Chapter 110

About thirty minutes before the alarm started.

After leaving the stationery store, Silen and Aria were on their way back to the academy dormitory.

Silen, who was so excited about the happy things that had happened these days, jumped like a frog. It was as if he had wings on both feet.

When I go back to the academy dormitory, I must write a letter to my mother and father in the kingdom.

I have to say that I have made very good friends.

I must write a story about Meldenik.

I was going to write that I realized the meaning of my mother and father's words: that age is not important in interacting with humans.

Holding the "Friend in the Hand" around her neck, Silen walked vigorously.

"Sister. Are we real painters now?"

"Yes! That's right!"

Aria also had a very excited voice.

"I didn't expect Meldenik to ask us to paint for him and ask us to sign a contract."

"Me too… I knew how to use professional painters for commercial things. I'm glad I can help you though!"

Silen smiled and bared her rabbit teeth.

"I want to tell the members as soon as possible! I don't have anyone completely close yet."

Looking at Silen, who looked like a pure white snow rabbit, Aria fidgeted with her hands.

I didn't know that I was young, and I thought that children were cute, but I noticed that the sunset was getting worse and worse.

Aria said with a disappointed face.

"Oh, it's going to be dinner soon?"

"Sister, can't you stop by the studio before it's very late?"

After thinking for a moment, Aria nodded.

"Yes, we have to hurry! I have to go back to the dormitory before it gets dark."

The two children held hands and entered the alley where the flower shop was located to buy a fire pit.

But at that very moment.

"Wait, Silen."

"Yes?"

Aria, who was looking in front of her, whispered quietly.

"Something… Isn't it strange? I feel like my eyes are blurring…"

Following Aria's small hand rubbing her extended eyelids, Silen also blinked and stopped.

Was it water fog or real fog in front of them? It was clearly the street they were walking on, but they couldn't see in front of them as if it were a different space.

There was no one on the street. When the damp and humid air rushed in, I was terrified.

Silen muttered quietly.

"Sister, so suddenly… Can it be foggy?"

Instead of answering Silen, Aria held out her hand forward.

A hard wall was touched at the tip of her hand.

"Silen. The road has changed suddenly."

Aria and Silen astutely realized that they were in danger.

Until now, they could clearly see an open alley leading to the flower room. But now, only a dead end was in front of them.

Aria looked up.

She saw a high and majestic wall that she couldn't even climb over in a month. It looked as high as the Tower of Babel.

Aria and Silen turned their backs and blinked, their backs tightly pressed against the dead end.

"…What the hell is going on?"

It wasn't Aria who answered Silen's question.

"Hello, guys."

In the cloudy fog, a strange man arrived right in front of the children's field of vision.

"Of course, this is not an ordinary fog."

The man who was giggling like a clown continued repeatedly.

"Welcome to the maze. You will never be able to get out of this place."

"Nothing… What is going on? Is it a maze?!"

The man looked at Silen with a frown.

"Alas… It's you, Silen."

Silen looked at the man with a puzzled face.

How does this person know his name?

Silen tried to look towards the side where the man's face was located. She wondered for a moment whether it was a familiar face.

But the man's face was only partially visible. He was wearing a white mask over his face, as if he believed that the white mask would hide his identity.

"It's a body full of blessings. It's enough to be a sacrifice."

"What is that—"

Before Silen could finish speaking, the man pressed his hand over and over again with his hand.

And as soon as he touched my mask, a strange magic was activated. With a small noise, the children's bodies clung to the outer wall.

"…Yes?"

And in the fog at his feet in the distance, someone walked over and whispered in a rough voice.

"Go that far."

Could it be that someone noticed this situation and came to save them?

Maybe it's a guard, or an adult passing by.

The children looked at their eyes with eagerness.

The man who approached was wearing pure white clothes and even pure white clothes.

It was probably a priest's uniform.

You must be a priest!

In the children's hearts, they had a small belief that God's representative might save them.

But when his face, which had been buried in the dark, was revealed, Silen had no choice but to hiccup for a long time. He was laughing strangely.

The man, who had locked them in a dead end, knelt down on one knee and said reverently to him.

"Are you here?"

"Yes, isn't it our lovely prey? You don't have to scare your prey too much. You have to eat it when it's freshest."

Silen and Aria didn't know exactly what that meant. But they seemed to know that they were definitely in danger.

There was despair on the faces of the two children.

Fog was everywhere, and behind them was only a dead end. It seemed that no one could save them.

In addition, another desperate thing happened.

"Yes, stop for a moment. If you do it soon, everything will be over."

The man's piercing gaze, which had been giggling for a while, touched the faces of the two children.

Soon, Silen and Aria's bodies hardened as if they had turned to stone. They couldn't even take their mouths off it, as if they were under the spell of petrification.

"Don't be too nervous. It's a sacred ritual."

Ruftel approached the children with a small dagger in his hand.

A lot of blisters were rising on his trembling hands. It was a common side effect of those who practiced forbidden techniques that took the lives of others.

Ruftel smiled brightly with a greedy face.

There are restrictions on those who use dark magic that takes away the life force of others once. It means that you must periodically take away the life force of others to survive.

"Child. You can feel the power of the forest elves. Maybe it's the power of nature?"

"…!"

"I will take your life and this power."

Ruftel's sloppy hand went exactly to the mouth of Silen's heart.

In order to take away the vitality, it was necessary to find the source of that life.

He raised his sword and aimed it at the child's heart. In a few seconds, Silen's life force would be naturally transplanted into his body.

The giggling noise filled the air.

But at that moment.

The sword he was holding in his hand shattered in vain.

"Those dirty hands."

And a woman's evil voice rang out in his ears.

Ruftel's face twisted coldly. An unexpected variable occurred.

Dominic and I had gone straight to the place where the coordinates were. The coordinates on the screen were the crater alley.

However, not a single ant cub was seen, let alone the suspect and children.

I waved at the alert that was still beeping.

Dominic stared into the air with his eyes blurred.

The walls were shaking as if a fabric had been washed incorrectly.

"It's disturbing magic."

"…How do you pierce it?"

Seeing the misaligned mana flow, Dominic thrust his hand into the air.

"It's here."

A small ruby-like nucleus was seen in the air. It must be one of the magic tools.

Dominic grabbed my hand tightly and stepped inside without hesitation.

"Let's go."

At the hypothesis that suddenly came to mind, I grabbed Dominic by the shoulder and muttered.

"Wait. You use invisibility magic."

I tapped Dominic on the long sword at his waist.

"Let's take a friend."

After going through some preparations, we were able to arrive in front of this place directly.

What caught my eye was the back of Ruftel, who was aiming at Silen's heart.

"We have a plan, so let's destroy the sword."

Eventually, the Holy Sword shattered.

"Those dirty hands."

I pretended to break my sword myself, shook my shoulders nicely, and walked leisurely towards Ruftel.

I was just a little cool.

But it wasn't the time to let my guard down.

Dominic smashed Ruftel's sword, but the threat remained. Ruftel and one of his helpers were surrounding the children.

What is that white mask?

I cast a cold look at the masked man.

It's a very familiar face. I'll have to find out sooner or later.

…Besides, that mask looked like the kids liked it.

Seeing that business item ideas come up in this dangerous situation, it seems that I am a solid businessman.

However, he only thought about it for a few seconds.

Right now, I didn't have time to think more about his identity or mask.

"Marquis of Meldenik Kinnoa."

Ruftel turned his head straight to me.

He continued to speak to me with an arrogant face.

"Your skills are quite outstanding. Did you destroy this holy sword with your strength?"

"Why, why not?"

"It seems to be quite powerful… Where is the contractor who used to be with me all the time?"

"I came alone."

"In case you don't know, I'll look for it, priest."

"Yes. That's right."

Dominic with the invisibility spell leaned against the wall and snorted briefly.

It's all my strength. You don't even notice?

Still, I'm strong. If you stop straining your strength, you'll notice it right away. For now, block the children's vision so that they can't see anything.

Dominic nodded with a sideways glance.

I whispered to Ruftel.

"Ruftel, I came here because I had something to say."

"What is it?"

"Are you sacrificing children?"

In an instant, his face turned pale as if he had been pierced by a prick.