Chapter 236: Rescue (1)

After destroying the location transmitter hidden in her leather strap, the relentless pursuit that had plagued Erica for the past few days vanished as if it had never existed.

Yet Erica beat her wings even harder.

With the pursuit gone, she could have taken a moment to rest, but she had no time for such luxuries.

Time was already critically short, and the pursuers had delayed her progress tenfold.

I have to hurry…

Even now, she couldn’t know what had happened to Floria and Douglas.

Clenching her teeth, she flew for hours until she arrived above Syron.

She was about to fly straight toward the Tower of Wishes when she abruptly halted mid-air.

Her face was grim, her expression frozen solid.

Is heading straight for the tower the right choice?

Not long ago, Erica would have rushed straight to the Tower of Wishes without hesitation.

But after discovering a location transmitter hidden in the leather cord she’d entrusted to her disciple, her thinking changed.

Who can I trust at the Tower of Wishes now?

She had believed Paula to be someone she knew and trusted better than anyone else.

Given the circumstances suggesting her disciple’s betrayal, going to the Tower of Wishes immediately was too risky. If she couldn’t even trust her own disciple, how could she trust anyone else?

I need time…

Ironically, what Erica needed most right now was time. Time to distinguish friend from foe, to organize her thoughts, and to recover her exhausted body. Entering the Tower of Wishes in her current state would leave her unable to respond to any unforeseen events.

Perhaps I’m crawling into an ogre’s den of my own volition.

I’m sorry, Floria, Douglas… Just a little longer… Please wait just a little longer.

Having decided to rest, Erica tore her gaze away from the Tower of Wishes.

Her eyes shifted to the side.

I need to go there.

A hideout where she could remain undetected by anyone,

and from which she could safely secure an escape route even if discovered by the enemy.

Of all the places Erica knew, only one met all these conditions.

Let’s move.

Soon, Erica’s figure vanished into the clouds.

Shortly after.

A shadow descended like a thunderbolt into the forest on the outskirts of Syron.

Erica sprinted through the woods at full speed.

She soon arrived at a small waterfall.

Whishhhh.

Erica stepped behind the waterfall, letting the torrent wash over her.

She reached into a crack in the rock and pulled a small lever.

Click—

A faint sound echoed as one side of the cavern wall slid open, revealing a narrow passage barely wide enough for a grown man to crawl through. Erica grumbled,

“Ugh, that Douglas.”

The hidden entrance she’d found was indeed the work of Douglas—a dwarf-made passage of predictably compact dimensions.

Why couldn’t he make the entrance a bit wider?

The labyrinth beneath the Transcendence Academy hadn’t always been this complex. Originally, it wasn’t even a true underground labyrinth but merely an emergency escape route leading from the Tower of Wishes to the outside world. But as the Grand Masters’ reputations grew and they became renowned figures, the situation changed.

Fed up with the crowds that clung to them every time they entered or left the Tower of Wishes, the grand masters began secretly constructing a hidden passage to move unnoticed.

Coincidentally, this coincided with the founding of the Transcendence Academy. Undercover, a massive construction project connected the academy, the Tower of Wishes, and the outskirts of Syron.

Douglas recruited dwarves for the work, and following Victor’s suggestion, they even created secure vaults throughout the underground labyrinth to store relics.

Thanks to the creation of this underground labyrinth, the Grand Masters could freely enter and exit the Tower of Wishes without being observed.

“I’m sorry, everyone. I teased you back then for wasting your time on that pointless stuff…”

Erica, who used to fly in and out of the tower every day, bit back a bitter smile. Back then, she had mocked her friends for wasting their energy on trivial pursuits, never imagining their efforts would prove so invaluable.

“Haa…”

Erica crawled through a narrow passage and emerged into a spacious corridor. She stumbled against the wall and slid to the floor, her legs shaking uncontrollably. For the past few days, her only sustenance had been rainwater. Her limbs trembled, and exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her at any moment. But forcing herself to stay awake, Erica racked her brain.

Who should I contact in this situation?

Who should she inform of this news?

All the Masters?

Erica shook her head.

If I did that, Floria and Douglas might be in danger.

She couldn’t predict how the traitor would react in this extreme situation. At worst, Floria and Douglas’s lives could be at risk.

I need to inform someone trustworthy and quietly assemble a rescue team.

Erica’s head began to ache.

But who could she trust in this situation?

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t make a decision.

Her chest felt like it was about to burst from frustration.

In the past, after the Tower’s development had stabilized, she had entrusted its operation to Floria and Douglas, wandering freely across the continent.

Now, Erica bitterly regretted her past actions and blamed herself.

What am I even doing? Grand Master? Disciple of the Tower of Wishes? How pathetic!

After relentlessly berating herself for some time, Erica abruptly stood up.

Her gaze fixed on the dark corridor ahead.

Someone’s there?!

A sudden presence materialized at the far end of the passage.

Startled, Erica reflexively shouted:

“Who’s there?!”

As her cry echoed through the tunnel, Erica immediately regretted her outburst.

Oh, no…!

They were dealing with a traitor within the Tower. And now, an unidentified stranger had appeared in the underground labyrinth, a place only Grand Masters knew about.

There was no guarantee this newcomer wasn’t in league with the traitor. In such a situation, raising her voice was a clear blunder.

Stupid!

Her exhausted mind and body had clouded her judgment.

She scolded herself, but the damage was already done. The water had been spilled.

Just as Erica was blaming herself, an unexpected response echoed from the far end of the passage.

“Who do you think I am?”

”…?!”

It was a young voice, one she’d never heard before.

Clang-clang.

After the voice reverberated through the passage, steady footsteps began approaching her.

Erica’s nerves tightened.

Clang-clang.

The footsteps maintained a consistent, measured pace—neither hurried nor lagging.

Their unyielding rhythm only intensified the pounding of her heart.

Biting her lip, Erica unfurled silver wings from her back.

Although the narrow passage restricted her movement, this was the only weapon she had to defend herself against the approaching, unknown entity.

Gulp.

Should I… try to escape now?

Swallowing hard, Erica considered turning and fleeing.

But she sensed no hostility from the figure approaching from the darkness.

Moreover, her curiosity about someone appearing in a place known only to the Grand Masters rooted her to the spot.

Thud.

Footsteps echoed once more.

The first thing to emerge from the darkened passage was a luminous orb.

”…?!”

The orb floated in the air, bathing the tunnel in light.

Then.

Thud.

With another footstep, a foot stepped into the light.

Starting with the toes, a leg gradually emerged, followed by thighs, abdomen, and chest.

The figure slowly materialized from the darkness into the light.

To Erica, those brief moments felt as if time had slowed to a crawl.

The light illuminated his face, revealing crimson lips that parted slightly.

“The answer is…”

A mischievous smile played on his lips as he stepped into the passage, his figure fully revealed.

A man…?

Pale skin, white hair.

Violet eyes that shimmered beautifully in the light.

Erica’s pupils trembled violently as she gazed upon this being of otherworldly beauty, one that seemed to surpass the limits of humanity.

Ah…

He was unmistakably a stranger.

Yet there was something profoundly familiar about him.

If that tiny, precious figure from her memories had grown up properly, wouldn’t he look exactly like this?

As Erica stood frozen in awe, Louis’s lips parted in a gentle smile.

“He’s the ill-tempered and terrifying Lord Dragon.”

The moment Erica heard that voice, her body shuddered violently, as if struck by lightning. Her heart raced, and a dizzying wave of vertigo washed over her.

Barely maintaining her composure, Erica spoke his name for the first time in ages. “Louis… Lord?”

Louis’s smile deepened at her address. It was just a wordless expression, neither affirming nor denying, yet Erica was certain.

The figure smiling radiantly within that light was indeed the Lord of the Tower, whom they had awaited for so long.

And as that realization loosened all the tension in her body…

“Ah…”

Thud.

Erica slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Louis, who had been observing her, muttered in confusion, “Was my appearance really that shocking?”

Erica was dreaming.

A dream where a massive, black tsunami chased her as she flew. Within the mountain-sized wave, Douglas and Floria floated lifelessly, their eyes closed. Erica gritted her teeth and struggled to escape the relentless tide.

But as time passed, the tsunami drew ever closer, its shadow finally looming overhead. Despair washed over her—everything was ending.

Ah…

From the heart of the black wave, a colossal white sun rose. Its radiant light struck the tide, shattering it into dust.

As relief flooded her, Erica gasped as the snow-white sun sprouted eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The solar deity glared down at her and opened its lips.

Are you going to lie?

Lie?

Lie?

Erica woke to the sun’s voice echoing in her mind, the last syllable lingering in her thoughts.

“Huh?!”

Her forehead glistened with cold sweat.

As her consciousness returned, she frantically scanned her surroundings.

A corridor not far from the entrance she had entered.

Seeing nothing else nearby, she forced a weak smile.

”…It was all a dream.”

A dream of being chased by a black tidal wave.

And a dream of meeting Louis, the Lord of the Tower.

Erica dismissed everything she had experienced as mere dreams.

Dreams are said to be mirrors reflecting one’s deepest wishes…

Perhaps, in some corner of her heart, she had secretly harbored such thoughts.

If only the Lord of the Tower were still alive…

If he were here, he would have been able to rescue Floria and Douglas.

That wish might be why Louis had appeared in her dream, she surmised.

She would have remained convinced had it not been for the voice that spoke from behind.

“Nonsense about it being a dream.”

“H-Eek?!”

Erica jolted awake, her heart pounding, the voice having materialized from the void.

Her first realization was the state of her body.

Huh? My body?!

Her leaden limbs felt weightless and refreshed, as if ready to take flight.

She turned her head and stared at the figure before her, her pupils dilating in shock.

The being stood exactly as she had imagined in her dreams.

”…Lord Louis?”

“What?”

“Are you… really the Lord of the Tower?”

“Yes.”

“This… this isn’t a dream, is it?”

“I resurrected you after stuffing you with expensive medicines, and you’re still spouting nonsense?”

“Really… this isn’t a dream? Is it?”

“Still not sober, huh?”

Louis released a flicker of the hidden power he had been suppressing.

In that moment, Erica saw it:

Behind the kind, handsome face lay the savage, predatory gaze of a dragon.

“Aaaah!”

Trembling with fear, Erica collapsed onto the floor.

In that moment of overwhelming terror, she paradoxically felt a sense of relief.

It’s him… it really is him!

Who else in this world but Louis could exude such an aura?

As Erica definitively recognized Louis’s presence, tears welled up in her eyes, and she unleashed a torrent of pent-up anguish.

“Hic… Huaaaah! Huaaaah! Why! Why did you only come now! Why!”

“Huh?”

“What took you so long! Huaaaah!”

“I-Is she out of her mind?”

Louis stared in bewildered panic at Erica, who was clutching his pants and sobbing uncontrollably.

Erica continued to cry for a long while.

Sniffle. Sniffle.

Noticing her still-sniffling nose, Louis asked gruffly, “All cried out?”

”…Yes. Sniff.”

“Then talk already.”

“Huh?”

“Why do you look like that?”

“Ah!”

Only then did Erica fully regain her senses, her face paling. She frantically asked, “H-how long was I unconscious?”

“About an hour.”

Erica visibly relaxed at the answer. If she had been asleep for days, it would have been a disaster.

Watching her relief, Louis became certain that something significant had indeed occurred. “Tell me everything. What happened?”

“Well…”

Prompted by Louis’s renewed urgency, Erica began to recount her experiences in detail. She described the day Floria and Douglas were kidnapped by mysterious attackers, and every hardship she had endured during the days following her escape.

Louis’s expression hardened as he listened to her rapid, concise summary.

So… that’s what those bastards meant by their “plan” all along!

So his plan was to kidnap the Grand Masters.

This was something Louis hadn’t foreseen.

Louis, his face grim, asked, “They’ve been missing for about four days, right? And we don’t even know if the others are alive or dead?”

“Yes…” Erica nodded solemnly, her voice heavy with sorrow.

Louis sensed her worry for Douglas and Floria. He extended his hand to her.

“Let’s go.”

”…Huh?”

“Let’s go. We’re going to save them.”

“Ah…”

Despite the gravity of the situation, his tone was somewhat curt and lighthearted. Yet hearing these words, Erica felt all her anxiety and worry melt away like snow.

That’s right, if it’s him… he can do it!

For the first time in four days, Erica smiled brightly.

“Yes!”

The moment Erica grasped Louis’s hand with a grateful smile,

Splat!

The two figures vanished without a trace from the underground labyrinth.