Only I Am A Reader-Chapter 592: Role Reversal

'Is that so?'

Unlike her flustered sisters, the Thorn Queen was as cool as a cucumber.

This Gate was indeed quite bizarre, but Yvonne was simply confident that the three of them could conquer any Gate even without Aurora's help.

'They were made to be cleared.'

The process itself might be complicated, but it wasn't impossible. Almost anything could be potentially solved through trial and error, and honestly…

'That's our experience.'

With their thorny 'Abilities', the Thorn Trio were almost the perfect subject when it came to that specific principle.

In fact, while they weren't foreign to the concept of sacrificing others to obtain answers or benefits, in situations like this, that was simply unnecessary.

"We will take the lead."

Disregarding the confused faces of her sisters, the Thorn Queen volunteered to scout the way.

Her real purpose might not be to clear Gates, but it was a necessary step towards achieving that purpose. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Besides, since they were playing the role of Great Hero, shouldn't they act the part?

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, we might not be as strong, but we are still your seniors, so just leave it to us."

Aurora was suspicious, but she didn't stop the Thorn Queen from doing her part.

For a second, she also wondered if she might have misjudged the Thorn Trio, but since she almost threw up on the spot once she had that thought, Aurora completely dismissed that possibility.

That being said, she wasn't going to step forward just because of that; all she planned to do was raise her guard even further.

With each having their own hidden intentions, the tension could almost be physically felt as the group of five walked through the empty path, only to melt away thanks to a certain intersection.

'I miss Master.'

Almost as carefree as a child, Kara almost didn't have any thoughts regarding the problem at hand. She simply followed along as if she were in a maze-themed picnic.

'Nothing out of the ordinary, so far.'

Although they had already taken three turns following the very first straight corridor, nothing special happened.

Having spread out her roots underground, Yvonne was sure of it. She hadn't missed any kind of trigger, nor had she taken the wrong turn; there simply weren't any.

Additionally, the fact that the roots could easily pore through meant that the walls trapping them weren't too strong. If someone like Aurora took the lead, they could brute-force their way into one straight path.

'Is this really just a normal maze…'

Once they took the fifth turn, even the calculating Thorn Queen couldn't help losing her patience. She had been on edge, and her senses were activated to the maximum.

If all they had to do was walk through until they found the exit, there wouldn't be any chance for her to do her actual task.

'Nevermind.'

Fortunately for her, the seventh corridor wasn't as simple as it appeared. The roots told Yvonne that there was some kind of trigger on her right.

Naturally, she wasn't going to personally step on it, doing so would be way too obvious.

Of course, that didn't mean she was going to give up her first chance just like that. If she couldn't trigger the trap from above, she simply had to give it a push from down under.

Click!

Giving an immediate response, a barrage of arrows passed through the wall blocking their straight path, covering the entirety of the corridor.

"Watch out!"

Carrying on with her 'role', the Thorn Queen shouted in distress. As she did so, quick thorny vines stretched out of her body, whipping away the arrows coming at her and her sisters.

'Too much.'

Given how simple the trap was to trigger, Yvonne didn't expect it to be that lethal. There were far too many arrows. Almost as if the Gate wanted to force them into complete annihilation.

In addition, the arrowheads attached to the wooden body were covered in dark green liquid. Even if a vital point wasn't hit, quite the potent poison was there to ensure a slow and agonizing death.

'Even better.'

If only a half dozen arrows were shot, she would have had to strike them all away, but now…

"Sorry! I couldn't stop them all! Are you-"

Putting on her best panicked face, Yvonne turned to inspect her actual target. No matter how quick Aurora's reaction, she was bound to have been hit at least once!

"Alright…?"

However, instead of Aurora's grimacing face, what met the Thorn Queen's gaze was a sheet of the starry sky, shining brighter than the faint lanterns stuck to the ceiling.

"Don't worry, I have got this!"

As the sparkling sheet rolled away, the hail of arrows fell to the ground with a thud. Revealing Kara's bright smile.

"...I'm glad."

The only thing that Yvonne could do was force a smile, barely holding back her urge to curse. What kind of newbie had that kind of reaction speed?!

Moreover, what kind of Ability was that sheet of stars supposed to be? A barrier? Was that why the old geezer insisted that they take her with them?

The Thorn Queen wasn't foolish enough to think that the arrows would incapacitate Aurora, she would have been hit once, at most. Even the poison was unlikely to pose too much of a threat to her.

However, she firmly believed that unless protected by Aurora, Kara was likely done for. In fact, she was relying on this possibility, hoping that Aurora would receive more injuries while shielding the newbie.

Yet, against all of Yvonne's expectations, not only was Kara fully capable of protecting herself, she ended up being the one to protect Aurora.

"Thank you."

In reality, the one who was surprised the most was none other than Aurora. Even in her wildest dreams, she couldn't have imagined such a scenario.

Having almost gone her entire Hero career shielding others, Aurora would have already been amazed if Kara could take care of herself.

Nonetheless, everyone's least expected contributor didn't stop at just that, giving Aurora her very first chance to experience being protected!