* * *

“Hey, ugly.”

“……Don’t start something.”

“You’re much more obedient now compared to before? It suits you much better. Stay quiet like this until you die.”

“Stop provoking me!”

“Ahaha! Don’t get mad, I almost got attacked there.”

Following Cadel’s signal, Kash and Lydon were stopped. Lydon was sitting on top of Kash’s head, scratching at his temper to alleviate his boredom. He was excluded from the fun maze exploration, and now he had to stick next to this stinky demon, not Cadel. If he didn’t provoke someone, he wouldn’t feel right.

Lydon, feeling a bit better after seeing Kash’s reaction, glanced down below. The figures of humans moving through the maze were barely visible, obscured by thick fog. Only faint shadows could be made out with great effort.

Lydon, who was gauging Cadel’s position through the blurry figures, furrowed his brow.

“Why are you shaking so much? It’s making me dizzy.”

“……I suddenly got worried.”

“Heh, are you actually worried about our dear darling? Don’t worry about him. I’ll kill you for him.”

“……”

Though there was a hint of laughter, it didn’t sound like a joke. Lydon, who immediately shut his mouth, kicked Kash’s head with a heavy foot and irritably asked.

“What are you worried about?”

“……I haven’t really been to the castle, and even if I have, I just fly over the maze. So I’ve never really thought much about it. I’ve glanced at it a few times, but as you can see, the fog makes it hard to see the inside.”

“Just give me the conclusion.”

With his nails nervously grinding together, Kash spoke in a trembling voice.

“I once heard from a demon who escaped the maze that ‘I almost got eaten.’”

“What? Eaten?”

“I can’t remember exactly, but I think that’s what they said……”

Not getting a clear answer, Lydon instantly transformed into his humanoid form and grabbed Kash by the collar. His red eyes gleamed ominously up close.

“Tell me properly. There are worse things than dying in this world.”

“No, no, I mean……! Ye, yeah! I definitely heard something like that. They almost got eaten! But not all demons who escaped the maze said the same thing, only one person said something like that……”

Roughly releasing Kash’s collar, Lydon descended along the rope without hesitation. Kash, flustered, looked around, unsure whether to follow Lydon or stay put.

Then, Lydon appeared in front of Kash again. As Lydon suddenly sprang up, Kash barely managed to suppress a scream.

“What are you doing? You follow too.”

Lydon grabbed Kash’s collar again and dragged him as they went in search of Cadel.

“Does the maze eat intruders?”

There was no time to ask why the two had descended. The moment Lydon saw Cadel’s face, he sighed in relief, and the information he shared was quite an unrealistic story.

“How does the maze eat intruders? This is just a wall. Or are you saying this maze itself is a demon?”

“I don’t know either. This fool said that.”

“……Explain, Kash.”

At Lydon’s gesture, Kash flinched and stepped forward. He seemed to carefully choose his words under Cadel’s piercing gaze, then eventually spoke, as if resigning himself.

“That fairy threatened me into saying that. I vaguely remember a demon who crossed the maze saying, ‘I almost got eaten.’…… I don’t know. I think I heard something like that, or maybe not.”

A maze that eats intruders? Whether it was true or not, Cadel was only worried about the whereabouts of Yozen, who hadn’t returned. It had been quite a while, and they hadn’t even dealt with a single enemy. If Yozen’s absence had something to do with this maze.

“Think carefully, Kash. Your hazy memory might be important information for us right now.”

Cadel’s forced smile trembled like a spasm. He was trying his best to keep from shaking the hell out of Kash in front of him, making sure this damn High Demon wouldn’t get scared.

Kash, who had been glancing at Cadel’s face for a while, cautiously spoke.

“Actually, I’m not that interested in demons. Even when I was flying over the maze, I was just excited thinking I’d get to see the castle.”

“Uncertain information only stirs up confusion, doesn’t it? As long as I’m on the side of humans, I shouldn’t do anything that would make me lose your trust. So, I can’t say for sure, but……”

If Kash said one more unnecessary word, Cadel would drop a fireball right onto that messy head. Barely restraining his urge to kill, Cadel nodded slowly. Encouraged by his response, Kash took a short breath and continued speaking.

“There were often groups of demons gathered at the maze’s exit. It was almost like they’d time it to move all at once. But the demon who said, ‘I almost got eaten’…… was alone. Yeah. So I think that’s why it stuck in my memory, even if vaguely.”

“……”

“Was that…… helpful?”

Kash, eyeing Cadel as if hoping for praise, looked for some reaction, but the only thing Cadel could manage was a forced smile.

“What’s going on, Sir Cadel? If we keep stalling like this……”

Noticing something strange about the prolonged halt, Ector emerged with a frown. He spotted Kash, who hesitated and hid behind Cadel. After a brief moment, Cadel spoke, a beat too late.

“Please take over for a moment, Sir Ector.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My subordinates will explain. It won’t take long.”

Cadel hurriedly spoke, then quickly untied the rope and began to walk off. As he set off in search of Yozen, a glance passed between the members who had noticed his intention. Soon, Garuel followed behind him.

“Knight Commander! Even if it’s nearby, it’s dangerous to go alone!”

Cadel pushed ahead almost as if he were running, following Yozen’s trail. Garuel, who had quickly closed the distance, grabbed his shoulder, his face tight with concern.

“Is it the maze that eats intruders who aren’t moving in groups? Yozen also found one of the enemies who was alone. He wasn’t moving, just stayed right there. Maybe he was being eaten. Yozen, who went to find him…… he was alone too. It might be a dangerous situation.”

“If you thought that, you should have brought someone with you. Do you want to get eaten too, Knight Commander?”

“……What should we do, Garuel? What if Yozen…… what if Yozen……?”

If Yozen was eaten by the maze, how could they get him back? How exactly did the maze consume intruders in the first place? While he kept walking swiftly, his mind was tangled in confusion. Garuel tightened his grip on Cadel’s wrist and spoke firmly.

“It’s Sir Yozen, Knight Commander. Even if something happens to him, he’ll somehow fight through and come out. You know how strong he is.”

Though it sounded like simple comfort, it was the truth. Yozen was the kind of human who could survive even if he fell alone into the Demon Realm. No matter how many traps were set in this place, Yozen would never fall for them.

Cadel’s grip on his wrist tightened for a moment, then slackened, powerless.

“……I know. He’s strong enough that there’s no need for anyone to worry.”

Still, the worry remained because Yozen was, after all, human. Even if everyone else trusted him and didn’t worry, Cadel knew he had to. He was the only one who understood Yozen’s loneliness, his solitude, the reasons he had to grow strong. He knew there were moments when Yozen was weak, times when he let his guard down.

“If you know all that, then stop rushing ahead like this, and stay by my side……”

Garuel, who had been speaking, suddenly paused. His gaze turned to somewhere ahead of them. Cadel, too, was looking at the same thing. As he held his breath and stared at it, Cadel roughly pulled his wrist from Garuel’s grasp and rushed forward.

“No……”

In front of the maze’s wall, someone had fallen to their knees and was clutching something on the ground. It was a white bandage. The bandage that had been covering Yozen’s eyes. The clean cloth, without a drop of blood, was carelessly sprawled out on the ground.

“Why…… is Sir Yozen’s bandage here……?”

Garuel, cautiously observing the surroundings, noticed that there were many paths that twisted around them, but there was no sign of Yozen anywhere.

Could it be true that Yozen had been eaten by the maze? The thought flickered in Garuel’s mind, but he quickly tried to shake it off. At that moment, Cadel’s trembling voice echoed in his ear.

“When you all disappeared on Fe’alr Island, I knew from Yozen’s bandage that you had been trapped in the bubble. Just before being sucked into the bubble, he loosened the bandage to send a signal.”

“……Knight Commander.”

“Yozen’s been eaten.”

Cadel’s grip on the bandage tightened, and his rounded nails dug into his soft palm.

‘I shouldn’t have sent him alone. I should’ve had someone with him. Even if Yozen refused, because he’s used to being alone. I should have been more careful.’

It was his fault that Yozen was exposed to danger. What was Yozen going through? If he had been eaten by the maze, how could they rescue him? He had no clue, and it felt hopeless.

As Cadel stood there in despair, Garuel reached out to him.

“Get up. Let’s go back and figure out a way together.”

“……No.”

Cadel only looked at Garuel’s hand, not taking it. At his refusal, Garuel frowned reflexively, to which Cadel spoke.

“If everyone stops while I search for Yozen, it will cause problems. The allied forces at the back will be closing in soon, so we need to get out of the maze quickly. In this situation, no one will help just to find one knight.”

“Then, what exactly……?”

“While I take Kash and search for Yozen, you and the others should escape the maze with Lydon.”

“Are you saying you’ll stay in the maze with that High Demon alone? What are you talking about, Knight Commander? You should take one of the members with you. If you don’t want me to go, take someone else……”

“I’ll be back in 30 minutes. ……I’ll be back.”

Cadel’s gaze drifted into the air. What awaited him was the countdown steadily ticking down. If he delayed too long in finding Yozen, both Yozen and Hyron would be in danger. That was why he needed to use Kash’s help, a High Demon, to navigate through the situation as quickly as possible.

With his decision made, Cadel pushed himself up from the wall of the maze. But.

“Don’t worry too much. And if I’m not back within 30 minutes, you’ll have to go with the others and……”

As Cadel spoke, his body swayed, and Garuel’s expression turned to shock as he watched.

TL/N: Hi guys, it’s Eliza. So it’s almost the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake. It feels like just yesterday when the New Year arrived and now the Lunar New Year is getting closer and closer. To the readers who are busy making the last preparations to welcome the Year of the Snake, and to the readers who are living their daily lives with joy and happiness, I sincerely wish you another prosperous year. May the Year of the Snake bring you wisdom, strength, and success in all your endeavors. Happy Lunar New Year! Love from Vietnam <3