Stigma Effect

She had a vague sense that her powers were beginning to grow stronger. After seeing the vision in the alchemy tower, Yuriel sometimes felt strange sensations.

When training at the training ground in Albraka, even with her eyes closed, she could vaguely know where the knights were. Raphlet's presence was felt very clearly.

What was the reason, Yuriel quickly found out.

‘The monster core.’

She was able to detect it. The presence of the knights with core fragments was faint. It was only when several people had to gather together she could realize that there were fragments of a monster over there.

However, thanks to the weak presence, Yuriel's abilities blossomed quickly. If it was a monster with an intact core, Yuriel could find the location of the monster even with her eyes open.

After grasping the location of the monster in the maze, Yuriel muttered.

“She said six….”

The princess clearly said that there were six monsters. However, there were a total of eight energy felt in the maze. There's no way two more came in by accident and wandered around the maze, so it's a trap set by the princess.

Yuriel followed the maze wall with one hand.

Not long after wandering through the maze, she ran into monsters one by one. Before turning the corner, Yuriel checked the monster's aura that she could feel and hid and dealt with the monster.

Before she knew it, she had dealt with six monsters. Now there were only two left.

However, the energy of the two remaining monsters was strong. Four bullets left.

From now on, it seemed like it would be better to avoid the monster and go outside.

Yuriel proceeded cautiously. She could figure out the location of the monster, but she couldn't figure out the exit of the maze.

She had to figure it out herself, but the road kept getting twisted and she ended up in a place where the monster was. Yuriel, who flowed into the place with the more powerful one out of the two monsters, held her breath and waited for the monster to pass.

She didn't have the confidence to face the monster with the remaining bullets.

Yuriel curled up and hid herself among the bushes. The energy of the monster is getting closer and closer.

Why, why is it coming this way?

Even though she was holding her breath, the monster quickly moved closer to where Yuriel was. The monster, who had just turned a corner and entered the alley where Yuriel was, stopped moving.

Yuriel could not open her eyes and bit her lip.

She still has bullets left, so she can deal with it.

With that in mind, Yuriel opened her eyes with the gun on, and widened her eyes when she saw a familiar face.

“Lord Raphlet!”

The huge energy she felt was coming from Raphlet's core. Yuriel, who put the safety lock back on, approached him.

“How did you get here? You said that the princess really, uh, didn't like Lord Raphlet. Is it okay for you to come here?”

Yuriel constantly asked questions. Raphlet removed the leaves from Yuriel's hair as he approached and said,

“I was worried.”

He glanced at the leaves and Yuriel's eyes for a moment, then brushed off his hands. The leaves, a color darker than Yuriel's eyes, fell to the floor.

Raphlet spread his palms as if asking for the gun Yuriel was holding. Yuriel naturally handed the gun to him and asked a question.

“Lord Raphlet. You don’t usually use guns, do you?"

"Yes. However, if there are traces of swords left on the monsters, it becomes difficult, so this time I plan to deal with them with a gun. If it's a gun, even the princess will think you've done it. How many bullets are left?”

“I can shoot four times.”

Yuriel said calmly. She had the same four bullets as before, but when the gun was in Raphlet's hand, she couldn't be more reassured.

"All right. Can you guide me to where the monster is?”

"Yes! Oh, by the way, Lord Raphlet. There is something wrong with this monster.”

Yuriel frowned and added.

The last remaining monster was indescribable, but it was exuding a very unpleasant energy. It was different from the unpleasantness she felt by most monsters.

It was more gloomy, sticky and unpleasant.

Seeing Yuriel worried with a serious expression on her face, Raphlet hesitated and gently stroked her hair.

"That’s all right."

Yuriel smiled with a twinkle in her eyes when a hand she hadn't been able to reach, touched her.

Somehow, after the quarrel at that time, it felt as if Raphlet's boundaries had diminished a little.

Yuriel smiled brightly and nodded her head.

"Yes, that is right! With Lord Raphlet, I can do anything!”

Yuriel leaned closer to him and murmured.

“If you could speak casually like before, I think I’ll be better….”

“Not yet.”

"Yes….”

The sword-like rejection came.

Yuriel, whose eyes had been lighting up. Shook her head sullenly,

Still, this isn’t so bad. Now, Lord Raphlet isn't telling her to go back to the Mogris estate!

Just be patient and stay by Lord Raphlet's side, and soon you'll be as comfortable as before.

She would like to find out before she waits, but Yuriel couldn't quite figure out what Raphlet's worries were.

When she asked Baraha about Raphlet, who seemed to have noticed something, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing. She stopped chasing him because she knew that once he kept his mouth shut, he would not speak even in death.

When she ended training, Baraha would come to Yuriel from time to time and say, ‘Hold on for a month, you'll find out. No, I think a week will suffice.’ He murmured the same words and then disappeared.

It was as if that stupid Baraha didn't know that his act aroused people's curiosity more.

Yuriel, lost in thought for a moment, did not quickly notice that the monster had suddenly approached nearby.

Raphlet noticed the monster’s approach before Yuriel. The monster jumped over the wall of the maze and ran towards Yuriel. Yuriel could not escape from the energy of the monster from above and froze.

The monster's claws approached Yuriel's neck. She closed her eyes tightly, but felt no pain. It was thanks to Raphlet, who wrapped his left arm around Yuriel and backed away. Then she heard the gun that had been handed over to Raphlet, getting fired.

The silencer gun did not cause much impact even though it was fired right next from the ear.

Three gunshots were fired in succession, and she could feel the monster collapsing to the floor. Yuriel slowly opened her eyes. A monster fell right in front of her and was flapping its body.

Since the monster's core has not yet been destroyed, it was intended to regenerate. Raphlet let go of Yuriel who was wrapped around his back and approached the monster.

When the monster's head was trampled on with his shoe, the head exploded, and the black core inside rolled over the floor of the maze.

Raphlet pulled the trigger towards the rolling core. He used up to the last bullet.

Yuriel approached Raphlet, who protected her the moment the monster approached, and approached him.

“Thank you for saving me…. Lord Raphlet!”

There was a scar on Raphlet's left arm. It was a wound because he covered Yuriel. It was a small wound, but blood was oozing out.

Raphlet was looking at the wounds on his arm and the dead monster with a cold indifferent face.

While talking with Yuriel, his face, which had been loosened, became colder and colder. He bent over to the monster and looked at the monster's bodily fluid that was soaking the ground.

“Lord Raphlet, are you okay?”

“Stand back. It is a poisonous monster. Even if it becomes a corpse, the effect of the poison remains the same, so you must not touch it.”

Raphlet pushed Yuriel's body and explained. Upon hearing his explanation, Yuriel's face turned pale.

“What, what kind of poison is that…?”

“A powerful aphrodisiac…. no."

“What is it, Raphlet? Isn't it dangerous?"

“I think I will have to go back and treat myself first. There will be no monsters now, but be careful and get out of the maze.”

Raphlet, who was about to explain the poison of the monster, stood up. The effect of the poison was spinning rapidly.

“You must never come close to a monster. Escape immediately.”

While avoiding Yuriel, Raphlet urged her again. Yuriel nodded her head as she watched him move quickly.

She thought she shouldn't delay him to receive treatment by asking a silly question. When Yuriel answered yes, Raphlet jumped over the wall of the maze and disappeared.

She would have to check Raphlet's condition as soon as she gets back.

Yuriel thought so, and moved her feet away from the monster's corpse. Yuriel, who was running through the large maze, found the exit in less than 5 minutes.

As soon as she jumped into the exit, applause for Yuriel burst out. The princess who was smiling next to Baraha, who was exhausted, cheered as she saw Yuriel coming out of the exit.

She managed to escape, but she wasn't happy.