Pointing her fan toward the two of them, Solene caused flames to engulf Jirena and Rebecca. The intensity of the fire was not that high, which meant that, fortunately for them, Solene was probably only a Rank Six mage or was holding back.
'We have a chance to survive.'
Jirena immediately used her healing magic on her own body. Most of her spells were focused on support, but Leon had also taught her a few offensive techniques. Creating a sphere of green mana in the palm of her hand, she hurled it at the flames beside them. The explosion opened a path, and Jirena pulled Rebecca out of the fire.
"The word is Queen."
As she touched the wall, Jirena revealed the magical code to Rebecca. A hole opened, and the two of them ran again as fast as they could. At that moment, Rebecca pointed her hand behind her and unleashed a powerful blast of wind toward the opening. The attack was fired just as Solene was chasing them, causing her to be struck.
"Speed Enhancement."
Jirena used her magic to strengthen both of their bodies, increasing the speed of their movements. Rebecca also surrounded them with wind magic, accelerating them even further. When they reached the next wall, it was Rebecca who tried to open the passage. Sensing the energy points, she touched one of them and visualized the code. Instantly, another opening appeared before them.
"Excellent, Lady Rebecca. You learned quickly."
"Thank you, Jirena."
Rebecca felt a little embarrassed by the sincere compliment. Clenching her hand lightly, she focused all of her attention on the path ahead. The two of them crossed another room, then another passage opened, followed by another. They were both beginning to grow tired, but they couldn't stop. Behind them, a massive wave of fire advanced relentlessly, chasing them through every room.
The wave of fire grew faster and faster until it overtook them and stopped in front of the two women, completely blocking their path. With no other option, Rebecca and Jirena were forced to stop. There was nowhere left to run. They turned toward the direction from which the footsteps were coming. Solene walked forward slowly while pointing her fan at them. The next instant, an explosion of flames was launched in their direction. Jirena raised both hands and created a green barrier to protect them.
"A fine defense for such a low-ranking subordinate."
The barrier managed to withstand the attack, although several cracks appeared across its surface, something that impressed Solene. Jirena's breathing had become uneven. Her combat ability was truly inferior to Rebecca's.
"You're too exhausted, Jirena. Let me take over."
"Huff... My lady..."
Jirena watched Rebecca step in front of her. It seemed her lord had made the right decision in choosing the woman before her as his wife. Honestly, that made her very happy. It was comforting to know that her lord would have a happy place to return to, and because of that, she had to save Rebecca at all costs.
"You're a very kind person, Lady Rebecca."
"Huh? I-I don't think so... but thank you for the compliment."
Seeing the noblewoman react with that small hint of embarrassment, Jirena couldn't help but smile faintly. Then she raised her hand, and a green light enveloped Rebecca's entire body. At first, Rebecca thought she was receiving some sort of enhancement, but to her surprise, the moment the light disappeared, a hole opened beneath her feet.
"I'm sorry, my lady, but I can't let you get hurt."
As she fell, Rebecca looked at Jirena in complete bewilderment. She tried to raise her hand to use her wind magic and return, but her magic simply wouldn't respond.
'That spell she used on me...'
Several holes began opening beneath her whenever she got close to the ground, only to close again immediately afterward, causing her to continue falling endlessly. Jirena's magic had two effects. The first prevented the target from using mana for three seconds. The second dragged the target downward. Thanks to that, Rebecca had no time to react or resist.
"What foolishness."
Solene was already standing in front of Jirena. With a swing of her fan, she summoned flames directly onto the healer's body. Jirena's skin began burning relentlessly, but before she could collapse, she grabbed Solene by the shoulders and activated her magic, preventing her from using mana for three seconds. Right afterward, she bit Solene's ear with all her strength.
"Aaaahhh! You bitch!"
Solene managed to break free, but a piece of her ear had been torn off. Consumed by rage, she slapped Jirena violently across the face.
Lying on the ground, Jirena raised her eyes and stared at the face completely consumed by fury before her.
"It seems you're losing control. That's unbecoming of a noble."
"Silence."
Solene began kicking Jirena repeatedly in the stomach while continuing to burn her body with flames. With every strike, her expression grew more consumed by irritation. After spitting on the healer, she turned to go after Rebecca. However, before she could take her first step, both of Jirena's hands grabbed her leg.
'I'll hold her... until my lady is safe. No... until Lord Leon arrives.'
Jirena's eyes were already devoid of life, yet she refused to let go of Solene. Every time a fire spell struck her body, she responded by immediately using her healing magic, doing everything she could to stay alive. It was her way of repaying the lord who had been her family's hero. The only thing she regretted was leaving her children behind... and also her savior. She wished she could have taken care of them more often, just as she had cared for her husband every single day.
As she remembered him, a small smile appeared on her face.
'I'll meet you sooner than I expected...'
Solene's face twisted in pure rage. Raising her fan, she gathered a far greater amount of mana.
"Die already, you commoner!"
An explosion erupted where they stood. Somewhere above, Knigrave sensed that magic. Running at incredible speed, he eliminated every enemy that appeared in his path. Pointing his sword at the floor, he began carving a path downward, descending from room to room without slowing down.
'This is bad... I have a bad feeling.'
Behind him, Elara followed without the slightest difficulty. Along the way, she told him about the maids who had been dragged below and Rebecca's disappearance. Both she and Knigrave were beginning to grow genuinely worried.
"They're getting closer, Maito."
One of the mages was holding a magic stone that displayed the location of everyone within that small dimension. Maito merely nodded before opening another hole in the floor. The four of them stopped when they found Solene wiping the sweat from her forehead. Beneath her, a body was still gripping her leg tightly.
'I can't sense any sign of life... Then why...?'
"My lady, are you alright?"
"I am. Just make this corpse let go of me."
As he approached, Maito realized it was Jirena. For a brief moment, he hesitated. A few seconds later, he drew his sword to cut off the healer's hands. When he got close enough, he raised the blade... but stopped for a moment. Solene frowned, unable to understand why he had hesitated.
"What is it?"
"This is bad, my lady. We need to retreat and activate the backup plan to contain him."
"Contain—"
Before Solene could finish speaking, she felt someone enter her dimension with an overwhelming presence. She recognized that magic immediately. It was unbelievably similar to her own, to the point that they seemed identical.
"Leon has arrived."