Chapter 117

83 Part 2

“Can you tell me what you were really doing here?”

“Ever since I arrived here, I noticed you were moving around, Lady Tiara. I thought something was up, so I just waited here to see what you were up to.”

Tiararose was surprised to hear Akari say that so naturally.

She didn’t think her actions were being so obvious. After all, Akari has an incredible level of magical power that allows her to use the power of holy prayer. Perhaps all she needed to do in order to find Tiararose was to follow her magical trace.

Paying little mind to Tiararose’s perplexed state, Akari said ‘Well, well’, urging her to continue.

“So, where were you going?”

“… The Square of Beginnings.”

“The Square of Beginnings! Then a wonderful event must really be afoot. Alright, Lady Tiara, hop on behind me!”

Though she hadn’t really said much, Akari quickly hurried her to ride with her.

Certainly, now that Akari was here, it would be best to ask for her help. Tiararose made up her mind and told Akari that she couldn’t tell her much due to certain circumstances, and got on her horse behind her.

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“Ah! It’s my first time riding with someone on the same horse, but I’ve gotta say, it’s pretty good!

“Please look ahead, Lady Akari!”

Tiararose had thought that the gate would be her greatest problem, but thanks to Akari’s magic, she was able to go through undetected. It was a magical spell that hid her presence.

It seemed to be a very advanced magical spell, worthy of the heroine. Tiararose had no aptitude for magic, so she was a little jealous of Akari, who could use it at will.

The night breeze was still a little cold on her skin.

But her body trembled due to the tension of her not being used to ride on the same horse with someone else. She was being extra careful not to fall off the horse, and very scared too.

“Are you okay, Lady Tiara~?”

“I-I’m okay…!”

“We’ll soon reach the Square of Beginnings. I’m really excited about what may be about to happen, so I’ll speed things up~!

“Wait, just go at normal speed, Lady Akari!”

She was no longer sleepy. Akari’s excitement was on the rise, and Tiararose was having a hard time keeping up with it.

After some time, Tiararose and Akari finally arrived at the Square of Beginnings.

Just like before, there was a water fountain in the middle of the square with the game logo shining brightly on it. The fountain was turned off a the time, so the darkness of the night was reflected on its calm water. It was a beautiful sight.

Akari tied up her horse to a nearby street light and excitedly skipped over to the fountain.

“What on earth is this event… is that Japanese? ‘Hold the rings of the Kings of the Forest, Sea, Sky, and Starry Sky, and make a prayer without anyone noticing.’ Hmm, I see, so we need the rings then…”

Akari quickly saw that the markings were actually Japanese, but tilted her head to the side after noticing that nothing else was happening.

The sequel game reached its ending with the defeat of Liliarge, who became a monster there. But in this world, Liliarge was saved, so there’s no such thing as an ending in sight.

Still, Akari knew of these rings. She knew that Tiararose had the rings of the Forest, Sea, and Starry Sky, and that Aquasteed had the ring of the Sky.

“So you came here in secret because you have Prince Aqua’s ring?

“…”

Otherwise, why would you want to come here in the middle of the night? That’s what Akari’s eyes were saying.

Tiararose quietly shows her hands to Akari. She had all of the Rings of the Fairy Kings, and the ring of the Starry Sky which Aquasteed had created, all fitted in her fingers.

“Amazing! You’ve got all of the rings! …You didn’t take down Prince Aqua to get his, did you?”

“I did no such thing!”

Akari opened her eyes wide in surprise at Tiararose’s objection. For Tiararose, defeating her beloved Aquasteed to steal his ring was something unthinkable.

“But you still have Prince Aqua’s ring…”

“He was sleeping, so I just borrowed it for a while. Prince Aqua was a little worried… perhaps he thought the event wouldn’t proceed.”

“Ah, I see…”

Of course, Akari also agreed that the event would possibly never proceed as long as no one could read the Japanese characters on the fountain.

“So that’s why you couldn’t tell me the details, huh?”

“It seemed like I shouldn’t tell anyone.”

“I see, but that’s okay. For now, let’s get that event going! I’m excited to see what happens!”

Nodding at Akari’s words, Tiararose knelt down in front of the logo mark at the fountain. As she put her hands together, the rings she was wearing started to shine with a pale light.

Both of them spoke reflexively about their beauty.

“Waah, they’re so pretty…”

Tiararose slowly closed her eyes and began to pray.

She was, of course, praying for peace and harmony for Marineforest.

–May this country be overflown by blessings.

Then, almost as if responding to Tiararose’s prayer, the ring in the sky began to shine even more brightly. Small stars began to shine around the ring as well, bringing light to all of Marineforest.

Then, a big magic circle appeared under the praying Tiararose and Akari, who were standing next to each other.

“Ah!”

“Huh? What’s this? Is it… teleport magic?”

Tiararose was utterly confused about what was happening, and Akari’s magical intuition told her that they were about to be teleported. Her guess was proven to be right as the two soon disappeared from their spot at the water fountain.