Reincarnated as a Princess's Pet: With Trash Stats, but SSS-Rank Skill

Chapter 188: The Mirror Dimension (1)

Passing through the mirror felt strange.

For a brief instant, Max felt an icy sensation run through his entire body. It wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable, as if he were walking through a curtain made of cold water and shadows.

When he opened his eyes on the other side, it took him a few seconds to realize something.

Everything looked exactly the same.

The small hidden room was still there.

The same dim lighting.

The same walls.

The same staircase.

The same mirror behind them.

Max blinked several times.

"Well... that was disappointing."

Dorian stepped out of the mirror behind him.

"Were you expecting fireworks?"

"A little."

Don emerged next, clutching the mirror frame as if he feared being sucked back in.

"I was hoping not to cross at all."

Seraphine was the last to step through.

The mage observed the room for a few seconds before crossing her arms.

"Don’t let your guard down."

Her tone was serious.

"Mirror dimensions are dangerous precisely because they seem normal."

Max nodded.

"They’re deceptive, right?"

Seraphine looked at him.

"Exactly."

Dorian nodded as well.

"The worst ones are usually the ones that look the most harmless."

Don raised a hand.

"I still think I should go back to my duties."

Max laughed.

"You won’t be able to."

"Why not?"

"Because Seraphine already gave you what you asked for."

He pointed at the ring.

"Now it’s your turn to help us."

Don looked at the magical soap still appearing on his hands.

"And how exactly am I supposed to help?"

He pointed at himself.

"I’m a faun butler."

"Correct."

"I don’t know how to fight."

"Correct."

"If some horrifying monster appears, I’ll be the first to die."

Seraphine burst out laughing.

"Don’t worry."

Don did not look reassured.

"That doesn’t help."

The mage smiled.

"I can always cast a spell on you to make you stronger."

Don froze.

Dorian chuckled.

"Now I’m imagining Don with the Berserker Mark."

Max’s eyes widened.

"That could actually work."

"No!"

"Or even better."

Max snapped his fingers.

"We could have a legendary spirit possess him."

Seraphine grinned.

"I like the way you think."

Don looked moments away from a heart attack.

"Why does nobody ask whether I want to participate?"

"Because you’d say no," all three answered simultaneously.

The faun let out a long, defeated sigh.

"I hate being right."

Dorian decided to move forward.

He carefully climbed the short staircase leading up to the storage room.

When he peeked out, he frowned.

"Interesting."

"What is it?" Max asked.

"Come look."

The others climbed up behind him.

And immediately understood.

The tile that had hidden the entrance was gone.

It simply didn’t exist.

The opening was completely exposed.

As if it had never been hidden.

But that wasn’t the strangest thing.

The cleaning storage room looked different.

Everything was perfectly organized.

The brooms were neatly lined up.

The buckets were spotless.

The shelves were orderly.

Not a speck of dust in sight.

Max surveyed the room.

"This is weird."

Dorian nodded.

"Very weird."

Don looked around.

"Our storage room has never been this clean."

Seraphine smiled.

"That already tells us something."

"What?"

"That someone uses this place."

The group fell silent.

The mage pointed toward the door.

"Beyond that door might be where the mirror dimension ends."

"Might?"

"Or it might not."

Don immediately became nervous again.

"I don’t like the way she says things like that."

Max approached the door.

He took a deep breath.

And slowly opened it.

The hinges made no sound.

Beyond it stretched a huge hallway.

Perfectly illuminated.

Filled with several intersections.

Exactly like the castle corridors.

But completely empty.

Seraphine’s eyes widened.

"Well."

"What is it?"

"I didn’t know there was a mirror dimension this large inside the castle."

Max looked down the corridors.

"There are more?"

"Yes."

The mage vaguely pointed upward.

"The library has one."

Don whipped his head around.

"What?"

"A mirror portal."

"In the library?"

"Yes."

Don looked horrified.

"Does Arwen know about that?"

Seraphine laughed softly.

"No."

"What?"

"Only I know about it."

Don pressed a hand against his face.

"Of course."

Dorian raised a hand.

"I knew too."

Everyone looked at him.

"How?"

The elf smiled.

"While searching for a romance novel."

Max blinked.

"You discovered a dimensional portal while looking for novels?"

"Yes."

The elf shrugged.

"I didn’t dare go inside."

Don pointed at Seraphine.

"When we’re done with this..."

Then pointed in the direction of the library.

"Please remove that thing from anywhere near Arwen."

"I’ll think about it."

"Don’t think about it."

"I’ll think about it."

Don sighed deeply.

Max started walking down the corridor.

The others followed.

Everything felt strange.

There were no sounds.

No voices.

No footsteps.

No open windows.

Nothing.

Only silence.

And cleanliness.

A lot of cleanliness.

Dorian ran a finger along a wall.

"Not even dust."

"That’s not normal," Max said.

"None of this is."

They continued forward.

They turned one corner.

Then another.

And another.

But everything seemed empty.

Like a perfect copy of the castle.

An abandoned copy.

Eventually, they reached a long corridor.

And at the very end stood a single door.

Max stared at it.

"Looks like this is as far as it goes."

Don immediately smiled.

"Perfect."

"Perfect?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because now we can go back."

Max opened his mouth to answer.

But Dorian was faster.

The elf placed a hand on the faun’s shoulder.

And smiled.

"No."

Don went pale.

"No?"

"If there’s only one door..."

Dorian’s smile grew suspiciously wide.

"...then we have to go inside."

Don felt a chill run down his spine.

"I don’t like that logic."

"I do," Max said.

"Of course you do."

Seraphine was already examining the door with interest.

"There’s magic behind it."

"Dangerous magic?"

"Probably."

Don began regretting many of his life choices.

Max stepped forward.

He placed a hand on the doorknob.

And looked at the others.

"Ready?"

"Yes," said Dorian.

"Yes," said Seraphine.

"No," said Don.

Max opened it anyway.

The door slowly swung open.

And everyone froze.

The room was large.

Much larger than it should have been.

There was a perfectly made single bed.

A huge wardrobe covering an entire wall.

Several bookshelves filled with books.

Dozens.

Perhaps hundreds.

But none of that was what caught their attention.

Because on the opposite wall was something far more disturbing.

Chains.

A lot of chains.

Thick.

Heavy.

Bolted directly into the stone wall.

As if someone had once been held there.

Or as if they expected to hold someone there again.

Silence fell over the group.

Don was the first to speak.

His voice trembling.

"Okay."

Everyone looked at him.

"Now I really think we found something."