Once, long ago, it had been an important part of the city's infrastructure—an intricate maze of tunnels that carried water and waste throughout the capital. But with the rise of magic, new purification systems and enchanted pipelines had replaced it.

Now, it was nothing more than a forgotten relic of the past.

The stone walls were damp and cracked, the air thick with moisture and decay.

The faint glow of our torches reflected off the murky water flowing beside the walkway, where the stench was strong enough to make breathing feel like a punishment.

And we weren't alone.

The place had long since become a haven for creatures that preferred the dark—gnolls, slimes, and other monsters that thrived in the filth and silence.

I wrinkled my nose, fighting the urge to cover it. "Ugh… I can't believe people actually worked down here once."

Berno glanced around cautiously, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword. "They didn't have much of a choice back then."

He was right, but that didn't make it any easier to stand here.

"…Shall we head back?" I muttered after a moment, scanning the empty, dripping tunnel ahead. "There's nothing special here anyway. The door we came through was probably just some kind of old maintenance exit."

I was more than ready to leave. The smell was getting worse by the minute, and the distant scurrying of something unseen wasn't helping my nerves.

Just as I turned to say something else, an overwhelming stench hit me—sharp and rotten, like something dead had been left to stew in the dark.

"Gods…" I grimaced, stepping back instinctively.

And then—

"Kyaaah!!"

A scream cut through the silence. High-pitched, panicked, unmistakably human.

"…!"

Berno and I froze for a split second before instinct kicked in.

Steel hissed softly as we both drew our swords. The echo of the scream bounced off the walls, fading quickly into the distance.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Yes," Berno said, his eyes narrowing. "It came from that direction."

The air seemed to grow heavier, the sound of dripping water suddenly deafening.

"What are we going to do?" he asked quietly.

"…We go check it out."

Despite the suffocating stench that made my head pound, I ran without hesitation toward the direction of the scream.

My boots splashed through the shallow water, echoing off the stone walls as I rounded the corner—and froze.

What I saw made my stomach tighten.

A young woman stood in the middle of the tunnel, surrounded by a swarm of goblins. Dozens of them hissed and snarled, clawing at the faint blue barrier flickering weakly around her. The thin layer of magic was cracking, barely holding against the onslaught.

And the woman trapped inside it was someone I knew.

"Help me!!!"

"…Lina?"

The name left my lips before I even realized it.

Lina—the same woman who had stood with the terrorists not long ago. The same woman who had helped them nearly kidnap the princess.

She was trembling, her hands pressed together as she tried to maintain her barrier. Her once-calm red eyes were now wide with fear, the confident expression she always wore completely gone.

What in the world was she doing here?

This place was a nest of monsters—an area so dangerous that even the Empire had chosen to ignore it rather than try to clear it out. No sane person would come here willingly.

I stood there, sword in hand, but didn't move.

Behind me, Berno shifted uneasily. "Aren't you going to help her?"

"No need," I said flatly. "That person's a criminal."

It was true that Lina had saved me once. But it was also true that she had played a major role in the terrorists' escape.

Whatever happened to her now… was her problem, not mine.

And above all—

from what I remember, Lina is supposed to be much stronger than me.

There's no way someone like her would be struggling against a bunch of goblins.

Criminals couldn't be trusted.

I turned my head away, forcing myself to ignore her desperate cries.

But then—

"Wait!!!"

Her voice rang out, sharp and desperate enough to make me stop mid-step.

"If you help me, I'll give you this!!"

I glanced back just in time to see her fumbling through her pouch, pulling out something small and shimmering in her trembling hand.

I squinted. "…What is that?"

"This!" she shouted, holding it up like a holy relic. "It's an elixir that increases mana! This is extremely rare, you know?!"

"What…?"

For a moment, my brain stopped working.

Did she just say mana-increasing elixir?

My head turned back toward her before I could stop myself.

"So please," she pleaded, her voice trembling as the goblins crept closer, "help me!"

And just like that—my resolve shattered.

"...Let's help her," I said immediately.

Berno blinked, completely dumbfounded. "What? Young master, you just said she was a criminal."

"Is that really important right now?" I shot back, eyes gleaming with determination.

She's offering an elixir that increases mana!

This wasn't about morality anymore. This was about priorities.

And my priorities just shifted dramatically.

Berno's expression twisted between disbelief and exasperation.

"Young master, are you serious right now?!" he hissed, lowering his voice as if the goblins might somehow be offended. "You can't just trust someone who was literally our enemy a few days ago!"

"I'm not trusting her," I said quickly, waving a hand. "I'm trusting the elixir."

"That's the same thing!"

"No, it's not. One is a person, and the other is liquid magic in a bottle."

Berno groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, muttering something about "terrible priorities" and "reckless nobles." But he still raised his sword all the same.

Meanwhile, Lina stumbled backward, barely dodging a goblin's jagged blade.

Her crimson eyes flickered with panic as her heel hit the wall behind her. The creatures surrounding her snickered with sharp, guttural laughs, their green skin glistening in the dim sewer light.

Tsk. I couldn't just watch anymore.

Let's get my elixi— I mean let's help a person in a need.

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