We appeared inside a small, long tunnel, with torches lining up its sides. The walls and floor were made entirely of a light-blue colored rock, extending far into the distance. Below our feet were many magic stones from the volunteers that went before us.

  I moved to the side, resting my back to the wall, and then took a deep breath. I could sense the weird mana flow in this place. It wasn't like the anti-magic barriers. It was a unique sensation I had never experienced before.

  “Phew, that's a weird experience,” Solicea said, stepping next to me. One by one, the rest of our group began appearing. We waited for everyone to appear.

  “Is everyone here?” Brother asked. I scanned the group. There were six of us. Me, Brother, Solicea, Maya, Miss Amira, Mister Regus… Hold on.

  “Where's Fortis?” Maya voiced the question in my head. I counted it once more. There were only six people, Fortis nowhere to be found.

  “... Did the kid get stuck somewhere?” Amira looked up at the wall. There was nothing there. “Wait… didn't we enter through a hole?”

  Not even the slightest opening was visible. It's as if the entire tunnel had disappeared.

  “We should wait for him,” Mister Regus said, standing next to a torch. The six of us waited there. A few minutes passed, and there were no signs of Fortis appearing.

  “He must have ventured deeper already. That guy…” Brother gritted his teeth and began walking deeper.

  “Brother, please wait.”

  “We don't have time.”

  “What should we do?” Maya asked. In my opinion, we should wait for Fortis. Maybe some weird magic is interfering with him entering the tunnels. He's our party leader, so we shouldn't go without him.

  “Your Highness.” Solicea ran up to Prilus. She talked to him and managed to calm him down. He went to the side and sat on the floor, playing with one of the magic stones that were on the ground.

  We all waited there for a while, still no news from Fortis. I tried using Connect, but there was no response. I wasn't sure what was tempering with the spell, though. The scout team did mention that they couldn't use certain magic spells inside the tunnels.

  What if it's not because of the tunnels?

  While it's true the way mana flowed was weird, I didn't sense anything like an anti-magic barrier that messed with the mana itself. It shouldn't be possible to fully stop magic spells from being used.

  But still…

  The scout team that was sent before us was full of experienced mages. If it wasn't a barrier, they should have no trouble breaking through it.

  “This is bad.”

  I heard a sudden voice. I turned around, realizing that the others were waiting in silence. I didn’t know if it was because of the tense situation or something else, but no one said anything to the other.

  “Your Highness.”

  The situation made me forgot that Mister Akaraseki was with us.

  “... Is it you, Mister Akareseki?”

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  “Fortisbel is facing the demon king.”

  I dashed as fast as I could down the narrow tunnels.

  “Emori?” Solicea yelled as I passed her. From the corner of my eyes I realized her standing up and chasing after me. I couldn’t stop, though.

  “Emori!” Brother yelled, and I could hear their footsteps running after me. I didn’t look back.

  “What’s going on, Mister Akareseki? How did he got there?”

  We were supposed to be far from the demon king’s castle. While it's true that this dungeon’s location was relatively close when compared to other routes, it shouldn’t be possible for Fortis to be there.

  “I could sense the demon king standing in front of him. I'm not sure what they’re doing, though.”

  “Ah, damnit!”

  I ran as fast as I could, gripping the wand in my hand. Even with running, getting to the castle would still take a while. The tunnel’s end wasn’t even visible.

  “How did he get there in the first place?”

  “I always thought that these tunnels were strange… I fear there might be hidden teleportation spots that the demon king could mess with.”

  That made sense, considering that we couldn’t see this tunnel when we first jumped. Maybe the black, bottomless end wasn’t actually an end, but rather, a teleport point. It explained how Fortis was the only one that got carried far away.

  “Can we get there in time?”

  “The likelihood of that happening is, unfortunately, very low. We are still very far away.”

  Even with Fortis’ strength, I doubt he could face the demon king on his own. Could he hide until we arrive?

  I tried using Connect again, but the spell failed once more.

  “Emori! Emori, what’s going on?”

  Maybe because of her dragon’s physique, but Maya managed to catch up.

  “It’s Fortis! He’s with the demon king!”

  “What? He’s a traitor?”

  “No, not that kind of being with! I mean, he’s facing the demon king right now.”

  Maya gasped. “How? Didn’t we jump in together?”

  “That hole must be a teleport point.”

  “How did you even realize this?”

  I thought about revealing Akareseki to Maya. I glanced back, realizing that Brother and the rest are a bit away, trying to call me to stop.

  “I have Akareseki with me.”

  Maya’s eyes widened, then she nodded, saying nothing afterward. We continued running down the tunnels, stepping and crushing the countless magic stones scattered on the ground. Figures began appearing in the distance, the sound of swords and muskets echoing in the narrow corridors.

  “Damnit!” One of them yelled, followed by a musket shot. I recognized the enemy they’re fighting. Lizards and snakes.

  “Please step back!” I yelled. The large group turned around and cleared a path.

  “You- Wait-”

  “Are there anyone else in front of you?” I asked, ignoring their surprised looks.

  “No, but-”

  I painted the symbol for White Void in my vision and fired, the spell slicing through the tunnel. What it left was countless magic stones scattered on the floor.

  “Wait, you can use magic?” Maya asked.

  “Ah, yeah. I did use magic.”

  There were no more monsters in front of us, so I began running again.

  “Emori, wait!” Brother yelled from behind.

  “Emori? Your Highness! We haven’t cleared the path forward yet!” One of the soldiers warned. I ignored him and continued running, Maya by my side.

  “Are there any progress on Fortis?”

  “He’s still talking, but I could sense anger.”

  This is bad.

  Time continued ticking. If I didn’t arrive quickly, Fortis might die.

  “Are there no other teleport points linking this tunnel and the demon king’s castle?”

  “I’ll try looking, I couldn’t promise anything, though.”

  “Alright.”

  Any information would be better than nothing. Half of me wished that we brought Akareseki and his body on this trip. I feel that he could be more helpful had his entire being been here.

  But this wasn’t the time for regrets. Him being here is a result of Fortis’ work. After going so far for me, I won't let him die.

  Please wait, Fortis. I’m coming to you.

  I strengthened my resolve and attacked another horde of monsters blocking my way.