Undrila rested on a swimming pool. Her slippery fins twitched as the currents of different temperatures alternately grazed her body. The warmth and chill poured inside her mucky skin, coursing through her vessels, filling her with the energy to keep going.
It had been a stressful day.
After Corane and the other Monster Girls left, Undrila had to manage the Labyrinth of Love by herself. She had done it before, but it couldn't prevent her from missing Corane. Time seemed to go by slower when she was alone.
"Corane, I didn't realise you have been working this much," Undrila mumbled. "You're indeed the more careful of us two. Without you, I don't think the Labyrinth could reach this height."
Though she submerged herself under the water, the documents in her hands remained dry, coated by a thin layer of magic. She had been going through them for hours, but their number was endless. Though most of them were trivial matters, she still read all of them.
As Undrila was about to finish the pile, a knock resounded. She frowned and looked at the door. This place was one of her private rooms. None except Corane would bother her.
Corane can’t be coming back so soon. It must be something urgent.
Undrila reluctantly emerged from the water. Her colourful scales glowed under the soft candlelight, shimmering like crystals. She snapped her fingers, drying herself, pulling the prepared clothes to her hands.
She casually wore them, giving herself a sleepy, charming appearance.
"You may enter now.”
The Monster Girl outside gently pushed open the door and stepped in. She dressed in a uniform of the First Hall. Her brown wrinkled clothes and her messy hair indicated that she hadn't been resting for a while. Panting, she wiped her sweats and walked towards Undrila, holding an envelope in her hand.
"Lord Undrila, please—"
"Stop." Undrila placed her fingertip on her lips, smiling. She walked towards the Monster Girl, standing too close to her, making her blush. "Don't say anything. You're tired, so you should rest first."
"But this info—"
"This is not a request. It is an order." Undrila grasped the Monster Girl's chin and tickled it, sending her a shiver. "If you're tired, your report won't be clear-headed or concise. I don't want to listen to it. Now that Corane isn't here, I am the laws."
The Monster Girl weakly nodded and went to sit on a sofa near the swimming pool. Her back strengthened, her eyes darting everywhere, observing the luxurious decorations. She tried to keep her panting down, but her anxiety forced her to take a deep breath every time she gasped.
Undrila watched the Monster Girl and giggled. After a moment of silence, her eyes gleamed. She walked towards the Monster Girl, sat beside her, and leant onto her shoulder. Undrila's scaled body softly brushed against the Monster Girl’s sensitive skin, making her tremble. Her red flush widened Undrila's smile.
Only after a few minutes of ambiguous silence did Undrila notice that the Monster Girl had regained her composure, looking beautiful now. Not only that, but she also gained some courage to eye Undrila, peeking at her fins and glittering body, admiring the beauty seldom seen.
"If you have the courage to lust after my body, you should have the energy to report the message," Undrila whispered. "If your answer isn't satisfactory, your punishment awaits."
"Lord, can I have it as my reward instead?" The Monster Girl smirked. "I've been naughty. Please bend me into the shape you desired."
"Let's not get carried away with this. I've already remembered your scent." Undrila chuckled. "Now, what is this emergency matter?"
The Monster Girl held her breath and gave Undrila the envelope. Her hands slightly quivered as her grip on it tightened. The playful smile on her face faded as worry clouded her eyes.
"It's regarding the skirmish against the Subterranean Creatures," she said. "The intensity and frequency of the battles soar exponentially during the last few days. Even some of the deeper creatures that normally don't appear near the surface start to join the war."
"How bad is it?" Undrila frowned.
"We can still hold on for a few days, but if the intensity keeps rising at the same rate, we might have to retreat a few Layers." The Monster Girl lowered her head. "We're sorry, Lord, but without your intervention, we won’t be able to keep the Ashes Forest Layer."
"We cannot lose the Puppeteer Legacy Ground," Undrila said. "It’s been too long since we tried to find another piece. Now that we found it, how can we let it go?"
"Please punish me for my incompetence, Lord Undrila!" The Monster Girl flushed. "May you bestow us another chance. We are the citizens of this haven. Please let us repay your kindness."
"Then work hard and rest well. If you throw away your life, my and Corane's effort would have been in vain." Undrila got up and stretched, her fins quivering. "It is in my selfish desire to keep the Puppeteer Legacy Ground, so I must be the one who contributes the most."
Undrila smiled and gestured for the Monster Girl to follow her. The two exited the room and walked along the hall until they left Undrila's residential area. Multiple Monster Girls were walking to and fro, dealing with essential papers and materials, keeping the Labyrinth of Love functioning smoothly.
Once Undrila entered the hall, the Monster Girls halted their footsteps and greeted her. Their smiles and bows were charming and energetic like that of young maidens whose spring had just begun. Undrila spoke a few words of encouragement and teased them with some flirts before she let them go.
"How is the group of Monster Girls Amplicia took under her care?" Undrila turned to the Monster Girl that was following her. "Is there any news about them?"
Undrila was mildly interested in this group of Monster Girls, especially the Slime Girl, Iris. To gain Amplicia's favour so fast and effortlessly, their circumstances must have been special.
"They have been staying at Lord Amplicia's mansion," the Monster Girl said. "The Slime Girl went to her old place once, but I don't know the clear detail."
The Monster Girl didn't mention anything significant, for Undrila had already known all about those. What Undrila wanted was the gossips and rumours of the other Monster Girls, something outside the records.
Though most of them were false, the truth would sometimes hide inside them.
"After this is over, send an invitation to that Slime Girl. I want to have a little chat with her." Undrila smiled. She still remembered Iris's appearance even though they had only met once. "Something about her reminds me of—"
A chill rushed throughout Undrila, gripping her heart. She cut her words short and looked down at her hands. A small runic symbol manifested and flickered, searching for any abnormality. Her carefree, sleepy expression turned solemn.
The runic symbol found nothing. It wasn't a curse nor a spell.
My premonition is acting up? A danger?
Undrila raised her hands and dismissed the Monster Girl. After the Monster Girl left, Undrila murmured a spell. Her body glowed and dissolved into vapours before reforming inside the Carefree Reflection Chamber.
A soothing air greeted her face, calming her heart, clearing the clouds of distraction in her mind. She sank onto the sofa, feeling the cotton pillows hugging her as her mind raced through the possibilities.
A decisive battle against the Subterranean Creatures? Impossible. The subterranean forces won't send their armies just for a small ruin, let alone invading the Sinking Dark Forest, one of the Forbidden Locations.
A mysterious existence from the depth of the Sinking Dark Forest? No. They wouldn't want my Labyrinth nor slaughter us Monster Girls. We are of the same origin, with the same common enemies.
Then that leaves three possibilities: an internal conflict, a demonic invasion, or the Pure Races. What could it be?
Wait, has the secret of the Shadow Heart Fragment been leaked?
Undrila shivered, her hands tingling. If the oncoming threat were strong enough to chase after the Shadow Heart Fragment, she would be in grave danger. One must at least reach the Solidification Phase before they could rightfully chase after the legacy of Lady Lilith.
"Corane, you must be safe," she mumbled. "I'll hold on until you come back. You must come back. Our promise, you still remember it, right?"
While Undrila was thinking about the future, a faint tremor spread across the Labyrinth of Love as a bright golden glare flashed above the forest, revealing a figure cloaked in a glowing yellow robe. His hands held a book and a quill, whose features gleamed like the sun, spreading their brilliance across the sky, announcing their arrival.
Undrila looked up, her gaze piercing through the underground world, landing on the cloaked figure. She understood that the disaster was here, faster than expected.
The golden-cloaked man, a Cardinal, quietly waited in front of one of the entrances of the Labyrinth, smiling. His demeanour expressed an air of gentleness, forgiveness.
"Undrila, Lord of the Labyrinth of Love, please come out and discuss with me the truth of the world," he said. His soft voice rang throughout the Labyrinth, heard by all Monster Girls. "It would be inappropriate for me to go in."
"No need to be too polite, Sir Golden Cardinal," Undrila's sound echoed. A cloud of vapours converged into her figure. In her hand held a shiny mirror in her hand. "May I ask you two questions before we begin?"
"I shall allow it. The talented and the extraordinary are those we should respect. They are the seeds of the future." The Golden Cardinal said. "If you think we are cooperating with the Subterranean Creatures, you're mistaken, but you're correct if you think some of the Monster Girls are on our side."
Undrila shivered.
"Is this the plan of the Divine, of Fate?" She clenched her fists. "I won't lose to you, Golden Cardinal of Virtue."
"The Seven Goddesses have lent their divine grace, and Lady Fate has guided me to meet you at this moment." The Golden Cardinal released his suppressed power. He was at the peak of the Condensation Phase. A step forwards would be the rank of the Popes and the Holy Maidens. "I shall ask you for one last time. Will you repent and rejoin the grace of the Divine?"
Undrila gritted her teeth, clutching the mirror in her hand. The Carefree Mirror glowed, and the Carefree Reflection Chamber materialised around her. It was a House Artefact, composed of the core Carefree Mirror and other precious material.
"We Monster Girls have never feared Fate. Our existence is proof that Destiny isn't absolute. So what if it is Fate? We shall break apart the general trend of the world and prove once more that we deserve this freedom!"
The two clashed as a wall of white light burst from the edge of the Sinking Dark Forest and engulfed everything, moving closer towards Mount Purple Cloud in the middle of the forest. Everything turned white, holy, serene as if the Heavenly Kingdoms had descended onto the material plane.
