Ais's expression was unprecedentedly solemn.
Opposite them, Bete stood clearly by Valletta's side.
Thud!
He took an active step forward, directly shielding Valletta behind him.
"What if I'm standing here?"
His face showed no fluctuation, only a cold sneer.
Ais remained silent.
Not being good with words, she truly didn't know what to say at this moment.
"Bete, do you realize what you're doing?"
Eiji narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked onto Bete's every move.
"Don't lecture me!"
Bete suddenly glared at him, his eyes filled with disgust.
"Out of everyone in Loki Familia, I hate you the most! Stop acting so familiar—our relationship isn't that good!"
Hmm.
This volatile temper was unmistakably Bete's.
But his act of protecting Valletta left Eiji utterly baffled.
He wouldn't claim to be an expert at reading people, but at the very least, he shouldn't have misjudged Bete—he wasn't the type to protect an enemy. And this behavior of his was practically like—
"Have you betrayed the Familia?"
Ais suddenly spoke up.
"I always thought you were a good person. Even though your temper is awful and your mouth is foul, I never imagined you'd do something to betray the Familia. But whether it was insulting the dead like Line and the others last time or protecting Valletta now... your actions truly... disappoint me."
"Hmph, then go ahead and be disappointed, you doll princess!"
Bete's eye twitched, as if he had taken a critical hit for a moment.
But his sharp tongue remained, refusing to back down as he mocked her.
Whoosh!
While the two were bickering, Valletta suddenly darted away.
Ais's gaze turned icy, and she immediately thrust her sword forward!
Clang!
But abruptly, a silver boot came kicking from the corner of her vision, forcing her to withdraw her sword to block.
In that brief exchange, Ais was pushed back two steps.
Valletta, meanwhile, leaped into a nearby passage and quickly vanished from sight.
"Bete!"
Ais glared furiously at the Silver Wolf.
"Hmph!"
Bete snorted coldly.
Then he swiftly chased after Valletta in the direction she had fled.
"Wait, Ais, don't chase her."
Just as Ais was about to pursue, Eiji's arm suddenly blocked her path.
"Why?"
She looked at him, utterly confused.
"There's no need."
Eiji stepped forward and picked something up from the ground.
"Besides, the others should be nearby. If we lose sight of the bigger picture and something goes wrong, we'll regret it."
Only then did Ais realize.
Her anger over Bete's betrayal had clouded her judgment, nearly making her forget that Alicia and the others were still waiting in another passageway.
"What is that?"
Regaining her composure, she suppressed her anger and looked at what Eiji was holding.
"Here."
Eiji handed it over.
Ais took it and read aloud, word by word.
"Daedalus... Notes...?"
It was a small booklet.
Not particularly thick—less than a finger's width—but filled with handwritten entries, sporadic and seemingly used by more than one person.
"This is...!"
Ais flipped through it briefly, her eyes widening in shock.
"Let's go back."
Eiji turned around, his face breaking into a warm smile.
"It seems we'll be exceeding our mission quota this time."
...
Meanwhile.
Valetta darted into a nearby passageway, where a black-cloaked figure soon arrived with an Elixer, allowing her to reattach her severed arm before she finally relaxed.
"Who's there!"
Suddenly, another person entered the passageway, and Valetta immediately tensed.
"Oh, it's you. Couldn't you make some noise when walking?"
The man who entered was Bete.
Only after recognizing his figure did Valetta lower her guard.
After the earlier signal and his help in her escape, she had mostly come to trust Bete.
If he were truly a spy, the three of them could have easily killed her together earlier.
"Your plan failed."
Bete said coldly.
"I know, you don't need to remind me."
Valetta's face was filled with frustration.
"Damn it, killing a few insignificant pawns isn't satisfying at all. Finn won't feel any pain unless a few executives die!"
Her eyes burned with hatred.
It was for revenge against Finn that she had joined Thanatos's faction. She was willing to do anything if it meant making Finn suffer.
This ambush on Eiji and the others was no different—she had taken the mission solely to inflict pain on Finn.
"Killing a few pawns?"
Bete suddenly murmured.
"Ah, did I not tell you about that?"
Valetta suddenly grinned, her expression twisting unnaturally. Her already plain features contorted into something hideous.
"It was last time, when I was chasing Finn in the dungeon and ran into a four-person team."
Bete's eyes turned icy.
"Ah, that was so much fun! That girl with healing magic desperately tried to save her companions, not even caring that she had several cursed daggers stuck in her. Or maybe she knew she was doomed and just wanted her friends to escape? Who knows? In the end, they all died screaming and crying, hahaha! That feeling was exquisite. Does Finn know how horribly they died?"
Her face flushed with perverse pleasure.
Her nearly deranged eyes brimmed with sick satisfaction.
She was a complete monster.
A villain consumed by hatred, willing to do anything!
Lost in reliving those memories, she didn't notice the vortex of murderous intent swirling in the werewolf's eyes behind her.
"...Let's go back."
Bete feigned disinterest and turned to leave.
"Tch, men with no taste aren't popular."
Valetta muttered in annoyance.
The two ascended through a series of fixed passageways, climbing several staircases before reaching the core area of the artificial dungeon.
"Oh, it's fine, you can come in."
Valetta stopped Bete as he tried to leave and led him into the core area.
Bete's eyes flickered slightly.
The orichalcum gate opened before him.
And then, the most crucial domain of the artificial dungeon came into view.
A vast, dimly lit chamber. A beautiful, long-haired male god.
And the master of the labyrinth, dark circles under his eyes.
"The red-haired woman isn't here?"
Bete wondered silently.
"Welcome our new member!"
The evil god Thanatos clapped exaggeratedly, his face alight with enthusiasm.
"Although that special ops team has already escaped the maze, having new recruits join is truly a joyous occasion!"
Barca stood on the control platform.
He casually glanced back as if by accident.
Bete met his gaze.
After a brief moment of eye contact, both averted their eyes as if nothing had happened.
"It seems my letter of submission has been delivered."
Barca felt greatly encouraged in his heart.