Published: September 9, 2025
Correction made on 3/7 for typos.
Added some text on 3/7.
This is Satou. In panic movies, right after you feel relieved, there’s always another panic waiting for you. Even knowing that, it still surprises me.
â—‡
After teleporting to the first section of the upper labyrinth, I put down Ms. Zena and Miss Gelka, who I had been carrying on my shoulders.
But their behavior was strange—they were frozen and unmoving.
Feeling bad for Miss Gelka, I had her wait suspended in the air with the Magic Hand spell and examined Ms. Zena closely.
From the AR display, it looked like they were affected by a status ailment called “Hold (Binding).”
Checking the log, just before teleporting, I had also received a status ailment attack called “Binding Gaze (Hold Gaze)” from the true ancestor.
It had only been a few seconds from when I punched a hole in the wall to teleporting—impressive.
No, maybe I jumped right into the spot where they tried to bind Zena and the others.
The thought of what would have happened if I hadn’t resisted sends chills down my spine.
Since I couldn’t get any resistance skills, probably one of the resistance skills I already had was effective.
For now, I’ll try to see if I can dispel the status ailment with magic disruption.
But first, I should say something.
“Calm down. I have come to help you.”
The tension around Ms. Zena and Miss Gelka eased a little.
They hadn’t spoken earlier not because they were on guard but because the “Binding” effect was preventing them from making sounds.
When it’s the “Hold” spell, it’s just difficult to talk but conversation is possible; however, it seems the vampire’s unique skill has a slightly different effect.
“You have escaped from the vampire’s castle. I will now remove your status ailments. Relax and wait.”
I told them this and used magic disruption.
I felt a slight resistance but it seemed to be lifted without issue.
“Just to confirm, your name is Gelka, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I see. I came to rescue you on request from a girl named Sosona. I also saved that girl—no problem, right?”
For now, I decided to count helping Ms. Zena as part of rescuing Miss Gelka.
I felt a little sorry for Sosona but I’d use this as an excuse instead of a rescue reward.
I responded graciously to their thanks and urged them to escape quickly.
If we took too long, Lirio and the others would worry.
Right, I should give Ms. Zena and the others weapons for self-defense.
There are only demi-goblins until the exit, so weapons aren’t really necessary, but it was a good chance to give Ms. Zena magical weapons or high-performance staffs.
“This is the first section of the upper labyrinth. I’ll escort you to the large hall before the exit. Take this for self-defense.”
“A simple yet beautiful dagger... could it be made of Mithril?”
“It’s not pure Mithril. It’s made of a mithril alloy, so don’t worry.”
Miss Gelka seemed a little stunned after noticing the material of the dagger I handed her, then asked me to confirm her guess.
I gave a suitable answer and then handed Ms. Zena a dagger as well.
This was a mass-produced forged demonic sword sold by the Echigoya Trading Company.
“It’s incredibly sharp... I feel more power than from Captain Delio’s demonic sword.”
“Use this sword belt. With those clothes, you wouldn’t be able to wear it on your waist otherwise.”
Ms. Zena was pulling the dagger about 10 centimeters from its sheath, looking at the blade, so I forced a stylish sword belt reserved for noble sales upon her.
They wore only thin dresses and delicate pumps, so without a sword belt, they couldn’t properly carry their swords.
“Um, if it’s alright, could we borrow staffs too? We’re mages. For self-defense, staffs are better than swords.”
“All right, use this.”
Since I had planned to give them staffs anyway, I took out a long staff from the Item Box upon Miss Gelka’s request.
It was made from an ancient oak tree in the Forest of Boruenan, crafted to maximize magic convergence rate and minimize magic power loss until casting.