Chapter 711: The Invitation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 711: The Invitation
"Young Master is here as well..."
In an instant, a torrent of fiery emotions flooded An’s heart, sweeping away the cold indifference she had carried since birth.
Thoughts surged and tumbled through her mind. Even for someone like her, who had held herself to the most rigorous standards since childhood to become the perfect maid, maintaining composure was impossible at a moment like this.
Why is Young Master here?
Was he captured by the demons too?
How dare those demon scum lay a hand on him. Should they all be shredded and cast into the flames?
But then again, the demons should only be capturing female adventurers for their objective. Why would they...
Countless thoughts and emotions rose and fell like bubbles spinning in a whirlpool.
When those bubbles finally dissipated, her heart was nearly overflowing with the joy and excitement of an impending reunion. Having been separated for over half a year, unable to replenish her energy from the Young Master, she had long since reached the limit of her endurance.
She wanted to fly to his side right now—this very second. If she had to use a metaphor, she was like a traveler in the desert on the verge of dying of thirst, finally stumbling upon the oasis that belonged only to her.
"Young Master? What Young Master? An acquaintance of yours, Miss An?"
Ariel tilted her head in confusion. Didn't the demons only capture female adventurers? Where did a "Young Master" come from?
Or was it just some kind of nickname?
Regardless of who this "Young Master" was, Ariel couldn't let it interfere with the caring, gentle persona she was currently projecting.
"Ahem."
Ariel cleared her throat and said in a soft tone, "Would you like me to go with you to find him? I know we're in the heart of the demon stronghold and acting recklessly is dangerous—and we have important things to do—but I think finding that person first is... hm?"
Ariel’s words trailed off again.
An had frozen mid-motion.
She had taken a single, joy-filled step before something in Ariel’s words seemed to trigger a realization. Her entire body stiffened.
She stood there like a statue—one that could only watch and wait, but never act.
"Miss An?"
"That’s right... I almost forgot..."
The fiery emotions vanished like a mirage. The swirling vortex in her heart settled into a flat, featureless calm, and her pupils returned to that deathly, profound shade of grey.
"I... I have more important things to do right now. Until that task is finished, I must not involve the Young Master..."
In fact, now that she knew he was here, she had to move even faster for the sake of his safety.
And besides...
An raised her hand, lightly stroking the exquisite little horn she had previously dismissed as a mere decoration.
"I absolutely cannot let... Young Master see me as I am now."
"...Miss An, what is wrong with you?"
Ariel found the situation increasingly bizarre.
Why had Miss An started acting so strange the moment she stepped out of that mirror? First, she was talking to herself, muttering incoherent nonsense. One moment she was radiant with joy, as if about to embrace her most precious treasure, and the next, her emotions turned cold as ice.
That faint, distant barrier that kept everyone at arm's length once again surrounded the hem of her night-black skirt.
"No, it is nothing."
An folded her hands over her stomach, her back perfectly straight.
A smile appeared on her elegant, refined face—a smile so standard and flawless that no one could find a single fault in it.
"I apologize for worrying you, Miss Ariel. I simply lost myself in thought for a moment."
"Is that so?"
Ariel blinked. No matter how you looked at it, that bizarre behavior couldn't be explained away as just "losing oneself in thought."
"Setting that aside for now, Miss Ariel... though it may sound abrupt, I have a favor to ask of you," An said, her expression suddenly turning incredibly serious.
"What is it?"
"Miss Ariel, you infiltrated this place to save someone, didn't you?" An asked, rather than answering directly.
"Yes, that's right. I'm here to rescue people."
Ariel puffed out her chest. "Not just Miss Muse, but all the beautiful girls imprisoned here. I'm going to save them all!"
"How impressive. Such determination and courage are rare. I'm sure those girls will be absolutely charmed by your heroics."
"Hehe, it's nothing that grand. I'm just doing what I can..."
Ariel swayed her hips bashfully.
"But since that is the case, I hope you will give my request serious consideration."
"What exactly is this request...?"
"I want you to help me..."
An paused, her tone turning heavy and solemn.
"Help me destroy this city."
"What?"
Ariel’s pupils shrank. She thought she had misheard. "What did you say? Destroy... this city?"
"Yes. Destroy it."
"This... Miss An, are you joking?"
Ariel looked up blankly at the ceiling.
Though this room looked ordinary, the grand architecture and the sheer scale of the urban districts she had seen on her way in were not things that could be destroyed by one or two people.
Even a Truth-Tier Grand Magister would likely have to charge up for a long time to unleash several city-level spells to pull that off. She was just a Fourth-Tier Martial Artist and a Sublimation-Tier Mage; what right did she have to even think about it?
"I am not joking. Moreover, it is not as difficult as you imagine. At the very least, it is not an impossible task."
An gently stroked the wall. Since Ariel had met her, she had seen An perform this gesture many times.
"Gutons Fortress... this city looks magnificent, beyond the power of mortals to destroy. But in reality, it is currently very fragile. It is like a castle built of sand, held together only by the support of a certain Ancient Artifact."
"An Ancient Artifact?"
Ariel’s eyes flashed. She remembered An mentioning earlier that there were many fragmented Ancient Artifacts in this fortress.
"You mean, if we destroy that Ancient Artifact, the city will collapse?"
"Yes. When that happens, everyone imprisoned here will be released and saved. That naturally includes... the Miss Muse you are so concerned about."
An paused. "And more importantly, many of the demons' plans are tied to this city. If we destroy it, all their schemes will come to nothing."
"Can you do it?"
"I have a way to temporarily take control of that Ancient Artifact. Without its support, the city will naturally crumble."
"I see..."
The gentleness and playfulness vanished from Ariel’s eyes. She narrowed them, cautiously reassessing the woman standing before her.
"As I thought, you seem to know a great deal, Miss An."
"That is precisely why I came here."
An turned to look at the numbers on the room doors and whispered, "Trying to use this method to force me out... but I was coming anyway... why go to such complicated lengths?"
"..."
Ariel fell silent, seemingly stunned by An’s words.
In reality, she was communicating with her teacher in her mind.
Teacher, what do you think?
“It has a certain level of credibility,” Ariel’s teacher replied. “I do indeed sense a faint, strange power enveloping this city. It could very well originate from the Ancient Artifact she mentioned.”
And this Miss An...
“I can’t see through her yet, but she is definitely not simple. She isn't just some ordinary girl the demons happened to snatch up.” Ariel’s teacher pondered for a moment. “Perhaps the demons’ strange behavior lately—capturing female human adventurers everywhere—is related to her.”
This is sounding a lot more interesting than I expected.
Ariel stroked her chin. It looks like this detour might actually be worth it.
Sorry, Miss Muse, and all you other beautiful girls. Our fated encounter might have to be delayed for a bit.
But it’s fine. I will descend before you like a hero of salvation as the city crumbles. When that time comes, my broad embrace will be open to you forever.
"But speaking of which..."
Ariel looked at An with a puzzled expression. "Why did you invite me? You seem to recognize me, Miss An, but you don't really know me, do you? Our brief clash earlier barely scratched the surface."
"True, I do not know you well," An said. "But I know that you are strong."
"Oh?"
Ariel arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms, making her impressive curves look even more mountainous.
"You can tell just by looking?"
Ariel felt a surge of pride. It seemed her gentle and considerate act had worked after all, earning her Miss An’s trust! At this rate, was it possible she could break through that cold shell and enter the girl's heart?
"My sense of smell has always been very keen."
An gazed at Ariel. This was perhaps the first time she had looked at her so intently.
Deep within those grey eyes, a flash of crimson flickered. In that fleeting reflection, it seemed she saw more than just Ariel.
That was her reason.
Of course, it wasn't the only one.
She had originally intended to face all of this alone, but time was more pressing than she had anticipated. She needed an assistant.
And since she didn't want to drag the Young Master into something this dangerous, what other choice did she have besides Ariel?
"I hope we're in time."
An looked toward the Mirror of Bewilderment at the end of the corridor.
"And I hope that mirror can keep the Young Master occupied for a while longer."
Because it was both a prison and a protection.
Fortunately, even if it was fragmented, it was still an Ancient Artifact. Even for the remarkable Young Master of today, escaping it shouldn't be that easy.
*
"As I thought, there's something strange about this place."
Muen rubbed his chin, standing in the silent, deserted corridor, lost in thought.
It was too eerie. Far too eerie.
Even if the demons were so lax that they viewed the captives with utter contempt, he shouldn't have been able to walk this far without encountering a single guard.
Did they really think they were just frail beauties who could do nothing but weep in the harem while waiting for the Grand Duke of Bewitchment’s "Grace Visit"? Believe it or not, even a guy like Maven could kick them to death with his big hairy feet.
"Speaking of which, I can't find any trace of Maven or the others. And..."
Muen’s gaze swept over the numbered rooms lining the corridor.
He had originally assumed that each room would hold several girls, like a buffet waiting for the Grand Duke of Bewitchment to make her selection at night.
But he had just confirmed that these rooms were all empty.
In other words, in this massive corridor with so many rooms, the only ones actually being held were him, Maven, and Leita.
"There's definitely something going on here that I don't know about."
Muen racked his brain, carefully retracing everything from the moment he entered Gutons Fortress to being locked in the room. He still couldn't find any anomalies.
His keen Death Premonition was completely useless here because he was merely trapped by this boundless silence; there was no actual threat to his physical safety.
"It seems I've fallen for some very sophisticated trick. If I don't find a way out, I might be stuck here for a long time."
His senses were failing him, and manual investigation was taking too long.
In that case...
The corners of Muen’s mouth curled upward.
"Black Book."