"Luckily, it is an effortless fix," I muttered, my voice low in the empty shaft. The faint metallic ping echoed up and down the walls as I adjusted the barrel of the ice cannon, sliding it back into place with careful precision. A little twist of mana and a soft hiss of cold sealed the split. The weapon gleamed faintly, whole again. I gave it one last shake before storing it away. "There. Good as new."
Swinging slightly on the chain, I shifted my weight and leapt. The blades embedded in the walls groaned under the strain, then released as I recalled them. I landed on the narrow ledge just outside the heavy wooden door.
'I'm probably close to the prison area,' I thought, narrowing my eyes as I pressed my head cautiously against the wood. Peeking through the thin gap, I saw not cells but a long hallway stretching ahead. Its floor was worn stone, polished smooth by time and boots. It curved ever so slightly inward, as if the path bent in a circle that looped back on itself.
"Hmmm. Guess I'll do that," I sighed. There's no point in being flashy here. Tucking all my weapons back into storage, I shifted my body, bones and flesh twisting into my smallest fox form. Four paws touched the stone floor silently. My ears swiveled forward, nose twitching.
The hallway was eerily empty. No guards. There were no torches; however, faint light emanated from glowing crystals that were embedded into the walls at uneven intervals. Left or right didn't matter—but my instincts tugged left.
'This will be boring, isn't it?' I thought, tail flicking with annoyance as I padded quietly down the featureless corridor.
[1 hour later]
"I finally found the exit," I groaned, stretching as I shifted back into my humanoid form. My back cracked in protest as I straightened. "To think it wasn't as simple as a circle."
The damned place had toyed with me. Every stretch of hallway had hidden traps: pressure plates, razor wires that would whip across the floor, and sudden bursts of wind designed to knock you into pits. I'd had to dance between them, triggering some deliberately, freezing others, testing each section of the path like a puzzle that wanted to kill me. It was relentless, exhausting, and clever.
More than once I ended up back at the same wooden door I had entered from, as though the fortress itself were mocking me. At least twenty times I'd circled back, tail bristling in frustration, before I finally discovered this—an iron ladder set into the wall, leading upward.
"Ugh, whatever. Let's just hope my luck is better after this," I muttered. Grabbing hold of the cold rungs, I climbed slowly, each step clinking faintly against the stone shaft. At the top, a circular hatch waited.
I eased it open carefully. The hinges squealed. My ears flattened as voices filtered through.
"It's your turn, Dave," one man said.
"Ha-ha, all this money is mine!" A second shouted gleefully, dice clattering across a wooden surface. His laugh died in his throat. "What?!"
"Ha! Three! Nice ones, Dave. Thanks for your money."
Crash.
"You buffoon, you broke the table again!" the first man groaned.
"Ah, shit, sorry—ugh!"
"You bitch!" the third roared, his fist swinging.
"You!"
Just like that, the room dissolved into chaos. Fists flew, curses bounced off the walls, and chairs scraped as two of them brawled like drunkards, while the third watched with a mix of amusement and annoyance.
'Guess this is my only chance,' I thought, lips curling.
With a burst of speed, I flash-stepped behind the spectator. My dagger slid effortlessly through his skull. His body went limp before his mind even processed the strike.
Before the corpse could collapse, I blurred again, appearing above the two men locked in their pitiful scuffle. Twin katanas shimmered in my hands. In a single downward arc, both blades plunged into their necks. Their heads jerked once, then silence fell.
"Okay, let's see what I can get out of here," I said to myself. A snap of my fingers and fire flared, engulfing the bodies. The flames devoured flesh and bone in seconds, leaving nothing but drifting ash.
The room smelled faintly of burnt iron and blood, but I ignored it. My eyes swept the chamber until they landed on it—a metal door at the far end, reinforced thickly with overlapping layers of steel, and even mithril gleamed faintly across its surface.
"Okay, I need to check that door out later," I murmured. For now, my attention shifted to the bookshelves. Dark spines lined the shelves, black and gray covers stacked in neat, dusty rows. My fingers brushed along them before pulling one at random.
I read aloud, "How to make a devil," and my voice was heavy with distaste. My jaw tightened.
I shouldn't have been surprised. The cult had left its fingerprints everywhere. Still, seeing it in writing—it twisted my gut.
"Let's just leave it for later." I shoved the entire bookshelf into storage with a flick of my wrist.
My gaze wandered again. Other than the hatch I had come from and that single metal door, there was nothing else. No windows, no side passages. Just a box with secrets.
"Why is there only… Don't tell me I need to go back down there." My groan echoed off the walls as I dragged myself toward the door.
Up close, it was even more formidable. The door was made of multiple layers of metal, which were etched faintly with sigils. Five separate locks glittered at varying heights, each carved with magical inscriptions.
"I said aloud that the locking system, made of multiple layers of metal, would put most engineers to shame." Then I smirked. "Luckily, I mean this world's engineers. Compared to Earth? Child's play."
I conjured several delicate ice keys in my hand, translucent blue and humming faintly.
"Let's see how long this takes." I crouched, fitting the first key into the lock.
[5 minutes later]
"Okay… uses mana as well. Huh. Quite a neat trick. Also frustrating as hell." My eyebrow twitched. "I guess there's no other choice but to burn it."
I pressed my palm flat against the door. Flames coiled up my arm, licking eagerly at the surface. I pushed Mana hard. The steel groaned, glowed red, and then sagged. A wave of molten heat filled the room. Within a minute, the entire barrier dripped in rivulets of glowing slag, pooling across the floor.
"Devil fire is far too strong," I muttered. I froze a section beneath my feet, creating a solid walkway over the glowing mess, and I stepped into the new passage.
The hallway beyond was blindingly white. Smooth stone walls hummed faintly with enchantments. My footsteps echoed in the sterile quiet as I walked, each step bringing me closer to whatever the cult had hidden.
At the end, the corridor opened into a massive chamber. The ceiling soared ten meters high. The floor was carved with intricate magic circles, symbols looping and interweaving in a language older than most kingdoms. And in the center—
In the center stood a towering cross of blackened steel, rising seven meters tall. Shackled upon it was a figure, bloodied, her black hair hanging in a tangled curtain over her pale face. A once-white gown clung to her bony frame, stained dark with filth and blood.
"Wait… no way." My chest tightened as recognition struck. I leapt forward, using a flash step to reach the midpoint of the cross. With quick movements, I unbound the ropes and chains, lifting the limp form against me.
Landing softly back on the ground, I cradled her carefully.
"Shit. To find her here, of all times…" Marquis Anabald's face was sunken, her breathing shallow. But she lived. Relief flooded me.
"She probably hasn't eaten in weeks," I muttered grimly, running my fingers gently along her arm. Beneath her skin, nothing but bone and frail muscle.
"There isn't much I can do for that," I said softly. "Let's get a note ready first."
Ice spread from my fingers, sealing the walls of the chamber in glistening frost. A protective shell, thick enough that no one would break in for at least an hour.
"There. I hope she understands… and doesn't kill me later," I whispered, grimacing.
I slit my palm, letting crimson drip. Holding it over her mouth, I poured regeneration into the blood, letting my life force flow into her. My skin paled, mana draining rapidly, but color slowly returned to her cheeks.
[??? POV]
'Ugh. My head hurts. And why is it so cold?' My thoughts slurred and muddled. 'What drug did they use this time?'
I groaned, forcing my eyes open—only to hiss and slam them shut as sharp light stabbed into me.
"Ugh… why is it so bright?" I whispered, then tried again, slower this time.
White. Everywhere. The walls were white and glistening faintly with frost. Confusion churned in my gut. I shifted, bones creaking, and saw her. A redhead with snowy white tips. Her head hung forward, still.
"Who the hell are you?" My voice rasped.
She didn't move.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Irritation surged. My weak hand lashed out, slapping her shoulder.
Flop.
Her body slid sideways, unresponsive.
"Hey—are you dead?" Panic flared. I sat up instinctively, surprised when my body obeyed with little effort. My gaze fell to my arms—thin, skeletal, but moving easily.
"Huh? Why do I… have the strength to move?" My brow furrowed.
Something fluttered to the ground. A paper. I picked it up with trembling fingers.
"Hmm… 'Yo, my name is Kitsuna Drag, adopted daughter of the Draigs. I don't know if you know about me, but yeah. Anyways, I healed you using all my mana; hence, you're passed out on the floor now. So I will only wake up in about an hour or so. I left some food out for you. You haven't eaten for a couple of weeks, so take it slowly. I don't know how well my healing has worked on you, so please really take it super slow. P.S. The room is protected by my ice magic. There won't be anybody getting through that in the next hour. So you can really take it gently until I wake up.'"
I blinked at the note, expression complicated.
'She could have made it briefer.' I sighed, then glanced at the unconscious figure beside me.
"Kyaaaaa!?" I shrieked, jolting violently. Two glowing fox-like eyes stared back at me.
"Oh, sorry," Kitsuna said quickly, blinking and offering an apologetic expression. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Fucking hell, Fox!" My heart hammered in my chest. "You know I'm weakened right now, and you pull something like that?"
"Hehe, sorry, sorry." She clapped her hands together sheepishly.
"I thought you were supposed to be out for an hour," I grumbled, raising an eyebrow.
"I probably was. It just took you so long to heal, I think." She pointed casually at my frail frame.
"True… that might be it," I admitted with a sigh.
"Anyways, here, eat." She shoved a bowl of soup into my hands. "You'll need strength. Kayda and the others will be here soon."
"Kayda?" I echoed, confused. I sipped carefully, the warmth soothing down my throat.
"Kayda the Sage. We came to Anabald territory to find you." She gestured vaguely.
"Me? Who sent you?"
"No one, really. Kayda came out of concern. I just tagged along."
"Tagged along?" I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."
"When we're back at the mansion, we'll have a proper talk." Kitsuna sighed.
"Seeing that you found me… I guess you know about the cult?" I asked after a pause.
"Which one? Angels or devils?" she quipped lightly.
I choked on my soup. "Cough—dammit, don't make me laugh!"
"Sorry," Kitsuna said, chuckling. "Normally people don't laugh."
"Anyways, I meant the devil cult."
"Oh yes, we've met them. Fought them a couple of times too," she said casually.
"I see…" My gaze lowered. "So, how's my daughter doing alone?"
Kitsuna hesitated. "…How do I explain this…"
"She wasn't killed or kidnapped, right?" Panic flared in my voice.
"No, she's fine. Just… Currently she's knocked out in her bed. Sleeping. For quite some time."
"Knocked out? Why'd you say it like that?"
"Ah, she irritated me, and I strangled her until she passed out." Kitsuna looked away, ears twitching guiltily.