Laila and Eustar’s eyes met. When they heard a sound from beyond the wall, the two realized that the glowing path at their feet had disappeared. Only then could they be certain.

Muge was here. Inside this place.

The gaps between the bricks widened, and they began to move one by one. They were moving as if living creatures were making way. The door that appeared behind them was dark brown and made of solid metal.

Laila noticed that the latch on the doorknob was hanging down. When she grabbed the latch to lift it up, it felt rough.

It felt like touching iron with a heavily rusted surface that had become sharp, and once again she felt a stinging pain in the palm of her hand.

“Be careful, Laila.”

Eustar said. Laila lifted the latch with all her might while pushing the door. A heavy metallic friction sound was heard.

It felt less like the sound of opening a door… and more like pushing away layers of accumulated time. At least to Laila, it did.

“Good heavens.”

As soon as the door opened, a faint groan like a trembling escaped Laila’s lips as she stepped inside. Eustar too was at a loss for words, staring blankly at the scene before him.

In the middle of a dark, empty room was Muge. She was floating in the air, wrapped in a translucent light, with every part of her shoulders, pelvis, elbows, and knees either split or broken.

Moreover, the surface of her face was cracked and fissured like poorly fired pottery, and it was continuing to crumble.

“Ms. Olga!”

Laila, who had rushed in, suddenly realized that there was someone else in the room besides Muge.

It was too dark, and only the area around Muge was faintly glowing, so the shadowed areas were truly pitch black. The moment she heard a sobbing sound coming from somewhere she couldn’t see, Laila stopped in her tracks, feeling a chill run down her spine.

“Show yourself.”

Eustar, who had drawn his sword and stood beside Laila, commanded in a low voice. Laila thought it was the first time she had heard him speak with such anger.

The sobbing sound grew louder, and suddenly a pale light shone in the dark room.

The two saw someone sitting hunched near the crumbling Muge. The body was gaunt, and ears covered in dark mold were visible. It was an old man.

“My daughter…”

The old man raised his head towards Muge, seemingly unaware that the two had entered. He looked so old that it was surprising he was still alive, and not only his eyes but also the corners of his mouth were moist.

As he reached out towards Muge, a spark flew from the light surrounding her body with a ‘pop’ sound.

“Ugh, u, huhu…”

“Sir.”

Eustar approached the old man. At the same time, the old man turned his head, sniffling like a child. He looked very tired, alternating between panting with his tongue out like a wounded animal and wailing.

“Have you come to see my daughter?”

Daughter? Laila couldn’t understand the old man’s words for a moment. But suddenly something occurred to her.

— Siegfried obtained an elder’s position after completing me.

— Who would want to be under parental control as an adult?

Recalling Muge’s bitter voice, Laila unconsciously opened her mouth.

“Siegfried.”

The sobbing old man, the magician Siegfried, sniffled and raised his body. Whether sitting crouched or standing, his size was about the same. He was short, had a hunched back, and looked tired.

“You know me, witch.”

Siegfried said, trying to compose his voice mixed with sobs.

“You must have heard from my daughter. Right?”

After saying that, Siegfried extended his finger, rough and knotted like a dry twig, towards Eustar.

“And the descendant of Hyanmorik. A child raised under the curtain cast by the devil. That’s you.”

Eustar, gritting his molars, pointed his sword at him. But Siegfried was not intimidated. He didn’t even flinch.

He still mumbled in a dazed voice as if dreaming, turning his head towards Muge. He kept trying to reach out, then flinching at the sparks that made popping sounds.

“This child is my daughter.”

Siegfried said.

Now Muge’s right arm was almost detached from her body.

“I created her. It took a very long time. I didn’t properly close my eyes for hundreds, thousands of hours to make her properly. ‘The one who doesn’t breathe lies in a grave that is not a grave’ – you probably don’t know this old saying. It refers to magicians who create artificial humans.”

Siegfried’s eyes glittered with a strange color. He looked like someone who had lost his mind. No, he actually had.

“My daughter is my masterpiece.”

The faint smile that had lingered on Siegfried’s lips as he whispered disappeared.

And his entire face crumpled inward, becoming a mess. Revealing his yellowed teeth with uneven alignment, he sobbed and mumbled like a beast.

“But now she’s dying…”

Laila approached Muge. However, just as when Siegfried had reached out, sparks flew. When they touched her skin, she felt pain and red spots appeared as if she had been burned.

“It’s useless. This is Nieadora’s magic. Even I can’t do anything about Nieadora’s magic.”

At Siegfried’s words, Laila, clutching her reddened arm, widened her eyes.

“Release Ms. Olga right now.”

“I can’t.”

“Why can’t you! You said she’s your daughter! You made Olga alive. I said release Olga!”

Laila was furious. The pain made her anger even more intense. The pain was both her own and transferred from Muge. She could feel her agony.

Although she appeared to be in a comfortable, deep sleep, it was only on the surface; Laila could tell that Muge’s mind was floundering and screaming in terrible pain.

Siegfried made sobbing sounds again. His bony shoulders shook as if convulsing… The moment a shadow of a strange shape elongated under his feet, Eustar raised his sword as if ready to cut Siegfried down immediately.

Siegfried’s empty eyes looked at the crumbling Muge.

“My daughter will be reborn in a new world. I will remake her. With my own hands. I’ll let her live with only clean memories.”

Eustar shook his head. A threat so sharp it made his hair stand on end was felt. A neurotic killing intent was spreading in all directions along Siegfried’s shadow.

“But for that, I must first kill you.”

Before Siegfried finished speaking, there was a bang! and the view shook violently.

Eustar reflexively grabbed Laila and moved far away from Siegfried. The place where the two had been standing was blackened and scorched. Blue flames rose from the magician’s bony hand.

“You won’t be able to escape. You can’t get out of here. You will meet your end here. As long as Nieadora hates you, the descendant of Hyanmorik and the witch, you cannot leave the city alive.”

The corner of Eustar’s mouth rose crookedly.

“It’s too early to make such a promise, old man.”

The moment blue flames poured from Siegfried’s hand, Laila touched the ground and chanted a spell.

A barrier like shimmering glass draped around Eustar’s body, and the flames split helplessly along the surface of the barrier. Eustar’s body, which had planted itself on the ground, instantly reached right in front of Siegfried’s nose.

“You shouldn’t speak so carelessly when you know who we are.”

Before the low voice could be cut off, the sword Eustar swung slashed Siegfried’s body horizontally.

However, the old Siegfried moved his body surprisingly quickly, avoiding a fatal blow. It was a split-second difference. If it hadn’t been for that moment, Siegfried’s body would have been cut in half and rolled on the ground.

But Eustar didn’t give Siegfried time to regain his momentum. As he moved across the floor as if sliding, swinging his sword, Siegfried’s arm shrank back, and one of the flames disappeared instantly.

“You insolent!”

Siegfried gritted his teeth and exclaimed. The flames that stretched out from the opposite hand rushed towards Eustar’s long hair and neck.

It seemed to move like a flickering tongue. Just as the flames were about to engulf him, Laila quickly stepped on the magic circle she had drawn.

“Come!”

Laila’s voice shook the dark space. And from somewhere came a sound like a tidal wave approaching.

When the bewildered Siegfried looked around, a huge water spray in the shape of a snake burst from one wall and swallowed him.

“Ugh…!”

Siegfried, swallowed by the snake’s mouth, grabbed his own neck. As the snake coiled, the water deepened, and flames rose and extinguished repeatedly around Siegfried’s floundering body.

“Eustar, hurry! We need to get Olga out of there somehow!”

Laila shouted while stepping on the magic circle. This magic could summon the energy of a huge river, but it consumed magical power quickly.

They couldn’t hold Siegfried forever. Although he was floundering in confusion now, they didn’t think he couldn’t use magic just because he was in water.

Eustar, who had reached out to Muge without hesitation, had sparks fly from his palm with a pop.

Perhaps because of that shock, Muge’s left knee separated from her leg with a crack. It was a grotesque sight to see those debris floating together in the air even as her body was breaking apart.

“Eustar!”

“Damn, this is magic. A very powerful… barrier. With my power alone, I absolutely can’t…”

He thought of the Deceptor for a moment. But then he realized that it hadn’t appeared despite him calling for it for quite some time.

Maybe, Eustar thought. Maybe it couldn’t break through the city’s barrier. Magicians are always wary of demons. They wouldn’t leave such things free to come and go in the city as they pleased.

But…

— Heheh… he…

A creepy laugh mixed with gurgling sounds was heard. Siegfried’s mouth, limp like a corpse submerged in the giant snake-shaped water, was stretched like a clown’s.

— Didn’t I tell you that no one can touch Nieadora’s magic? Did you think you could save that child with your puny strength?