Chapter 138: The Master’s Shadow
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 138: The Master’s Shadow
“Hm? Did you put an old man’s soul in there? Why is it speaking so familiarly to me...? Porter. Is etiquette training not included? It’s your summon now, isn't it?”
“Uh, I guess etiquette training is out of the question?”
At my reply, the Tower Lord asked again with an incredulous look, questioning if the creature truly followed my orders.
In truth, it felt more like I was making requests rather than giving orders. It felt a bit awkward to blatantly command Helena, given how extraordinary a person she was.
She certainly wouldn't disobey a direct order, but there was a strange sense of equality rather than a hierarchy between us. Mabel watched us with narrowed, suspicious eyes.
She had clearly wanted a dragon that felt like a submissive familiar, so the current situation was definitely different from what she had envisioned.
As I racked my brain for an excuse to give the Tower Lord, Helena spoke up first.
“Look here. Given my age, did you really expect me to use honorifics with a green youth like you?”
“Huh? Hey, Porter. Did you really put some old geezer’s soul into this dragon? Between the tone and the attitude, I can smell the ‘old fogey’ scent from a mile away.”
“Uh, it’s not an old man. To be precise, wouldn't it be a grandmother rather than a grandfather?”
“You brat! A grandmother?! That is uncalled for! I never even married!”
I ended up getting a sharp rap on the head from Helena for the grandmother comment. Watching this, Mabel pointed a trembling finger at Helena in utter shock.
“Wait, you said it follows orders?! Is a familiar allowed to hit its master? Isn't this a rebellion?!”
“Well, it’s not exactly a relationship of absolute, blind obedience. It’s more like... a partnership? Yes, that’s it. We’re comrades.”
“Then it’s not a slave after all. What if it betrays us at a critical moment? What if it’s just pretending to obey because it’s weak now, only to devour us all once it grows up? Are you sure you put a trustworthy soul in there? You didn't just shove some random drifter you met in the Labyrinth in there, did you?”
“My, you certainly are a suspicious one. Look at me, Tower Lord. Do I look like a cannibal to you? Why would I eat a human?”
At Helena’s words, Mabel took two steps back and shook her head, looking like someone confronting an impossible reality.
“No, something is... I’ve been smelling the familiar scent of my master from this dragon for a while now. An ancient soul... someone bold enough to speak down to me so openly... It couldn't be. Right? Tell me it’s not. Please.”
“....”
Mabel had finally figured it out. Between Helena’s transparent way of speaking and her overall aura, Mabel was closing in on the truth.
Actually, it was more like Helena was being blatantly obvious. I had tried to keep it hidden, but it felt like Helena couldn't help herself and just let it slip.
It was getting difficult to keep up the charade anyway. I simply nodded, confirming Mabel’s suspicions. Helena didn't seem intent on hiding it anymore, either.
More than anything, I had only kept it a secret because Helena asked me to; it wasn't my own will to hide her existence.
Perhaps Helena wanted to hide her identity because she feared Mabel might lose control. Maybe she only revealed herself now because she had obtained a dragon’s body and was no longer in a position where Mabel could easily harm her.
Regardless, the look on Mabel’s face as she faced the truth was a sight to behold—it twisted in pure shock.
“Holy... You’re serious?”
“Well, you see...”
“Dammit!!! It’s really my master?! Helena’s soul?! Why! Why didn't you tell me! That rotten woman... of all things, she took over the body of a dragon? Ah... no... I’m supposed to be the Witch of the Dark Moon of this generation... No! I can't take this anymore!”
Mabel clutched her head and screamed.
Helena approached her, patted her on the shoulder, and whispered.
“Now, don't worry so much. I am no longer human. Look. I am a dragon. Therefore, I cannot be the Witch of the Dark Moon. I have no intention of taking that title away from you.”
“Ugh... I spent my whole life in your shadow. I was eclipsed by you until the day you died. I thought I finally escaped... and then you come back to life like this? What are you? How is your life thread so damn tough?!”
“I am sorry for that. Honestly, I didn't expect this either. It just so happened that I was brought back. Still, we have to stop the end of the world, don't we?”
“That cursed Labyrinth...”
Right. No matter how much you hate someone, you still have to stop the apocalypse.
“It seems I remained too great a wall for you to overcome. I’m sorry. I should have handed over the position of the Great Witch sooner.”
“Forget it. No matter what I did, I could never beat you... To think I have to taste that sense of defeat again...”
Perhaps Mabel’s inferiority complex was largely due to Helena’s influence. Her feelings toward Moira were likely the same. Wasn't Helena, her master, the starting point of all her insecurities?
She must have lived her entire life overshadowed by her teacher. Mabel’s talent was undoubtedly extraordinary, but she could never surpass Helena, the "Beyond the Heavens" genius among geniuses.
With the world’s greatest witch as her master and constant point of comparison, Mabel’s stress was understandable.
“Um, Mabel... actually, I was planning on telling you eventually...”
“Shut up, Porter! If you woke my master, you should have at least informed me, her top disciple, first! I didn't want a ‘surprise reveal’ like this. Dammit... hell... I can't control my emotions. This is too much to process.”
“....”
The Tower Lord gave me a rap on the head, took a deep breath, and faced Helena again.
“So you’ve been wandering the Labyrinth this whole time? From the moment you died until now?”
“That’s right. I was wandering. If this child hadn't pulled me out, I suspect I would still be drifting there even now. Until I eventually faded away.”
At Helena’s mention of wandering the Labyrinth alone, Mabel, who had barely managed to compose herself, began to shed tears again.
“Dammit... You were wandering that dark Labyrinth all by yourself...? So while I was busy being jealous and hating you, you were... all alone in there... That makes me feel like such a piece of trash...”
“Child, do not pity me so. It was quite an interesting Labyrinth exploration in its own way. Thanks to that, I even learned about the 8th Floor, that unknown territory.”
“What do you mean ‘interesting’?! You sacrificed yourself on a whim and ended up wandering the Labyrinth without even being able to pass on. Do you think I don't know how lonely it is to drift as a spirit? Who asked you to die in my place...? Fuck. I’m so disgusted with myself I feel like throwing up.”
Mabel broke down.
The prideful Tower Lord was nothing more than a small, fragile child in front of her master.
I didn't know the full story, but based on their conversation, it seemed Helena had died in an explosion along with a dragon to save Mabel.
Her body must have been destroyed beyond any hope of resurrection. Mabel, the survivor, must have escaped with her comrades.
Helena had died with the dragon in place of Mabel, Moira, Freya, and Lafnel. Perhaps Mabel’s obsession with dragons stemmed from this very incident.
She had constantly insisted that if she could only properly tame a dragon, she could conquer the Labyrinth. The basis for that claim likely lay in the death of her master, whom she considered the strongest.
From her perspective, the master she thought was the strongest in the world died trying to take down a dragon. So, when she got her hands on a dragon egg, she must have been determined to tame it at any cost.
“My, it is unsightly for a grown lady to sob so sorrowfully.”
“Then you expect me to hold it in? I can't do that. Just let me cry.”
“Fine, fine. I understand. I understand, so could you please not get mucus on my scales? Good grief, you never listen... Sigh... You’re still such a child after all these years...”
Helena, as if she had no choice, spread her wings wide and embraced Mabel.
Mabel hugged Helena even tighter and cried for a long time. Once she finally calmed down, she rubbed her eyes and warned me.
“What you saw today... never tell a soul. Swear it.”
“I won't say a word.”
“Whew. Showing tears to someone else... is incredibly embarrassing.”
Mabel, having finally stopped crying, sat in her chair and stroked Helena while holding her in her lap. Despite her cold impression, the more I saw her, the more she seemed like someone who was very honest with her emotions.
I sat there for a while, drinking my now-cold tea, letting Helena and Mabel bond. Their relationship seemed deeper and more complex than I had imagined.
Rather than a simple, clean affection between master and disciple, it felt more like a deep-seated love-hate relationship.
“I’ve calmed down now.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Glad? What’s there to be glad about? The credibility of the Labyrinth’s eruption has only increased. Since it’s information my master brought back, it’s almost certain. We can't afford to take things slow anymore. Your training needs to be accelerated, and the plan to seize the Underground City needs to move faster as well.”
“Right. The sooner, the better.”
“Hah, there’s no other way. Hey, Sion.”
“Yes, Tower Lord.”
“Are you prepared to live a much longer time than others?”
“Pardon? A longer time than others?”
“Yes. With this, it’s possible.”
Mabel used magic to move a bookshelf, opened a safe hidden behind it, and, as if she didn't want to touch it directly, used telekinesis to pull out a wooden box.
It was a wooden box covered in numerous talismans.
“What is that?”
“A box containing a cursed ring.”
“A cursed ring? Why give something like that to me...?”
“Once you put this ring on, you can never take it off. Furthermore, you will suffer from nightmares for the rest of your life. In exchange, you will be able to manipulate your dreams.”
“Manipulate my dreams?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. You will be able to control your dreams at will. You can apply realistic physical laws to your dreams, and you can even summon enemies you’ve seen and felt into your dream world.”
“Then what does it mean that I’ll have nightmares? How can I have nightmares if I can manipulate the dream?”
“In exchange for being able to manipulate the dream, you must also endure the nightmares of the one who cursed the ring.”
According to Mabel’s explanation, to wake up from the dream, one must experience a nightmare.
“So, if I want to wake up, I have to go through a nightmare to escape.”
“Yes. And if you can't escape the nightmare, you’ll be trapped in the dream forever. You’ll never wake up.”
“Isn't the risk too high?”
At my question, Helena, who was listening while being held in Mabel’s arms, answered.
“What are you so worried about? Don't you have the Three Villainesses?”
“Ah!”
Helena’s words felt like a bolt of lightning.
That’s right! I have the Three Villainesses!
“My god. Penalty nullified!”
These crazy villainesses! Now they’re even erasing the penalties of artifacts.
At this point, aren't they actually Saintesses rather than Villainesses?
I can't help but worship them. The villainesses came through for me again today.