The inside of the tower was surprisingly unremarkable.

Although old, with cobwebs clinging to the corners, there were no ambushes or hidden traps.

Perhaps the magic tool had already fulfilled its purpose when it shattered.

Liton and Ricciardo carefully searched the entire first floor, keeping a lookout for any enemies lying in wait, while Ailie moved from room to room looking for Breni.

But they found nothing.

The crumbling chambers contained only small boxes and dust-covered shelves, and even those were empty, as though everything of value had been taken long ago.

“Your Majesty, it seems she isn’t on this floor.”

“Looks that way. If she’s upstairs, we’re fortunate… but it’s also possible we came all this way for nothing.”

Her pale rose eyes quivered with visible unease.

This tower was the only lead they had.

If Breni wasn’t here, then what? Should she return to the imperial palace at once and ask Benate for help?

‘Would he help?’

She couldn’t be sure—but…

“Let’s go up and check. It’s not a very tall tower.”

The words slipped out like a quiet sigh. Ricciardo and Liton nodded in agreement.

Liton took the lead, pushing open the door to the stairwell. A tightly coiled spiral staircase stretched upwards, winding endlessly above them. There were no intermediate floors or doors along the way — only a relentless ascent straight to the top.

The three of them climbed in silence.

By the time sweat dotted their foreheads and their legs began to shake, the staircase finally ended, opening onto a single door.

At first glance, it resembled the door at the tower’s entrance, but, unlike that warped, decaying door, this one was perfectly set in its frame. More than that, it was clean. Almost new.

Such a brand-new door stood out starkly in such a ruined tower.

“We should be careful. It looks like we’ve found the right place.”

The hideout was identical to the one they had found in Erdei. It seemed that the youngest thief hadn’t been lying, at least.

Liton nodded gravely and put his hand on the doorknob.

Then, slowly, he opened the door.

The ground beneath them lurched.

In an instant, the world tilted. Her vision twisted violently, and a crushing wave of dizziness swept over her. She grabbed the wall to stop herself from collapsing.

Thud—rrrnnng.

A heavy grinding sound reverberated from all directions, as though the walls themselves were shifting.

Just as the ground beneath their feet finally began to settle—

“Your Majesty, fall back!”

Men clad head to toe in black burst out from the front.

Ailie hurriedly stepped back several paces—and at the same time, Ricciardo, who had been standing behind her, surged forward.

In the blink of an eye—

“…Impressive.”

The attackers, who had been rampaging only moments before, were now lying sprawled across the floor.

Ricciardo went straight to Ailie and quickly checked she wasn’t injured. Meanwhile, Liton worked in silence, binding the subdued men with rope to ensure they couldn’t escape.

There were five of them in total.

Like the men she had seen through the communication orb during the last operation, their faces were grotesquely swollen and they were groaning in pain. From their muttered words about Erdei and someone leaking information, it was clear that these men were also part of the thieves’ gang.

“Still… what is this place?”

Ailie slowly took in their surroundings.

A long corridor stretched out before them, lined with countless doors. Despite the tower’s small exterior, its interior was vast and bewilderingly complex, like the maze her brothers had once got lost in.

Which meant…

Would they have to search every corner of this labyrinth to find Breni?

“Your Majesty, this is only my conjecture.”

“Go on.”

“The magic set at the entrance appears to have been an interference spell aimed specifically at magic tools. Because of that, they likely lost the ability to freely alter the structure of this top floor—their main base.”

Liton spoke with a deep frown, clearly troubled.

It made sense. After all, quite some time had passed since their hideout in Erdei was raided. There had been plenty of time to prepare a contingency plan.

There was no helping it.

Now they were inside, their only option was to find a way through the maze.

***

Every time they opened a door, they found themselves in a room that looked exactly like the ones they had already seen. Every time they stepped back out, they found themselves in a corridor they had seen countless times before.

They ran until their lungs burned, but the scenery repeated itself endlessly. At first, they tried to memorize their route, but they soon lost track of which door they had just come through.

It was a true labyrinth.

As if that were not enough, thieves began appearing one or two at a time along the way.

“No end to it. Absolutely no end.”

Ricciardo muttered, his exhaustion plain in his voice. No matter how skilled they were, this was not a place where they could use their abilities to their fullest.

Ricciardo had collapsed beside a fallen thief, struggling to catch his breath. Even Liton, who still appeared comparatively composed, had sweat beading on his brow.

Ailie was no better off. Each time the thieves charged at them, she had to dodge and maneuver desperately, and the unrelenting tension only made her more tired.

After pausing briefly to recover, the three of them moved towards yet another door.

They opened it, only to find another almost identical corridor.

They chose one of the many doors, reached for it and pulled it open.

Before it was fully open, an ominous sound seeped through the narrow gap and pierced their ears.

“Your Majesty, get back—now!”

In response to Liton’s urgent shout, a horde of thieves poured into the narrow room and charged at the group all at once. Ailie just about managed to knock aside a swinging blade, stumbling hastily backwards in the process.

Did they know how to navigate this maze?

There were far too many of them — at least ten, no, more like fifteen. Blades flashed relentlessly towards the two men at the front.

One thief fell in an instant, but after that, their numbers hardly thinned at all. Ricciardo struggled just to keep up with the onslaught, and even Liton had to grit his teeth — he could not afford a moment’s distraction.

“So this is all the Imperial Knights amount to? Figures — numbers are everything.”

One of the thieves sneered at the sight of Liton’s sword. Unpleasant laughter rippled through the room as the thieves appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The standoff dragged on.

It was anything but an easy fight.

Amid the chaos, Ailie noticed Ricciardo’s pitch-black eyes flickering repeatedly towards her — his focus fractured by concern for her safety.

“Your Majesty! For now… it would be best if we split up. We’ll handle these men—please, escape and search elsewhere!”

At that moment, Liton spoke in a steady, composed voice.

Just like the original plan—Liton and Ricciardo would hold the enemy here, while Ailie continued the search alone…

Now that the tower had become a maze, there was no telling what dangers lay in wait.

‘But Sir Liton is right.’

If they wanted to end this unfavorable fight quickly, Liton and Ricciardo had no choice but to fight at full strength. Without someone to protect, they could focus entirely on the thieves in front of them.

“Deputy-Commander? What are you even saying—”

“I understand, Sir Liton. I’ll trust this to you and Prince Alvaro. Let’s regroup once the timing is right.”

“Ailie!”

“It’s fine. I promise. So don’t look back.”

Before she could wait for a reply, Ailie bolted down the corridor.

Behind her, she heard thieves shouting curses and the clash of blades.

She ran until her breath burned in her throat—and then a large door appeared before her. Without hesitation, Ailie grabbed the handle and threw it open.

In the instant the door swung wide, a thought flashed through her mind.

She had never seen this door once during all the time she’d been wandering.

And—

“……”

Unlike the other places she had searched, this room was spacious. However, aside from a large window, it was bare and desolate.

Inside, someone lay bound hand and foot, fast asleep.

The fine brown hair that she had always taken pride in was disheveled and clotted with grime. Her eyelids were tightly shut, hiding her round eyes. The lemon-colored dress that Ailie had given her for her birthday three years ago was trampled, torn and in tatters.

“Breni…”

Ailie staggered toward her.

She’s just sleeping. She has to be. She’s fine. She must be.

She couldn’t tell for sure just by looking.

Ailie reached out and touched Breni’s sunken cheek, smudged with dark dust.

“Honestly… how did you end up being dragged to a place like this?”

Warmth brushed her fingertips.

Thank goodness.

Then Breni’s closed eyelids fluttered.

“Miss…”

Breni opened her eyes.

Her brown eyes blinked slowly, still unfocused.

“…You really made the Empress come all the way out here to find you?”

“I couldn’t sleep at night, so I went outside… I worried you, didn’t I…?”

Tears welled in Breni’s brown eyes as she looked at Ailie. When Ailie glared at her, Breni broke into a shy smile.

It was a shameless smile, considering how much worry she had caused over the past few days.

Ailie let out a hollow laugh and raised her sword, intending to cut the ropes binding Breni’s wrists and ankles.

But at that moment—

—Crash!

Glass shattered, and a fierce red light flashed before her eyes.

Once again, the sensation of space twisting violently washed over her entire body.

Another spell?

Panicked by the thought that she might lose Breni again, Ailie grabbed her by the shoulder.

Moments later, the light faded, and Ailie slowly opened her eyes.

“……”

Was this room the whole of the top floor?

Before she knew it, everyone — including Liton and Ricciardo — had been drawn into the same room. Many of the thieves were lying sprawled across the floor, while six remained standing, locked in a tense standoff.

There was also a stranger who had smashed through the window from outside the tower.

The intruder’s blade was pressed firmly against Ailie’s nape.

“No… no, Ailie…”

Ricciardo murmured, dazed. Forgetting about the thieves in front of him, he tried to rush towards her, but was stopped immediately.

Ailie couldn’t speak. She stood frozen to the spot.

The icy touch on her neck sent violent tremors through her hands.

The intruder’s black, emotionless eyes stared down at her, showing no sign of feeling.

Her breath caught in her throat, her ears rang and she could only faintly hear Ricciardo’s desperate shouts and Breni’s sobs, as though they were coming from a great distance.

What should she do?

No matter how frantically she searched her mind, no answer came.

Instead, everything went blank.

There was no way out.

No one could save her.

Fear filled her pale, rose-colored eyes, and little by little, resignation began to set in.

‘Am I going to die again?’

Like this—was this how it ended?

She had sworn to live longer than Benate.

She hadn’t wanted to die before Donata.

‘Was that… a foolish desire?’

Ailie slowly closed her eyes.

The blade pressed to her neck began to bite, carving a shallow wound. She felt warm blood spill from it.

There would be no more regression now.

So this was her fate—to end pitifully, no matter how many times she lived again. Nothing ever truly changed.

Just as she surrendered to that thought—

Clatter.

As if a miracle had occurred, the cold sensation at her neck vanished, followed by the sound of a blade hitting the floor.

“Ailie.”

Then came a voice that should not have been here.

“Open your eyes.”

When she cautiously did, what greeted her was falling snow.

Snow-white hair like frostblossoms, drifting flakes in the air—

and eyes like a frozen lake.