ITITPS 13

Chapter : 13

Before I knew it, I was standing with Michael in a beautiful garden.

The garden stretched on like a rectangular maze, perfectly trimmed and arranged. White flowers bloomed thickly, glowing like salt crystals under the moonlight.

“This is my secret place. My little masterpiece. Cutting every twig myself, hunting down every pest that crawls out—believe me, it’s a lot of work.”

Michael spoke in a slightly excited voice. His cheeks were flushed pink, as if he truly adored this garden.

[What a beautiful garden!]

[Did you maintain all this yourself?]

[For all that, it feels lifeless.]

Ah, so that’s the pattern we’re playing with today.

I clicked my tongue and chose the third option.

“For all that, it feels lifeless.”

“…….”

The instant my short remark fell, a terrible silence swept in. Michael’s smile vanished from his face as he stared straight ahead.

My pink hair fluttered in the cool night breeze within that silence.

As I brushed away stray strands tickling my face, he abruptly spoke.

“Why would you say that?”

“Oh, isn’t it obvious?”

My avatar slowly swept her gaze over the garden. This strangely straight-lined maze.

The flowers were undeniably beautiful, but lifeless. They had no scent—meaning they weren’t real.

Likewise, there wasn’t a single bench or resting place where someone might sit and enjoy the space. No signs of anyone ever lingering here.

A garden meant only to be seen.

This place was twisted somehow.

Just like Michael’s true feelings—and the reality I live in.

“It doesn’t feel lived in. No trace of people.”

“……Ha! Well, you got me good.”

[Michael’s favorability increased by 3.]

At my added comment, Michael burst into laughter. It seemed he finally found me interesting.

Honestly, he’s as black-hearted as they come.

Sweet honey on his lips, sharp knives in his belly. If the idiom “a sweet mouth, a dagger hidden within” were human, it’d be Michael.

“But you—”

He narrowed his eyes and started toward me. That was when the bell rang—ten o’clock.

“Watch out!”

I grabbed him and kicked off the ground, propelling us away from the warped center of space.

My strength was nothing special, but carrying one Michael was doable.

“Anastasia, what is this…?”

“A crack.”

At my words, Michael’s face drained white. Understandable—very few people returned alive from a sudden crack.

Though as the protagonist, I was hardly in danger.

Dodging the monsters forming in the air, I hid with Michael in a remote corner of the maze.

I even manipulated the vines to cover us.

If these had been undead who sensed life, or beasts with heightened senses, such a trick wouldn’t work. But since this crack formed here, every monster was plant-type.

Though calling those 2-meter-tall man-eating things “plants” was generous.

“A crack in the imperial palace… unbelievable.”

“There’s no way mere palace guards could handle a high-ranking demon.”

“…Fair enough.”

He seemed convinced by my blunt remark.

It wasn’t that demons couldn’t enter the palace till now—they just hadn’t bothered.

“At least no one else got dragged in.”

I sighed.

The world of Légende du Désert had no warmth for humans.

The reason numerous palace knights and most mages—aside from Serena—couldn’t join major battles wasn’t just to spotlight the main cast.

Simply put, they were dead weight.

Even the top-tier heroes struggle against a single high demon. Everyone else would be lucky to serve as meat shields.

“Your Highness—can you use a sword?”

“Of course.”

Michael grabbed the hilt at his waist and nodded.

As an imperial prince who had joined monster hunts, he was nearly as skilled as Ilya.

Michael was someone I could trust at my back.

Summoning my holy sword, I shouted:

“Cover me!”

I dashed forward without waiting for an answer.

Michael, apparently uninterested in arguing when both our lives were at stake, followed close behind.

The chapter 4 crack was a moving labyrinth.

We had to escape before midnight, when the demons’ strength peaked.

“Screee!”

“Skrii!”

Slash!

My sword bent like a serpent, striking each monster’s weak point. Like gigantic carnivorous plants, they had massive digestive sacs—cutting the stem beneath was crucial.

“Anastasia! To your left!”

At Michael’s alarmed shout, I twisted away.

A thorned rose-like stem grazed my side by the width of a sheet of paper.

[HP has slightly decreased.]

‘Damn—sloppy.’

I dodged the thorn, but the magic surrounding it tore my white uniform to shreds. This is what happens when I get complacent just because it’s only chapter 4.

Escaping the maze within two hours was starting to look tight.

About an hour and a half passed.

By now, I was desperately longing for Serena’s massive AoE spells that would’ve burned every plant monster to ash in one hit.

Still, following one wall faithfully as we cut through enemies brought us to a long straight path.

“You’re—huff—much weaker—huff—than I thought.”

“Ah… yes, sure…”

Amazing he could still talk while wheezing like that.

I replied flatly, and he collapsed to the floor, too exhausted to snark further. He peeled off his slime-soaked coat and tossed it away.

Michael’s biggest flaw—despite being the fastest party member thanks to wind’s blessing and the number-one aggro magnet—

His stamina was nearly identical to Serena’s.

Meaning: high strength, high agility, zero endurance.

[Let’s take a short break.]

[I’ll go on alone from here.]

Options appeared.

I glanced at the clock hovering in my vision.

Midnight was one thing—there were barely twenty minutes of in-game time left before I was forcibly logged out.

If ingame time continued while I was offline—not a one-off instance—I could very well end up with a death ending.

“I’ll go on alone from here.”

“What?”

Michael blinked at me, stunned, then rubbed his ear as if he’d misheard.

“Thought I had some hearing problem just now.”

“I’m going ahead.”

“Hey—wait! Are you crazy?”

He leapt up and ran after me. A gamble—but one I expected him to take.

“Once it turns midnight, demons get stronger. If we don’t escape now, we’re stuck till morning at best.”

“Haa… fine. We’ll just run faster.”

[Michael’s favorability increased by 1.]

He ruffled his hair in frustration, golden curls gleaming even in the gloom of the crack.

“Good choice.”

I grinned, kicked off, and sprinted.

No monsters now—just a straight path to the master of the crack.

[Warning! You have encountered a high-ranking demon!]

Flames—hotter even than Serena’s—radiated scorching heat. Far beyond my current stats.

One of the Demon King’s Four Generals—the strongest—lord of fire, Leph.

“At last! I finally meet the legendary hero!”

A man in his mid-twenties with a fresh, almost boyish face atop a solid, muscular build boomed with laughter.

An eager battle junkie, thrilled to meet a worthy opponent.

Chased by the clock, I answered with action—charging straight at him. He grinned savagely and swung his fist.

BOOM!

Steel and flesh should not have made that sound—and yet the shockwave rattled the maze.

Locked in a clash of strength, we stood deadlocked. Then—

A razor wind slash hurtled toward Leph’s neck!

“My! Another incredible human!”

But Michael’s decisive strike was casually blocked by Leph’s other hand. His curved blade rang violently as it bounced away.

Michael didn’t sprawl pathetically—he danced on air, landing lightly.

A trick only someone who commands the wind could pull off.

The first combo failed. Not surprising—we never planned to defeat Leph here.

Chapter 4 was a scripted-loss event.

The real goal was destroying the crack’s core hanging from his belt.

Swoosh! My sword lashed out again.

This time, low!

“Gah!”

A perfect sliver of timing—his left thigh split, blood spraying.

A fatal blow for a human—but demons only die when killed outright.

Wounding them halfheartedly just lets them regenerate.

But—

While Leph reeled, Michael’s wind surged toward the core.

He knew he couldn’t kill Leph either—his instincts targeted the core.

“Yes!”

Just as the winds sliced toward the crack core—

Blue flames erupted from Leph’s hand, burning even the air.

[(Take the attack in Michael’s place)]

[(Warn Michael to dodge)]

Options! Combat choices had a short timer.

5, 4, 3, 2—

With one second left, I hesitated—then picked the first choice.

My avatar sprang off the wall, wedging herself between Leph and Michael.

[Warning! HP has fallen into the red zone. Survival is at risk.]

Heat flared pleasantly, wrapping my arms—but I ignored the burns and the shrieking alarm.

And then—

Slash!

At last, my blade struck the crack’s core.