Chapter 224: A Little Fun Before the Fight

The underground wasn’t as complicated as they had initially thought.

However, their problem was more fundamental: it was too narrow.

The path stood about two meters tall, with an arched ceiling and walls made of red bricks. Yet, the space was just wide enough for one person to walk without their shoulders brushing against the walls on either side.

If someone claustrophobic entered this dark tunnel, they would likely have a panic attack.

They couldn’t even walk side-by-side unless they wanted to shuffle sideways like crabs!

Fortunately, none of them suffered from claustrophobia.

To combat the darkness, Eve’s team each carried a flashlight, illuminating their path. However, there was one issue they couldn’t escape…

“Shit… It’s so hot down here…”

Tiffany complained, wiping the sweat that dripped into her eyes.

The secret passage lay about 30 meters below ground, deep enough that they couldn’t hear anything happening above. Consequently, the heat from the surrounding earth had nowhere to escape but towards them.

Bricks weren’t particularly good at insulation. Worse yet, they retained heat and released it slowly over time, making it feel like they were trudging through an arid sauna.

“Suck it up…” Sophia chided, wiping the sweat that dripped down her chin. “We’re only halfway there. This will continue for a while longer…”

The two princesses led the group, setting the pace.

After all, they were definitely the ones with the lowest stamina among them. Just behind Sophia was Rico. The rest of the group wouldn’t be bothered by the walk, but…

“This truly is a pickle…” Eve sighed. “The heat is making me all stuffy. I really don’t want to come out on the other side all sweaty…”

While Tiffany and Sophia were sweating buckets, Eve, Arianne, Nina, and Ria only had a few drops. That highlighted the difference in their thermal tolerance.

Still, sweat is sweat, and after nearly an hour of walking, their clothes were starting to feel a bit… saturated with their broth.

“No, I can’t take it anymore!” Ria was the first to give up, unable to handle the heat.

Without waiting for anyone’s input, she raised her staff—not the one she used for witchcraft, but the one she used for magic. “Everyone, stand still, or you might get frozen solid!” she warned, waving her staff.

“Wait, Ria?!”

Nina, who was right behind her, shouted in alarm.

However, she was too late.

“ICE STORM!”

With a quick incantation, Ria unleashed the most powerful field-type ice magic at her disposal.

A freezing wind erupted from her staff, buffeting those in front of her—almost everyone except Nina, who remained behind.

“Princess!”

Arianne sprang into action, positioning herself between Ria and Eve, using her sword to redirect the icy blast toward the walls, floors, and ceiling in a single slash.

Thanks to her quick thinking, the ice storm missed Sophia, Rico, and Tiffany further ahead, sparing them from freezing into solid blocks.

“A-Achooo!”

Though, of course, that didn’t mean they could avoid the cold that followed.

Their sweat froze, forming icicles along their faces. The walls, once a deep red of clay, had turned pale white, coated in frost. The ground, which had been visibly covered in moss from water leaking into the secret passage during rainy season, now had a mirror-like sheen.

They were standing on a thin sheet of slippery ice!

“Good!”

Ria cheered, pleased to see the scenery transform from a dreary red to a clear, pristine white.

“What’s so ’good’ about it?!” Nina exclaimed, delivering a heavy slap to Ria’s head. “You almost froze Sophia and the others to death!”

“Ouch…! I-I didn’t! I properly held back…!” Ria crouched, cradling her aching head. “Even if they froze, they wouldn’t die from it!”

“Idiot…” Nina shook her head, exasperated. “Look at Arianne’s sword; what do you see?”

“Huh?”

Prompted, Ria turned around to look at Arianne.

Arianne remained in the same stance, post-swing. Her sword’s edge was covered in frost, and ice had formed along the guard, freezing her arms in place.

“Oh…” Ria muttered, a dull realization dawning on her.

She didn’t hold it back “enough” at all! It was still powerful enough to freeze Arianne’s hands—someone with stats that broke past mortal limits!

If it had hit the three at the front directly, they would’ve frozen to death, no doubt.

“Now, you understand?” Nina sighed, patting Ria’s head. “Reflect on your actions… and practice your control even more, just like Sir Axel did.”

“I will…” Ria nodded.

“But…!”

In an instant, she returned to her usual self. “With the floor frozen like this, I have an idea for how we can get to the castle even faster!”

For some reason, not only Nina but also Eve and Arianne felt a chill run down their spines.

…

WHOOSH!

Along a straight, narrow path, a white object zoomed through at a speed that could set a world record in its category.

“AAAAGH!”

Inside, three figures were visible, raising bloodcurdling cries of fear and panic.

The chaos stemmed from Ria’s idea—practically innocent yet brilliantly… devious.

“Let’s ride a bobsled, propelled by rowing against the walls and floor!”

Her plan involved using the frozen path to speed through while riding a “boat” with a flat bottom that slid across the icy, moss-covered floor.

Naturally, the girls found it genius.

Not only would they avoid walking, but they could also shorten their travel time! Even Nina struggled to counter the idea, though she sensed something critical was missing… Something she failed to think of in an instant.

That critical detail became apparent as they slid across the floor at speeds reaching 200 km/h. They were racing toward their destination, shortening hours into mere minutes, but…

“H-How do we stop this thing…?”

Uncertainty gripped them as all their faces paled.

Rowing was manageable; they could gradually increase their speed. But stopping? At such high speeds, if any of the rowers—Arianne, Eve, Ria, and Nina—were to jam their paddles against the walls, they would simply be left behind by the bobsled!

Panic ensued, and no one knew what to do.

“Fuck…!”

In that moment, Arianne leaped forward, positioning herself in front of the boat—pressing her back against the bow—and used her sword to carve into the floor beside her, gradually reducing their speed.

It was a delicate maneuver; even the slightest miscalculation could send everyone flying at their current speed, crashing into the ground like human bullets launched by a trebuchet.

The four OP Goddesses were one thing, but the other three would likely perish in that scenario.

“UGH…! STOOOOP!”

Arianne roared as she began using her legs, carving into the ice ahead.

Their speed gradually decreased, but…

“T-The exit! I see stairs!” Eve growled, shining her flashlight forward.

They were now just 50 meters from their destination, yet their boat was still barreling along at 60 km/h!

Arianne thought quickly and acted decisively.

At their current speed, the others were at risk of serious injury from a sudden stop—breaking their spines or landing on their heads or necks if they were unlucky. But, Arianne didn’t hold back.

She stomped hard, her legs digging into the brick floor, leaving deep trench marks.

Their speed dropped rapidly, causing the boat to “launch” them, with the stern rising until it hit the low ceiling.

“AAAH!”

Everyone flew over… But aside from the three “normal” people, the rest managed to adjust their positions mid-air and catch one extra before landing.

All of them stuck to their landing safely.

“Whew…”

Ria smiled as she lowered Rico, who looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

“That… was exciting!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement as she cheered and jumped. “Let’s do it again!”

“No. We. Won’t!”

Nina gave Ria another fist to the noggin, causing the loli witch to cry out in pain. Despite her antics, this time everyone agreed with Nina’s actions.

Everyone present made a mental note:

Not to follow any of Teruria’s ideas without properly “fool-proofing” them first!

After a few minutes of resting—mostly to allow the “traumatized” three to calm down—they finally began to move. The stairs leading up were just ahead of them, connected to the castle.

Although technically, they were already within the castle’s walls, just underground.

“Alright,” Arianne declared, pulling her sword out once more. “From here, I’ll be taking the lead.”

They couldn’t be sure there were no ambushes or traps set up ahead. Although the likelihood of an ambush succeeding was low since the entire castle was enclosed in Nina’s curse.

However, the curse only interfered with “movement,” not actions like swinging their weapons. If someone was waiting by the entrance and swung their weapon at the first person to come out, it would still hit!

Arianne was well aware of this and took the danger upon herself.

She began to scale the stairs, each step careful and calculated—a good 30 meters of climbing. As she proceeded, she noticed something.

“Watch out. This step has a trap,” she warned. “I dropped luminescent paint on top of the switch, so avoid stepping on it.”

Of course, Ria wouldn’t fail to follow such a simple order. They managed to avoid the switch and continued on without triggering it.

However, that wasn’t the only trap.

Every ten steps from that point, the traps became more frequent. The switches and tripwires seemed to be placed randomly, making it impossible to discern any pattern.

’This setup… Anyone attempting to escape through here would surely trigger the traps before managing to get away safely,’ Arianne thought. ’It’s clearly artificial—added later and not part of the original hidden passage.’

As she was lost in thought, they soon reached the top.

Ahead, a closed door blocked their path.

Arianne glanced back, noticing the girls nodding their heads in agreement, their lights turning off.

“… Huff.”

Without hesitation, she leaped forward, crashing through the door.

And then…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep