The band rested for a long while before they continued onwards. With a strong supply of food and perpetually clean water to wash, bathe and drink, it took much convincing from Gennai before everyone finally left the little paradise.

For Sofis, she spent the time of rest analysing the surroundings, particularly on the system that kept the water flowing and clean. Though she could only conclude it was impossible to replicate in the end, it was nevertheless an interesting discovery to behold. For something this ancient to hold a device that advanced was quite the amazing finding itself already. As for the walls, she noticed that there were new traces of change, but for the most part they were still blank and smooth. She had probably missed a lot of details while she was unconscious, but overall the hall as a whole was still extremely noteworthy to include in her research. If someone far more skilled than her in Academia Biologia could reverse engineer the water system or recreate the mana, then hunger and thirst would no longer be a problem for the people of the world.

In a practical sense, this hall was by far the most interesting and important for further research.

Yet she had a feeling there would be more to come. She couldn’t shake off the fact that such creativity couldn’t have been preserved without some sort of external protection. While the first level was extremely overgrown with plants, the current level was practically untouched. It didn’t make sense at all, at least compared to other ruins. Whatever they were encountering here, they would be at its mercy. She could only hope there’d be no further life-threatening disasters to come.

Everyone smelled especially good now, Sofis realised as they walked onwards. Each person emitted a unique faint fragrance, a positive twist to their original body odour. Jorn in particular smelled the best, and that certainly put her and the others in a fine mood. Whatever magic the water possessed, Sofis wished she could have access to it all her life.

She even began to hum a melody, quietly serenading Temia who walked just slightly in front of her, the two coming even closer since the last incident. Sofis recognised Temia’s intelligence and wit underneath her rude demeanour, and without that initial distracting misconception, she was beginning to appreciate the latter so much more. Temia, meanwhile, occasionally humoured her by humming back, though her notes were quite off-tune most of the time. After a while, even the others joined in, creating somewhat of a weird lighthearted choir, entertaining each other with happy, simple tunes.

It was something unique only here, and something Sofis could never experience in the Academia.

It didn’t take long at all for them to arrive at the next hall. The door to it was bright and colourful, with beautiful vines and flowers blooming at the hinges. For the first time, the corridor was exposed to the elements, and coincidentally, it was sunny outside. The light shone generously at the door, covering it in warmth. Everything felt extremely welcoming, a stark contrast to all else that came before.

‘Another good place to rest?’ one of the treasure hunters said excitedly.

Sofis hoped so as well. However, somewhere in the back of her mind, suspicion ran rampant in her thoughts. For a structure to have ‘killed’ her twice, she couldn’t easily trust what seemed to be a sweet paradise in front of her.

The Creator wouldn’t be this kind.

Since when did she believe in the Creator? She had no idea. The thought was just there. It wasn’t that she had enough evidence of its existence yet. She simply began to entertain the thought of such a being. It could actually exist, or it could simply be a fanciful figment of her imagination.

She poked her head out and looked down. They were already above the forest canopy. Birds chirped as they flew around. A falling feather lightly caressed her hand before floating on. Everything felt so peaceful and comforting. It was absolutely gorgeous.

‘Alright, everyone, let’s go,’ Gennai announced as he pushed the door.

There was little to no resistance at all judging from the ease of his push. A beautifully-tended garden came into their eyes. Streams elegantly flowed past their feet, filling their ears with comfortable sounds. Flowers filled the hall with fragrance, blooming vibrantly to attract their attention. There was nothing irritating in the area, the vegetation all providing various degrees of comfort to the band as they entered.

It was undeniably beautiful.

Sofis stopped to admire the scenery once she had entered the hall. She barely recognised anything here, the colours like it was painted on by the very best artists in history and the current era. Just as she thought she found the most beautiful flower, another would enter her vision and compete for her attention. Even with the thick vegetation, it was easy to get around with finely paved paths and soft grass for their camp later.

The possibilities were endless here.

‘I wonder what this will look like at night,’ she wondered.

It was then that she noticed Temia sitting down on a patch of grass, gently touching the petals of a flower by her side. Sofis approached her and sat down as well, quietly observing her movements and calm expression.

It was probably the first time Sofis saw Temia like that.

‘This is strangely comforting,’ Temia commented. ‘I can just stare at this all day.’

‘You’re right,’ Sofis said. ‘I feel this is the closest we can get to perfection.’

She noticed Temia staring at her. ‘You think so?’

‘Yes. I do.’ For a short while, the two stared directly into each other’s eyes before shrinking away in shyness and embarrassment. Elsewhere, the others were also enjoying themselves, being like children as they admired everything in awe.

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‘Just when I thought those waters were the best… This is even better!’ Jorn exclaimed. ‘Everything is so pretty here!’

Only Gennai was still relatively focused. ‘We should begin setting up camp here. Rest can come later.’

It was the fastest they had done to set up a camp. As soon as everything was finished, they all returned to enjoying themselves, bathing in the light or relaxing on the grass. Nothing was stopping them from the leisure and pleasure.

Sofis didn’t really understand the purpose of this hall, but in the moment, she couldn’t care less, putting aside her notes as she just laid down next to Temia, enjoying herself as time went by.

Soon, it was night. Instead of warm sunlight, there was now cool moonlight which illuminated the garden. No one really knew how that light could penetrate in, but it definitely created a different type of comfort. It was like a lullaby, gently rocking them to sleep and rest.

Temia tugged lightly at Sofis. ‘Let’s go somewhere else.’

Sofis nodded. It was time for a slight change in scenery anyways.

The two of them went to a corner of the hall, leaning against the organic-looking stone wall while being surrounded by a few short bushes. They were just out of sight of everyone else, but could easily return to camp if they wished to.

‘How long has it been since you were able to relax like this?’ Temia asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Sofis answered. ‘A while, I guess.’

‘So even you’re not sure, Scholar.’

‘I do not know everything, after all.’ The two chuckled.

The last time Sofis felt even close to this kind of comfort was back in her hometown when she sat down next to an old friend of hers. The two had known each other for many years even back then, practically growing up together like siblings. Away from the pressures of family, she felt completely comfortable while resting with him, even though the latter wasn’t nearly as educated or had the same resources as her.

She never met him again after departing for the Academia.

‘You’re thinking of something, aren’t you?’ Temia looked over.

‘Something nice. A memory with an old friend.’

‘Am I your friend, Sofis?’

This was probably the first time Temia called her by name.

‘Yes. I believe so.’

Temia sat up. ‘You know… It’s good to have a break like this. I rarely have time to just do nothing, never mind having a person next to me also doing nothing.’

‘I think I’ll miss this feeling again in the future,’ Sofis said.

‘Just enjoy it now. You’re much more lovely when you relax.’

‘You’re perhaps right.’

Sofis sat up and shuffled closer to Temia until she couldn’t go any further, their bodies coming into contact. With the dim natural glow of moonlight, Temia’s face seemed cold yet soft. Though Sofis initially thought of her as a rough woman, in this moment she was beautiful.

‘You’re very beautiful, Sofis,’ Temia complimented.

‘That… is what I wanted to say as well, Temia,’ Sofis responded.

She felt her heart beat slightly faster, her face warming up just a little. When did she begin to feel this way? She wasn’t sure. Perhaps just now. Perhaps slightly before. It didn’t matter.

As Temia suddenly turned and pushed her down, Sofis’ mind had only the image of the woman in front of her. Neither of them could hear anything save for their light breaths and beating hearts. The environment served to make things even more intimate, the cushioning of the grass like a bed and the flowers like perfume.

Temia slowly fell towards Sofis, her eyes gradually closing for something inevitable. Sofis reached for her face, wrapping it with her cold hands as she welcomed her embrace. The two had never felt this close to each other, but they were about to reach a realm of taboo unexplored by anyone they knew—

‘Stop.’ Sofis gently pushed Temia away just as their lips lightly touched each other.

‘Why?’

‘This is too fast.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘We’ve only known each other for a short while, and hated each other for most of our time together. This doesn’t make sense.’

Temia removed herself from Sofis. It was only then that Sofis realised that Temia had been sitting on her stomach.

‘You’re… right. This doesn’t make sense.’ Temia’s eyes were returning back to normal, her expressions too no longer as soft as before.

‘We were doing that far too easily,’ Sofis realised. ‘One step further, and we would’ve fallen.’

A frightening realisation was entering Sofis’ mind. The hall, the vegetation, the smell, the light… Everything was well designed. Everything was beautiful. Everything was lustful.

‘Do you understand what I’m getting at?’ Sofis looked at Temia.

The latter’s gaze was firm. ‘Thanks for pushing me away. This is all too suspicious.’

The sleep was the introduction, the silver hall an illusion of greyness and depression, and the previous hall a vision of forgetfulness. As for this hall…

‘A trap of lust,’ Sofis concluded.

By lowering their guard with the beautiful surroundings, the hall essentially was luring them into relaxation before putting into their hearts a strong intent of lust. Sofis wasn’t sure whether it could only amplify existing feelings or it could even artificially form such lust, but it was nevertheless dangerous. In fact, it was outright deplorable, utilising a person’s natural sex drive against them. What should’ve been natural would be forced to an extreme, and therefore, immensely unnatural.

‘How do we fight this, however…’ she wondered. She was still feeling the effects of the close call earlier, her body still quite hot. But she had to stay calm. She had to, unless—

She sensed a shadow approaching her. As she turned, Temia had already latched onto her, holding her waist tightly with her surprisingly strong arms. She felt the pressing of skin against her back, the rapid breaths of air tickling her ear.

‘What are you…’ Sofis tried to push her away again, but this time to no avail. Temia was too strong.

Sofis was quickly forced to the ground. Temia once again sat on her, tears streaming from her eyes. Her arms were shaking, but it held Sofis still. Her top was loose and nearly undressed, reminding Sofis of prostitutes whom she only saw illustrations of in certain books. It was an immensely humiliating display, especially when Temia had shown nothing of that character beforehand. Of all people to become consumed like this, Sofis couldn’t have possibly expected Temia to be the one.

‘Please, I-I can’t…’ Temia pleaded. ‘Sofis… help me.’

Seduction. The worst, most degrading and disgusting weapon that a woman could employ, at least according to Sofis’ definition. And it was being employed, through Temia… on her.

And as much as Sofis hated it in her mind… It was working. Her bodily instinct was betraying her.

This hall was no paradise. It was the worst form of mental torture.