Chapter 86

Tiararose, in order to save Aquasteed and Feres from the overwhelming power of the starry sky, ran with all her might for that purpose—but—

"Hey, Tiararose! Wait!!"

"Don't chase me, Lord Clayre!"

Tiararose and Clayre ran at full speed down the crystal corridor. However, she couldn't afford to stop now. The time limit to merge the rings was only three hours. She could explain the situation to Clayre, but even that time was precious.

The method for Tiararose to merge the fairy king's rings was to envelop and recreate them with her own magic. The problem was the location. Perhaps because it was an event in a maiden game, there was a sacred place called the Prayer Room, and it had to be done there.

The distance was unknown, and it might not even be a straight path. Therefore, Tiararose was in a hurry. Incidentally, movement between places made of crystal was no longer possible through teleportation, so even if she asked Clayre, it wouldn't shorten the distance.

"The ring of the Sky Fairy King was something I gave to Aquasteed. To use it without permission and force a territory claim... That's just..."

Clayre muttered to himself, thinking that giving the ring to Aquasteed was meaningless if this was going to happen.

"Still, Lord Clayre, you know everything, don't you...?"

Panting, Tiararose finally caught up with Clayre. He slowed his pace but didn't stop. Seeing Tiararose's hurried state, Clayre sighed.

"I don't know everything. Especially, I find Tiararose and Olivia Ariadelle mysterious. How do they have information that only we should know?"

"That... That's..."

"Even now, I don't know where Tiararose is heading."

Clayre's voice, tinged with frustration, reached Tiararose.

—A place even the fairy kings don't know?

Thinking about it, Tiararose realized this might be the most important place yet. And it should be a place where the sequel heroine, Aishira, should go, not the villainess herself.

"...Lord Aquasteed said he would become king. If Lord Aquasteed leads Marin Forest, I want to support him from the side."

"Is the place you're heading to necessary for that?"

"Yes. I will support Lord Aquasteed, Prince Feres, and Lady Lilia. That's the pride of a villainess!"

"..."

Hearing Tiararose's strong resolve, Clayre replied, "I see."

"You really are a strong girl, Tiararose."

"It's because Lord Aquasteed is there. ...I was once told to leave the country by my former fiancé, the crown prince of my homeland. At that time, Lord Aquasteed supported me."

—So, this time, I will support Lord Aquasteed.

No matter what, I've always wanted to be on Aquasteed's side since then.

"Truly, you two are unbeatable."

"...Huh?"

"I wish I could walk with Pearl too."

Seeing Clayre's slightly sad profile as he walked beside her, Tiararose remembered that Pearl had given her blessing to Tiararose and Aquasteed and then fallen into a long sleep. Clayre often stayed in Pearl's palace rather than his own temple.

—But, Pearl must like Lord Clayre.

Although it will be a long time before Pearl wakes up, Tiararose believed that when she does, she will be even happier than they are.

Then, a doubt arose in Tiararose's mind.

"Lord Clayre, do you not need to participate in the fairy king's territory claim?"

Aquasteed and Keith were probably in the middle of a territory battle. Hearing this, Clayre stopped. Tiararose, caught off guard, also stopped. Clayre had a resigned smile on his face.

"You're right. I'll join the battle. ...Tiararose, if you can't withstand the overwhelming power, try to channel it."

"Channel it? Where?"

"I'll give you a hint, but I can't tell you the answer."

"...?"

Tiararose listened to Clayre's vague advice, thinking it must be important. There was no overwhelming power to withstand yet, but she was worried that something might happen to her body.

"See you later."

"Okay."

Watching Clayre teleport to the ground, Tiararose started walking down the path again.

The crystal corridor seemed endless, but a blue door appeared in her line of sight. Tiararose felt relieved, thinking she could finally move forward. She secretly admitted that it would have been physically challenging to keep walking the same path.

"Well, if this is the Prayer Room, it would be perfect... Huh?"

Opening the door, she found herself in a quiet sea palace. The floor was covered with a few centimeters of seawater, and in the center, Pearl was sleeping. The bed floating on the water had a mysterious feel, but that wasn't the time to worry about it.

"Why is this Pearl's palace...?"

Walking to the center of the large room and peering at the bed, she saw the Sea Fairy King, Pearl, sleeping as she had before.

Her straight silver hair was cut just below her shoulders. She wasn't wearing her usual hair accessories, but her lustrous hair looked beautiful on its own. Her loose nightgown was a colorful kimono.

"She seems to be sleeping peacefully."

Since receiving the blessing, Tiararose hadn't seen Pearl. Although she knew that using up her magic wouldn't kill her, she was relieved to see her safe.

"But why did I end up here? I need to go to the Prayer Room—!"

Perhaps this place was connected to the Prayer Room. As Tiararose looked around the room, a massive force suddenly flowed into her. The sudden shock made her unable to stand, and she fell to her knees. The seawater soaked her knees, but she had no time to worry about it.

"Ha, ha... It's... It's hard..."

—Is this the overwhelming power Clayre mentioned? Not understanding, but feeling the pain, Tiararose's eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. What should she do?

"—If you can't withstand the overwhelming power, try to channel it."

"Channel this power...?"

Into what?

It was obvious.

Into Pearl, who was sleeping due to a lack of magic.

"So that's why Lord Clayre gave me a hint."

She had given the punishment to Pearl, but she couldn't help her. However, seeing Tiararose's struggle, Clayre had given her a hint. Tiararose, having received Pearl's blessing, could easily transfer her magic. If it weren't for Tiararose, Clayre wouldn't have suggested channeling the magic.

Crawling to Pearl, Tiararose transferred the overflowing magic into her.

"Ha, ha... Lady Pearl..."

She poured her magic into Pearl as much as possible.

"...Ugh..."

"Lady Pearl!"

A groan and a small cough. Then, the bell-like voice said, "Tiararose."

"What are you doing... Is this my palace?"

"Ha, ha... You look quite exhausted."

—The overwhelming power that was about to overflow had calmed down.

Relieved, Tiararose saw Pearl, who had been in a deep sleep due to a lack of magic. Assuming Pearl didn't understand the situation, Tiararose briefly explained what had happened.

"While I was sleeping, it seems things have become complicated. ...Men are always so foolish."

Pearl picked up a fan from the bedside table, stood up, and opened it. With a swish, her nightgown changed into a vibrant kimono dress. The layered fabric was a deep red, making her silver hair stand out. Her hair was tied with a ribbon and flower accessories.

"I never thought I would have to host the power of the starry sky."

"The power of the starry sky...?"

"Yes, you didn't understand. The massive force flowing into your body is the overflowed power of Aquasteed. He's probably taking over territories smoothly, and his power is increasing."

Therefore, Aquasteed found it difficult to control the power, and the excess power flowed into Tiararose through the ring of the starry sky, Pearl explained.

"Indeed. I thought I wouldn't see you again when I woke up."

Waking up much earlier than expected, Pearl muttered to herself.

"So, you took the ring without permission while I was sleeping and are trying to recreate it?"

"Yes. I apologize for taking the ring without your permission while you were sleeping."

Keith and Clayre had entrusted their rings to Tiararose and Aquasteed by their own will. However, Tiararose had taken Pearl's ring without permission by entering a hidden passage. Bowing hastily, Tiararose apologized. Seeing this, Clayre covered his mouth with the fan and simply said, "It's fine."

"Tiararose, I will assist you."

"Really? Is that okay?"

"It's fine. I also want to do something for Marin Forest."

Pearl, who was supposed to sleep due to a lack of magic and whose blessing power hadn't fully recovered, said she would gain the minimum territory and slowly cherish the sea of Marin Forest.

"Besides, I am the third Sea Fairy King. Unlike Clayre and Keith, my connection to this country is shallow."

"No. I know that you have protected the sea. Please don't say such sad things."

"...Hmph. It's fine. I will do what I can for the country in my own way."

The next step was to find the Prayer Room. However, like Clayre, Pearl didn't know of its existence.

"This is a mysterious space. The room where the fairy kings swear to claim territories is connected to their domains. To go there, one needs the ring of the king."

"Is that so..."

"Did anything else change while I was sleeping?"

"Ah..."

Pearl asked, and Tiararose looked down. The king was bedridden with an illness that had affected Liliage before, and his condition hadn't improved. The public hadn't been informed about the king's condition.

Hearing this, Pearl nodded.

"Oh, so that's why you woke me up..."

"Huh?"

"What? You didn't know. I haven't seen it myself, but... There is a flower that blooms when the King of the Starry Sky ascends the throne. It is—!"

As Pearl explained, the ground shook with a loud noise.

"What's happening!?"

"It seems the territory battle is in its final stages."

"Already!? I need to hurry to the Prayer Room."

Running down the crystal corridor, Tiararose realized that over two and a half hours had already passed since the start. She rushed out of the palace and back into the crystal corridor. Pearl followed, but they had no choice but to run down the monotonous corridor.

If they didn't hurry, the time limit would be up.

As they ran, a door appeared in their line of sight. Tiararose wished it would lead to the Prayer Room and opened it with the same momentum.

"Ha, ha... This is the Prayer Room... Lady Akari!?"

"Lady Tiararose! And Lady Pearl too!!"

It seemed they had circled back to the room with the pedestal where they had first teleported. Tiararose slumped, feeling defeated. Akari, on the other hand, was excited to see the Sea Fairy King, Pearl.

Seeing Tiararose's state, Akari tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I needed to find the Prayer Room, but I ended up back here."

"The Prayer Room... Is it the sacred space created by holy prayers?"

"Oh, right, that's it...!"

—Why did I forget?

The Prayer Room was a spatial magic used by the heroine. Tiararose had used this magic many times in the game, but forgetting it was a major mistake.

However, only the game's heroines could use this magic.

That meant—Akari and Aishira.

—So, this event was originally impossible for me, a villainess who can't use magic, to clear?

Realizing her own weakness was unexpected.

Feeling frustrated, she clenched her fist, and Pearl's voice echoed in the room, "Hurry up."

"Akari can create the Prayer Room, right? Then, create it and pray there."

"But... Is it okay if it's not the one I created?"

The doubt arose, but Akari immediately cast the spell, leaving no time to think. The air in the created Prayer Room was very clear, making breathing light and the body feel weightless.

The created Prayer Room was positioned around the pedestal. Tiararose placed her hands on the pedestal and poured her prayers into it.

The task was to merge the rings of the Forest Fairy King, the Sky Fairy King, and the Sea Fairy King.

Slowly, Tiararose's magic enveloped the three rings. The power was very hot, and anyone other than Tiararose would probably get a severe burn. She removed the rings from her fingers, wrapped them in her palm, and placed her hand on her forehead, praying for the rings and the peace of Marin Forest.

After about five minutes of praying and enveloping the rings with magic, a faint light emitted from Tiararose's body, and a single ring appeared in her hand. She had successfully merged the three rings.

The remaining time was just one minute.

In Tiararose's hand, a platinum ring with a Tiararose flower engraved on it appeared. This was the ring that merged the fairy kings' rings and could control the power of the King of the Starry Sky. Although Tiararose was exhausted from using most of her magic, she was relieved that Aquasteed and the others could now control the massive power of the starry sky.

"Beautiful, the ring."

"Lady Akari... Thank you."

"Hmph, not bad for you!"

"Thank you, Lady Pearl."

As they rejoiced over the creation of the ring, the air shook, and Aquasteed and the others teleported back into the crystal room. The territory claim was over.

"Lady Aquasteed, Prince Feres, Keith, and Lord Clayre!"

"I'm glad Tiararose is safe."

Aquasteed smiled happily, but his expression was more strained than usual. The increased power from his new territories was overwhelming, and he hadn't yet adapted to it.

"So, Tiararose, what were you doing—"

"Aquasteed, there's something more important to do first."

"Prince Feres... You're right."

Feres chuckled at Aquasteed's tendency to prioritize Tiararose. He looked around the room and said, "It's good to see you, Lady Pearl."

"You are the Sea Fairy King. I am Feres. I am pleased to meet you."

"I am the third Sea Fairy King, Pearl. It is an honor to meet the first king."

As the two, meeting for the first time, exchanged greetings, the magic circle on the floor glowed faintly. This was the blessing light from the territories claimed by Aquasteed and the others. The light gathered at the pedestal and transformed into a crown.

The crystal crown, adorned with plant decorations and coral accents, became increasingly transparent at the top, resembling the sky.

"This is the crown of the King of the Starry Sky. Tiararose, here it is."

"...Yes."

Tiararose, who had sworn to start the territory claim, had the role of giving the crown to the winner. She didn't need to know the outcome; she had always believed in the winner. The man who loved this country