novelraw Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter : 183
I brought some stew, try some.”
Iris offered the stew in a round dish.
I was about to refuse, but my stomach let out a loud rumble, like thunder and lightning.
“Ugh.”
“Ahaha, I guess you would be hungry.”
The last thing I ate was the piece of bread Iris forcefully shoved into my mouth and the water Mordegar poured into my mouth.
“You seemed so intent on torturing me fiercely.”
This side of her was suspicious. A rational doubt arose whether the stew was laced with a brainwashing potion or poison.
“I don’t think I can change your mind by torturing you.”
Iris smiled gently.
She wasn't wrong. On the contrary, if she tried to crush me, for some reason, a rebellious spirit would make me not want to break, even if it meant death.
Had she already figured me out, or had she met many people of my kind before?
Either way, I didn't particularly like the feeling of moving within Iris's grasp.
“So, what's your escape plan for the future?”
“……”
Right, I hate this part.
When did she ever threaten me with my precious people to not escape, and now she's watching me with a face that says, "When are you going to escape and entertain me?" It's disgusting.
Iris's whim, to put it crudely, is a real pain in the ass.
“Weren't you trying to prevent me from escaping?”
“Hmm, no?”
Iris smiled brightly with an unprecedentedly relaxed face.
From that smile, I felt a slight sense of unease and at the same time, a feeling of nausea.
The sensation of something ominous. A gut feeling whispered to me, the same sensation I had when I faced Baal, or when I faced the senior who was eaten by Ouroboros.
“The senior came to this dungeon.”
Hearing my muttering, Iris laughed silently.
That alone was a sufficient answer.
Lerwon-sunbae really came here. To this dungeon, which was no different from the inside of a snake's stomach.
“Are you crazy?”
Seriously, I barely swallowed the curses that were about to come out of my mouth.
Did she hear my words to stay put as nothing more than a stray dog's barking?
I knew she wasn't the type to just wait, but there was a limit to recklessness.
“Oh my, you look as if you've encountered a terrible monster.”
“Am I wrong?”
At my question, Iris burst out laughing, "Hahaha!"
A chilling feeling emanated from her delicate, girlish laughter.
Even though I knew she was that kind of being, goosebumps rose all over my body.
“Well, from your perspective, I guess so? So, what's your plan?”
“Do you think I'll obediently lay out my explanation?”
“Yes. Only then will I feel the need to turn a blind eye to your escape.”
A relaxed attitude.
I feel like an ant in the palm of Iris's hand.
Wouldn't this be the feeling of becoming such a trivial being that it wouldn't be strange to die at any moment with a press of a finger?
My breathing becomes a little ragged.
Even so, I try my best to regain my composure.
The presence of Lou, who seemed to be sleeping soundly in my arms, helped me feel a sense of stability.
Hoo, after a few deep breaths, I looked straight at Iris.
“Aren't you curious about the extent of the ability where what I write becomes reality?”
“Hmm.”
She wiggled her finger.
An undeniable curiosity sparkled in her eyes.
“You plan to escape using that ability… But that's information I can find out just by torturing you.”
That's a valid point too.
Even if my body was extremely weakened right now, Iris was someone who could psychologically corner me and extract the information I had.
In fact, the reason the game company changed the final boss of part 1 from Iris to Lerwon might have been because they judged that the Lucian of part 1 couldn't handle Iris.
Otherwise, there's no way I'd be struggling so much against just one person.
As expected of the extreme difficulty, the balance was something else.
“I'm not sure about that myself, so I'm thinking of testing its limits this time.”
“That… is certainly interesting.”
I know she's already listening with great interest, but she's so shameless.
“Continue your explanation.”
“I even won against Mordegar with this power. Wouldn't it be beneficial for your future to test it properly once?”
Even though I myself don't know my own cards, I willingly provoke the opponent and hide my cards.
To feel a thrill instead of anxiety in that process, I must have become a gambler after falling into this world.
“Perhaps, I could be your only natural enemy, Iris, who has swallowed the power of Ouroboros?”
At my provocation, Iris finally fell silent with a cold face.
* * *
It was a cheap provocation that didn't need a response.
That's what her head thought, but she could feel the curse-like power nestled within her slightly subsiding at the provocation.
Ever since she realized it was trying to swallow her, the soul of Ouroboros, which had never been quiet and had always been rampaging, was the first to react to that cheap provocation.
How rude. It was annoying, but at the same time, interesting.
What on earth is the foundation of your power? It was very interesting how the power reacted as if he were a holy son who had received God's power.
“Ha, hahaha!!!”
That's why Iris burst out laughing.
After establishing her own golden empire, Iris's course of action had not changed in the slightest.
More profit, and something even a little more interesting.
What was important to the bored Iris was more interest.
And all of Theo Lisitoel's actions, words, and attitude were like a perfect toy made for Iris.
A precious thing that came along when she could no longer relieve her boredom by tormenting Lerwon.
“Yes, that's certainly an interesting story.”
But, it's strange. Even when facing that precious toy, I can't easily feel the same strange emotion as when I deal with Lerwon.
A strange emotion even to myself. What should I call it?
Iris fell into deep thought in front of Theo, and then came out of her reverie due to the curse that had started to rampage again.
“Alright, I'll give you an hour. Try to escape within that time.”
At the seemingly merciful attitude, Theo gritted his teeth in annoyance and then smiled brightly.
“If you go back on your word, I'll show you what a real mess is.”
“Haha! So, when will the hour begin?”
“Do I have to decide that too?”
“No, there's no need. I'll catch you well on my own.”
Leaving behind a deep smile, Iris leisurely left the room.
Theo, left alone in the room, held his breath for a moment and then immediately left the room.
Escaping and backstabbing others were always more beneficial the faster you did them.
“Alright, then—”
Let's go mess up Lerwon-sunbae right now.
Theo's eyes, burning with anger, shone as he went outside the room.
* * *
I never thought snakes would swarm us as soon as we entered.
And they weren't just ordinary snakes, but poisonous ones with extreme venom that would make you wander the line between life and death the moment you were bitten.
“…This is crazy.”
Lilia, who had burned another snake that was rushing at her with flames, clicked her tongue lightly.
Cecilia, who had thrown her rapier, which had become unusable due to the snake's venom, like an arrow, took out a new rapier and entered the battle once more.
“Are you okay on extra rapiers?”
“I brought plenty.”
Remembering the lesson from last time when she almost ran out of rapiers, she had packed plenty in advance, so there shouldn't be a problem.
The only thing that worried her was—
'The snakes are persistently targeting only 'Lerwon'.'
They targeted only him as if he were their goal.
Thanks to that, Laurel, who was not free to deal with the poison, also felt a sense of unease, and it overlapped with the afterimage of the past.
“Isn't this similar to the time with the basilisk?”
At Laurel's question, Lilia burst out laughing, "Ha!"
No wonder, when Evan, of all people, stepped forward for that investigation, I should have suspected Iris's intervention.
As anger welled up in Lilia's eyes as she gritted her teeth, Laurel hurriedly stopped her.
“Not now, you know that, right?”
“…I know.”
She couldn't use the magical girl's secret technique already.
However, her anger toward Iris, who had dared to pull tricks in the Laurel territory and threaten their lives, kept surging up.
Barely managing to control the anger that was about to overflow, Lilia stood still.
“Cover me, please.”
“Got it.”
Lilia, who had been endlessly throwing flames and burning the snakes, stood tall and took a light, deep breath.
She had no intention of being hindered in her advance like this.
The mana flowing from Lilia's body shimmered like flames.
The reason Beatrice, who had become a professor at the Academy and had no need to take on separate students, took Lilia as her personal student.
That was, of course, thanks to Lilia's talent.
Lilia could create flames just by letting out a little of her mana.
A talent that surpassed even Beatrice in handling flame magic.
The living flames become a conflagration that will burn the entire world, and willingly bow their heads before Lilia, waiting for her command.
Lilia, who released the reins of the mana pooled within her body, extends her left hand as if holding a bow. With her right hand, she draws the string.
As Lilia lightly released her right hand, the flame, which had become a single arrow according to the magician's will, flew quickly toward the snake.
Just a single arrow.
But, as if that was enough, Lilia muttered coldly.
“How dare you block my path.”
A single snake burst into flames, let out a bizarre scream, and then disappeared completely.
With that, the fire seemed to have completely died out.
Yes, it just seemed that way.
The remaining embers of the fire once again burned another snake, and in the spreading flames, the snake that was targeting Lerwon was completely annihilated, not even leaving behind ashes.
“Annoying.”
Tsk, Lilia, who clicked her tongue, shook her hand, which seemed to have been slightly burned.
“Lilia, your mana?”
As far as Cecilia knew, it was a technique that consumed a lot of mana.
Generally, the deeper you went into a dungeon, the stronger the monsters became.
Using too much mana in a place like this, which was no different from an entrance, was something to be avoided in a standard dungeon raid.
“I can just drink a mana recovery potion.”
Mana recovery potions weren't very expensive, but they weren't cheap either, so they were generally drunk sparingly.
But this time, since she had an excellent supplier, there was no need to save it.
Lilia gulped down the crimson drink she had brought without hesitation.
Lilia, who had packed the empty bottle, turned to Lerwon, who seemed lost in thought, and asked.
“What are you thinking? Do you have a plan?”
“…Let's split up, shall we?”
Lerwon dropped a bombshell.