A bit spooked, Serein knew she couldn’t just idle around. That's why she immediately scooted away from the loudness she could hear in the distance. Though, she wasn't expecting to hear Aidou and Cevahir bickering like an old married couple or something. Serein could almost swear she heard the sound of her common sense shattering at this banter. However, not long after, she heard something else."Aiyya yaaa! Adults really don't hold back, even against children! so bad, so bad!"The young adventurer was startled beyond belief as another voice came very close to her ear— no, something was sitting on her shoulder. The added weight wasn't significant, but she doubted it was felt due to her dislocated joints.‘Not to mention this voice…’ She had just heard it not long ago.“...Pam?”Or is it Sam? Well, either way, it’s one of the Wyrms.“Yes, yes~! Pam is here! Ready to report!”The bubbly hatchling chirped cheerfully despite the loud explosions in the background. Nonetheless, the corner
While the young Pam provided enthusiastic live commentary, the compromised adventurer and the disguised princess sought the hidden entrance. ‘I thought finding the cave would be easy??’ Well, it would have been if they didn't have to dodge incoming fireballs while avoiding the menacing flings targeting them. They were mere feet away from the main battle, yet the aftermath posed a continuous threat. “Serein-shi, is that it? The nest that you were talking about?” Cherry raised her voice slightly to be heard over the deafening noises surrounding them. "Princess, unfortunately, I am currently visually impaired right now… still. So no, I don’t know if it was it with you pointing at the place alone,” the young adventurer sarcastically remarked, her deadpan tone mitigating the disrespectful sense of her words. “Oh right.” The pink-haired girl chuckled sheepishly before providing a more descriptive report to Serein. “There's a part of the forest where the branches form a circular shape
"I read quite a lot as a child," Serein said. However, the deafening silence from the mage was enough indication that her bluff didn't push through."Yeah, so there’s that. Now, we should hurry," Serein cut in, stepping forward and urging the disguised princess to move quickly before Aidou caught on and stopped them."Serein-shi,” Eyes sharpened in accusation, the pink-haired royalty called out to her with a stern voice, “I would love some further chat regarding this matter.”However, that pair of magenta eyes soon filled with confusion as her guide's lips curled upward in reply."Sure. Yeah, we can do that," Serein replied casually. Cherry was slightly taken aback by the response. She had anticipated lies or outright denial. Yet, instead, Serein easily answered, almost as if she had planned it or had no issue with addressing Cherry's suspicions."I wouldn't mind some talk along with a hearty meal, a cup of hot drink, and my 20 gold coins~" Serein summarized once they were safely out
[The Ancient Hero party consisted of six members.The main hero was charming and amiable, while his twin brother was the exact opposite— cold and distant, yet quite liked by the other party members.Their journey began with the encounter of a water Elementalist who eventually became the group's healer.There was also a dwarf warrior who bravely departed from his village to join the Heroes in their noble mission.An archer hailed from the Forest Elven tribe, accompanied by a Tamer, reportedly not older than 10 years old when they joined.Lastly, a runaway teenager emerged as one of the Mages who had left her academy in search of better field experience…]However, that mage, a couple of years later, after the last infamous journey of the said Hero party, became the first Queen of Amaranth Kingdom.“The first Queen, your Ancestor, was one of three people who ever returned to their homeland and lived in prosperity."As she tried to recall the backstory of the said Hero Party, Serein kept
Unmistakably, the magenta-eyed princess was suspicious of her, very likely thinking that Serein was making things up.Which, ironically, that wasn't entirely wrong.However, appearing confident as if she were telling the truth, Serein crossed her arms and leaned against the wall adorned with glowing pink crystals.“You still don’t trust me,” she stated bluntly, an observation that was pretty evident. The princess shot back, “There’s no evidence to support anything you just said. I fail to see the correlation between this story and your supposed knowledge of this place.”From her perspective, that logic made sense.It's been centuries since the Academy of Magic had any significant scandals, let alone anything that needs to be resolved by blaming someone and sweeping it under the rug.'And supposedly, it’s been around thirty-ish centuries since this skeleton got tossed into the deepest part of the cupboard.'A total of 3,400 years since the Academy had hidden a literal genocide with onl
The princess felt torn.She was already forcing herself to trust this stranger who became their knight in shining armor at the most convenient time.'It’s almost as if she had been waiting for us.'It was already suspicious enough, but given the situation, it’s either believing this random guide’s guidance or soberly choosing death—the answer, of course, was too obvious to be questioned.Wary as she might be, the young mage had no choice but to depend on their ever so mysterious guide to achieve her goal and get out of this dangerous place alive and whole.Surviving after obtaining the herb she was seeking. That was the goal.Who would have thought that she’d end up hearing something so big as this?‘...I did not need to know any of this…’With her being appointed to be the next in line to the crown, Cerise felt like she had enough burden on her shoulders without this random knowledge already. Oh, how she wished that she could go back to 15 minutes ago and strangle her past self for g
“With… me?”Nodding after pointing that out, Serein then had three of her fingers stretched out.“First things first. The song. Although, as you can tell, I know the lyrics, I don’t exactly know the tune. You, on the other hand, have been sung to that lullaby throughout your childhood. So, maybe there’s another clue on it that I missed? Either way, it’s worth looking into.”With one finger down, the cold adventurer continued.“Secondly, the Elixir. That thing has been around since the era of the great sage, another thing that has been passed down through generations.”Another finger got curled, and by now, Cherry looked calmer and rather curious for the last point since she couldn’t think up anything in her possession that lasted from 1000 years ago.Well, there’s actually one last thing. Which is—-“Your blood,” Serein stated as her eyes locked with the princess’ magenta orbs.“The last point was your own blood.”Shaken from the news, the mage’s eyes shook as she froze up a bit.“My
— kugugugu!Loud rumbles echoed through the chamber as it continued to shake wildly. The air was thick with tension and fear. Soon enough, the three of them were greeted with more deafening noises.— BAM!!!A thunderous explosion shook the very core of the chamber, its force reverberating through the air. Serein instinctively covered her ears, trying to shield herself from the overwhelming sound. Pam, in distress, let out a desperate shriek, curling around to protect his sensitive ears from the booming impact.“Kyak!”“GAH!”The cacophony and chaos intensified, disorienting them further. The chamber seemed to tremble under the weight of the explosion, adding to the already precarious situation they found themselves in.Meanwhile, Cherry groaned in pain, flung away by the force of the opening door. She was thrown so far that she nearly teetered into the pit where the current gushed like a waterfall. The darkness below seemed endless as her widened eyes held a sense of dread, desperatel