Chapter 100: Abraxas’s Best Friend

I followed Cecilia further down into the Great Labyrinth.

The space, once filled with flames, had now transformed into a warm corridor.

The walls were still adorned with a few skulls and bone decorations, but small flames danced above them, creating a rather cozy atmosphere.

It felt like a warm house decorated for Halloween.

“Ukuku came out from here! Then Gresia unni went shwoop and bonk!”

Cecilia chattered, gesturing with her hands and feet as she ran ahead.

The cloak was a bit too big for her small body, but she didn’t mind it dragging on the floor as she flapped it and ran.

Every time she leaped, the cloak fluttered like tiny wings.

“Leivi unni kept saying she wanted to go home!”

“Ryangdae ahjussi said I became a satto, so he called me Mariangdae!”

Cecilia kept chattering away.

The pronunciation from her small mouth wasn’t perfect, but that was also part of her charm.

Even though she was a ruler with terrifying power, her way of speaking was that of a complete baby.

Honestly, I couldn’t really understand what she was saying.

What were Ukuku, Jibi, and Mariangdae…

It went in one ear and out the other.

I just watched her hopping figure from behind.

‘Sigh…’

‘Raising a child already at this age…’

‘Where in the world is there a six-year-old mother and a three-year-old daughter…?’

‘Th-this is all responsibility and no pleasure…!’

“…so I ate it!”

Only the end of Cecilia’s sentence caught my ear.

She ate what…?

“Eomma! I did good, wight!”

Cecilia suddenly turned around and shouted.

Her small face was full of hope, her round cheeks flushed a rosy pink.

Her red eyes, a mix of expectation and anxiety, looked at me.

She spread her small arms out from under the cloak in a clear ‘hug me!’ gesture.

She was so cute I was momentarily lost for words.

My mouth just hung open as I stared at her.

‘My goodness…’

‘Should this level of cuteness even be legally allowed…?’

My heart felt full to bursting.

A warm, happy feeling welled up inside me, as if my whole body was being filled with sweet syrup.

“…Ah, yes! You did great! Cecilia is the best!”

I said, belatedly coming to my senses.

I had no idea what she did well, but in that moment, I just wanted to hug her.

Squeeze!

“Heheng!”

Cecilia beamed with a bright, satisfied smile.

She puffed out her chest proudly.

The cloak slipped slightly off her small shoulders, which only made her look cuter.

‘Yes!’

‘If I have a daughter this cute, even child-rearing is fine!’

‘Plus, she’s much stronger than me, so I don’t even have to worry about her safety!’

‘What was I saying before?’

‘No pleasure?’

‘What nonsense!’

‘This is heaven!’

The Master and Nis watched from behind us, smiling warmly.

Just from their gazes, it was clear they were completely captivated by Cecilia.

“Grandmother, you seem to like your granddaughter?”

Nis said to the Master with a mischievous smile.

“That’s not something a great-aunt should say.”

The Master retorted, looking slightly flustered.

“If I’m the great-aunt, then you, Frostia, are the grandmother.”

“Grandmother is better than great-aunt.”

“So you’re admitting you’re a grandmother, Frostia?”

“I never said such a thing.”

‘…?’
‘What are you two doing?’

Their bickering continued without any real substance.

With a child around, it seemed the two of them had become a bit childish as well.

It was an argument I could never have imagined in normal times.

As we descended the stairs, it grew warmer and warmer.

The air was mixed with a sweet scent, making it feel like we were standing in front of an oven baking cookies.

The smell suddenly made me hungry.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the deepest part of the Great Labyrinth.

“Whoa…”

My mouth fell open on its own.

It was a vast cavern, and all around was a sea of flames.

But these were no ordinary flames.

They moved and danced on their own, like living creatures.

Sometimes they took the shape of a person, sometimes a butterfly, or even a flower.

The most incredible thing was that it wasn’t hot at all.

Instead, it felt as cozy as the sunshine on a warm spring day.

The flames seemed to be waiting for the command of this place’s ruler, Cecilia.

In the center of the cavern, Leivi was sleeping sprawled out in a star shape.

She must have been exhausted, as she was fast asleep with her mouth slightly open.

Ryandel was sleeping sitting up next to her.

Ever the mage, even his sleeping posture was dignified.

Both of them looked peaceful, without a single wound.

Lotte was slowly orbiting around them.

Her superconductive, dark blue body floating in the air looked like a small satellite.

Lotte’s movements were always fascinating.

‘Wait a minute…’

‘One is missing.’

‘Where is Glasia?’

Looking around a bit more, I saw Glasia crouched in the furthest corner with her head against the wall.

It was completely different from her usual arrogant and lazy attitude.

Covering her face with her small feet, curled up into a little ball and facing the wall, she looked really…

Um… like a sulking child.

Her wings were drooping, and her sharp stinger was scratching the floor.

‘What’s wrong with her…?’

But more importantly than that…

[☆☆☆☆ 【Leivi】 Human LV179]

[☆☆☆☆ 【Ryandel】 Human LV182]

[☆☆☆☆☆ 【Lotte】 Proten Arachnid LV303]

[☆☆☆☆☆ 【Glasia】 Gelidio Cryostings LV311]

Their levels!?

Leivi and Ryandel had reached the level of full-fledged heroes!

And Lotte and Glasia… they were almost at the level of Abraxas’s apostles!

‘So they had a Hyper Burning event down here…’

(TL: Hyper Burning is a term from games like MapleStory for events with extremely fast leveling.)

‘You lucky bastards…’

Just then, Lotte seemed to spot me and flew over quickly, only to make a sudden U-turn and start fleeing.

Huh?

“Oh my, Lotte, it’s been a while.”

Nis said cheerfully.

Ah… so it was because of Nis.

“Lotte, wait!”

As I shouted, Leivi and Ryandel woke up.

First, Leivi rubbed her eyes and sat up, then she smiled brightly upon seeing me.

But as soon as she spotted the Master and Nis, her expression stiffened.

Ryandel had a similar reaction.

“L-Licorice-nim. Are these two perhaps…?”

Ryandel asked me cautiously.

A slight tremor was evident in his voice.

“Yep! It’s the Master and Nis!”

I introduced them proudly.

It felt surreal to be introducing the Master and Nis to them.

“The two of them… are they really the legendary…”

Ryandel’s words trailed off.

His face was a mask of terror and awe.

“Hmm, so it’s you two.”

The Master said, looking back and forth between Ryandel and Leivi.

“I’ve heard the story. As Licorice promised, I shall grant you your rewards.”

Ryandel’s and Leivi’s faces slowly relaxed.

Like children who expected to be scolded but received praise instead.

Now, I felt like I was about to burst with curiosity.

How did they get into the Great Labyrinth, how did Cecilia become the ruler, and why was Glasia acting like that…

“Ryandel, what in the world happened here?”

Ryandel wore a slightly hesitant expression.

“Um… it’s likely to be a very long story, would that be alright?”

Long?

Ah… no…

I want to hear it, but…

“No, I’m busy! Just give me the important parts, as briefly as possible!”

I have to go back to the Sia Kalt, and to the Genaith Kingdom’s lair, and I’m hungry so I need to eat soon!

I have a mountain of things to do!

Ryandel nodded with a slightly dejected face.

For him, who always loved to explain everything in detail, demanding a brief summary must have been a cruel request.

“I… I understand. I will try to be as brief as possible.”

Ryandel began his story.

“At first, our coachman was mind-controlled by a demon and led us to the Land of Death. After we defeated that demon, the Velez guided us here, and we continued deeper inside.”

Ryandel took a moment to catch his breath and continued.

“The interior of the Great Labyrinth was truly a spectacle. Giant pillars of black marble stood like a skeletal frame, and a purple liquid constantly dripped from the ceiling, forming small puddles on the floor.

Touching that liquid felt like my skin was burning off; I suspect it was mixed with magic that corrodes the soul.”

Ryandel’s eyes began to sparkle.

His gestures grew larger and his voice filled with passion.

“And what greeted us there was a massive horde of demons and monsters!

At least twenty different types of monsters poured out, but the most impressive was the ‘Skeleton Hydra.’

Its body was made of a serpent’s skeleton, and it had seven skulls. Blue flames erupted from each skull, and those flames had the power to summon souls…”

‘Hey…’

‘I said summarize…’

But seeing Ryandel’s overjoyed face, I couldn’t bring myself to cut him off.

“…And after passing the third corridor, the walls were entirely made of crystals in which souls were trapped.

According to ancient texts, these crystals are a rare substance called ‘Demon’s Tears,’ presumed to be the crystallized souls of deceased demons. Theoretically, if these crystals were refined, they could be used as a powerful magical catalyst…”

“Yawn…”

Nis let out a small, bored-sounding yawn.

It was a small and elegant yawn, but its meaning was clear.

The Master already had her eyes closed.

Ryandel stopped talking, startled.

I could see beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

“M-My apologies! I will summarize again!”

After a loud cough to clear his throat, Ryandel composed himself.

The pain of suppressing his detailed explanation was evident on his face.

“As we were conquering the Great Labyrinth, we suddenly heard the voice of Abraxas. He said that he had reconciled with you, Licorice-nim, and had become your best friend… and that he would make Cecilia his apostle…”

Huh?

He didn’t just tell Cecilia the best friend story, he told everyone?

Hah, really…

Is this going to become a continent-wide rumor…?

‘Wow! It’s Licorice, Abraxas’s best friend!’

Ugh…

“Ugh!”

“Yes…?”

“Ah, no. A terrible future just flashed before my eyes…”

“Yes… and Cecilia, having become an apostle, gained flames that could burn souls, which allowed her to defeat the ruler, Evolg, who possessed the ability to control countless souls.”

Ryandel glanced at the Master and Nis.

“But seeing Lady Frostia and Lady Nis now… I realize Evolg’s presence wasn’t even half of a fraction of theirs.”

A hint of bewilderment was in Ryandel’s voice.

‘Aha…’
‘So the ruler here was a pushover compared to my Master.’

‘And he fought with souls, but Cecilia happened to gain the ability to burn souls, so she lost?’

‘That must have been a perfect counter…’

‘I bet he feels a bit wronged…?’

“Why is Glasia acting like that?”

I suddenly remembered and asked.

The sight of a timid Glasia was just too bizarre.

“Ah…”

Leivi glanced at Glasia and said.

“When Evolg died, the core of the Great Labyrinth, like a pitch-black jewel, appeared. Seeing it, Glasia was the first to rush towards it, but…”

She looked back to check on Cecilia before continuing in a small voice.

“Cecilia suddenly blasted Glasia away with a firestorm and ate it herself. Glasia’s been like that ever since.”

‘She’s sulking because she couldn’t eat the core?’

‘No…’

‘Cecilia did all the work, so isn’t it natural for Cecilia to eat it?’

‘Hmm…’

“Cecilia, did you fight with Glasia over the ruler’s core?”

At my question, Cecilia suddenly puffed out her cheeks with an angry expression.

Her red eyes burned even more intensely.

“I told you before! Gresia unni said she would eat the Great Labyrinth’s core, get stronger than Eomma, and then drink Eomma’s honey all the time! So I ate it to protect Eomma!”

“Eh.”

‘Th-that’s what it was!?’

‘Was this what Cecilia meant when she asked, “I did good, wight?”’

‘She did it for me, to prevent me from becoming Glasia’s honey shuttle?’

‘I can’t believe it.’

My heart warmed.

“I’m sorry, Cecilia… I didn’t hear you properly before. Cecilia, you stopped a horrible s*x offender from appearing… You did a really good job.”

I said, stroking Cecilia’s small head.

Cecilia’s cheeks relaxed, and her happy smile returned.

“Ung!”

Her pure heart made me feel emotional.

But Glasia is just too outrageous…

Wait, could it be…

“By the way, Cecilia, was Glasia the reason you all came to the Great Labyrinth in the first place?”

“Ung! Gresia unni said we absolutely had to go!”

So Glasia was the culprit behind this whole foolish incident!

What do you mean, a rogue ninja!

She was preparing a coup d’état!

Flap, flap!

As I was reeling from the immense shock, Miel suddenly plucked a strand of my hair.

Thump, thump.

I wonder… what will she write this time.

I was starting to look forward to Miel’s increasingly strange messages.

[My, my… She was so close to becoming a hero of the nation…]

‘…?’

‘This little one! Are you part of the coup faction too!’

Miel must have felt my gaze because she quickly fled.

The sound of her wings grew fainter and fainter.

‘Miel is a potential s*x offender too…’

‘For now, I need to punish Glasia, the one who actually tried to carry it out!’

“Hey! Glasia!”

My voice echoed through the cavern.

Glasia, who was pressed against the wall, flinched.