Frenzy at the Abyss's Edge
“Master! Master!!” Eily’s agonized scream echoed through the deepest recesses of the dungeon.
Her eyes had already lost all emotion, their focus blurred, filled with just one overwhelming thought. I have to follow Master. Gasping for breath, she hurled herself toward the pit without a moment’s hesitation. It wasn’t mere worry or anxiety driving her. Her actions carried an unyielding resolve, a determination aimed straight at the abyss.
“Wait, no!” Elisha lunged forward on instinct, seizing Eily’s arm. She yanked back with all her strength the girl who swayed like a scrap of paper in the wind, shouting desperately.
“Let go! My master just fell down there!”
Eily’s voice was raw with desperation, her movements laced with madness. Her pupils were half-dilated, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Like a moth diving headlong into flame, she stared only at the darkness below.
“I know, I saw it too! But if you jump now—”
“Then why are you stopping me?! We have to save Master!”
She twisted her body in a frantic struggle, but Elisha clung on tenaciously. If she let go now, Eily really would leap. At that moment, Melina sprang into action as well, rushing over to grab Eily’s shoulder and hold her back.
“Eily! Get a grip!”
But Eily seemed to have lost all reason. Her eyes gleamed with nothing but despair and frenzy, her face a twisted mask of anxiety, desperation, and utter panic.
“You think I can calm down right now?! How can I just stand here without Master?!”
Her words sliced like a blade, laced with desperation and fury. Elisha gritted her teeth.
“Didn’t you hear Melina tell you to calm down? Jumping in together is suicide!”
Eily’s face contorted at the words. Her lips quivered, and she could no longer hold back her emotions. “Then I’ll die with him…! I’d rather sleep eternally with Master in this grave!!”
She thrashed wildly to break free from Elisha’s grasp, but when her resistance failed, tears finally spilled over. Her ragged breaths trembled in the air. Her slender shoulders heaved violently as tears streamed down her face.
“Eily…!”
Elisha gripped her shoulders firmly and locked eyes with her. Anxiety made Elisha’s own pupils quiver, her fingertips trembling faintly. Yet she seemed to be desperately clinging to her composure.
“You can’t go!”
Elisha shouted, her voice thick with anger. But Eily didn’t flinch from the harsh tone—instead, she glared back even fiercer.
“Why are you stopping me?! I swore long ago to give my life for Master!”
“You wouldn’t understand! My devotion! Because you don’t truly love Master!”
“A fake love creeping in under the guise of atonement—how could it ever grasp my heart?!!”
Her words stabbed into Elisha like a dagger. But the flicker of doubt lasted only a moment. Elisha’s gaze hardened like steel.
Slap—!!
The sharp crack echoed through the air as a palm sliced the silence.
“Wha—?”
Eily clutched her cheek, her expression dazed. The dungeon fell into a stunned hush. A stinging shock and throbbing pain spread across her skin.
“Ugh… what the hell—”
Eily’s hand trembled as she touched her cheek, slowly lifting her head to glare at Elisha. Confusion and rage still burned in her eyes.
“Eh……?”
But then she froze, as if unable to believe the sight before her.
“Ugh.”
What entered her vision was Elisha’s face, etched with despair. Tears welled up in the eyes of the woman known for her iron pride.
“Don’t… speak so recklessly.”
Elisha’s voice was resolute. She swallowed her trembling breath, barely suppressing her emotions.
“No matter how fierce your loyalty to Master or how rude you are to everyone else as his maid… this crosses the line.”
She drew a deep breath, biting her lip as if to force down the emotions swelling in her chest.
“Fake love?”
Elisha let out a hollow, incredulous scoff. Her reddened eyes wavered, but her stare pierced straight through Eily.
“Nonsense.”
The word dropped heavily into the air like a verdict.
“I’ve sworn to myself countless times that I’d give this heart of mine for Arnold.”
Eily flinched. She still glared, unable to rein in her feelings.
“And you say, ‘don’t stop me’?”
Elisha gave a bitter smile and shook her head. Sorrow and pity mingled in her eyes.
“Talking about going together, dying together…”
She turned back to face Eily squarely, her gaze infused with anger, disappointment, and raw pleading.
“Do you think Arnold would want that?”
Eily swallowed hard.
“Say you go down there. Then what?”
Elisha stepped closer, whispering low.
“There’s no guarantee you’d survive. Even if you did, do you think you could fight properly?”
Eily fell silent. The words pierced her heart like daggers.
“If Arnold’s alive?”
Elisha pressed on firmly.
“Then you wouldn’t be helping him—you’d just be dead weight.”
Eily’s eyes wavered.
“Do you really want to let pointless emotions get in the way and block your master’s path?”
She took a step back, staring at Eily.
“Fine, then. Go ahead. Jump! I won’t stop you anymore—do whatever you want!”
But this time, Eily hesitated. Her hands shook as she clenched them into fists.
“I get how you feel.”
Elisha’s voice softened, heavy with restrained emotion.
“I’m suffering too… this gnawing fear that I might lose Arnold.”
Her whole body trembled faintly. But she gritted her teeth, determined to hold on.
“Melina feels it. Varis too. But this is exactly when we need to stay calm.”
Elisha glanced around before continuing quietly.
“Arnold fell deep into the dungeon. No matter where he ended up… we will find him.”
She clenched her fists, vowing it to herself.
“We have to find him, no matter what. We can’t stop here.”
Silence hung over them. No one could find words at first.
But soon, Eily covered her face with trembling hands and nodded quietly.
“…Got it. I’ll do it that way.”
Her voice still shook, but it wasn’t ruled by raw emotion anymore.
Elisha nodded slowly.
“Good. And Arnold’s not the type to go down that easily.”
Melina forced a strained smile in agreement.
“Yeah. If it’s Arnold, he’ll pull through somehow. Hell, knowing him, he might conquer the whole depths while he’s at it.”
She tried to mask her anxiety with a joke, but genuine faith underpinned it.
They all carried the same unease, but now it was time to push forward step by step instead of being swept away. And above all, they had to bring Arnold back.
“Yes… let’s hurry and find Master.”
Eily’s voice trembled, but it held a resolve to fight her emotions.
She clenched her hands, swallowing her shaky breaths to steady herself.
“Alright, I’ve got the thickest armor, so I’ll take point.”
Varis tapped his armor lightly. His tone was heavier and more resolute than usual, a clear effort to maintain reason amid the tension.
In that way, the atmosphere—shaken by the sudden crisis—finally steadied. As everyone caught their breath and prepared to press on in search of Arnold—
“Lady Elisha.”
Eily suddenly called out to her.
“What?”
Elisha halted and turned. Exhaustion and tension etched her face, but unyielding determination still burned there.
“This time… I’ll acknowledge what you said.”
Eily lowered her head. It was the deepest apology her pride would allow—sincere, not forced.
“And… I’m sorry. I… spoke too harshly.”
She trailed off softly, a far cry from her usual boldness. For once, she was admitting her own fault.
Elisha watched her quietly. She seemed a little surprised to see this from someone she’d always viewed as a rival.
“Haa…”
With a sigh, Elisha cast her gaze downward, pondering.
Normally, she might have brushed off the apology—or seized the moment. After all, it was a chance to exploit the other’s submission and eliminate one more obstacle between her and Arnold.
“……”
But the situation was different now. There was no point in bickering, and perhaps she already understood Eily on some level. She couldn’t imagine a life without Arnold by her side either.
“If it were any other time, I wouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip…”
Elisha’s lips curved into a faint smirk.
“But I’ll accept it this time.”
With that, she turned and followed Varis.
“…Yes.”
Eily blinked in surprise at the response. She realized how overly emotional she’d been—and how much more rational Elisha truly was.
She clenched her fist lightly, then released it. Acknowledging her own weakness, she vowed to grow stronger.
“Alright, without Arnold and our senior here… let’s stay sharp and move out.”
Varis spoke forcefully, putting an end to the conflict.
And so, they stepped into the darkness, determined to find Arnold.