Chapter 133 – [Hero] Sleeping Princess
“A spirit sage?”
The first to react was, of course, the same elementalist, Uni.
Surprised, she repeated what Seria had said to her.
“Elementary Commander… You’re the Elementalist of the previous Hero party?”
Arin was equally taken aback.
Mr. Jeren was also concentrating on our story with an unexpected expression on his face.
Seria put together a story she heard from her grandmother.
Princess Ertina. She was a member of the hero party that defeated the demon king that appeared about 3-400 years ago.
Even her grandmother did not know why she, the princess of the elves, participated in the war herself, but it is said that the elves actively participated in the war at this time as her royal family participated.
She still helps, but honestly, she doesn’t really feel it.
Anyway, the hero party succeeded in defeating the demon king, but there is no specific mention of what happened to them after that.
“I did, but it just didn’t record it, and Princess Ertina came back. Home.”
There was just one problem.
And because of that problem, instead of being honored as her hero, Princess Ertina chose to be sealed herself.
“Sealed yourself?”
“What was the matter…”
Don’t know that
The princess said she didn’t reveal that to anyone, she says.
She only informed her that she would seal herself away, and one day she disappeared without a word.
“Um… Then you don’t know where she was sealed.”
“Yes. But somewhere in the forest.”
At least no sightings of her have been heard outside of this forest, and according to the elf’s account of her last encounter with her, Ertina headed deep into her forest.
She knew everything about it, but still didn’t know the exact location.
It’s not like you can go all over that vast forest…
We were surprised by the unexpected fact, but eventually ran into a new problem.
How will you find it in that vast forest?
And how do you get in?
“It’s just… Can’t you go in?”
“Well, even if it’s an elf…”
Since it was the territory of the elves, permission had to be obtained to enter the forest.
But even that can’t go anywhere other than the designated place.
“You can sneak in. It’s so wide that I can’t manage everything.”
Seria said that, but it wasn’t a very pleasant choice.
I can’t help it if it doesn’t work, but…
But you’re going in. Even if you ignore your conscience and sneak in, how do you find out?
“I might not be able to get out if I don’t…”
Arin said while thinking.
As she said, the forest was so wide, and the sleeping princess wouldn’t have sealed herself off the road, so she must be in a secluded place.
It’s good to get lost in a place like that.
“No, I can find a way.”
Yuni said confidently.
Come to think of it, I can leave a trace with the spirit.
“Then, this is roughly resolved. Then, how do you find the rest? .”
No matter how much we thought about this, nothing came of it, so we returned to our inn.
It must have been found somewhere in the forest, but if no one knows about it, doesn’t it mean that it is really hidden?
We will never be able to find it by ordinary attempts.
If so, in what way?
I’ve been thinking about this problem ever since I came back.
Yuni was clinging next to me, and suddenly as she was walking, she stopped in her steps.
“Why?”
“Huh… ?”
She tilts her head as she looks down at her own breasts.
“UNI? What’s the matter?”
“… No.”
She looked into the distance for a moment and then she waved her hand as if it was nothing.
Uni’s strange behavior caught her mind, but she didn’t comment further on it and by the time she got back to her quarters, she had forgotten about it.
It was only after we all returned to the lodging that the memory, which had been forgotten for a while, came back.
We decided to talk again tomorrow and broke up, but Uni called me separately.
“Where are we going at this time?”
“I’ll go and tell you.”
Even if you lose, where the hell are you going at this time?
For some reason, Uni’s behavior seemed to be getting weirder these days.
How to say, it doesn’t seem like the Uni I know…
“Let’s go, Eric.”
“Now, wait a minute. You’re coming soon, right?”
She blindly tugged at my sleeve and moved somewhere.
The place Uni was heading was the outskirts of the city. Since the city was not built with a castle from scratch, the elven city of Ra-den had its walls made of various materials.
Some are stone, some are wood, some are even earthen.
Uni led me to the dirt wall.
“… Are you sure you don’t intend to go out of town?”
“That’s right.”
With those words, Yuni pierced a hole in the earthen wall with her spirit.
“Now, wait… ! Where the hell are you going! To go together…”
At that, Yuni turned to me and said.
“Eric… It’s for you. I’ll explain everything later.”
Her words seemed to contain her somehow irresistible magic power, so I followed her in silence.
She really wanted to, but Uni really moved her feet into the forest.
“Yu, Uni… If you lose your way…”
“Nothing like that.”
Looking back, the spirits were leaving traces.
Could it be that he is going to find the sleeping princess?
“… Do you know where it is?”
“Maybe. This… I am telling you.”
While saying that, Uni took out her own necklace.
A necklace obtained from the Cave of Trials.
This necklace was also the belongings of the previous spirit sage, that is, Princess Ertina.
The necklace gave off a soft glow and pointed in a specific direction.
“No way… Are you in that direction?”
“Huh. Probably. The feeling is ok It’s hard to put into words, but… I feel that way.”
Then we could all come together… Why are you taking me with you?
What about Seria? What about Arin? Jeren… Mr.
There were many things I wanted to ask, but Uni’s atmosphere was so subdued that I couldn’t ask at all.
We went through the forest at dawn without a word.
It was silent, dark, and cold.
“Look at this, Eric. It keeps turning.”
“What does that mean?”
The necklace that pointed forward pointed straight back if you moved a little further, and pointed the other way if you moved sideways.
“… I guess that means here.”
“There is nothing.”
There was nothing halfway there.
There is only one tree standing there.
“Could it be this tree?”
I knocked on the tree just in case, but it was just an ordinary tree.
What is it?
Uni also tilted her head, holding the necklace in one hand and stroking the grain of the wood with the other hand.
Fire!
Suddenly, light poured between the grains of wood, and the surrounding environment changed in an instant.
“Uh… Uh?”
It was still in the woods.
But too many things have changed.
All the trees that were around so many disappeared, and the floor was covered only with unknown grass.
It was clearly dawn, but numerous glowing spheres were floating around, so it was as bright as morning, and a structure resembling a wooden coffin was placed in the center of the space.
“… Could it be in there?”
“I-I think so?”
We exchanged glances with each other and cautiously approached.
“… Those are all spirits, Eric.”
“You mean that light?”
“Huh. Spirit of Light.”
If you look closely, you can clearly see the shape of a person.
It’s dazzling, but I can’t see it closely.
As I got closer, I realized that there was a person lying inside.
She is a girl about her age with golden hair.
Seeing that her ears are long, she’s an elf, and seeing that most of her light spirits float above her, we’re guessing we’re right.
“… This person…”
“It’s Princess Ertina.”
It was a simple outfit for a princess.
A white dress with no decorations.
However, it fits very well with this space, giving the impression of being like a forest princess rather than a sleeping princess.
According to what we heard, it was a person from a few hundred years ago, but it was full of life as if it would wake up if you shake it.
“Uh, what?”
Uni also looked at me with a slightly uneasy look, as if she hadn’t thought about it after this.
Apparently, Uni doesn’t want to reveal this to Seria or Arin, but can we hide this fact from them and solve it by ourselves?
It honestly seems impossible.
“… After all, I called Seriana and Arin…”
“No.”
“Why? Why do you have to hide this…”
“Eric.”
Yuni cut me off and looked at me with a hard face I had never seen before.
“Eric… Are you ready to accept the truth?”
“Is it true?”
What do you mean in a sudden situation like this?
It’s true.
“Don’t you know Eric? Seria and Arin…”
My heart starts pounding.
Seria and Arin.
They…
“Now, wait a minute. Gee, not now… Let’s hear it later.”
“… If Eric wants it.”
I didn’t want to hear it, so I put it off without realizing it.
No… It can’t be.
“You lack the courage to accept the truth.”
I heard a voice scolding me from the wrong place.
“Uh… ?”
“Oh.”
The voice was between us, that is, in the wooden coffin.
Ertina, the blonde elf who had been asleep, opened her eyes.
She rose slowly, more like someone who had just woken up than someone who hadn’t woken up in hundreds of years.
“… How much time has passed?”
“Four, three or four hundred years… I heard you.”
“Did the demon king appear? Well, that’s why he came.”
After Ertina said that, she brushed her hair once and looked at me and her Uni.
“You must be the hero, and that person must be the elemental lord. Is that right?”
“Yes…”
“That’s right.”
Unlike me who was a little bewildered, Yuni nodded her head with a calm face.
“You are wearing my necklace. I was worried that it might be taken away by someone else, but I’m glad I did.”
“Oh… De, can I get it?”
Ertina laughed at Uni’s stupid question.
“Are you okay. It is yours now.”
Seeing her smile, I don’t think she’s that scary.
So, may I ask you now?
“You have a lot of questions to ask. What are you most curious about?”
“That…”
What do you ask?
Identity… Already know Princess Ertina, the Elementalist of the previous Hero Party.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I had no questions.
Wasn’t it Sarah’s request that made her seek her from the beginning?
Since it’s Sera’s request, she must be acquainted with her, after all?
“… Do you know about Sarah and Louella?”
“Did you see it in the book?”
Book? What kind of book is that all of a sudden?
I shook my head at her question.
Then, Ertina’s face darkened.
“Also… It went as planned.”
Apparently, this person knows a lot about the Four Heavenly Kings.
Then what about the demon king?
Do you know about the Demon King?
“Well, maybe… Do you know about the Demon King?”
“Devil…”
Upon hearing those words, Ertina’s expression slightly distorted.
“Devil… Demon King… Our, kuk, no… Whoa…”
“Gwa, are you okay?”
As she spoke her words one by one with her distressed face, she suddenly grabbed her head and began to complain of her pain.
“No… Something like you… My master… Black, black… Ugh, ugh… Aagh!”
Cooong!
Her intangible shockwave spread out around her.
Yuni and I got hit while we were really careless and rolled on the floor.
“Hey…”
“Kheuk… Eric, are you okay?”
Uni was the first to worry about me, as she herself also fell and hurt herself.
“Okay, it’s okay. What about Yuni?”
“Me too… However…”
Uni’s gaze turned to Ertina.
Ertina was in agony as she tore her own hair.
“Ah, ahh! Aww!”
Dang, what the hell is the situation.
However, one thing was certain, it was the fact that if I continued like this, I would be attacked more.
“I-let’s go out, Yuni!”
“Is that so?”
I got up quickly and put Uni on her feet.
But before her cage could even get away, something unknown spread from her once again.
“Keugh!”
I quickly wrapped around Uni, minimizing her damage, but instead my back tingled like a hammer hit.
“Ah… Ah… Ah… Devil… For you…”
She muttered like a mad person.
But I heard it for sure.
Say you’re the Demon King.
“… Eric, could it be that person…”
“I guess so.”
That woman… I am on the side of the devil.
Realizing that, I stood up.
Why did the former Elemental Sage stand on the side of the Demon King? I don’t know.
Looking at her appearance, it seems that it was not her will, but she cannot know unless she hears it herself.
“I am… The Demon King’s wish, Artina… Oops, no… I am… I am… Whoa… !”
The attack comes once again!
I took a defensive stance to try to block it somehow.
However, it was not enough.
“Aww!”
“Eric!”
I rolled unsightly on the floor and quickly stood up again.
Should I attack? Cut with a knife?
The moment she put her strength into her hand holding her sword and solidified her will to make her bell, unexpected reinforcements came to her.
“Eric!”
Part of the space was distorted, and Seria, Uni, and Mr. Jeren entered.
“Uh, how did you get here… ?”
Yuni looked at them with puzzled eyes.
The answer was solved in the next moment.
Those who came in were not all three of them.
“Ha… Somehow I couldn’t find it, something like this…”
“That sounds like Ertina.”
The two women who came in behind the three of them were characters I couldn’t forget.
“Luella and… Sera… ?”
“Good job, Elemental Sergeant. I found her thanks to her.”
“Thank you, warrior. You really did grant my wish.”
They looked at Yuni and me and said one word at a time.
This… What’s the matter?
