episode_0061

“······Oleg hasn’t come back.”

dark.

When Lily opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was darkness.

A pitch-black darkness, as if covered with food, took over her vision. What she heard from within was a voice that did not sound human.

“Originally, this scroll was designed to be ridden by at least two people. The caster and one additional person of their choice can be brought. It also has the characteristic of reacting only to living things. So, the reason why Oleg didn’t come back…”

Although the voice sounded like it was forcibly imitating a person, I could still read the emotions contained within it.

It seemed sad, and at the same time regretful.

“Yeah, Oleg is dead······.”

Lily tried to move her body. Although she was in a pitch-black darkness where she couldn’t see anything, she could vaguely tell what kind of magic had been cast on her.

A magic that teleports the target. It has been affected by ‘transfer’.

In times like these, it was best to move and escape before even making a decision.

However, her attempts were soon blocked.

Because something sticky was stuck to my whole body, restricting my movements. Judging from the sensation I felt on my skin… it was probably like a spider web.

“Then, let’s see the face of the guy who was brought in instead of Oleg.”

At that moment, the lights that had been off finally came back on. Torches began to burn one by one in the dark room. Although her eyes were momentarily dazzled by the sudden brightness, Lily couldn’t help but open her eyes wide.

Because the entire world was full of monsters.

High-level monsters were spread out beyond the field of vision. In the meantime, he was trapped in a spider web. In short, he was surrounded.

At that moment, the voice from before opened its mouth again.

“Hello, little one. This is the center of the demon world.”

The owner of the voice was a giant spider.

Arachne. A grotesque monster with a human face and the body of a spider. It took at least three knights to catch just one.

In addition to these, there are many high-level monsters such as Cyclops, Ogres, Banshees, Gargoyles, etc.

“And you were just dragged here.”

At that moment, Lily instinctively sensed that the situation was not normal.

The alarm bells in her head rang at full volume. A vague fear gradually consumed her.

Even though she was a great wizard, she had limitations when it came to dealing with enemies.

Even if I were to face this many guys while my body was restrained… it was clear that my entire body would be torn to pieces in less than an hour.

Was that fear also evident in his expression?

Arachne opened her mouth and caressed her cheek.

“Oh, you look scary, kid. Don’t worry. I’m sure Oleg is angry that he died, but I won’t kill you right now.”

Gulp.

Lily swallowed.

“Instead, it just makes you a puppet.”

Continue speaking.

“Net-nim has an order. He said he will send one of the hero’s party members here. Keep it safe. He said that when he comes, he will make him into a puppet and use him for his own power. I wonder what kind of expression the hero will make when he sees his former comrade who has become an enemy… Heh heh, I’m already looking forward to it. ”

Lily frowned.

So now, you are trying to brainwash yourself.

To be used as a hostage and as a power source.

“Fuck… I’d rather kill you, you little shit.”

Of course, Lily resisted.

Even though she fell into the middle of enemy territory, she is not a great person who would just tremble in fear.

He was a member of the party of the true warriors, and he carried the heavy burden of the world on his two shoulders.

It would be better to die than to be used like that.

That’s why I cursed and tried to use magic.

I gather all my magical power into my body as if I’m going to commit suicide.

···I tried to collect them.

“Oh no, kid.”

If only Arachne hadn’t moved.

The enemy’s preparations were thorough. As she gathered her magic power, the barrier around her began to glow.

It was a barrier that controlled the target’s magical power.

The guys expected the other side to resist, so they even set up a barrier.

“Get some sleep. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything bad.”

A sleeping spell is cast over Lily’s resisting face.

Lily cursed inwardly, but there was no way to fight back. At least if there had been no barrier, it would have been possible to try······.

The guy’s voice is heard above Lily’s consciousness, which is sinking into oblivion.

“Oh, by the way. Don’t even think about your comrades coming here to rescue you. This is the center of the Demon Realm. There are no Four Heavenly Kings living here, but there are thousands of monsters instead. Even if the Imperial Knights invade, it will be difficult to break through, right?”

Hohohoho···.

Arachne’s low laugh is heard.

Even the laughing voice of a monster was incredibly bizarre.

With that, Lily fell asleep.

*

Three days have passed.

Lily was trapped inside the barrier with her entire body still.

Fortunately, it seemed like they didn’t do any serious harm like they said.

Rice was served three times a day. It didn’t taste good, but at least it looked nutritious.

Well, that was to be expected. As the guy said, she was a valuable person who needed to be used as a puppet.

Even if you hack, only the puppet master can do it.

That’s why the monsters were trying hard to endure even when they saw humans.

And Lily… was consumed with self-loathing during the three days she was held captive.

‘This idiot···.’

I was going to investigate, so I acted alone and ended up getting kidnapped like this.

Of course, there were many excuses.

The fact that I was letting my guard down because Oleg was already dead. I had no idea that there would be a scroll there that would take a whole year to prepare.

The fact that the scroll also had a magic spell that blocked the sea.

It’s a really well-designed and elaborate trap.

In short, it was an act of force majeure.

But even though it was inevitable, it didn’t change the fact that she was caught.

So Lily spent three days trying to figure out a way to escape. She thought about how to break the barrier, and also figured out a way to break free of the spider web that was binding her.

After that, I thought about a way to escape from the eyes of thousands of monsters.

But her idea could not be put into practice.

When I try to make a barrier, my two hands are tied.

If you try to get rid of your body first, you will be severely limited in what you can do since you won’t be able to raise your magic power.

To make matters worse, there were always one or two monsters watching him in front of him.

Even she can’t escape through all of this.

Because of this, she had to remain locked up for three days.

On the fifth day, I had a vague sense of hope.

What if his comrades break through these enemy lines and come here?

Or maybe the knights of the empire will send support?

After all, he was the most important person in humanity. He wanted to save him somehow.

However, contrary to such vague expectations, reason was extremely cold.

It would be impossible. This is the Demon World.

This is a place where all humanity except the warrior and the warrior party becomes weak, and even the warrior has to fight through thousands of monsters to get there.

In short, it is an attack on a large army of knights with a handful of men.

No matter how excellent they are, there is a limit to what they can do. Moreover, they are not all completely fluent.

It is impossible to break through at the current level.

Because of this, Lily had no choice but to quickly give up even such hope.

On the seventh day, I decided to find a way to self-destruct. There was no way to escape. It seemed impossible for my colleagues to come to my rescue.

In that case, at the very least, we should self-destruct to prevent them from using it.

Fortunately, at least this seemed like a possible solution. I’d have to make some plans, but it seemed quite feasible.

From then on, Lily… thought about getting her life in order. There was plenty of time anyway.

A week had passed and the puppet master hadn’t come yet. He must have gone on a business trip somewhere far away.

If that’s the case, it’s not too late to blow up your body.

Lily spent another day thinking about that.

The change happened the next day.

“This is a big deal. This is a big deal!”

“An intruder has appeared! An intruder!”

“Calm down, you idiots! They’re a minority anyway. Just keep going!!”

The noise coming from outside the prison is noisy.

From what I’ve heard, it seems like someone came inside.

For a moment, a feeling of anticipation rose in Lily’s heart, thinking, ‘Could it be?’

Are you sure you’ve really come inside here?

Even after seeing that army of monsters? It’s impossible. It’s stupid.

Even though reason said so, I couldn’t help but feel anticipation.

Anyway, listening to what the monsters are saying, it’s true that there were intruders. If that’s the case, then we’ll just have to wait and see.

The monsters assumed that the intruder would be quickly subdued.

Even so, we are a small group anyway. We won’t be able to break through this fortress filled with high-level monsters.

That’s what I decided.

But after 3 hours, after 6 hours, after 12 hours······.

The monsters had no choice but to withdraw that idea.

“The Cyclops is broken! The Golem is also destroyed!”

“Why can’t hundreds of them rush in! Kiririk!!”

“But he says he’s tired too! Everyone keeps pushing him!”

Because the intruder had already come within reach. The monsters fought desperately, but it was not enough to stop the intruder.

Listening to what the monster said, it seemed like it was more monstrous than a monster.

Although she was feeling hopeful··· the question that was echoing most in Lily’s head right now was ‘How?’

As I said before, this place is full of monsters. And they weren’t low-level monsters.

But how did they manage to get through so quickly?

That question was soon answered.

In a rather unpleasant way.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

To achieve great things, you must put in a corresponding amount of effort.

To make the impossible possible, a price must be paid.

“Huh?”

After some more time passed, a man came in.

I finally found this place after beating the prison guard.

Lily couldn’t help but feel bewildered at the sight of the man.

The man was missing one eye.

The man was missing his ring and little fingers on both hands.

The man’s back was pierced with countless arrows and thorns, and there was not a single healthy spot anywhere on his body.

The man’s mouth was dripping with bright red blood, as if his internal organs had been injured.

It was a man Lily knew.

The warrior, Luke. Aside from that, he’s a suspicious character with everything else shrouded in doubt. The only thing she knows is that he has a fraudulent recovery skill.

That guy is all beat up. It means he must have had a lot of stories.

“Ah······ I found it.”

After wandering around like that for a while, he found Lily and muttered. His voice was tired and lacked any strength.

Luke approached Lily and unraveled the webs one by one, saying:

“You······are a very hands-on person····you know·········?”

It was a tone of voice that sounded like something was being suppressed.

It looks bitter, it looks relieved, it looks sad.

He was smiling faintly with a face covered in wounds, but inside, I could only feel sadness.

Lily forced herself to open her mouth, which was constantly blocked, and asked.

“Uh, how···.”

“What can I do? I just got through it.”

“Somehow······.”

“That’s right. It was harder than I thought.”

“······Why·.”

“Once upon a time, I thought about saving all four of them. Stupidly······.”

It was an incomprehensible statement. Even this situation was incomprehensible.

The one who had always been suspected of being the Demon King’s army saved himself by ending up like that. There was nothing to be suspicious about.

She supported him as soon as the spider web was released.

Luke said.

“Let’s go back. For now.”

Until then, Lily’s mind was only in turmoil.