Chapter 65

“You speak well.”

After the Council concluded successfully, Flauros, who had won by an overwhelming margin to become the representative of the Seat of Flame, approached me.

Every time our eyes met—those calm, burning eyes devoid of emotion—I felt a faint sting in my chest. Still, I bowed as if nothing was wrong.

“It’s just a trivial skill, but I’m honored that you think well of it.”

“I’ll leave the humans to you.”

“Understood. I’ll coordinate with Norkel and take care of it, so please take your time to rest.”

“……”

A brief silence.

When no answer came, I lifted my head slightly—Flauros was still staring at me, unmoving.

Why isn’t she leaving? Does she have more to say?

The session was nearly over.

I had planned to talk with Rubietta, who was surrounded by a cluster of little witches across the hall, but it seemed I’d have to postpone that.

“Is there something you wish to say to me?”

“Is it bothersome?”

“Sorry?”

“That one.”

She uncrossed her arms slightly and pointed a finger. At the tip of it stood Velada, Gamigin’s familiar—and my nominal contractor—sticking her tongue out and teasing Karzos.

“I could remove her for you.”

“Velada? Or… the contract?”

“Either.”

Her tone was calm, but the meaning behind that one sentence was enough to shake me.

It wasn’t the offer to get rid of the annoying Velada that startled me—it was what came next.

A black mage breaking a contract with a summoned demon and forming a new one was nothing rare. But if the other party was an Archduke, that changed everything.

Contracts with Archdukes, the rulers of the Demon Realm, meant only one thing—an absolute bond of blood, a pact of master and servant.

“…You mean, you wish to take me as your subordinate?”

“To adapt to a new environment, you’ll need a guide. That’s all.”

I couldn’t imagine she’d have much reason to favor me, given my sly, opportunistic conduct so far. So why suddenly make me one of her familiars?

I had seen Flauros’s subordinates several times in the Demon Realm before. They were all fiercely militant—and what stood out most was their absolute loyalty.

Some Archdukes treated their familiars like slaves or offerings, but Flauros’s were different—her followers fought to save her even at the brink of death. That meant she rewarded them greatly, whether materially or spiritually.

I must have taken too long to answer, because she spoke again.

“You seem familiar with this realm’s affairs. I’ll give you compensation befitting that.”

Compensation, huh?

What kind of compensation?

Would she let me… lick her legs, maybe?

My gaze trailed up her smooth, shapely legs before I caught her proud eyes and quickly bowed again. I swallowed the saliva gathering in my mouth and carefully replied.

“Please allow me some time to think.”

“My patience isn’t long. Decide before this battle ends.”

“Then… forgive my boldness, but may I ask one question?”

“Go on.”

So she wasn’t going to kill me for not giving the answer she wanted—good. That fear gone, I asked what I truly wondered.

“Do you actually believe you can defeat the Apostle of the Outer God?”

So you’re angry because you lost to me, sure… but do you really think you can win if we fight again?

There wasn’t a single exaggeration among the rumors circulating about me in the Council.
The massacre of the thirty Archdukes—excluding Furcas—was still infamous enough to give many demons nightmares.

Perhaps thinking I was concerned for her, Flauros stretched her arms lightly and said,

“I did lose to that thing, yes—but that was ages ago. I’m stronger now. Meanwhile, he’s been fooling around with his lover, so I think the odds are fair this time.”

…The Apostle of the Outer God, enjoying romance?

The corner of my mouth twitched upward. That was some interesting new information.

“And besides,” she added, “I’ve prepared a trump card. I couldn’t use it in the last battle, but this time will be different.”

“I see. Understood.”

Well, if she couldn’t rest easy without testing herself, I wouldn’t stop her.

I ended the conversation with a bow and took my leave.

The stars that had embroidered the night sky collapsed into a single point as space itself began to close.

And when I opened my eyes, I was sitting on the dormitory bed once again.

『Fear not?』

“Yes, it went well.”

『Fear?』

“Thank you for worrying. I’m fine now.”

After tucking my Outer God back into my sleeve, I formed the hand seals for spatial transfer.

The destination was a single place—Daegu.

It was finally time to rescue my comrades.

“Got any water left?”

“This is the last bottle.”

“Can you see any exit?”

“Not at all. Looks like the upper passage is completely sealed with rock.”

It had been nearly two full days since Division 3 became trapped underground.

They’d been moving south to help restore the Gyeongbu Line when the collapse hit,
so their exhaustion had doubled.

What lay beneath the ruined ground was an enormous subterranean chamber.

When they came to, after falling dozens of meters, they were immediately greeted by swarms of monsters pouring out from every tunnel around them.

They had no choice but to head deeper inside, but no matter how far they walked, no exit was in sight.

If this were a Gate, they could’ve killed the boss and opened a return portal—
but this was no Gate. It was just a massive cave dug deep into the earth.

There was no doubt—it was a trap.

As injuries mounted and monsters kept flooding in, the unit’s morale dropped lower and lower.

Kang Ha-neul turned to Yoo Se-byeol, who was wiping blood from her blade.

“Deputy Commander, still no contact from HQ?”

“The last message said they were struggling to break through the monsters on the surface.”

“Then I suppose all we can do is hold out until the rescue team from Seoul arrives.”

“That’s the best option we have. Ideally, we’d escape on our own, but…”

Despite her composed tone, Yoo Se-byeol knew how slim that hope was.

It was similar to when they’d once been trapped inside an anomalous Gate—but this time, there were two critical differences.

One: Division 3’s strength had weakened since then. Most of their seasoned veterans were gone, replaced by zero-years—fresh recruits who had just passed their promotion exams this year.

And the other…

“If only Hayan were here.”

“Shut up already, Alexei!”

“I’m only speaking the truth. Without a mage, finding a way out is impossible.”

“Click your tongue all you want, but maybe the new recruits just suck.”

Hayan wasn’t there.

That fact weighed heavier on Yoo Se-byeol than anything else.

There were a few newly joined Lower-Level mages, but outside of direct combat, they weren’t much help.

If he had been here, she knew—no matter how absurd the method—Hayan would’ve found them a way out.

The weak thought of wanting to rely on him crept into her mind. Yoo Se-byeol slapped both cheeks hard and stood up.

“Enough! Whining won’t change a thing. And for all we know, Hayan might be part of the rescue team!”

“She’s right. Everyone, up! Rest time’s over!”

It was dangerous to stay in one place too long.

They’d managed to block a few of the monster tunnels, but the area was still far from safe.

To survive until rescue arrived, Division 3 pressed deeper underground.

As Yoo Se-byeol searched for a wider space to regroup, Kang Ha-neul approached her quietly.

“Deputy Commander, this terrain…”

“I feel it too. The curvature of the tunnels, the branching paths—it’s familiar.”
“It’s a Grand Labyrinth, isn’t it? At least a sixth-floor one.”

The Grand Labyrinth—a massive maze in the Demon Realm, known as a bottomless pit that had devoured countless Awakened over the years.

It belonged to the Archduke of Necromancy, and was among the most frequently observed Gates in the world.

It spanned eight layers in total, and the danger level varied depending on which section was summoned.

A sixth-floor labyrinth would be equivalent to a near top-tier Gate. Under normal circumstances, there was no way Division 3 could possibly clear it—yet in this case, it might actually be a stroke of luck.

“The structure and scenery match, but the traps and monsters feel different—like it’s been reassembled with new parts.”

Perhaps the Gate that was meant to manifest here had been blocked by the earth, leaving behind nothing but the shape of the space itself—a hollow ant nest waiting for visitors.

“I remember seeing data on the sixth floor in old guild records. There should be twelve curved exits at the edges of the labyrinth—shaped like bent fingers.”

“I know. But don’t tell the others yet.”

If the rookies found out they were in a place modeled after a high-tier Gate, panic would spread instantly.

So for now, Yoo Se-byeol kept that truth to herself.

But once her steps lightened, she no longer hesitated.

She had tackled the sixth floor of the Grand Labyrinth alongside her grandfather when she was with The Old Gods’ Wound. Every time they reached a familiar junction, Kang Ha-neul’s directions led her body to remember the way.

If this had been an actual Gate, a mid-boss would have waited at every exit, and even if they escaped they’d likely surface at the fifth floor—not the surface. This, however, was a simple cave. If they moved toward the shallowest parts, they’d either reach the outside or pick up a signal and be able to contact the rescue team.

“Phew—ain’t it hot?”

“It is. Maybe because we went too deep?”

“It feels hotter the further we go.”

“Someone give me water!”

As they pushed forward, several soldiers began complaining about the heat.

At first everyone assumed it was just the stifling, cramped maze playing tricks on them, but as they advanced the temperature kept climbing. When sweat soaked their clothes, panic started to spread.

“What do we do? Turn back?”

“We’re almost there. Quitting now after coming this far is absurd.”

The exit was just a little further on. They could try other routes, but that would mean fighting past the same monsters they’d already beaten to get back.

Considering the men’s exhaustion, Yoo Se-byeol decided the best bet was to press on and resolve things here. Nerves taut, she took one step after another.

Even as sweat dripped and the heat stung her eyes, she moved forward.

Then, from the end of the passage came a tiny sound—like someone talking to another, but in reality a man muttering to himself.

—Is it really okay, …sir? I don’t think I can do this.

—Of course it is! You’re to play my […]! Could a pure, innocent soul like me ever act a wicked […]?

—They said you were the final boss in […]? I only copied what I saw you do. I can’t do that!

—Ah, I just want to go back and digest […]

—Oh! …Finally.

“At last, you’ve arrived.”

They’d reached the exit.

Where a mid-boss should have waited, a man in a black robe now blocked the Special Unit’s path.

In the dim cavity he hung upside down from the ceiling, arms flung wide like an orchestra conductor in an exaggerated pose. Despite the intense heat, he spoke to them as if greeting old friends.

“I thought my neck’d fall off waiting for you, folks.”

“A human?”

“Who are you?”

“You there—who are you?”

“Oh my, what a disappointment. You don’t know me? That can’t be. I’ll give you plenty of time—try and recall me.”

With a flick, the torches lining the walls flared into dark-blue flame.

Only then did some soldiers, seeing the mask beneath his robe, gasp and shout.

“Could it be—?”

“Patel—Patel!”

“Correct~!”

From the Sea of Decay’s disappearance until now, the name at the top of every Wanted board—an unreceived bounty, the traitor of humanity and a great evil to the world—had been his.

“I have a prize prepared here: death, courtesy of this side.”

It was the corrupted black mage, Patel.