Vale's lips curved slightly as he saw Colbert wield Brenda as a bargaining chip. His grip on Yor's throat tightened, turning her face a sickly shade of blue. He spoke to Colbert, "Just kill her, and let's see who will suffer more."
Colbert was taken aback by Vale's words, but he could see that Yor was reaching her breaking point. Reluctantly, he raised his hands in surrender. "Let her go."
Vale released his hold on Yor's neck, but he kept a tight grip on her hands. He then turned to Brenda and requested, "Please help me silence these two."
Vale was aware of the apprentice magus' resourcefulness, so he made sure to secure their hands and feet in addition to their mouths. Despite his reluctance, Colbert had no choice but to comply. Vale had assured them that he wouldn't kill them both, so they had to obey.
Brenda was calm and composed, knowing that the situation could turn dangerous if Vale lost control of the current situation. She knew that the situation just now would have been dangerous if Vale didn't handle it properly. She realized that if she were stronger, they wouldn't be in this predicament.
"Understood," she replied, approaching Colbert and Yor to bind their mouths.
"I don't know if you guys are aware, but the two of us are actually trapped here. And now, you just join us to be trapped in this room," Vale explained their situation to the two noble students.
"But don't worry, I've found what, I think, is a way out of this room," Vale continued.
Thereafter, Vale approached Colbert and dragged his body. Colbert tried to resist, but his resistance was futile. Vale used more force and placed Colbert on top of one of the magic circles. He did the same to Yor, the noble girl didn't possess enough power to resist, so Vale could place her easily.
He glanced at Brenda, and the two nodded slowly. Brenda also touched the magic circle. Vale then touched the remaining magic circle. At that moment, in the middle of the four of them, a magic circle appeared. The magic circle slowly enlarged until it covered all the surfaces of the room. The extremely bright red light caused Vale to close his eyes.
A while had passed, and Vale gradually opened his eyes and saw that he was in an entirely new environment. However, he felt something strange on his body. Vale lowered his gaze and saw his wooden puppet body.
"What the heck is happening to me? My body turned into a wooden puppet!" Yor's voice shouted, heard by Vale.
He turned his head to Brenda and saw a wooden puppet that resembled her. Brenda also looked at Vale, and the two were equally surprised. Vale then looked at Yor and Colbert.
"It's not just you, but all of us are puppets now," Vale said, summarizing their predicament.
Part of Vale's guess had been answered. This cave was indeed where a magus used to live. There was a high probability that the magus who occupied this cave was the previous owner of this dimensional fragment.
"What kind of weird magic technique can do this thing?"
Yor's body trembled, she couldn't believe what had happened to her body. At that moment, She raised her head and looked at Vale with anger and resentment.
"It's your fault!" Yor screamed. "I'll kill you!"
Unexpectedly, Yor launched a spell, "Thunder scorched trees, rain goes hand in hand with suffering, Thunder Strike!"
Reacting quickly, Vale shoved Brenda out of harm's way, and the two of them rolled on the ground. To their surprise, nothing happened.
Vale raised his eyebrow in surprise and frustration. "It seems that we can't use magic," he said with disappointment. This situation was awful.
Yor raised both hands in frustration and growled angrily. Colbert, who witnessed the outburst, decided it was not the right time to attack Vale and Brenda. Finding a way to return to their original bodies was now their top priority.
"At this point, it's best for us to work together. Honestly, the only reason we were hostile was because of the mission to kill Frida. But the girl's life and death now has nothing to do with us, and it's better for us to think about our lives first," Colbert suggested, extending an olive branch to Vale.
"What did you say, Colbert? The two of them, especially him, are responsible for the deaths of Fidelis and Sabine!" Yor retorted furiously.
"Shut up, Yor! We couldn't use magic, and it's impossible for us to defeat them both. And even if we manage to kill them, we may not be able to return to our original bodies!" Colbert shouted, his voice ringing with urgency.
Colbert's outburst made Yor's stomach turn with unease. The girl couldn't help but frown in annoyance at the situation.
"I think you're right. For now, let's work together," Vale conceded.
Vale helped Brenda, who was still lying on the ground, to get up. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"It's okay. I should be the one apologizing for causing trouble," Brenda replied with a grateful smile.
Vale surveyed their surroundings, taking in the maze-like structure with its many paths leading in different directions. Meanwhile, Colbert had been investigating and had found a wooden puppet in the shape of a teenage boy, clearly another student of the Midvalley Magus Academy. Yor muttered a string of curses under her breath, while Brenda covered her mouth in shock and shook her head quietly.
"We should start moving now, or we'll end up like that one," Vale urged.
Yor, still annoyed at Vale and Brenda, snorted sarcastically. "Where are we going?"
"Anywhere is better than staying here," Vale replied firmly.
[Quest: Puppet Labyrinth! Think of a way out or become a puppet collection of Magus Chakuva]
[Magus Chakuva has created this labyrinth to torture people who break into his territory. This labyrinth is also the source of Magus Chakuva's wooden puppets. Although deadly, Magus Chakuva has provided a hidden solution in this maze! Think carefully and look for clues if the Hosts want to avoid becoming puppets.]
[Reward: Magus Chakuva's diary]
Vale was relieved to see the system giving him another mission. The system had become Vale's beacon of hope, even in the most challenging situations. However, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed with the rewards offered by the system. A diary? He would have preferred a magic technique, meditation technique, or perhaps a magic radiation stone. Any of those would have been more helpful than a diary.