“……Ugh… Aah.”

What just happened?

I remember I was rushing forward to take down the Wraith with the 【Floating Orb】…

“Sera! Get back!”

As I struggled to recall what had happened through my hazy mind, I heard Seriana’s voice calling out to me.

Retreat… She’s right, maybe we should’ve regrouped for a moment…!?

“Ugh… Gah…”

I tried to get up and leave the room, but my arm gave out and I collapsed.

It wasn’t just my arm.

It was my whole body.

“Sera!?”

I heard Seriana’s voice—almost a scream—but… I couldn’t move.

The Wraith was probably about to attack, but… is this it for me?

“!?”

Even though it was a dire situation, I found myself oddly calm—thinking such things—when suddenly, a flash of light pierced the dim room, followed by a small explosion.

It was likely Fiora’s magic.

Apparently, both the 【Wind’s Garment】 and 【Amber Shield】 had been used up during the fall from the 【Floating Orb】.

I felt the shockwave from the blast, but for Fiora’s magic, it seemed surprisingly weak.

And then—

“Excuse me, Princess.”

Teresa, who had rushed through the room amidst the confusion, scooped up both me and the 【Floating Orb】 and swiftly retreated from the room.

As she carried me, I glanced back and saw the Wraith chasing us—but as it reached the hallway, Fiora unleashed another spell, and the Wraith vanished.

“Sera, Teresa—are you two okay?”

Seriana ran toward us—but she wasn’t just worried about me. She was concerned about Teresa too.

Was she hit by something?

“Yes… Somehow. But we now understand why the Princess collapsed. Her mana and vitality were drained all at once in that short span of time.”

Even though she only ran a few dozen meters while holding me and the 【Floating Orb】, Teresa’s voice was tinged with fatigue.

According to her, that stone pillar doesn’t just absorb magic—it also drains the mana and life force of those nearby.

So that’s why I couldn’t move back there.

And it’s likely the same reason the 【Floating Orb】 didn’t function.

“Sera, are you alright? Looks like you scraped your face a bit…”

Seriana knelt in front of me and reached out to touch my face.

Was she using healing magic?

The pain started to ease a little.

“Huh? Ah… yeah. It hurts a bit, but thanks to the 【Wind’s Garment】 and all, I’m okay.”

When I answered her, her expression softened with relief.

I made her worry.

I regret that.

Now, thanks to the effect of 【Prayer】, I’ve mostly recovered—just feeling a little tired.

“The ones who took down the Wraith that was about to attack you were Akame and the others. You should be grateful. Even though Fiora’s magic weakened it, you would’ve been hit if they hadn’t stepped in.”

“What!? Thank you.”

I called out the three snakes from my sleeve and expressed my thanks.

While doing so, I checked their condition—none of them seemed to have any abnormalities. They were fine.

“Well then… You two are safe, and we managed to defeat the Wraith in the room, but what now? Teresa, even you would have a hard time swinging a sword in there, wouldn’t you?”

After confirming we were okay, Seriana stood up and glared down the hallway.

I had rushed in earlier to defeat the Wraith, but that was just a preliminary step—our real objective was to destroy that stone pillar.

But if it’s draining both mana and vitality, like she said, brute force might not be the answer.

Especially since Teresa, likely the toughest among us, was affected like that…

“In that case, maybe we should consider retreating… Fiora? What is it?”

As we deliberated, unsure of what to do, Fiora silently walked down the corridor and peered into the room.

There was nothing in that room now, but getting too close still seemed dangerous.

“…………”

Even when Seriana called to her, Fiora didn’t respond.

She seemed deeply focused.

“No helping it, then… Let’s wait a bit. I’ll keep watch. You two, get some rest.”

“Yes, thank you. Princess, please take this.”

“Mm… Oh? It works just fine.”

When I got on the 【Floating Orb】 Teresa handed me, it floated up properly.

It really must have stopped working due to the stone pillar’s effect.

But if we can’t use the 【Floating Orb】 inside, retreat might be the only option after all.

As I sighed and looked toward the room, I noticed Fiora—who had been standing—was now crouched down with her face close to the floor.

I hope she finds a breakthrough…

◇

About ten minutes passed.

Finally, Fiora stepped away from the room and came back to us.

She looked refreshed, as if she had figured something out.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s no problem. So… you were really focused back there. Did you discover anything? We were just thinking it might be best to retreat…”

“I figured out what that thing is. Retreating isn’t a bad idea, but I’d like to do a little more testing. We still have time, after all.”

At Fiora’s words, the three of us exchanged glances.

She’s not the type to speak without reason… Maybe we should go along with her idea?

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera ・Blessing・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】 Blessed Items・【Floating Orb】+1, 【Shadow Sword】+1, 【Scarlet Bee Needle】, 【Fairy’s Eye】, 【Dragon’s Lung】, 【Amber Sword】, 【Danrem’s Thread】, 【Serpent Tail】, 【Ankle Bracelet】, 【Amber Shield】, 【Purple Wings】, 【Red Sword】, 【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】, 【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec ・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】, 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards