Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

At the time I employed somewhat forceful means to place the familiar in Ahren’s arms, I was as overjoyed as if I had gained the entire world.

Why?

Because the synchronization achieved through magic allowed me to watch over my beloved even while confined to the tower’s highest floor.

His reliable smile and gentle touch.
A voice sweet as if honey-coated yet imbued with warmth.
Steps full of certainty that highlighted his sense of responsibility and diligence.
Not merely his external appearance, which accentuated his charm, but…

Everything that made up the person Ahren, as seen and heard through Eira, was utterly lovable.

The Empire’s sole duke, the master of the Flame School, and the Tower Lord of the Magic Tower—
to meet the standards set by that man, my father, and to escape this prison of learning and false comforts,
I dreamed of an emotional reunion, held in his embrace.

Through the eyes of my familiar, I kept an unrelenting watch on him while enduring pain to grow stronger.

“If only the malice of the labyrinth hadn’t hindered me, I could’ve kept going.”

‘Gain strength every day by watching Ahren, achieve rapid growth, and escape as quickly as possible.’

The plan to charge my mental energy and improve the efficiency of my learning through the power of love was nothing short of perfect.

Yet, this simple yet comprehensive plan had one significant flaw.

The plan could easily fall apart if Eira’s condition was less than stable.

“Ugh, the more I think about it, the more annoying it is.”

At some point, Eira had been immobilized, no longer nestled with Ahren but confined to Yeriel’s arms.

Not only was I forced to constantly see her ambiguous chest and priestess robes,
but as if that weren’t bad enough,
exposure to the aura of a transcendent being residing on the third floor—a figure who identified herself as Adelai caused anomalies. My connection to the familiar was disrupted, leaving the vision completely unusable.

Some might argue that I could still listen through Eira’s intact hearing,
but in the labyrinth, just as time outside remained fixed at 35 days regardless of how long was spent inside, even Ahren’s voice, once clear, began to distort and intermittently cut out due to the diverging time streams of the labyrinth and the city.

In the end, the plan involving the familiar was an utter failure.

As they say, losing something after briefly having it is far more painful than never having it at all.

Once the fleeting happiness of that escapade vanished, the routine I had managed to endure rapidly crumbled.

I began hallucinating Ahren’s radiant smile before my eyes, and whispers of his voice lingered in my ears.

I bit my nails until they were ragged, writhed on the ground, and even slammed my head or shed tears.

Even during lessons with the elders or solitary training sessions, withdrawal symptoms would unpredictably strike.

Snap.

“Leesia Yuzfel… what’s her deal now?”

Thankfully, once Ahren and his party returned to the city, he escaped the labyrinth’s influence, and Eira’s hearing worked normally again.

I could understand Ahren taking Veronica, one of his companions, on a stroll to fulfill her wishes.

But when a new woman, claiming to be an old comrade and partner, suddenly clung to him,
I couldn’t suppress my irritation.

It was natural for a man as exceptional as Ahren to attract many women, just as the sun sets and the moon rises daily.

‘How could someone as crazy as me possibly monopolize Ahren? I only wish to stay by his side forever—whispering love, dating, sharing intimacy, raising children… But.’

That woman, Leesia, stood out too much, both because she appeared so abruptly and because her high status among Ahren’s female acquaintances was particularly irksome.

“How dare a mere count’s daughter act so refined, so lively, and choose Ahren as her partner for the grand banquet? And that tone of hers…”

It would’ve been bearable if she had simply chosen him.
But her family’s steward set an insidious trap, subtly wounding Ahren’s pride, leaving him unable to refuse.

Whether Leesia had ulterior motives or just sought to enjoy the banquet, the situation felt aggravatingly unpleasant.

Once they entered the banquet together and stood side by side, Ahren’s radiant looks would ensure that gossip would spread, linking them as a romantic pair.

‘Then, I’ll have to stop such rumors before they spread, using something far more shocking as a distraction.’

For instance…

Perhaps the reclusive Lady Ennis from the Duke’s house suddenly declares her wild love for Yuzefel’s partner to the point of madness?

“I’ve already missed my chance to accompany him.”

Learning about the banquet only today, there was no way to join now.

Had I not eavesdropped through the familiar by sheer luck, neither my hateful father, the elders who visited daily, nor even the spies planted in the school, would have informed me of the banquet while I remained imprisoned.

‘It’d be faster to get carried out of here in death than escape on my own. In that case.’

“There’s only one way left.”

Taking out a crystal orb, I carefully infused it with magic.

The orb connected directly to my father, the Tower Lord.

Wuuuung.

Ah, it connected.

─What is it? Surely, you haven’t gone mad during training and connected by mistake. If this is trivial, I’ll hang up. Speak quickly; I’m busy.

“You’re as cold as ever. Fine, I’ll get straight to the point.”

─Rotten as you are, you’re still my blood. You’ve grown bold. Very well, what is it?

Huff. Exhale.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, ensuring it wouldn’t be heard through the orb.

Calm down. I’m no longer the frightened fool I used to be.

“I’ve kept this hidden until now, but I think it’s time I told you.”

I no longer need my disgusting father’s affection. I have Ahren.

“I’ve improved enough to handle white flame. Although I can only sustain it for about 20 seconds at full strength, I’ll get better with time.”

That should be enough to qualify for the banquet, right?

─Ha, I heard from the Chief Elder already. I knew this.

Grind.

The betrayal shocked me so much I unintentionally ground my teeth.

The Chief Elder! That traitorous bastard!

Among the elders, there’s not one as steadfast and trustworthy as—who am I kidding. When?

Could it have been the day I met Ahren and handed over the access pass? Did he report it immediately?

─You’ve wasted my precious time. I’m hanging up.

“Wait!”

As he tried to sever the connection, I hastily stopped him and bit my lower lip before playing my trump card.

“How about this? I… I can handle scarlet flame too. Is that enough to make the Tower Lord reconsider?”

─Wait, what did you just say? Scarlet flame?

“Yes, scarlet flame. You heard correctly. Turns out my talents with flame magic are greater than I thought, even after being confined here.”

─Hold your tongue and wait. I’ll come at once.

Flash!

Within less than a minute, the warp gate activated, and my father appeared.

His face was filled with massive killing intent and a small sense of longing, like a dragon whose reverse scale had been touched.

He exuded a powerful aura and spoke.

“If you lied for some other purpose⋯ You’ll die by my hand today.”

“I know you’re the kind of person who would do that, so how could I have other thoughts? Let’s try it out.”

“Yes, do it! Hurry up!”

I closed my eyes and concentrated, as he urged me to do something unusual.

I thought of the flame of life.

Whoosh!

The flame I summoned with my hands began to burn with a bright red color.

Success!

Do you finally recognize me as the real Scarlet Ennis?

“Yes. This is⋯ This is⋯ Celia’s flame. You have her legacy.”

Bastard.

I was furious.

“If you’re so happy to see traces of my mother in unexpected places⋯”

Smack!!!

“You insolent woman.”

Despite being slapped and my head turning, my eyes remained fixed on him.

‘Damn. I knew this would happen, so I revealed the white flame, but I kept the flame hidden.’

The correct thing to do was to be obedient and win his favor, but I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“You didn’t care about success when my mother was alive, but now that she’s gone, you pretend to be a devoted to your wife and daughter. How disgusting.”

“⋯.”

“You should have taken better care of her when she was alive. It’s pathetic to see my mother’s name on your lips after she’s gone. I’m not Celia, I’m Scarlet Ennis! I’m Scarlet Ennis, the daughter of your blood!”

“Shut up─!”

His entire body erupted with magical power, and I was thrown off balance, unable to resist.

“Cough. Cough. Hmm.”

I rolled on the floor, clutching my aching stomach, and thought.

How did this happen?

⋯When I was born, the ‘Fire Blessing’ trait manifested strongly, causing my mother to die from the fire she couldn’t control.

Later, I heard that the midwife had used the highest-grade potion prepared by the family, but it was too late.

My mother was naturally weak, and the sudden shock was too much for her. The potion, which was supposed to be used at the optimal moment, was useless.

My father, a member of the ducal family before becoming the head of the family, was obsessed with work, success, and honor, and he neglected his wife, who was married to him for political reasons.

After losing his wife, he finally realized what was truly important, but it was too late. I was left alone as the only disaster that had killed my mother.

Yes, now that I’m an adult, my traits support my talents, but when I was a child, they were nothing more than a curse that had killed my mother.

I hated myself for this, but⋯ I hated him even more for pouring scorn and contempt on me from childhood to adulthood.

‘What could a newborn baby do? Did I want to be born like this and be oppressed?’

─I had to use one of the three Phoenix Feathers from the family vault to save you. You’ve wasted one of the family’s treasures.

You used the Phoenix Feather for your daughter?

You just want to remember your wife.

Whether it was then or now, my father⋯ or Conrad Ennis, was nothing more than a man to me.

For him I was a disaster that had eaten his wife and was born in her place, a kind of substitute or tool that could feel her presence most vividly.

I was just a human with that much value.

I got up and spat out the blood, then said,

“Whatever. I don’t care anymore. My achievements have exceeded your expectations, so I think I can ask for a little freedom.”

“⋯Good. What do you want?”

“I won’t ask for much. If I leave the Magic Tower now, I’ll just be an ambiguous adventurer.”

“Don’t waste my time. Get to the point.”

“I want to be able to get what I want. I want to attend this grand ball and continue to live as the real Scarlet ‘Ennis’ in the future.”
And.
“I want you, as the head of the family, to take responsibility for all the consequences of my actions. You have that much power, don’t you?”

“Finally, I’ll ask one last thing before I leave. What is it that you want so badly?”

That is─

Perhaps because I had poured out my emotions so intensely.

Unconsciously, all the magic power in my body turned into flames and whirled around me.

“Love.”

“⋯What?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“His sword pierced my heart with flames.”

I felt a sense of satisfaction.

“When his warm words caressed my soul and brought me back to life, I finally realized.”

I felt a sense of liberation.

“I can’t do anything without him.”

I imprinted the image of my father’s surprised face in my mind.

“Only he can make me, Scarlet Ennis, truly alive.”

“You⋯ You’ve really gone crazy. When did you become like this?”

When did I become like this?

“If you have to go crazy to do something, then I’m always ready to go crazy.”

I was always ready to go crazy.