A body I didn’t recognize pressed against my back.
The warmth of the skin was searing.
My heart pounded as if it were about to burst.
The smoke hadn’t fully cleared, so I couldn’t see my assailant’s face.
However, the voice sounded strangely familiar.
‘No way. Why is that person here…?’
But there was no reason for him to come all the way here to save me. I froze in place, not knowing what the man behind me was thinking, trying to assess the situation.
It didn’t take long before a sharp rebuke was directed at me.
“You’re stupid. If you’d gone just a little further inside, the poison dust would have seeped into your body, and you’d be dead within five minutes.”
“Are you telling me you didn’t think that through? This is the labyrinth of Hamillon. If you even take the wrong step, you could end up in a trap where vicious weapons fly through the air or get locked in a room full of poisonous snakes.”
Cat hadn’t explained just how dangerous it was.
Thinking back, I now understood how reckless my actions had been.
However, there was a desperate reason why I had to move, even if it meant risking my life.
The man growled again, his voice lower than before.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. If you don’t understand or try to pull some foolish stunt, I’ll leave you here in this labyrinth.”
The tone was fierce, but it also seemed like he was offering to help me if I followed his instructions.
Regardless of his motives, getting out of immediate danger was the priority.
After all, even now, Jay was still nearby, searching for me.
“Hide. Your hair’s showing. Is she over there? No, maybe?”
When I nodded, the large hand covering my mouth slowly lifted.
With the hand no longer holding me, I quickly backed away from the man’s body.
Finally, through the fog, I could see his glowing blue eyes.
‘Just as I thought…’
It was him.
The Emperor of Hamillon, the man I had spent the night with.
Why was he here?
How did he manage to show up at this exact moment, in such a dangerous situation?
I asked him in a voice full of suspicion,
“How did you know about this place?”
“What’s important right now is not that. If you want to stay alive, just follow me quietly.”
There were a million things I wanted to ask, but for now, escaping Jay took precedence.
The Emperor fell around the wall, and a brick pushed inward with a click.
A moment later, I heard a mechanical sound, and a small space appeared.
“Go inside.”
I followed his instructions and entered the small opening. What lay ahead was a long, dark corridor.
I led the way while the Emperor followed behind.
When we reached a fork in the road, I stopped and turned to him.
The Emperor clearly indicated the direction I should go.
“Left.”
Soon, we reached a dead-end.
Wasn’t he guiding me because he knew the path?
Confused, I turned to face him, and the Emperor stepped closer, almost making our faces touch.
Then, looking down at me with a tilted head, he pressed one side of the wall.
“You shouldn’t believe what you see.”
With a mechanical sound, a small space appeared.
As we entered, a man with long hair was swatting away the smoke with his hand, looking around anxiously.
“What’s with all this smoke? Is this really okay, Lord Argon? It’s not poisoned, is it? This is exactly why I hate fieldwork…”
He complained, his face looking like he was about to cry, but the Emperor gave a cold command.
“Samuel, stop being so dramatic. Just stay here and keep watch.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“I thought I’d stretch my legs a bit after a long time.”
“But you don’t have any weapons right now.”
“Do I need fancy tools to catch a fly?”
The man named Samuel looked at the Emperor with a worried expression.
“I’m not doubting your skills, Lord Argon, but… please, please make sure you come back.”
“It’s fine.”
“How can you say not to worry? It’s the only way I’ll survive in this labyrinth!”
The Emperor let out a chuckle, clearly understanding, then disappeared into the smoke.
We were left alone in the dim room.
I couldn’t make sense of what was happening, unsure of what to say next.
Who was this man, and why was the Emperor here?
From the way Samuel spoke so casually about the Emperor, it seemed like they were on very familiar terms.
I looked at him suspiciously, and he scratched his chin with his finger.
“That look is a bit hurtful.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re looking at me like I’m some kind of criminal.”
It then hit me that I had been too obvious in my distrust.
There had been so much happening today that I hadn’t even realized how guarded my expression was.
“Sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to. Everything’s just so chaotic right now…”
“Well then, it’s a bit late, but let me introduce myself. I’m Samuel, Lord Argon’s assistant.”
“I’m…”
How should I explain this?
After all, if he’s Argon’s assistant, he’d know that I was imprisoned for being one of the two ‘Beasts of Mederland’ or for attempting to assassinate the Emperor.
I hesitated, then gave the most natural response I could muster.
“I’m Mayhen.”
“I see. It’s a pleasure, Lady Mayhen.”
With introductions out of the way, there was nothing more to say.
An awkward silence settled, and unable to stand it any longer, I broke it.
“By the way, that man who tried to kill me earlier… He seemed extremely dangerous. Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“Which one are you worried about?”
“Well, the Emperor…”
“Oh, don’t worry about him. If anything, we should be concerned about the labyrinth collapsing.”
This sturdy labyrinth collapsing?
Maybe if it was something like the bomb that Cat brought, but still, the Emperor had gone out to face dangerous opponents without any weapons.
But then, strangely, the ground started to tremble.
The ceiling even seemed to shake.
“Eh…?”
It wasn’t a mistake. It was really shaking.
Boom, boom, thud—!
The sound of the labyrinth almost crumbling made me widen my eyes in alarm, but the man in front of me laughed and said,
“You really don’t know the Emperor at all. He’s famously known as the Mad Dog of the Battlefield. Why would you of all people cross someone like that…”
He was clearly referring to the man who had just tried to kill me.
But strangely, his pity-filled gaze was aimed at me.
“Am I imagining things?”
Right then, the Emperor returned—covered in blood.
At the horrifying sight, I instinctively took a step back.
Samuel quickly reassured me.
“Oh, don’t worry. That’s all the enemy’s blood.”
Somehow, that was even more terrifying.
While I stood there, horrified, Samuel approached the Emperor as if this were all completely normal.
“To think you didn’t leave me behind in the labyrinth. I’m touched, Lord Argon.”
“Hearing that makes me want to actually leave you next time.”
“What a violent joke! By the way, once again, you’ve managed to get yourself completely covered in blood.”
With practiced care, Samuel pulled a handkerchief from his coat and began wiping the bloodstains from the Emperor’s face.
“How long do I have to keep cleaning up after you? I told you to fight more neatly.”
“It would help if the enemies stayed still.”
Their casual exchange sent chills down my spine.
If I hadn’t been struggling to hold myself together, I probably would’ve fainted again just from the sight.
I forced myself to take a deep breath, trying to calm down.
Just then, Samuel glanced in my direction while folding up the handkerchief.
“So, Lady Mayhen, what are your plans now?”
The Emperor looked at him like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“‘Lady Mayhen’?”
“Oh, we introduced ourselves while you were away.”
“And when did you develop such a habit of doing useless things?”
“Useless? Let’s just call it good manners for a civilized society.”
Then the Emperor’s gaze turned to me.
His lips curled into a crooked smile, and his words were anything but friendly.
“To think you’d try to escape even when left in Hamilton’s notorious labyrinth. I’ve got enough on my plate already.”
‘What? He thinks I was trying to escape?’
I had just barely survived a brush with death.
How could there be a more unjust misunderstanding than this?
I stepped forward.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared—my voice trembled, coming out a mess.
“I’m not an escapee! I had absolutely no intention of leaving the prison…!”
“Then why are you outside right now?”
“Because they threatened to kill me if I didn’t follow them…!”
“Then, in the end, you chose to leave the prison to save your own life. I don’t see how that’s any different from being an escapee.”
That indifferent voice and those arrogant eyes looking down on me.
The more I spoke, the angrier I felt for some reason.
“Then what were the prison guards doing while I was being threatened by those people?”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.