Chapter 186: Chapter 182: Everything Has a Price
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Running as fast as she could, Lefiya was at her limit.
"Don't give up, Lefiya! We're almost there."
"Please, don't ask for the impossible, Tiona-san."
With a pitiful look, Lefiya glanced at Tiona, who, unlike her, was in perfect condition with no sign of exhaustion.
Fortunately for Lefiya, they didn't take long to reach the Rex monster's room.
However, upon arrival, they were stunned.
"What happened here?!"
"...."
Mouth agape in disbelief, Tiona stared at the room connecting both floors, now destroyed. There was a huge hole, and various rocks scattered throughout the room. Needless to say, more than half of the room was destroyed.
"This... is..."
And she wasn't the only one. Lefiya was just as shocked. The amount of destruction far surpassed any of her spells.
However, despite their deep surprise, they recognized a figure standing near the huge hole.
"Inori? So, you were here…"
Calling out as she extended her hand, Tiona and Lefiya approached. While Tiona moved with great agility, jumping and stepping on the huge rocks, it wasn't the same for Lefiya. She was careful not to fall and climbed slowly.
"Um!"
Turning her head, Inori just nodded before turning back to look at the hole.
"Do you know what happened here?"
Reaching her side, Tiona also looked at the huge hole and whistled in admiration. This level of disaster wasn't something an ordinary mage could cause. She even began to doubt if Riveria could do something like this.
"It's Yuki... He's down there."
Pointing with her finger, Inori could sense Yuki deep in the hole.
"Really? I don't see anything."
Even though she couldn't see anything, Tiona didn't question it. Yuki was powerful, so she wasn't surprised if they told her he caused this.
But it also made her wonder what exactly he faced to cause such destruction. She couldn't imagine Goliath forcing Yuki to such extremes.
"What do we do, Tiona-san?"
Swallowing saliva, Lefiya didn't want to explore the dungeon any further. The physical effort she exerted, along with the speed at which they descended the floors, was no joke. She wanted a break.
"What do we do, Inori~?"
However, Tiona waited for Inori's confirmation, jokingly asking her with a smile.
[Yuki... Are you okay?]
Inori, on the other hand, didn't waste time and communicated with Yuki through their souls. She was worried.
[I'm fine, don't worry.]
Responding almost instantly, Yuki also didn't want to worry his girlfriend.
[Good, I'll come over there.]
Sighing in relief, Inori took a leap, intending to descend as quickly as possible. However...
[Relax, take your time. Don't come down the hole. Explore the dungeon calmly. I'll wait for you on the 19th floor.]
Stopping, Inori and Mana couldn't help but hesitate, especially Mana.
[What are you doing? Why don't you want us to come down? Don't tell me that spirit seduced you?!]
Frowning, Mana was very suspicious of Yuki. After all, Est was beautiful, like an adorable-looking girl. Mana didn't want her boyfriend to fall into that girl's trap.
[Why do you always jump to that conclusion? No, she didn't seduce me. I just think it's better for you to take your time and rest on the 18th floor.]
[Okay, we'll do that.]
Although with doubts, Inori didn't continue the conversation. Even though Mana was grinding her teeth, Inori didn't think much about it.
"Let's go down to the 19th floor; Yuki is there."
Turning her head, Inori looked at the duo before continuing her way to the 18th floor.
"If you say so."
Smiling in response, Tiona had no problem with this.
For her, there was no difference if they went up or down. Although she was a little sad not to see Yuki fight, she still had time, and she thought she could accompany him on another occasion.
"Ugh! I hope Ais-san is okay."
With teary eyes, Lefiya clenched her fists, following the duo.
---
"How powerful..."
Muttering, Yuki was surprised at how powerful his companion was.
Being able to create such a huge trench with just a swing of the sword demonstrated Est's incredible strength.
*Puff...
Needless to say, the Juggernaut couldn't withstand that blow as it dissipated into smoke.
"But... the price to pay."
Frowning, Yuki felt his vitality being consumed.
"Everything has a price, huh?"
However, in the end, Yuki sighed. He understood that nothing in the world came for free. Great power came with a great cost.
Zafkiel was the same; if his chakra was consumed, Zafkiel would drain his vitality.
In the end, Est was similar to an Angel.
[Master...]
However, while deep in thought, Est spoke to him.
"Yes, what is it?"
[I am cursed, Master.]
"..."
Raising an eyebrow, Yuki didn't respond. After all, he didn't know what Est meant by this.
[I am a cursed spirit. I thought you would be different, but...]
Shaking her head, Est sighed, resigning herself to her fate.
[So, Master... The more we are together, in the end, I will take your life.]
While Yuki was confused, Est was anxious. The simple strike she had executed showed that she was using all her power, but it also demonstrated the power of the curse.
And Est was aware of this; she had already killed her previous master. She knew the consequences of being used. Although she liked her new home very much, she didn't want Yuki to die. She didn't want history to repeat itself.
So, she decided to test him, to see if Yuki would suffer from her curse and if he would make a difference.
Unfortunately, Yuki was just like everyone else.
He was vulnerable to her curse.
This fact made Est lament deep within herself because even her true master couldn't accompany her for eternity.
Est had no doubt that Yuki was more powerful than any other Elementalist, but that didn't mean her curse wouldn't affect him.
(The world lied to me...)
Lowering her head, Est felt pain. She didn't want to take her master's life, so she didn't hesitate to tell Yuki about her situation. After all, even though the contract was made, Yuki could still live, and for that, Est should stop being his weapon.
(My destiny is to forever be in those ruins.)
Thinking of the ruins where her former master fell, Est wanted to return to her world, back to that lonely forest.
---
TN: huehuehue soon the yandere spirit gonna be summoned
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