After all, several of the monsters that inhabit this dungeon attack by casting curses, or at least have some means of doing so. The skeletal horse from last time was an example of that, its flames didn't burn, but they cast a curse on anyone touched by the fire, causing a loss of movement in their bodies. Just thinking about what would happen if someone were completely engulfed by the flames gives me a chilling sensation in my stomach.

"Why do I have the feeling that we're just going in circles?"

As we wandered through the Fujiwara Cemetery, the person on my left side made a comment. Well, I couldn't blame her for thinking that way. In general, the scenarios seemed to always be the same, or rather, no matter where we went, we found gravestones and that persistent fog that prevented us from seeing what lay ahead.

"I was thinking of sending Glasy ahead to investigate, but if she also ended up getting lost due to this fog, the situation could become complicated. Besides, this place gives me a strange feeling. I feel that if we were to separate, it would be difficult to find each other again"

After my words, silence fell. What I was expressing was something that probably everyone already knew. They probably also felt that we couldn't separate, or else, we might never find each other again.

"Ma-kun, look"

While these thoughts flowed through my mind, Ana's voice echoed. I looked in her direction and noticed her hand pointing to a specific spot in the fog, as if something was there. Following Ana's gesture, a massive structure appeared before my eyes.

"Is that... a castle?"

Saemi said, with a curious look. As she mentioned, there was no denying that the place was undoubtedly a castle. Although it seemed that we had finally reached our main goal, for some reason, the idea of entering the castle didn't sit well with me. My intuition was constantly warning me, telling me to keep my distance.

"We finally found it! After so long of wandering, it seems like we'll finally have a chance to get out of this place"

Fujiwara said with a smile on his face. Everyone else also seemed happy, as we had finally found what appeared to be the boss location, or at least that's what it seemed like. However, I still looked dazed at the castle, with the strange feeling still enveloping me.

"Makoto? Did something happen? You seem distracted all of a sudden"

While this feeling disturbed me, Aoi spoke beside me, directing my gaze to her. Her face showed concern as she watched me.

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"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things. Anyway, let's go"

I said, putting a smile on my face. Then, I started walking toward the castle, followed by the girls. I decided to simply brush aside that strange feeling, it probably wasn't anything. Besides, I was sure we were strong enough to defeat the boss, and I was determined to protect them if anything happened. With these thoughts in mind, we entered the castle.

As we walked down the long corridor of the castle, we watched carefully around us, our eyes not missing any detail. The floor and walls were made of stone, although I wasn't sure what kind. Additionally, a long red carpet stretched down the corridor, seeming to lead us to a specific place.

The ceiling was adorned with chandeliers that emitted a light from crystals, but at the same time, the place had an ancient atmosphere due to the accumulation of dust on some furniture. However, paradoxically, it also emanated a sense of newness as all the furniture was in perfect condition.

As we walked, we suddenly stopped and fixed our gaze on a frame on the wall. In it, there was the image of an old man, with a long beard, who appeared to be in his nineties. He was sitting on a throne, holding a staff encrusted with jewels, and on each of his fingers, there was a ring of a different color.

"Is he the owner of the castle?"

Aoi commented. Hearing her words, I looked around and realized that there were several other images similar to the one we were looking at. All depicted the same person in the same position.

"That old man seems a bit narcissistic, don't you think?"

Fujiwara commented, causing me to raise an eyebrow as I looked at her.

"True, look at these pictures and this place. There's no evidence that a family has lived here. Moreover, no matter how you look at it, that old man sitting on the throne clearly feels superior to everyone else"

Fujiwara said, sounding convinced of her words. In fact, I couldn't disagree because it seemed that way to me too.

"It seems like there's nothing here. Let's continue"

I said, turning and proceeding down the castle corridor. After walking for a while, we finally reached a large door. It was simply gigantic, which made me wonder why someone would make a door this size.

Before I could take any action, the door magically opened by itself, emitting a slight creak as the interior space was revealed. If I had to describe the scene in a single word, I would definitely choose “throne room”.

No matter where you looked, everything was made of gold or some precious metal. The place itself revealed how much greed the person who built it had. Although I was impressed, I was also a bit apprehensive. When the door opened, the feeling I had been experiencing before entering the castle returned, but this time with more strength and intensity. It was as if it was saying it was too late to turn back, and so I should be even more alert.

"Hoho, it seems we have some unwanted guests here"

While we admired the place, a disjointed and artificial voice echoed. The voice had a strange tone that I couldn't identify, but the only feeling that overcame me after hearing it was danger.

Looking in the direction of the voice, my eyes fixed on the distant throne. Seated on it was a skull in boreal flames, burning in various fascinating colors. A robe covered its bony body, and in its hand, the skeleton held a staff encrusted with crystals and other gemstones.

As soon as its gaze locked onto me, its previously lifeless eyes lit up with a red flame.