Chapter 2566 Mother and Son <TOC> Chapter 2568 Underground Structures
Translator: SumTLMan
When Angel withdrew the Nightmare Illusion after asking his last question, Marsha’s eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the ground.
The surrounding mist gradually dissipated, and little Colo, witnessing his mother lying on the ground, felt the chill of death, a permanent goodbye he had seen too often. Admiring his parents as heroes, his greatest fear was receiving news of their demise. Now, seeing his mother’s pale, “dead” face, his pupils dilated, and his emotions crumbled almost instantaneously.
Colo, previously frightened by the few people across from him, seemed to forget his fear as he brandished a harmless wooden sword and charged at them.
“You killed Mom… I will kill you, kill all of you!”
With red-rimmed eyes, Colo resembled an enraged beast, though to the onlookers, he seemed more like a meowing kitten.
His reckless sprint resulted in a tumble.
A pale blue, transparent, large hand appeared in front of him, unnoticed by Colo, who was then catapulted backward from the bounce.
Despite the fall, Colo, enduring the pain, tried to charge again.
However, Angel didn’t give him a chance. A Magic Hand caught him by his cloak, dangling him midair with legs flailing.
“Your mother isn’t dead,” Angel stated plainly, cutting through the nonsense before tossing Colo next to Marsha.
In his frenzied state, Colo didn’t grasp what Angel had said, but upon landing beside his mother and seeing her chest rise and fall, he finally “woke up.”
Exhausted by the burst of emotion, Colo had no strength left, sitting collapsed on the ground, silently shedding tears as he watched his mother’s pale face.
“I’ve said before, such naughty children just need a few lashes. Yet you still insist on explaining things to him; what’s there to explain?” Daus muttered to Angel.
Angel merely gave Daus a puzzled look: “You’re really trying to be like Mordiya, aren’t you?”
Pausing briefly, Angel continued: “He’s not at fault, after all.”
In Angel’s view, Colo hadn’t done much wrong. Even if Colo showed anger, weren’t they the ones who disturbed the balance by their very presence? Thus, they were the ones who had disrupted the peace.
However, although Angel engages in self-reflection, that is as far as it goes. He considers others’ perspectives in making choices between peace and conflict, but his primary concern remains his own needs. Thus, he uses spells similar to hypnotic Nightmare Illusions on Marsha without any qualms, now that his goal has been achieved and nothing else matters.
“Marsha mentioned that the Hero Squad has three secret gathering spots, representing three entrances to the underground labyrinth. However, the squad only operates on the surface and has never ventured deeper, so we still need to test which one actually leads to our destination.”
Pausing, Angel looks meaningfully at Daus and adds: “The target area, if all goes as expected, encompasses Areas Three and Four and some surrounding territories.”
Angel does not fully understand the specific Areas here, so he refers to the few he knows.
“The first entrance is located in the southwest of Area Three. This passage connects Areas Two and Three, and given the distance from our destination, I think it’s less likely. However, since the Hero Squad hasn’t ventured deep, we can’t rule out other branches within Area Three.”
“The second passage is in the north of Area Three, where the Hero Squad first arrived. According to Marsha, they learned about this entrance from a dying adventurer. It supposedly contains gold and ancient relics that are not yet completely decayed, as well as unknown dangers. The Hero Squad has been mainly stationed near this passage recently. I think this one is more likely because the presence of gold and antiques suggests proximity to the old underground official structures, and our target location is not far from these structures.”
“The third passage…” Angel glances at the wall directly opposite the cellar, “is right behind this wall. Marsha says that behind this wall is an underground passage leading directly to a large underground structure, similar to an arena. However, it contains no monsters or traps and is used by the Hero Squad as a rest and logistics point.”
The reason Colo was in the cellar is that he came from the logistics point, waiting for his mother, Marsha, to return.
“However, they haven’t discovered any other passages inside, which might mean it’s a dead end. But it’s strange for a standalone underground structure to have only one exit; I feel there might be other hidden paths inside.”
After briefly analyzing the three passages, Angel turns his gaze to Daus: “Daus, what do you think?”
Daus looks perplexed: “What can I think? You’ve already analyzed everything.”
Angel clarifies: “I mean, which entrance do you think we should take?”
Daus responds instinctively, “How would I know… You’re not using me as a prophecy wizard again, are you? I’ve told you, my intuition is just more frequent than other wizards, but not to the extent you imagine!”
Angel simply smirks, noncommittally. Daus is clearly puzzled; in fact, his spiritual perception has already shown signs of a nascent talent. Almost every correct choice previously was pushed by Daus unconsciously, but he hasn’t realized it yet.
Angel doesn’t point it out, as doing so might backfire. Only when Daus sees through this confusion will his talent truly manifest.
Angel looks at the stone slab in Vai’s hands: “Does the Black Count have any suggestions?”
The Black Count replies, “I’m just a nose, not the brain. Don’t ask me about these things. Besides, my chances have run out; it’s better if you decide.”
By emphasizing “you,” the Black Count not only acknowledges Daus’ situation and his confusion but also subtly suggests, “You make the decision,” without directly saying so, indicating that the choice should be left to Daus while Angel makes the final call.
Daus did not grasp the deep meaning behind the Black Count’s words, and he even muttered softly: “I don’t believe you’d just use up such a powerful card so easily.”
Black Count: “When I say it’s used up, it’s used up. Are you questioning me, Red Sword boy?”
Daus quickly waved his hands: “I believe, I believe. What I mean is, Lord Black Count surely has other tricks up his sleeve to guide our way.”
As an old friend of Daus, Vai chimed in: “Daus definitely didn’t mean to question you, ancestor.”
The Black Count, not bothering with Vai who had reduced himself to a mere tool, merely exerted a bit of his energy to intimidate Daus, then turned to Angel: “Don’t waste your strength on how to decide, if it really comes down to it, we’ll go one by one.”
Angel: “How about this, based on our current positions from left to right, we’ll vote in that order.”
Today’s standing from left to right: Kael, Vai, Daus, Angel.
After Angel finished speaking, he looked at the Black Count.
The Black Count understood Angel’s suggestion: “It’s a silly method, but it might work, let’s do it that way, though I’ll go last. Vai’s vote doesn’t count as mine.”
“Since Lord Black Count agrees, let’s do it this way. It’s no problem for Lord Black Count to be the final decision-maker,” Angel said. “Also, to prevent you from being influenced by others’ votes, I’ll create a one-way mental connection for each of you, connecting you. You just need to say in the mental connection who you want to vote for.”
“Lastly, no abstentions are allowed, even choosing at random is better than not voting.”
With that, Angel established the mental connection centered on himself, connecting everyone.
“Alright, let’s start voting, beginning with Kael.”
Angel looked towards Kael, and soon, the message transmitted through the one-way mental connection connected to Kael came through.
“The second entrance.” That is, the one in the north section suspected of hiding gold and antiques.
Angel didn’t comment and looked at the second voter, Vai, whose choice was also “the second entrance.”
Finally, reaching the critical point, Angel looked towards Daus.
The choices of others didn’t matter, and there wasn’t even a need to listen to them. The reason for arranging the vote this way was to hear what Daus would say.
“I don’t know,” came Daus’ careless voice through the link.
Angel: “If you don’t know, just pick randomly, and we’ll announce each person’s vote later. Whichever entrance has the most votes, we’ll take that one.”
Daus frowned: “Such a hassle, then just the first entrance in The Cellar, I don’t want to run around.”
Angel nodded expressionlessly and then turned his head to look at the Black Count.
The Black Count didn’t cast a vote but directly asked through the mental connection: “Which entrance?”
Angel: “The one through the cellar.”
He nodded in understanding, then remained silent.
Angel then turned to the others, and amidst their speculative gazes, he slowly said: “Everyone has cast their votes. Now, I will announce each person’s choice, and I believe you all know whether it’s true or not.”
“Kael, chose the second entrance. Vai, chose the second entrance. Daus, chose the third entrance, which is the entrance to the cellar.”
Pausing, Angel continued: “I myself have no particular preference, but the cellar is closer, so we might as well start exploring from the nearest entrance. Therefore, I also choose the third entrance.”
“As for Lord Black Count, his choice is the same as mine; he also goes through the cellar.”
Black Count snorted coldly: “Everyone said any entrance could be possible, we should obviously start from the nearest. Those who seek far and neglect what’s near, I don’t know what they’re thinking.”
Black Count’s sarcasm also confirmed that he indeed chose the cellar entrance.
However, the expressions on Vai and Kael’s faces turned slightly unpleasant. After all, they had chosen the “far” entrance.
“The results are in, three to two, so let’s start with the cellar entrance first,” Angel made the final decision.
The group had no objections; this was the result of a vote. Majority rules, so they followed the majority.
Yet, Daus felt something was wrong and walked up to Angel, murmuring: “How come the three of us chose the cellar?”
“The apprentices are all eager to start from the most likely beginning, while we are more pragmatic and choose to start from what is nearest. It’s quite normal,” Angel explained.
Daus asked: “Is that really the case?”
“Of course, it is,” Angel replied: “However, in light of the outcome for Little Gold’s sake, if you want to change your vote, I can give you that chance.”
Even Black Count did not object to Angel’s remark, obviously conceding that Daus could change his vote.
After all, the future is not linear; maybe Daus’ change of vote also falls within the range of inspiration.
As for how Angel would justify it if Daus changed his vote, that wasn’t a worry. If Daus changed to the first or second entrance, it would still be 3 to 2 according to Daus’ choice.
If Daus chose the first entrance, it would result in a 2 to 2 tie, and Daus’ vote would be independent. Angel would then say, in the event of a tie, they would vote again or ask if anyone else wanted to change their vote.
In any case, there were plenty of reasons, and in the end, they would follow Daus’ choice.
Daus asked: “Can I really change my vote?”
Angel replied: “If you want to change, no one will stop you, speak now, make it quick if you’re going to change.”
After a moment’s thought, Daus shook his head: “Never mind, let’s start from the cellar, after all, it’s closer.”
Angel nodded without paying further attention to Daus and approached the wall. Following the method described by Marsha, he prepared to activate the mechanism to open the passage leading to the underground stronghold.
Daus stood still, watching Angel’s retreating figure, silently pondering: Why do I always feel like I’m being watched? Is it just my imagination?
Shaking his head, Daus dismissed the thought. After all, he didn’t sense any malice, so he decided to let it be.
The method to open the passage was simple, involving the same wire behind the cabinet. If the wire were cut, it would trigger a crossbow trap that shoots at enemies. However, by gently pulling on the thin wire instead, it would activate the internal mechanism and reveal a hidden entrance.
As expected, Angel gently pulled the wire, and the wall began to slowly tremble, revealing a small door.
“This mechanism doesn’t seem like a modern invention; could it be from before the Garden Labyrinth became a ruin?” Kael, who often studied ruins, squatted in front of the small door, scrutinizing the setup of the mechanism.
“If this is indeed a mechanism from before the ruin, consider this: above us is a civilian home, but below, a cellar hides a passage leading to an unknown underground structure. Could it be possible that this was a secret meeting place for followers of a villainous cult, like the Demon God’s followers, originally from within the Garden Labyrinth?”
Kael speculated, his face lit with evident longing.
Angel didn’t understand why Kael displayed such longing at that moment, but he roughly grasped why Kael enjoyed exploring ruins.
Perhaps he was someone who chased after history.
Chapter 2566 Mother and Son <TOC> Chapter 2568 Underground Structures