Hello again! The year is nearly ending, I have a ton of work and not much free time, but I'm still here! Writing! The Black Clover movie trailer has been released, and I for one am very much looking forward to it! Who knows, maybe I'll use it for an additional arc xD

Anyway, nothing more to say here, except to enjoy the chapter and don't hesitate to tell me if you see some typo or anything like that.

Enjoy!


"...Aaaah…" It was as if the ground below Aurora had disappeared. She tried to steady herself but didn't manage to as she fell onto her backside. "This… This wasn't real, right?" It had been so sudden.

So overwhelming.

"Ca-calm down. Father wouldn't die from that… He wouldn't… He wouldn't…" She tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like her lunges weren't working.

"He's alive. He's alive. Alivealivealivealive-"

Aurora left the room, unfocused and in a hurry, as she started to suffocate. She ran back to the entrance, stumbling as she descended the stairs.

She needed to get out of there. But when she finally reached the entrance, her legs suddenly gave out as a wave of dizziness spread throughout her.

Although she kept repeating it in her mind, her body couldn't help but give voice to her panic. She barely managed to put her back on a wall before being overwhelmed with anxiety.

"Kyuu!" Sensing her distress, Gaius jumped on her, and reflexively, Aurora grabbed him firmly between her hands.

"Breathe with me, Aurora." Although Aurora couldn't focus enough to understand him, he seemed to say. However, his gaze was enough to capture Aurora's waning attention. It seemed to do the trick as the girl started to take large and slow breaths of air as she focused on the relentless gaze of her familiar.


Meanwhile

A single man was pacing the maze, searching for the mechanism to open the door and get back to his probably alarmed daughter as fast as he could.

Lighting his way thanks to his magic, there wasn't an ounce of benevolence in the air around him. His eyes weren't sparkling with mischief. Only cold furor and determination were etched into every part of his face as he stared impassively at the remnant of a pair of monsters he half-disintegrated.

They were the few that managed to stand up to him instead of trying to run away.

He destroyed them all.

"It even considers that people can survive this trap by sending out monsters to finish them off… How merciless. Well, anyway, I'd say we're near the exit. Aurora… really did a good job."

His expression softened slightly when he put his right hand where his heart should be.

"Don't worry. I've always been good at this kind of thing. I can control myself." He said out loud, chuckling. "Now, let's finish this farce and move on."


"Haaa…Haaaa…" After a short while, her senses started returning to her, and her spell of dizziness waned. Aurora took notice of what was going on.

"Thank you… Thank you… I'm glad you're here…" She hugged Gaius close to her chest, releasing somewhat of her firm grip on him earlier.

"Kyuu.." He let a low whine to appease her. Aurora slowly got up, putting Gaius in his rightful place on her right shoulder.

"Father… He told me my power would be released if he were to die; that meant I would have blacked out from my power being suddenly released, or worse. He's alive, Ga-chan!" She said, allowing herself a wobbly smile. "We have to go and find him!"

Turning back, Aurora noticed the wall of burning light blocking the sole entrance had disappeared; she could leave unimpeded. But, instead, she saw the burning lights blocking the access Julius went into.

Aurora ran towards it and stopped just before the entrance. She breathed before walking straight through the entrance, and to her surprise, no strange lights rose to block her way.

And the heaviness she felt on her side wasn't present here.

Aurora mustered some magic power, but it didn't dispel this time.

"Oooohhhh!" She couldn't hold back her wonder. With her magic, especially with Gaius's help, finding her father would be a cinch.

"Let's go! Ga-chan, do the thing! And tell me when you want to take a breather this time!"

Gaius did as he was asked, and Aurora focused. Then, instead of seeing all the mana running wild, it was concentrated on a single thread before her.

It was supposed to have a familiar feel, yet this thread was all red and black and pulsed with a strange yet familiar power. "It feels like Father… it smells like him, but… Why does it feel different? Hmmmm…" She hummed in thought before shaking her head and taking off, jogging at a steady path.

The thread bent and followed the path Julius took in the maze, allowing Aurora to keep a steady rhythm even though she couldn't really see where she was going: just like that time in the ruins, she just had to follow the thread.

However, the thread sometimes bloated, the red almost becoming black before turning back the way it was. It was bizarre, and it had no discernible pattern.

"It's probably doing this when Father is using his magic… I wonder what is happening."

They took regular breaks to let Gaius time to recover, as using this spell was taxing for him. It prevented them from going as fast as Aurora wanted, but it was for the best. No use risking Gaius's health to gain just a handful of seconds: if her father could use his magic, he was in no direct danger.

"That does not mean my worries are totally assuaged," She thought as the thread swelled again.

Aurora and Gaius kept going, and she noticed after a while that absolutely no traps went off; even the one with the sliding rock wasn't on anymore. Aurora didn't see any sounds, and it didn't go off when she passed that part.

Sure enough, the thread was guiding her straight to Julius and, as such, wasn't making her take the exact same path he did.

"That would mean Dad did manage to get up…!


"...She isn't here. As expected, does this mean she went into the maze? … Right. Her little pet should be able to guide her straight to the exit. Let's change gears and wait by the exit."


Suddenly, the red and black thread started to shine, and its color changed to black with a purple-ish yellow tint.

What's more, this thread felt like her father; Aurora didn't stop in her tracks; finding and asking him to explain what happened was paramount to anything else.

It led her straight to the exit, and she didn't encounter neither traps nor monsters, probably because her father did all the work.

"You can rest, Ga-chan. I can see some light up ahead; it has to be the exit."

The little spirit huffed and dispelled his magic while Aurora ran towards the exit, going through it without stopping. After blinking the light out of her eyes, she looked around and noticed she was just beyond the locked door.

And her father was just in front of the mechanism he probably used to open it.

"Father!" She ran straight towards him and stopped before him. "You… You're alright! I knew it!" She gave him a once-over, checking for wounds. "Are you really alright?"

Julius smiled reassuringly. "Yes. I'm all good. Sorry, I probably worried you." He said with a hint of remorse.

"Never mind that! How did you-" she took a deep breath. "How did you survive? I thought magic wasn't usable in this place!"

"It was, in fact. Did you try to use it?"

"Well, yes, but my spells were instantly canceled."

"That's because this space continuously drained our magic power; hence, if you tried to cast a spell as you normally do, it would dispel. In these conditions, you have to control and refine the mana you're going to use far more than usual. Temper it until it's too tough to be drained. Then, I just used Chrono Anastasis on my wounds." Julius explained, waving his index finger in a circle.

Aurora blinked. "I feel like you've explained something outrageous like it's something really mundane…."

"Hahaha! It may sound hard, but in reality, it becomes easy to do once you've got a good grasp on controlling your power. I'm sure you'll be able to do it too. Besides, You know as well as I do that it would take more than a mortal wound to bring down a Time mage." He said, ruffling her hair before she pushed his hand away and hugged him hard. He didn't say anything, but he knew the experience had been harrowing for her and could have been downright traumatizing if she had been less experienced.

And so, he just returned the hug quietly. They stayed like that for a little while until Aurora decided to voice her thoughts.

"To be honest, I was terrified… That, and when I went to find you, the thread leading to you was weird until a moment ago." She raised her head to meet his frowning face.

"What do you mean?" Julius asked, suddenly frowning. He looked concerned. "Well, you remember I told you that Ga-chan can detect magic, right? He can also focus on the surrounding mana thread to form a big one emanating from the person or the thing of his choice. It's very taxing for him, but it also makes him incredible in these situations!" Aurora explained with a hint of pride in her voice. "So cool!"

"I see. It is fascinating." Julius's reaction was more subdued than she thought, even though he looked interested. "And so, the mana I gave off was weird?" He insisted.

"Mmh." Aurora nodded. "The thread looked was all red and black, and I knew it was coming from you, but at the same time, it didn't look like it was… Besides, sometimes it was getting bigger as if you were furious." Aurora described truthfully. Julius's expression became more pensive. "Well, anyway, a moment before I reached the exit, it suddenly changed color. As a result, the feeling it gave off reminded me of you, so I knew you were all right by then." She added, smiling up at her father.

Julius returned the smile. "I see. So you thought it was me, but not really me?" He asked her. His daughter acquiesced. "Yeah, like perhaps you were possessed or something! Although, to be honest, I was sort of half-worried and half-curious!"

"If you thought I was possessed, weren't you afraid I would attack you?"

"No." She answered instantly. "I knew that you wouldn't hurt me, father. No matter what happened, I knew you would not let that happen." She told him with a serene smile.

This time, it was Julius who hugged her. "Never. No matter what happens, I would never hurt you in any way."

They stayed like that for a while before Julius broke the silence. "... Well, for the sin of making you worry, how about we continue and clear that dungeon if only to mock the one who designed that stupid maze?" He suggested, and Aurora nodded decisively. "Oh, with pleasure. Let's finish this and plunder everything there is to plunder. For the Kingdom, of course. Not our personal use!" She added with a coy smile.

Julius rolled his eyes and fought off a smile. "But of course. And it's an order from yours truly, after all." He told her seriously.

"However," He started, "if one or two… Three items were to be missing, and I was asked where… That would be a shame because I would not know where they went. I'm not even supposed to be here, to begin with, so… I'd count on my reliable knight to find them. A knight that is definitely not supposed to be here either…." He trailed off and looked at his daughter with a complicit grin.

The smile he received in return was blinding.


"All right. We're at the maze, and just like you said, the way is open. Do we have to be on guard for nasty surprises along the way?"

"No, I don't think so. There are traps, but they are pretty obvious. Except for the golems, the way to the treasure should be clear. The third trial was an enigma. One nasty like you said, but we managed it easily!" Aurora answered with a hint of pride.

Yami couldn't hold back his laugh and walked next to Marx to face Aurora. "Why do I hear 'He' instead of 'We'?" He asked with a smirk.

Aurora started. "Wah!" He was still a bit intimidating for her. "I-I did my best, okay?!" she said, blushing a bit. When Yami didn't answer and just challenged her with a look, she tried to argue further. "It's true! I really gave it my best!" Even to her, it sounded a bit pathetic.

Yami stared at her for a bit longer before walking away, and she could hear him chuckle.

"He really is terrible! I was still out of it because of the maze, that's all!"


Leaving the labyrinth behind, both Aurora and Julius walked side by side, careful not to let anything separate them. They walked into several different rooms, but strangely, all of them were strangely barren of dangerous traps, as those were easily discernible to them.

Arriving before the third room, Julius put his arm before Aurora, signaling her to stop.

"What is it? An enemy?"

"No… But I feel something behind the door. Be careful." Julius warned her, and Aurora nodded confusedly. She didn't feel anything and resumed walking beside her father.

The room wasn't much different from the others except for its circular form. It almost reminded Aurora of a much smaller version of the Magic Knights Coliseum.

And in the center of the room lies a single hooded figure sitting on its knees. Aurora couldn't make its features, nor could she feel anything from it. It seemed unmoving, almost as if it was a very human-like statue.

The white shroud it was wearing didn't help either. They went closer to examine it when the figure suddenly moved its head from left to right before raising it. Aurora had to stifle a gasp. The thing was looking at them. At her, and yet, no face could be observed.

It rose from its sitting position, then turned away from them, walking straight and through the wall in front of them.

"...What?" Aurora whispered, stunned. She didn't feel any mana nor any sign this was alive. That would mean…

She got closer to her father. "Was… Was it a ghost?" she asked him. He gazed back at her, his face unreadable.

Then, they both looked at the wall the 'ghost' went through. "So cool!" They said as one.

"Could it be a secret passage?" Aurora asked him, eyes shining. "Or perhaps a new form of magic! Perhaps intangibility magic?!" Julius asked back, with literal stars in his eyes.

"Let's go see!" They rushed blindly ahead toward the wall, so they walked precisely where the hooded figure was kneeling.

Julius dove to his left, catching Aurora (and Gaius) in his arms and avoiding the trap - a dome of light encompassing the position - altogether. Aurora looked at it, a bit stunned.

Being trapped would have definitely been very dangerous.

She had been caught totally off-guard. Julius, on the other hand, wasn't. Of course, one could have said the Wizard King's instincts kicked in, but a confirmed mage would probably understand - and be awed - by such a simple demonstration of skill.

"Father… Was it your mana zone?" Aurora asked him, frowning. She had been stupid enough to lower her guard while her father didn't.

After what happened earlier, Julius kept his fine control and extended it to the mana around him, using an advanced skill called a Mana zone, which allows the user to manipulate the mana freely in the surrounding area.

It's a skill Aurora's unique disposition geared her towards. But while she's only beginning to understand how to use it properly, Julius has mastered it and more, to the point that he could read the future inside his mana zone from a few seconds away at any time. Hence him able to avoid the trap this time.

Simply put, as long as Julius could keep up a mana zone, he was untouchable.

"Yes. Direct - or indirect - attacks against us won't work any longer. But still," he chopped her head lightly. "Don't drop your guard, even if it's for something as incredible. Remember the place, Aurora." He admonished her lightly, but Aurora pouted.

He was right, of course. They both were totally taken by the phenomenon that happened in front of them, but only he had been lucid enough to act - because he had been ready.

"You're right. I'll be careful," Aurora said, grabbing her father's offered hand to rise up. They resumed walking towards the wall, and to their surprise, it disappeared when Aurora touched it.

They didn't have time to question what it meant when they noticed the hooded figure sitting on a chair, its head down.

As Julius and Aurora slowly made their way toward it, it raised its head again.

And talk.

"You, who carry the power of our nemesis and Lord… Come forward. It looks like the time has come." But, unfortunately, its voice didn't give any information about its identity either.

"Who are you?" Aurora blurted out.

"I am no one. Nothing but a remnant charged to protect that place. My face, my identity; useless things."

"So, you're the one we have to thank for all of this?" Julius asked, a faint smile on his lips that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Indeed, and it's not over, I'm afraid. Courage, Calm, Wisdom, and Trust are the necessary qualities required to reach me. But, to take the treasure, you will need that plus two other things: Strength… And Wits. For thousands of years, I have waited for this moment. Usually, more trials should have gone your way… But there was something I needed to confirm by myself."

"And what was it?" Julius insisted, looking pensive.

"This is not something you need to know right now. Shall we move to the next trial, then?" The remnant declared, and Julius's frown deepened.

It was far too obvious an attempt to evade the issue. This means what was guarded here was even more precious than in his wildest dreams.

Or, he found something about them.

"You, who carry the power of our Nemesis and Lord, huh…."

"Father, are we-"

"Very well, let's begin the test, then!" This time, it was he who forcefully put the discussion on track.

Aurora looked at him curiously but didn't say anything.

"Answer what you think is the good answer."

"... A riddle?" Aurora wondered out loud. She made a face. Riddle wasn't her forte, not at all.

"Yes. But you both have to give the correct answer to pass. Three chances for three riddles. I will need one good answer from you." Julius frowned, and Aurora started to panic a bit; the last thing she wanted was to be a dead weight.

"You can back off if you want. I won't force you to play." It had no face, but she could very well imagine its expression through its mocking tone.

Julius suddenly fired a spell, which went through the remnant. "You are nothing more than a memory, tethered to this place. Once we are done, we're getting some answers from you."

"As you wish, but in that case, let's make it a bit more… Interesting. You… Aurora, yes, Aurora…" It turned towards her and snapped its finger. She felt something shift in the air and immediately reacted, catching Gaius as he fell from her shoulder.

"Ga-chan!" He wasn't hurt, but he wasn't moving. Nor was he breathing. "What did you do to him?!" She was starting to get tired of this place, of this thing, and her control over emotions was getting loose.

Fortunately, her father was there. "It's a magically-induced sleep. I see… Because he expanded a lot of energy in the maze, he was the first victim. Aurora, I'm sure you felt something; create the strongest mana skin you can. Gaius is not in danger, but I presume we'll have to be as fast as possible if we don't want to share the same fate… and I guess we'll never wake up in that case."

Aurora focused as she was told, and indeed, the whole mana in the place was surcharged with something messing with their senses. It had been there from the beginning, and it probably spiked when her father made a deal with the remnant.

That doesn't mean she would take those kinds of things any longer.

She summoned her grimoire and put her left hand on Gaius's prone form.

"Aurora?"

"Time Reversing Magic: Chrono Anastasis!" A translucid clock appeared above the little spirit, and its hands turned backward.

He blearily opened his eyes. "Kyu…?" He mewled before closing them again.

"Good try, but you'll have to expand much more magic if you want him to be able to resist. By all means, do so." The remnant commented idly, watching the scene.

"Damn it…! Now I really want to thrash this bastard up!" Her mana flared, and Julius put a reassuring hand on her scalp. "I want it too, but right now, this one is literally out of our reach. It's just a pitiful soulless remnant of a time long gone, guarding treasure it probably never saw when it was alive. So there is nothing we can threaten it with, unfortunately." Julius snarked, looking at their enemy. "Keep your wits. Since he began to talk, he tried to mess up with it, so we couldn't properly focus on the riddles afterward. So pay no attention to what he says, and let's get it over with. It's what we have to do to save Gaius."

"You're absolutely right… Julius Novachrono." The figure was definitely smirking. "I told you already: I'm nothing. But I still have dominion over this place. So if you want your little familiar to awaken, and if you want answers, you will comply."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

The remnant snapped its fingers again, and Aurora felt the mana fluctuate.

"What do you find at the end of time?" Aurora heard. She blinked, looking at her father, and saw him talk. But she didn't listen to him.

"...What the hell? Is this what I felt earlier?!"

"I will need your answer now, Aurora Novachrono."

"So that's its angle…!" She gritted her teeth. Without her father, she was screwed.

"Wait, I need just a little longer!"

"Take as much time as you want." "As if I could!" There was still the threat of falling asleep, and she was already exhausted mentally after what had happened earlier.

"Aurora. Don't look at me and listen. I'm using my magic to speak through you. The answer is not complicated. Look at the wor-" She heard a snap. "Cheating, eh… Well, I guess you don't need three chances, then. Guess or fail right now it is, then." It said dispassionately. "I will need your answer, girl."

"What?! That's unfair!"

"Is that your answer?"

"Khh! No, let me think!" She dropped her head Uhhh, uhhh… At the end of time, the end of time…." She closed his eyes and tried to think about anything, but her thoughts were jumbled and fleeing her.

And why did her eyelids start to feel heavy?

"Look at the word, Aurora." A strangely familiar voice whispered to her, snapping her out of her thoughts, and when she opened her eyes, she realized that the remnant didn't move any longer.

In fact, it was like time had stopped.

"...Father?" Aurora didn't receive an answer.

She blinked.

"I'm still waiting." And now the time had resumed.

Still processing what happened suddenly, Aurora ignored the remnant. "What do you mean by the word? Couldn't you have told me the answer? I mean, at the end of the word time, there's… There's… No way."

"AHHHH!" This time, she facepalmed. This was… This was something Sister Lily could have asked to tease the younger kids back at the orphanage!

"... At the end of 'time,' there's an 'e.'"

"... Is that your answer?"

"It is!"

"Very well. it pains me to say…" She looked at it with frustration etched on her face while Julius seemed impassible.

"You both got the good answer. You pass. Congratulations." It snapped its fingers.

Aurora fist-pumped. "What if someone told me what to do! I found it! Me!" "Ha! In your face!" She couldn't help but gloat, and Julius smiled thinly. "Now that's out of the way; stop your magic, release Gaius, and answer my questions." She could hear her father again, it seemed.

"One riddle for one answer." The remnant declared and snapped his fingers. The mana fluctuated again, and Gaius opened his eyes slowly.

"Kyuuu…" Aurora took him in her hands. "You're awake, you're safe, Ga-chan…." She nuzzled him, and he whined questioningly but let it happen.

"So then, if I answer some more, I can ask more questions?"

"Too late. Now that you have passed your trial, I can no longer test you. To think, after a thousand years, my goal would be fulfilled…" it stated, and Julius frowned.

"What do you mean - Ah… Clever. You almost had me." He breathed out. "So then, answer this: This place was built centuries ago and tailored for two people. Two people and at least one of them must be able to read the mana perfectly, but only those with elvish blood can do that. And Elves aren't by nature people who would come here. That, and you knew both of our names. What's more, you talked about worth. Since the beginning, we both have been expected. So, my question is: "How come you knew about us?"

"..." it stayed silent. Then, after a short while, Aurora approached her father, Gaius still nestled in her hands.

"Hmmm… Father, it looks like you broke it."

"It looks like it, huh…"

"...Long ago, there was a war between humans, spirits, and demonkind and their contractors. During this war, my master's great love was taken away from him by the people she tried to help. Of course, history told a different account, but the truth is: after the war, my master, Janus, willingly went into isolation, tired and fed up with the world." The remnant suddenly spoke monotonously.

"Ah, he was getting ready." She commented, purple eyes twirling.

"To do so, he asked his four greatest, most-trusted subjects to seal him away, despite their protest." He started to explain. Aurora's eyes widened; that was quite different than what she read.

"However, while his exile was partly motivated by his now genuine dislike for humankind, there was one human he had dearly loved; his contractor, who showed him how resourceful, clever, and fundamentally good humans could be. But his friend also lost someone dear to him, his two little sisters. And so, he swore to bring them back and was willing to disturb the world's natural order to do so."

"He needed Janus's power to do so," Aurora muttered, and the remnant heard her. "Indeed, and it created friction between him and My Lord, who was unwilling to do so - and ultimately, they separated. "

"Because of this, his friend started to study how to dominate, control, and use demonic power to fulfill his needs. My Lord Janus couldn't accept his friend's decision and was comforted in his decision to leave, as his people could very well live on without him being physically present. But he regretted it bitterly when he learned that his dear friend, his last tether to the world of the living, finally went mad with grief and asked his progeny to continue his life's work: to find a way to use demonic power for the sake of the living."

"My Lord, before departing, wondered if he could - should have stopped him or helped him. And so, he had a vision; that one day, his nemesis would return and lay waste to both the Demon and the Living World. Then, a descendant of his contractor would face a terrible loss and, spurred by betrayal, would be willing to destroy the world's order, as his ancestor wanted."

"Wait, what?" Aurora tried to make sense of this, but the remnant continued without care. "My Lord knew his power would be needed, and he decided he wouldn't stand idle this time. Because of his inaction, his friend died pitifully, and he wanted to spare his family the same pain."

"He devised a plan to test the descendants and asked his four subjects to do so. This dungeon and I - were created to test your strength of character and the bond between you two. It also houses the mean to free My Lord." He finished in a blank voice as if he was repeating something someone had told him.

"...But I don't understand… That's so convoluted… And besides, Father already lost Mother, and while he wants to change the Kingdom, he doesn't want to destroy the world's order or anything… Right, father?" Aurora turned toward her father, who had a faraway look.

"If I could bring Diana back… I would do so in a heartbeat. However, it is a fool's errand. My daughter is alive, and I have a kingdom to run. I don't have time to travel the world to see if a legend is true!" He declared powerfully, and Aurora sweatdropped.

Her father was an incredible liar in so many ways, if he could say that with a straight face.

"And me neither." She added. "I mean, I don't feel the need to do any destruction - well, I wanted to bash your head before, but after hearing that…."

"My Lord works in mysterious ways, Aurora Novachrono. But, his visions, one way or another, always came true. One day, you will fully understand. But, for now, only the trial of Strength remains." The remnant started disappearing in thin air as if it were never there.

"Wait, wait, please! Why didn't you tell us our ancestor's name? What was it? Why was history changed that much?!" She asked in a hurry.

"That's three questions too many."

"At least the name! Please!"

"... Augustus. Augustus Zo-" It didn't have to finish and disappeared mid-sentence.

"Wha- you can't stop mid-way! That's not how it works!" While his daughter released her frustration, Julius looked aside towards the eastern wall, where a passage suddenly unlocked.

"Aurora," he called out to her, "The way is open." His daughter went to him and looked where he pointed. "Awesome! Let's go then!" She changed gears quickly and started to walk towards it but stopped when she realized her father wasn't following.

"Father? Are you alright?" He was strangely quiet.

"...What do make of what we heard?" He asked her, and Aurora put her hand under her chin.

"Well, I knew Janus was the spirit of Time, but I wonder who is the "Nemesis"... Seriously, what was up with this thing and its inability to say names?!" She said, frustrated.

"However! The history part was fascinating!" She continued, in high spirits this time. "I wonder what kind of magic these people were using…." Her eyes sparkled. "Spirits! Demons! Vision! There were so many interesting topics! I hope we get to learn more about all of this! It's a shame we didn't hear our ancestor's name, but I'm sure it will come up sooner or later!"

Julius chuckled. He started to walk beside his daughter. "I'm sure it will happen sooner or later, yes. But let's keep what we hear between us, okay? Especially if I have to send you on a "special mission."

Aurora giggled. "Yes, you're right. It only concerns us, after all. And by the way, father, warn me if you suddenly want to destroy the world's order!" She joked, smiling innocently.

"...You will be the first aware." He joked back with a smile.

Covertly, he flexed his still-tingling left hand.


"In any case, we found four golems after this part, kicked their ass, and went to the treasury, where I activated a trap."

"... Well, that was a neat summary, but I can't help you let out several details…." Marx sweatdropped.

"That was for the best; I didn't want to bore you out," Aurora replied.

"We're already bored, Junior." Yami said with a yawn, "There was no enigma, and I don't see - Okay, I see them." The man cut himself. "Nice."

Marx looked at the little army awaiting them. The room was probably changing according to the golems' number, but right now, that would become a massive scuffle.

However, right now, it seemed they were unresponsive, but… They were not sixteen, but eighteen golems.

"Heeeee?! I can't fight them! I'm no warrior!" Marx declared truthfully. "I'm more of a support mage!"

"... That's why I asked if you were coming too, you know…." Aurora supplied unhelpfully.

"That's okay, Marx. Yami and I will take your golems." Vengeance said with a smile.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" Yami asked, scratching his ear with his pinky.

"Kah Kah! Why you two and not me? I'll take all of 'em!" Jack declared, and Charlotte facepalmed at his idiocy. "Can we prepare at least? The faster, the better." Kaiser said helpfully, and Nozel nodded. "Yes, let's go. I don't want to waste any more time."

"Wait, so who takes which golems?" Rill asked, summoning his grimoire.

"Marx-san, can I ask you a favor?" Aurora asked her father's, right-hand man. "Could you turn the screen so I can see the battle?"

He had a bad feeling about this. "Why?"

"So that I can see everyone's magiii-I mean! See everyone's prowess and learn from it!" He could see her shaking her fists in excitement.

"Sure, let's go with that…." He snarked, but he did turn his screen so Aurora could see the battle.

"Excellent initiative, Aurora." Her captain commented, a small smile on his lips. "I better pull my weight, then."

"You didn't really believe her, did you?" Yami whispered to him. Vengeance smiled at him. "Of course not. She's Julius-sama's daughter." The Black Bulls Captain laughed.

After a bit more 'preparation,' Yami, Jack and Charlotte rushed ahead, signaling the start of the fight.


Frankly, Aurora didn't underestimate the Captains. She knew how powerful Vangeance and Yami were.

"I never thought they'd be so overwhelming…!"

The eight of them did short work of the eighteen golems.

"Darkness Magic: Dark Cloaked Avidya Slash!"

Yami started by swinging his sword straight toward the enemy. A sharp black blade extended from his sword, striking the skeleton with dreadful force. The blade sliced the golem in two, and he didn't stop, bringing his sword on two others, cutting them but not destroying them.

Aurora quickly understood their goal.

"Ohhhhh!" He can slash the space around! This is awesome!"

It didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the spectacle.

"Slash Magic: Death Scythe!"

The head and the rest of their body that was still attached to it were cleaved in two by Jack's aerial attack.

Indeed, you couldn't use your magic again against the same golem if you destroyed them; but while they were severely wrecking them, the golems were still functional.

Hence, every captain's magic was effective.

"Now, what do we do with the rest of them.."

"Waaaah!" He cut it like butter! I found them so hard to destroy, though!"

Rill prepared his brush and palette as he aimed for his pair of golems. Vividly colored paint-like magic danced around his palette, steadily gathering around his brush. He created a torrent of color as thick and long as a serpent.

"Painting Magic: Spring of Restriction!"

Waving his brush like a baton, he fired a torrent of magic at the golems, which wrapped around their body quickly. The spell slowly converted into stone, encasing them inside and sinking into the ground. What was depicted on the canvas was a single painting of a spring.

"Ooooohhhh! Awesome!" Aurora was absolutely beside herself with happiness. Her father really had a great idea to make them all come here!

Marx wisely said nothing, as he, too, was watching. He was too busy thinking about her 'betrayal' and what to say to his irresponsible forty-two-year-old boss.

"Briar Creation Magic: Limb-Cleaving Briar Lance!"

As Charlotte cast her spell, countless thorns shot out from behind her with bullet-like momentum, embedding them into her pair of golems and those around her, creating more space for Yami and Jack to push through the other golems at the back.

"Aaahhh! Incredible! She controlled their position so easily…! Again! I want to know how it worked!" Her pleas went unheard, but Marx sighed at her familiar eagerness.

"Hmmmff. It seems none of them retained the ability to use Time Magic. How dull." A bored voice said from behind.

"Mercury Magic: Silver Spear!"

Nozel fired spears of mercury in the back to support the four in front. The spears pierced through the golems, stopping them in place and creating a gap that allowed either Jack or Yami to slash through them, Charlotte to hit through them, or Rill to make them part of his paintings. Thanks to their downpour of attacks, more than half of the enemies were already ready to be blown away.

Some golems tried to fire magical bullets toward their close-quarters fighters, but Kaiser stopped them with his vortex magic, providing support and preventing any damage; that way, the three fighters could fight without caring about their defense.

"All right, Masked Weirdo, they're all yours!" Yami said as he cleaved the last golem in two.

Vengeance put his hand on the ground.

"World Tree Magic: Dracaena Formation!" He summoned multiple large roots wrapped around all the dangling and broken golems before ordering all the roots to twist and destroy the eighteen robots in one fell swoop.

And just like that, it was over.

"Ohhhh!" Aurora had stars in her eyes as she oohed and aahed once more. "Incredible! Such precise control over a massive and difficult spell like that! So cool! You all were amazing! You won so easily…" She said, clearly admirative.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Aurora-san, but you can come out now, you know…." Marx deadpanned, and Aurora scratched the back of her head. "You're right…! I'm coming to you now!" She said, and Marx cut off his spell.

Seconds later, a door on the far left of the room opened. And behind it was Aurora, holding a big jar.

Marx suddenly felt very tired as he got closer to her. "So, what do we need to do to free him from this thing?"

Aurora suddenly felt very sheepish, seeing as everyone was looking at her.

"Incredible! You really look a lot like him! Your eyes are purple, just like the Wizard King! But why is a part of your hair totally black? Rill asked her, and his instant proximity made Aurora uncomfortable.

Seeing the scene and her idiotic younger colleague, Charlotte intervened and chopped him hard in the head.

"It hurts! Why did you - I'm sorry." Rill automatically defaulted to say sorry when he saw the glowering face of the Blue Rose Captain looking daggers at him.

A bit disconcerted but definitely thankful as she timidly nodded to Charlotte, Aurora started to explain the 'trap.' "Er, you need to pour a lot of magic power in it and say a person's name. If the person is inside, she is freed. Otherwise, she is pulled inside. But-"

"Let's get this over with then." Marx cut her off, took the jar from her, and focused his mana on his hands. He felt it being drained and started to think it was a bad idea when he was left huffing and puffing.

"Haa...Haa… Not done yet?" He asked her, and she shook her head.

"Apparently, it was an item made by an elf, so when I said a lot of mana, it's kinda a lot," Aurora answered truthfully.

"You… Could… Have said it… before!" It would have been funny if he didn't look pale and sweaty.

"You didn't let me finish… " A large hand took the jar from Marx's hand rather carelessly.

"Uh. So you're in here, boss?" Yami said as he shook the jar, taking a drag of his cigarette with his other hand. "Woah. He really is inside." He focused, and soon enough, the jar started to faintly shine. "Julius Novachrono."

There wasn't any sign, just a little smoke from the jar, and suddenly, before all his captains, the Wizard King appeared.

He rolled his shoulders before greeting his knights with his usual gentle smile. "Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming here. And sorry for everything! To be caught at the end of the dungeon, in the treasure room, what's more… We have no excuses! I couldn't see where I was, but Aurora did her best to give me a play-by-play; it was amazing! Great job!" He said, acting a bit more awkwardly than usual.

Marx breathed out in relief; it looked like it was the usual Wizard King, even after all that.

"Kah Kah. I don't care; I got to cut and slash things up." Jack informed him, and Yami nodded. "Yeah, and we got to do something about the treasure. You mind?" He asked Julius, dragging a puff.

"Not at all. But leave it a bit for Aurora to send to her friends." Others looked at her questioningly. "My… My friends and loved ones, back at the orphanage. We need the money to buy food and clothes..." She answered, blushing.

"Do what you want. I'll go back now that everything is settled.." Nozel said, glaring at Aurora. She could feel his disapproval, and the girl wondered what she did wrong to deserve such aggressive feelings. "Wizard King, I understand your stance. But you've seen from our performance that we certainly do not need to get along to be effective. I'll see you next time." With that, he turned over and walked towards the exit, alone.

Aurora saw her father smiling a bit sadly. He could only hope that he managed a bit of his goal with Nozel.

Marx cleared out his throat and looked straight at the father-daughter pair.

"Everyone who wants to help pull that treasure out of it, here's a couple of sturdy bags we can use. Oh! And take your time! I have a bit to do…" He said, with the most terrifying smile Aurora had ever seen. "Right?" He looked straight at them.

"Ri-right." Julius stiffened, and Aurora subtly went behind him.

Vengeance chuckled. "We should go."

Yami nodded, and soon enough, all of the captains, even the asleep one, walked towards the treasury and far from their master and daughter, leaving them to their fate.

Unbeknownst to them, Aurora and Julius looked at all of them go and exchanged a smile.

Marx saw it, but didn't understood the ramifications. So instead, he whirled towards Julius. "You! You said you'd be here! You liar!" Marx told his master petulantly.

"I didn't lie. I did say I'd be fine, not that I'd be here on time." Julius answered simply, but Marx didn't care or didn't hear.

"Pretty sure that's the former." Aurora snarked in her head.

Need I remind you that you're a forty-two years old man?! Things turned out okay this time because all the captains happened to be here, but what would you have done if all this happened and you were all alone!? This is why I keep telling you!"

"Yes…Yes…Yes…" Marx scolded Julius for a long time, to the point that he was still at it when the captains started returning.

"Aurora-san," He started, gazing at her, and she snapped back at attention. "I thought I could count on you. Somehow, I thought you'd be my ally in making sure your father did his job. But instead, here we are, and he was stuck into a jar you activated… Never in my life before have I felt so deceived." Marx told her, pouring his heart out.

Then, to his surprise, she giggled and laughed at him.

"Aurora is my daughter, Marx-kun. This alone should have clued you in. She's not as nerdy as me, but she may be even more curious." Julius supplied unhelpfully.

"So, the scene from last time… When you were all for your father is a good example… You were really messing with me?!"

"No, I truly believe that, but Marx-san, between paperwork and the promise of an adventure, There isn't any need to hesitate," Aurora said to him between giggles, as if skipping work to go out in the wild exploring strange places instead was common wisdom.

"..."

"Well, to be honest, sometimes you're making it kind of easy," Julius added, and Marx's eyebrow twitched.

"Father is right, Marx-san. You should be more suspicious!"

Marx felt like a fundamental truth of the world hit him at this very moment. A clarity of purpose. A path finally revealed.

A truth denied no longer.

"I hate you both."


And that's the end of it! Next time, Aurora go back to the Golden Dawn, only to be sent to the Bulls! And she won't go alone!

As for the Key of Gnome, the mean to free Janus... I plan to use it again later! But of course, none but the Novachrono know of it.

Hope you liked the chapter! See you next time!