The Overdue Carriage
I rubbed my cheek absentmindedly, pondering the carriage's whereabouts. "Ehehe..." Master was gently stroking my hair. That cool yet warm touch sent shivers rippling from the crown of my head down to the nape of my neck. Just being held in Master's arms, getting my head petted—it made the world perfect. This is happiness... How long had I waited for this? For three long years, I'd guarded the labyrinth, waiting only for Master, braving perilous journeys to find her. All that effort and longing felt rewarded in this moment, this bliss.
"Rico, what are you thinking about so deeply?" Master pinched my cheek lightly as she spoke.
"Nothing! I'm just happy to be with you, Master!" I felt my cheeks flush pink. Master smiled faintly, continuing to stroke my hair. Her smile was soft and mysterious, like moonlight. It alone could melt my heart.
But wait—why weren't we heading home yet...? Oh, right! We were waiting for the carriage! Now that I thought about it, it was odd that it still hadn't arrived. Quite a bit of time had passed...
"Miel!"
Flutter flutter! The little blue butterfly flew to my shoulder as always. A soft glow emanated from her tiny body. Miel always fluttered close by my side.
"Miel, how many days have we been here?"
Miel plucked a few strands from my hair. Oof! At this rate, I'd go bald...!
One week.
"A whole week!?"
Goodness, a whole week already? Time had slipped by like flowing water. In these happy days with Master, I hadn't noticed it passing at all.
"Master, it's been a week already—aren't you bored?" I asked cautiously.
Master smiled faintly in response. "Rico, a week is but a blink for me. To one who has lived thousands of years, it's truly a fleeting moment."
Oh, right... Master's sense of time was different from mine. But her next words made my heart pound.
"But waiting for you here... it felt endlessly long."
"Hiiing... Master..." Tears of emotion welled up. Meanwhile, Miel plucked more hair from my head. Hey! I'd really go bald! Can't you use something else!?
Ignoring my frown, Miel began writing in the air with her strands.
Frostia! How long have you been here?
Seriously... the difference in speech patterns is too much... I swiped at Miel to grab her, but she dodged leisurely. Grr! She flitted playfully through the air, refusing to be caught—as if savoring my frustration.
Master gazed at Miel's writing, lost in thought for a moment. "Hm..." She tilted her head, as if calculating something. Her silver hair swayed gently before my eyes. Even that was perfectly beautiful.
"Nis."
Far atop the icy ridge, Nis was enjoying tea time. Clad in her black dress, she sipped elegantly under the soft sunlight.
"Yes?" Nis took a sip and looked up.
"Nis, how long have we been here?"
"Hm... A little over two months, perhaps?"
Eh? Two months? My mind reeled. The math didn't add up.
"So Master arrived two months ago... and I got here a week ago?"
Master nodded. "That's right."
Unlike Master's calm reply, unease stirred in my heart. The timeline didn't match! Our calculations when leaving the kingdom were clear: a month and a half should have been plenty...
"Master, the carriage was supposed to arrive in a month and a half. But it's been over two months now..."
Nis set down her tea and approached us. "Oh dear, something must have gone wrong."
"Hm..." Master furrowed her brow slightly.
What could have happened...? Did they get lost? Or an accident...? No way... they didn't run off scared of Master and Nis...!
"Master! We need to go catch those ninjas!"
The scenery unfolding beyond the carriage window was far from normal. Purple and black hues blended into an endless, dreary plain. Bare trees stabbed the sky like bones, and not a whisper of wind stirred the eerie silence. The sky was shrouded in ashen clouds, no sun in sight. Occasional lightning flashed, but no thunder followed—this unnatural phenomenon persisted.
It vaguely resembled one of Nis's death zones, but we'd supposedly reached the Dian Empire's outskirts far too soon. I channeled mana through my staff, manifesting a map in midair. A bluish glow hovered, but the surrounding terrain didn't match.
Odd. We should still be within Heshet Empire territory... Tilting my head, I observed more closely. This landscape was not normal Heshet Empire.
"Is this Nis's domain? But Ricoris hasn't returned yet..." Levy pressed her nose to the window, peering out anxiously.
"No, impossible. Even this swift carriage couldn't cover the distance in a month."
Suddenly, the carriage's jolts felt off—vibrations growing stronger. Not just bumpy roads. My mana-sensitive senses detected something amiss.
A strange creature flashed past the window—wyvern-like, but with a stone body. A gargoyle...? Behind it swarmed cockatrice and minotaur variants, all malformed and mutated. None were normal monsters.
"Wh-what are those...?" Levy's voice trembled as her hand reached for her bow.
"No way... are we in demon territory...?" The words slipped out unbidden.
"Wait—I need to ask the coachman."
I leaned out the window. The black-clad coachman drove with head bowed, movements stiff.
"Coachman! Where are we headed? We've taken a wrong turn!"
No reply—just wind in my ears.
"Coachman?"
Still silence. Something was wrong.
"Light!"
Bright light burst from my staff's tip. The horses reared in fright, halting the carriage with a violent lurch. I nearly slammed into the wall.
"What happened...?" Levy asked, face tense.
"The coachman's state is abnormal. I must check."
I sounded calm, but dread gnawed inside. Descending, I approached the driver's seat. He remained bowed, unmoving, faint purple aura swirling around him. I touched his shoulder cautiously.
"Coachman?"
He slowly raised his head. Chill raced down my spine. His eyes were unfocused, pupils pure white, staring into void. Dried drool crusted his mouth. Symptoms of high-level mind control.
"This is bad!" Urgency sharpened my voice.
Levy jumped down beside me, gasping at the sight. "Gasp... is he... dead...?"
"N-no, still alive. But under powerful mental magic."
Flutter flutter! Cecilia flew from the carriage, Lote hovering nearby. They seemed worried too—Ricrois's bug monsters were astonishingly intelligent. Glessia, however, lounged indifferently inside.
"This...?"
Examining his eyes, I spotted purple slime oozing from his ear. Beyond mind control—a mutation. I cast diagnostic magic. Purple energy rippled over him. Like necromancy from my studies, but primal, stronger...
"Dispel!"
Purification yielded nothing—the purple aura ignored it. I tried stronger.
"Liberation!"
Blue light enveloped his head, but purple devoured it instantly. Resistance too potent—stronger than any magic I'd encountered.
"Not working...?" Levy asked, despair flickering across her face.
"Beyond my ability. Ricoris's divine power could manage, but..." I recalled her apostolic authority—capable of cleansing any mental taint.
"Can I help?"
"First aid, please. His condition worsens—make him comfortable."
"Got it!"
Levy swiftly unpacked bandages and herbs, disinfecting wounds, feeding ground paste, and laying him under a blanket from the carriage.
"This should stabilize him..."
Her skill was impressive—befitting a hunter.
"Truly remarkable."
Surveying around, I organized thoughts. Records matched: demon territory in northeast Heshet Empire.
"This is... demon territory. Demons' land in northeast Heshet."
Hard to stay calm amid the gravity.
"Demon territory...? Then the coachman..." Levy's voice shook, fists clenching and unclenching.
"Likely demons. Their mind control is notoriously cruel—victims conscious, bodies puppets, enduring all pain and terror helplessly."
I explained from my research. Never thought I'd face it.
Levy paled, hands trembling. Her brave facade crumbled to a frightened girl's.
"So... he's feeling everything now...?"
"High possibility."
My chest grew heavy. Her fear amplified the dread. What if we've entered the Land of Death...? That would be dire...
I mapped the continent mentally. Beyond demons lay the unknown Land of Death, barely on maps.
Cecilia flapped anxiously, her flame wings brighter. She orbited us, conjuring fire orbs to pierce the dark—sensing danger. Lote spun faster around us and Levy, forming a barrier-like shield. Detecting invisible foes.
Movement from the carriage—Glessia finally stirred, emerging. Even she, lazy in peril, sensed something massive.
The ground quaked.
Thud. Thud.
Rhythmic vibrations swelled, like a colossal heartbeat. Scholarly curiosity clashed with primal fear—color drained from my face.
Then a deep voice echoed, as if from the earth itself.