Felix yanked Adam back as he tried to chase after them.
"What are you doing?!" [Adam]
"Wait! We need a strategy!" [Felix]
"Screw the strategy! I'm going to crush him!" [Adam]
He tried to shake Felix off, but he only held on tighter.
"Let go!" [Adam]
"I said wait! You have to think! Why didn't Tiffany just run?!" [Felix]
Adam stopped struggling, his attention now on Felix.
"Explain." [Adam]
"Think about it, Tiffany could've easily left Orsted's side. We didn't see any signs of struggling, but it was clear that she didn't want to be with him." [Felix]
"...Is she being blackmailed?" [Adam]
"It's possible, but the chances are incredibly low. They most likely met for the first time today, so it should be impossible to have dirt on her already." [Felix]
"Then what? Why isn't she just running away?" [Adam]
"Ruling out all other possibilities, it can only mean one thing…" [Felix]
"...His ability?!" [Adam]
A sly smile crossed Felix's face.
"Exactly. It's only an assumption for now, but we can deal with the specifics later. For now, let's head in." [Felix]
Adam nodded, following him through the whirling void that was the dungeon gate.
"What the…" [Adam]
The inside of the cavern was a sight to behold. Countless voidling corpses littered the floor, forcing Adam and Felix to tread over their bodies.
("They're foaming from their mouths?") [Adam]
"Felix, you think this is also part of Orsted's ability?" [Adam]
"...No, I don't think so. It must be one of the twin's abilities." [Felix]
("Since this area is pretty much clear, they must have gone further in.") [Adam]
"I found another path over here." [Felix]
He pointed towards a narrow pathway and entered it without hesitation.
"Wait for me!" [Adam]
The number of corpses didn't lower as they trekked through the narrow path. In fact, the number of bodies grew.
("More foaming from the mouth…") [Adam]
They trudged through piles of corpses until the narrow cavern widened into an open room. Their surroundings were similar to the last dungeon, with a stairway and a throne on top.
("There they are!") [Adam]
Orsted stood atop the stairway, holding his foot on a horned man's head.
("Did he already kill the dungeon master?!") [Adam]
"Hm? Oh, you finally made it." [Orsted]
"Yeah, no thanks to you." [Adam]
Orsted waved his hand off to Claim, instructing her to do something.
"Look for the soul weapon." [Orsted]
Claim nodded and left his side. Although he had one less person to guard him, Gleim seemed like she was more than enough for the job.
"I'm feeling generous today. You two no longer have any business here, I'll dismiss you." [Orsted]
("Is he… mocking us?") [Adam]
"We'll leave, but not without Tiffany." [Felix]
"..." [Tiffany]
"Haa… this is why I can't deal with commoners. Gleim, deal with them." [Orsted]
"As you wish!" [Gleim]
She raised her hand, letting an ominous purple mist leak out. Adam and Felix prepared to move, but realized there was nowhere to go.
"They have a terrain advantage." [Felix]
The mist made its way down the stairway, cornering them as time passed.
"We need a plan." [Felix]
"I don't see a way around it, so I think we should take a gamble and go through it." [Adam]
"...Are you stupid?" [Felix]
"Stupid enough to do it." [Adam]
He crouched down and took a running position.
"It looks like you have a plan, but you might want to think twice about it." [Orsted]
Pulling a switchblade out of his pocket, he handed it to Tiffany.
("What is he doing?") [Adam]
"Kill yourself if they resist." [Orsted]
"Ngh...!" [Tiffany]
It seemed that she was struggling, but she held the knife at her neck.
"Wh… What are you doing Tiffany?!" [Adam]
"..." [Tiffany]
("Why won't she reply?") [Adam]
"It's futile. She's under the influence of my ability, enslavement." [Orsted]
"Why are you even telling us? That doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do." [Adam]
"Yeah… You're actually stupid." [Felix]
Orsted didn't seem to like what they said, but he paid them no mind.
"It doesn't matter if I tell you or not, you're going to die anyway." [Orsted]
With Tiffany held hostage, the two couldn't avoid the purple mist. They held their breath as the mist enveloped them, but it didn't seem to work.
("I need to think of a way out!") [Adam]
"You may have realized this, but Gleim's ability is poison. There's no way out of this one." [Orsted]
Adam's vision blurred, and his legs trembled.
("Ugh… My lungs burn… My legs feel numb… This is like having diarrhea, but 100 times worse...") [Adam]
He glanced over to Felix, but he didn't seem so well.
"Guh!" [Adam]
His legs gave way, unable to muster any strength.
"S...Stop it!" [Tiffany]
She brought forth her courage and managed to speak out.
"...Are you defying me?" [Orsted]
His tone of voice frightened her, but she had already steeled herself.
"...Let them go, I-I'll do anything…" [Tiffany]
("No… Don't…") [Adam]
He no longer had any strength to move, much less to speak.
"Anything…?" [Orsted]
With tears streaming down her face, she nodded.
"If it is a request from my subordinate, you leave me no choice." [Orsted]
He waved at Gleim, passing an order to her. Tiffany breathed a sigh or release, thinking that her friends had been saved.
"...Huh?! What are you doing?!" [Tiffany]
Gleim had increased the amount of poison flowing out of her hands.
"I said that if it was a request from a subordinate, that I would have no choice. Unfortunately, you are nothing, but my slave." [Orsted]