“An unknown guy gave you a piece of magical stone and you just accepted it? Maria, we’ve talked about it before” Nao did not sound angry. She just sounded resigned at the face that the oracle had done another unnecessary thing.

Maria felt that it was unfair of Nao to be yelling at her for that. Maria’s gamble to trust the guy had paid off in the end and she had not felt him be threatening. In the end, it had been the right decision.

“There is nothing to be done now. That guy might be long gone by now. Let’s focus on moving forward for now” Suna sounded tired as she explained and Maria knew the moment Nao melted at the tone.

“Fine. It’s not like I can win against you anyway when you decide to gang up on me” Nao groaned and Maria counted it as her victory. She had known that having Suna on her side in this argument would land her a sure victory.

After all, Nao might refuse to admit it but she was falling for Suna. There was an attraction there that Nao and Maria lacked. Not for the lack of trying since sex was great and all. But there was just too much-shared history between them for it to fully develop.

And Nao was not the only one to have that dilemma. Maria was just as much at fault since she had not put any effort into nurturing their relationship as well. Relationships were a two-way street and it could only go so far with understanding.

Not to mention all the fighting they had been doing and then avoiding those topics as soon as they calmed down.

“Fine. I’ll let it all go. But for now, we still need to know what to do next? What kind of place is this?” Nao asked as she tried to sense an opening again. Maria had told them about the illusion and how they needed to break it if they wanted to find the fairy.

Their surroundings seemed as if they were not changing, no matter how much they tried to look for it. The sun did not change direction, nor did it change its location. It just held itself high at the same position all the time.

“If the magic won’t work then maybe there is a trigger we need to find. Most magical spaces have triggers that allow the non-users to come and go as they please” Suna explained and the duo listened to her.

Out of the three of them, she was the real expert in this kind of magical situation. Since she had a pocket dimension of her own, it was not far-fetched to say that she was the expert.

“That’s easy to say but it doesn’t make our problem any less tough to handle. We still cannot sense anything in here but we can use magic” Nao complained. Technically speaking, she was right in pointing that out. This place was not like Suna’s default space.

“But the theory might still hold for this place. It should be something that blends in this place but is not naturally a part of it” Suna explained as she looked around for anything of that kind.

Most of the landscape fitted right into the space around them. There was nothing out of the ordinary that just stuck out to them. Nothing except the vampire rabbits.

“Please don’t let it be one of them. Handling one was hard enough. Looking around for a specific one will be hell” Suna complained as she pushed herself back to the ground.

Her complaining was understandable since it was going to be a problem for them. Maria understood her annoyance but she cannot feel worried. Unlike the other two, she had the option to kill those vampire rabbits with her chains.

“Nao, stay here with Suna. I’ll try to catch the rabbit and come back soon” Maria assured as she took off. She knew Nao would try to stop her but she needed Nao to stay with Suna.

Trishula was calm for now and had treated Maria well but there was no guarantee that the generosity would last or be extended to her friends. That guy was in a league of his own, not unlike Lady Karin. But unlike the red-headed lady, he did not need to keep out of their business.

Maria spotted a vampire rabbit and instantly tried to follow it. The rabbit turned its head and saw Maria. She braced herself for the incoming attack. These rabbits were vicious little things and they attacked at any aggressive action.

Maria tried to predict the rabbit’s next move when it turned its tail and started to hop away. And it happened again and again and again. Every time she encountered a rabbit, it seemed to be trying to flee away from her.

“Darn it. I just want the key to getting out of here” Maria did not yell. The voice echoing around her was just a hoax. Maria tried to assure herself before she felt something soft collide with her.

It was a small and fluffy vampire rabbit with the most adorable eyes Maria had ever seen. And it was just a baby as well barely bigger than her hand. Maria felt her heart melt at the cuteness but it went away as soon as the small thing opened its mouth and its fangs popped out. The sight made Maria miss the object it had been carrying in its mouth and he let it down gently before backing away from her.

Maria felt the presence of several red eyes observing her and she felt her nerves rise. There were hundreds of eyes observing her with their red glow.

She backed away quietly and felt the vampire rabbits back away as well. They seemed as easy to her as she felt of them which made the situation pretty hilarious from a third-party perspective.

“Well, thanks. I guess?” Maria sounded nervous and the vampire rabbits decided she was not a threat any longer. They decided to leave one by one as Maria watched it happen with the key in her hand.

She felt a humanoid pair of eyes on her as well but that was one can of worms Maria did not feel prepared for. And since Trishula himself decided not to show up in the open, it felt wrong to call out to him. Not because Maria was scared or anything. It was just a courtesy thing.

And when his eyes finally left Maria, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. It genuinely felt like she had dodged a bullet right there.