Chapter 41: Betrayed Princess - 1
Before the continent took its current form, there was a kingdom called ‘Arasar’ in the northern mountain range.
The Arasar Kingdom was a nation where Sub-Dragons and the humans who worshiped them coexisted.
In this ideal system where humans enjoyed peace under the protection of Sub-Dragons and Sub-Dragons found comfort in humans, it seemed the Arasar Kingdom would prosper forever.
However.......
‘The important part starts from here.......’
My brow narrowed as I read down the stone slab.
‘Betrayal’, and ‘Calamity’.
The stone slab explained the fall of the Arasar Kingdom with just these two words.
The stone slab, having finished the process of the Arasar Kingdom's fall with the short phrase ‘A calamity brought by the betrayal of the wicked’, then spoke of a figure named ‘Sherazade’, the Princess of the Sub-Dragons.
[We create a place of promise here to protect the Princess's soul from the fallen traitor, so the group of traitors who usurped the Princess's body shall never invade this place.]
[Hoping that the most noble soul in the world and the body more dazzling than the sun may reunite like destiny.......]
I nodded after reading the contents of the stone slab several times.
‘So, a certain ‘incident’ occurred in the kingdom ruled by Sub-Dragons in the past? In the aftermath of the incident, the Arasar Kingdom fell, and in the process, the Princess had her body stolen by a group of traitors.’
Smirk.
A hollow laugh burst from my mouth.
It suddenly occurred to me that everywhere I looked, it was full of ungrateful traitors.
‘Although the Princess had her body stolen, she succeeded in putting all the Sub-Dragons, including the traitor group, to sleep with her last remaining strength. And the loyalists who worshiped the Princess created a seal to protect her soul. So that they could wake the Princess the moment the first traitor awoke from their slumber.’
They believed that even if thousands of years passed, their descendants would survive to wake the Princess again and serve her.
‘But none of the loyalists' descendants could come here. Does that mean the Princess's seal was just forgotten in my past life?’
I fell into thought for a moment, caressing the Jewel Sword in my hand.
If no one could come in the past life, there will probably be no one looking for this place in this life either.
‘What choice is there? I should go to escort the Princess myself.’
I fixed my gaze on the phrase located at the very bottom of the stone slab.
[When the promised day comes, we shall bring down the iron mace of punishment upon the wicked group of traitors, and they will crumble like a sandcastle before the Princess's legitimate authority.]
‘If this record is correct, the Princess's soul must hold the key to defeating those lizards. Then I must meet the Princess.’
Of course, the Princess of the Sub-Dragons might not be that welcoming to me, an uninvited guest.
But it didn't matter. After all, the intentions of the sleeping beauty were not an important issue.
Snap.
Having made up my mind, I broke the Jewel Sword in half.
The broken Jewel Sword turned into a halo of light and embroidered dizzying Runes.
And the magic circle that would guide me to where the Sub-Dragon Princess was located was completed.
Vwooom.
A moment later, the magic circle wrapped around me with a blinding light and I disappeared.
***
-Unauthorized one. Go back the way you came. This place is for you.......
“Would you go back if you were me?”
I rejected the Stone Guardian's proposal with a cold remark and spoke while aiming my Family Sword.
“Let's finish this quickly. You're the only one left now.”
The underground cavity, which had kept its peace for thousands of years while the Sub-Dragon Princess slept, was now literally a mess.
Crackle.
-Hoo, hoo, critical...... error...... oc. curred.......
The path leading up to the cavity was littered with the debris of destroyed traps, and shattered golems were emitting faint mechanical sounds relying on their last power.
It was 30 minutes ago that I arrived at the final location and encountered the 10 Giant Stone Guardian Brothers, the final sentinels guarding the Princess's seal.
And now, only one of the 10 Giant Stone Guardian Brothers remained.
I prepared the final strike, holding a sword in one hand and mana flames in the other.
Crackle crackle.
For the first time since living my second life, I used my power as a Mage without hiding it.
The level I had currently reached was the 7th Circle and 6th Star respectively. Considering my exceptionally fast Mana Ring circulation, it was safe to say my actual level as a Mage was above the 7th Circle.
However, the skills of the guardians protecting the seal were not easy enough for me to reach here without pouring out my full strength.
‘If I hadn't known about the Dragon Race, I would have given up an arm or so to get here.’
The flames burning in my right hand grew more intense.
Craaash!
As if responding to it, the lone remaining Giant Stone Guardian raised its halberd high above its head.
“Hydra!”
In an instant, the Incantation of the Unique Spell burst out, and the flames in my hand split into nine branches and coiled around the guardian.
The flames flashed their greedy teeth like their name and began to gnaw at the guardian's body.
Fwoosh!
The guardian wouldn't even be scratched by ordinary flames, but before the faithful fangs of the Hydra, it helplessly scattered away like burnt ash.
-Th...... is place...... Princess. 's cas...... unauthoriz....... ed. one. re. turn.
Eventually, the final guardian collapsed, leaving behind thousands of years of time with its last cry.
‘Now, is it time to meet the Princess?’
Having finished all the procedures to have an audience with the Princess, I went in front of the altar where the Princess's soul was sealed and chanted a spell.
“DzǝǕǙǹǧȮ-”
The spell in Dragon Tongue was fluent, but I was inwardly nervous.
The place of the seal had already adamantly refused the approach of me, who was not a descendant of the Arasar Kingdom, and poured out guardians.
But would the Princess really answer my call?
‘It would be troublesome if this doesn't work.’
Even if I solved the obstacles and traps by smashing them, I couldn't just smash the Princess's soul.
I placed both hands on the altar while chanting the spell, feeling slightly nervous.
Ping.
A moment later, ripples appeared on the lake, spreading out from the point where my two hands touched.
By the time the ripples filled the wide altar.
-You are not a descendant of Lasor.
A woman's voice, which could only be described as brilliant, echoed in my head.
“Probably? Because I don't even know who Lasor is.”
-I see. Then...... the descendant of Lasor could not come here in the end.
The voice in my head sounded like that of a mature woman in some ways, and resembled that of a young girl in others.
“Are you disappointed?”
-No, I am not disappointed. Since I didn't have high expectations in the first place.
The voice of the Princess, who had been asleep for a thousand years, continued calmly.
-Human lifespans are short. Will is bound to fade before the flow of time. Regardless of how determined the initial will was.
The Princess continued speaking, sounding calm yet lonely.
-So, who are you? You must have come here because you have something to say to me.
“Something like that.”
-Then would you allow me a moment? Although they couldn't come here, I want to pray for the peace of Lasor and his descendants who must have done their best to reach this place today.
“As much as you want.”
Ping.
Unlike when my hands touched it earlier, colorful waves spread out from the center of the altar and embroidered the entire cavity.
Soon, as the waves containing the meaning of prayer subsided, the Princess spoke again.
-Still, it is a relief. That you, standing before me on behalf of Lasor's descendants, are not on the side of the traitor group.
“Why do you think I'm not on the same side as the traitor group?”
-If you were a traitor, you would have erased my soul immediately. The fact that I have opened my eyes means the traitor group has also opened theirs. Your business must be because of that too, right?
Although the Princess's figure was invisible, I felt an illusion for a moment that her gaze was sweeping over my entire body.
-What is the name of the traitor who woke up from sleep?
“Kelbes.”
-Kel...... bes!
The Princess's voice, which had been calm all along, wavered with intense energy for the first time.
-If you read the Dragon Tongue on the stone slab, you would know well what kind of person Kelbes is.
Kelbes was the very person who usurped the Princess's body.
-I know Kelbes well. He is a person who harbors greed in his heart that will never sleep no matter how much time passes.
The Princess caught her breath for a moment and said.
-I am Sherazade. The last Princess of the Arasar Kingdom. Who are you?
“Hein Reichart. The second son of the Reichart Duke family.”
-Reichart...... Duke?
“A noble who rules this surrounding area. Reichart is my family name.”
-Noble? Ah, so you are the leader of the humans in this area.
“I'm not the leader yet, but it's something similar.”
-Then you have a duty to protect the humans of this area? Did you come to find me to learn how to protect humans from the threat of the awakened Kelbes?
“If so?”
“Then your purpose and mine coincide. You must defeat Kelbes for the safety of the people, and I also have many debts to settle with him.
I felt a sense of incongruity.
The fact that she firmly believed all human nobles would naturally protect their people, and her occasional tone of speech.
This Sub-Dragon Princess had a strangely naive side.
‘Judging by her situation analysis and atmosphere, she seems mature. ......Well, thanks to that, the conversation will be a bit easier for me.’
As I observed the Princess, in whom disparate aspects coexisted, Sherazade's somewhat triumphant voice echoed in my head.
-Then you came to the right place. Because I have a way to defeat Kelbes.
“What method?”
-That is...... hmm, do you know about what happened to my body?
Perhaps because it was such a heartbreaking event, Sherazade's voice, expressing the fact that her body was usurped in a roundabout way, had become crestfallen.
“If it's about what happened between you and that guy named Kelbes, I know roughly.”
-Yes, the body he is occupying right now is...... mine. Thanks to the efforts of the humans who followed me, I barely managed to prevent my soul from being extinguished, but my body...... was stolen.
Sherazade couldn't bear to say the words 'body was stolen' all at once.
“Is there a reason why Kelbes had to usurp your body specifically?”
-Because my body holds countless authorities and powers that he wouldn't dare dream of!
The Princess's voice, speaking of power and authority, carried the vitality of a child boasting about a candy in their hand.
“Then that's not a very good story for me, who has to deal with him.”
-No, he cannot use my body completely. Kelbes's soul is too vulgar to handle my body freely. So there is no need to worry too much, human.
As if to comfort me for reacting somewhat seriously, Sherazade spoke in a bright voice.
-Although only my soul remains, I still know several ways to defeat Kelbes. Of course, this seal must be broken first.
As if reacting to Sherazade's somewhat excited voice accompanying the words that the seal must be broken, the halo of light surrounding the altar began to waver.
-It is designed so that I cannot release it myself for the stability of the seal. It seems they firmly believed that Lasor's descendants would be able to come here when the appointed time came. Anyway, so I need your help.
“.......”
-Ah! You don't have to worry too much because I know how to break the seal very well. Breaking the seal is not that difficult either. If you defeated the installed traps and guardians and came this far, breaking the seal will be simple.
Thinking that the reason for my silence was because I felt burdened by releasing the seal, Sherazade urged me with an affectionate voice. However.......
“Wait a moment. Let me ask you one thing.”
I spoke in a subtle voice with my hands on the altar, which was emitting light and urging me.
“Surely, you aren't thinking that I would release you for free, right?”