Dark red spots began to appear on Arianeâs porcelain skin before being overtaken by black rot. It was a terrifying sight that would make anyone shudder, and it was painfully obvious how much agony she was going through without even needing to ask.
However, Ariane remained silent until the end, even as the curse started to melt her body away. She showed no willingness to talk, as she bit down so hard on her teeth that they shattered, and her lips were all bitten and bloodied.
Kim Jin-Woo wondered if this was the same Ariane who had begged for her life under his threats of violence not too long ago. Unmasking the âQueen of Illusionsâ revealed an entity that was very persistent.
âHah⊠E⊠Even if you throw me⊠into a cauldron of fire⊠and close it⊠up⊠I⊠I can never speak,â Ariane said, her expression contorted from the pain. Although she was physically broken and her voice was barely audible, Kim Jin-Woo could still feel a sense of provocation behind her words.
âIf you still have the strength to talk, youâre better off answering my questions.â Kim Jin-Woo shook his head in the face of Arianeâs excruciating patience. âTell me. Are there any more Wardens left here besides you?â
However, instead of answering, Ariane responded with something totally different. âH⊠How about this? Letâs⊠take turns⊠asking questionsâŠâ
Kim Jin-Woo was left dumbfounded by the absurd suggestion. He said, âSeems like you donât understand the situation youâre in right now. You should know whoâs in charge here by now, shouldnât you?â
If he wanted to, he could end her life right then and there. Nevertheless, the reason why he hadnât done so was that he didnât wish for her death at that moment. Of course, considering how many times she had betrayed him, he wanted to put an end to her life right away. But getting information out of her was more important than appeasing his own anger.
âBut wasting time like this is a foolish act too,â Kim Jin-Woo mused. Thus, instead of rejecting her offer, he slowed down the curseâs effects and said, âAlright, Iâll accept your offer.â
There was nothing that could be done with the parts of Arianeâs body that had already rotted, but just slowing down the spread of the curse and preventing newly grown flesh from rotting immediately seemed to have brought a great deal of comfort to Ariane, and it was clear that the pain had been near-unbearable for her.
Besides, there must have been a reason why Ariane had suddenly offered such a strange deal.
âI warn you, itâd be best that you donât fool around with any lies, or try to talk your way out of this,â Kim Jin-Woo warned her.
Ariane had barely been relieved of her pain and had begun catching her breath, but her expression suddenly contorted.
âIâve only halted the spread of the curse, but I havenât removed it,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
âAck!â Ariane screamed for the first time upon feeling the sudden pain. Had she let her guard down because he had accepted her offer?
âThen let me start off with a question first,â Kim Jin-Woo said. When the pain stopped again, the pale-faced Ariane looked at him and gulped dryly.
***
New walls and ceilings formed inside the Grand Labyrinth, but it was nothing new at this point. Thus, even when a new wall appeared to surround their master and the traitor, the summons didnât appear anxious at all. Rather, they appeared curious, wondering what conversations were going on and what was happening on the other side of the wall.
âWhat exactly are they talking about for them to be taking this long?â Angela yawned in boredom as she lamented, but Rikshasha didnât respond. As always, with an expressionless face, she waited for her masterâs return while observing her surroundings.
âGiving me the cold shoulder, ehâŠâ Angela pouted a couple of times at Rikshasha, who was blatantly ignoring her, but because Rikshasha had never talked to anyone else aside from her master, she didnât think too much of it.
But for some reason, Rikshasha initiated a conversation. âLet me ask you one thing.â
âOh, sure. What could our reticent little Under-Elf lady be curious about?â Angela asked.
âCan I trust you?â Rikshasha asked in response. Angelaâs expression stiffened, but Rikshasha continued, âIâm asking if I can trust your loyalty.â
âIf it were someone else asking that question, I would have ripped their limbs off right now,â Angela growled.
Angelaâs response was overboard compared to Rikshashaâs soft tone, but the Under-Elf did not budge an inch. With a stoic expression, she quietly insisted on an answer.
Angela continued, âBut whatâs the point of your question? Well, I understand that things are rather chaotic right now, but whatâs the point of such a question?â
Despite the situation reaching a point where even the Deep Floor masters couldnât trust their own subordinates, it was ridiculous to try and identify a Warden with just that single sentence. However, the Under-Elf didnât seem to think so, as she insisted, âThere is a point.â
Angela asked again with a surprised expression, âDoes that mean you believe my words?â Rikshasha didnât answer.
âWell, fine, since you said something nice to me, Iâll answer your question.â Angela explained her blood pact with her master in detail to Rikshasha. After listening to the explanation, Rikshasha looked rather convinced.
âBut why are you asking a question like that all of a sudden? I thought only Masterâs words held any meaning to youâŠâ Angela began, but she suddenly stopped speaking and narrowed her eyes. Her casual demeanor was completely gone, and her eyes flashed sharply as if she were facing prey in front of her, scouring every inch of Rikshashaâs body. She asked, âYou know something, donât you?â
âItâs not related to the Wardens, but thereâs something off,â Rikshasha said, subtly lowering her voice.
Angela asked, looking at the Under-Elf seriously, âDoes Master know?â Rikshasha simply shook her head. Angela continued, âYou seem to have a rough idea. And you definitely werenât making some small talk⊠Okay. Tell me if you want anything from me.â
âWhen I ask for help, lend me your strength just once,â Rikshasha said.
It was a very ambiguous statement, but Angela happily nodded. However, she asked, âBut why me? Donât you hate me?â
âThereâs nothing good or bad about it. Itâs just that Dominiqueâs not around, so only you can help me,â Rikshasha said.
âArgh, this is so frustrating. Both you and Dominique are so sparing with your words when youâre talking to someone else aside from Master. Iâm gonna flip out at this rate.â Angela seemed to be frustrated by Rikshashaâs curt replies.
Rikshasha glanced at Angela before casually dropping a statement. âBecause youâre the only one who can roam in and out of the Underworld, aside from Master.â
Upon hearing that absurd statement, Angela pressed further, trying to understand the meaning behind those words.
However, Rikshasha was quicker in her response, saying, âMasterâs returned.â Her eyes rested on a cracked wall, and Kim Jin-Woo, whom the two had been waiting for a long time, emerged.
âTell me more about it later,â Angela said. If she could, she wanted to hear Rikshasha out more, but her masterâs expression was too unusual to ignore. Reluctantly, she had no choice but to put the matter aside for another time.
***
When Kim Jin-Woo reappeared, he was alone. Ariane, whose flesh had been rotting and exuding a terrible stench mere moments before, was nowhere to be seen.
Angela and Rikshasha noticed the discrepancy, but they didnât bother to inquire about it. After all, it was obvious what had happened to her, even without asking.
Rather, it was a point of relief for everyone that the Queen of Illusions, who could invade others through their dreams, was finally gone. There was no way Kim Jin-Woo would have left someone like that alive. And as expected, he didnât talk about Ariane at all.
âMaster, have you found all the traitors?â
The two ladies seemed rather curious about the outcome. Considering the situation, where it was impossible to identify who their enemies were, consequently heavily restricting their movements, it was only natural that they were curious about any progress.
âUnfortunately, I wasnât able to find out about the existence of other Wardens,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
âAh.â Angela frowned with blatant disappointment.
âBut that doesnât mean I got nothing out of it.â Kim Jin-Wooâs expression changed belatedly. A cold energy filled his expression, which had previously been hard as stone until that moment. He continued, âIt wasnât that the Usurper wasnât making his move.â
âSorry? What do you meanâŠâ Upon hearing those incomprehensible words, Angela couldnât help but ask further.
âIt was that the Usurper couldnât make his move,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
***
The information Kim Jin-Woo had obtained through Ariane was limited. She was unaware of the existence of the other Wardens, and she too didnât have the ability to tell them apart. The only way the Wardens could confirm the existence of one another was when they moved in unison for a common mission.
âHow did you guys receive your missions?â Kim Jin-Woo asked.
âItâs my turn to ask a question,â Ariane said.
Kim Jin-Woo, who had briefly forgotten the deal he made with Ariane, frowned belatedly. But a deal was a deal; thus, he waited for her question with a disapproving look.
âWhat is the True Name youâve inherited?â Ariane asked.
âGreed.â Kim Jin-Woo answered without hesitation. After all, at the end of the day, Ariane would cease to exist, and he saw no reason to hide it.
âIndeed⊠Itâs quite a fitting name.â Perhaps because she had witnessed the Grand Labyrinth eat up countless beings, as well as the brutality of its ruler, Ariane seemed quickly convinced.
âItâs my turn. What was your mission?â Kim Jin-Woo asked.
âMy mission was to test your strength,â Ariane replied.
This was another unexpected answer. Kim Jin-Woo had wondered if her mission was to destroy the Grand Labyrinth because she had led Luyang and the Satyrs to it, but it seemed that wasnât the case. Ariane stated that her mission was simply to test the Grand Labyrinth and his powers.
âI donât understand your intentions,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
âIâm simply carrying out my mission. I donât know the greater purpose behind it,â Ariane replied.
âFine. Itâs your turn now.â
âWhatâs your goal?â
âPersonal revenge. Was Denarion the Wardensâ target?â
âNot at first, but ultimately, yes.â
Ariane had become strangely obedient after Kim Jin-Woo halted the spread of the curse. He wasnât sure if she had other tricks up her sleeves or if she was simply afraid of the pain that could resume once the conversation was over, but he made the most of the opportunity.
After that, the two continued to exchange questions and answers. Kim Jin-Woo asked Ariane a question about the Wardens, and she asked about the Power of Greed he had acquired.
However, the information he could obtain from these questions and answers was extremely limited. Ariane turned out to be an insignificant pawn on a chessboard, simply moving based on the commands she was given.
For some reason, Kim Jin-Woo felt that he wasnât getting to the core of the problem, and was simply being led on in circles. He frowned and said, âThis isnât enough for me. Iâve yet to hear a single, proper answer.â
âBecause youâre not asking questions I can answer. How about this? Arenât you curious who Iâm working for?â Ariane replied.
Kim Jin-Woo, who had naturally thought that she was working for the Usurper, widened his eyes without even realizing it. He asked, âWerenât you working for the Usurper?â
âNo,â Ariane replied.
âThenâŠâ
âItâs my turn.â
Kim Jin-Woo snorted at Arianeâs response. Her attitude was completely different from just moments before. She had desperately been trying to keep her mouth shut, but now, she looked annoyed that she couldnât reveal her secrets.
Kim Jin-Woo wasnât certain whether it had been right after halting the curse or after relocating her into the secret room that the Grand Labyrinth had created, but he was certain that her demeanor and attitude had changed completely.
âLetâs keep our jokes at bay. If you pretend that much, even Iâll find it hard to overlook. Unlike you, Iâm not good at pretending.â Kim Jin-Woo opened his eyes sharply as he stared at Ariane, asking, âDid you just receive a new order?â
A pattern in the shape of an eye had suddenly appeared on her chest, which had been bare just seconds before.