X
Finally, the explosion ceased, and the dust settled. The ground within a hundred-meter radius, including where Hay had stood, had been utterly obliterated. The halo of light that had materialized above Philly’s head faded. With steps as light as if she were out for a stroll, she stopped precisely where Hay had been.
“To have avoided that—what a lucky child.”
‘That attack had been meant to kill.’
Smiling faintly beneath her helmet, Philly lifted her gaze.
Her eyes landed on a castle in the distance. From within its walls, she could sense the bio-signatures of two individuals.
Philly pushed off from her spot. The ground where she had stood erupted once more, leaving a massive crater in its wake.
****
“…! …sir!”
Hay felt a sense of déjà vu as hands gripped and shook his shoulder.
Hay’s senses sharpened, and he opened his eyes. He found himself sprawled facedown on the floor. When he rolled his gaze, he saw Renki’s masked face.
Previously, during a similar incident, it had been the back of his head that ached, but this time, it was his back.
Suppressing a groan, Hay pushed off the floor with his arms and slowly sat up. The pain was not merely an ache; his back felt as though it were being consumed by fire.
For a moment, he couldn’t recall why he was in this state or how his back had been injured. Yet, every event that had just transpired vividly resurfaced in his mind.
Renki had suddenly burst out from behind him. Startled, Hay had grabbed the boy and leaped through the very door he’d emerged from.
Simultaneously, an explosion had erupted behind them. Though Nix and Nora had shielded them with their entire beings, they hadn’t been able to evade the full impact of the shockwave.
“Ah, damn it…”
“Be careful! Your back is…”
Renki flapped about frantically, his face on the verge of tears.
As Hay reached a hand behind him, he realized his outer coat and shirt had been completely incinerated, leaving his bare skin exposed.
The moment his palm brushed the wound, an excruciating sting shot through him. Hay gritted his teeth, feeling cold sweat profusely bead on his forehead.
‘It seemed his back skin had been entirely ripped off.’
Hay quickly conjured healing water, drank it down, and then shed the tattered remnants of his coat that clung to his wound. Renki, looking utterly helpless, assisted him.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Only for a very short time. You came to almost immediately. Are you alright? Your wound is severe!”
“Of course not.”
*Boom—*
A deafening boom echoed from somewhere. Hay cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
He was certain they had been in the heart of the city moments ago, but now, it appeared they were inside a castle.
Hay briefly glanced up at the pointed arched ceiling before retrieving his staff from the floor.
It seemed Nora and Nix had been unsummoned during his brief unconsciousness, as they were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps the force of the bombardment had forcibly dispelled their summoning.
‘His spirits were taking quite a beating today.’
While the overwhelming disparity in power made it unavoidable, Hay felt a surge of irritation. It was an annoyance born from his own helplessness.
“More importantly, what happened to you? Why did you suddenly appear there?”
Hay inquired, feeling the healing process steadily mend the wound on his back.
Sylph had explicitly stated that Stan, Lorelai, and even Renki were not here. Renki, for his part, wore a bewildered expression, clearly as clueless as Hay.
“I don’t know either. I was definitely in a snow-capped mountain cabin just moments ago.”
“A snow-capped mountain?”
Just as Hay had been flung into the city immediately after encountering Belgadon, it seemed Renki had been transported to an equally unexpected location.
‘But a snow-capped mountain? What in the world is wrong with this damned labyrinth?’
“What happened to you, Master? Who exactly were you fighting?”
Renki asked.
At his words, Philly immediately came to Hay’s mind.
If this was indeed the castle from the city, then Philly had to be nearby.
He approached a window that overlooked the city. In the distance, a portion of the urban landscape was visibly obliterated, sending up plumes of dust.
He could also discern a lone figure moving, no larger than an ant.
It was Philly. She was approaching rapidly.
She was leaping across rooftops, hurtling towards the castle.
Moreover, with every powerful leap she made from a rooftop, the building beneath her shattered, and she cleared four structures at a time.
*Boom, boom, boom—*
As Philly drew nearer, buildings continued to explode in her wake.
“Damn it.”
Hay clicked his tongue, his brow furrowed in frustration.
‘Now burdened with a child, how was he supposed to confront that accursed Watchman?’
“Who is that person? Why are they attacking you, Master?”
“The Watchman.”
“The Watchman? A magical beast of the Mirror Labyrinth? But… they’re human, aren’t they?”
“She’s the last of the six to become a Watchman. A magic swordsman who volunteered to take on the role.”
Hay was careful not to utter Philly’s name rashly.
‘He feared that if he did, she might instantly appear right beside them.’
No, Philly clearly knew he was here from the start.
As a magic swordsman, she could undoubtedly open a teleportation portal, so her decision to charge in meant she intended to pressure him.
‘He couldn’t shake the feeling of being a mouse toyed with by a cat.’
He stepped away from the window, searching for an escape route.
First, he needed to get Renki to safety. He couldn’t possibly confront that mad Watchman with a child in tow.
“Damn it, if only I could find the exit, I wouldn’t have to endure this hell.”
“The exit?”
“You weren’t with Stan in the snow-capped mountains, were you?”
“I was alone.”
‘Where in the hell is that bastard Stan, and what is he doing?’
“Sylph.”
Hay summoned Sylph.
Sylph unfurled their wings with a solemn expression and let out a piercing cry. They seemed to believe Hay had summoned them for battle.
“Take Renki to a safe place. Somewhere far enough that he won’t get caught in the fight.”
Sylph’s disappointment was palpable.
“Just me? Do you really have to fight the Watchman? Let’s run away together!”
Renki tugged at Hay’s tattered sleeve. Hay gently shook off Renki’s hand, gripping his shoulder instead as he spoke.
“Renki, listen carefully. We don’t have much time before we become permanent residents of this labyrinth. We can only escape by finding the exit, and that Watchman knows where it is. Wait in a safe place until I can find out its location.”
Hay gestured with his chin towards Sylph.
Sylph nodded and flew behind Renki.
As Sylph gripped the nape of Renki’s neck with their forepaws and soared into the air, Renki flailed with a bewildered expression.
“Wait, Master! If you’re looking for the ex-exit, you don’t need to fight! I have a compass!”
“What?”
Hay raised a hand, halting Sylph’s movement.
“You have a compass? What are you talking about?”
Renki wriggled free from Sylph’s grasp and leaped to the floor.
He immediately fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small, round box.
On its lid, an embossed image depicted a dragon and a demon locked in battle.
It was the symbol of Arcavya.
“This is a compass! It has something similar to the compass magic my master used inside!”
At Renki’s words, Hay snatched the box and opened its lid.
He was right. Inside the box was indeed a compass. Hay was utterly bewildered.
“Where did you get this?”
“A wizard gave it to me before we left. I didn’t know what it was for until I saw Master use compass magic; then I realized this was a compass too.”
“A wizard? What kind of wizard?”
“I don’t know. He was a wizard with runes carved into his face and dressed in black robes…”
At that description, Dylan came to Hay’s mind.
“Anyway, that’s not what’s important! It’s how I found you, Master! I followed the path the compass showed me to the cabin. And when I opened the cabin door, you were there!”
However, the compass needle was spinning erratically.
“It looks broken, doesn’t it?”
“Ah, it’s not meant to be looked at like that…”
“Kiiyaa!”
Sylph cried out, flapping their wings violently.
*CRASH—!*
Simultaneously, the outer wall of the castle directly behind Hay exploded. Hay grabbed Renki and flung himself out of the way.
Coming to a halt at the end of the corridor, Hay stared with a tense expression at Philly, who had just burst through the wall.
“She certainly arrived quickly.”
Philly twirled her sword casually at her side as she leisurely approached Hay.
“Looks like an extra little friend has joined us.”
Philly’s gaze landed on Renki, who was still clutched by Hay. Her eyes then shifted to Hay’s hand, specifically to the compass.
“Ah, the Labyrinth Compass. Hellheim said all physical compasses were disposed of after compass magic was developed, but it seems one remained, didn’t it?”
‘So it really is a genuine compass.’
‘If I had known Renki had a compass, I wouldn’t have needed to provoke Philly. Perhaps I should have waited a little longer.’
“So you no longer need to find the exit through me.”
Philly spoke, sounding regretful. Her words brought Hay back to his senses.
She was right. If this was genuine, there was no need to fight Philly to learn the exit’s location.
“Philly.”
“Surely you’re not going to tell me to ‘scram’ now that I’m no longer needed, are you?”
Philly cut him off, her words implying she had no intention of backing down.
‘This has become awkward.’
“Couldn’t you just let us go?”
“I listened to your boring story, played your boring game six times, and even said I’d tell you the exit if you put even a tiny scratch on my armor. I even demonstrated what real area magic is like. Don’t you think it’s too much to tell me to scram now that I’m useless?”
Philly leaped forward. Instinctively, Hay conjured a triple layer of
However, Philly’s sword mercilessly sliced through the barriers, aiming for Hay’s neck.
‘Ah, I can’t block this.’
But with a *clang*, Philly’s sword was deflected.
The blade sank halfway into Hay’s shoulder. Philly flinched, her body tensing in surprise.
*Wham—*
Seizing the opportunity, Hay struck Philly’s chest with the hand gripping his staff. The whirlwind, imbued with
“Ugh!”
Philly, sent flying backward, slammed her sword into the floor to halt her momentum.
A large scratch had appeared on the chest plate of her armor.
“Oh?”
Philly exclaimed, lifting her head in admiration.
An oppressive aura emanated from her, an intensity far beyond what he had felt from Kisen previously.
“That sword.”
She straightened her posture and removed her helmet. The black stain vanished, revealing Philly’s face, flushed with excitement.
“Where did you get it?”
Philly’s question was directed not at Hay, but at Renki.
Renki clutched a dagger in both hands, stepping back nervously. Hay, still cradling his shoulder, glanced at Renki beside him.
What Renki had drawn was the dagger embossed with the rune ‘Life,’ which Hay had given him previously.
‘When did he pull that out?’
“To have negated my barrier, that doesn’t seem like an ordinary sword.”
Philly’s gaze was fixed on the sword, her eyes filled with avarice.
“Since I’ve scratched your armor, that’s enough, isn’t it?”
Hay quickly interjected.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Philly smiled sweetly.
“Now it’s getting interesting.”
The black stain once again covered Philly’s face, and her helmet reappeared.
“Can a person go back on their word?”
“I stopped being a person a long time ago, so it’s fine.”
Philly shrugged nonchalantly.
“Let’s do this. You have the compass, so diligently run away and find the exit. I’ll kill you and take that sword. It’s a game of tag. What do you say?”
“I don’t want to.”
“I don’t accept refusal.”
“I’ll just give you the sword.”
“That’s no fun.”
A halo of light materialized above Philly’s head.
Hay sighed. It seemed this crazy Watchman had no intention of letting them go.
“Renki, can you find the exit?”
Renki nodded.
“Then guide us.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Are we playing tag?”
Philly asked.
“No, we are not.”
“Not playing?”
“That’s right.”
“Then it’s no fun.”
There’s a saying about a disaster one brings upon themselves. Philly was the disaster Hay had brought upon himself.
It didn’t matter.
“While we escape, I’ll summon a new friend to entertain you.”
A disaster could simply be met with an even greater disaster.
Though they might all die.
“What did you say?”
Hay took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his staff.
The wound on his shoulder throbbed painfully.
“Lana del Rond.”
The fifth Watchman, who had led the Magic Kingdom to ruin.
At Hay’s call, the castle vibrated.
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