The little elf still hesitated. After all, the mushroom’s request had come without any warning, making it difficult for her to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
The other party was, after all, that Miss Marlo who loved to play tricks on people. It was entirely possible that she was using ‘the mushroom’s life and death’ as an excuse to feign humility, tricking Lumina into revealing her true thoughts, only to then mock her with something like, “Oh, so this is what you wanted me to do? You’re dreaming.”
However, there truly was something she wanted Marlo to do.
Knowing that the mushroom could leave her at any time and hearing her say she would accept any request, a thought naturally surfaced in Lumina’s mind:
‘Could you… not leave me?’
Ah, she was probably beyond help. In this situation, she was actually weak enough to think about asking “could you.”
‘Lumina, oh Lumina, you should be firmer. You should just use a commanding tone to tell Marlo she isn’t allowed to leave, otherwise…’
She froze for a moment, suddenly realizing that all of this was based on the mushroom’s word alone, without any proof.
In other words, no matter what she requested, the choice to follow through or not remained in Marlo’s hands, and Lumina had no power to restrain her if she went back on her word.
Even contracts were protected by law, but there was nothing of the sort between them.
Thinking of this, Lumina felt even more that Miss Marlo was trying to amuse herself at her expense.
Even if that wasn’t the case, she didn’t actually have the courage to say it out loud.
After all, such a request would be like admitting she couldn’t live without the mushroom.
She wasn’t that lonely.
Once she left the Labyrinth and returned to the academy, she could go back to her previous life… attending classes, practicing skills, and flipping through the Labyrinth Illustrated Guide in the quiet library. It was a repetitive yet fulfilling daily routine.
She hesitated for a long time before finally opening her mouth slightly, squeezing a sentence out from between her teeth:
“Can you… call me Big Sister?”
Immediately after saying it, Lumina felt a pang of regret. She didn’t even know why she had made such a request.
Perhaps it was a roundabout way of saying “don’t leave.” After all, in books, the parting between relatives was always full of reluctance. Or perhaps she wanted her relationship with Marlo to be a bit closer than just friends… In short, all sorts of thoughts had swirled together, finally resulting in this.
Marlo was also utterly baffled by this incomprehensible sentence.
She truly couldn’t imagine what kind of mental gymnastics the elf had gone through to arrive at such a simple request, to the point that she found it hard to believe for a moment.
A beat late, she asked to confirm:
“Just that?”
She had said she would agree to anything. It felt like a bit of a waste to let such a good opportunity go without doing something twisted, like, ‘Miss Marlo, you wouldn’t want…’
‘The elf is still too naive,’ she thought.
“You’re the one who said anything would do. Are you trying to back out now?”
The little elf suppressed her guilt, acting huffy to take the initiative.
If Marlo showed any sign of making fun of her, she would pretend she didn’t care and say she had seen through her bad intentions all along, so she just picked a random request—and Marlo could laugh if she wanted to.
“No, no. It’s just that it’s a bit too simple. It feels a little unreal.”
“Eh?”
The elf blinked, then heard the mushroom continue: “Forget calling you Big Sister, I’d even call you Mama without a problem.”
‘Mama…’
Lumina didn’t react at first, but she quickly associated it with Miss Marlo’s threat about having her give birth to little mushrooms.
“No, no, not that!”
Her face turned a bit pale; she was genuinely frightened by the mushroom’s words.
Before she could recover, she heard Marlo say: “If that’s no good, then forget it. Actually, ‘Master’ is also pretty good. Yeah, it’s a classic option.”
‘Should she let that Miss Marlo—who was always so high and mighty, who loved to tease her and was always so infuriating—humbly and respectfully call her “Master” like a servant?’
Lumina felt her heart skip a beat.
She shifted her gaze bashfully, counting the small leaves on the bushes. Her right hand fanned her cheek rapidly, as if she had suddenly been transported to the sweltering heat of midsummer filled with cicadas and shade.
Marlo’s voice was still echoing in her ears. That word was like a forbidden magic box, opening and closing, turning her logic and desire into a jumbled mess.
The elf was flushed red—perhaps “thoroughly ripened” was a better description. In any case, she couldn’t take it anymore and squatted down, burying her face in her knees, leaving only a pair of violet eyes that seemed to reflect spring water.
‘I feel so hot…’
‘But… this might actually be quite good.’
Her pink lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she hesitated. Finally, she let out a soft “mm” that sounded like the buzz of a mosquito.
But the thing she expected didn’t happen. Or perhaps Miss Marlo didn’t hear her; the other party simply paused for a moment before giving rapid and urgent instructions:
“I’ve got your request. I’ll make it up to you later. Remember, whatever you do, do not tell your aunt about the mushroom thing, and don’t let her find the abnormalities on your body… They’re likely hidden by your clothes for now, so she probably won’t see. I’m going offline for a bit. Don’t miss me.”
As long as they could get through the time she spent with her aunt, the mushroom would survive the crisis safely. As for whether the abnormalities on the elf’s body would be discovered after leaving the Labyrinth—that didn’t matter anymore.
Although it was a pity she couldn’t be the elf’s neighbor, she could still stay in the Labyrinth and slowly build up her mushroom forces. One day, she would be able to leave the Labyrinth and enter the outside world using her own strength.
Of course, if she wasn’t discovered, that would naturally be better. If possible, she would be loath to lose the elf’s convenient circumstances.
“Wait.”
Whether it was the fact that Marlo hadn’t heard her voice or the mention of her “aunt,” Lumina was incredibly concerned.
She had talked to Marlo about her aunt before, so it wasn’t surprising the mushroom knew about her. But why specifically mention not telling her aunt? She couldn’t possibly be here.
It felt as though footsteps were approaching her. Lumina subconsciously looked up, and a figure in a black cloak was standing not far away.
Under the hood, that familiar brilliant golden hair confirmed the newcomer’s identity almost instantly.
Wilt Filine. Her mother’s sister—her aunt.
“Aunt Wilt.”
Lumina spoke with some bitterness, her voice rough and raspy.
She finally understood why Marlo had been so submissive.
With the mushroom’s abilities, she had probably discovered her aunt’s presence long ago, and then naturally succumbed to her overwhelming aura.
And Lumina herself had relied on the intimidation of this Legend relative to make Miss Marlo bow her head, endure, and change her tune.
‘Truly a mushroom that bullies the weak and fears the strong.’
“Lumina.”
Wilt pulled back her hood, freeing her smooth golden hair. Her long ears seemed to pop out as she shook her head gracefully. Her jade-green eyes stared at the somewhat disheveled elf before her.
“Why are you here?”
Lumina stood up, clutching her staff, summoning the courage to face the tall figure who stood nearly half a head taller than her.
“I thought you didn’t care about me.”
The Elf Ranger shook her head and explained: “The academy… no, for your mother’s sake.”
“Where are the others?”
“They’re all dead.”
“Let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
***
Although she said she was going offline, she was actually just lurking and not actively communicating with the elf.
Thus, she could also hear this conversation between relatives that was extremely lacking in familial affection.
‘Are you guys really not strangers?’
No, even strangers probably wouldn’t be this cold to each other.
The gap between the little elf and her family was much larger than she had imagined. She didn’t know what had caused the current situation.
Wilt took out a yellowed parchment scroll. Combined with their conversation, Marlo guessed this thing was probably a Town Portal Scroll.
With only a corner unrolled, unrecognizable runes automatically arranged themselves around the two, forming a classic magic circle pattern.
The light of mana surged. Under that intense fluctuation, space felt like a layered cake, with clear divisions visible layer by layer.
Amidst the light of the teleportation, Wilt suddenly spoke: “Give up, Lumina. Adventuring doesn’t suit you.”
“Why?” the elf asked back defiantly.
“You should know what I’m talking about. Your performance was pathetic—pathetic enough that letting you continue will only bring shame to the Elf Race.”
A longbow was pressed against her shoulder. Compared to the physical weight, Lumina felt the heartlessness in the other woman’s eyes made it even harder to breathe.
She tried to defend herself: “That was the Wolf King, a Wolf-shaped Magic Beast. It even killed the instructor instantly. I didn’t have any choice.”
“But people in the team survived—a Knight and a Mage. Tell me, what is the code of a Priest?”
“Prioritize your own safety at all times…”
“Yes, very good. Therefore, you are not a qualified Priest. Give up. It’s for your own good.”
“No, I won’t give up. Never,” after a long silence, she almost screamed her emotions out.
“I am indeed unqualified. So, according to the academy’s rules, I will stay in my First Year and study until I can advance. You can’t expel me for this, not even the Headmaster.”