Chapter 45
"Lisbeth, be careful. There might be traps ahead."
"Mm, I know."
Staring at the suddenly brightly lit lab, both Lisbeth and Stalos nervously took a step back, fearing a trap. But they knew staying put was pointless. Stalos dispelled her light orb and turned to Lisbeth. "Lisbeth, I don’t know what’s going on here, but let’s stick to the plan. I’ll go first; you follow me."
"Okay."
As Stalos finished speaking, Lisbeth nodded and followed her inside. Lisbeth had never liked mages’ labs. For research, mages often brought back monsters as specimens. So Ovelia’s lab should’ve been filled with transparent containers holding monsters.
But stepping inside, they saw only a tidy room. Three large lab tables, two big bookshelves, and a cabinet of bottles and jars.
Both froze, wondering if they’d come to the wrong place. This looked more like a neat personal room than a lab.
"Stalos, are you sure we’re in the right spot? Did you bring me to Ovelia’s bedroom?"
"No, this is definitely her lab. But it’s weird. She always has so many experiments. How can it be so empty?"
Lisbeth nodded. As a great mage developing magic, Ovelia must’ve done countless experiments. This space felt far too small.
"C-could it be?"
"A hidden room?"
"A hidden room?"
After a brief thought, both realized this was the likeliest answer. They nodded at each other and started searching for a secret door.
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Meanwhile—
"Ovelia, hiding all your lab’s valuable materials like this—how can we test Lisbeth? Or did you forget the purpose of this test?"
Watching Lisbeth and Stalos rummage through the lab, Christia frowned. Ovelia tilted her head, confused. "Huh? Isn’t this charade because Lord Demon King wants a potion to enlarge her chest?"
"O-of course not! What are you saying? I told you this is to test Lisbeth, so—"
"Lord Demon King, lying won’t help."
Before Christia could finish, Ovelia shook her head. "You know better than anyone. Even if Lisbeth took something, it wouldn’t prove much. At most, it’d show she has issues. But as the former Hero, proving that is meaningless. This feels like you just want something from my lab."
After Ovelia’s analysis, Christia, seated in her chair, finally lost composure. She pointed angrily at Ovelia. "Ovelia! If you knew that, why not just give me the potion! You know I care about that, yet you refuse!"
"Lord Demon King…"
Both Ovelia and Hilda facepalmed. Then Ovelia cleared her throat lightly. "Lord Demon King, the breast-enlarging potion exists, but it’s not for you. It stimulates growth potential, not just enlarges chests."
"But you’re still young. You haven’t even started growing. Using it now could cause problems. For your safety, I haven’t given it to you."
"I see…"
Christia looked visibly disappointed. She stood up, losing interest. "Then there’s no point wasting time here. You two monitor the test. I’ll go review documents."
As she turned to leave, Ovelia quickly shook her head. "Lord Demon King, wait. Testing Lisbeth might be pointless, but you can still see their character through this, right?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Christia perked up. "Ovelia, it seems you have your own plans?"
"Yes, exactly."
Ovelia snapped her fingers. Instantly, the floor beneath Lisbeth and Stalos gave way. The ground vanished beneath their feet…
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"Wahhhhhhh!!!"
"Wahhhhhhh!!!"
Losing their footing, both screamed. A sensation of falling overwhelmed them. They realized they were dropping into an unknown place from the lab.
But quickly, both calmed down. They’d expected traps. They took a deep breath and thought of the same thing.
"Snap!"
"Snap!"
As if in sync, Lisbeth and Stalos desperately reached for each other’s hands. When their hands clasped, both smiled.
"Lisbeth."
"Stalos."
"You’re definitely the one to cushion the fall!"
"You’re definitely the one to cushion the fall!"
Yes, the first thought when falling was to use the other as a cushion. Their smiling faces twisted into fierce grimaces as they struggled mid-air to swap positions.
"Damn it! Can’t you just be the cushion?!"
"Idiot! That’s my line!"
They kept swapping mid-air. But the drop was shorter than expected. Before they could switch again, they landed together on a giant soft cushion.
"Wah! What is this?"
"I-I don’t know, but at least we’re safe."
The cushion was bouncy, so they weren’t hurt. But before they could relax, a transparent Barrier isolated them. Then, two staircases made of light floated down, ending at two doors.
Before Lisbeth and Stalos could process this, Ovelia’s voice echoed from above.
"Welcome to my lab. I am Ovelia. I don’t know who trespassed or how many hear this Magic Crystal recording. But since you’re here, you must want something from my lab. I’m not stingy. If I can provide it, I will."
"But you know nothing comes free. Pass my test, and I’ll give you anything you desire."
"Tch, what a hassle."
"Tell me about it."
After hearing this, both frowned. A cyan light flew from the doors, forming a huge wall before them. Words were engraved on it.
"Alright, first choose what you want from me. Anything on the list is available."
