William and Sebastian walked alongside Olivia while Nicolas rode in the carriage behind them. Surprisingly, the tunnel was wide enough to accommodate the carriage.
"Master, how much farther do you think this goes?" Nicolas asked.
"It stretches quite a distance, I'm sure."
Just as before, the moment Olivia stepped inside, a torch ignited. Each time they passed one, it extinguished behind them, while another lit up further ahead.
"Hey, Olivia," William said. "Do you know anything about beasts that can multiply?"
"I've never seen such a thing. I usually don't give beasts the chance to show off what they can do."
"Whoa, are you that brutal with every one of them?"
"Outside the tribe, there's no mercy. Inside, we sometimes have activities involving common beasts."
Sebastian joined in, "Where I come from, we've got all sorts of beasts—like in the Lost Forest. We even wrestle them sometimes. I used to be the reigning champ every year."
"We do the same in my tribe."
"You guys wrestle those things?!"
Olivia nodded. "It's good to know how to handle them. That way we don't waste time on the battlefield."
The butler shrugged. "We just do it for fun."
"Your hometown's full of weirdos, mister butler."
"Keep your voices down," Olivia warned. "Chatter echoes through the tunnel. If the enemy didn't know we were here, they do now."
"My apologies," William muttered with a slight bow.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Sir William, are you some sort of masochist?"
William frowned. "Why the hell would you say that?"
"You let Miss Olivia talk down to you constantly. You must be either a masochist or just submissive… Either way, it's disturbing."
"How about both?" Nicolas chuckled.
"You're not helping, kid… Anyway," William said, regaining focus. "Have you ever dealt with a multiplying beast?"
Sebastian tilted his head thoughtfully. "Not really. But the beasts were created by the witch. They're unpredictable. I wouldn't be surprised if one had that kind of power. Do you know anything else about them?"
"When you kill them, the bodies vanish into thin air. And they drool poison."
"Hmm... Never seen anything like that."
"I have."
Everyone turned to Olivia, who had stopped in her tracks and stared directly at William.
"What you're describing is a Jawer," she said.
"A Jawer?"
"I didn't recognize the signs at first, but if it's their poisonous drool, it's definitely them. To think they can also multiply... Could that explain what happened to my people?"
"What do you know about them?"
"They usually travel alone. They dwell in swampy forest areas, and they'll devour anything they can catch."
"How do we kill one?"
"I don't have that answer. They only started appearing recently. The tribe was still investigating them when this tunnel emerged. We halted everything."
William grabbed her arm. "There has to be something—anything—you can tell me!"
She pulled away instantly. "Calm down, intruder. You're making a scene."
Realizing what he'd done, William stepped back. "I'm sorry."
But the information she gave wasn't enough. His time was running out, and it made him anxious. He knew the Jawer would appear before the day ended. He couldn't relive the same horror twice.
"Sir William," Sebastian said quietly, "you've been acting strange. Is it because of what you told me earlier?"
"I—"
"—Something's approaching."
William's eyes widened. "It can't be... Already? Wait, what are you doing?!"
Sebastian had unsheathed his katana.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to fight—with Miss Olivia."
"Sebastian, I don't want anyone fighting!"
"But that's part of our contract, is it not?"
William's anger flared. "That doesn't mean you need to rush into danger!"
"I have to. It's my duty to fulfill this mission. Even if it costs me my life."
William remembered watching Sebastian fight the Jawer alone. The guilt still lingered. He wasn't going to let that happen again. Not without a plan.
"Don't you get it?! If we stay here, we're going to die—!"
"—Be ready," Olivia interrupted. "It's here!"
The three on foot positioned themselves back-to-back. Nicolas gripped the reins tightly and slowly drew the dagger from his leg.
They stood in tense silence. The torches flickered dimly. Sweat beaded on their brows. Every breath felt heavy. Every second dragged.
Olivia crouched, placing her palm on the ground. She sent out vibrations—and the response was overwhelming.
"Get down!"
A massive serpent burst from the ceiling.
"Let's not stand around—attack!"
Olivia's black hair turned stark white as she dashed forward. The serpent hissed and swung its tail, but she was faster.
The tattoos on her fists glowed, brighter than the tunnel lights. Her punch struck the creature's face, revealing sharp fangs as the blow sent it reeling. It dropped to the ground, tunneling away to escape.
The three men stood speechless.
"Well? Are you all spineless? Why didn't anyone help?!"
William scratched his head. "Didn't seem like you needed it."
"Excuse us, Miss Olivia. We'll do better next time," Sebastian added.
She exhaled, deciding not to push further. "Very well."
Nicolas tapped William's shoulder. "Uh, Master? What do we do about the carriage?"
They turned to see what remained of it. The top half was destroyed, and the lizards had bolted.
"I managed to jump out in time." The young man added.
William sighed. "It's destroyed... again. Maybe getting a carriage was a bad idea."
"I don't know what you mean by 'again,' but I'd appreciate it if you didn't dismiss the trouble I went through to get that one," Sebastian said flatly.
"Right. Sorry."
Something told William the carriage was never meant to survive.
"Master… does this mean we have to walk?"
"No. We must retreat," Olivia said firmly.
"Retreat? You can't be serious! We've made it this far," Sebastian argued.
"I am serious. Most beasts would've been torn apart by my fists. This one barely flinched."
Olivia had faced countless strong beasts and always come out on top. But this one was different. The serpent had survived a direct hit—and lived.
She clenched her fists. "That serpent is strong. Even with my power, I doubt I can defeat it."
"But you made it retreat," Sebastian said.
"That doesn't mean it won't return."
"I may not look it, but I can fight. You won't be alone."
"I don't doubt your ability. But we know nothing about this creature. Right now, we have two fighters, a halfwit, and a kid."
"—I'm of drinking age!" Nicolas protested.
"—Who are you calling 'halfwit'?" William growled.
Still, he knew she was right. Continuing now would be reckless.
"You understand we have no choice but to retreat, yes?" Olivia pressed.
Sebastian clicked his tongue. "I suppose that's how it is…"
William clapped his hands. "Alright, then, let's—?!"
A pebble shifted.
He froze.
The ground shook beneath them, knocking William onto his back.
"No…"
The serpent returned, faster and angrier.
"Our bickering took too long," Olivia said grimly. "The decision's been made for us."
Sebastian unsheathed his katana again, muttering, "Perfect. Now we don't have to retreat."
The serpent charged at him. He raced to meet it, blade glowing with electricity. Sparks danced along the edge as he slashed, cutting into the beast's thick skin.
"Well, I'll be damned. The contractor managed to land a hit."
"Master! That was the blade you made! It's amazing!"
"Stop it, boy. You're making me blush."
Sebastian's skill was undeniable—his steady breathing, his strikes quick and precise. He pushed the beast back with ease.
"This is no time to gawk—run!" Olivia shouted.
"Wait! I don't want to leave you behind!"
"Then you would be the burden. Go!"
William hesitated. He couldn't leave them. Not again.
"Master?"
William looked at Nicolas. He wasn't alone. He had someone else to protect too.
Taking a breath, William nodded. "Can I trust you with him?"
Olivia returned the nod. "Yes."
He watched Sebastian fight, guilt weighing heavy. Again, he was about to flee. Again, he was breaking his promise.
"By the will of the dragon, we will meet again," Olivia said. It was a send-off, a prayer from her tribe.
It calmed him. He nodded in return. "Very well. May we meet again."
He grabbed Nicolas' hand, and together, they ran toward the tunnel's entrance.
***
The torches hadn't lit up on the way back. The light had stayed behind—with the butler and the woman still locked in battle with the serpent. The darkness ahead was suffocating. William couldn't even see the hand he was holding, and that alone filled him with unease.
"Shit! Why can't we see the entrance yet?"
"Master, can we slow down? This isn't getting us anywhere."
"This isn't the time for breaks. We're caught between life and death!"
"Master…"
William had seen how badly things could end. He gritted his teeth, haunted by the possibilities that might come from this shift in the plan. Would the outcome be the same—or even worse?
Suddenly, Nicolas pulled his hand free.
"Nicolas?! We don't have time for this. Quit fooling around!"
He tried to look at his apprentice, but the darkness made it impossible to see him.
Nicolas took a deep breath. "Master, since this morning, all I've heard from you is 'life this' and 'death that.' You've been muttering strange things about the tunnel too."
"Nicolas, please. Now isn't the time—"
"—I know something's bothering you. But you never talk about it. Even earlier, back at the house, you ran off without saying anything."
"This isn't what you think it is. We need to keep moving!"
"All I've done is follow orders so I wouldn't be a burden. I forged weapons, polished them with everything you taught me. But even then… I still felt like it wasn't enough."
"Nicolas, I just need to get you outside. I need to keep you alive!"
"—And just like that, you're ignoring everything I'm saying! Still spouting nonsense!" He gritted his teeth. "I know I'm just your apprentice, but… you can count on me too!"
"Nicolas… I didn't know you were feeling this way."
Trust. The butler. The apprentice. Even Olivia—in her own quiet way—they had all asked him for the same thing. Trust. He had agreed, but had he ever truly meant it? Or was he just saying what they wanted to hear?
He'd watched them all push forward through the tunnel, fight through the impossible. He knew what the serpent's path led to. Still, he kept trying to carry everything on his own. Believing only he could keep them all safe.
"I—" William began, but the words caught in his throat. How could he explain what he was feeling? Could he really start trusting them more?
"Nicolas, I need—!"
"—Master, get down!"
Nicolas shoved him aside just as the ceiling gave way. Rocks crashed down between them, cutting them off.
"Master!" Nicolas called out from the other side.
"I'm here! Hold on!" William clawed at the fallen debris, desperate to break through, but it was no use. The stones were too many.
"Master, you need to get out! I'm fast… I'll try going the other way."
"But you'll run into Olivia and Sebastian fighting that beast. You could get hurt! Just stay put—I'll dig a path."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Like I said, I'm fast. You know this. Trust me. I'll see you soon!"
"No, Nicolas, wait—dammit!"
William slammed his foot against the rocks in frustration—only for a loose stone to come crashing down, hitting him square on the head. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Why is everyone slipping out of my grasp…?"
***
William could hear voices.
"Hey, come over here!"
"What? Is he waking up?"
The voices didn't sound familiar.
"I think so…"
"Eh? He still looks dead to me. We should've left him where we found him."
"You can't be serious. Sure, he looked pretty sketchy lying in the middle of the road, but we couldn't just leave him there."
He could tell the voices belonged to two men. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the silhouettes of two figures beside him.
"Hm, that's true. Even if he looked like a sorry corpse, he's somewhat alive, I guess."
"—Alright, would you two shut the hell up?!"
The man jolted upright, scanning the space around him. He was inside a tent.
One of the men was tending to his wounds, while the other stood behind, watching.
"Oh! So he's finally awake," said the red-eyed man who had been observing.
The white-haired man tending to William's wounds nodded. "Good observation," he replied sarcastically. "Hello. My name is Shiro, and the guy behind me is my pal Ron."
"Good evening, William Jaeger."