Chapter 71

Aquasteed set out to meet Feres in the sealed king's chamber at the same time Tiara Roses began her journey to find the ring of the forest fairy king. Along with Aquasteed and Liliage, Elliot, Olivia, and Levi accompanied them. Liliage, who held the bracelet, was being carried by Aquasteed.

"Since we've been here before, there should be no problem with the route."

"Ah."

Elliot walked confidently at the front, followed by Aquasteed and the others. Levi brought up the rear in case of any unforeseen events. The tension in the air made everyone speak less, and Liliage clutched the bracelet tightly as if in prayer. Only Aquasteed might have noticed that her body was trembling slightly.

—What lies ahead?

Feres, the first king, would be in the same place, but what if he had changed into something different... Aquasteed had these worries.

"...The air feels heavier than the last time we came. Olivia, are you not cold?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm actually quite excited."

"That's good to hear."

Just before reaching the sealed king's chamber, Levi, who had been silent, finally spoke. His words, while showing concern for Olivia, also contained a crucial observation that the atmosphere was different from the last visit. Aquasteed felt the same, and he knew that Levi, being a powerful warrior, was right.

They soon arrived at the door leading to the sealed king's chamber. The door, adorned with fairy carvings, was flanked by flower-shaped lamps that illuminated the area. The entrance looked the same, but the tense atmosphere was palpable.

"Aquasteed, please open it quickly. Feres is inside...!"

"Please calm down, Lady Liliage."

Handing the anxious Liliage to Olivia, Aquasteed asked Elliot to step back and slowly opened the door.

"Feres!"

Liliage tried to rush to Feres, but Olivia and Levi, who were holding her back, stopped her. Liliage struggled to break free from Olivia's surprisingly strong grip.

Feres stood inside, wearing a long white cloak and ornate white clothing. He had a divine presence, but now he seemed exhausted, his head bowed. The atmosphere was not good, and as Feres slowly opened his eyes and looked at the entrance, his gaze was heavy.

"Rilia, why did you leave me without permission?"

"Feres, I came to help you...!"

Liliage, who had come to help him by obtaining the bracelet, gasped. She realized that Feres's consciousness was very unstable, and his eyes had changed from gold to pitch black.

—Is this the backlash from being unable to control such immense power?

Aquasteed wondered if he could put the bracelet on Feres in this state. Clearly, Feres was not in his right mind and would not willingly put it on.

As Aquasteed took a step forward, Feres drew his sword and pointed it at him.

"If you try to take Rilia from me, I won't forgive you, even if you are my child."

"..."

"That's not true, Feres! Please listen to me!"

Liliage's plea fell on deaf ears. Feres's lifeless eyes remained fixed on Aquasteed.

"What should we do? It seems difficult to put the bracelet on Prince Feres..."

"That's true. Is Prince Feres a strong swordsman?"

Elliot pondered how to put the bracelet on, but no good ideas came to mind. Olivia agreed and asked Levi about Feres's skills.

"Feres is a very skilled swordsman. Prince Aquasteed is also a powerful warrior, but he doesn't want to hurt Prince Feres, so the odds are not in his favor."

Levi, observing Feres's flawless stance, noted that Feres had gained power from the fairy kings and was also a formidable mage. The approach would be different if they were to defeat or capture him. If they could attack without restraint, they might win, Levi added.

"No matter what, Levi can't attack Prince Feres—ah!"

Olivia, about to protest, was cut off as Feres suddenly moved. Aquasteed blocked Feres's attack with his sword but was on the defensive.

"Prince Feres, Lady Liliage is here!"

"Feres!"

"Please sheathe your sword," Aquasteed called out, but Feres did not stop his relentless attacks. His fluid sword technique was from an ancient era, and the sword, enhanced by a speed-boosting spell, cut through the air, creating gale-force winds that inflicted unavoidable wounds on Aquasteed.

Shallow but definite cuts appeared on Aquasteed's face, arms, and body.

"Feres, stop...! Aquasteed, if you keep this up, you'll be killed!"

"I know, but..."

Liliage, unable to bear watching, shouted. She was trembling with fear that Aquasteed would be killed if he only defended against Feres's attacks.

However, Aquasteed did not attack Feres. He had sworn an oath not to betray Feres, a condition for creating the Starry Sky Ring for Tiara Roses. Aquasteed wanted to restore Feres to his senses without attacking, but his calls went unanswered.

"Prince Feres, please come to your senses!"

"...Feres, Aquasteed. Lady Olivia, I'm going to Feres."

"Kyaa!"

Liliage, determined, broke free from Olivia's grip. Olivia, caught off guard, reached out, calling "Lady Liliage," but could not stop her. Liliage, holding the bracelet in her mouth, landed lightly and dashed toward Aquasteed. She then leaped high, landing on Aquasteed's head.

"...!? Lady Liliage!?"

Ignoring the clashing of swords, Liliage gazed at the seemingly deranged Feres.

"Feres, even if you see me this close, you won't come to your senses. It's sad, but I'll help you."

"How will you bring him to his senses...?"

"I have an idea. Please give me the bracelet."

Liliage placed the bracelet on Aquasteed's head and, timing her jump with Feres's sword movement, leaped at him. Aquasteed, grabbing the bracelet from his head, watched in confusion as Liliage pounced on Feres.

"Feres!"

Liliage's fluffy body stuck to Feres's face.

"!?"

Everyone was speechless at this unexpected move. However, it seemed to work, as Feres's movements paused. Aquasteed jumped back, maintaining a distance from Feres.

Then, Liliage's body began to grow fluffy and larger.

"What's happening, Prince Aquasteed!?"

"I don't know, but if we want to put the bracelet on Prince Feres, now is the time."

Feres tried to remove Liliage from his face, but as Liliage grew larger, his movements weakened.

"That's the lady you loved... Please come to your senses!"

Seizing the opportunity, Aquasteed placed the bracelet on Feres's wrist, praying that Feres would recognize Liliage. Seeing the bracelet on, Liliage detached herself and landed on the ground.

"......"

"Prince Feres...?"

"Aquasteed?"

"It's good to see you back to your senses."

Feres's eyes, which had turned pitch black, returned to their golden glow. He then noticed Liliage, who had grown to over a meter in size and was still expanding.

"Ah, Rilia... You accepted my power, even though your body was at its limit."

"Limit?"

"Yes. Rilia and I have been here all along. Rilia accepted the power I couldn't control, but it couldn't last forever. Rilia had long since reached her limit."

To prevent Feres from suffering, Liliage had continued to accept his overflowing power through the Starry Sky Ring. This eventually erased her human identity.

"Rilia, who accepted too much of my power, became a monster. Though she no longer had a human form, her heart remained kind and gentle... still Rilia."

"Prince Feres, that means—"

"The sealed king's chamber contains a monster."

Aquasteed remembered the words and realized that the monster was Liliage. The first queen being the monster explained the lack of records and portraits of the first king and queen.

—A king whose existence was erased.

The ministers, realizing their master was not human, must have tried to kill Feres and Liliage, betraying their trust.

—That's why he made me swear an oath.

Feres trusted only Liliage.

"Yes. Rilia is the monster sealed here."

Feres, sounding sad, confirmed this, and Liliage let out a roar. The air trembled, and a suffocating pressure enveloped the area. Her body began to transform, not just growing larger, but into a monstrous form.

"Rilia!"

"Prince Feres, it's dangerous...!"

Aquasteed, grabbing Feres's arm, pulled him back to the entrance where Elliot and the others were. Liliage, having absorbed Feres's power, had lost her senses.

"Rilia, Rilia... Even though you changed, you never forgot me."

Seeing her lose her self, Feres, with a look of despair, called out his beloved wife's name again.

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I almost forgot the afterword!

I update every Tuesday, once a week.

Chapter 5 is fully reserved, so if I haven't made any mistakes, it should be available on Tuesday. Thank you for your support!

By the way, I really like Sirius.