Chapter 65

The Villainess Is Being Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Country 59

Aquasteed’s Ring

The great kingdom of Marineforest.

The underground of the royal castle was an enormous labyrinth, and in that labyrinth–was the ‘Sealed Room of the King.’

The dark passages smelled a little damp.

The walls were made of ash-colored bricks and were lit by a dim light from somewhere. It was likely magic of some sort, but no one asked.

This was because they were all overwhelmed by the air of this place.

“To think that such a place existed underneath the castle…”

Aquasteed sighed as he looked at the path that stretched out in front of him.

Instead of his normal clothes, he was wearing his knight’s clothing. The others also wore clothes that were comfortable to move in, in case something happened.

Elliot was holding a lamp now and looking at a map of the castle.

It was clear that this underground place had been constructed during the same time as the castle, but there were no traces of it that he could find.

“…This country has a long history. There are not many documents left of the time when this castle was built. Still, it is quite terrible that no one knew of this place.”

“There are some things that are beyond humans capabilities.”

Aquasteed guessed that it had been the fairies and the king who had managed the place.

A voice rang in the hall that was, unlike Aquasteed’s serious tone, very lighthearted.

“Oh, who cares about any of that right now. Let’s hurry up and go!”

“Lady Akari. Running like that is dangerous!”

“I’m fine. You worry too much, Princess Tiara.”

Akari smiled. Her hair was tied up and she was wearing short pants that allowed her to move quickly. She could not contain her excitement over being here. It was written all over her face.

“There should not be anything too dangerous down here. It is fine.”

“You too, Lady Olivia…”

So that meant there was still something moderately dangerous down here… Tiararose sighed. She hoped strongly that they would arrive in the Sealed Room of the King without anyone getting hurt.

She was mainly worried about Akari and Olivia.

“…Well, let’s go then.”

Elliot chuckled awkwardly and walked in the lead.

Akari and Olivia followed immediately after him. Then it was Tiararose, while Aquasteed and Grail walked behind her.

The women, who were not as strong in combat, were in the middle.

After walking a little, the path split into two.

Which way to go… After a moment, both Akari and Olivia’s voices rang in unison.

“To the right!”

“…Is this the power of Holy Prayer, Lady Akari?”

Elliot looked at her with suspicion.

Akari let out an ‘oh…’ but then nodded to Elliot as if nothing had happened. Tiararose smiled and thought of just how convenient this power of Holy Prayer was.

At the same time, she was jealous of these two who had played the hidden stage of the Fairy King in their past lives.

◇　◇　◇

They walked for nearly an hour.

Then at the end of the long path, they saw a light. There was a fancy door with two lamps on the sides that were shaped like flowers. The wall itself had engravings of fairies who seemed to be protecting something.

“It really is here…”

Elliot had not been wholly convinced up until now, and so his jaw dropped when he saw it. And then he quickly started writing in the notebook he had brought with him.

–Everyone seems so enthusiastic.

Of course, since it was an event stage from the game, she was curious about it. But still, Tiararose did not see why they needed to rush here now…

They had even envolved Aquasteed and Grail. She felt that she was already causing them enough trouble with her memory loss.

“Now, let’s go, Princess Tiara! I am sure that your memory will return here.”

“Huh…?”

Akari pulled Tiararose’s hand as she touched the door.

The door opened smoothly. The room inside had a single altar in the center of it. The walls of the circular room were covered in paintings of humans and fairies living happily together.

The Sealed Room of the King. Tiararose and the others had found it quite easily.

“…Who are you?”

“Huh?”

Tiararose had been staring at the altar when Aquasteed’s voice sounded from behind her. He too was staring at the altar in the middle of the room, but she could not see anyone there.

As Tiararose wondered what it meant, Akari and Olivia gasped.

–Ah, I see. It’s part of the game’s story.

Grail’s expression had not changed, but Elliot’s look of confusion showed that he could not see anyone either. And the two excited women could not see anything as well.

“Lady Akari. Is this…”

“Shhh. Be quiet Tiara!”

“…”

Akari said, and the room fell silent.

Aquasteed was thankful for the silence, and he started to think about a ring that could bring Tiararose’s memories back.

No.

–It was possible to make the ring here.

He wasn’t sure why he had thought about it, but some instinct in him had made him understand it.

“…A guest in this room. It has been years…thousands of years.”

“Who are…”

“Welcome, descendant.”

The man said, interrupting Aquasteed. Then he smiled.

He had dark blue hair like Aquasteed that was tied together. His clothes were white and looked like they were from another time. He wore a long cape that spread out on the floor behind him.

Aquasteed looked at the unreadable face behind the smile and thought at just how different this person seemed compared to him.

“How many generations ago were you the king…”

“To be precise, I was the first.”

“Pheles Marine Forest.”

Aquasteed said the name immediately. ‘Well done,’ replied the old king.

He would never forget the name of the first king.

“It’s been a long time, Grail.”

“Ah, you look quite good too, Phel.”

“…!”

Aquasteed was stunned for a second but quickly realized that it was an obvious thing. Unlike humans, the Fairy Kings could live for a long time. It would not be surprising if he was alive before the time that Marineforest was established.

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