A heavy silence descended, unbroken by either woman.
Elyshara felt awkward, but couldn't bring herself to speak.
The urge to flee was almost overwhelming.
Moments later, Mirellia returned... Bearing two cups of tea on a tray.
"Two teas, Your Imperial Majesty," Mirellia announced, her voice shattering the silence. She placed the teas on the table and departed.
Valeriane took a sip. "Refreshing. Please, try some, Elyshara."
Elyshara quickly followed suit.
She had no choice.
Her throat was parched.
She hadn't drunk anything since midday.
"Where are you from?"
Valeriane asked, sipping her tea again. "I've never seen you before. Are you from outside the Empire?"
Elyshara didn't know how to answer.
She swallowed, her nerves a tight knot.
If she didn't answer, she risked being suspected of espionage.
But if she did answer, she didn't know what to say.
It was impossible to reveal her origins in the Nihility Collapse.
If she did…
Elyshara closed her eyes, taking another sip of tea.
"Yes, I'm from outside the Empire,"
Elyshara replied calmly. She had to avoid any potential disaster.
She needed to tread carefully in her responses to Valeriane.
This could be a trap.
"Oh? That explains it. You're from outside the Empire."
Valeriane took another sip.
"How old are you?"
Elyshara found the question oddly unsettling.
It sounded normal, yet subtly suspicious.
Like… a carefully laid trap.
Valeriane might be using inconsequential questions to lull Elyshara into a false sense of security.
Then, she'd strike with the real questions.
Elyshara might answer without even realizing it.
However, she had to answer.
"Sixteen,"
Elyshara replied, a carefully constructed lie.
She couldn't reveal her true age—it would raise too many question.
"Sixteen? The same as Valeska? You're very young. But how do you have such a… figure?"
Valeriane touched Elyshara's breast with a finger.
"These are… substantial. What size are they?"
She asked as if it were perfectly normal.
Elyshara gasped, her face burning with shame.
"W-What are you doing, Your Imperial Majesty?" Elyshara covered her breasts.
"My apologies, I got carried away," Valeriane chuckled, amused by Elyshara's flustered expression. "You're quite adorable, aren't you? No wonder Hastora made you his lover."
"Lover?" Elyshara tilted her head.
"Yes, lover. How long have you two been together? Or… are you married?"
"No, no, no! We're not lovers, nor married. We're… associates."
"Really? That's a shame. I thought you two were an item."
"Why would Your Imperial Majesty think that?"
"You two are very well-suited."
Elyshara was increasingly baffled by Valeriane's line of questioning.
It felt like casual conversation.
There were no obvious signs of a trap.
Valeriane's demeanor had also shifted dramatically.
The same woman who had been weeping incessantly was now behaving like a typical woman.
The change seemed to have occurred after receiving a message from her husband, delivered by the maid earlier.
Even with her beloved daughter in a weakened state…
It was odd, but Elyshara remained cautious.
Soon, Valeriane returned to more mundane questions.
Elyshara was completely lost.
What was Valeriane's true intention?
Was she plotting something? Or was this just idle chatter?
She didn't know. But to avoid suspicion, she answered everything.
They continued their conversation, discussing ordinary topics.
---
An unknown dimension, withina gigantic tower.
Hastora felt his mana fully restored after a half-hour rest.
He stood from his chair.
Only two hours remained before his quest ended; time was short.
He had to return to the third floor: it was the safest place for now.
He'd set numerous traps there; he would be safe.
Hastora cloaked his hands in inky black energy and began carefully scaling the wall to the upper floor.
He climbed with extreme caution.
Even a minor mistake could be fatal.
A fall would mean certain death.
After three minutes, he reached the previously shattered window on the third floor.
Almost there.
Hastora poured every ounce of his strength into the final climb.
He made it.
As he entered, he was confronted by dozens of Vuldari.
The floors were awash in fresh blood.
All his traps were gone.
They had used their own as bait to trigger his traps.
"Fuck!"
Hastora quickly retreated to the second floor.
But the Vuldari wouldn't let him escape that easily.
One of them hurled a wooden cleaver at Hastora as he descended the wall.
Seeing the danger, Hastora dodged with practiced ease.
He looked up.
"Damn it!"
The other Vuldari threw their own wooden cleavers.
Some hurled sharper weapons.
Hastora deftly avoided them all until one Vuldari threw a massive iron beam, sending him plummeting.
"Argh!"
Blood gushed from his head. His body thrashed in agony.
He looked down, gritting his teeth against the pain.
"!!!"
The previously fallen Vuldari were waiting.
Sharp weapons—axes, spears, and hammers—were raised.
Panic-stricken, Hastora shot a shadow rope, anchoring it to the second-floor balcony railing.
He climbed, clinging to the rope.
But it wouldn't be easy.
The Vuldari on the third floor continued their relentless barrage.
Hastora struggled; the pain made his movements clumsy.
"Damn monstrous bastards!"
Enraged, Hastora tried to dodge each attack.
But it was futile.
He fell when a two-meter-long wooden club connected.
"THUD! "
Hastora's body slammed into the ground. But no sound escaped his lips.
The Vuldari laughed, weapons still raised.
Their laughter… it was agonizing.
To be mocked by the monsters of his own creation—it was humiliating.
Hastora tried to rise, but couldn't.
His body was too weak.
The fall from the second floor had broken several ribs.
His left arm and leg were also broken.
Blood flowed from his mouth and head.
"This hurts…"
"THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!"
The Vuldari from the third floor descended, closing in.
This was bad.
He couldn't escape like before.
He was surrounded by dozens, no, perhaps hundreds.
Not just from the third floor. All the Vuldari in the tower were converging.
"HAHAHA!"
They all laughed at Hastora.
Hastora felt a surge of rage. He dug his fingers into the ground, trying to rise.
But it was useless.
Everything was futile.
Hastora sighed, accepting his fate.
"Finally, this is the end. As pathetic as before."
Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted from the sky as the Vuldari prepared to finish him.
The Vuldari instantly retreated back into the tower, leaving Hastora alone.
"What was that?"
Hastora, consumed by pain, looked up.
"!!!"
To be continued in the next chapter…