Chapter 64: I woke up too fast, let me sleep a little longer

Under Prim’s guidance, Cynthia and the others retreated to a wider secret passage.
They stared at the small circular mark on the wall before them.

Cynthia lightly tapped the gray bricks with her hand.
A hollow sound, distinct from a solid wall, confirmed her suspicion.
There was definitely another passage behind it.
“Are you all groundhogs? How do you dig so many secret passages?”

Cynthia couldn’t help but grumble.
Who could’ve imagined such an intricate network of tunnels beneath the royal capital?

“…Just learning from history.”

Prim sighed, her mind drifting to the origins of these secret passages.
Even she hadn’t expected these ancient relics to prove useful now.

There seemed to be many hidden secrets here, but Cynthia had no interest in them.
She gauged the thickness of the bricks and waved to Prim and Rustia.
“Step back a bit. I’m going to use some force.”

Rustia watched Cynthia’s back, hesitating as if she wanted to speak.
In the end, she gripped her staff tightly, ready to summon icicles to stabilize the structure if needed.

Fortunately, her fears didn’t come to pass.
Cynthia didn’t overdo it—she pushed firmly, and the gray bricks collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Ahem… these things haven’t been used in ages.”

The secret passage trapped the dust, making it linger.
Cynthia used a bit of magic to clear the swirling haze.
“By the way, where does this passage lead? It seems to go in a different direction.”

“This… I’m not entirely sure…”

Prim stepped closer, peering into the newly opened tunnel.
“There are so many underground passages near the palace, and plenty of deceptive dead ends…”

“Dead ends…?”

Cynthia caught Prim’s meaning.
“So, this passage we’re in might be a dead end?”
“You’re telling me you built a maze underground?!”

Prim nodded silently, confirming Cynthia’s outburst.

Cynthia was speechless.
Who builds a maze in their own basement?
Sure, a maze is one thing, but in this state, one wrong turn could trap them forever, right?

“Ugh… whatever, let’s just keep moving for now.”

What else could Cynthia do at this point?
She’d have to scout ahead and figure out the next step.

After walking for who-knows-how-long, Cynthia, leading the way, suddenly stopped.
Her worst fear had come true.

“…It’s a dead end.”

“Yup.”

“Seriously.”

Cynthia and Prim exchanged a look of frustration.
Prim spread her hands, her face lit by the glow of the Purification Stone, radiating helplessness.

“I didn’t build this thing. If you want to blame someone, track down my great-grandfather.”

Even Cynthia, who’d kept her cool through all sorts of chaos, couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Your country’s hopeless. Just waiting to collapse.”

“Now that we’re here, we can still make it work, right?”

“How about… we backtrack and find another route?”

Sensing the tension, Rustia chimed in softly, offering a timid suggestion.
“Maybe there’s still time?”

“Time’s questionable, but—huh?”

Cynthia was leaning against the brick wall, about to respond to Rustia, when she felt an odd tremor under her hand.
She glanced at the wall—no circular mark like before.

Curiosity piqued, she turned to Prim.
“There’s nothing behind this wall either? Any ideas?”

“Empty? No way.”

Prim stepped forward, skepticism on her face, and pushed the wall Cynthia was touching.
It didn’t budge.
“Are you sure? There shouldn’t be anything behind it.”

“No, there’s definitely something.”

Cynthia stretched her arms, blood-colored magic surging into her fists, forming deep red boxing gloves.
“You two, step aside! I’m really going all out this time!”

Before Prim or Rustia could react, Cynthia pounded the wall relentlessly, making it groan under the assault.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!

In the dungeon, time had blurred since Ina was bound to the cross.
All she knew was one thing: she was starving.

Her head drooped listlessly.
The faint pain from her restrained limbs kept sleep at bay.
She kept trying, futilely, to summon her magic power.

What kind of drug had Celia slipped into her tea to block her magic for so long?!
If that stuff hit the market, it’d cause a riot, wouldn’t it?
‘Assassins would be laughing all the way to the bank, while their victims cursed them from the heavens!’

Knock, knock…

A strange sound reached Ina’s ears.
She glanced at her stomach and sighed inwardly.
‘I never thought I’d end up starving in a place like this… What a unique experience…’

Bang, bang!!

The noise didn’t stop—it grew faster, more insistent.
Ina grew curious.
How long had she been hungry for her stomach to growl like that?

Boom, boom…

The heavy sounds grew louder, clearer.
Only then did Ina realize—her stomach couldn’t be making that noise.
Who’s stomach growls like a cannon barrage when they’re hungry?!

BOOM, BOOM!!

The sound sharpened, and Ina could tell it wasn’t her stomach.
It was coming from… behind the wall at the far end of the dungeon?
‘Oh no, it’s not an earthquake, is it…’

As the noise spread, the dungeon trembled faintly.
Bound as she was, Ina could only watch helplessly.
‘I’m done for, done for, done for…’

BOOM!!!

Before Ina could mentally draft her will, the opposite wall erupted with the sound of shattering stone.
In an instant, it crumbled into fragments, collapsing to the ground and raising a thick cloud of dust.
A massive hole gaped in its place.

“Good grief, did a groundhog warrior dig the wrong tunnel…?”

Ina blinked, staring at the hole.
She didn’t dare hope someone was here to save her.
Cynthia didn’t even know where she was—how could anyone find her?

Before she could finish her thought, three dusty figures emerged from the haze.
The one in front looked startlingly familiar.
Even the voice matched the reliable figure in Ina’s mind.

“Ahem… Uh… Where are we?”

‘Oh my goddess, I’m hallucinating from the intensity.’

But as the dust cleared, Ina’s eyes widened, tears welling up.
She stared at the figure, her voice trembling.
“Cynthia-chan?!”

“Eh? That voice… Ina?! Why are you here?!”