In front of them, at the end of the dimly lit wide tunnel of the underground labyrinth, stood another Visage of a valkyrie. It was the same height as Sylvie, around 160 centimeters, with long flowing blonde hair that contrasted sharply with the blood-red color of its eyes.

Although Liz couldn't recognize whose valkyrie the Visage represented, the silver dress armor it wore, along with the black longsword it wielded and the large black shield it bore, made her realize that it was a valkyrie from her noble house.

It was more or less the same for Hannah and Brandon, as the "shield and sword" that is the trademark of Von Envier's valkyrie was the only thing they recognized from the Visage.

But it wasn't the same for Sylvie, for this was the Visage of her dearest friend—yet also the personification of her Envy.

And it meant even more to Ellric, because looking at the Visage of the valkyrie filled him with nostalgia, enough to make his heart feel as though it had stopped beating, and even brought tears to his eyes. After all, that valkyrie—

"—Mom…"

"I'm sorry, Ellric—"

Sylvie's voice snapped Ellric's judgment and reason, which he had set aside as he carelessly and unconsciously walked toward the Visage, his mind lost in the faint and fragile memories he could barely recall about his mother.

"—As much as I want you to see how strong of a valkyrie your mother was, I'm not going to let a Visage and this damned dungeon defile her memory."

Despite the rage in her voice and the anger in her expression—so unlike her usual calm and gentle demeanor—Ellric could sense Sylvie's sadness. The question of why Sylvie envied his deceased mother no longer mattered. Once again, she was holding back her tears, just as she always did when they stood before his parents' grave. What mattered now was that he needed to console her, like he always had.

"You can always cry on my shoulder later, Sylvie."

That phrase—her foster son's constant reassurance since childhood whenever she felt like crying from memories of the friends she had lost—never failed to make her laugh, while at the same time, strangely, it comforted her sadness.

"If you could please protect them, lord Brandon," Sylvie said without looking back, hiding her wistful smile as she stepped forward to face her Envy.

"If you could lend me your shield, lady Liz, though I might end up breaking it."

"Do what you have to, lord Brandon."

At Sylvie's request, Brandon stepped in front of Liz, Hannah, and Ellric, bearing Liz's shield. He imbued his mana into the borrowed weapon as he took his stance, ready to defend everyone behind him.

'Fortress'

Brandon activated his combat skill, simultaneously boosting the shield's enchantment with his divine gift to create a defensive aura strong enough to withstand what he assumed would be the full strength of the infamous gold-rank mage adventurer, Lightning Blade.

With Brandon protecting everyone, Sylvie no longer had to worry about holding back her full strength. It might have been selfish of her, considering the group would still have to fight the Dungeon Master afterward, but this was how Sylvie wanted to face the Visage of her dearest friend.

"Let me show you how strong I've become, Ellena."

She gathered not only her own mana but also the mana stored in the monster core of her enchanted staff to cast her most powerful mystic spell: a modified advanced-level mystic spell.

"Thunderstorm"

The hundreds of lightning strikes that should have created an entire field of surging electricity within the underground passage all condensed into a single superbolt.

The entire passageway of the underground labyrinth was engulfed in blinding white light, followed by a thunderous roar so explosive it ignited the very air, causing a powerful shockwave that shook the dungeon and even the town above.

The superbolt completely obliterated the Visage, melting the stone floor, walls, and ceiling, leaving behind a vast underground dome—ending the fight against Sylvie's Envy.

"With that mystic spell, we'll definitely defeat the Dungeon Master, Ms. Sylvie," Brandon said, as Liz's shield slowly crumbled in his hands.

My shield… Liz cried internally, though her outward expression remained calm and composed.

Continuing their exploration, the group arrived at the deepest part of the dungeon, standing before a massive double gate that led to the chamber of the Dungeon Master and the Core.

"In the end, we never encountered the Visage of your Envy, Hannah," Liz said, trying to distract herself from her nervousness. She, Hannah, and Ellric all knew they were about to face the Dungeon Master.

"Maybe it was destroyed along with the other Visages by the thunder," Hannah replied, feeling the same nervous tension as Liz.

"So whose Visage is the master of the Crystal Mirror Dungeon, actually?" Ellric asked, unknowingly making the two even more nervous.

"Idiot!" Liz snapped.

Despite her retort, Liz actually knew about the Dungeon Master of the Crystal Mirror Dungeon. After all, the Marquess of Mirare Town was allied with the ducal house of Von Envier and regularly sent reports about the town and the dungeon.

"From what I know, it was a gold-rank warrior adventurer from a few hundred years ago."

"At least it wasn't a hero."

"Idiot!"

Though Ellric had a point—that fighting a Visage without an imitation of a divine gift would be less troublesome—his remark still earned him Liz's sharp retort, fueled by her nervousness.

After everyone calmed down, with Liz being the last, the group proceeded to face the Dungeon Master and conquer the Crystal Mirror Dungeon, hoping they wouldn't need to destroy the Core to resolve whatever was happening in the town above.

Brandon pushed open the massive double gate.

What lay before them was a vast, empty hall a hundred meters wide. At the far end stood another gate, behind which the Dungeon Core was kept. And at the center of the hall stood a single Visage of a girl.

"So that's the Visage of the Dungeon Master—"

"No, it's not," Liz interrupted Brandon. "The gold-rank warrior adventurer was supposed to be a man."

The anxious tone of her voice caught everyone's attention. Yet even though they were curious enough to glance at Liz, their eyes remained fixed on the supposed Dungeon Master.

She wasn't especially tall, but her calm and compose demeanor along with her well-built frame made an impression. A ragged longsword was sheathed on her side, complemented by a dagger, worn black leather armor over her clothes, black arm and knee guards, and a tattered light brown coat that matches her brownish-gray hair styled in a long flowing ponytail. She looks just like any other adventurer, but her presence hinted at more experience than her appearance suggested.

But that wasn't their only concern—especially for Liz and Hannah.

"Liz… doesn't she look like…"

"That Visage is definitely connected to him, Hannah."

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