“Don’t worry. That drug preserves the strongest wish a person had when they were alive. If their goal was to conquer the labyrinth, they’ll continue to fight towards that end even after becoming undead. They won’t respond to other commands — they’ll just stand there blankly. Eventually, their bodies will rot and collapse, rendering them useless.”

“That’s… horrifying.”

“The diluted form of that drug is called Lumen.”

Eldrian’s eyes widened when he heard the name.

Lumen was infamous and dangerous. When consumed, it flooded the body with a gentle warmth that eradicated all pain. Those suffering from chronic illness or unending agony would dissolve a few drops in water to ease their suffering. In small doses, it didn’t cause severe withdrawal symptoms.

However, over time, even that faint relief became a trap. Users became dependent on it and began craving stronger doses until they drank it undiluted. Then came the endless hallucinations. While the mind remained in a state of bliss, the body wasted away, unable to eat or drink, until death finally claimed it.

Despite being outlawed in every nation, Lumen continued to circulate in secret, being sold to the sick or to soldiers and knights who wanted to overcome their fear. Many countries joined forces to track down its creator, but they were never found.

“You’re saying you made that?”

“Yes.”

“Hah! Then the one distributing it must be—”

“Blackwood. I have one labyrinth that produces Shadow Speargrass too, but I’m too busy to make things like that myself. I did make two bottles of the concentrate, though—one of them is in someone else’s hands.”

“Who…?”

“There’s someone. Originally, I meant to use it on Dominic—but he’s more cautious than I thought. I hear he hasn’t taken a single drop yet.”

Eldrian stared at him, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“You’ve planted someone near Dominic in the imperial palace? When did you—”

Lesta smiled faintly.

“I’ve prepared a few things just in case I ever needed them. Anyway, if the concentrate is taken undiluted, it can turn a person into a soldier who feels no fear of death. And one bottle of concentrate can make dozens of flasks of Lumen. That’s why Blackwood has been selling it instead of using it to earn money rather than waste it on disposable soldiers.”

“So he’s using the raw concentrate now because he’s getting nervous since he knows you’re alive, and that we’ve joined forces.”

“Exactly. But something doesn’t add up. For him to resort to such an easy method…”

“Easy? Those Isden soldiers are going to die for nothing!”

“For Blackwood, it’s easy. Richard Blackwood definitely has another scheme in motion.”

Lesta abruptly rose to her feet.

Toma, who had been listening blankly until then, scrambled to ask.

“Boss, where are you going?”

“To Isden.”

“Wait—what?”

It was Eldrian who blocked her path.

“So suddenly?”

“Yes. Richard Blackwood probably expects that I’ll interfere with the Isden labyrinth raid. But there’s one thing he won’t be expecting.”

“And what’s that?”

Lesta pulled a small vial from her pocket. Inside it sloshed a sickly green liquid.

“I have a bottle of that drug too and I’m going to make Dominic take it.”

Eldrian’s eyes widened.

“You’re not going to feed him the whole thing, are you?”

“Of course not. But even a single drop is enough to addict him.”

When Lesta tried to step past him, Eldrian blocked her again.

“Wait—just wait, Lesta. Do you always make decisions this suddenly?”

Lesta didn’t answer, but behind her, Toma gave an exaggerated nod.

“Can’t you at least tell me what you’re planning?”

After a brief hesitation, he reached out carefully and took her hand. Toma’s eyes went round as saucers, but Eldrian didn’t care he held her gaze and said quietly.

“We made a promise, remember?”

Lesta’s irritated gaze dropped to their joined hands. She stared at them for a moment, then raised her gaze again and stepped in so close that Eldrian could smell the faint perfume Amaranth had sprayed on her earlier, which was now mingling with her own scent.

The unexpected fragrance rushed over him, making him dizzy, but he didn’t look away.

Lesta rose slightly on her toes, as though she were about to whisper in his ear. Eldrian bent down a little, his breath catching. Her lips were close enough to brush against his ear when she murmured, ‘I’m just going to leave a small scar on Dominic’s shining legend. Want to come with me?”

✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦ ✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦ ✦❘

To be honest, Dominic had secretly hoped that the Emperor would reject his father Richard’s request.

The Emperor had kept him as vice-captain of the Royal Knights deliberately, not because he favored him, but because he wanted to restrain him. He didn’t want Dominic’s fame to grow any further. Keeping him close meant keeping him under surveillance and ready to suppress him under the guise of ‘protection’ if necessary.

Ironically, that arrangement suited Dominic perfectly. Like his father, he had no desire to seek glory by hunting monsters.

But Richard was persistent. He convinced the Emperor that Dominic needed to respond to certain calls to action. Despite his misgivings, the Emperor could not stop him from occasionally leaving the palace on a raid, before returning to his quiet life.

The same thing had happened during the last expedition, when the labyrinth where Helos and Shadow Speargrass had first appeared was cleared. Dominic hadn’t wanted to go then either. But, as always, Richard wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Sunray’s Viscount fought on the front lines when Arbenon called for aid. No matter how famous you are, if you stay at court, the Sunray Viscount will eventually surpass you.”

D*mn Sunray! If it weren’t for him, Isabella would already be crown princess, Blackwood’s plans would have advanced smoothly and Dominic wouldn’t have had to waste his time on this labyrinthine raid.

The lower knights would, of course, be responsible for the dirty work of slaying monsters and their lieutenants. Dominic’s only task would be to deliver the final blow and claim the boss’s core. Yet even that felt bothersome. Back when it existed, its reputation grew without him having to lift a finger.

This time was no different. The number of soldiers who perished because of Isden’s red labyrinth was irrelevant to him.

Still, Richard had insisted.

“The situation’s changed. If the Marquis of Isden owes us a favor, it’ll help us down the line.”
“Father, it’s a red labyrinth. You’ll die if you go there.”
“No—the ones who die this time will be Isden’s troops alone.”

Richard prepared dozens of bottles of undiluted Lumen concentrate. One bottle could produce multiple containers of the drug. This diluted product was sold at a high price, providing Blackwood with a steady cash flow. The reason several bottles of concentrate were needed for this raid was Sunray’s fault. D*mn Sunray!

“Understood, Dominic? Come back as soon as the raid’s over. Still, if the hero Dominic speaks up, it’ll carry weight.”

While Dominic prepared to depart, Isabella tracked him to his room and pestered him. He glared at her.

“Can’t you see I’m going to a place where I might die?”
“Are you going to die? It’s Isden’s soldiers who’ll die.”
“You never know. It’s a red labyrinth. You could charge in and still lose.”
“If things go south, hand it over to your escort and run. If everyone dies, no one will even know you fled.”

Dominic resented Isabella, who sat safely and picked at becoming Crown Princess while quietly taking the glory he brought her. In truth, it had all come from that thing, yet she took the credit.

“You’re lucky, sister. You get to sit there in pretty clothes and only worry about a rival.”

Isabella was pressuring him because of Serena, the beautiful woman they had encountered several times in the palace gardens. It was no secret in the palace that she had stolen the heart of the crown prince.

Isabella’s face crumpled.

“I’m not doing this for myself. If I become Crown Princess, you’ll be safe too.”

“Then kill the b*tch with poison or something. Why go about it so complicatedly?”

“If that woman died by poison right now, who would anyone suspect?”

“Who’s going to accuse you for k*lling an orphan girl with no parents? People will just say she brought it on herself by being reckless.”

“But… the Crown Prince wouldn’t, would he? He’d hate me.”

D*mn the Crown Prince. D*mn Isabella.

“You should stop daydreaming about love and start thinking about the greater good.”
“You—what about you? Rumors are already saying you’re cozying up to some actress.”

Dominic’s glare cut through her words. Isabella gave a short, amused laugh.

“When this blows up because of Serena and you come back, kill that actress too. Keeping an actress around will only ruin your name.”
“If you so much as lay a hand on Luciel, you won’t be the only one in danger.”
“Oh my, how terrifying. Don’t die, little brother. Come back to me. And when I push her, be ready to back me up. Who knows—if one day you want that actress dead, I might just have your back.”