The rhythmic clatter of wheels against the cobblestone path echoed softly within the luxurious carriage. Velvet cushions lined the seats, and the faint scent of perfu hung in the air. Lucy had invited Izumi to join us on this ride Since she would lived on the mansion when we caback
Izumi had accepted with a polite smile, sliding gracefully into the seat across from us. Now, with Lucy seated beside and Izumi in front, the carriage gently swayed as it carried us toward the Queen's mansion.
Despite the calm setting, I couldn't relax. My senses stayed sharp, my eyes flicking between the two girls. I remained on guard, silently watching, listening.
Lucy leaned in ever so slightly, her tone friendly but probing. "So, Izumi... where do you live? What's your background?"
Izumi's hands rested delicately on her lap, her posture composed and unthreatening. Her voice, soft and airy, matched her delicate appearance. "I grew up alone. Orphaned as a child. I've been living on the streets ever since... earning money through street performances." She paused, a wistful smile on her lips. "Then... I awakened sothing inside ."
Lucy blinked slowly, absorbing every word. "A power?" she asked, intrigued.
Izumi nodded. "Yes. Sothing strange, sothing I still don't fully understand."
Lucy seed to believe her—or at least she didn't show doubt. But ? I wasn't buying it. Her story was too clean, too rehearsed. Sothing about her didn't add up.
Still, I forced a slight nod and pretended to listen, wearing a mask of passive interest.
Izumi smiled gently, and for a mont, she looked like an innocent child—like soone who had just been accepted into a warm orphanage after years of loneliness. It was disarming, almost heartbreaking... but that made even more suspicious. No one who lived on the streets their entire life would smile like that. Not unless they were hiding sothing behind that smile.
The rest of the ride passed in relative silence, interrupted only by the clatter of wheels and the occasional creak of the carriage fra. Finally, we arrived at our destination—the Song mansion.
As always, when I stepped out, eyes imdiately turned toward . Their stares were sharp, hungry, almost predatory, as though I were so exotic animal on display. I'd grown used to it by now, even while still wearing the ridiculously frilly maid outfit. It no longer embarrassed —it had beco a shield, a distraction, sothing to lower others' guards.
The mansion was grand, similar in architecture to Lucy's own estate. In the center of the main hall stood a long banquet table adorned with silverware and brimming with delicacies—roasted ats, jewel-colored desserts, fruits glistening with syrup. It looked like a feast pulled straight from the dreams of the starving.
Lucy wasted no ti. She approached the Queen and Princess with practiced elegance, securing their support with soft diplomacy and quiet confidence. It seed everything was going smoothly.
And yet... I couldn't eat. My appetite had vanished, smothered by the tension that clung to my thoughts. I kept my eyes subtly on Izumi, who wandered nearby with that sa gentle smile. Despite her beauty—ethereal and doll-like—no one seed to notice her. Not even a passing glance.
It was like she didn't exist.
No noble tried to speak to her. No servants asked her to move. No guard even acknowledged her presence.
That was what made it eerie. It was as if she were a ghost, a phantom gliding through the room. That unsettling thought dug deep into my mind. Who was she really?
Then, for a brief mont, soone passed between us, blocking my view. When the crowd parted again, our eyes t.
She was looking directly at .
Ti seed to freeze.
Though a blindfold still covered her eyes, I felt her gaze—piercing, unblinking, unrelenting. And then she smiled. A slow, delicate smile that sent chills crawling up my spine. It was beautiful, almost haunting, like the kind of smile you'd see in a dream just before waking up in terror.
Then, reality snapped back.
A noble—fat, red-faced, and drunk on his own arrogance—tripped and stumbled into , his wine spilling slightly onto his tunic. He snarled.
"How dare a lowly slave like you be here?!" he roared, his voice laced with disgust and entitlent.
I blinked, trying to regain composure. A scene was already forming. The crowd parted, their eyes wide with curiosity and judgnt.
I looked around—Izumi was gone.
Vanished.
The unease in my chest deepened. She had disappeared just like that—no sound, no trace. And I knew then: she was leading sowhere.
The fat noble raised his arm to strike , and I instinctively reacted. With a flash of movent, I summoned my staff. I hadn't intended to hurt him—only stop him—but the power surged too fast. Shadow Sentinels ford beside , slicing through the line between us.
His scream echoed across the hall.
Blood splattered. His arm fell to the ground.
People shrieked. So gasped. Guards rushed forward, but I didn't wait.
I ran.
I didn't care about the consequences. I didn't care about the noble. I only knew she was out there—luring . She knew sothing about , maybe even about my dream. And I had to know what.
Behind , chaos erupted. Lucy, the Queen, and the Princess turned to see bolting out the main entrance at full speed.
I pushed my mana reserves to their limit, dashing faster than I ever had before. The world blurred around as I followed the faint traces of Izumi's energy—deliberately left behind, like breadcrumbs in a trap.
Trees rushed past as I plunged into the forest. Shadows grew longer. The light faded.
Suddenly, the trees ended, and I found myself standing before a wall of pure darkness.
I tried casting a spell—Lesser Fireball. The fla barely flickered, swallowed instantly by the gloom. This wasn't normal darkness. It was alive. It wanted to keep blind.
I hesitated. My instincts scread at to call Lucy for help. But before I could act, I stepped forward.
Click.
The world spun.
In an instant, I was falling—hurtling through space from an impossible height. Wind roared past . My body twisted. I summoned every spell I could: Air Cushion, Exorcist Barrier, Shadow Step. None of it was enough.
I crashed with a thunderous impact. Pain shot through my side. Not fatal—but not minor either.
Groaning, I pulled myself up and looked around.
I was no longer in the forest.
Before stretched a vast labyrinth—dark, ancient, reeking of sothing wrong. It wasn't just a maze. It pulsed with a sinister aura. Sothing inside... sothing massive, dangerous. I could feel it.
A 6-star, maybe 7-star creature... or worse.
Was this where she ant to bring ? Did I walk into her trap? Or was this part of sothing greater—sothing tied to that creature from my dream?
My mind spun with questions. There were no answers. Not now.
All I knew was that I had to survive.
I summoned my staff again, casting Fireball. The light flickered faintly, enough to reveal jagged stone walls stretching endlessly in all directions.
And so I stepped forward, into the maze.
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