The Start of the Journey 1

As soon as I spoke, all the Belez swarmed around me, eager to follow.

Miel perched on my hair, jumping up and down as if insisting on coming along.

Cecilia fluttered her glowing wings around my shoulders, while Rote hovered protectively around me.

Surprisingly, even Glacia, whom I had never seen so enthusiastic before, rushed to my side with shining eyes.

Her massive body suddenly lunged at me, causing me to lose my balance and fall.

“Oof!”

‘Does this freeloader really want to come along?’

It was a bit puzzling, but thinking back, Glacia had grown stronger by eating my nectar.

She might be the most eager to follow me.

‘Hmm… what to do.’

Cecilia was like a daughter to me, and her ability to neutralize fire was crucial, so she had to come.

I worried about Rote, who might get bullied by other Belez if I left her behind.

She was also my precious shield.

I considered leaving either Glacia or Miel behind to guard the nest, but they seemed to read my mind and clung to me even more tightly.

Miel hid in my hair, making it impossible to separate from her, and Glacia wrapped her massive legs around me, making it hard to move.

“Alright, alright! Let’s go together!”

The Belez all rejoiced.

“No! I told the Aces!”

The movement of the Belez, excluding the Ace Quartet, came to an abrupt halt.

“We’ll go wake Master, so you must stay and guard this place!”

Since the four strongest were leaving, the others had to remain.

Their sorrowful eyes filled with longing gazed at me.

“Don’t be like that! I’ll bring back lots of nectar when I return, so wait here!”

With the gloomy Belez and the excited Ace Quartet, I returned to the upper layers.

The humans were still waiting in their place.

Raybi approached me cautiously.

“Umm… where did you go?”

Her voice was full of curiosity, but thankfully, she didn’t ask about the nectar incident.

I was still embarrassed to think about it.

“I went to the deepest layer.”

My casual reply made the humans’ eyes widen in surprise.

“The… deepest layer? Does the labyrinth even have such a thing?”

Rodrick asked in astonishment.

“Of course. It’s Master’s layer.”

I slightly tilted my head and looked up at him.

“You’ll probably never set foot there.”

The humans exchanged glances.

Cal, who seemed the most intelligent, carefully spoke up.

“Master… who are you?”

“Oh? My Master is naturally Lady Frostia.”

In an instant, the color drained from the humans’ faces.

Ryandel gripped his staff tightly, and Raybi held her breath, freezing in place.

“Fr… Frostia? Isn’t she a legendary figure?”

Ryandel asked in a trembling voice.

‘Why don’t they know?’

I wondered inwardly.

Bryan’s and Arthur’s parties had actually met Master…

Were they sworn to secrecy?

“Of course Master exists. And you must address her with ‘nim’ at the end.”

I stared at them sternly and replied firmly.

Ryandel quickly nodded.

“I’ll go to Master now.”

“Wait a minute. Does that mean Frostia isn’t here?”

Torben stroked his beard and asked.

“Yes. Master is with Nis-nim right now.”

At the mention of Nis-nim, the humans were once again shocked.

Terry pulled out a notebook and began writing furiously.

“Nis… does she really exist?”

Elina asked with wide eyes.

“Of course! And you must address her with ‘nim’ as well!”

I bared my teeth slightly.

The humans nodded diligently.

“This dress was also given to me by Nis-nim.”

I slightly lifted the hem of my dress.

“Huh…”

“Wow…”

The humans seemed shocked by each of my words.

Ryandel tried to speak, but I raised my hand to silence him.

“I’m busy, so let’s talk while walking. I miss Master too much already.”

The humans seemed eager to ask more questions but restrained themselves due to my firm attitude.

I turned to the Belez and waved goodbye.

“Take care, everyone! Guard this place well!”

The remaining Belez initially looked sad but soon accepted reality and waved their wings and antennae to see us off.

And so, along with Miel, Cecilia, Rote, Glacia, and the humans, we set off.

Walking this path with my own two feet, which I had only ever seen through the Territory Dominance Radar, felt strange.

Walking like this, with my own legs, was truly amazing.

Along the way, the humans resumed their barrage of questions.

“Excuse me… what happened to the Saintess and the Hero?”

Cal asked cautiously.

“Oh, Seraphina and Beatrice? I made sure they understood Michel-nim’s teachings. And I even gave them gifts.”

I replied lightly with a smile.

Cal’s eyes sparkled like a boy excited by tales of legendary heroes.

“I…”

Elina spoke quietly.

“I used to work as a healer at the Temple of Light. May I ask what Michel-nim’s teachings were like?”

“You all seem unaware. Michel-nim is a goddess who loves blood and slaughter. So I offer blood to her, and she grants me blessings.”

I proudly puffed out my chest and said.

My words caused the humans’ expressions to twist in shock.

Especially Elina, who looked stunned.

“Clearly… I can feel divine power…”

Elina muttered.

‘Ugh, ridiculous.’

I sighed.

It seemed Seraphina and Beatrice hadn’t spread Michel-nim’s teachings properly outside.

‘I need to enlighten them.’

I had to show them clearly.

I activated my Radiance skill, emitting a dazzling light from my body.

My surroundings shone brightly, as if bathed in sunlight.

“I’ve spoken with Michel-nim myself. And this light is the blessing she granted me.”

The humans covered their eyes, overwhelmed by the radiance.

Elina nearly knelt down.

“This… this is an unimaginable divine power…”

She said in awe.

“See? I told you I was right.”

I smiled triumphantly.

The humans exchanged glances and slowly nodded.

“We… we believe you.”

They answered cautiously.

It was satisfying to spread Michel-nim’s teachings for the first time in a while. My words were proven right!

“What about Frostia… who is she?”

This time, Raybi mustered the courage to ask.

“Master…”

Just thinking about her filled my heart to the brim.

“She’s truly beautiful, kind, and above all, incredibly powerful. She rules over this labyrinth, the Sia Kalt Mountains, and the Solhan Pass. She even gave me a name, stroked me affectionately, and…”

My words poured out in an unstoppable stream of praise.

Before I knew it, I was even dancing slightly as I spoke about Master.

Raybi’s eyes sparkled after hearing my story.

“She must be an amazing person!”

Raybi’s genuine admiration made me happy.

This child was likable.

She might be a good companion on the journey to awaken Master.

But then, I remembered something important.

“Where is Deathmere?”

I suddenly asked.

The humans fell silent at my question.

I turned to Ryandel, who seemed the most knowledgeable.

“Where is Deathmere?”

Ryandel pondered for a moment before raising his blue crystal staff.

The staff emitted a blue light, projecting a map in the air.

“This is the Sia Kalt Mountains where we are currently located.”

He pointed to the northernmost part of the map.

My eyes widened.

The map was far larger than I had imagined.

The areas I had seen in the game were just small kingdoms on the far east of the map.

“So, where is Deathmere?”

Ryandel’s expression turned uneasy as he pointed.

Starting from the north, through the center, and continuing down…]

“Deathmere Trench is here, at the southern end of the continent, in the southern sea.”

My face turned pale.

“That’s impossible! It’s too far!”

On the map, it was just a few finger widths away, but in reality…

It was an unimaginably vast distance.

“How long would it take to get to Deathmere from here?”

Ryandel calculated for a moment before speaking.

“Normally… about a year and a half.”

“What!? A year and a half!”

My voice rose an octave.

How could that be?

‘Wait! There’s teleportation!’

“Is there a teleportation circle in the village?”

At my question, Ryandel looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“Teleportation? That’s just a myth. Most people travel by carriage.”

‘Tel… teleportation doesn’t exist? And carriages?’

For a moment, my mind went blank.

In the game, it was just a loading screen and you’d arrive instantly… but that wasn’t teleportation, just a skip…

“Can’t we fly?”

Rodrick shook his head.

“The skies are filled with wyverns. Even high-ranking mages don’t fly. “

“What if I protect the mages?”

“Flight magic consumes a lot of mana. It’s hard to maintain even for 10 minutes, and mana recovery efficiency in the air is extremely low, so you’d eventually fall.”

Ryandel explained, shaking his head.

“…”

Was I really giving up?

Clutching at my last hope, I glanced at Glacia.

But even riding her seemed impossible given my size, and her slender legs…

Glacia avoided my gaze, as if agreeing it was a bad idea.

“Sigh…”

A deep sigh escaped me.

A year and a half was too long.

Master was drunk and lying around, and taking so long to reach her was unacceptable…

My gloomy mood seemed to affect the humans, who ceased their questions.

As we quietly ascended to the upper layers, a massive shadow suddenly appeared before me.

A gigantic Crystal Basilisk blocked my path, its transparent, icy body glinting as it bared its sharp fangs.

‘What makes it so bold to confront me and the Ace Quartet?’

“Huh!”

The humans behind me retreated at the sight of the Crystal Basilisk.

‘Right, they said this thing chased them.’

I casually raised one hand.

Imagining roots, but this would look cooler!

In an instant, black roots burst from the ground, precisely impaling the Crystal Basilisk’s neck.

“Screee!”

The basilisk let out a short scream before collapsing.

The humans’ mouths dropped in unison.

Their eyes were filled with a mix of fear and awe.

Translucent, blue-tinged blood flowed from the basilisk’s body.

In that moment, the Crimson Bind at my waist began to vibrate.

“Huh?”

Curious, I drew the sword.

The Crimson Bind’s blade glowed red and began to pull toward the blood.

Like a sunflower turning to the sun, the sword seemed to yearn for the blood.

“Oh ho!”

I smiled in delight and approached the basilisk.

Bringing the Crimson Bind near the pooling blood, the sword began to absorb it on its own.

The blue blood stretched like a red thread into the blade.

“Heh heh, looks like this one craves blood too.”

The blade grew redder, and the jewel on the hilt deepened in color.

After absorbing all the blood, the Crimson Bind vibrated with satisfaction.

“C… Crimson Bind… said to be the weapon of the Lich…”

Ryandel’s voice trembled.

“Oh? You know it?”

When I showed him the sword, Ryandel took a step back.

“It’s the legendary dagger of blood… where did you get it…?”

“It was in Master’s treasure hoard. It fit my size perfectly, so I took it.”

The humans looked increasingly astonished.

I simply smiled and sheathed the Crimson Bind at my waist.

“Let’s go.”

I said casually.

“We need to leave the labyrinth.”