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CHAPTER 67………………
Leave it to Piya ( •̀ω•́ )✧
Swept away by a sudden gust of wind, I was separated from my companions.
There wasn’t a single person in sight.
“Mini-map.”
But instead of panicking, I calmly summoned the mini-map.
When I glanced at it, the map was already brightly lit—even though this was my first time entering the temple.
How could that be…?
[SYSTEM] You have arrived at a new location!
[SYSTEM] The mini-map of has been unlocked!
[SYSTEM] You already possess the Guide’s Lantern!
The moment I stepped off the carriage upon arrival, notifications popped up in succession.
As I blinked at the mention of possessing the Guide’s Lantern, an item stored in my inventory suddenly shone.
It was a jewel statue from Helheim, labeled <Ancelot’s Gift>.
So that relic Ancelot had stolen from the temple turned out to be the Guide’s Lantern that illuminates the !
[SYSTEM] The mini-map of has been activated!
Thanks to that, the mini-map lit up the moment I got off the carriage.
The was as vast as the .
As I carefully scanned the maze garden on the map in search of my companions—
Thud!
A loud crash echoed from behind me.
“Huh?”
I turned around, but no one was there.
“Did I mishear?”
As I tilted my head and checked the mini-map again—another thud! resounded.
This time, I even felt faint vibrations in the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The heavy footsteps drew closer.
“Wh-what is that…?”
Thinking a monster might have appeared, I gripped the hilt of my sword.
But then I noticed a dot rushing toward me on the mini-map.
“…Huh?”
The name attached to the dot was none other than—
“Ancelot?”
As I blinked in disbelief, another crash rang out.
The towering hedge wall—at least 2.5 meters tall—collapsed, and through the opening appeared Ancelot, panting heavily.
Good grief, he had destroyed another temple fixture!
“Ancelot, what on earth are you doing—!”
“Your Highness.”
The stiffness in his face softened the moment he saw me.
His eyes scanned me up and down, and then he gave a small, relieved chuckle.
“Thank goodness. You’re not hurt.”
“Wait… don’t tell me you smashed your way through the maze because you were worried I might be injured?”
“I couldn’t possibly break my promise to protect you and upset my princess again.”
Ancelot answered with a sly grin.
His words made my heart flutter unexpectedly.
Suppressing the rising warmth in my chest, I replied curtly,
“This place is managed by priests. It’s not like it’s dangerous.”
“But that wind just now…”
Ancelot frowned faintly, recalling the earlier gust.
“Wasn’t it just a maze trap?”
When I asked, tilting my head, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…It wasn’t the work of ordinary priests.”
“Then…?”
“…”
He pressed his lips shut again, lost in thought.
That expression sparked a thought in me.
“Could it be the system administrator’s doing?”
Ever since Ancelot revealed himself as a bug in the Dream Forest and blocked the system, I’d been worried that the administrator might eventually intervene.
“…I don’t know either.”
For Ancelot to say he didn’t know…
“Let’s look for the others first.”
I checked the mini-map again.
At the top, it read: <Luenhart Capital Temple—Heart-Throbbing Maze Garden>.
Even though the Guide’s Lantern had lit up the entire map of the temple, I could only see the section where I was currently standing.
Because of that, I couldn’t see where Klaus, who had escaped the maze earlier, had gone.
And since Piya wasn’t an in-game character, she naturally didn’t appear on the mini-map either.
“Maria’s over there. And Illei is…”
As I scanned the map, I realized Illei’s location wasn’t showing at all.
“I can’t see Illei.”
“Maybe she got thrown outside the maze?”
Just then, a familiar green message popped up.
[Lulu Niiiim!ヾ(｡>﹏<｡)ﾉﾞ]
It was Piya—it had been a while since I’d seen her messages.
“Piya! Where are you now? Can you hear my voice?”
I called urgently toward the message window, and Piya responded.
[Piya got blown away by the wind. Since I don’t have wings, I couldn’t fly to Lulu (ঌ ๑•́ -•̀)໒]
“Are you okay?”
[Yes. Piya is fine. But I ended up outside the maze (͒˃⌂˂͒)]
“Is Illei out there too?”
[Illei?]
Piya went silent for a moment.
Then suddenly—
[Ah! I think I found her! (,, ･∀･)ﾉ゛ She’s here!!! ヾ(˘⌣˘)〴]
Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Please, Piya. Stay by Illei’s side and keep her safe!”
Of course, with Illei’s stats, she wouldn’t really be in danger.
But since she was still new to human society and naive about the world, I couldn’t help but worry. That’s why I asked Piya.
[What about you, Lulu?]
“I’m with Ancelot, so I’m fine. Please, Piya.”
[Understood, Lulu! Leave it to me, Piya! ( •̀ω•́ )✧]
Her fiery determination in the message set my heart at ease.
Klaus, Maria, Illei—all of them had abilities far beyond ordinary people, the very heroes of the original story.
Even if separated, they wouldn’t be in real danger.
“Let’s get out of the maze too.”
I searched the mini-map for an exit.
But since even the map was drawn in maze form, finding the way out wasn’t easy.
As I frowned at the twisting paths, Ancelot tilted his head.
“Why trouble yourself when there’s an easier way?”
“An easier way…?”
I blinked at him.
Meanwhile—
A lovely girl with twin-tailed green hair and bright blue eyes toddled along, chasing someone ahead.
The one she was following was a black-haired boy, slightly taller than herself.
‘Piya will definitely fulfill Lulu’s request!’
Lulu had said it was a request.
That meant, as Lulu’s guide, she had to carry it out perfectly.
Burning with determination, Piya scurried after Illei.
‘But why does he walk so fast?’
Illei’s pace seemed leisurely, yet to keep up, Piya’s short legs had to work frantically.
“Illei! Ille—!”
She called at the top of her lungs, but her voice was drowned out by the noise of the festival crowd.
Then—
“Ah!”
Startled, Piya turned to her right.
A sweet aroma wafted through the air.
“Magical Love Cookies that make your heart race!”
They were the same cookies she’d seen before entering the maze.
Drawn by the scent, Piya staggered toward them, only to suddenly stop.
“No!”
Slap!
She smacked her cheeks with both hands to snap herself back to her senses.
“I mustn’t forget Lulu’s request!”
Steeling herself again, she hurried after Illei.
Without wings, it was so inconvenient.
Normally, she’d just flutter after him in an instant…
‘Human legs are such a bother.’
She pouted like a little bird as she thought so.
Illei, expression as unreadable as ever, walked with a definite sense of direction.
Though he looked aimless, his steps clearly had a purpose.
He left the bustling festival square and entered deep into the temple.
“Illei! Where are you going?!”
Piya called again, but once more, Illei didn’t hear her.
The crowds thinned out, and silence settled around them.
Only then did Piya feel something was off.
‘It’s so quiet here… so why doesn’t he hear me?’
Just as she was about to step through the entrance to the temple’s innermost garden—
“Ah!”
She bumped into a passing priest and fell on her bottom.
“Oh my, are you alright?”
The priest helped her up kindly.
“You must be here for the festival. But you mustn’t go in there. Recently, some unpleasant incidents occurred in the temple, so security has been tightened.”
“No, I’m here to get Illei—huh?”
Piya looked back to where Illei had been just a moment ago.
But he was gone.
“Where did he go?”
Blinking, she noticed the sky was already starting to darken.
She almost sent Lulu a message, but hesitated.
“Oh no… I promised confidently to leave it to Piya…”
What if Lulu was disappointed in her for failing such a simple task? She couldn’t bear that thought.
“I’ll just wait here.”
So she sat at the entrance, waiting for Illei to return.
Meanwhile, deep inside the temple. Before the statue of Lus.
The Luenhart Capital Temple was dedicated to the goddess Amor, but Amor was a servant of the supreme god Lus.
Thus, all temples across the continent, including Amor’s, ultimately worshipped Lus, the God of Light, the sole absolute ruler of the world.
For that reason, statues of Lus and of the Light Dragon Helheim could be found in every temple as sacred relics.
That bothersome green bird was finally gone. Not that it really mattered whether she followed or not.
Illei stood silently before the jewel-carved statue, staring at it.
“Why…”
His quiet voice trembled with doubt.
His gaze narrowed at the sight.
The missing statue of Helheim was one issue, but more troubling was—
“Why is it in this state?”
The statue of Lus, God of Light, was utterly defiled and broken.
As though someone had maliciously destroyed it out of sheer hatred.
