I tightened my grip around Lydia's waist, her frame slender and steady from years of assassin training.
Her pale skin seemed almost fragile under the rushing wind, and with every leap the mount made, I could feel the rise and fall of her breasts above my arms.
"For a warlord, you're awfully scared of falling," she teased.
"Hey, it's not my fault I've never ridden this… whatever this tiger-leopard thing is!" I shouted over the rush of air.
"Your partner's never ridden one either and she looks fine."
"She might as well be a genius," I said quickly. "Don't compare me to her."
Lydia smirked. "I don't know about her, but you sure aren't one."
…Did she just..?
[Yeah. Most people consider that an insult.]
I felt her relax a little under my arms, her voice dropping.
"Hey, Rune…"
"What?" I leaned closer, the wind stealing half her words.
She spoke louder this time. "Do you think my unit thought that about me? That I took away their freedom?"
I let out a slow breath. "Not the whole unit. Just the captains and vice-captains."
She turned back, giving me a look like I was the last person on earth she should've asked.
"Forget it. I shouldn't have said anything."
[Poor girl. She thought you'd comfort her. How innocent.]
"Tch…" I ignored him and leaned closer to her ear.
"Listen.."
The mount jolted suddenly, throwing me forward.
"Woah!" I scrambled to hold on.
"Don't breathe on my neck," she snapped, her ears turning pink.
"My bad, blame the wind," I said, pretending it wasn't on purpose.
...Well.. it wasn't really on purpose.
[I would rather believe a squirrel can fly.]
Some squirrels do fly.. they are called flying squirrels.
[You see.. That's a common misconception.. While flying squirrels and ground squirrels belong to same family Sciuridae, they are totally different species. Flying squirrels belong to—]
I waved the blue window off, before he spouted more nonsense.
Lydia took control of the mount's reins again.
"So...?" she said, trying to act nonchalant, while prompting me to continue.
"Anyway," I continued, "your unit doesn't think you stole their freedom. Drane must've gotten to your captains and vice-captains without you realizing it. That's not on you."
"I know," she murmured, though her voice wavered. "But… did they really believe Drane over me?"
"Not likely."
"Then how..."
"Drane must have someone who can twist people's thoughts," I cut in. "In my last life, you and your unit were crucial in killing Merin. This time, he's changed the game."
She hesitated, then asked quietly, "So… once we kill the culprit, they'll come back to normal?"
I shook my head. "No. They're not under somekind of control like puppets. They're convinced. And once someone's convinced, it's their choice. Killing the manipulator won't change that. If anything, they'll revolt once they wake."
Her face tensed. "If they revolt, there'll be a massacre. We should go back—"
"No." I cut her off firmly. "Sera can't put them all back to sleep, but if it gets bad, she'll cut them down. She's not weak-minded like someone I know. She'll make the right call."
Lydia glanced at me, catching the jab, and scowled. "That's rude."
I grinned, unashamed.
"We should almost be at the location," Lydia said.
I leaned forward, peering past her shoulder. "Yeah… I see the signs."
Crushed leaves, broken stems, heavy prints in the soil. Mounts definitely passed through here.
She pulled the reins and our beast skidded to a halt.
The sudden stop jolted us both, and I couldn't help but notice the way her breasts shifted against my arm still wrapped around her waist.
"Let's dismount here," she said, already swinging off.
"We should proceed with caution. Assume Drane lured us in. There's no way he'd hand over his escape plan to just any random subordinate."
I landed beside her, brushing off my palms.
"Yeah," I muttered, the image of that poor orc she'd tortured flashing in my mind.
The guy was half-dead when she was done with him.
Lydia might not have Merin's ability to heal or crank up a victim's pain receptors, but in terms of ruthlessness? She was right up there with her.
"We don't know the full powers of whoever's backing Drane," I said, my tone sharper than I intended. "Better to stay on guard."
Lydia gave a short nod and took the lead, her steps steady as she moved into the undergrowth. I followed close behind.
The undergrowth here was darker than the labyrinth.
But there were no mirage talismans.
No traces of thier mounts tied up, nothing. Just shadow.
"This place is giving me creeps," Lydia whispered.
"We're definitely lured in," I replied.
"Thanks, that really calmed me down," she shot back, mocking me.
"Look, Drane's even kind enough to dim the lights and set traps. Real considerate guy. Setting us up with a cozy deathbed," I muttered, mocking her right back.
She frowned, and we kept moving. Slowly, our eyes adjusted to the gloom.
The narrow path ended in a wide corridor, one that split into six separate routes.
"Six splits?" Lydia said, her voice tight with surprise.
"Why do I get the vibes of a colosseum here..?" I asked.
Her long vampiric ears twitched. "Not all of these splits lead to corridors," she muttered.
Then, without hesitation, she slid two daggers out from under her skirt, twirling them with the casual grace of someone who'd been doing it since childhood.
She sank into stance, deadly and elegant.
Again... How the fuck did they fit in there? One of these days I am going to really ask her about this.
[Yeah, you should do that.]
"Get ready, Rune. We've got company."
I reached back and unsheathed my big hunk of metal, the so-called sword.
The growls came a second later, low and deep, like thunder rolling through the chamber.
From four of the six openings, shapes emerged.
Mana beasts.
They crept in slowly, watching us the same way wolves watch sheep, except I was pretty sure we weren't the sheep here.
Okay, maybe a little bit.
"All of them B+ threats," I muttered under my breath.
"Are you sure about using that blunt slab against B+ threats?" Lydia asked, her back brushing against mine.
"Oh, I'll be fine." Damn it, I should've borrowed Sera's C-rank sword.
As if on cue, the wooden torches set around the chamber flared to life, flooding the place with light. A very gladiator arena mood.
Great. For us and the beasts.
My eyes darted over them one by one:
A mammoth the size of a small house. Seriously, how did it even squeeze through that slit?
A jaguar, lightning sparking along its fur, thunder mana radiating off it.
A massive mantis in front of Lydia. Bug legs, sickle arms. Yeah, I am gonna hate bugs for the rest of my life after this.
And finally… my eyes landed on the slime. Not the cute little blue ones from anime.
No, this thing was massive, brown, and ugly enough to ruin all my past-life slime fantasies in one glance.
And of course,, it was already eyeing Lydia like she was dinner
[All four monsters are B+ threat level. Their types complement each other. Perfect counters for Lydia's assassin-style combat.]
Yeah, I have eyes, thank you.
[Are you sure? Because I'm certain your eyes can't see the traps on the ground or the poison gas spreading from the ceiling.]
I froze, staring at the glowing screen.
Thanks a lot, Nexar, for saving the most important details for last.
[Ohh, don't praise me too much, hehe.]
"Commander Lydia," I said, my tone flat, "there are traps on the ground and poison spreading into the chamber. We should minimize breathing and finish fast."
She nodded, though I could see the faint flicker of tension in her stance.
"Let's finish this fast," she said, her purple aura bursting into the air like a storm.
The beasts froze mid-step, the weight of her presence daring them to move.
In the next breath, her mana wrapped around her body. Acidic water solidifying into a blue armor.
It slicked across the cloth over her chest, flowed down to her skirt, and hardened around her forearms and legs until she looked like a warrior sculpted out of a tidal wave.
My crimson aura ignited and swirled outward, twining with hers in the air.
The monsters growled, jagged and deep.
[Seems like they didn't appreciate your little color show.]
Not my fault. They are tasteless.
The thunder jaguar's sparks crackled against the clash of our auras, blue lightning hissing through the chamber.
Then. Thwick!
Arrows rained down from the ceiling.
Lydia was already in the air, spinning with that assassin grace of hers, water shurikens blooming in her hands.
She hurled them, and each one shattered the arrows into splinters before they could touch us.
The mammoth bellowed, its curved tusks glinting in the torchlight.
whump!
A wave of brown sludge erupted from its trunk, surging straight for the spot Lydia was about to land.
But I was there first.
I slammed my heavy sword into the ground. Crimson and black aura spiked outward, colliding with the brown wave.
The impact shook the chamber, dust and grit exploding upward like a small sandstorm.
Through the haze, Lydia's voice cut sharp. "Rune, I'll take the mantis and the slime."
I nodded, gripping my sword tight.
"I'll handle the thunder-jaguar and the mammoth."
Her eyes flickered with worry as she landed behind me, daggers at the ready.
"Be careful," she said, her voice soft.
I caught the crack in her voice. The sting of losing her comrades hadn't left her yet.
"You too," I said, pulling my sword from the cracked stone and raising its tip toward the mammoth's massive frame.
Beside it, the jaguar's lightning flared, blue sparks crawling over its sleek body.
Both beasts growled in unison.
And then they stepped forward.