A Beautiful Nightmare

Progress was not going smoothly.

If the Evil Spirit mobs on the first floor were merely low-level fodder, then the undead on the second floor were far more troublesome. Although dead, they still possessed an instinctive grasp of combat techniques. Their rotting flesh was quite fragile, yet it was more than enough to withstand Lize's half-baked, unformed positive energy attacks. Consequently, under the siege of the undead, Rhode and Lize were forced to revert to a standard combat formation. Rhode and the Flame Slayer held the front to block the monsters, while the young girl behind them returned to her original role, casting shields and dispelling toxins for Rhode instead of attempting to play the role of a damage dealer.

Almost there.

After glancing at the wall decorations and comparing them to his memories, Rhode swung his longsword once more, tearing through the undead's defensive line. Streaks of light blades scattered and danced, mercilessly piercing the bodies that had long since rotted and should have returned to dust, yet continued to move under the influence of magic. A massive shockwave erupted, sweeping up severed limbs and fragments, carrying them to the dark end of the corridor.

The further they advanced, the more furious Lize became.

The dead blocking their path were not just mercenaries; there were some who looked like servants, and even children. They were all victims who had vanished within this haunted house. Yet, under the manipulation of that evil magic, they were forced to wake from their rightful slumber and become accomplices to evil.

"What kind of evil could possibly cause such harm?"

Lize gripped her hands tightly, murmuring to herself.

"Any kind of evil brings harm."

Rhode swung his longsword, simultaneously commanding the Flame Slayer—which had "resurrected" once again—to spew flames at the undead before them, answering offhandedly.

"But this is just too much!"

"Power has always varied from person to person."

An undead wearing a tattered maid's dress, whose face was still vaguely discernible, opened its mouth wide and lunged with a wail. But before she could grab Rhode's clothes, the light of Star Trace had already pierced through her forehead.

"The result never changes because of the motive."

Pulling out his longsword and casually hacking away another Rotting Corpse that tried to get close, Rhode raised an eyebrow.

"So, once you make a decision, you must face the consequences it brings."

"Eh?"

Hearing this, Lize was stunned. She didn't know why Rhode would suddenly say such a thing, but before she could ask, a chill ran down her back. Then, a heavy weight descended from above, grabbing Lize's body in a death grip.

"Ah!!"

The intense pain made the girl scream involuntarily. She turned her head instinctively, only to freeze completely.

At this moment, behind her, a child who looked only two or three years old was crawling there. It had purple-black skin, hollow dark eye sockets, and its small, open mouth contained only rotting, shriveled flesh. Its small hands gripped the girl's shoulders like iron pincers. Seeing Lize turn around, it lunged forward toward the girl's neck. Just then, a flash of white light swept past; the blade in Rhode's hand mercilessly severed the large head. The small hands that had been gripping the girl's body fell away, and the headless corpse dropped to the ground, turning into dust and vanishing into the gaps of the floorboards.

"-----"

Lize stared blankly at the floor, unable to regain her senses for a long time, until Rhode's voice sounded by her ear.

"Be careful."

"Ah, yes!"

Only then did Lize feel the piercing pain in her shoulder. She gritted her teeth, cast a dispel toxin on herself, and then reapplied her shield, finally feeling a bit better. It was only then that the girl noticed something was wrong; she looked up in surprise and found that there were no more obstacles ahead. Most of the Rotting Corpses that had been besieging them were now lying on the ground, turning into specks of dust in the faint breeze.

"This is..."

"It seems the opponent knows they can't handle us and is starting to try new tricks."

Rhode lowered his longsword, then turned around to look at Lize's shoulder, frowning slightly.

"How is the injury?"

"I-it's fine, it didn't go too deep."

Standing up, Lize answered in a low voice. The shock of what had just happened was so overwhelming that the girl still couldn't fully recover.

"Let me see."

With no enemies left in the vicinity, Rhode signaled the Flame Slayer to keep watch, then walked over to Lize and crouched down.

"N-no, it's fine."

Hearing this, Lize became flustered. She instinctively covered her shoulder and shook her head.

"Let me see."

Looking at the expression on Lize's face, Rhode's own remained unchanged; he simply repeated himself calmly.

"..."

Lize was silent for a moment, but eventually lowered her hand.

On her white robe, ten blood-stained holes were a shocking sight, with blood slowly seeping out and staining a large area.

Rhode crouched down, grabbed Lize's robe, and tore it open with a forceful tug.

Her snow-white shoulder was a bloody mess.

"Did you dispel the toxin?"

"Yes, it should be fine."

"That's good."

Rhode nodded without saying anything more, then reached out to take the canteen from his waist and began to clean the wound.

"---!!!"

As the intense pain hit, Lize gasped. She looked up at Rhode, who was focused on cleaning and bandaging her wound, her heart feeling incredibly complex.

"Mr. Rhode..."

"Hmm?"

"This... I'm really sorry, I was distracted..."

"No need to apologize to me. I'm not the one who got hurt."

"Uh..."

Hearing this, Lize froze for a moment, then she let out a "pfft" of laughter.

"Right, sorry, I..."

"I said, no need to apologize to me."

"Ah, right, sor—"

Lize finally realized the issue herself, chuckled, and stopped talking. She just watched the man before her quietly.

What kind of person was he, really?

Lize asked herself, but couldn't find the answer. Before becoming a mercenary, she had met many people, and after becoming one, she had met even more men. Yet, she had never encountered anyone like Rhode. He was only a few years older than her, but he was calmer and more composed than many who had spent their entire lives dancing on the edge of a blade. Moreover, he was filled with absolute self-confidence; he never doubted his own words, and sometimes he was even a bit overbearing. But why did she trust him so much? Of course, this man wasn't perfect—he rarely even smiled, which was quite boring...

"Alright."

Rhode's voice brought Lize back to her senses, and only then did she notice that her wound had been bandaged at some point.

"Move a little. Any problems?"

"Not much of a problem, as long as I don't make any sudden movements..."

As a Spirit Master, Lize naturally knew how to regulate her physical state. If the location of the wound hadn't been so tricky, she wouldn't have let Rhode help her.

"Very good."

Rhode nodded and stood up.

"Get ready. We're moving on. We don't have much time to waste."

After the previous frantic battle, the undead seemed to have sensed Rhode's prowess and stopped appearing. The path ahead returned to its former calm. However, both of them knew clearly that a storm was gathering. Rhode relied on his quest experience, while Lize relied on her angel's intuition. Soon, they arrived before a large door. This was the only place in the entire mansion that remained intact, clean, and tidy. Because of that, it appeared even more eerie amidst the surrounding dust, trash, and cobwebs. Only Rhode knew that this was the creation room of that master artist from the Sairiel Family, and also where everything began.

"It's inside."

Lize subconsciously swallowed, feeling her shoulder begin to go numb again. The evil radiating from the gap in the door almost suffocated her. For the young girl, it was the first time in her life she realized that the word "evil" could actually be manifested.

Rhode pushed the door open.

The scene inside made both of them hold their breath involuntarily.

If one had to use a word to describe it, how would one describe the sight before them?

Evil? Filthy? Dirty?

None of those.

The first impression this room gave was—holiness.

Pure white covered the entire room, magnificent stone pillars supported the dome, and moonlight spilled down from a circular opening in the center of the ceiling, bringing with it a dreamlike beauty. And in the center of that radiance, a stone statue stood quietly.

It was a woman.

She was completely naked, her arms wrapped around herself, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Her delicate face, fine and exquisite features, and the beautiful, slightly playful smile all made one feel intoxicated. Anyone who saw her for the first time would, without hesitation, believe this was the most beautiful work of art in the world, bar none.

"So beautiful..."

Even Lize couldn't help but sigh. In that instant, all thoughts of evil auras or eerie undead seemed to be cast to the back of her mind. She subconsciously walked forward, wanting to see the sculpture up close, but Rhode was quick-witted and pressed down on her shoulder.

"Ah."

The moment she was pulled back, Lize was still a bit dazed, but she quickly shivered and snapped out of it. At the same time, Rhode let out a whistle and pointed straight ahead. Having received the command, the Flame Slayer did not hesitate in the slightest, roaring as it charged into the room, baring its fangs and claws at the near-perfect sculpture.

But the black hound did not achieve its goal.

"Swish!!"

Several slender arms suddenly emerged from the walls and floor, tightly gripping the Flame Slayer's body and limbs.

"Awoo!!"

The black hound struggled violently in mid-air, attempting to turn its head to bite the arms restraining its body. But before it could act, the arms holding the black hound tightly retracted rapidly, tearing it into pieces. Just as the Flame Slayer was torn apart, its self-destruct attribute was triggered once again!

"BOOM!!!"

Raging flames suddenly spread throughout the room, and at the same time, a sharp, shrill scream erupted from the ground!