"So *this* is the road to the knight's quarters?"
"I'm completely turned around!" Yubis's voice was ragged with panic. "I thought *you'd* know the way, miss!"
"*What?!* You're the one who grabbed my hand and ran off in whatever direction your eyes happened to land!"
"I don't *know!* Just run faster!"
A high-pitched squeal echoed from somewhere far behind them.
*Are those really the underground monsters?*
"Yubis—did you wander into the *mine*?"
"I was just walking along, minding my own business, when I stumbled into a black cave!" He shot her an offended look, even as his legs pumped beneath him. "I was actually trying to find the shelter!"
"You *what*?!"
*How hopeless is he with directions?*
Fortunately, thanks to her regular dawn training, running wasn't difficult. But with every passing moment, they seemed to be plunging deeper into the forest—away from safety, away from help.
She couldn't rely on this directionally challenged fool any longer.
"Stop. Let's find somewhere to hide first—then figure out which way to go."
"Right!"
Yubis scanned their surroundings frantically.
"There! A cave!"
Marin followed his pointing finger and abruptly skidded to a halt.
She *saw* it.
A weathered wooden sign stood at the entrance, its letters barely legible in the moonlight:
> **NYRON SILVER MINE**
The very same mine where they'd dug for silver and discovered opal instead.
Marin turned to stare at Yubis with silent, incredulous amazement.
*Wow. How utterly hopeless can one person be with navigation?*
If he'd truly spotted this cave first, then they'd run in a complete circle and ended up right back where he'd started.
She remembered their first meeting at the parade ground—how Yubis had confidently sprinted off in the exact *opposite* direction from where he was supposed to go.
*That should have been my warning.*
"Should we hide in here?"
"Does it not occur to you that we've just returned to the place you *came from*?"
Marin pointed at the sign.
"Really?" Yubis peered at the wooden board, then paled. "I... can't read, miss."
The squealing was growing closer.
A chill skittered down Marin's spine like ice water.
Face bone-white, she stared into the black abyss of the mine entrance. Perhaps this was actually fortunate—the mine was supposed to have guards stationed here.
"The mine should be guarded by knights."
"No." Yubis shook his head. "His Lordship arrived today—everyone's been summoned to the mansion."
"*What?*" Her voice cracked. "They should have left at least *one* person! This mine is incredibly valuable!"
"Who in the western lands would dare covet His Lordship's property?" Even now, Yubis's face held an expression of devoted confidence. "They say thieves never come here."
"Yubis, why do you only become smart at the *worst* possible moments?"
"I'm terrible with directions, miss. But I do have *some* brains."
To ease the crushing tension, they deliberately maintained their bickering tone—familiar, almost comfortable.
And then—
"*Grrrrr.*"
The sound was different now. No longer squealing. *Growling.*
*Why is it angry?*
Marin's body went rigid. She stared into the darkness ahead.
A massive black shadow was approaching.
Moonlight fell upon the creature, dragging its silhouette out of the void.
Marin clamped both hands over her mouth to strangle the scream rising in her throat.
She knew the underground monsters were supposed to be rat-like. The size of a large dog, the reports had said.
Their eyes were supposed to gleam white, their faces unmistakably rodent.
But "large dog"? *Where had anyone ever seen a "large dog" like* ***this***?
The thing before her was enormous—a nightmare made flesh, its milky-white eyes glowing in the darkness as it prowled closer.
Yubis stepped forward, positioning his body between Marin and the creature. His sword rang as it cleared the scabbard.
"Hide."
His face had gone to stone—rigid with tension. This was his first real fight against a monster; Marin could see it in every line of his body. In this state, he risked missing his mark entirely.
"*Grrrrr.*"
The monster slammed its front paws against the earth and *launched*.
Yubis slashed horizontally, blade singing through the air.
The creature twisted mid-leap with impossible agility, dodged the strike, and landed beside him—jaws clamping down on his thigh.
"*Ugh!*"
Yubis drove his sword straight into the thing's face.
The monster thrashed against the ground, squealing in agony.
"*SKREEEE!*"
Blue blood began dripping from the wound. And as if on cue, answering calls echoed from the depths of the cave.
*Squeak-squeak.*
*Squeak-squeak.*
*They were coming.*
"Miss, *run*." Yubis's voice was strained through clenched teeth. "This one's almost finished—I'll catch up after I deal with it."
"Are you *insane*?"
"You know I fight well. I'll be done in no time."
He tried to grin—that crooked, cocky expression he always wore when trying to be funny. But blood was streaming down his leg, soaking into the earth.
*With a wound like that, he won't be able to stand properly, let alone run.*
What should she do? Her heart pounded so hard it seemed to shake her entire body. She could almost *hear* the other monsters rushing toward them through the darkness.
And then—finally—Marin remembered.
*El.*
How *stupid* of her not to call immediately! In the chaos of fleeing with Yubis, she'd completely forgotten.
"El!"
A voice emerged from the black thicket, cool and steady:
"Yes."
"I'm going for the knights. Cover Yubis."
"I cannot. My orders are to protect *you*—"
"Then I'll stay here with him." Marin's voice hardened to steel. "He can't fight in this condition. Can you handle all these creatures alone?"
"I can. But protecting two people while fighting would be suicide."
"Then protect *one* and fight. I'll bring the knights back immediately—just hold on until then."
Silence.
"*El!*"
Marin's voice cracked like a whip.
If El refused, she would stay. Leaving Yubis to die while she ran to safety alone—that was *unthinkable*.
"...Understood." El's voice carried no emotion. "Run straight along the right-hand path. It leads directly to the mansion."
"Forgive me, Miss Marin." Yubis—still just a *boy*, she realized suddenly—crumpled slightly under the weight of his guilt. He reached to his belt and pressed something into her hand. "Here."
His dagger. Even now, bleeding and surrounded by monsters, he was thinking of her safety first.
"I'll bring the knights back *now*. Just hold on a little longer." She gripped the weapon tight. "El—*please*."
"Yes."
El emerged from the shadows—a figure in black, stepping smoothly between Yubis and the approaching horde.
Marin didn't waste another second.
She turned and *ran*.
---
The forest blurred past. Branches whipped at her face and arms.
Fortunately, the moon shone bright enough to illuminate the path.
*Just a little further. Hold on, Yubis.*
A light flickered in the distance—the mansion. The torches at its entrance glowed like distant stars.
*Thank God.*
And then—
*Squeak-squeak.*
An underground monster burst from the bushes directly in front of her.
The road forward was blocked.
Marin spun and dove into the thicket without hesitation. She slashed at branches at waist height with her dagger, forcing her way through the undergrowth—and felt the creature's hot, vicious breath at her back, so close it stirred her hair.
She reached a large oak tree and pressed her back against its trunk.
*If the monster lunges, at least my back is covered. Easier to defend from one direction.*
The dagger trembled in her grip. Its weight—suddenly so noticeable—felt wrong. Too heavy.
*The dagger Butler Sebas gave me was light. I should have brought it.*
*Squeak-squeak.*
Perhaps sensing her fear, the monster approached without haste—lazily, almost *savoring* the moment.
Marin swept the dagger in wide arcs before her, trying to create distance, trying to intimidate.
*Distance is everything*, her mentor had taught her. *A pity I only have a dagger.*
*Squeak-squeak.*
"This rat actually *laughs*..."
She glared at the creature, staring directly into its white, glowing eyes—
And unbidden, the Duke's face surfaced in her mind.
*His eyes are almost the same. Only the silver in his is more... mysterious.*
*Lord Gerald, now would be an excellent time to appear out of nowhere and save me. Isn't that what main characters are supposed to do?*
*Squeak-squeak.*
The monster drew closer still, as though smiling.
*Fine.*
*Sink or swim.*
*It doesn't matter anymore.*
Marin hurled her notebook at the creature's face.
It didn't dodge—simply let the pages slam into its forehead.
Of course it didn't hurt. The notebook was just a distraction.
And in that heartbeat of confusion, Marin did the only thing left to her.
Close combat with an underground monster, armed with nothing but a dagger? *Too risky.* She wouldn't survive it.
She threw the blade.
Straight at its glowing white eye.
> *"When you realize you can't handle close combat—throw and run."*
*Please*, she prayed, *let my mentor's words prove true.*