Chapter 288 Two “sisters” alone? (II)
White Dragon Labyrinth Exploration Arc.
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(POV: Akashic Records)
Back to the depths of the labyrinth.
Lumila and Elise forged on, their footsteps echoing through the desolate corridors.
Hours had passed, yet there was no sign of an exit in sight.
Lumila's frustration was growing by the minute.
"We've been walking on a straight line for nearly three hours."
Her words came out as calm, but exasperation was heavily written in her voice.
Elise, always the shy one, maintained a cautious distance from Lumila, not wanting to impose.
They were nearly three meters apart.
She mumbled softly, barely audible, "Mhm."
A pungent stench wafted through the air, assaulting their senses.
Lumila wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"These tunnels are starting to smell worse than they look," she complained, her face contorting in distaste.
Elise nodded silently, her face buried deeper within the confines of her scarf.
The two continued their journey in silence.
Their predicament was a little more delicate than the others.
Because of that, Lumila used any small second she had to complain. The mere thought of being stuck here for another minute would drive her crazy.
Nothing was working out, most especially, magic arts and magic skills.
If they were, she'd have used her Unique Skill [Navigator] to find her way.
It was a skill that could be used to track something provided they'd seen it at least once. As such, they'd even be able to sense other forms of energy with it — provided they had an idea what that said energy looked or felt like. It was the ultimate skill when sued in a strategic approach.
Lumila, unable to contain her frustration any longer, sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"It seems like we won't be escaping this labyrinth anytime soon," she muttered.
Elise murmured, her voice lacking conviction, "Mhm."
Lumila's patience reached its breaking point.
She abruptly turned to face Elise, her eyes filled with frustration and anger.
"Is that really all you can say? You sound like an annoying, uneventful human being!" she shouted.
Her voice was reverberating through the empty corridors.
Elise froze in place, her body trembling.
"I... I'm sorry..."
She stammered out an apology, her words barely audible above the echoes of Lumila's outburst.
Lumila's voice grew sharper.
"That's the issue with you, Elise," she exclaimed, her steps closing in on Elise.
She reached out and grabbed Elise by the collar of her scarf, her grip firm.
"You're always apologizing, always letting people walk all over you. You're utterly useless as the leader of a noble house!"
Lumila yanked on the scarf, Elise's fingers instinctively clinging to the fabric, too afraid to pull back.
With a forceful tug, Lumila dragged Elise closer.
"Even now, you can't defend yourself," she seethed, her words biting. "It's honestly infuriating."
"I... I... I'm..."
"Don't you dare apologize again! Don't!"
As the tension reached its peak, Lumila's anger consumed her, propelling her to forcefully rip the scarf from Elise's neck.
The fabric tore away, leaving Elise exposed and vulnerable.
Lumila's voice filled the air, sharp and cutting, as she berated Elise.
"Always acting like a stupid little helpless child that can't do anything other than cry...! You've been like this for so long and not even one shred of development, it's absolutely irritating! Just looking at you and that scarf turns my insides!"
Elise's eyes welled up with tears.
The emotional turmoil was too much to bear.
"Can't you do anything other than be useless and make mistakes! You always make mistakes and then you cry about it... Can't you do anything that'll give you some sense of accomplishment! You have zero common sense! Zero sense of self respect! So what do you have?!"
The tears fell slowly, tracing paths down her cheeks, as Lumila's words sliced through her already fragile confidence.
"Whatever."
With a painful disregard, Lumila threw the scarf to the ground and stormed off without a second glance, leaving Elise alone.
Trembling, Elise sank to the ground, her shaking hand reaching out to touch the discarded, and now torn scarf.
Her tears cascaded even more freely now, as she struggled to hold back her sobs.
Choked with regret, Elise's voice quivered as she muttered to herself, "I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I... I... I don't want to cause you any problems... I don't want to look be a burden to you... I'm sorry for being... Around you, I'm really sorry."
Meanwhile, Lumila's impatience did not subside.
She abruptly stopped in her tracks, frustration evident on her face, and scolded Elise once again for her incessant crying.
"Ugh, again with the crying! Just stop!" she exclaimed.
Resuming her forward movement, Lumila left Elise behind, walking on.
It was unlike her to shout. In other situations, she was mostly always calm, but everything about Elise irked her, she couldn't fathom how one person could be so weak willed. Especially since they were the next in line to rule over a noble house.
Elise, fragile and broken, clenched the black scarf in her hands, finding solace in its familiar touch.
In silence, she followed behind Lumila, overcome with discomfort yet knowing that sticking close to her was the only path forward.
And then, like a shattered glass reflecting a different reality, the scenery around them abruptly transformed.
The dark, desolate labyrinth shattered into countless fragments, replaced by a vibrant garden teeming with blossoming flowers.
Amidst the sudden shift, Lumila calmly adjusted her glasses.
"Wow, that was a drastic change," she remarked, breaking the heavy silence.
Elise remained silent, her presence lingering behind Lumila.
Right then, she was doing her best not to cry.
Lumila strode forward.
And soon after Elise followed her.
"Don't follow me..." said Lumila as she came to a stop.
Lumila continued to move again.
Elise couldn't help but feel a pang of uncertainty.
Should she follow? She knew Lumila had told her not to, but her fear of getting lost overwhelmed her. Without a second thought, Elise pushed her own hesitation aside and gingerly trailed after Lumila, her footsteps quiet and cautious.
Lumila abruptly came to a halt, her back still turned to Elise.
She turned around, frustration written all over her face, and sharply.
"Didn't I tell you not to follow me?"
Lumila snapped, her words were piercing, in a sense.
Elise's heart raced, and she stumbled over her words.
"I... I'm sorry," she stammered, fear creeping into her voice. "I... I didn't know where we were, and I was scared of losing my way."
Lumila's expression softened just a fraction, but her annoyance remained palpable.
"How is that my problem?" she retorted, impatience in her tone. "Figure it out yourself."
Elise's head lowered, her eyes cast downward.
She could feel the weight of Lumila's words crushing her spirit.
"I... I apologize," she managed to utter.
Lumila's frustration reached its boiling point, and her voice thundered through the garden.
"There you go again, saying sorry like it means anything!" she exclaimed.
"I... I just wanted to..."
"No matter how many times you say it, I still hate you. Nothing can change that fact. And I'm sure every other person you say that to feels the same way..."
Elise's widened eyes betrayed her shock and fear.
She stood there, rooted to the spot, as Lumila stormed off, leaving her alone in the garden.
Tears welled up in Elise's eyes, threatening to spill over as she whispered to herself, "I... I didn't mean to... I just wanted..."
Meanwhile, Lumila continued her brisk pace, muttering to herself.
"That girl always manages to get on my nerves..."
Lost in her own thoughts, she turned a corner and saw a small, distraught girl huddled on the ground.
"Huh?"
Lumila looked down at the teary-eyed child.
"A little girl...?"
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