CHAPTER 97………………………………..
Crack—!
In an instant, I saw the banquet hall floor split apart. Startled, I quickly turned my gaze to Theron. But he was a bit too far away, and the floor was collapsing faster than I’d expected.
“Elly!”
Theron shouted my name urgently as he ran toward me, but the ground beneath my feet was already giving way.
“Theron…!”
The situation was so sudden that I couldn’t even think. I simply reached out my hand. But my hand and Theron’s never met.
Even if they had, there was nothing we could have done—because the entire floor of the banquet hall was collapsing.
Soon, a black miasma from who knows where swallowed my vision. As I felt myself floating in midair, my consciousness slowly faded away.
Rosetta Fernen struggled to lift her eyelids. What she saw was a dark ceiling—or rather, a dark sky.
‘What on earth… is going on?’
Feeling a throbbing pain all over her body, Rosetta painfully pushed herself upright. Only then did she realize that her carefully dressed appearance was in complete disarray.
Her final memory surfaced belatedly: the collapsing banquet hall, people screaming—and then nothing but darkness.
Rosetta snapped her head up. What she saw were towering black walls. And not just one.
‘Where is this?’
Suppressing her trembling body, Rosetta stood up. The things around her weren’t just walls—they were walls covered with black, dead vegetation. The ground was the same.
Above, only a single red moon hung in the sky, creating an eerie atmosphere.
“Mom, Dad…”
Overwhelmed by fear, Rosetta thought of her family. Then she steadied herself.
‘It’s okay. It’ll be okay. Lady Lilith will protect us.’
Clenching her hands, Rosetta began to walk slowly. Passing wall after wall, alley after alley, she finally realized where she was.
‘…A maze?’
At the same time, the others who had attended the banquet awoke in different places. Each of them found themselves inside a maze surrounded by black walls.
They had no idea where the others were. Everyone had fallen onto different paths, and the maze was enormous.
Moreover, each wall of the maze was well over ten meters high, so none of them even dared to think of escaping.
The Emperor and the Princess, Marquis Fernen and his wife, high-ranking nobles—and even Theron.
All of them had awakened inside the maze.
‘Where in the world is this?’
Theron pondered as he surveyed his surroundings. As soon as he regained consciousness, he had searched for Elias first; only afterward did he realize this place was a maze.
No matter how he followed the paths, he couldn’t escape—he only ended up circling back to the same places. As a result, his worry for Elias grew intense.
The one thing that gave Theron some reassurance was the absence of a certain mark on his hand.
‘…At least Ellie seems to be safe.’
The problem was himself. He had no idea where he was, which only deepened his confusion.
Beyond the fact that he was trapped in a maze, he had no information. So Theron drew the sword at his waist.
Living up to his reputation as a Sword Master, he infused his blade with sword aura. Flickering blue energy stirred the air.
Whoosh—
The next moment, Theron’s sword aura flew toward the maze wall. But strangely enough, not a single scratch or mark was left behind.
For a split second, Theron’s eyes widened in shock.
‘What the—!’
Yet he swung his sword at the wall again. Still, the maze remained intact.
‘Why…?’
As a Sword Master, there was little he couldn’t cut. The idea that he couldn’t slice through a wall made of plant matter was absurd.
At that moment, Theron instinctively looked up at the sky.
In the pitch-black heavens floated a red moon he had never seen before. Seeing it, a single hypothesis crossed his mind.
‘Could this place be…!’
At the same time, somewhere deep within the maze.
Sereb Gale—or rather, Mammon wearing his guise—smirked as he watched the humans who couldn’t even begin to guess where they were.
“Ugh…”
I struggled to open my heavy eyelids. What greeted me was a dark sky—an inky night with only a single red moon hanging above.
‘Where… am I?’
My final memories before losing consciousness came rushing back: the collapsing banquet hall, and Theron growing farther away.
Startled, I jumped to my feet. Before me lay an unknown space—walls made of dead-looking black plants. Taking a cautious step and looking around, I immediately realized where I was.
‘This is… a maze?’
I couldn’t understand what was happening.
—Child!
For some reason, I heard Lady Lilith’s voice, just like when I prayed. But I wasn’t praying right now.
“Lady Lilith?”
I answered softly. Her voice continued.
—I’m relieved. You’re safe.
“Um, Lady Lilith… what’s going on? I haven’t even prayed to you yet…”
Completely confused, I asked her—only to receive an unexpected reply.
—That’s because where you are now is the Demon Realm. The place where demons, including myself, reside.
“What? Is that really true?”
When I asked in shock, I faintly heard Lady Lilith sigh.
—Yes. And the place you’re in right now is… Mammon’s Maze.
“……!”
I was so stunned that I forgot how to respond. Mammon’s Maze?!
—Long ago, Mammon created that place himself—to torment humans or demons he didn’t like.
“That’s a nasty hobby.”
—Indeed. And because it’s filled with the power of a Great Demon like Mammon, even I cannot interfere carelessly. If the powers of Great Demons were to clash, the space itself could collapse.
“Then…”
—You will likely have to escape that place on your own, child. Still, since it’s within the Demon Realm, communication like this is possible…
“I see.”
Just being able to speak with Lady Lilith gave me immense strength.
“Lady Lilith, could you tell me more about this place?”
—Ah, yes. Mammon’s Maze is vast beyond measure. And throughout it roam demons or monsters that Mammon has modified, so you must always be on guard.
Modified demons or monsters… I couldn’t even imagine what they might look like. More importantly—could I even handle them?
“Lady Lilith, one more thing. Earlier you said that if the powers of Great Demons collide, space could collapse. Does that mean it’s okay for me to use the power you gave me?”
—That’s fine, child. You use the power granted by me—it’s different from me wielding it directly.
“Oh, I see. That’s a relief.”
Letting out a breath, I started walking again. Then suddenly, a sense of dread passed through me.
“Lady Lilith… are there, by any chance, other humans in here besides me?”
With unease washing over me, I asked. Even if Lady Lilith didn’t know everything, I had to ask. After a moment, her reply came.
—…Yes. Quite a number of them. I sense familiar presences—my followers, and… that one whose gaze I disliked.
The one whose gaze she disliked could only be Theron. Lady Lilith often referred to him that way.
And not just Theron—most of the people who had been in the banquet hall were surely trapped in Mammon’s Maze.
‘Theron, the Princess, and a few strong nobles might manage somehow…’
The real problem was everyone else. Those with little to no combat ability would be easy prey for demons and monsters. There was no time to waste.
—For now, child, I’ll look for a way to extract you and the others from that place. If you need me, call anytime.
“Yes, Lady Lilith. Thank you.”
After expressing my gratitude, I moved quickly.
I knew I couldn’t save everyone. But at the very least, I wanted to help as many people as possible.
Almost running, I enlarged the pork cutlet hammer hanging around my neck.
