Chapter 69

"I never thought Levi would snatch the bouquet meant for me!"

"I was surprised too. Even Akaari looked stunned..."

Olivia sighed in exasperation.

Seeing this, Tiara Rose and Aquasteed could only smile wryly. This story would likely be a topic of conversation for a long time to come.

It was now after Akaari's wedding, and they were in a carriage hurrying back to Marine Forest. Elliot and Levi were driving the carriage, while the other knights were galloping around it as guards.

Since moving together would take too much time, they decided to have the minimum number of members return to Marine Forest first.

"At least we managed to attend the wedding safely. It's a pity we couldn't stay in Lapis Lazuli longer, but we can plan a trip again when things settle down."

"Yes, I look forward to it."

Aquasteed, while stroking Tiara Rose's hair, suggested that they should travel to other countries together.

Olivia, watching them affectionately, couldn't help but smile, thinking it was like a new Still and a feast for the eyes.

"Ugh, I need water, I need water~"

"Are you okay? Lady Lilia..."

"Mmm... Yes..."

Lilia, who was lying limply on Olivia's lap, asked for water despite feeling unwell. Tiara Rose, worried, called out to her, and Olivia gave Lilia some water to drink.

Gently patting her back, Olivia opened the window a little to let in some fresh air.

◇ ◇ ◇

As soon as they crossed the border between Lapis Lazuli and Marine Forest, a gust of wind blew, and Keith and Clayre appeared.

Marine Forest had become unstable, and they had been eagerly awaiting the return of Aquasteed and the others.

"I didn't expect to be greeted so soon after arriving, Clayre."

"I never thought this would happen either. For Lilia to leave Marine Forest, it must be something serious."

Aquasteed got off the carriage and went to Clayre.

"We need to talk urgently."

Clayre, looking somewhat tired, sighed and glanced at Lilia in the carriage before snapping his fingers.

"---!"

In the next moment, Clayre, Tiara Rose, Aquasteed, Lilia, Elliot, Olivia, and Levi vanished from the spot and were teleported to the Sky Temple, Clayre's domain.

The spacious room had a round table and chairs for everyone.

This was the first time humans who hadn't been blessed by the Sky Fairy King Clayre had entered this place. Even Olivia, who had tried to come here on a pilgrimage before, found it impossible.

Olivia almost gasped in amazement but covered her mouth to hold back her reaction.

"Clayre, you really should have warned us before teleporting us."

"There wasn't much time."

The knights left behind without any explanation would probably be in a panic. Aquasteed thought it would be best to return as soon as possible.

"Tiara, how have you been?"

"Keith! What happened?"

"Well, I was waiting to explain this. Let's start with the current situation."

The Forest Fairy King Keith, who was blessing Tiara Rose, had long, loosely tied hair and a tall, regal presence. However, his voice was somewhat casual, saying, "It's a serious situation."

After confirming everyone was seated, Clayre began.

"First, the current state of Marine Forest. The stars are disappearing from the night sky, and the fairies' powers are weakening. If we don't take action, the land will lose its power next."

"Is this related to Prince Phelis? Why did this happen?"

Aquasteed asked Clayre, wondering why this had suddenly occurred when there were no problems before.

Clayre, looking at Lilia, said, "I'll explain in order."

"First, the first king, Phelis, and his queen, Lilia. When Marine Forest was founded, we gave Phelis a power greater than a normal blessing."

"But, the power was too great for the human Phelis."

"..."

Listening to Clayre and Keith, Lilia's expression twisted in pain. However, she remained silent, urging them to continue.

"The immense power transformed Phelis into the King of the Stars, a power similar to ours, the fairy kings. Like us, Phelis created a ring containing his power—the Star Ring."

"---!"

Hearing that Phelis had gained non-human power from the fairy kings, Aquasteed gasped.

Aquasteed himself was one of the few who had been recognized as a king by Phelis and created the Star Ring. This meant that, like Phelis, Aquasteed was not a human. His gaze fell on the Star Ring on Tiara Rose's finger.

"The three of us fairy kings and the King of the Stars, Phelis, founded Marine Forest. This is the origin of our kingdom."

"I see. Clayre, can I ask one thing?"

"Sure, Aquasteed."

"Why is there no information about the first king, Phelis, in this country? If you were so close to him, it seems unnatural that there's no information."

The royal portraits in the country included all the kings, but Phelis was missing. There was also no documentation about him.

Aquasteed thought there must be a reason, but it seemed odd given that the fairy kings had founded the country together.

The country still valued fairies, so why would they hide Phelis, who was blessed by the fairy king?

As Aquasteed looked at Clayre for an answer, Lilia spoke up.

"Let me explain."

Standing on the chair, Lilia looked at everyone. In her hand, she held the Star Ring created by Phelis.

"This is the Star Ring Phelis gave me. It has two effects. First, healing power. The second is... to absorb the immense power that Phelis couldn't handle."

"---!?"

Tiara Rose, who also had a Star Ring given by Aquasteed, was the most surprised.

If the rings were the same, their effects were likely the same. The healing power of the ring had probably restored Tiara Rose's memories.

Touching her ring, Tiara Rose couldn't hide her racing heart.

She wondered if her ring was also absorbing the immense power that Aquasteed couldn't handle. However, she didn't feel anything like that now.

But, she was more concerned about...

"Lady Lilia, is Lady Aquasteed going to be okay...!?"

"..."

Tiara Rose worried that Aquasteed might become unstable like Phelis.

Seeing this, Lilia looked at Aquasteed and said, "I'll continue."

"I wish Phelis and I could have handled it alone. But, we couldn't. It's painful to entrust this to our child."

Lilia's body trembled, and she looked very distressed, not wanting to burden Tiara Rose and Aquasteed with their problems.

After a moment of silence, Lilia continued.

"You might have guessed. The reason Phelis became unstable and caused changes in Marine Forest is that I couldn't handle the immense power anymore."

Lilia had noticed the signs for a while but couldn't do anything about it.

Lilia, who had recently regained the ability to move, was not as free as Tiara Rose and the others thought.

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you."

Lilia's words made Tiara Rose shake her head and say, "No, it's okay."

Telling someone about their burden takes a lot of courage, especially when it affects the country and Aquasteed's future.

"Aquasteed, you are greatly influenced by Phelis. This is due to your innate qualities. You are closer to being a king than anyone else born so far."

"Does that mean I have a strong connection to Prince Phelis?"

"Yes."

Lilia looked at Aquasteed.

"I only recently regained the ability to move, but Phelis has been affected for a long time."

"Affected?"

"Yes. Your power has been affecting Phelis. I don't know why, but Phelis might know. Is it just an increase in power, or is it mutating?"

"..."

—So, the cause is me.

I never thought my power could affect Phelis. I need to meet Phelis and confirm the details.

"Lady Aquasteed, you might also be crushed by the same power one day. Tiara must have thought about this first, right?"

"Lady Lilia...!"

"...It's okay. Not yet."

"..."

Hearing Lilia's words, a silence fell.

Everyone was worried about the future of Marine Forest and the possibility of something happening to Aquasteed.

Breaking the silence, Aquasteed said,

"Thank you for your valuable words, Lady Lilia. But, as you can see, my body is fine, and I can control my magic, even though it has increased."

"Yes, I was very surprised to see how well you handle it. Phelis struggled with the power of a king at first..."

Lilia said it was very mysterious but not a bad situation if it could be maintained.

"The answer lies with Tiara."

"Me?"

Keith, seeing Lilia's troubled expression, shared his thoughts. Tiara Rose, confused, looked at Keith. She wasn't particularly powerful or capable of special magic like Akaari.

As an antagonist, she didn't think she could do much.

Keith laughed at her confusion.

"Didn't I say you were interesting? Your container is small, but you can easily accept Aquasteed's power."

"..."

Hearing this, Tiara Rose thought about her character as an antagonist.

She was one of the named characters among many. Less important characters were listed as [Student] or [Knight] in the game.

Considering her role as an antagonist, her stats were higher than nameless mobs. She just hadn't used them.

So, her body might be designed to handle high-level magic. That's why, with the help of the fairy king's power, she could use powerful magic without issues. People with less magic might collapse. It made sense.

She never thought her role as an antagonist would help Aquasteed.

"For now, we need to deal with Phelis. Lilia, did you go to Lapis Lazuli with a solution?"

"Of course. This bracelet should absorb the excess magic and stabilize Phelis."

"I see."

Keith nodded, looking at the bracelet Lilia held.

"Then, how do we put it on Phelis?"

"It's going to be difficult to reach Phelis now."

Hearing the fairy kings, they understood the situation was not good. They needed to prepare and meet Phelis, who was in the underground of the castle.

"I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry, Lady Lilia. As a royal, it's my duty."

"Your approach as a king is similar to Phelis."

Lilia smiled and looked at everyone, determined.

"Then, I ask for your help. If we don't act, Marine Forest will be consumed by Phelis's power. Please, help Phelis, who loved this country. Help me save him."

"Of course, Lady Lilia. I will protect this country with Lady Aquasteed until the end."

"We can't let this country fall. There are still many places I want to visit."

Hearing Lilia's words, Tiara Rose and Olivia nodded.

Aquasteed stood up and looked at the group.

"From here, it will be a tough situation. Olivia, I'm sorry to involve you, but we need everyone's help for Marine Forest."

"I will always be by Lady Aquasteed's side."

"Please don't say you're involving me. As a noble of Marine Forest, I will do my best. You can use Levi as you see fit."

Aquasteed's words made Tiara Rose and Olivia smile. The two fairy kings nodded, ready to save the country and Phelis.

◇ ◇ ◇

After the discussion, Clayre teleported everyone to the castle of Marine Forest. They immediately prepared.

Aquasteed thought he should talk to the king first, but the king came to him, knowing there was no time to wait.

On the way to the office, Aquasteed asked about the current state of Marine Forest, which matched the information Clayre had given.

"I also have a report. I know the cause."

"You have that much information... You truly are blessed by the Sky Fairy King."

Information was one of the Sky Fairy King's strengths. Even without the blessing, the king knew this much.

But, the bad news kept coming.

"Lord Aquasteed, there are reports that plants are withering!"

"Plants!?"

In the office, Elliot returned, looking worried. Aquasteed realized the land was affected, and reviving withered plants was impossible.

The king then made a suggestion.

"If we act immediately, we need to reassure the people to prevent panic."

"A speech, you mean..."

The king proposed a speech. He chose Aquasteed, the prince, for a reason. The prince, blessed by the fairy king, was more trusted by the people than the king. His wife, Tiara Rose, was also blessed by the fairy king.

The king thought Aquasteed was more suitable for this task.

"Olivia, what do you think?"

Olivia, asked by the king, agreed.

"That's a good idea. Lord Aquasteed is popular, and his words will reassure the people."

"We don't know how long it will take to resolve this. Immediate action is necessary."

Elliot agreed and left to prepare for the speech. Smiling at his quick decision, Aquasteed stood up to prepare.

He told the king to have Elliot relay the details while he gave the speech.

The king nodded, smiling proudly at his son's growth. If he was this reliable, he could give him all the authority.

"You seem to have a better grasp of the situation than me. Take care of the castle, and I'll act freely to resolve this."

"That's very kind. I will save Marine Forest."

Aquasteed and the king exchanged glances and nodded.