Chapter 232

(2)

2.

After defeating the follower Verdik.

Ulan’s group, joined by Laurea, decided to take a short break in a corner of the maze.

Ian had collapsed due to losing consciousness, but also because Ulan’s Magic Armor had been overloaded from the repeated battles.

However, not everyone wanted to rest.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

Sven, with his hood pulled low, grabbed his bow and arrows, carrying a torch lit by divine fire as he moved onward.

He was searching the surroundings to find the place where Noa and the others were located.

After Sven disappeared from view, the space fell into heavy silence.

Left were Ulan, Laurea, and the unconscious Ian. Then, breaking the silence, Ulan spoke first.

“You’ve done well to hold out.”

“Nah, it was Ian who did the hard work.”

Laurea shook her head.

She gently stroked Ian’s head, recalling the desperate struggle he had put up.

“But to think we would cross the Master’s wall. Sir Shankthus must be pleased.”

“The Paladin Master, right?”

“Yeah. Ian is a disciple of Sir Shankthus.”

That much I already knew.

I had heard it in my past life.

I also remembered Kadel’s regrets from back then.

Regrets as a mentor for not being able to make Ian a Master before the Abyss War broke out. But now, there would be no more regrets.

Ulan smiled slightly.

‘And…’

It wasn’t just Kadel who was happy.

Ulan was secretly pleased too.

The hero party’s strength had increased. As I was smiling in satisfaction over this fact, Laurea spoke up again.

“Hey, you know…”

She made eye contact with Ulan and brushed her hair back with a shy smile.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

“Hmm? We saw each other in Shulfern, didn’t we?”

“That was just a moment. I meant it’s been a while since we’ve been alone together.”

She pouted her full lips.

Just as she said, they hadn’t had the chance for a proper conversation in Shulfern, as they were busy dealing with matters and organizing a hunt.

“S-So have you been well?”

“I’ve been good.”

“That’s a relief. Can I ask what you’ve been up to in the meantime?”

“Of course.”

I was going to talk about it anyway.

Ulan nodded and began to recount the events since Laurea returned to the Holy Nation.

From Delia passing the Trial of the Hero during summer break to meeting with Fertisha, a comrade from my past life—it was all there.

Just then, Laurea suddenly threw a question.

“Fertisha? Oh, you mean that bard hero you mentioned last time?”

“That’s right.”

“You found her without much hassle. I tried to dig up information, but came up with nothing.”

That wasn’t surprising.

Fertisha was a hidden princess. All information about her was controlled by Chartang in the past life.

Looking at it this way, Ulan was quite lucky.

“Unlike before, she’s now enrolled in Arsen Academy. That’s how I got to meet her.”

If that hadn’t happened, Ulan wouldn’t be with Fertisha now. After sharing the details, Laurea nodded silently.

Ulan continued the tale.

It was about what happened after meeting Fertisha—specifically things that took place in the Source of Magic Zone 5.

“…So here’s what happened.”

Ulan recounted his encounter with one of the Lord of the Abyss, the Phantom Knights, and how he managed to repel them.

Laurea’s eyes went wide in shock, looking like a surprised rabbit.

“Y-You defeated a Lord?! You even went into the Abyss alone?!”

“Well, technically, I didn’t do it alone.”

It was possible thanks to forming a contract with Fertisha and fully utilizing the Spirit’s power.

Even with this answer, Laurea couldn’t hide her excitement.

“That’s still amazing! So once you take out the remaining three Lords, all threats will be gone!”

By all accounts, there were six Lords of the Abyss.

With the Frost Dragon, Swamp Ruler, and Phantom Knights already taken out, only three remained.

Her eyes sparkled with hope.

Conversely, Ulan’s response was different.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“There’s a problem.”

His voice turned somewhat tense.

Ulan soon parted his lips to reveal what he had witnessed in the Abyss.

“Right after defeating the Phantom Knights, I saw an unidentified monster beyond the Abyss.”

“An unidentified monster?”

“It had countless hands. It was a monster unlike any I’d ever seen in my past life.”

More dangerous than any Lords he had faced so far. That creature knew Ulan was a regressor.

Additionally, it was aware of the countless repetitions of this world and even Noa’s existence. Laurea’s complexion paled at this unexpected revelation.

“Hmm, when we get back, I should look into it. There might be something that could serve as a clue.”

“Please do.”

The Holy Nation had numerous prophecies or revelations related to the Abyss. I believed there would surely be a lead to find by examining them.

“That’s all that has happened so far.”

With that last sentence, their conversation came to an end. Laurea pondered over what Ulan had said.

After a while, as the silence returned, Laurea muttered as if she had just recalled something.

“Ah, right. By the way…”

With a soft tone, she initiated a new topic.

“Didn’t you say something similar happened before?”

“In the past life?”

“Yeah. You said we got trapped together. You mentioned it was the place where I told you my real name. I’m curious about what happened then.”

Ulan remembered what she was referencing.

He nodded silently.

“You mean the Maze of Phantoms.”

“Phantoms? Is it different from here?”

“Yes. That place aims to break the minds of those trapped through various nightmares and steal their souls.”

“Ew, that sounds horrible.”

Laurea murmured as if disgusted.

Ulan recalled the time they had been isolated in the Maze of Phantoms and explained the situation.

They had been isolated for a total of three days.

And that was amid a fierce battle, so both physical and mental fatigue were severe.

“During that time, you lost consciousness.”

That was inevitable.

After the repeated battles, his Divine Power was nearly depleted. With no way to kindle even the flames of divinity, Laurea’s body gradually went cold.

“So, what did you do?”

The story was getting more interesting.

Laurea asked with curious eyes, and Ulan responded nonchalantly.

“Well, I took off your clothes first.”

“…Huh?”

“At that time, you had fallen into a puddle in the maze, so your clothes were soaked.”

If it kept going like this, she would lose her body heat.

If that happened, her life would be in danger.

With this judgment, Ulan thought of a way to raise Laurea’s body temperature.

“So I laid skin to skin.”

“S-Skin to skin?!”

“I activated the Spirit to generate heat, then wrapped my arms around you to share warmth.”

“Y-You hugged me? While I was completely bare?!”

Laurea stammered back.

Her pale cheeks turned reddish.

Of course, this life’s version of her wouldn’t remember that incident, but for some reason, she felt an embarrassing sensation.

“W-Wait….”

“What?”

“Did you do anything else?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve never laid a hand on a comrade in my past life.”

Ulan shook his head firmly.

Unlike mercenaries or gypsies he met on the battlefield, who were just transient acquaintances, he would never stoop to such actions with a comrade.

“Oh, I see.”

Meanwhile, Laurea seemed relieved by Ulan’s assertiveness. But at the same time, a sense of disappointment lingered.

Just then, something struck Ulan’s mind.

‘Huh? Wait a second.’

He remembered what he had momentarily forgotten while chatting with Ulan—the current situation that she was isolated with him.

Of course, they weren’t completely alone.

But it was still alright. Ian wouldn’t wake up for a while, and Sven was also absent.

‘That means…’

It was a perfect opportunity.

The moment she realized it, Laurea unconsciously swallowed hard.

A little while later, she began to glance at Ulan with a scheming look in her eyes. Then she slowly moved her body closer to him.

“Laurea?”

Ulan looked puzzled.

As she gradually closed the distance, she suddenly wrapped her arms gently around Ulan’s arm.

With the soft sensation and warmth felt from him, Ulan was puzzled when Laurea responded with a calm face.

“Sorry. I’ll just stay like this for a moment.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“I’m feeling a bit cold for some reason.”

“Cold, huh?”

“Yeah, it feels like I have chills.”

Ulan found her words puzzling.

Naturally, because the hand holding onto his arm wasn’t cold at all.

‘In fact…’

It was quite warm.

So what was she saying was cold?

Just as he tilted his head in confusion, suddenly Laurea pressed her cheek against his arm.

“But you’re warm.”

No, you’re the one who’s much warmer.

Ulan wanted to reply that way. But Laurea’s words came out even faster.

“It’s amazing. Just by skin contact, I can feel my body heating up.”

“No, that’s because you…”

“I already feel the heat rising in my body.”

That’s because she was already warm to begin with.

But Laurea continued on, ignoring what Ulan was trying to say. Realizing communication was breaking down, Ulan soon fell silent.

Then, suddenly.

“…But it’s still not enough.”

“Not enough?”

“Since it’s been a while, and we hardly ever get the chance to be alone together.”

After uttering those vague words, Laurea suddenly spread her arms wide.

“So, will you hug me?”

“Suddenly?”

“Yeah, I think it’ll help with the chill.”

Laurea flashed a bashful smile.

As she kept her mouth shut, she opened her arms toward Ulan again. Just as Ulan was about to say something in response—

“Liar.”

“…!?”

A suddenly cold voice interrupted.

Startled by the unexpected sound, Laurea jumped, and at that moment, an unseen presence blocked her and Ulan’s view.

“Cold? What’s cold? You can clearly see you’re full of heat.”

With wide eyes, a silver-haired girl appeared.

Delia Arpen.

Soon, Sven and then Ivella and Fertisha joined her. It seemed he had brought the three along.

“Seriously, I can never let my guard down for a second.”

Following that, Ivella narrowed her eyes at Laurea with a wary look. Understanding the situation, Laurea quickly changed her demeanor.

Just then, a girl with a bright smile approached.

“Oh! You must be Laurea.”

The girl with hair as white as snow.

They hadn’t formally introduced themselves, but Laurea instinctively recognized her. She must be the hero named Fertisha that Ulan had mentioned.

As Fertisha hurried over, she started to ask Laurea continuously.

“I heard that you and Ulan weren’t on good terms in your past life?”

“…Huh?”

“So, it’s highly likely that you won’t get along this life either, so wouldn’t it be better to give up and not suffer?”

Fertisha smiled brightly.

Hit by the sudden question, Laurea froze momentarily but then narrowed her eyes.

She instinctively realized it.

She too was after Ulan.

So, grinning, she replied back.

“No, I heard you two didn’t get along in your past life, so I’m going to be super friendly this time. Closer than the other comrades.”

Laurea’s counterattack. Fertisha’s beautiful eyebrows twitched, but she silently continued to smile.

It wasn’t just her.

Delia and Ivella also glared at the others with a mix of wariness and jealousy. Meanwhile, Ulan was deep in thought.

‘Only two left now.’

The remaining party members were Noa and Kadel.

If he could find just the two of them, they could immediately escape the maze and head to the Eastern Jungle.

Just as he was shaking off those thoughts, someone tapped on his waist.

“Ulan.”

Smaller than Delia.

It was the Abyss Spirit who had joined them with Fertisha. She had quietly approached with a slightly tense face and whispered.

“Noa is in danger.”

“…What?”

Suddenly, what did that mean?

At the unexpected words, Ulan and the other group members all showed concern. The Spirit then continued to speak while fussing.

“The power of the Abyss is gathering in one place. It’s likely where Noa is.”

The Spirit was more sensitive to the power of the Abyss than anyone else here. And the concentration of Abyssal power implied that there were still Undying Minions left in the maze.

“Do you happen to know where she is?”

“Sorry. I don’t know that much.”

The Spirit bowed down her head.

But there was no need to worry. Because there was a competent guide right here.

“I’ll lead the way. I’ve tracked the direction and have a rough idea of where she might be.”

Sven’s reassuring reply, returning back.

Ulan smiled.

After that, clad in his Magic Armor, he slung the still unconscious Ian over his shoulder like a sack and started walking with the group.