Chapter 98……………………………………..
Elias wandered through the maze, holding the enlarged hammer in his hand. He had been walking for about five minutes, but so far, he hadn’t encountered any demons, monsters, or humans.
“Just how big is this maze?”
Judging by the fact that none of the many nobles were in sight, it was clear that the maze was absurdly large. Or perhaps many had already lost their lives.
“That can’t happen.”
Elias increased his pace. To conserve his stamina, he infused a bit of power into his lower body and continued navigating the maze.
Rustle—
It was at that moment that he heard the sound of movement. Elias quickly turned his gaze toward the source. There, he saw something moving on the wall made of dead plants.
“This….”
Several black stalks wriggled and moved. Before long, they had all shifted, and in an instant, the wall disappeared, revealing an open space.
“This is bad.”
Elias furrowed his brows and headed toward the newly created space. Seeing the wall move before his eyes made him anxious.
“And to think this maze is not only huge but alive too.”
Witnessing the walls shifting in real-time, he tensed and moved carefully.
“If I encounter anyone else, I’ll have to warn them.”
After moving for a while, a small voice called out.
“P-please… save me!”
It was faint but clearly a woman’s voice. Even though it wasn’t loud, it sounded familiar.
“Could it be…”
Elias moved faster, driven by unease. Fortunately, he wasn’t far from the voice.
“It must be beyond that wall.”
He thought that turning the corner would lead him straight to the woman. Just then—
Shhzzz—
The wall in front of him began to move. Elias infused even more power into his legs and moved faster. He barely passed through before the wall completely disappeared.
“That was close.”
There was no time to relax. Elias immediately pressed forward.
“P-please… save me…”
The terrified woman’s voice grew closer. When Elias rounded the corner, he finally saw the source of the voice.
“Rosetta!”
Elias found Rosetta, her appearance disheveled and face full of fear. But she wasn’t alone.
“E-Eli…!”
Tears welled in Rosetta’s eyes as she called out. But Elias’s gaze was fixed on something in front of her.
There stood a goblin, blackened and grotesque. Yet, it was no ordinary goblin. About two meters tall, it had six wings resembling those of a dragonfly on its back.
“So that’s what Lady Lilith meant.”
It was a monster modified by Mammon—there was no doubt. The goblin bared its monstrous teeth at Elias with a chilling grin.
Elias tightened his grip on the hammer while keeping eye contact with the goblin. Then, with a light stomp, he leaped.
“Rosetta, close your eyes.”
Obediently, Rosetta shut her eyes. Meanwhile, Elias landed above the goblin’s head. The goblin, unaware of its imminent demise, lunged at Elias with its sharp claws.
Smash!
The goblin’s arms were crushed by the Tonkatsu hammer. But that wasn’t all. The hammer, enveloped in a crimson aura, struck the goblin’s head.
“Kyaaa—”
The goblin emitted a bizarre shriek before disappearing into ashes. Elias wiped the goblin’s residue from the hammer.
“Rosetta, you can open your eyes now.”
Rosetta peeked and saw that the monster that had tried to devour her was gone.
“E-Eli… I was so scared…”
Only then did relief wash over her, and tears streamed down her face. Elias handed her a handkerchief from his sleeve.
“It’s okay. I’m here now.”
He then embraced Rosetta. In the urgency of the situation, Elias had spoken casually, but that didn’t matter now.
“As long as Rosetta is safe.”
Once Rosetta stopped crying, Elias released her. She finally blushed.
“S-Sorry, Eli… my dress got ruined because of me…”
Elias looked at the red dress, now stained with Rosetta’s tears and runny nose. Without hesitation, he grabbed the hem of the floor-length dress.
Rip—
He tore it off, leaving Rosetta shocked.
“E-Eli! Are you mad at me?”
“No… I just didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, especially since we don’t know how long we’ll be here.”
There was no telling how much longer they would have to keep moving or fighting. If the tight dress became a hindrance, it could be dangerous. So Elias tore it.
“Let’s go.”
He extended his hand to Rosetta, and she took it.
“Eli… do you know where we are?”
Elias nodded.
“…Somewhat. Lady Lilith explained it to me.”
“Lilith?”
Elias nodded and gave a brief explanation. They were in the demon world, and this was the maze of the Great Demon Mammon.
“How did we even end up here… Are all the people from the banquet here too? Dad, Mom, even my brother…”
“I can’t say for sure. But one thing I can promise is that I’ll do my best to save everyone.”
“Eli…”
For the first time, Rosetta felt warmth in her heart from Elias’s words. She nodded resolutely.
“Okay. I won’t be afraid anymore.”
The two continued walking through the maze. They occasionally encountered bizarre monsters, but Elias quickly dispatched them each time. About ten minutes later—
“Dad! Mom!”
The Pernen marquis and his wife came into view. Rosetta ran straight to them, with Elias following closely.
“Rosetta! Eli!”
“My goodness… you’re both safe!”
The Perenens embraced Rosetta, tears streaming. They had clearly been shocked by the sudden events. Elias smiled faintly at the sight.
“I heard the Marquis was skilled with a sword… thank goodness.”
The marquis’s sword was stained with monster blood, indicating they had fought as well—but thankfully, they were unharmed.
“So this truly is the demon world…”
“To think we were suddenly transported from the banquet here… what is happening?”
Elias explained the situation to the marquis and his wife. They pondered deeply.
“I don’t know the details yet,” Elias said quietly.
He knew the culprit—it had to be Mammon, given that this was his maze. But he couldn’t easily explain it, so he remained silent.
“Mom, what about my brother?”
As the four of them walked again, Rosetta asked the marquise suddenly.
“I think Kenis… is probably safe. When Eli and Duke Pierre began to dance, he couldn’t bear to watch and left the banquet.”
Elias flinched at her innocent words but then responded.
“If the incident is confined to the banquet hall, then Kenis should be fine.”
“While we encountered some people along the way, most were corpses—mostly nobles and servants from the banquet. That’s why we assumed the incident was limited to the hall.”
From the marquis’s explanation, Elias realized the attack had only targeted the banquet hall.
—That’s right, child. Only those in the palace banquet were brought into the maze.
Lilith’s sudden words surprised Elias, but once confirmed, he felt somewhat reassured.
“It would’ve been disastrous if the scale of the attack were any larger.”
Of course, the situation was still serious—most nobles in attendance were the empire’s influential figures, including the emperor and the princess.
“So that’s why the prince didn’t attend.”
