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Episode 90: The Stronghold of Shadow
* * *
“Hey, it’s going to be fireworks season soon! Seryl is so excited!”
‘I’m looking forward to it too.’
“When is it this year?”
The announcement would be made today, and it would be a week later.
If the original was not distorted and went smoothly.
I answered the maids inwardly, and I was nervous inside.
‘It’s already time to announce
’
Today was the day when the first event would finally be announced.
The ‘Fireworks Festival’ was one of the earliest events that I had written down in my notebook.
An opportunity to test whether the principles I had established were correct or not.
‘But it looks like they all have a hunch.’
The announcement was coming out today, and I was really looking forward to it.
“Your Majesty, did you buy some masks for the Fireworks Festival?”
“

.”
I just shook my head, thinking about the butterfly mask that Rixus gave me.
I didn’t buy it myself, and above all

It was a bit embarrassing to openly say that I was participating in such an event with Rixus.
“Meet me at the plaza on the day of the fireworks festival.”
It felt like I could hear Rixus’ voice, so my heart pounded.
“It’s a good day to check if the Crown Prince and Your Majesty are fateful lovers!”
“
I don’t really want to check.”
Without realizing it, I spoke as if I wasn’t interested.
To be honest, it was about half sincere. I was quite afraid, I didn’t want to check it.
However

The desire to trust him was obviously greater.
At that moment, Maribel grumbled.
“
It’s a really strange event
”
“Do you, Maribel, not believe in a fateful love?”
“
There are 100 dung beetles, can you pick out the special dung beetle that you love?”
“
Why a dung beetle?”
Laura shook her head.
Starting with that story, the discussion about the fireworks festival continued among the maids.
When the interest in the fireworks festival was growing

Tok tok—
The voice of the servant was heard along with the sound of knocking on the reception room door.
“Lieutenant Ires has arrived, Your Majesty the Queen.”
“Tell me to come in.”
After entering the room, Ires was polite and spoke about the main point.
“Your Majesty, Breathbridge has officially announced the day of the Fireworks Festival.”
“!”
Finally
!
Noticeably, I became nervous.
What if it was not a week later
?
The fireworks festival would be ‘postponed’ if the date was ‘delayed’, and there was absolutely no possibility of it being canceled.
Even in the year when monsters attacked the entire continent, the fireworks festival was held to comfort people.
So
 If the original and date were different, then my premise of ‘what will happen must happen at the right time’ was wrong.
Then the list I arranged last time would be useless.
“Crown Prince Rixus told me to deliver it to Your Majesty the Queen first, so I came to see you in person.”
“

Rixus did?”
“Yes.”
“Excuse me for a moment.” Ires said, and cleared his throat.
And after a long time, he showed the perfect Rixus vocal imitation.
“You didn’t forget our promise, did you?”
“!”
My face turned red. Ah, just now I pretended to not be interested in the festival!
“

Ummm?”
Seryl, who was the first to look at me with mischievous eyes, looked at me with shy eyes first.
I felt embarrassed because the chicks seemed to have found out about my childish love affair, but I still kept a deadpan expression.
“So, when is it?”
‘What matters now is the date.’
“You can open this card.”
I opened the card that Ires handed out without hesitation.
Fwaaa, phut! A small firework exploded in front of me. Oh, the card was enchanted.
“Oh, so cute!”
“Cool.”
“
A preview of fireworks.”
Eventually, when all the fireworks were gone, a date appeared in the air.
“!”
As soon as I checked the date, I had goosebumps all over my body.
‘After all, it is what it is.’
That was exactly the date I knew.
No matter how twisted the original was, such a big event was never twisted.
“Kya! It’s a week later, I’m so excited!!!”
However, as I expected the date to be correct, when it did, my mood became a little strange.
Since the fireworks festival was held as usual, it seemed the blue roses would bloom as usual.
On the other hand, there was a relief that nothing would continue to happen if nothing happened on the day of the blue rose.
‘That’s it
 My blood will dry while I wait for each event.’
The maids and Ires chatted further about the fireworks festival.
Then we went out to lunch together.
Of course, my mind was floating away.
Because there was something I was eagerly waiting for that was coming today.
‘Is the fragment of Zephyross’ tombstone ready by now?”
Today’s important event was not only the ‘Fireworks Festival Announcement’.
Today was that day.
The day I went to Yggdrasil and tested my life.
I became tense again.
If I failed to negotiate with ‘Shadow’ because my memory of the original was wrong

I could be in big trouble.
Maybe I won’t be able to return to the Imperial Palace for a long time

‘I hope not.’
Around the afternoon when I was so focused, Melfis finally came to visit me.
The ‘fragment of Zephyross’ rested on purple velvet, and Melfis held it out to me.
“Your Majesty, this is a gift from the Archduke.”
“Be sure to relay my thanks.”
“Yes.”
I carefully kept the fragment in my pocket.
And after Melfis retreated, I picked up Johann’s letter.
‘Thank you so much. You must have suffered all day, because of me.’
After mentally thanking him for the one-day ceremony, I opened the letter.
In the letter it was written:
<If this bothers you, please return it.>
I burst into a hearty laugh.
“
He’s holding a bit of a grudge!”
But this was cute. I smiled and folded the letter.
Since Johann delivered the fragment as promised, I would be able to properly implement today’s plan.
I took a short nap to relax.
And when the sun went down perfectly.
Finally, I headed there.
The land devoured by ‘Shadow’, Yggdrasil.
* * *
‘Ugh, the stench
’
It was a stench that stung the tip of my nose. It seemed to be coming from all over the city, so it was hard to bear.
In particular, the sight of the back alley of a slum was even more spectacular.
More than half of the people there were drunk and laid sprawled out from drugs or alcohol.
The other half were prostitutes who beckoned at random people.
A land of strangely colorful, strangely unpleasant, and dizzying pleasures.
“Lady, please have mercy
”
I deeply pressed my robes and walked past the pleading beggar.
‘It’s not that beggar.’
The beggars that appeared at this point were highly likely to be real beggars.
However

The beggar I would meet at the last alley in the westernmost part of Yggdrasil was not a real beggar.
He was a ‘guide’.
‘Ugh, this is bad. I still can’t remember the password properly!’
I have to tell the guide the password once I meet him.
However, it was so long ago that I read the original, so I couldn’t remember it at all.
I muttered to myself.
“The wolf of Yggdrasil
 licks and goes west?”
It was something like this.
I remembered exactly about the wolf going west.
Obviously it was going to do something, and it seemed to be related to an organ.
‘The wolf of Yggdrasil runs west, licking the ‘heart’?’
I couldn’t remember the last part either.
‘Oh, I’m going crazy. I thought I would remember it once I’ve come all the way here.’
This password was a password that the wicked gave to like-minded ones by word of mouth, so there was little chance that I would get it

Even if I tried to get it, it was likely that it would be too late by then.
At least Yuria and Deborah needed to know before they moved.
Hence, I had no choice but to try and remember what it was.
‘The wolf of Yggdrasil licks the ‘kidney’ and goes west?’
Boy, what was it really?
‘The wolf of Yggdrasil licks the ‘giblets’
?’
Would that be delicious?
It was then. I could feel someone grabbing my wrist with a strong grip.
“Will you give me a penny before you go?”
I knew instinctively. It was him. The guide to Calypso.
“

.”
I paused for a moment and then whispered.
“The wolves of Yggdrasil run west, licking their gallbladder.”
If it was wrong, he would have attacked immediately. But the beggar only smiled, showing his golden teeth, flashing yellowish whites.
“First visit. Follow me.”
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
Fortunately, my answer seemed to match.
The beggar took me to the back of the alley and put his hand against the wall.
Then, the space ripped open and a new door appeared.
‘He was a wizard
?’
Contrary to my preconceived notions, I was surprised; it didn’t suit this place too well.
As we went inside, it was a series of even more amazing sights.
There were faces with impressions I had never seen anywhere else before, full of men who looked like completely vagrant, muscular mercenaries.
‘Everyone is like a weapon of murder.’
The stronghold of Shadow, a man who led these monsters, was felt just by entering his space.
The murder ‘weapons’ of Shadow were standing in a row on either side, and at the end of those murder weapons


Sitting on the black throne, the King of Hell, ‘Shadow’.
‘They say that usually, your body would be torn to pieces before you even reached 1/10.’
Those who tried to kill Shadow died just walking down the road flanked with these killing weapons.
But I didn’t come to kill him, I came to make a deal.
As I was about to step lightly towards him,
Tak—!
A strong hand grabbed my wrist. It was the touch of a man who was about 2 meters tall. He said in a harsh voice.
“Hey, get down on your knees here and tell him your business.”
“
You dare to ask me to do such a thing, you bastards of Shadow are so rude.”
Even looking at my odd-eye inside the robe, the man raised his eyebrows as if smirking.
“You have no identity in Yggdrasil. You’re just a girl.”
“
.
”
“It’s difficult if you want to be treated like a queen. This place has a ‘ruler’.”
I looked at my feet and saw a humiliating wooden board.
Deborah would have knelt there and made a deal.
I looked at the dogs of Shadow with cold eyes.
Then I frowned and opened my mouth.
“Everyone, get on your knees, be polite, and welcome the monarch of Spinel.”
“What?”
“Bwahahaha! That girl must be crazy!”
The man closest to me pointed at me with a dagger, shook his shoulder, and clapped.
He did this for a while too.
Kwakkk! An ice branch broke through the stone floor in an instant and shoved his dagger into his mouth.
“!”
At the same time, it wrapped his whole body and forced him to kneel down on the floor.
“Geuk, ugh!?”
The man’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. If it wasn’t for the dagger’s handle, it would have pierced his throat and killed him instantly.
“
Argh!”
Then, the men lined up on both sides were also made to throw their knees to the floor and bang their foreheads on it.
The forced actions looked miserable yet fine.
“
Hmm.”
I arrogantly twisted my lips.
“Now it’s worth a look.”
I walked leisurely to the black throne.
Right to the front of Shadow, who was covered in wolf skin.
The crimson eyes of Shadow gleamed with interest.
I stared down at him and said,
“I’m here to make a deal.”