Chapter 11: Escape
Nelly gritted her teeth, took a sip of tea as casually as she could, and placed the cup back on the table. She cleared her throat. “Does… Kal live here alone?”
Karsus didn’t answer directly. Instead, a somewhat inappropriate smile appeared on his face. “This fortress is called Sloth.”
“Sloth… and you’re the only one living here?” Nelly steered the question back.
Karsus lowered his eyes, his expression somewhat inscrutable. “Yes.” He then looked at her shyly from under his lashes. “But now I have Nelly to keep me company.”
Nelly turned her head away unnaturally, feeling her heart beat a little faster. It’s definitely the red tea. What made her even more uneasy was that from the moment she put down the teacup, she seemed to have an uncontrollable urge to take another sip. If the magic potion also contained an addictive component… looking back, she had indeed unknowingly drained her cup of tea a few times in the past few days.
The moment the thought struck, Nelly grew even more anxious. She pinched herself hard under the tablecloth, forcing herself not to show any sign of it—if Karsus realized she had discovered the problem with the red tea, things would only get worse.
“Nelly,” Karsus said suddenly, making the already unsettled Nelly even more nervous. “I have to leave Sloth for a while tomorrow.”
Nelly was stunned. “Leave?”
Her dazed reaction seemed to please Karsus. His red eyes shimmered with the most doting, gentle light, and a smile played on his lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”
“Is that so…” Nelly lowered her head stiffly, her voice low, which gave it a soft, wronged tone. “Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing, just something I need to take care of.” Karsus’s tone was flat, clearly not intending to elaborate. He stood up again to refill Nelly’s teacup. After putting the teapot down, he didn’t sit back down. Instead, he gently placed his hand on top of her head and stroked it carefully. He said, “When I get back, I’ll bring Nelly here again.”
Nelly mumbled an agreement, raised her teacup, and covered her mouth.
Tomorrow is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape. How could I possibly let it go?
※
The next morning, the kind woman who brought breakfast did indeed add a reminder. “His Majesty has matters to attend to today. If you need anything, you can summon me at any time.” As she spoke, she took a small bell from her apron pocket and handed it to Nelly with a humble air. “Ring it three times, and I will appear.”
Nelly nodded. “I’d like to go to the library later.”
The woman smiled kindly. “Then I will come and show you the way in a little while.”
Closing the door, Nelly took a deep breath, placed the food from the tray into her storage space, and then once again poured the red tea into the Nameless Sponge. After a moment’s thought, she took a thick cloak from the wardrobe and threw it into her storage—who knew where she would be spending the night?
After pacing around aimlessly for a couple of laps, Nelly noticed a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead and couldn’t help but shake her head with a wry smile. She was so nervous she didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet…
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered that this might be a trap set by Karsus, but even if it was the slimmest of hopes, she couldn’t bear to just watch it slip away. As long as she could leave the domain of the Demon’s Lair and reconnect with the system, she could use the system to find a better way to escape. She stared at the last return scroll in her storage, bit her lip, and decided to return to the city as soon as she connected to the system. Escape first, talk later!
Having made her decision and reviewed the escape plan in her mind several times, Nelly actually calmed down. She stood by the window for a while, looking at the magnificent scenery, then pulled herself together, opened the door, and rang the bell three times.
“Please follow me.” The woman appeared out of thin air, true to her word. She gave Nelly a slight bow and walked ahead.
The last time she had gone to the library, she had teleported with Karsus. This time, Nelly couldn’t help but carefully observe the path, while also pretending to be in the mood for a casual chat. “I haven’t had the chance to ask your name yet.”
The other woman smiled. “An insignificant familiar like me doesn’t have a name.”
Nelly felt a little awkward.
“It’s alright.” The familiar, who looked like a woman, had a magnanimous expression, clearly not minding at all. “Some familiars have names, but I’m not worthy yet.”
Familiars with names… Nelly felt a strange sense of unease. She gave a dry laugh. “Do familiars get promotions too?”
“Of course.” The woman chuckled softly, but at that moment, she stopped walking and didn’t elaborate further. Instead, she pulled open a heavy oak door for Nelly. “Here we are. I hope you enjoy your reading. If you need anything, you can call for Buch directly.”
Nelly smiled and thanked her. She wandered among the bookshelves in the library, randomly pulled out an atlas, looked at it for a bit, and then put it back with a sense of restlessness. She stood in the brilliant light and shadow of the rose window, looking up at the mythological figures pieced together from the colorful glass, her mood surprisingly heavy.
When she first came to Wildia, she thought she would leave soon, so she had no intention of getting to know this world that existed only in a virtual space. But now, she had unknowingly come to acknowledge the existence of this continent—whether it was the innkeeper of the Oak Tree Inn or the ocean surrounding the continent, they all existed in a very real way. Even if she stubbornly insisted that her reality was not here, she could no longer simply treat everything in this world as a result of data compilation.
The people here also felt pain and joy.
What would Karsus’s reaction be when he found out she had tried to escape?
Nelly rubbed her brow, let out a long sigh, took one last look at the breathtakingly beautiful library, and pushed open the door to leave without any lingering attachment.
Walking alone in the empty corridor, it seemed as if there was no one around, but Nelly didn’t feel at ease at all.
Since the familiar from before had the ability to appear and disappear suddenly, this fortress must be full of familiars she couldn’t see. It was absolutely impossible for her to create some kind of incident to divert all the familiars’ attention. To escape under these circumstances, there was only one option: to go straight out the main gate. But the main gate of the Demon’s Lair was tightly shut, and as she recalled, there was no bolt or iron lock, so it clearly had to be opened and closed with magic.
No wonder Karsus was so fearless.
But what if someone opened the gate from the outside again…
All Nelly could do was wait for a lucky break.
It was a stupid method, but precisely because it was so absurdly stupid, it was more likely to be unexpected. Besides, Karsus’s familiars probably wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on her.
For some reason, Nelly was confident about this.
Following her memory back to the circular hall, Nelly paced around the edge of the high throne for a while, pretending to rest, and then sat down against the stone wall by the door.
But Nelly didn’t lose hope. She simply closed her eyes to rest.
The sparks from the torches crackled, rhythmically breaking the silence time and time again.
Nothing happened.
Nelly couldn’t tell how much time had passed. She got up to stretch a bit, and as she turned around, she suddenly heard a series of soft clicks.
She quickly moved to the side and watched in pleasant surprise as the dark gate slowly opened, revealing a sliver of daylight from outside.
“Die, Demon King!—”
A spirited shout, the voice of a young boy who had not yet fully matured.
Then, a person with spiky red hair and a white hero’s uniform strode into the hall. He paused, clearly stunned by the hall’s luxurious furnishings and the throne in the center, which was encrusted with obsidian.
The throne, of course, was empty.
Nelly glanced at the young hero, who was frozen by the sight of the empty throne, and it was as if she were seeing her own cowardly, shocked self from a few days ago.
But now was not the time for that. While the gate was still open, go!
She tiptoed to the side of the door, decisively darted out, and ran across the drawbridge and down the steps.
“Aah—where do you think you’re going!” The angry roar of the spiky-red-haired hero came from behind her.
Nelly continued to run without looking back. To stop and explain her identity at a time like this would be insane!
But this hero’s agility stat was clearly very high, and it wasn’t long before he was closing in. Nelly felt a sudden chill behind her, and she subconsciously sidestepped to the right, leaping down four or five steps.
The stone step where she had just been was instantly shattered by a blue spear.
Nelly didn’t stop running. At the same time, she swiped her hand to open the system interface, praying inwardly: Signal, come on, signal!
The hundred stone steps soon came to an end. Nelly gasped for breath, summoned all her strength, and broke into a sprint, while also being careful to dodge the spear thrusting from behind. If it weren’t for the fact that Hero No. 98 had been a spearman, Nelly wouldn’t have been able to judge the activated skill by sound alone and dodge at the first moment.
As she rushed into the Demon’s Forest, the ground covered in fallen leaves was uneven, and various vines and branches were a great hindrance. Nelly’s speed inevitably slowed, and she was almost hit by the spear several times.
The system interface was still a solid red.
Damn signal!
In that moment of distraction, Nelly’s left foot suddenly stepped on empty air.
Before she could even cry out, she plummeted downward.