“Ugh…” Mira groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her body was slightly sore after what happened yesterday.

She noticed that Celaine and Maria were laying on the ground next to her, sleeping. Mira then looked around and noticed that they were in an unfamiliar location. The walls around her were a glossy black just like the Black Castle that they saw yesterday, but for some reason, the room was brightly lit up despite the walls being black.

‘I seem to recall a voice before fainting. I guess whoever that was probably dragged us into the Black Castle.’ Mira thought to herself and frowned, but was just glad that whoever dragged them into the Black Castle didn’t kill her.

She then took a bit more time to inspect the room and noticed something strange. The room was completely empty except for a small mound of white dust in one of the corners.

Mira felt familiar with this, but to confirm her thoughts she walked up to it and placed a small amount of it in her mouth.

She immediately spat it out and frowned.

“As I thought, it was bones that have long decayed into nothing. What a strange room to place us in. Did whoever brought us in not have another room? Did they think we were dead? Is this person an idiot? I have a somewhat bad feeling about this.” Mira already felt a headache just thinking about dealing with the master of the Castle. Her intuition was telling her that this person would be nothing but trouble.

Mira decided to just wait until the other 2 were up so they can deal with it. Normally, she would just force them awake but it would be troublesome if she woke them up before they could cure their fatigue.

***

After a few hours, Maria and Celaine woke up with a groan. Their bodies were also aching, but they were at least smart enough to stay vigilant of their surroundings noticing the unfamiliar atmosphere.

Mira also noticed they were finally awake and decided to get up.

“You two are finally awake. It seems the Master of this castle decided to bring us in. Though I might have to question their intelligence.” Mira said which confused the other two. They didn’t understand what Mira was trying to convey nor did they care.

“Well, seeing how we aren’t dead I guess we should go greet whoever brought us here? I mean, we can’t just stay in this room forever, right?” Maria suggested and Mira and Celaine nodded.

Mira decided to lead them out of the room and walked out into a small hallway. At the end of this hallway was a set of stairs that led up to the floor above them.

Noticing this, Mira’s bad feeling was getting worse.

The three of them looked at each other before nodding and walking over to the stairs, ascending them.

After they ascended the stairs, they reached a large hallway. The walls were black, but there were white pillars on both sides of the hall. The hall was also lit up by golden torches that emitted intense light and heat.

The three of them were taking in this majestic sight, but their thoughts were interrupted by the booming voice.

“Who dares enter this Great One’s nest! You are looking for de-Eh?! You three are alive?! I thought you guys die- I mean I figured my great trial was too difficult for weaklings such as yourselves! But it looks like I can enjoy your suffering a bit more! Heh Heh Heh!” The booming voice tried to intimidate them which seemed to work a little on Celaine and Maria, but Mira knew better.

They were currently dealing with an idiot! An idiot who is strong enough to crush them with just a breath!

She wanted to get a refund for all of her hard work getting here and just continue on with her journey in the Secret Realm. Dealing with these people was just too frustrating!

Everything became silent after that and the atmosphere became a little awkward. They were waiting for the Master of this place to say something, but it seemed they didn’t have any intention of doing that.

“Great one, we are travelers from a faraway land and have come in search of opportunities. My name is Mira, this here is Maria, and this one is Celaine.” Mira kept the introduction short while doing her best to stay humble.

“Eh? Ah! Yes! This Great One’s name is Kayda! Travelers from afar, since you have intruded into my domain then you must be willing to pay the required price. But rejoice, mortals, for you can rest easy knowing that it will be for this Great One’s enjoyment! Heh heh heh!” Kayda said in an arrogant and domineering manner, but Mira just couldn’t force herself to be intimidated by that.

Not long after Kayda introduced herself, the three of them heard footsteps ahead of them. A figure then came out of the dark and into view. What they saw shocked them!

Around 2 meters tall, a tall woman with tanned skin, flaming red hair that came down to her waist, 2 large melons on her chest, a pair of large black horns protruding from her head, 2 large red wings on her back, and a long red-scaled tail came into view. This woman was wearing a dark red Kimono with black lining. She had a mighty aura surrounding her.

She was an otherworldly beauty even with horns, wings, and a tail.

“I-I-I-Is that a dragon?!” Celaine muttered under her breath, but Kayda heard what she said and made a prideful expression.

“Naturally, this Great One is a Dragon!! How can someone such as I be anything less than a Great Dragon?! Not only is this Great One a Dragon, this Great One is a Magma Dragon! Heh heh heh!” Kayda said, full of pride.

Maria and Celaine were in awe at such a declaration, but Mira remained a bit skeptical. She would love to believe that, but she normally doesn’t have a habit of trusting idiots, no matter how strong they are.

Kayda walked a bit closer to the three of them, showing off her greatness. But when she got a bit closer, her little nose twitched. She sniffed a few times before looking at Mira with a complicated yet somewhat fearful gaze.

“W-W-W-What kind of terrible existence’s scent is on you?! Just the scent alone is somewhat suppressing my bloodline! Which should be impossible because I’m a mighty Dragon! The peak of power! The apex of the cultivation world! The strongest race in existence! What could possibly make me, a Dragon, fearful just by the scent?!” Kayda yelled in fright as she stared at Mira with a deep gaze.

Mira, Maria, and Celaine were also in a daze, not knowing what was going on. It was just the three of them and the only thing they’ve encountered is worms and centipedes. But that’s not something a dragon should be afraid of.

Mira just shrugged her shoulders, but her mind immediately thought of Rhydian. If what little intel she’s gathered on Rhydian’s species is true, then it wouldn’t be weird for something like this to occur.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, but if I were to guess, you might be talking about my Master and Beast Companion. In fact, it was my Master that sent me along with my 2 servants out to experience the world.” Mira lied through her teeth. There was no need to tell this dragon anything and based on this Dragon’s behavior, they might even get treated better.

Maria, Celaine, and Kayda were shocked by Mira’s words, Maria and Celaine in particular. They’ve never heard of Mira calling anyone Master before and they definitely aren’t her servants. They knew this was a lie, but then that begs the question. Why did Mira lie?

Mira never lies, in fact, one could say that she’s probably the most honest person they know, maybe a bit too honest.

When Mira mentioned ‘Beast Companion’ they immediately thought of Rhydian and knew that Mira was trying to hint this at them. Only Maria understood a little about Rhydian, but she only knew that Mira got it from the Trial and she’s incredibly powerful.

But it seems Rhydian is more amazing than she once thought.

Thinking about these things, they decided to play along with Mira for now. They figured that she must have some sort of plan that should be beneficial to them. Since, at the very least, Mira’s decision-making could be considered near perfection.

“D-Did you just say ‘Master’ and ‘Beast Companion’?! Are you saying that something this terrifying is actually your Master?! Someone as weak as you?! Impossible!!” Kayda roared in denial, but Mira still kept up the act.

“It’s because I’m so weak that she decided to take me in. Master said that there would be no point in accepting immortals or legendary beasts as her disciples since it’d be too troublesome. If my Master hadn’t noticed my unique aptitude and physique, then how else would I be accepted as a disciple from someone as great as Master.” Mira made sure to add in a few words like ‘immortals’ and ‘physique’ to dismiss any doubts Kayda might have.

Kayda then got a good look at Mira and started inspecting her. Mira just stood there calmly, but internally she was a little flustered. She felt like she couldn’t hide anything from Kayda and it made her rather uncomfortable. She just hoped that her unique physique and bloodline would back her up here.

“Hmm… You do have a rather peculiar physique and bloodline. In fact, they seem to be one and the same which is truly strange. This Great One has never seen such a unique physique and bloodline. I can feel the unlimited potential in it as well. As expected of a disciple of someone as great as your Master. This Great One can’t wait to watch the disciple of such an amazing person suffer! Heh heh heh!” Kayda continued with her idiotic lines, but Mira knew that she took the bait.

Even if they did have to ‘suffer’, it would surely be worth it.