My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again - Chapter 157

Chapter 157   Another Space

“Where… am I?”

Before my eyes stretched a pitch-black void. The sky and ground were both dark, with no visible boundary between them.

I tried to piece together my last memory.

It was clear that this was somehow Elsie, the second prince’s maid’s doing. I was just caught up in it by chance, but her target had been Nyau. That means Nyau should be nearby.

“Nyau, are you around here?”

I called out as I looked around, but the darkness stretched on endlessly.

“Nyau!”

I called out repeatedly, but my voice only echoed emptily with no response.

Anxiety started welling up within me. Now that I think about it, I’d had an experience like this before. Back when I was in the past, I’d been sealed away by warrior Gorgano.

Nothing compared to the painful memory of that seal.

I knew no fear greater than the thought of being trapped in a void forever. Just remembering it made terror rise from the depths of my heart.

My knees nearly buckled. Fighting the urge to collapse, I forced my voice out once more.

“Nyau! Where are you?”

“You’re so loud. I’ve been hearing you for a while now; there’s no need to shout.”

Huh…?

The moment I heard Nyau’s voice, the black void was repainted from above, and the scenery transformed.

What appeared was an ordinary room you might find anywhere—a red carpet, brick-patterned walls, a wooden table, and chairs.

And standing right in front of me was…

“Nyau.”

She looked at me with an exasperated expression.

Apparently, Nyau had just used a magic stone lamp to make the surroundings visible, meaning she’d been nearby the entire time.

Yet, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over me. It felt like the strength was draining from my whole body. The relief of being freed from that terrifying void, combined with the relief of finding Nyau, struck me again and again.

“Master!”

With a sudden shout, a dark figure rushed across the room.

Lyune, sobbing, threw herself into Nyau’s arms. Her long hair was disheveled as she buried her face against Nyau’s chest like a small child.

“Master, I was so scared… I thought I’d never see you again…”

Nyau’s face took on that familiar look of exasperation as she listened to Lyune’s trembling voice.

“If you’re Nyau’s disciple, I’d like to see you handle this with a bit more composure.”

“Master, you’re so strict!”

Even as she said that, Lyune’s face lit up with a smile.

It seemed Lyune had been in the same space as us.

“So, what exactly is going on here?”

For now, we all sat down on the wooden chairs nearby, and I asked Nyau for an explanation.

Nyau touched her chin thoughtfully, saying, “Well…,” as though deciding where to start. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak again.

“To put it simply, it seems we have been trapped in a space separated from the outside world.”

“Wait, so… we’ve been sealed away?”

“Not quite. You could say we were thrown into a different dimension created by Elsie. Does that make more sense?”

Honestly, it didn’t quite click for me.

“Kiska, it seems you’re a bit slow on the uptake,” Nyau said, narrowing her eyes at me.

I mean, I couldn’t understand what I couldn’t understand, could I?

“Anyway, what’s Elsie’s goal in doing all this?”

It was clear that Elsie, the second prince’s maid, was responsible for this situation. But I couldn’t think of any reason why she’d go to such convoluted lengths.

“Part of her goal is already clear. Nyau’s magic power has been slowly drained since earlier.”

“Is that safe?”

“It’s being drained only in small amounts, so this level shouldn’t cause any issues,” Nyau said with a calm expression. Judging by her attitude, it seemed she was genuinely unbothered.

“Do either of you feel your magic being drained?”

“I don’t feel anything.”

“Neither do I,” Lyune added.

Lyune and I both shook our heads. Nyau glanced between us and spoke up.

“Kiska, I understand you don’t have any magic power, but Lyune as well? Well, it’s about what I expected.”

After pausing thoughtfully, Nyau continued.

“Now, the real question we should focus on is why someone would want to steal Nyau’s magic power.”

“Maybe to weaken you, so you can’t fight back?” I suggested.

“That’s not entirely out of the question, but there’s something more concerning we should consider.”

“Like what?”

“For example, maybe they want to use the magic stolen from Nyau to activate a large-scale spell.”

“Could that be to summon a demon or something?” I interjected, unable to hold back.

“That’s a possibility we can’t ignore. Summoning the demon Belphegor would undoubtedly require a tremendous amount of magic power.”

“But even if magic is necessary, isn’t this method a bit too roundabout? Wouldn’t creating this alternate dimension require a large amount of magic, too?”

Lyune’s question seemed reasonable.

“No, generating this alternate space didn’t require any magic power. I didn’t sense any magical energy from Elsie, who created this dimension.”

Since Nyau, a sage, was so certain about it, she was likely right. After all, skills often don’t require magic to activate.

“Alright then, I’ll go take a look outside the room. Maybe I can find a way out.”

Nyau stood up from her chair and started toward the door.

“Should we come with you?”

“No, don’t leave this room. If something reckless happens outside and you get into danger, that would be a real problem. From what I can tell, this room seems safe.”

“Oh, okay, got it.”

I settled back down in my chair.

Nyau left the room.

“Master never relies on us for anything!” Lyune complained after a moment.

“Yeah…”

She was right—Nyau tended to handle everything alone. It frustrated me, but even if I tried to help in this situation, I wasn’t sure I’d be of any use.

“Hey, is Nyau always like that?”

I asked Lyune, curious about something that had been on my mind for a while.

“Hmm? I guess so. She’s always kind of like that.”

Not quite understanding my question, Lyune tilted her head as she answered. I realized I might have needed to explain myself a bit better.

“I just thought she seemed a lot calmer now compared to when I met her in the past.”

“In the past? You mean a hundred years ago?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Nyau seemed a bit more naive and scatterbrained a hundred years ago, but I guess people change over a century.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t know about a hundred years ago, but she does always seem tense.”

“Nyau does?”

When I asked, Lyune nodded.

“It’s understandable, I guess—anyone would be tense with something like this going on. And even without that, she was already on an important mission as the second prince’s bodyguard.”

Still, I was surprised to learn that calm, composed Nyau was actually feeling tense. Seeing this more human side of her made me feel a bit closer to her.

“No, no, that’s not it. She’s only been tense since you showed up, Kiska. She’s more concerned about you than the second prince or this whole incident.”

“R-Really?”

“I keep telling you, she’s got feelings for you, Kiska!”

“No, if she’s tense around me, that’s probably because she’s got some negative feelings toward me.”

“Eh, you sure?”

Lyune stretched as far as she could, looking unconvinced.

“By the way, I’ve been wondering—how did you become Nyau’s apprentice, Lyune?”

It was something I’d wanted to ask for a while. Nyau’s skill as a magician was undeniable, so if she chose Lyune as her apprentice, then Lyune must have some special talent.

“Eh, it’s not really an interesting story. When I was studying at a magic academy, Master came in as a guest lecturer. She saw me and suddenly said, ‘Would you like to be Nyau’s apprentice?’ She was so cool back then! Honestly, it was basically a proposal! All the other students were cheering, and I felt like a princess out of a story.”

Lyune blushed, fidgeting shyly. I couldn’t quite understand what she was getting so embarrassed about.

“You must have had great grades at school, then.”

“Nope, not at all!”

Surprisingly, she denied it.

“So you were chosen as her apprentice not because of your good grades?”

“Actually, it was the opposite. I was at the very bottom of the class. I couldn’t do anything right and was always getting scolded by the teachers. They even called me the most hopeless student in the school’s history.”

“Then, why did she choose you as her apprentice?”

“Well, obviously, it’s because of my overflowing talent!”

Lyune puffed out her chest proudly. It seemed a bit like baseless confidence, but from what she was saying, the only reason Nyau would have taken her as an apprentice was if she had some special talent.

“But yeah, Master did actually say something like that. She said, ‘You have a unique constitution, so staying at the academy won’t help you grow. That’s why you should come with Nyau.'”

“So, did you grow under Nyau’s guidance?”

“Uh, not really.”

Lyune shrugged.

“It’s been three years since I became her apprentice, but I haven’t really improved much.”

“Did she teach you how to deal with that unique constitution of yours?”

“Well, apparently, my body absorbs magic power more easily than other people’s. So even when I try to control magic, I can’t seem to keep it stable.”

“I see.”

I nodded, though as someone without magic, I couldn’t quite understand what that meant.

“Yeah, that’s why I’ve been trying all sorts of things with Master to figure out how I can handle magic with my condition, but it’s tough to get it right.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

“Not at all! I’m actually having so much fun living with Master. For me, it’s more important to keep this life going than to worry about magic skills. Of course, I still train hard because I don’t want to let Master down.”

Lyune looked a bit embarrassed, as if she’d accidentally shared something too sincere.

“To keep that life with Nyau going, we’ve got to figure out this situation first.”

Hearing how Lyune felt made me even more determined to do whatever I could to prevent any tragedy from befalling her and Nyau. For now, though, all I could do was leave this unknown predicament in Nyau’s hands and hope for the best.

“Master!!”

At the sound of Lyune’s voice, I turned to see Nyau standing in the doorway. She must have just come back.

“I need you both to come with me.”

Her expression suggested that she’d found something.