Chapter 29: An Unexpected Occurence

Two servants with strained expressions on their face opened the French style door of the mansion, letting a man with a black spiky hair strode out from the entrance, a long sword hung on his waist, and his black cape waved as he walked. He had a sharp feature combined with his eagle-like obsidian eyes.

It was a long journey for Luxus, he was hired to guard the item that was now safely be kept in the secret passage under this mansion. His job was done. Seeing who was his guest, the owner of the mansion quickly offered him the most beautiful flower in his garden, but tonight he just didn't have any interest to do it. He wanted to go to that place, the place where he stood victorious two years ago, he missed the feeling of clashing swords against a strong opponent like back then. Lately, he was bored, he couldn't find anyone strong enough to pair with him. He rode the carriage and left the place.

He wouldn't have guessed that if he didn't leave the mansion tonight, he would get his wish granted.

---

Moving carefully behind the flower bushes and trees, avoiding the patrolling guards were Senka and Rena. They were waiting until the guards had passed before coming out from behind the bushes. Attempting to sneak into the mansion, Senka skillfully opened the locked window and helped Rena to enter the empty room.

She quickly noticed the clean unused fireplace, but she didn't know what to do about it. A secret switch must be hidden somewhere in the room.

(Neel, we're inside, I see the fireplace. What should we do right now?)

Silence.

(Neel?)

She kept calling him, but the boy didn't answer him. Rena frowned, something was not right. She looked at Senka, who was waiting for her instruction.

"Umm, can you help me to find a hidden switch in the room?"

Senka nodded and started moving, examining the fireplace. He made soft knocks on the wall while placing the side of his face on the wall. His hand traced the wall, sometimes making small knocks. He kept moving further to the right, away from the fireplace. Then he stopped when the bookshelf blocked his path.

Senka stepped back. He turned his head, looking at Rena, pointing his finger at the bookshelf.

"I see... The switch is there."

She moved forward, examining the bookshelf. The switch probably was hidden behind these rows of books. She started pulling the books, one by one. Senka also helped, checking the upper rows. When she started checking the second row from the bottom, she pulled a black book which had a chain connected to the bookshelf, the book was a trigger to open the secret door. She pulled the chain until it's maximum length, a creaking sound of a door was heard and the place that a minute ago was a fireplace had turned into a dark passage leading to underground.

Rena gulped, she was scared and wary. Secretly, she was relieved Senka was here. At the same time, she didn't want Senka to get into trouble with her if this was indeed a trap. The safer option was for one of them to stay on the ground while the other went inside the passage.

"Senka, I don't know what's going to happen there, it could be a trap. I'll enter the passage, can you wait here?

He shook his head and then his hand moved, his finger pointing his chest before pointing the passage. Telling her that he should be the one to go there.

"I think I could rely you more than you rely on me when an emergency situation does happen..."

So, despite his disapproval, Rena entered the passage. Step by step, her feet walked down the stone stairs, moving further from the ground. The sound of her echoing footsteps was the only one that accompanied her. When her surrounding had become completely dark, she cast fire. The small light filling up the passage.

(Neel, I'm coming.)

Only silence answering her thought.

Deep inside her heart she was scared, and her mind kept telling her something was wrong. It was only a small faith she had that made her keep moving forward, that Neel really needed help.

She was stronger this time compared to the time when she was kidnapped, she could fight if there were bad guys down there.

So, she continued going down. After spending fifteen minutes, she reached the bottom of the passage.

In front of her was a semi-natural cave. Stalactites were visible on the surface above, but some of the structures had been altered or expanded, the cave floor was smoothened for a human to walk on. Magic stones were planted on the cave wall, illuminating the place. An iron cage hanging from the ceiling, a little boy no older than seven years old was there.

She cast off her fire magic.

"Neel, is that you?"

She walked approaching him. His shoulder-length aqua blue hair moved when he nodded, it had a slight glow in it, which reminded her Senka's hair. Rena squinted her eyes, his eyes, which was as blue as sapphire, was terrified, alerting her to danger. She stopped. And the next second, she heard a soft slithered behind her back. Her survival instinct reacted quickly.

"Shield!" She shouted before she could turn her head to what was behind her.

The moment she activated the shield, a dull sound hit her protective magic. A thumping sound echoed in the cave when it hit the floor.

Rena fell, her elbow bled when her skin scrapped on the hard cave floor.

"Argh..."

She tried to get up while directing her face to the source of the sound. Her hands turned cold and her complexion went pale. Her body shuddered at the rush of chill. In front of her was a woman, more intimidating than the Valiant Bulls she faced today.

She licked her contrasting red lips, her cold yellow eyes expressing the primal instinct of a beast. Her long ashen gray hair covering her naked breast. She was an enchantress, a creature that would seduce any man with her upper-half.

Rena froze as she looked at that woman's lower half. The part that was supposed to be legs was replaced by a snake tail. The diamond black scales covering its tail, while the abdomen was white. That creature could strangle her to death with her lower half.

A creature that Rena saw only in a game, a Lamia.

(It's a trap! A Trap! Why am I coming here?!) She screamed in her mind.

[I'm sorry! I'm sorry!]

She shut her mind, nothing was more important than what was standing in front of her right now. She got up quickly, her eyes focused on the magical beast. Her legs were trembling badly, she couldn't run even if she wanted to, her heart beat so fast like it was going to explode, a cold sweat dripped from her forehead. She knew she was cornered.

So, the only option was fighting back.

The lamia contracted her muscle, thrusting her body forward, trying to attack Rena, but her shield magic still working. As long as her shield magic activated, the lamia couldn't harm her, but she couldn't attack her either. She started panicking, she couldn't escape. The monster blocked her path to escape, and she couldn't just stay here forever.

Rena heard from Jean that some magicians could cast multiple spells at once, right now, she needed that skill. She wished she had that skill.

She deactivated her shield, it was the only way she could cast an attacking spell. The half-snake woman charging forward again, Rena tried to dodge her, but with her beast reflex, she swept Rena's legs with her tail.

"Aah!" She lost balance.

The Lamia coiled her body, wrapping Rena's. She felt the monster's cold scales rubbing her skin.

"Fireb... Ugh!"

Before she could cast Fireball, that monster choked her neck with her hands. Her long sharp nails piercing her skin. Blood trickled from the place where the snake woman pierced her skin.

The Lamia licked her lips with her forked tongue. "Sssh... Strong magikk... Vonderfuul..."

She could sense the overflowing magic flower coming from Rena. The monster showed her greedy smile, showing off her fangs to her. Rena tried to fight back. She dug her nails on the hands grabbing her neck, but the Lamia's skin was thicker than human's skin, Rena couldn't harm her, she couldn't breathe either.

Rena struggled, suffocating from the lack of air, but she didn't want to give up until the end. She kept pushing the monster's hands so she could speak, casting a spell. But the difference in strength was big. She was just a normal human, without her magic power, she was useless against a monster.

(At least, one shot... Just one shot...)

Right before the Lamia was about to stab Rena with her poisonous fangs, Rena saw a white flash behind the monster's back.

And the next second, blood dancing in the air. The half-woman's head was split from her body, tumbling through the air before landing on the hard surface of the cave floor. Rena felt the Lamia's tail which squeezing her body loosened and she fell to the floor.

Behind the Lamia's dead body, Senka was standing there, blue blood dripped from the tip of his double edge sword.

*cough* *cough* *cough*

Rena coughed, removing the uncomfortable pressure that just left her neck, now she could breathe again.

Senka approached her, he extended his hand to her.

"Thank you." She grabbed his hand.

Senka pulled her, helping her to get up. Perhaps because he pulled her too fast or because her knees were still weak, Rena lost her balance, falling forward. But Senka caught her fast, her body was wrapped around his arms.

He held one of her hand, because of the sudden fall, he grabbed it tightly now. His other hand was supporting her body, wrapping around her waist.

Her head was so close to his chest that she could hear his loud heartbeat.

*badump badump badump*

At that time, she only thought one thing; he's warm.

"S-sorry! T-thank you...!"

She tried to get up once again, with a red face.

However, she didn't have luxury thinking about such a thing. The Lamia, even though her head was severed, her body was still moving, especially the lower part; the black tail was wriggling, coiling. A bizarre creepy view for Rena who just escaped from death.

"Uwee... Is... Is it still alive...?" She was still shocked, her body shivering, and her heart still beating fast.

Senka shook his head.

Rena kept looking to the Lamia's dead body. She thought she would be fine because of magic, but if her opponent was a monster and she was alone... If Senka wasn't there, she would have died already.

[Can you free me now?]

She looked above, Neel speaking to her again. Disregarding that she almost died and not even giving her time to calm down.

"Not until you tell me what happened!" She shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry... I thought she was gone, but she caught me sending a telepathic message." The boy was speaking with his real voice now, his eyes were moist, holding his tears so it wouldn't spill.

"I can explain later, can you free me now? Before that guy returns..."

"Who?" She asked.

"The guy who caught me! He's strong and I don't know if we could escape if he comes back."

She didn't want to get into anymore fight, so she spoke to Senka, "He is the one asking for my help earlier. I don't know what happened yet but I'm going to free him. If he is attempting to do something suspicious or trying to escape, I'll let you decide what will you do to him."

"H-hey, I swear I won't escape..." Neel glanced at Senka timidly. "Even I don't want to fight with half---"

Senka glared at him, his intimidating aura came out, giving Neel a warning. So, he shut his mouth up.

Rena looked at the rope connected to the cage, it was a pulley. A lever must have existed somewhere in the cave, but it was a hassle to find it.

There was another spell Rena hadn't tried, it didn't have explosive power like Fireball but it gave a nice cut like a sword. She tried it. "Windblade."

"Whaaa!!" Neel screamed.

*crash!*

The cage fell when the rope was cut, but the cage itself wasn't damage.

"Don't you have any better way to do it?!" Neel shouted.

"Well, sorry..." Rena said.

(Not really.)

[I heard you!]

(Considering I almost died, this is nothing, right?)

[What a bad personality, taking revenge on a weak little boy.]

(But you are not human.)

Senka broke the lock with his sword, opening the cage. The tiny boy crawled from his cage, he had an innocent look and a skinny body. His pale skin clearly spoke that he was an indoor type. Now that he was free, and Rena could see him from the close distance, she noticed he had a beauty mole under his left eye.

"Ok, Neel, you are free now. Let's escape before someone found us here. I don't want any more trouble."

"Wait... Can you give me your hand?" Neel said.

"Why?" She frowned.

"It will make you escape faster than carrying me."

With both palms up, extending his arms forward, as if he's asking for a candy, the little boy waited for her to take his hands.

Rena didn't understand how it would make them escape faster but she placed her hand on Neel's hands. He covered her hand with his two little hands. "I haven't asked you your name."

"...Serena." She said.

And he bit her finger.

"Ouch!! What are you doing?!"

Rena tried to pull her hand, but he held her hand tightly. He licked a drop of blood coming from her finger.

"I'm Neel of the Orkney clan swear to serve Serena as my contractor. From now on, I shall heed her calls and never let her life be in danger."

Just as soon as Neel finished his words, a translucent blue glow enveloping Rena and Neel.

With his innocence face, he smiled brightly, and then cheerfully said, "Please take care of me!"

"What did you do...?"

"A reward that I promise you. We just make a summoner contract!"

She put both hands on her face, like trying to scratch herself. Looked like she just added an unnecessary problem. What kind of problem she would get into this time.

Senka nudged her, reminding her they should get away as soon as possible.

"That's right, we must get away from here." Rena said, and then she looked at Neel. "How will you make us escape faster now?"

"I'll be hiding in your shadow. Just call my name if you need me." He was smiling like a sweetheart boy.

And he went inside Rena's shadow and gone.

She slumped her shoulders, didn't have any energy left to retort. That capability of deceiving a person with a smile and an innocent look...

She just got herself Frei Jr.

---

Luxus jumped from rooftop to rooftop. This method was faster than riding a carriage since it was an urgent matter. He was in front of the Colosseum when he felt someone broke the magical barrier he put on the cage.

Someone was strong enough to defeat a Lamia.

When he arrived at the mansion's underground cave, nobody was there anymore, the Lamia was defeated with just a single clear-cut. Just from the wound, he knew that this person was strong. His blood boiled, thinking what he just missed, he wanted to fight this guy.

Luxus approached the Lamia's severed head. Not many people knew this, but a Lamia, having a similar characteristic as a snake, still had a consciousness for at least an hour even after her head was severed.

"Tell me who killed you, and I'll let you rest in peace."

The severed head talked. "Sssh... vurvel eyesss... girr..."

Luxus' twitched. "What did you say?"

"Vonderfurr mearr, vurvel eyesss..."

Luxus didn't move for a long time, comprehending what he just heard, while the Lamia kept repeating the same words. When he heard footsteps coming from above, he snapped back from his thought.

He lifted his hand. "Fire."

A flame appeared, burning the Lamia's head. This time, she was truly finished.

---