42. Special Edition: The Muu Tribe's Oath (The Broken Mansion)
"...It's really broken."
At the edge of the city, they stood before a grand gate. Beyond it lay the mansion where they were supposed to stay—a stone-built estate with a sprawling garden.
Just as Maamii had said, part of the building looked like it had been smashed by some physical force. It had happened three days ago, apparently.
She glanced around, but no one was in sight. It had been left abandoned, unrepaired.
"Was the monster that did this to it defeated?"
"It was some kind of plant monster, I heard. The city knights took it down."
Wake answered Patricia.
"...Mana is flowing toward the back of the mansion."
"Yes. I sense something lingering too. Best not to get close."
"...I want to stay here tonight."
Maamii declared. She couldn't bear the thought of drifting off to sleep again amid those moans. Knowing the source was a proud daughter of the Muu tribe only made it worse.
"Pardon?"
Wake couldn't quite grasp Maamii's intent, but he eventually nodded in resignation.
"I'll check it out. Lady Moe, do not go inside under any circumstances. Absolutely."
Wake emphasized the point to Patricia, then led the other guards into the mansion's garden.
His back seemed to vanish abruptly. Was it just the eerie vibe of the place playing tricks?
Maamii didn't think so. She tried to read the mana flow.
That's when a lone girl approached.
"Muu."
"Muu."
Fam replied to the Muu tribe greeting with an embarrassed flush.
"Lady Moe, isn't the Muu tribe a bit too childish?"
Patricia remarked as Fam hurried over.
"...It's fine. They're trying so hard to act grown-up—it just crushes them."
"I love how kind you are, Lady Moe."
Patricia smiled.
"...Training over?"
Fam nodded at Maamii's question.
"I spotted you at the arena and got curious where you were headed."
Patricia smiled again at that. It didn't seem like Maamii's feelings were one-sided.
"...This is tonight's lodging. Staying, Fam?"
"Isn't it wrecked? And... I smell blood."
"There was a monster fight three days ago, apparently?"
Patricia replied.
"Is that so? It smells fresher than that..."
Fam drew closer to the gate. As she peered inside, her vision warped like jelly.
"Ah!"
"Fam!"
Fam was yanked through the gate. Maamii lunged, grabbing her to hold her back, but she was dragged in effortlessly.
"Lady Moe!"
Patricia's cry didn't reach them.
The two had vanished into the gate.
Outside the gate stretched an ordinary cityscape.
But Patricia, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen. No sign of anyone.
The gate looked like it would open to the outside.
Fam reached for it but was blocked by an invisible wall. One-way only.
"...A dungeon."
"This is one?"
Maamii nodded to Fam. It was utterly unlike any dungeon Fam had experienced. Without walls, it could've passed for a normal house. Maamii explained to Fam that dungeons were enclosed, non-contiguous spaces.
"...Find Wake, beat the area guarder. Then we can leave."
"Who's Wake?"
"...My strongest swordsman. He went ahead to scout the mansion."
Maamii answered. It was lucky he'd gone in first. He'd push through anything to reach her. As she thought that, Fam peered into her face.
"I want Master to think that about me too."
Fam said.
"...Liar. You just overwrote it with what you really want."
"Moe would get it if she fell for someone. It's not just one feeling."
"...Never met him, but I've got a fiancé. Sadly, he won't understand your feelings."
"If you haven't met, he might be nice. You might like him once you do."
For lowborn or upstart nobles, maybe love could sneak in. But at the pinnacle, marriages were about bloodlines. Everything. Maamii would leave the Starunion house. If her child was a boy, he'd be adopted in—a done deal.
It was a gamble. Some saw Maamii as the elves' last hope.
"...My fiancé's family excels at mind-control magic. In five years, I'll be his ideal woman, head over heels. Don't worry."
"You think that reassures a Muu tribe girl?"
Someone besides Patricia got mad for Maamii. That was enough. Neither Maamii, Patricia, nor Fam could do a thing about it.
"...Later for this. Focus on now?"
"This chat makes the situation feel trivial, but yeah. Let's find Wake. Head inside first."
Maybe safer to wait. But Wake didn't know she was here. Better to link up quick—Maamii agreed.
The mansion's damage was gone. Three stories tall. The massive door and countless windows seemed to loom over them.
An oppressive aura made it hard to approach.
"F-First, let's shout loud and see if anyone's inside reacts."
"...Huh?"
Fam raised both hands and yelled "Muu!"
"See, Moe too." What if a monster shows?
"Mm? Yeah."
For a while, they stood with arms up, yelling "Muu!" Nothing happened. No shadows peeking from within.
"Weird. It's Master's surefire way to check for people inside..."
"...No one inside."
Maamii thought Fam was the weird one but held back to spare her feelings.
"Okay, scary, but let's go in."
Fam opened the door.
Then stepped inside. Maamii followed.
The entry hall was vast. Open to the ceiling, with twin stairs to the second floor. Dim and creepy.
"No sign of people."
Fam scanned carefully. Nothing suspicious.
"...Fam, up—chandelier."
Maamii spotted something dangling from a ceiling ornament.
"Ukiki! Ukiki!"
It shrieked, shaking the chandelier wildly. Ornaments clashed, blaring discordantly.
"It's falling!"
The chandelier crashed down on them. They barely dodged.
"Kikiki! Kikiki!"
Monkey-like monster. It leaped down, swinging long arms at Fam. Sharp claws at the tips. She drew twin shortswords and parried.
Clang!
No damage, but her coat tore. Fam counterattacked, but it scampered nimbly up the wall.
"...Crazy Monkey. Careful—lots of 'em."
As Maamii warned, shadows crawled walls and ceiling. Now two dove at Maamii.
"...Thunderbolt."
Lightning burst from Maamii's wand. The two tangled midair, shoving each other to dodge.
Fam timed her Chrysanthemum Ichimonji for their landing. The vacuum blade sliced a Crazy Monkey.
"Kiki!"
Injured, it tried to rise. Maamii's thunderbolt finished it. Poof—gone.
"...One down."
"Ten at least. Too many."
"...Burn the mansion then. I'll set fires—handle the attackers."
Maamii ignited curtains, wooden furnishings—anything flammable. Why do mages love fire? Fam thought of her mage friends.
Their footing aflame, Crazy Monkeys swarmed Fam.
Fam hurled kunai. First hit—vanish. Second dodged. She blocked claws with a kunai, then stabbed its back on landing.
"Gyyyaaah!"
Monster gone.
Maamii deftly dodged claws behind a wand shield.
"Kikiki! Kikiki!"
They switched to swarm tactics, encircling and charging.
"...Fools. That's what I waited for."
Maamii raised her wand. Massive lightning scorched the pack.
Five vanished. Fam nailed the survivors—zap-damaged, easy targets.
Crazy Monkey horde in the entry hall: cleared.
As Fam recovered kunai, an elderly butler descended the twin stairs.
"Welcome, please come... whoa!"
Before he finished, Maamii thunderbolted him. He flew, twitched, then stilled.
"Didn't vanish. Not a monster?"
"...Poorly trained. A real butler wouldn't pop up now."
Approaching cautiously, the fallen butler rose as if nothing happened.
They shuddered.
"Lady Maamii of the Starunion house, our expected guest. We awaited your arrival yesterday... guh!"
Maamii zapped again. Same result—blown back, still.
"...If Wake were inside, this racket would've alerted him. Let's exit, circle to the back garden from outside. Mana flows from there."
"Right."
In their minds, no butler existed. They opened the door and left.
The abandoned butler rose again.
"Good grief... Must prepare to welcome Lady Maamii's party."
He muttered, ascending the stairs. His final appearance.
He was a victim from when the mansion was destroyed.
Thank you for reading.
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It motivates me. I'll keep pushing.
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