Chapter 22
Deep beneath the Maze Garden at the very center of the Imperial Palace, a demon beast resides.
Back in the era of the First Emperor, even the Imperial Palace was not a safe place, so it had been released there as a sort of guard dog to protect the Imperial family. At the time, the Imperial family members could wield the Power of Light so abundantly that it likely posed no threat to them.
Of course, at this point, it has become a complete white elephant that no one can control.
The only people capable of hunting it safely would be those of the House of Castline, but there was no way the Imperial family could reveal such internal affairs and ask them for help.
Since it never appears in the main areas where people move about and only haunts the underground maze, there really isn’t a problem as long as one isn’t foolish enough to wander around that vicinity.
In fact, the reason the Imperial family—who had buried the past to hide the truth after they began losing their power—left the Maze Garden abandoned like this was because no one, unless they were incredibly reckless, ever set foot in that area.
I knew the method of descent was supposed to be special or something, but I didn’t realize a hole would just pop open like that…
Anyway, I followed Bibi’s retreating figure and jumped into the hole.
My vision flickered for a moment, and when I came to, I was lying on the floor. I brushed off my skirt and stood up, scanning my surroundings.
“…This is terrifying.”
The garden itself has a structure so simple it’s almost a joke to call it a ‘maze.’
The true maze is underground.
The lamps, which must have been installed hundreds of years ago, were still glowing, and I could hear the faint sound of a bell tolling from afar.
The corridors, where damp, gloomy air swirled, and the branching paths opening up here and there looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie.
The kind of place where a serial killer would kidnap victims, release them, and watch from a distance as they tried to escape…
Ugh, don’t let those thoughts take root. Think positive, think positive.
What is Bibi doing here? And all by herself.
“……Is anyone there……?”
Whirrrrrrrrrr.
Instead of an answer, only the eerie sound of the wind reached my ears.
Relying on the faint light of the lamps, I moved forward one step at a time. I had left the Emoticon Sword behind because I wouldn’t have an excuse if I were caught… I shouldn’t have done that. Damn it.
Once I managed to force down my fear, I felt like I could roughly grasp the structure of the maze.
Even if I had to circle around this way and that, looking at the general direction…
“……It’s a structure that leads to the very center, no matter which path you take.”
Right. There is a door there. A door that leads back up. The problem is that the demon beast, presumably the master of this maze, is right there.
Should I not go?
Should I turn back?
My feet came to a sudden halt.
Reason whispered to me.
Why are you going to find Bibi?
Who are you to her? What can you even do? Your attempt to improve relations with the House of Castline is ultimately just so you can escape the Imperial family and live a good life.
Because saving Bibi will bring peace to this world. Because otherwise, the barrier will shatter and the Empire will fall into the abyss of ruin… those are just excuses.
Even if you go, won’t it just end with you dying a dog’s death?
The fact that the palace’s demon beast doesn’t attack the Imperial family… that was hundreds of years ago. It was because of the ‘Power of Light.’
But how long has it been since they lost proper control over the demon beast shackled to the palace?
Are you going to die in a futile attempt to save someone else again?
Even though this time, no one will mourn your death?
“…She’s just a child.”
I muttered to myself, staring at the flickering lights on the ceiling.
“No matter how much Bibi has regressed. Even if she boasts a magnificent mental age and abilities that aren’t child-like, and even if she’s destined to be loved and to love everyone more than enough in the future…”
She’s barely seven years old, isn’t she?
No matter how I look at it, this is only the very beginning of the original story.
It’s the period where Bibi, having just regressed, is doing everything in her power to survive.
The part where Titania feeds Bibi poison and leads her to ruin happens in the very late stages of the original work.
For now, she probably just knows me as ‘Princess Titania, who will act like a total villain toward Young Duke Raymon before ultimately getting her engagement broken and being destroyed.’
Right. Even in the timeline before Bibi regressed, Titania’s engagement is eventually broken.
At this point, it feels like fate is whispering, ‘Hey, you two know you’re not meant to be anyway, right?’
So, even if Bibi became everyone’s treasure the moment she entered the Duchy of Castline.
Even if she’s being loved and the scars in her heart have begun to heal.
“…She’s finally just started to become happy through her own efforts; it’s too miserable if it ends here.”
I overcame my fear and ran. Huff, huff. My body, which usually lacked exercise, grew exhausted quickly.
The taste of blood rose in my throat. I heard a loud noise from a distance.
Whimper, clang, thud… Grrrr, grrrrrrrrr. The sound of a predator growling. And a faint, terrified crying sound.
Only then did I see it.
At the end of the hallway, cornered in a dead end, was a terrified child.
And a demon beast, inching closer step by step, as if mocking her before the kill.
It was a demon beast with the head of a wolf and the body of a bull.
I Exceptionally clenched my teeth.
“…Hey, you! You ugly demon beast, look over here!”
I threw the book I had been clutching tightly under my arm with all my might.
Whoosh, thud.
“……”
…And far from hitting the beast, the book fell right onto the floor near its front paw.
Damn it. How embarrassing.
However, I succeeded in drawing the demon beast’s attention. That was the goal anyway.
The beast looked at me with questioning eyes, then, as if seeing prey it couldn’t eat, it grew disgruntled and scratched the ground with its front paw.
I could tell instinctively. How should I put it—the attitude it had toward Bibi and the attitude it had toward me were different.
It felt like the basic commands were different.
If the keywords for Bibi were ‘annihilate,’ ‘mock,’ and ‘slaughter,’ for me, they felt more like ’observe,’ ‘be wary,’ and ‘expel.’
Bibi, who had been paralyzed with fear, looked at me with wide eyes.
Haha, hi Bibi. I’d love to say hello, but…
At this point, I couldn’t act like I knew her. I stared down the demon beast, intending to buy even a little bit of time.
Then, the beast looked at me for a moment as if I were a nuisance, then snapped its head back and approached Bibi.
It opened its mouth wide, baring its teeth—
“No!”
Dammit, I cut in front of Bibi, grabbed her hand, and ran.
When the prey it was about to bite vanished from before its eyes, the demon beast’s yellow eyes flashed.
—Grrrrrrrrrrr!
Ah, it’s mad! I ran as hard as I could. For someone who had been so terrified, Bibi ran surprisingly well.
But both Bibi and I knew this was only a very brief escape.
There were no obstacles inside the maze, the door was behind the beast’s back, and we had no means to open it.
The paths were all straight. It was certain that our stamina would give out long before the beast’s did.
—Gr-rrrrrrr!
In the brief moment our running speed slowed, the beast lunged through the air, trying to bite Bibi.
Terrified, I pulled Bibi toward me. Because of that, the beast’s teeth grazed my arm.
“……!”
—Bark, bark, grrrrrr!
The demon beast let out a rage-filled howl. Looking at it… it seemed dying of annoyance because it couldn’t understand why I was interfering.
As if enraged, it stomped its front paw and struck me. My body was sent flying through the air for a moment.
“Ack!”
“U-Unnie!”
…This won’t work. This is the only way. I can’t run anymore.
I gritted my teeth and wrapped my arms around Bibi in front of the beast, which was trying to bite her after brushing me aside.
Crunch!
A sickening sound echoed in my ears. Turning pale, I pulled the trembling Bibi into my arms with all my strength.
My back felt like it was on fire.
“U-Unnie, what is… this…”
“Shh. Little one. It’s o…”
—Roaaaaar!
“…It’s not okay! But it will be… Argh!”
The demon beast was completely livid.
Even if Bibi was smaller than her age because she hadn’t eaten properly before coming to the Duchy, she was still seven.
I was only fifteen myself, and I wasn’t particularly large, so no matter how hard I tried to hold her, I couldn’t fully cover her body.
Furious, the beast kicked and bared its teeth, searching for an opening.
In particular, as if trying to tear me away, it targeted my back, waist, and limbs, causing blood to flow incessantly.
Bibi’s face turned pale at the sight of the blood.
Her blue eyes, brimming with tears as if she were about to cry, shook as she looked at me.
“D-Don’t do this, Unnie! You’re going to die like this!”
If I let you go right now, you’ll die.
Instead of saying those words, I managed a thin smile.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…. Soon, soon…. People will come. Don’t cry…….”
Even if the Imperial family had discarded Titania, there was no way the mighty House of Castline would take long to find Bibi after sending her to the palace.
They would turn the entire palace upside down to save her.
As long as I protected this child here, she would be safe. So, it was okay.
