Chapter 632 – #128_Labyrinth(3)
#632
1.
Alice was in a bad mood.
She was already displeased that she had to come to this shabby desert to get money for entertainment.
The witches were already packed in there.
Adding to that the indefinite waiting time, her hysteria gauge was heading towards maximum.
It didn’t change much even when the homunculus labyrinth she had been waiting for finally appeared.
That was because as soon as the labyrinth appeared, another annoying factor was confirmed.
This labyrinth was too complex and vast for advantages and disadvantages to be determined by hierarchy.
She had tried using detection magic several times as a test, but the homunculus couldn’t even find other witches.
Of all the many witches, only Manya and Malisha, who had been stuck together in the same camper van, had been teleported with her, and the rest seemed to be scattered all over the place.
What that meant was…
It meant that she was really going to have a fair treasure hunt with the other witches.
In addition, considering the travel time, she had spent almost a week as an opportunity cost, and it also meant that there was a high possibility that she would have to return empty-handed without earning a single penny.
“Alice, come here! There’s a suspicious door.”
“Malisha, are you stupid? It’s just a door. Alice, that staircase over there looks more plausible.”
“Manya, Malisha. This isn’t a game, so please shut your mouths?”
Malisha and Manya, who were excited as if they were on a treasure hunt, were also fanning the flames of her blazing anger.
She wondered if they remembered whose money was paying for the clothes they wore and the food they ate.
“Do it properly. We’re making money right now.”
“Yes.”
“Haa, even serious Alice is cool.”
Unlike the two who were being so nonchalant, Alice was not letting go of her tension.
On the surface, she was just a hedonist who indulged in luxury and always carried Manya and Malisha around as her “boob cushions,” but Alice was a witch with a lot of practical experience.
She had always taken on many requests to cover her massive debts, and had crossed many battlefields as a result.
In her eyes, the current situation of the labyrinth, which was different from what she had expected, suggested the possibility that it could turn into a battlefield at any time.
A more complex structure than expected, a vastness that made it difficult to even discern what other witches were doing, and with greedy witches and exiles added to that…
There could be plenty of people who would appear to hunt something other than the homunculus.
“Manya, you’re doing the concealment magic properly, right?”
“Of course, Alice, this is how I make a living.”
Therefore, although she was low in the hierarchy, she was having Manya, the ‘Witch of the Night Mist’ who was well-versed in stealth and concealment, maintain the concealment field.
“Alice, but do we really need to do this? Who would attack us? Della, that crazy bitch, isn’t here either.”
“Malisha, the Gehenna members might have joined hands. Even I would have a hard time if several people ganged up on me.”
Alice, who had briefly spoken the truth, mixed in a few sweet words.
“Of course, I’m fine, but it might be hard to protect you.”
“Onni…”
“Oh my, you’re so caring…”
Simpletons.
Alice, who had been looking around, suddenly stopped walking.
“Manya, maximum concealment.”
“Yes!”
“What is it, is someone there?”
Malisha and Manya, who had unknowingly held their breath, carefully peeked out their heads, following Alice.
There, they saw a man walking around like a loafer, with a long spear slung over his shoulder.
He was the man-witch who had been next to Duke Tiferet, the talk of the town.
“……”
A good idea popped into Alice’s eyes.
Her two pupils shone with a burning desire for dollars.
“Alice?”
Manya looked at Alice, who had suddenly become silent, with a puzzled expression.
“Keep the magic as it is. We’ll follow slowly. If we get caught because of anyone, you’ll be in big trouble.”
“Yes.”
“Being punished by Alice might be nice… I’m just kidding.”
And so, the three of them followed the man-witch, suppressing their presence as much as possible.
After about five minutes of slow pursuit without saying a word, Malisha suddenly spoke up.
“Alice, but do you think he knows something?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I thought we were following that Shin Siwoo guy because he might know something about the homunculus?”
Alice was dumbfounded and looked at Manya, who had a blank expression as if to say, ‘Isn’t that it?’
She had thought that they would have understood her intentions, but Manya and Malisha were thinking completely different things.
“Are you guys blind? This is an opportunity.”
“There’s no need to call us blind…”
“I’m blinded by my love for Alice…”
“I’m going crazy.”
That’s right.
A very good opportunity that she hadn’t even dared to think about had come with the labyrinth.
The complexity and vastness of this labyrinth was more than she had imagined.
Moreover, that man-witch seemed to be in a lost state, separated from Tiferet.
It was somewhat risky, but investment was always high risk, high return.
“Malisha, how much do you think that man who pretends to be a witch is worth?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking how much we could get if we kidnapped him and sold him.”
“Alice! Don’t tell me…!”
Malisha and Manya’s faces turned black.
They weren’t stupid either.
They had never even considered it in the first place because they never thought that Alice would make such a reckless choice.
“At least 100 million dollars. At least. If we sell him well to a witch who likes men, we might get even more. Who cares about the homunculus now?”
“But Alice, isn’t he Duke Tiferet’s disciple?”
“How are you going to deal with the aftermath…”
“There’s a witch I know who specializes in handling these kinds of things. And look at this maze. Who would know? It’s just us.”
“…Still, this is a bit…”
“Alice, let’s just aim for the homunculus.”
Alice glared at Malisha and Manya, who were waving their hands and trying to back away.
She could earn money that would take her years of working in the sand in one day…
Was it not their business?
Alice was suddenly offended, but she exercised patience and offered a carrot instead of a whip.
“If you cooperate quietly and keep your mouths shut, I’ll buy Manya the Bentley she wanted before, and Malisha an Hermes bag worth that price.”
“A, a Bentley?”
“A, an Hermes bag?”
Malisha and Manya’s eyes went blank.
Looking at them again, the man-witch already looked like a display of luxury bags and a Bentley car key.
“Let’s keep a close watch.”
“Let’s wrap him up with my sealing magic and sneak him out. We’ll hide him somewhere suitable first, and then pretend we don’t know anything.”
“They’ll never know it was us.”
Alice was satisfied with the two who promised their active cooperation.
“Let’s watch a little more first. It seems like he can’t contact Tiferet right now, but it wouldn’t hurt to check more.”
As the two were worried, it was not an easy task.
They had to be careful and quick, as they could end up turning Tiferet into an enemy.
“Yes, Alice. Let’s make a big score.”
“We can’t just play in a small pond forever.”
Just as they reached a place that looked like a banquet hall, following behind Malisha and Manya, who had joined forces as if nothing had happened.
“I know you’re hiding there, so come out.”
At the same time, a reproachful gaze was directed at Manya.
“Can’t you even do this properly?”
“Shut up, Malisha! Alice! I didn’t make a mistake. Really.”
“Haa…”
She had already watched enough anyway.
This wide area was enough to use as a battlefield.
“Give him a lot of fear so that he doesn’t resist as much as possible. If he gets hurt trying to resist, his value might drop. Don’t make a fuss and come out when I count to three. One, two, three. Ready…”
Action.
“How did you notice? I definitely hid carefully.”
“It must be because Manya’s magic is terrible.”
“Shut your mouth, Malisha. Alice, it’s not really like that.”
“So you’re a witch, you’re quite talented?”
To be honest, she was a little surprised.
As Manya had said, concealment magic was her bread and butter.
Alice had also confirmed that there had been no disruption until just now.
“He’s cute. Alice, can I play with him later?”
“Don’t you lower your eyes? You’re getting cocky because you trust your master.”
Manya and Malisha, immersed in their roles, slowly approached the man-witch.
Soon, the three of them were close enough to count each other’s eyelashes.
He seemed to not understand the situation, and just stood there blankly, before letting out a sigh.
“Hello, you’re Alice, right?”
“How dare you call Alice by her name?”
“It seems like you still don’t understand the situation?”
Manya and Malisha, who had their arms crossed, surrounded him on the left and right.
Their delinquent-like posture was familiar, as if they had done it many times.
It was natural, as they had also intimidated religious people who had looked at women like beasts in a similar way.
“What’s going on?”
It was obvious that he was flustered.
His furrowed eyes and the hand that kept going towards the back of his head showed that he was nothing but a pretty boy with not even 1g of a witch’s experience.
The fact that he had allowed them to approach so calmly was proof of that.
If they wanted to, they could kill him in an instant.
“Are you very flustered?”
“Duke’s skirts must have been quite warm.”
Manya and Malisha burst into giggles.
His blank reaction was genuinely funny to them.
“You just became a witch, and you seduced the Duke with your beauty and got treated like a disciple.”
“We exiles were very funny, right? I saw you before, your neck was stiff, is your lower part like that too?”
“Should we touch you?”
“Malisha, Manya, that’s enough. He’s going to cry.”
Alice also let out a chuckle for the first time in a while.
He was a stupid sheep.
A sheep that had fallen away from its mother and was bleating, not understanding the situation even though a predator was baring its teeth in front of its neck.
Well, how easy would the world have been for him, just because he was born with a pretty face and was protected by Duke Tiferet and Count Jemynai?
Some people were living in all sorts of hardships just because they had dumped some contaminated water, while others were comfortably going on a homunculus hunt and sightseeing.
She was already feeling disgusted.
“Um, please don’t do this.”
“Manya, did you see? ‘Pwease don’t do thisss,’ he’s like that.”
“If you apologize while masturbating here, I’ll forgive you.”
“You crazy bitch, what kind of dirty talk is that?”
“What? It sounds fun.”
Just looking at his bewildered expression as the atmosphere became more and more hostile seemed to relieve her complex.
“If I was rude before, I apologize. I’m really sorry. Can’t you just let me go?”
After hesitating for a long time, he seemed to have finally grasped the situation.
He was finally uttering the humiliating words she had been waiting for.
Even this answer, which had come after much deliberation, was so clueless.
“Apology? Okay. You said it well.”
From the moment they appeared, they had openly revealed their intention to harm him.
At this point, there was no way they would safely return him to Duke Tiferet and let him tattle.
She was planning to tease him a little, then capture him and hand him over to a secret auction anonymously.
“I don’t want to see you masturbating, it’s too dirty. If you kneel down and lick my shoes while apologizing, I’ll think about it.”
Alice, Manya, and Malisha watched his reaction with expectant expressions.
“He’s going to kneel in 10 seconds.”
“Does a male prostitute have any pride?”
As they were sneering at his trembling knees, a strange sound reached the ears of the three.
“Sssuuup…”
It was the sound of sucking in air through clenched teeth.
The source of the sound was the man-witch, who had his head half-bowed.
