At that moment—Mia sensed something strange.
Suddenly, she could breathe easily again. The air grew cooler. What was happening?
She cracked her eyes open—The flames had stopped. As if something was holding them back, they couldn't come any closer.
"Lady Mia…"
A small, familiar voice reached her. But this time, it sounded more sorrowful than usual.
"…Salamander?"
"Yes, it's me. I've cast a protection barrier."
The salamander's translucent body floated gently in the air. But he looked even fainter than before.
Mia glanced around—Leca had collapsed, and Roy appeared to be unconscious.
"W-What's going on?"
"I thought I'd need to use my power one last time, so I'd been saving it.
It wasn't enough, so I borrowed a bit of Lord Leca's mana."
Even as he spoke, the salamander's body grew steadily more transparent.
"Salamander… your body…"
The little lizard gave what looked like a smile.
"My life force is fading. The protection barrier is a power all salamanders can use just once—right before they die."
"Then you're dying? No… no way…"
Mia felt her mind go blank. Her vision turned white. It was as if even her tears had evaporated in the heat.
"If Jakiel, who stole and absorbed my mana and life force, dies—Maybe I'll return. But who knows…"
"I'll find him. I'll take him down. I swear I will, so just…"
The fire lizard gazed at her quietly.
"This barrier won't last long. So I'll tell you how to escape before it's too late."
"How?"
"Use your ancient shield to protect yourself. Walk forward with it, and the fire won't touch you. Jakiel's chamber is on the far right of the first floor. Go there, and throw your tiger's eye into the flames on the altar."
"Throw in the tiger's eye?"
"Yes. That will summon the cat of the demon god Bastet. The cat will probably attack you immediately—But strike back quickly with your sword. If you do, it'll be startled and offer to grant you a wish."
"Got it! Then I'll wish for us to be saved!"
"Right. But be careful about one thing."
"What is it?"
"Bastet is the demon god who governs dark magic. The cat might offer you other wishes… or make its own request. If you accept, you'll become a slave to black magic. Understood?"
"Understood. I'll be back!"
Mia raised her shield and ran out courageously. Just as the salamander had said—Neither flame nor smoke touched her.
This is incredible. I thought it only blocked living attacks.
Jakiel must not have known this either. That's why he'd been so careless.
Mia rushed down to the first floor.
There were many rooms, But on the far end, just as the salamander described,
There was a door with a strange decoration—A doorknob shaped like a snake's head.
Even if the salamander hadn't said so, Mia would've known this was the one.
All the other rooms were on fire—Only this one was untouched.
Mia quickly threw the door open.
A strange chamber lay before her—A completely empty room, with a high altar at the center. Blue fire burned in a brazier.
Blue flames? How eerie. It must be magical fire.
No time to hesitate. Mia gripped her sword, Took off her tiger's eye necklace,
And hurled it into the flames.
Pop. Pop. Crackle!
The flames burst like fireworks.
Then—
In the blink of an eye—
"Agh—!"
A massive black cat lunged at her throat. Mia screamed and instinctively slashed with her sword.
The cat screeched and leapt back.
"Tch…"
It growled hoarsely, like it had swallowed steel. It hissed and glared at Mia, retreating a few steps.
"It's been centuries since I last saw a human wield that sword."
"Ah… sorry about that. Anyway, I need a favor—"
"No need to say it. You want your companions saved, yes?"
The black cat blinked with mystical violet eyes. Mia flinched. That eye color reminded her of Shamanaz.
No real cat had violet eyes. This was no ordinary creature.
"Y-Yeah."
"But think about it…"
The cat licked its paw.
"Isn't there something more important?"
"What?"
The cat smiled—almost humanlike.
"Even if you escape this place, what changes? You'll still have to marry someone you hate. You might be trapped in this kingdom forever. Is that what you really want?"
Mia froze. How did it know that?
"Don't be so surprised. I'm the first servant of the demon god Bastet.
There's nothing I don't know."
"Whatever! Just get us out—quick! If I stall any longer, my friends might die!"
"No need to worry. The fire's already out."
"…Huh?"
"If you don't believe me, go check."
Mia dashed out of the room.
It was unbelievable. The raging flames had vanished, As if a firetruck had swept through.
Not even a single ember remained. Everything had turned to ash—But the fire was gone.
"Now do you understand what I'm capable of?"
The cat slinked up to Mia's feet and spoke, as she stood frozen in shock. It even brushed affectionately against her leg. Mia flinched and stepped back.
"Th-thanks. Well then, I'll just be going~"
"Wait. What about your dying friend?"
"Huh?"
"I mean the salamander. The one Jakiel drained completely."
"Ah…"
"Unless Jakiel dies, that creature won't come back to life. You know that, right?"
"I do. So…"
"So you want me to tell you how to kill him?"
The cat grinned wickedly as it circled her. Mia shook her head firmly, remembering the salamander's warning.
"No need to tell me. I'll figure it out on my own."
"haha! Looks like the salamander trained you very well."
The cat tilted its head back and laughed like a person, then continued:
"'Bastet's cats are dark mages. You're allowed one request and no more—
Break that rule, and you'll become a slave to dark magic.'
That's what it told you, didn't it?"
"….."
"Dark magic isn't all that complicated. It's just a promise. One you keep for life."
"Sounds like slavery to me!"
"Why? Aren't promises meant to be kept? Do you just throw them away whenever they stop being convenient?"
"That's not what I meant, but still…"
"You're worried it'll come with some hidden cost. Fine, I'll spell it out for you."
The cat's eyes sparkled.
"Dark magic isn't anything sinister. It's just an agreement to help each other."
"Liar."
Mia knew she had to leave. She needed to get back to her friends. But her legs wouldn't move.
"Look, I can help you. I can tell you how to kill Jakiel, And how to return to your world safe and sound—Wealthy and comfortable."
"And what do you want in return?"
"Nothing right now. But someday, I might ask you for help."
"That's a scam. How would I know what kind of help you'll want?"
"Have you lived your whole life getting tricked? There are only two things I want from you. First, that you share just a tiny bit of your blood every now and then.
Second, that you occasionally visit the world I live in. That's it."
"What if that world is hell? You'll probably make me do something awful there."
"Oh, come on. You really think I'm hiding some grand trick?"
The cat blinked at her, looking almost offended. Its gaze and poise were so genuine, Mia wavered for a moment.
"Our world isn't so different from Sibareth or Naizman. I'm not going to hurt you or make you suffer."
"Then what would I even do in your world?"
"It's simple. Becoming friends with me means honoring our master, Bastet.
So every now and then, you just drop by to say hello. That's it."
"Liar. It can't be that simple."
Mia shook off the cat rubbing against her leg and turned away, marching off.
The cat chased after her, calling out in a hurry.
"Alright, fine! If you don't want to, I don't care. But look at this."
It spat out a glass orb,Then rolled it with its paw like a dung beetle. The orb grew larger—until it was the size of a basketball.
"Look inside."
Mia peeked in.Inside the orb, she saw the salamander collapsed on the ground.
Roy was crying beside him. Leca was trying to feed him medicine.
"Salamander…!"
"That won't help. That medicine's useless. He'll die soon. Probably within the hour."
"…..!"
"Can you find Jakiel and kill him in less than an hour?"
"That's…"
"Here's the thing—He's not even here anymore. He vanished after setting the place on fire."
Mia stammered.
"I'll report this to the palace. Then—"
The cat burst into laughter.
"Wow. Didn't think you were that naive. Who do you think's going to believe you? The king's still unconscious, remember?"
Mia swallowed hard. Her thoughts were spiraling.
"Sigh… fine. You're pitiful, and I do feel sorry for the salamander. So I'll drop the second condition. Just give me a few drops of your blood now and then.
That's all."
"…What?"
**"It's a fantastic deal, if you ask me! A few drops of blood to save your friend—And go back to your world safely. Doesn't that sound fair?"