When Scarlett returned to the previous chamber, she found the whole group still waiting there for her, their expectant gazes fixed on her. That included Raimond, who showed no signs of harm.

“How’d it go?” Allyssa asked, her eyes scanning Scarlett’s appearance. “What did you find?”

“It went smoothly,” Scarlett replied, directing her attention to the young Shielder. “And I found nothing worth recounting. The master of this place tried to deceive me with tricks, but I dispelled and dealt with those promptly. Our path forward is clear.”

Raimond regarded her closely, eyebrows raised. “Consider my interest thoroughly piqued. What manner of trickery might we be talking about? Though perhaps questionable in judgement, it is rather impressive to hear that you chose to confront a Vile’s machinations alone and prevailed.”

Scarlett briefly locked eyes with him. “…She attempted to mislead me by employing your likeness to ambush me.”

That caused the priest’s brow to furrow into a frown. “That is a dastardly tactic indeed. One can scarcely imagine the inner turmoil anyone would face upon being confronted by my own disarming visage as an adversary.”

“The concern is unnecessary, Father,” Scarlett said bluntly. “I dispatched the imitation, ensuring its swift demise.”

He blinked. “Surely you felt at least some hesitation.”

“None whatsoever.”

Raimond brought a hand to his chest, as if visibly wounded, while Allyssa wore a sympathetic expression beside him.

Scarlett then shifted her attention to the rest of the group. “This trap could have proven perilous had we confronted it as one unit. Now that it has been dealt with, we can proceed unhindered. Follow me.”

Turning around, she stepped through the veiled doorway, returning to the corridor where she had confronted Anguish. The mirror covering the right wall was still missing, revealing the duplicate corridor with the spiral staircase at the end. The others joined her soon enough, with Fynn taking the lead, and they started making their way towards the stairs.

As they advanced through the corridor, the knights maintained a watchful vigil of their surroundings, as though anticipating even graver threats than those they’d faced so far to appear. Perhaps Scarlett shouldn’t have mentioned the trap.

One of the knights, the same woman Scarlett had been riding behind on their way to the citadel, pointed towards the end of the original corridor where, instead of a staircase, a curtain of darkness still obscured the way. “My Lady, where does that lead?”

“I do not know,” Scarlett said.

“You don’t?”

Scarlett glanced at her, and the woman seemed to realize herself. “Forgive me, I simply assumed…”

“That is quite all right.” Scarlett supposed it wasn’t strange for them to think she knew more than she did about this place, considering how she had been leading them up till now. If anything, that had probably been on the mind of everybody here for a while.

“I presume our destination lies with that staircase,” Raimond remarked. “However, it might be prudent to first explore the alternate path. With preparation, I am confident we can contend with any deceptions our inhospitable host may have in store, much like you have already done, Baroness.”

Scarlett looked at him. “…I believe that is the opposite of ‘prudent’, Father. We already have a clear path before us.”

She didn’t know if another fight awaited them down the other route, and she didn’t want to bother finding out.

“Ah, but how can we be certain that is not yet another ploy to lull us into complacency? The staircase is suspiciously convenient, after all.” The priest’s smile seemed sincere, but that only annoyed Scarlett since she couldn’t see through his intentions.

“Convenient, yes, but that does not exclude it being the correct route,” she said. “As you yourself pointed out, I believe we can contend with any deceptions that may await us if it is, in fact, the incorrect route.”

He almost certainly suspected she wanted to climb the stairs because she knew it was the right way, but he was pushing her like this to fish for information. At least she hoped that was his reasoning. The alternative would be that he was toying with her and already knew everything, but that seemed increasingly unlikely as time passed.

Raimond raised both hands in a placating gesture. “I suppose you are correct. Consider me convinced.”

Scarlett eyed him for another moment, then turned her attention forward as their group began ascending the stairs. Fynn and two of the knights led the way.

Even if Raimond was testing her, she could appreciate that he wasn’t pushing her too hard. Scarlett’s mere presence here was suspicious, and that wasn’t to mention her apparent familiarity with this place. She hoped his restraint in questioning her signified that he wasn’t an enemy.

The staircase proved a long one, and the minutes stretched on as they climbed. By the time they reached the top, Scarlett’s legs were protesting loudly, and she called for a short break. Between the physical strain and all the mana she had expended dealing with all the demons here, she was starting to feel the onset of exhaustion. Without Rosa’s stamina-boosting charms, the limitations her body placed on her became all the more evident, even with the buffs her equipment gave her.

Drinking a potion Allyssa had made for rejuvenating one’s energy—it wasn’t quite a stamina potion, but it was better than nothing—Scarlett eventually called for them to resume their journey.

The shortcut had deposited them in a large chamber devoid of enemies, but without windows, it was impossible to gauge how high up they were. Although Scarlett suspected they were starting to get closer to their goal, she couldn’t rely solely on her game knowledge to estimate how much was left. All they could do was continue pushing on.

Proceeding in the same manner as before, they traversed the various chambers and corridors of Anguish’s citadel, encountering an increasing number of demons on their way, ranging from basic mobs to mini-bosses like the guardian at the start. Gradually ascending with each battle, they also made use of any other shortcuts they found.

Eventually, they reached a square room with a single ominous door at its center, adorned with two sizeable crimson gems and two open paths to its right and left.

Scarlett ordered the group to stop as she studied the door for a few seconds, then gestured towards it. “Fynn, see if you can open that.”

If she recalled correctly, that door would be locked, and the only way to unlock it was by destroying a set of relics at the end of the two other paths. She’d been uncertain if this feature would translate to this world’s version of the citadel, but she had been hoping it would. It was a time-honored tradition in certain RPG dungeons to bar important paths behind mechanisms like this one, forcing the player to clear every route before progressing. While it was questionable game design in her opinion, this was one instance where she wasn’t going to complain.

She also wasn’t even going to try and unravel why someone would design their base like this in real life. Most of the dungeons in this world were strange in one way or another if one pondered it for too long. Unlike the trap from earlier, this didn’t feel like it could be blamed solely on Anguish’s arrogance.

What mattered was that this provided her with an excuse to temporarily split the party.

At her request, Fynn stepped up to the door and tried to pull it open, but it didn’t budge. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he looked back at her and shook his head.

Scarlett walked over to the rightmost path, which led to a wide staircase down into a shadowy corridor. From her vantage point, no demons were visible, but she knew they lay ahead.

She turned back to the rest of the group. “From here, we will be dividing into two groups,” she declared.

This announcement earned her a few puzzled looks.

She motioned towards the locked door. “To proceed, I suspect we must find a means of getting past that door. Since it will not open, there should be a way to unlock it available to us. That generally appears to be how this place functions.”

Briefly, she wondered if Anguish’s actual citadel in the Blazes was also laid out in this very game-like manner, or if there might be an in-lore explanation for it, such as the Vile wanting someone to reach the top. Scarlett could envision a few reasons for that, but it still felt like a dubious explanation. If true, the demon could just have created a single path leading straight to the top.

That said, even if this layout was a relic from the game, there should still be some justification for it, right?

Before she started going into a mental rabbit hole she’d already decided to shelve for the time being, she returned her focus to the task at hand.

Allyssa raised a hand. “Not going to say you’re wrong about the door, but is it really necessary to split up for this?”

“Necessary? No. However, it would be the most efficient way to proceed,” Scarlett said. “We do not know if we are pressed for time, but assuming we are is the wise choice. The breaks we have taken and the time we have spent to come this far may already be too much. Therefore, saving time where we can is important.” She gestured towards Fynn. “That is why Fynn and I will explore one of these paths, while the rest of you delve into the other.”

That statement prompted more than just puzzled looks as everyone stared at her.

“Just you and Fynn?” Allyssa asked.

“Yes.”

“…Even when there are like a dozen of us?”

“Yes.”

The girl seemed like she wanted to say more but refrained, probably because she knew Scarlett always had a reason for these things.

That did not, however, stop Raimond.

“I must admit to harboring some doubts regarding this proposal,” the man said, and the knights nodded in agreement. “While your abilities have certainly proved impressive, Baroness, and the same can be said for Fynn here, I think it would still prove a touch too precarious for you to venture off on your own in the dwelling-place of a Vile. If we truly are to divide ourselves as you suggest, we should consider a more strategic distribution of our forces.”

“I disagree,” Scarlett replied, crossing her arms and aiming her gaze at the six knights lent to her by Sir Home. “I will be blunt. Fynn, on his own, can handle you six without my support. With Mister Thornthorn and Miss Astrey’s help, you may stand a chance, and perhaps even hold the advantage, but Fynn is more than capable of acting independently when needed.” She turned her attention back to Raimond. “If we are dividing our numbers, it would prove far too dangerous to leave any of the knights by themselves. Therefore, the only viable option is for Fynn to serve as the sole vanguard in a unit. As for why I should join him, I believe I have already demonstrated my ability to handle the weaker demons we encounter here on my own.”

The priest frowned ever-so-slightly, but he didn’t actually challenge her words. Neither did any of the others. The knights had all witnessed Fynn’s strength, and Scarlett’s assertion that he could take them on wasn’t baseless.

She proposed this split because it suited her needs, but she also genuinely believed it was the most effective approach. Raimond and she were the most useful damage dealers against these demons in large numbers, so the two of them shouldn’t be in the same group, and considering that the knights would suffer worse injuries than Fynn, it made sense for Raimond to stay with them to provide healing.

“If I may ask, Baroness,” he eventually said, studying her. “How much of your mana reserves remain?”

She met his gaze. Of course he had to ask that.

While her proposal might be sound in theory, it didn’t take into account how much mana she had left.

[Mana: 1624/12063]

Even after having downed as many mana potions as she dared without suffering side effects, she was running low. Raimond, on the other hand, showed no sign of depleting his mana, even after both managing the healing and part of the damage-dealing.

Scarlett didn’t know the extent of the man’s mana pool, but it definitely wasn’t anything to scoff at.

It annoyed her that she was envious of that.

Still, that didn’t matter much.

“I have more than enough for the time being,” she said.

As long as she was by herself, her remaining mana didn’t pose a significant issue. That was what [Ittar’s Genesis] was for.

Raimond observed her quietly for a few seconds before conceding with a somewhat resigned expression. “I suppose you would know best. If you believe this is our best approach from here, then who am I to argue with you as a mere tagalong? However—” He raised a finger, lowered it, and pointed it in Allyssa’s direction. “I would still like to ask that you at the very least take Allyssa here with you. I will do my best to compensate for her absence in our group, and I believe having one more member with you would give us all some peace of mind.”

Scarlett turned her gaze towards Allyssa, considering her for a moment. “Very well.”

The girl's eyes widened at that, but Scarlett didn’t dwell on the matter. She took the lead to start immediately. “Our goal is to uncover a means through which to open this door or, if possible, find an alternate path forward. If you discover such a path or encounter a foe you cannot defeat on your own, return to this room and we will regroup here. Until then, I wish you luck.”

Without saying anything more, she moved towards the right staircase, with Fynn joining her. Allyssa soon caught up, a bewildered expression on her face. Scarlett only glanced over her shoulder just to make sure that Raimond and the others followed the opposite path.

She had been worried about facing more resistance from Raimond, but it really did seem like he was accommodating her on these things. While that was good, it was also somewhat strange. What was his game here?

“I’m surprised you let me join you,” Allyssa spoke next to her as they began descending the stairs into the dark corridor, hand crossbow in hand. “You had that determined look that you get when you’re planning to get something done on your own.”

Scarlett shifted her attention to the Shielder. “…It appears you have come to understand me rather well.”

“It’s hard not to with how obvious you make it sometimes.”

“The circumstances do not always allow for subtlety.”

“Maybe not.” Allyssa shrugged. “I don’t understand the circumstances enough to know if that’s true or false in this case.”

“An unfortunate consequence of those very same circumstances,” Scarlett said.

At the bottom of the staircase, Scarlett signaled for them to stop, conjuring a couple of small flames to illuminate the path ahead. It was a corridor that extended for a few dozen meters before ending at a small door.

Allyssa looked both determined and expectant, while Fynn turned to Scarlett.

She considered the young man for a moment. “From here on, you will continue on your own, Fynn.”

“Wait, what—?” Allyssa began, but Fynn just nodded.

“You do not need to engage in combat from now on. Simply reach the end of where this path leads and destroy the relic that awaits there. Do it with haste and do not get yourself killed.”

“Alright,” Fynn responded, his white hair rustling as a gust of wind enveloped him, and he disappeared down the corridor.

Allyssa stayed beside Scarlett, staring at her.

Scarlett turned around and began climbing back up the stairs.

“W-Wait, why are we just leaving Fynn on his own?” the girl called out behind her.

“Because he can accomplish this task without our aid,” Scarlett answered.

There would probably be a good deal of demons in his way, sure, but there was no requirement for him to bother fighting them. Even if they were too much for him to take on, she was confident that he could get past them as long as he didn’t have to focus on protecting others.

Returning to the room with the locked door, Scarlett walked up in front of it and waited, her eyes fixed on the gems set into its face. Allyssa eventually joined her, still seemingly trying to decipher Scarlett’s plan.

As for Scarlett, she was preparing for what would come next. Although this door didn’t mark the end of the dungeon, it should be close enough that she could cover the remaining distance by herself if she made generous use of the mana inside [Ittar’s Genesis]. That meant that, soon, she would be able to reach Rosa and confront Anguish.

She had been waiting for some time.