very core.
'Please prevent mom from lashing out onto the girls, Sis.'
Nyarla rembered Ian's request and sighed.
For the first ti, Nyarla felt a genuine surge of anger directed at Ian for getting her into this situation.
"S-soon?"
Nyarla replied while staring at the cosmic horror in front of her
…..
"Agh, my shoulder kinda hurts," I complained as I shook my arms.
Seriously, did that bastard get stronger again? Or was he just excited?
The way he shook my shoulders, and his grip was really strong.
I guess at least the main character's one aspect of being overpowered was still ongoing, even though the story is going way past the novel now.
I wonder what villains he'll face once everything settles down.
Anyways, I shook my head, ignoring what happened at the cafeteria.
In a sense, it was still funny seeing their reactions to knowing Louise was okay.
Especially Tristan, whose face had literally lit up the mont he heard she was alive and well.
I only told them that Louise got caught up in the Heiron family's internal struggle and is now trying to paint her as a villain for the things that happened.
I ntioned that I was currently hiding her in my family's residence, as even the Heiron duchy won't touch a Tellus.
Although Heiron and Tellus had the sa rank in nobility, we were still slightly higher than them, due to father being the head of the army.
Tristan seed eager to try and et Louise, but I just continually denied his request, considering what I said was a lie and that Louise was actually in school.
Still, it was a good thing Elena managed to follow my lead and acted as if the news surprised her as well.
'But is sis seriously upset at about sothing?'
'She's really not replying to all my internal ssages and calls'
....
Anyway, I'm seriously lost, huh? Even though I just walked straight.
I looked around and was genuinely amazed by the beauty of the dungeon, illuminated by the glowing rocks that provided a dim light.
I was currently inside one of the academy's dungeons, attempting to make my way to the boss area.
I ca here earlier than usual, but with the abundance of free ti, it seed like a practical use of it.
I could've searched here tomorrow, but considering the news Schwi gave , it would be better to spend my ti tomorrow placing those things in the proper spots.
"Graagh!"
Three goblins jumped to my right side, and I quickly disposed of them with a swift swipe as an aura blade manifested in my hands.
Their bodies rolled on the ground and soon puffed into ashes, leaving behind a blue glowing stone.
I picked up the stone and threw it back at the hole where the goblins spawned from.
The little magic stones were the ones the students needed to gather as proof of their hunt for the upcoming dungeon exploration test.
Unlike normal monsters, the creatures here in the dungeons don't die conventionally.
Instead of rotting like one normally does, the monsters that die here transform into a stream of ashes, leaving behind a magic stone on the ground.
The stronger and bigger the monsters are, the larger the stones they leave behind.
If you take the stone outside the dungeon, you could sell it for a decent price depending on the size and quality.
However, for the upcoming exams, the students will use it as proof of the monsters they managed to slay.
And if you don't gather the stones and leave them on the ground for 24 hours, those monsters would be reborn.
So, one could say the dungeons were an eternal hotspot for money.
However, this notion was misleading, as the dungeons also needed a constant supply of dead bodies inside to replenish and create new monsters.
That was why this dungeon was an open dungeon, not restricted to the academy only.
The academy itself promoted this dungeon as a free space for adventurers.
As more people died than succeeded in the dungeons.
Although most monsters were easy at the top, the deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets.
You can't underestimate low-level monsters, as even those three goblins that attacked earlier would probably surprise an average adventurer or student.
Considering I didn't hear even them coming until they roared, normally you could hear them, but it seems the dungeons provide so sort of buff to monsters here.
When these monsters walk through the shadows, you can't hear their steps; those goblins roaring was honestly idiotic, but considering a goblin's intelligence.
'I guess it fits?'
Even though adventurers could raid this dungeon, they could never clear it due to the fact that there were four dungeon bosses inside, one of which was a descendant of a dragon—a blood wyvern located at the depths of this dungeon.
Although the blood wyvern was a good candidate for a boss to demonize, it wasn't my target, as Tristan won't run up against that monster.
I wondered if the dungeon outflow would happen this ti as well.
In the novel, the reason the teachers couldn't enter the dungeon despite the mana fluctuation increasing more than usual was because of the dungeon outflow.
This phenonon involved a bunch of monsters rushing out of the dungeon.
The novel didn't specify the cause, only ntioning an assailant planting a mana bomb near the dungeon's core.
I pondered whether the assailant was truly responsible.
Maybe he already planted the bomb here?
The novel ntioned the assailant being seen escaping right after the outflow, so perhaps they haven't planted it yet?
'Hmm?'
I looked above as I noticed soone staring, but all I saw were rock formations and glowing crystals.
I expanded my mana to make sure, but I could sense nothing.
'Did I sense wrong?'
…..
"Fuck, who is that guy?"
I muttered to myself, eyes narrowing as I observed the mysterious figure below.
The academy had explicitly barred adventurers from entering due to the impending exams.
Was he a scout or a tester sent to evaluate the dungeon?
'Shit, this makes things complicated' I thought, weighing my options in the dim light.
The idea of eliminating him crossed my mind. After all, I had been tailing him since the beginning, but the notion was quickly dismissed.
Whatever he did to dispatch the monsters that ambushed him showcased a level of skill I couldn't contend with.
A swipe of his hands cut through them effortlessly, making it clear that a direct confrontation would be suicidal.
Survival in our organization wasn't solely determined by strength, intelligence, or luck.
I had managed to endure because of a keen instinct to discern what to engage with and what to avoid. Instincts that were now warning not to approach this enigmatic figure.
However, if he was indeed a scout or tester, allowing him to reach the dungeon's core without interference wasn't an option.
My gaze remained fixed on him as I assessed his trajectory.
He seed intent on reaching the bottom.
"From the direction he's going, he'll probably reach the hydra's area soon" I deduced, my mind already strategizing the next moves.
Suddenly, he looked back, his gaze piercing through the shadows and locking onto my position.
"Shit!" Panic surged within as I held my breath, desperately relying on the artifact around my neck to erase my presence.
As he turned away, relief washed over .
I swiftly darted behind the cover of the large crystal beside , my heart pounding in my chest.
'FUUWAAH, Fuck! That was really scary! What was up with that keen sense? I'm about a hundred ters away from you, you know?'
I muttered to myself, struggling to comprehend the intensity of the situation.
In the midst of my racing thoughts, a straight purple flash disrupted the dim surroundings.
Boom!
The unexpected intrusion and the subsequent explosion had caught off guard.
The stone wall in front of erupted into fragnts, and I felt the searing heat on my left ear.
Glancing to the side, I saw a hole in the crystal, the edges burning and lting.
A pang of pain shot through as I realized a part of my ear had been caught in the blast.
Holding my breath, I strained my senses, aware that soone was approaching.
"Hmm? I was pretty sure I sensed sothing here" a voice remarked, echoing beside .
I cautiously looked to my side and found the cloaked man, his presence looming dangerously close.
"Did I really sense it wrong?" he pondered aloud.
Panic welled up within as I grappled with the perilous reality of the situation.
Unwillingly, I found myself contemplating the danger posed by the man re inches away.
In a mont of desperation, I offered a silent prayer.
'Ahh, dear goddess, please forgive this lost child of yours. I'm still a virgin. Please, at least let get a taste of heaven before I die'
The sincerity of my plea surprised even myself, as I sensed the overwhelming threat emanating from the man beside .
This was the first ti in my entire life that I prayed sincerely.
'I shouldn't have joined this fucking organization!!!'
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