CHAPTER 105: MENTALLY UNSTABLE

"Oh? What’s this?" Daru’s brows rose as Iris moved a thick part of a dense shrubbery aside, revealing an azure glowing magic circle with what was seemingly a Jian at the center.

"It’s an intercontinental teleportation trap. This would take us back to Valmaris." Snowflower explained.

"Both of us?" Daru asked, "How are you sure it will take us to our continent?"

"No, only one of us. I’m not entirely certain, but from an article I read, swords with straight edges are usually from our race."

"Ah, I see..."

"Try to remember the location of this trap. It might save you later."

Daru nodded, and the two moved on, proceeding towards Kazuraga’s lair.

Around fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at the thick cluster of mangroves, and all that was left to do was find the burrow’s entrance.

He walked a bit more, carefully checking the roots. Iris followed closely behind him.

"Ah...there it is."

Daru suddenly declared, snatching Snowflower’s attention.

Only then did she spot the strange, wide opening within the mangrove roots, whispering an invite through a faint flute melody.

It was rather eerie that she only heard the sound the moment she laid her eyes on the burrow entrance.

Still, her companion didn’t seem to have an ounce of hesitation as he climbed over the roots and entered the burrow headfirst.

She let go of her doubts and simply followed, dirtying her attire without a hint of hesitation or disgust.

Unbeknownst to the two, multiple pairs of eyes had been watching them since a few minutes ago, observing their every movement.

"Hahaha," chuckled Ae’shkar, perched in the high branch of a Coneleaf Mangrove. "We’ve been looking for that S-ranker chick of the human race, who would’ve expected that we would also stumble upon our target’s resting place?"

"Hmph, like you’ll bag her with that ugly, gray face of yours. I recommend you focus on the mission instead. Also, didn’t they say there’s only one S-ranker and that A-ranker, Otsuna? Why is there another S-ranker?" responded a female Veshari hanging upside down on the same branch like a bat.

"Why, Lothara, don’t tell me you’re scared?"

"Huh? Why would I be scared of some S-rankers? I’m just displeased at the incompetence of your grove’s elders, that’s all."

"Say that in front of that old fart, Alshar, then I’ll believe your fearlessness."

"Didn’t you just call him an old fart yourself? Less talking and more moving, call your party members back, and let’s get this over with."

"I know. Shut the hell up already."

***

Meanwhile, inside the burrow, the endearing flute sound grew louder and louder as Daru and Iris walked closer to the cavern area.

Snowflower kept on glancing at her companion’s face.

Daru didn’t seem fazed by the eerie atmosphere, and his composure calmed Iris down a great deal.

Soon, they arrived at the cavern with purple crystal growths. The woodwind music stopped the moment they did.

The creepy silence that momentarily filled the air was unnerving, but Daru wasn’t affected, calling out:

"Kazuraga, where are you? I got your map."

No one responded, causing his brows to furrow.

Iris’ heart was slightly erratic as she looked around, wondering who ’Kazuraga’ was.

Daru hated wasting time.

He was about to speak again, this time in a slightly sour mood, when, suddenly, he felt the familiar gaze behind him.

The effect wasn’t as extreme on him now.

Daru was even able to turn quickly, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to look for the mythical swordspawn.

"Stop playing." He reprimanded.

Iris, on the other hand, was petrified, feeling as though she was about to die.

But to the hiding Kazuraga’s surprise, she, too, wrestled control of her own body, breathing heavily as she drew her sword and turned.

"Ahh, sorry. He’s just like this. You can relax." Daru apologized, giving his companion a tap on the shoulder.

This did little to ease her nerves.

How could she calm down when the sensation of death had been all too realistic just now?

"MEHEHEHE!"

A bleating laughter then echoed above them, prompting the two to look up.

Iris froze as she found herself face-to-face with a lethal nail pointing at her forehead.

A few meters behind was the upside-down Satyrian figure of Kazuraga, her eyes widening and her heart racing wildly as she saw the text at which the swordspawn’s name was written in.

"M-Mythical..."

The satyrian spawn ignored her bewilderment, asking:

"So, who’s this babe? Don’t tell me the reason why you got delayed was that you flirted with a woman?"

Daru’s brows furrowed.

"She’s my training partner, not my woman. Just take the map."

But Kazuraga didn’t respond, falling silent.

Eerily silent.

"Say..." the spawn began in a cold tone. "Didn’t I tell you to return immediately and not to do anything else?"

Daru frowned.

"You did, but I got you the map before my time in this continent was up, didn’t I? I fulfilled the conditions in the contract."

The mythical satyr didn’t immediately respond.

Only after a few seconds did the spawn speak, voice a shrill, trembling:

"Yes, you did, didn’t you? You did..."

Kazuraga then paused eerily again for a moment, grasping his face as though he was mentally unstable, before continuing: "But this won’t do...that item will really make my life easier..."

Daru’s frown deepened, feeling that something was wrong.

The first thing he thought of was Iris. He brought her here, believing it was safe.

"What are you talking about? Just take the quest item." Daru probed, secretly withdrawing a crystal from his inventory and giving it to Iris, who was still on edge.

She was distressed and disoriented, but she had the presence of mind to simply receive the item.

The moment a notification appeared in front of her, indicating a successful trade and the item’s name, she immediately understood.

They might be in danger.

She desperately wanted to ask Daru, "What about you?" but couldn’t.

The situation left no room for hesitation.

Her heart rate soon stabilized. However, this didn’t help much.

"MEHE! MEHEHEHE!" Kazuraga began laughing.

More madly by the second.

"EHEME! MEHE! MEHEHEHEHE!"

Soon, the mythical swordspawn removed his nightmarish hands from his face.

The first thing Daru noticed was that its horizontal pupils had now become vertical.

The eyes of a predator.

Kazuraga eerily tilted his head, gaze slowly navigating towards Iris.

"You..." the spawn bleated coldly. "It was you, wasn’t it? The reason he had to remove his mask? This idiot would’ve forgotten to remove it. That, I’m certain of..."

"MEHE! MEHEHEHE!"

Daru and Iris could sense that Kazuraga was about to attack.

But then, before the spawn fully erupted, the cavern did.

Two loud explosions occurred — one at the entrance and the other deep at the back of the cave, like sudden thunder in the still night.