Chapter 58
The building looked unusually clean.
Xian bowed to the Crown Prince and apologized.
“I’m sorry for not informing you in advance and having to keep going around in circles, Your Highness. Lady Yeniel and I tried to deduce the contents of the torn map, and it seems this area is full of labyrinths and traps. We had no choice but to return via a safe route. I hope you can understand.”
“I know both of you are doing your best. I always appreciate it,” the Crown Prince said with a nod.
We continued forward until we reached the entrance of the building for the external kitchen.
Then, suddenly, a figure appeared that hadn’t been there a moment ago.
It was an ordinary-looking maid, covering her face with both hands.
“Why are you standing in front of the door when we need to go in? Hey!”
Max stepped forward, shouting boldly.
Just as the others were about to follow Max, Yeniel stopped them with a gesture and urgently called out to Max.
“Sir Max! Step back! That monster… its ears are not human-colored!”
[What a waste.]
The maid lifted her head, revealing a completely purple face.
Her grin was chilling, and her mouth was crudely sewn shut, making her appearance even more terrifying.
[Give me the mouth. Give me those lips!]
With a rustling sound, the maid-monster changed direction and charged at the Crown Prince at incredible speed.
This was exactly the moment I had been waiting for.
I drew my axe spear before Yurel even had the chance.
Somehow, I ended up both taking the lead for Evelyn’s defense and handling the monster.
The monster’s total HP: 7.4%
It had slightly more life than when it was at 1%, but this attack power was still enough.
[Give me the mouth of Aquilium!]
The maid swung her clawed hands toward the Crown Prince’s mouth.
I blocked the Crown Prince and aimed the tip of my axe spear at the maid.
I swung it downwards, striking her and sending her flying.
Whoooosh—
The heavy spear sliced through the air.
The maid landed far away but didn’t give up; she got up in a grotesque stance and charged again at the Crown Prince.
“Hard mode, huh? She won’t die in one hit.”
This time, I swung the axe spear with full force, slicing her cleanly in one strike.
[Mouth! Lips! Mouth… give them to me.]
The monster reached for the Crown Prince until it disappeared, trying one last time to grab his mouth.
I immediately grabbed the maid-monster by the hair and slammed her to the ground.
“Your Highness, are you okay?”
“Thank you, Lady April.”
…Why do I keep grabbing hair? I’m starting to scare myself.
In any case, the monster’s last attack came at a speed completely beyond imagination.
If I had hesitated even for a moment, it would have been troublesome.
“Your Highness!”
Max quickly supported the Crown Prince.
Holding my axe spear, now stained with purple blood, I smiled brightly.
“Lady April protected Your Highness! April really is a great friend.”
The Crown Prince Ajeff’s affection increased!
He smiled purely, as if I had become his savior.
“April won’t forgive anyone who bullies our friends. We’re friends, after all.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
For the first time since entering this space, I saw something more than just composure on the Crown Prince’s face.
“We are… friends of Lady April. We were friends…”
The despair flashing across his expression looked very much like the instant one realizes they’ve done something irreversible.
It resembled the twisted expressions Xian had shown before.
I didn’t know why the Crown Prince displayed this emotional flow.
I’m not oblivious, so I roughly knew the direction of his affection.
But what I had done recently was just use my axe spear to “cure” that obsession of his.
He wouldn’t suddenly be grateful to the axe spear and change into a completely new person.
After the sewn-mouth maid-monster died, the external kitchen door creaked open.
“The door’s open! Come on, Lady Yeniel, let’s go.”
I laughed lightly and pulled Yeniel’s hand.
The kitchen door was slightly ajar.
It was clearly a clean, new kitchen, but it gave off an unavoidable eerie atmosphere.
Through the gap in the door, a shadow-like figure dashed past, thumping loudly.
“Someone passed through!”
Xian shouted anxiously.
The tension was palpable.
Yurel, still expressionless, calmly opened the door fully.
“I hear nothing.”
The kitchen was dark.
Once your eyes adjusted, you could probably see clearly, but not yet.
‘Where did that shadow go?’
Good peripheral vision doesn’t mean you have night vision.
I remembered the faint glimpse of the black cloth I had seen in the darkness.
It went up to the second floor. Definitely.
Everyone remained silent, and the stiff quiet in the air was oppressive.
Suddenly—
Clang!
A sharp cracking sound rang out.
Then came crash, bang, clatter—heavy kitchen utensils hitting the floor.
“Ughhh!”
Max barely swallowed a scream that had escaped him.
He seemed to judge that making a sound here would draw whatever was inside toward him first.
As our eyes adjusted to the dark, we saw pots and pans scattered across the floor.
It looked like a pile of cookware had toppled over after washing.
Then—flash!
A sudden bright light burst in front of us.
“Sorry. It seemed unusual, so I turned on the light first.”
It was Yeniel, switching on the wall light.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
After repeatedly progressing in a highly tense state and having things suddenly jump out at them, the group seemed completely exhausted.
The Crown Prince suggested in a somewhat tired tone:
“Quickly… find the cleaning supplies and let’s get out. I hate narrow spaces. At least in a larger space, we could run.”
He seemed psychologically pressured by the darkness, the confined space, and the unpredictable presence of monsters.
Looking out the window, even the rain outside seemed mixed with blood.
Red droplets shimmered in the air.
“Blood is falling…”
Xian made a horrified face.
The external kitchen showed almost no signs of use.
The shiny floor was clean, reflecting our faint images. Every step echoed slightly.
“Probably just an ordinary empty kitchen. Apart from those fallen pots, that is.”
Xian sighed at the Crown Prince’s remark.
