Abraxas’s Close Friend

I followed Cecilia deeper into the Great Labyrinth.

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

The walls still had some skull and bone decorations, but the small flames dancing above them gave it a cozy feel.

It was like a warmly decorated house for Halloween.

“Ukukku appeared here! Glesia said she’d suck it dry!”

Cecilia ran ahead, gesturing and chattering excitedly.

Her cloak was a bit too big for her small frame, dragging slightly on the ground as she ran.

Occasionally, she’d jump up, and her cloak would flutter like small wings.

“Levi said she wants to go to the market!”

“Mariondé called me the ruler!”

Cecilia chattered on, her words tumbling out in a cute jumble.

Her small mouth struggled with the pronunciation, but that only added to her charm.

She was a ruler with immense power, yet her speech was like that of a toddler.

Honestly, it was hard to make out what she was saying.

Ukukku, Jiphy, Mariondé… what were those?

I half-listened, watching her bounce ahead with her cloak fluttering.

Heh…

Raising a child at this age…

A six-year-old mother and a three-year-old daughter? Where was this going…

What a joyless responsibility…

“…I’ll eat it!”

I only caught the end of Cecilia’s sentence.

What was she eating?

“Mom! I did well!”

Cecilia suddenly turned around, her face full of hope, her round cheeks flushed pink.

Her red eyes, a mix of anticipation and anxiety, locked onto mine.

She held out her small arms from under her cloak, gesturing for a hug.

She was so cute that I forgot what to say.

I stood there, mouth agape, just staring.

Goodness…

Was such cuteness even legal?

My chest felt full, as if sweet syrup filled my entire being, warm and happy.

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

I finally snapped out of it and replied.

I wasn’t sure what she’d done, but in that moment, I just wanted to hug her.

Tight!

“Hehe!”

Cecilia smiled brightly, clearly pleased.

She puffed out her chest proudly, her cloak slipping slightly off her small shoulders.

Even that was adorable.

Got it!

With such a cute daughter, parenting would be a breeze!

Especially since she was far stronger than me, so I didn’t need to worry about her safety!

What was I saying earlier?

Complaining about no joy?

Nonsense!

This was bliss!

Frostia and Nis watched from behind, smiling warmly.

Their gazes were soft, clearly smitten with Cecilia.

“Madam, do you like your granddaughter?”

Nis asked with a sly smile.

“It’s not for me to say.”

Frostia replied, slightly flustered.

“If I were your mother-in-law, then Frostia would be the grandmother.”

“I’m not your mother-in-law.”

“Then Frostia is the grandmother.”

“I never said that.”

…?

What were they going on about?

Their bickering was meaningless but seemed more childish than usual.

Maybe it was the influence of the child.

As we descended further, the air grew warmer.

A sweet scent filled the air, like standing before an oven baking cookies.

The smell made my stomach growl.

Before I knew it, we reached the deepest part of the labyrinth.

“Wow…”

My mouth dropped open.

It was a vast cavern filled with flames.

But these flames were different from ordinary fire.

They moved like living beings, dancing and forming shapes.

They created figures of people, butterflies, or flowers.

The most remarkable part was that they weren’t hot at all.

Instead, they felt like the warm rays of spring sunlight.

The flames seemed to await the commands of their ruler, Cecilia.

In the center of the cavern, Levi lay on a large bed, fast asleep.

She must have been exhausted, her mouth slightly open as she slept deeply.

Rayandel sat beside her, also asleep with a dignified posture, as one would expect from a magician.

Both seemed unharmed and peaceful.

Rote circled them slowly, her dark blue, almost black body floating like a small satellite.

Rote’s movements were always fascinating.

Wait…

Where was Glesia?

Looking around, I spotted Glesia crouched in the corner, her head pressed to the wall.

Her usual arrogant and lazy demeanor was gone.

Her small legs folded tightly, her wings drooping, and her sharp fangs scraping the floor.

Why was she like this…?

And more importantly…

『 ☆☆☆☆ 【Levi】 Human LV179 』 

『 ☆☆☆☆ 【Rayandel】 Human LV182 』 

『 ☆☆☆☆☆ 【Rote】 Proten Arachnid LV303 』 

『 ☆☆☆☆ 【Glesia】 Gelidio Chriostings LV311 』

Their levels!

Levi and Rayandel were at heroic levels!

Rote and Glesia were nearly on par with Abraxas’s generals!

They must have gone through a Hyperborean Burning here!

How enviable…

Just then, Rote noticed me and flew over, only to make a U-turn and flee.

Huh?

“Oh, Rote, long time no see.”

Nis greeted her warmly.

Ah, that’s why.

Frostia had her eyes closed.

“Rote, wait!”

I called out, and Levi and Rayandel stirred awake.

Levi rubbed her eyes and smiled brightly at me.

Then, upon seeing Frostia and Nis, her expression stiffened.

Rayandel reacted similarly.

“L, Lycoris. Who are these…?”

Rayandel asked cautiously, his voice trembling slightly.

“Yes! They’re Frostia and Nis!”

I proudly introduced them.

Introducing them to the group felt like a new experience.

“T, they’re… the legendary…?”

Rayandel’s words trailed off.

His face was filled with fear and awe.

“Well…”

Frostia glanced at Rayandel and Levi.

“I heard the story. I’ll give you the reward as promised.”

Rayandel and Levi’s faces slowly relaxed.

Like children expecting a scolding but receiving praise instead.

Now, my curiosity was piqued.

How did they end up in the labyrinth? How did Cecilia become the ruler? And why was Glesia acting this way?

“Rayandel, what exactly happened?”

Rayandel hesitated, looking uneasy.

“It’s a very long story… would it be okay to tell?”

Long?

Oh… but I wanted to hear it…

“No, I’m busy! Keep it brief and tell me the important parts only!”

I had to return to Shia Kalt, visit the lair in the Kingdom of Genes, and I was starving!

So much to do!

Rayandel nodded reluctantly.

For someone who usually loved detailed explanations, asking him to summarize was cruel.

“A, alright. I’ll keep it short.”

Rayandel began his story.

“At first, the witch was mind-controlled by a demon and brought to the Land of Death. We defeated the demon, and Belez led us here. We continued deeper into the labyrinth…”

Rayandel paused to catch his breath before continuing.

“The interior of the labyrinth was incredible. Huge black marble pillars stood like bones, and a purple liquid continuously dripped from the ceiling, forming small puddles on the floor. The liquid felt like it could burn flesh, possibly mixed with soul-corroding magic.”

Rayandel’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, his gestures growing wider and his voice filled with excitement.

“And then, we were met by a massive number of demons and monsters! At least twenty types of monsters poured out, and the most impressive was the ‘Skeleton Hydra.’ Its body was made of snake bones, with seven skulls, each spewing blue flames that could summon souls…”

Ugh…

He was supposed to summarize…

But seeing how excited Rayandel was, I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt him.

“…And in the third corridor, the walls were covered in crystals trapping souls. According to ancient texts, these crystals are called ‘Demon Tears,’ formed from the souls of dead demons. In theory, they could be refined into powerful magical catalysts…”

“Yawn…”

Nis yawned slightly, clearly bored.

Frostia had her eyes closed.

Rayandel jumped, startled, and stopped talking.

His forehead was sweating.

“S, sorry! I’ll summarize again!”

He cleared his throat and composed himself.

His face showed the struggle of withholding detailed explanations.

“We continued conquering the labyrinth and suddenly heard Abraxas’s voice. He said he made peace with Lycoris and became close friends, wanting to make Cecilia his apostle…”

Huh?

So Abraxas had told everyone about being close friends, not just Cecilia?

Oh no…

This would spread across the continent…

“Wow! Lycoris, the close friend of Abraxas!”

Ugh…

“Ew!”

“Yes?”

“Ah, no. A terrifying future crossed my mind…”

“And Cecilia, as an apostle, gained flames that could burn souls, allowing her to defeat the ruler Ivolg, who controlled countless souls.”

Rayandel glanced at Frostia and Nis.

“But seeing Frostia and Nis now… Ivolg’s presence is less than half of what it was.”

Rayandel’s voice carried a hint of dismay.

Aha…

The ruler here was originally far weaker than Frostia.

And in a battle of souls, Cecilia’s ability to burn souls was the perfect counter…

Must have been a terrible matchup for Ivolg…

“Why is Glesia acting like that?”

I asked, still puzzled by her behavior.

Glesia’s subdued demeanor was so out of character.

“Ah…”

Levi glanced at Glesia and said,

“When Ivolg died, a black gem-like core appeared. Glesia rushed to take it first, but…”

She turned to check on Cecilia before continuing softly.

“Cecilia suddenly unleashed a firestorm on Glesia and took the core for herself. Glesia’s been like that ever since.”

So Glesia was upset because she couldn’t have the core?

Or because Cecilia took it?

Hmm…

“Cecilia, did you and Glesia fight over the ruler’s core?”

Cecilia’s cheeks puffed out in anger, her red eyes blazing.

“I told you already! Glesia wanted to eat the core and become stronger than Mom, so I ate it to protect Mom!”

“Huh.”

So this was what Cecilia meant earlier when she said, “Did I do well?”

She did it for me, to stop Glesia from becoming my honey farm?

How could she…

My heart swelled with warmth.

“Sorry, Cecilia… I didn’t hear you properly earlier. You stopped Glesia from becoming a terrible criminal… You did so well.”

I stroked Cecilia’s small head, and her cheeks relaxed into a happy smile.

“Yes!”

Her pure heart tugged at my emotions.

But Glesia was still being unreasonable…

Wait a minute…

Could it be…

“But Cecilia, was it Glesia who led you all here?”

“Yes! Glesia said we had to come!”

So Glesia was the one who caused this mess!

The runaway ninja!

She was planning a coup!

Flap flap!

The shock was overwhelming when Miel suddenly pulled my hair.

Thump thump.

What was she planning now?

Her dialogue was becoming increasingly bizarre and anticipated.

《Like this and that… could have been the national hero…》

…?

What was she talking about?

Miel noticed my gaze and quickly fled, her wings fluttering away.

The sound of her wings faded into the distance.

Miel was another potential criminal…

First, I needed to deal with Glesia!

“Hey! Glesia!”

My voice echoed through the cavern.

Glesia, pressed against the wall, flinched.