Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

Chapter 424: When Right Is Wrong [Part 1]

Ethan sneakily made his way toward the library as soon as the clock struck midnight.

He made sure to prepare for his expedition by asking Ruby and her friends for help. Of course, he also kissed Lilian and Luna as a safety measure.

Since both of them were together when Ethan was looking for Lilian, kissing the two of them was only the natural thing to do.

Even if Luna didn't have any powers at the moment, he would not shy away from making her feel loved and treasured by him.

"Now, let's see if everything I saw was real or not," Ethan muttered as he lifted the portrait of Fortis Dud upward.

Seeing the keyhole behind it, a sigh escaped his lips. It was now confirmed that everything he saw that night wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

After taking out his wand, he placed it inside the keyhole and muttered the chant that Fortis Dud had said back then.

"Those who don't believe in Magic will never find it."

The young man then turned his wand clockwise as if it were a key unlocking a lock.

A faint rumble sounded, prompting Ethan to take a step back.

He then watched as the wall parted, revealing the staircase that led underground.

Sebastian and Ethan's Other Half were quite surprised by this development. However, both of them were also very eager to see what was below the stairs.

Ethan walked down the stairs with a wand in hand, ready to react if something was amiss.

As soon as he took the first step, several blue torchlights lit up on the sides of the underground passage, illuminating the way.

The young man continued his descent, but after taking his thirteenth step, he heard a rumbling sound behind him.

The entrance had closed up again, leaving him with no choice but to continue moving forward.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found himself staring at a long hallway.

Blue torches lined up the walls, lighting up the way.

"Well, at least the path is straightforward," Sebastian said in a teasing tone. "With this, there's no way you will get lost."

"Don't jinx it," Ethan's Other Half commented. "Usually, places like this are protected by traps of powerful magic. I won't be surprised if what lay on the other side of the door is a maze."

"You're thinking too much. I mean, why would this Fortis Dud fellow make a maze under the Manor if he wanted someone to go there?"

"Wizards, especially eccentric ones, like to do odd things. You can never tell what is going on in their heads."

While the two were having a chat, Ethan pushed the door at the end of the hallway open.

There, he found himself staring at a maze. Half of it was covered in white mist, preventing anyone from seeing the exit.

"…"

"… I told you not to jinx it."

Ethan frowned as he stared at the maze. He then tried to memorize the fastest way to reach its center.

Once he was confident that he had ingrained it into his memory, he walked down another series of steps in order to reach its entrance.

At the entrance of the maze, he read the sign written in bold letters.

"When you hear my cry loudly, I am far. When it is faint, I am near. Take two right turns and one left turn in order to find me. Three is the magic number which will set you free."

Ethan, Sebastian, and Ethan's Other Half pondered what the sign meant, but after a short discussion, all of them agreed that they would find the answers to their questions once they entered the maze.

"The old trick to get out of a maze is the right-hand rule," Ethan's Other Half said with confidence. "As long as you always move right, you will reach the exit without fail."

"Eh? I thought it was the left-hand rule?" Sebastian commented. "If you place your hand on the left wall and keep moving left, you will eventually find the exit."

"Both methods use the same principle, so I guess it works either way."

"I agree."

Ethan had also heard the right-hand rule before, so he decided to use this method.

He then tried to recall the image of the maze in his memory, and after confirming that it could be reached using both methods, he decided to use the right-hand method because it seemed that it would lead him to his destination faster.

Placing his hand on the wall, Ethan started to walk straight and turned right at the first intersection.

He kept on walking for the next few minutes, always turning right at each intersection that he faced.

Suddenly, he heard a loud roar that made him stop in his tracks.

The Sea God's Trident shot up from the back of his hand and hovered beside its Master.

Ethan grabbed the spear with his left hand and prepared to engage the enemy that sounded like it was just waiting at the next corner of the maze.

A minute passed, then two, but nothing happened.

However, the roar, which seemed to be coming from a monster, would spread in the maze from time to time, making Ethan frown.

"I see, I understand now," Sebastian commented. "Since we are hearing the cry loudly, it means that whoever is making it is far away. We don't have to worry for now and just continue going right!"

Ethan thought that Sebastian's words were right because this was indeed what the sign at the entrance of the maze had mentioned.

The young man then walked forward and turned right at the next intersection.

However, just as he was about to turn, he saw something move at the corner of his eye, making him jump backward.

A moment later, an axe heavily dropped on the location where he was standing earlier.

This axe was held by a Black Minotaur that was over two meters tall, and it glared at Ethan with bloodshot eyes, making Sebastian chuckle wryly.

"That bastard tricked us," Sebastian said. "It seems that whoever made that sign cannot be trusted."

Ethan nodded his head in agreement as he took a fighting stance.

Since a monster was blocking his way, there was only one way to get past it, and that was to defeat it in battle.

With another roar, the Minotaur charged. Its eyes where locked on to the young man in front of it.

Its weapon was poised to strike the intruder, who had entered its sanctuary, which it had been protecting for hundreds of years.