Chapter 67: Descent into Darkness

Initially, nothing happened. The castle’s tremor, like an earthquake, ceased abruptly. No one moved. Even Philly, the Guardian, who had seemed ready to attack them at any moment, stood rigidly, sword in hand. Renki felt as though time itself had frozen. The ensuing silence was stifling, almost suffocating.

“You’re insane.”

Philly declared, her voice laced with fury. Hay merely shrugged.

“What choice did I have? You threatened to kill us, and I lack the power to fight you myself. So, I had no option but to summon a Guardian who could stand against you.”

Hay no longer spoke to Philly with deference. He saw no reason to show respect to a capricious madwoman of a Guardian.

Philly let out a disbelieving laugh. Though her face was hidden by her helmet, Hay could well imagine the expression she wore.

Just then, a colossal light erupted from beneath the castle. Seeing it, Philly’s laughter abruptly ceased.

“To summon Lana del Rond of all Guardians, you must truly be out of your mind. Are you an idiot, or simply mad? Or perhaps you didn’t even know who Lana del Rond was when you called her forth?”

“I know. She’s the Guardian who brought about the downfall of the Magic Kingdom. Because of the traitors who sided with the demons invading the kingdom, she declared the very existence of mages a threat, deeming all of them targets for annihilation and massacring the populace.”

That was precisely why Philly had become the last Guardian herself. When the Fifth Guardian began to perceive even loyal mages as potential threats, killing indiscriminately, Philly took on the mantle of Guardian to protect the remaining citizens.

Her sole purpose was to destroy Lana del Rond. Yet, she failed, unable to prevent the kingdom’s demise. Even with their nation ruined, the mages could not allow such a monster to roam free in the world. To avert a greater catastrophe, they sacrificed their lives alongside Philly, burying everything within this rift in dimensions. Thus, the history of the ancient Magic Kingdom concluded.

“And you summoned that puppet, knowing all this?”

Philly smirked, a colossal magic circle forming beneath her feet. Renki tensed, convinced the Guardian was about to attack them.

‘What in the world is my master thinking?’

Renki was utterly bewildered. Ever since encountering Hay, he couldn’t make sense of anything.

The entire castle began to tremble once more. This was no mere vibration. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls with terrifying speed. Sylph, just as before, clung to Renki’s scruff with a paw. Renki looked up at Sylph in surprise. Usually, Sylph would be yelping, but now they remained silent.

“Little one, you push your luck too far.”

Philly’s magic circle began to glow fiercely. Simultaneously, mana surged and swirled around Philly’s body. From behind Philly, or more precisely, from the far end of the opposite corridor, a girl stepped into view. She was a teenage girl, her long hair braided down her back, wearing a cloak so long it brushed the floor.

“If you’re so confident, then try to escape. I’m curious. Will you run away alive, or will you be buried here with me?”

This youthful-looking girl was Lana del Rond, the Guardian who had annihilated the Magic Kingdom. Philly turned to face the girl, raising her sword.

“Tsk, that foolish elf truly took someone like *her* as a disciple.”

At that moment, black earth surged from beneath Hay’s feet, enveloping the two of them. Almost simultaneously, the surrounding walls shattered, engulfed in light. That was the end. The next moment, Renki found himself plunged into darkness.

****

[“Hay, are you alright?”]

Nora asked. Instead of answering, Hay scraped the fire staff with his dagger. Flames immediately surged, illuminating their surroundings.

Hay was now deep underground. He didn’t know how far they had descended, but they were certainly beyond the reach of the two Guardians raging above.

*Thump, thump.*

Vibrations resonated from above. Hay had no way of knowing what was happening on the surface, but he suspected the city was being utterly razed.

He chuckled, imagining the desolate urban landscape swept away by the Guardians’ battle. Then, unable to suppress the metallic nausea rising from deep within his stomach, he vomited onto the ground. Only black clots of blood emerged. Having been there for so long, his saturation had dropped even further than before.

Hay couldn’t even guess how much time they had left to escape the labyrinth. He glanced at Renki, who lay unconscious beside him. The shockwave from Lana del Rond’s explosion of the entire castle had rendered Renki unconscious. Hay had nearly succumbed as well, but he had clung to consciousness, deploying the strongest shield he could muster to burrow safely underground.

Still, they were far from safe. Renki was terribly injured, so much so that it was questionable if he would ever regain use of his arm, and Hay himself was in a dreadful state. His back was flayed open again, and one arm had suffered a severe injury, exposing bone. Yet, he considered himself fortunate. He had been lucky. Lana del Rond’s target had been the magic swordsman Philly, allowing Hay to avoid the direct impact of her spell. Indeed, that had been his intention when summoning Lana del Rond.

Hay pushed his battered body upright.

[“Don’t move, Hay. I’ll carry you.”]

Nora said with a somber voice. Hay had already intended for that. Nora seemed to sink into the ground, only to rise again beneath Renki and Hay’s feet, carrying both of them.

[“What will you do now?”]

What else? They had to get out. The flame of the fire staff flickered out. Hay reignited it, holding the compass in the same hand that gripped the staff. He had almost lost it while escaping the castle into the ground, but Sylph had carefully retrieved it.

“Peep.”

Sylph, who usually created air without being asked, chirped in a dejected tone. Both Nora and Sylph were worried about Hay. Nix, who couldn’t be summoned here, would undoubtedly be concerned as well.

Hay offered Sylph a small smile and made sure Renki was securely supported. He had given Renki healing water while the boy was unconscious, and had found and consumed two emergency healing potions himself, yet he was only about halfway healed.

*Thump, thump.*

The ground trembled, and specks of dirt fell from the ceiling of the tunnel Nora had created. On the surface, Philly was undoubtedly confronting Lana del Rond.

Just then, Renki groaned and stirred. It seemed he was coming to. Perfect timing.

“Renki, are you awake?”

Hay asked as casually as he could. Renki tried to push himself up, bracing his hands on Nora’s back, but a scream of agony tore from him due to his injured arm.

“Don’t push yourself.”

Hay wrapped the arm holding the compass around Renki’s waist, helping him upright. Just as Renki began to turn, the fire staff’s flame extinguished.

“Don’t look back.”

“Master?”

Hay scraped the fire staff with his dagger once more. The surroundings brightened again. Renki gasped in surprise, realizing they were underground. He tried to turn back to Hay.

“I told you not to look back.”

At his words, Renki stiffened his shoulders and faced forward once more.

“What happened? Why are we underground?”

“We fled to escape those two mad Guardians.”

“Guardians?”

“If I utter their names, those two lunatics might find us here, so I won’t speak them.”

At that, Renki hunched his shoulders even further.

“Do you remember what I said earlier? About guiding the way?”

Hay extended the compass to Renki. “I looked at it while you were unconscious, and it seems broken. Are you sure this is what you used to find me?”

Renki took the compass Hay offered. Hay then held out his hand to Sylph. Sylph handed the staff, which they had been holding with a paw, to Hay. Hay placed the staff between himself and Renki.

“That’s right. It’s not broken; if you reflect the compass in the mirror on the lid…”

“No need to explain. I told you not to look back. If it works, that’s enough. Just tell Nora the direction. She’ll clear the path.”

“Nora?”

Renki belatedly looked down at the black wolf he was riding. It was the spirit Hay had summoned when they encountered the rock lizard at the cliff. Renki realized Nora was Thea’s higher spirit without needing to ask Hay. He didn’t need to ask when she had evolved. Hay had certainly trained before leaving for the Mirror Labyrinth today. It was likely then that she had evolved.

“But Master, why do you keep telling me not to look back?”

Renki felt an ominous chill.

“It’s not a sight fit for a child.”

Hay stated dispassionately.

“Are you hurt?!”

Renki gasped in alarm, trying to turn his head, but Hay blocked him with his elbow. Renki flinched at the sticky liquid that touched his face. It was blood.

“The healing water is…”

Renki trailed off, his words dying. Hay’s healing water was only effective once a day, and Hay had already consumed it earlier. Drinking more healing water before the next day would be useless.

“I used a potion. Don’t worry. It’s not enough to kill me immediately.”

Despite his words, Hay’s voice trembled faintly.

*Thump, thump.*

“Renki, we don’t have time. Soon, we’ll be trapped in this labyrinth forever. Your job is to find the exit, so just keep looking forward.”

Renki had no choice but to obey Hay’s words. He opened the compass lid and peered into the mirror. Renki’s face was not reflected in the mirror. For some reason, it had been like that ever since he first opened the compass after arriving in the Mirror Labyrinth. Instead, the mirror bore the exact same magic circle as the compass Stan had used. A single arrow-like needle pointed to one spot.

“Uh, Nora. We need to go right.”

Nora moved as Renki instructed. As she advanced, a tunnel automatically excavated, creating a path. Watching this, Hay swallowed the rising bile. He couldn’t vomit blood in front of the child. He struggled to maintain his composure. If he lost consciousness here, his spirit power would be severed, and Nora and Sylph’s summons would be dispelled. In that event, they would either be buried alive, or, even if not buried, they would die from lack of oxygen.

“Just keep going straight.”

Renki told Nora. Hay looked at the back of Renki’s small head, recalling what had happened earlier. He remembered Renki drawing his dagger to block Philly’s sword when she aimed for Hay’s neck. This young boy had managed to do what Hay himself hadn’t been able to properly react to. If not for Renki, Hay would have been decapitated on the spot. And Renki would have died too, undoubtedly. Was that also a stroke of luck?

How much time had passed? They seemed to have traveled for a considerable while in silence. Renki, who had been quietly directing Nora, finally spoke in a heavy voice.

“Master.”

“Hm?”

“Will we be able to get out of here in time?”

Hay stroked Renki’s hair.

“I don’t know.”

It was an irresponsible answer, but better than a lie.

“But I intend to believe Lexa’s words.”

“Lexa?”

Renki, baffled as to why the name of a mage they had parted with long ago was suddenly brought up, briefly turned his head towards Hay. Still, he did not look back.

“The Fortune-teller said I have the face of someone who will die while working. And this isn’t work, is it?”

Renki nodded at his words. Renki had heard that too.

“That’s right. Lexa said so too. She said Master would live a long life. That you wouldn’t die away from home.”

“Dying here would be dying away from home, so I probably won’t die.”

A hint of laughter colored Hay’s voice.

“More importantly, there’s something I need to do once we’re out.”

“Something you need to do?”

Hay nodded.

“I need to punch Stan Demonic in the face for bringing us to such a dangerous place.”