Noren, dressed in a small black-and-white maid outfit, stood before the large floor-to-ceiling window, her expression suggesting she had something to say but was hesitating.
After a long while, Noren finally spoke up weakly.
“Sister Cecilia…”
“Hmm?”
Her Highness the Saintess, who was comfortably sipping tea, gave a soft hum and turned her chair toward the restrained-looking little maid.
She motioned for her to continue.
After building up some mental courage and cheering herself on, Noren finally said tremulously, “Sister Cecilia, please let me go back…”
Having finished her request, Noren clutched the round wooden tea tray tightly, her eyes filled with hope.
But the Saintess, sitting serenely in her seat, remained noncommittal, keeping her head lowered as she continued to sip the steaming tea.
Seeing this, Noren had no choice but to add, “If Brother returns and finds I’m not there, he’ll definitely be worried…”
Upon hearing Noren’s pleading words, Cecilia’s golden eyes suddenly dimmed for a moment.
‘Lance… my knight…’
After whispering that to herself, Cecilia’s golden eyes returned to their usual state, and she said with a chuckle, “Do you want to go home that badly?”
“Yes, yes!” Noren nodded vigorously, as if she had seen a ray of hope.
“Alright, I understand your request. Don’t worry, once your brother comes looking for me, I’ll let you go. I won’t forcibly keep you here.”
“Oh… okay, then.”
Noren was clearly a bit dejected, but the thought that she at least had a promise made her feel slightly better.
She just had to wait for her brother to come and pick her up.
As her mood improved, Noren couldn’t help but lean her body forward and then slowly back, over and over—it was clear she was in a good mood.
The Saintess smiled softly, the sadness in her eyes deepening.
Exhaling deeply and deciding she couldn’t be the only one feeling sad, the Saintess snapped her fingers.
The previously brightly lit, open-plan office instantly went dark, leaving only the cold moonlight spilling into the room through the floor-to-ceiling window.
The cheerful little maid, Noren, instantly froze. She stood there stunned, looking at the elegant and refined Saintess with an expression of terror.
Seeing Noren like this, a flicker of sickly pleasure appeared in Cecilia’s eyes.
Under Noren’s gaze, Cecilia reached out to unfasten her clerical robe, revealing a snow-white back as smooth as cream that faintly reflected the moonlight.
“Sister Cecilia! I…”
Before Noren could finish, Cecilia pulled open a desk drawer and took out a small tool to please herself… a Disperse Whip.
Cecilia smiled and beckoned to Noren, who had taken two steps back.
Living under someone else’s roof, Noren had no choice but to walk slowly toward Cecilia.
Without a word between them, Cecilia handed the small whip to Noren, then leaned over the desk and brushed her waist-length hair aside.
Noren stood there with the small whip in hand, an intense psychological struggle raging in her mind.
“Hmm? Little Norn? Hurry and help Sister relax… Haven’t we done this many times before?”
“Ah? Okay…”
Steeling her heart, Noren closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She swung the whip with moderate force, striking Cecilia’s snow-white back and leaving a red mark.
“Mm—”
Cecilia, leaning over the desk, let out a soft moan. A sickly flush rose to her cheeks, and her mood instantly improved, as if she had found a release.
Noren kept her eyes tightly shut, her heart suffering in torment.
‘Brother! Come pick me up quickly! Sister Cecilia has become so strange since she became the Saintess!’
…
“Achoo!“
Walking down the long spiral staircase, Lance suddenly sneezed.
This startled Astrid, who was walking ahead of him. She nearly stumbled and fell, but fortunately, Lance caught the elf’s spaulders just in time to steady her.
“Do Ghouls sneeze too?” Astrid turned back to look at Lance, feeling a bit curious.
Lance took the opportunity to remove his full-face helmet and rubbed his nose, feeling a bit strange himself.
Although he now had a heartbeat, most of his senses were still missing, so why would he sneeze?
However, the elf had only asked in passing. Seeing that Lance looked just as puzzled, she didn’t take it to heart and continued walking down.
Thinking that she would likely return to Siofra City after reaching the 60th Floor, Astrid asked, “What do you plan to do next? Continue exploring the Maze?”
“The Maze?”
At the elf’s question, Lance shook his head like a rattle. Currently, he didn’t have even the slightest desire to explore the Maze.
He had been eaten by a Legendary Dragon in the shallow layers—what would happen if he explored further down? He didn’t even want to think about it!
Having made up his mind not to enter the Maze again, Lance began to think about his plans after returning. His gains from the Maze this time were exceptionally rich.
The most valuable among them was the Ring of Auxiliary Ascension gifted by the Antelope Elder.
If he sold it, it should be enough to pay for at least two years of Noren’s tuition at the Magic Academy.
The girl was at the right age and had the talent; he couldn’t let her become a half-baked mage like him.
The highest magic he could cast was only of the second circle, and he could only use magic in its most superficial form.
Lost in thought, Lance asked in return, “What about you, Miss Astrid? Are you still going to explore the Maze?”
Astrid hesitated for a moment and didn’t nod immediately.
This exploration was undoubtedly a failure for Astrid because she hadn’t found the Ancient Magic Gun as she had expected, leaving her feeling slightly disappointed. But fortunately, she hadn’t lost her life and had met a unique and interesting fellow like Lance.
If this exploration were considered a journey, it could be called quite a success.
For a moment, Astrid recalled everything she and Lance had gone through together and couldn’t help but chuckle.
But she immediately realized that they would soon part ways and dissolve this temporary team in Siofra City.
A wave of bitterness surged in her heart, causing her slightly upturned lips to droop once more.
However, Lance, who was following closely behind the elf, was completely unaware of these small movements.
Silence fell over the narrow spiral passage for a while, with only the rhythmic tap-tap of their footsteps echoing.
Suddenly, the Magic Crystal Lamps on the passage walls, which had seemed broken, flared to life, completely illuminating the area around them.
With a shing, a longsword and a greatsword were unsheathed and conjured simultaneously.
Lance and Astrid stood back-to-back, scanning their surroundings as they waited for any potential danger to appear.
But after waiting a long time, nothing happened, and the Magic Crystal Lamps eventually flickered out again.
After remaining vigilant for a while longer, Lance and Astrid finally calmed down and continued their descent.
Not long after, the ancient stone door at the end of the spiral tunnel quietly appeared in their sight.
“It looks like we’ve arrived,” Astrid said.
Walking in front, Astrid was the first to spot the stone door. Her tone was neutral, showing no sign of excitement.
When she received no response from Lance, Astrid felt even more disappointed, assuming he was too overjoyed to bother with her.
She had no choice but to walk forward quickly, preparing to push the stone door open.
What she didn’t notice, however, was that the eyes of Lance, who was walking behind her, were glowing red, and his reason and clarity were gradually fading.
Lance’s eyes were fixed, staring intently at the snow-white back of Astrid’s neck. Faintly, he could even sense the blood flowing beneath her skin.
‘I’m so hungry…’
The thought in Lance’s mind gradually took shape, steadily driving out his reason.
This voice became clearer and clearer in Lance’s mind, and by the time the elf stepped forward to push the door, it had completely defeated all other thoughts, echoing wildly in his head.
Thump, thump.
Lance moved forward step by step, slowly approaching Astrid.
Hearing the sound, Astrid didn’t think much of it. The stone door was indeed heavy, so it would be good for Lance to give her a hand.
But just as she was about to say something, Lance’s gauntleted hands suddenly reached out and wrapped around her chest.
Astrid’s body instantly froze, and her lively emerald eyes were immediately filled with panic.
“La… Lance! What are you doing!”
The knight behind her didn’t answer. He only slowly lowered his head toward Astrid, who was a head shorter than him.
His breath brushed against the back of Astrid’s ear, making her feel a burning sensation, and her expression grew increasingly flustered.
“N-No, you can’t! My father won’t… Eek!”
Astrid felt Lance rest his chin on her shoulder and couldn’t help but cry out. At this moment, only one question was echoing in her mind.
‘Can a follower of the God of Nature marry the Undead?’
‘Or should I just stop believing in the Goddess?’
Meanwhile, Lance had already opened his mouth, revealing his fangs, the red light in his eyes intensifying. With a slight tilt back, he then bit down hard on Astrid’s shoulder!
The pain of flesh being torn quickly pulled the elf back from her messy thoughts.
Astrid’s eyes widened as she slowly turned her head to look at Lance on her right shoulder.
She saw that Lance’s eyes were full of ferocity, filled with a craving for flesh.
His usual reason and clarity had long since vanished without a trace, and he was biting forcefully into the flesh of her shoulder, her clothing offering no protection.
Seeing this, Astrid’s panicked and helpless expression quickly turned cold and indifferent.
“What’s this? You just wanted to eat me… Honestly…”
As she spoke, Astrid made a swiping motion in the air with her right hand, pulling a deep purple dagger from the torn space.
With a backward thrust, she pierced through Lance’s armor and stabbed it into his body.
Once the dagger entered his body, Lance’s biting motion instantly lost its strength, and his fierce, red-glowing eyes rolled upward.
A few seconds later, he collapsed backward with a thud and went still.
Afterward, Astrid stared blankly at the missing piece of flesh on her shoulder. Amidst the emotional roller coaster, tears began to flow uncontrollably from her eyes.
“Damn it… You jerk, how could you toy with me like that…”