"What do we do…? What if he finds us?"
Roy's voice was trembling. Her body shook too. Mia could feel the cold sweat in their clasped hands.
—Mmhm, mm, hmm. Mmm~
Jakiel's voice drifted through the air like a tune. Mia was scared too.
She felt like a horror movie character—hiding from a killer, praying not to be found.
"This forest is huge. Let's move. He'll find us if we stay here much longer."
One of the girls spoke from behind. Mia nodded carefully, took a few steps back—then lifted off the ground.
But her flight was heavier than usual. The air was thick, heavy. Maybe it was because this was the world inside a painting?
And yet—The smell of grass in her nose.
The scent of rain-soaked earth and trees.
Even the distant cries of monsters sounded familiar.
The further they went, the more it struck her. This place felt strangely familiar.
Had she… been here before?
Looking down, she saw Roy falling behind the ghost girls.
The girls seemed unaffected by physical strain—they weren't human, after all.
"Let's go in here. He'd never chase us this far."
One of the girls spoke in front of a cave. Mia rubbed her eyes and looked at the entrance.
There was no doubt anymore. This forest—
Yes, it was the Paradise of Monsters, the place she and Leca had visited often.
And this was the Cave of Pitch. Where she'd once encountered zombie.
If they made it through, they'd reach Naizman.
But another girl shook her head.
"No. If Jakiel chases us into the cave, we're done for. We'll be like rats in a trap."
"So you think the forest is safer? It's just as dangerous out there."
"Ugh… what do we do…?"
"We're out of time. Whatever we do, we have to decide now!"
"Then let's go in."
At Mia's words, the girl who'd objected looked dumbfounded.
"Do you even know how dark it is in there?"
"Yeah. I've been in there before.The cave connects to Naizman."
"If there's an exit, then I'm fine with it," Roy said, as if making up her mind.
The protesting girl fell silent, pouting. Mia stepped forward and slowly pushed the large stone at the cave entrance.
Rumble. Thud.
The door opened. Mia summoned a swarm of will-o'-wisps.
The pitch-black cave lit up just enough to see. But when the entrance slammed shut behind them—bang—one of the girls flinched.
"Don't worry. We're not leaving through that way anyway."
Mia forced a bright tone and strode forward. She muttered incantations under her breath, just in case any dark creatures appeared.
But strangely—Nothing did. Not a single thing crossed their path.
It was a relief, but also unsettling. Maybe this wasn't the real Cave of Pitch after all—
It was a painted world. A creeping dread took hold of her. Still, she said nothing and kept her pace steady.
And finally—
They reached the junction where she had once fought zombie.
Mia came to an abrupt stop. Roy and the girls must have sensed it too—they froze.
What was going on?
The path that had once split in two now had dozens of forks. Surrounding them in every direction.
Mia stood in stunned silence. Roy asked nervously,
"What is it?"
"This… this doesn't make sense…"
—Surprised, are you? That's called a mirror spell, dear.
Jakiel's voice. Everyone froze. He had known they'd entered the painting.
—Why are you just standing there? Why not try one of them?
From each of the countless passageways, a single old man stepped out.
A staff topped with a black diamond. A brown robe. Long silver beard.
It was unmistakably Jakiel.
Roy and the girls recoiled. And just like the paths, Jakiel wasn't alone.
Dozens—hundreds—of him stood at the entrance to every tunnel.
"…See? I told you we'd be rats in a trap."
The girl who had objected earlier muttered under her breath.
Mia bit her lip. She hadn't imagined Jakiel would go this far—even inside a cave.
"Tch!"
Mia conjured a flame and hurled it at one of the Jakiels in the distance.
It was tiny—barely a tenth of its usual size. Still, it hit its mark.
Poof!
The Jakiel disappeared.
But another one stepped into his place.
"No way… I hit him…"
"I don't think that was the real one. They're illusions,"
the salamander murmured.
"Then the paths are fake too?"
"Most likely. With mirror magic, there's one original—and the rest are reflections."
"Dammit, but how are we supposed to know which one's real?!"
—Heh…You've tried hard, I'll give you that. But this is the end of the line.
The swarm of Jakiel illusions began to move. Floating in the air, they closed in like a tightening noose—inch by inch.
"They're coming this way!"
Roy shouted.
The girls screamed, clutching one another. Roy clung tightly to Mia.
Mia stood her ground with sword and shield, back-to-back with the others.
—Hehehe…
Hehehehe…
Hundreds of Jakiels laughed as they surrounded them. Mia could feel the trembling of the girls behind her through her back.
Roy began to cry.
—Hehehehe… hehehehehe…
The cave filled with Jakiel's laughter.
Pop.
A mage wrapped head to toe in robes appeared in the room where Leca lay sleeping.
It was Behemoth. He had teleported to arrive as quickly as possible.
But Roland and his assistants were already gone. They had finished collecting samples of Leca's hair, skin, and blood.
Behemoth muttered a careful incantation and placed his hand on his son's forehead.
Leca groaned and stirred.Then slowly opened his eyes.
"…Father?"
"Yes, it's me. Something serious has happened."
"…They said there were several charges against me.That they were testing whether I was a pure-blooded spirit…"
"I know. It won't take them long to learn the truth about you. Wouldn't it be wiser to escape Sibareth before that happens?"
"But Lady Mia is about to become queen. If that happens—"
"About that. There's trouble on her side too."
Leca bolted upright.
"What? What happened to Lady Mia?"
"She went alone to Jakiel's castle. She's in danger. We have to move."
Even before his father finished speaking, Leca was already in motion.
Behemoth grabbed his arm.
"You're going with that mana suppression collar still on?"
"Right. Please remove it."
Tsk tsk.
"You lose all sense of reason when it comes to that girl…"
Behemoth chanted again. With a clink, the collar snapped cleanly in two.
"Thank you, Father. Where is Jakiel's castle?"
"Wait—Take this with you."
Behemoth slipped a ring onto Leca's finger.
"It will restore the mana and vitality you lost in the Vampire Labyrinth."
"Hehehe… hehehehehe…"
Hundreds of Jakiel illusions drew closer. Mia threw a few more small firebolts—
But just like before, they were useless.
No matter how many flames hit them, Jakiel would simply reappear—untouched.
"Hah… hah…"
Mia panted and faltered. The salamander urged her:
"Lady Mia, stop wasting magic. You're hurting yourself. Those tiny flames won't help at all."
"Fine. Then I'll stab them with my sword when they get close!"
"I doubt the sword will work either…"
The salamander muttered weakly. Having lost all his mana in the Vampire Labyrinth, he was now no different from an ordinary lizard.
—Sssssss…
The Jakiel illusions drew nearer and nearer. Finally, when one was close enough to touch,
Mia lunged forward and drove her sword into it.
"Kahahah!"
But the salamander had been right. The ancient sword didn't work on illusions.
Just like it hadn't worked on the gargoyle.
Still—just like the gargoyle had been paralyzed after being struck—The illusions also flinched and hesitated.
They didn't vanish, but they faltered. It was something.
"Hah! How's that taste?!"
Mia shouted triumphantly. But the pause was brief.
The Jakiels regrouped and began advancing once more. Roy's sobs echoed through the cave.
Then—
"KIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!"
A mighty beast's cry rang out. In the next instant, the cave was flooded with light.
A fire wyvern appeared. Roaring, it swept through the cavern—Unleashing torrent after torrent of blazing fire.
The hundreds of Jakiel illusions, The maze of fake tunnels—All vanished beneath its furious breath.
"Le… Leca?"
Mia murmured, shielding her face from the embers.
The wyvern spat more fire, again and again—And then landed before her.
In a flash, it transformed into human form.
"Let's go, Lady Mia.This cave will soon be reduced to ashes."
"But… you burned the exit, didn't you?"
"We're heading out through the entrance!"
Whoosh—
The sound of flames roared behind them as the group raced toward the cave's entrance.