Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Guardian of the Black Forest (1)
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"......Isn't this attempted murder?"
"I'm sorry. I still can't control it precisely yet......"
At my words, Darion replied in an incredibly gentle tone, smiling softly. Goosebumps prickled all over my back. Wait, this wasn't the arrogant elf noble I knew, was it?
"No way......"
"Yes, it's me."
Darion's face radiated an aura of profound benevolence. And that was exactly what made it so chilling. The soft voice, the kindly smile......
"Your Majesty the Queen?"
"I knew you'd recognize me."
"What in the world is going on here?"
"It's a long story. For now, shall we deal with this issue first?"
Darion—no, the Queen—pointed to the 'Rope of Life' binding our hands together. My mana was still draining away through it.
"But this looks like it's made of mithril......"
"You have a dwarf's eye for quality. Correct. The 'Rope of Life' can only be made from mithril. Of course, creating or using it is forbidden now."
"Ah."
"And this incense too."
The Queen crushed the incense burner by her bedside in her fist and blew gently, dispersing all the smoke. My head felt a bit clearer.
"......After what happened to Grizel, I naturally assumed Your Majesty had escaped the Dream Labyrinth."
I voiced the question I'd been holding onto.
"I've been trapped in the Dream Labyrinth for far too long."
Like a plant human in a vegetative state who doesn't wake up right away, was the Queen in a similar condition?
"And besides......"
"......"
"There were various interferences."
The Queen gave a bittersweet smile tinged with sorrow. If it weren't for Darion's face, it would have felt 200% sincere...... It was a shame that his innate features made him look slightly obnoxious.
"The elders, you mean."
"I know what they're thinking. With the shadow of world-ending doom hanging over us and no clear solution, they must have been anxious. I understand their displeasure at having to care for the dark elves too."
"But they're Lüset's people as well."
"......If only Blanche could think like you. Aging brings misfortune in many ways."
"Not so much for trees, but for people, yes."
The Queen nodded in agreement. Humans toughen with age. But toughening up also means becoming rigid. The elders, having lived for ages, were astonishingly wise yet filled with prejudices. That must be why they ignored the dark elves entirely.
'If it were me, I'd actively utilize the dark elves. What idiots......'
The Queen extended her hand over the Rope of Life. Green flames began flickering from Darion's fingertips. As she murmured something, the green flames surged high, reaching the lofty ceiling. Pure, potent mana.
'Does Darion harbor this kind of power within him?'
The green flames slowly melted away the spells etched into the Rope of Life. As portions of the spell burned away where the flames touched, I felt the binding between the Queen and me unravel.
"......Forgive my rudeness, but your power—or rather, the Queen's—is impressive."
"It's not my power. Just the latent mana Darion possesses."
The Queen smiled faintly.
"If it were my power, the entire spell would have vanished."
"Hmm......"
"Did that sound boastful?"
"Yes, extremely."
Ho ho, the Queen lightly supported me as I rose. I wobbled a bit, but I could walk.
"I'm glad I arrived in time. If too much time had passed, you might not have regained your senses."
"That's chilling."
I really had been on the verge of becoming a backup battery. I immediately cast [Nature's Healing] on myself. Breathing became a little easier.
"Now it's your turn to help me."
The Queen gazed down at her real body lying on the bed and said.
"How can I assist?"
"With you and Darion, it should be simple."
Following the Queen's instructions, I grasped the hand of the sleeping true Queen with one hand and Darion's hand with the other. The Queen still inhabiting Darion held her own hand with one and mine with the other.
"My body is currently stagnant right now. Mana isn't flowing properly. Just help restart that flow."
"Understood."
"Don't stop the mana circulation until I awaken. No matter what happens......"
With those final words, the Queen vanished. Darion's silver-glowing eyes soon returned to their original green. He stared at me with a dazed expression.
"Th-Theodore......"
"So you're done calling me Sir Theodore now?"
"......The adventure was pointless anyway."
"Well, not entirely. Things are working out thanks to it."
"......"
"You know what to do, right?"
Darion nodded. Even with the Queen possessing him, he must have grasped the situation too.
As the Queen had instructed, we chanted the incantation together, circulating mana. My mana flowed to Darion, his to the Queen, and hers back to me. I received the stagnant, murky mana; then Darion, being an elf like the Queen, filtered it once more before supplying it to her. From backup battery to human water purifier this time. Even for a queen-level being, accepting others' mana wasn't pleasant. Grimacing, I focused intently. Darion did the same.
-Boom!
At that moment, the door leading to the corridor burst open with a tremendous crash. The villains had arrived. Right on cue. I glanced toward the door, then shouted at the shadow at my feet.
"Kus Kus!"
As the Queen had earnestly warned, we couldn't stop the mana circulation. Darion and I had to keep aiding the Queen's mana flow, with no guards to cover us.
Except for my shadow.
-Roarrrrr!!!
A colossal black flame erupted from the elongated shadow, shockingly massive—enough to incinerate the palace. Likely because I was in the midst of mana circulation, Dimakushel had been affected too.
-Kyahahaha!!!
Dimakushel's eerie laughter shook the entire palace. Empowered by the mana, it wasn't mere black flame anymore; it flickered in the form of a horned, winged demon.
'Ah, that's a demon no matter who sees it.'
Confirming Dimakushel's form, I sighed inwardly. I could already envision my future exile from Lüset due to this rampaging Dimakushel.
'But right now, no choice.'
Nothing but Dimakushel. I had to focus on the circulation.
"I'm counting on you!"
Simultaneously, the flames shot toward the door at devouring speed.
-Thud!!!
-Roar!!!
-Splat!!
-Scramble!
-Roarrrrr!!!
Amid the deafening noises, the elves' screams echoed. Ah, I should've told it not to kill. It would hold back, right? But the sounds were ominous—bones cracking, flesh searing, guttural wails from the depths.
"Hah, haah......"
I was fine, but Darion couldn't endure; he started panting and sweating coldly. I gripped his hand with crushing force.
"Pull yourself together, Darion! We can't stop here!"
"Urk......"
He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. Then he chanted the incantation even louder.
-Twitch.
The Queen's fingers in our grasp moved slightly. Not an illusion.
"Good, it's working!"
If Dimakushel held out a bit longer, the Queen would awaken. Once she did, our immediate safety was secured.
"How dare you, how dare you do this in the sanctuary!!!"
Blanche's voice rang out right then.
Enraged Blanche and the elf elders pushed through the fallen soldiers. They hadn't planned to intervene directly but couldn't stand idly by anymore. Damn, Dimakushel was strong, but could it handle the elf elders too? Should I abandon everything and flee with just my body?!
Glancing sidelong at the corridor, I saw Blanche raise her staff high toward Dimakushel. A brilliant light unlike any I'd seen poured from its tip. Instinct told me: if that hit, Dimakushel would die. Well, technically return to hell, but anyway...... If Dimakushel vanished, my head would be next for that staff.
-Fwoooosh!!!!
Blanche's staff tip blazed like the sun itself. Dimakushel's shadow shrank rapidly. It resisted, but shadows are inherently weak to light.
'Damn......!'
I bit my lip, cursing inwardly. My hands holding the Queen and Darion trembled uncontrollably.
And the light......
-Fwoooosh!!!!
The light......
Poured forth.
Not from Blanche, but from the Queen.
"Ahh, finally......"
The Queen's voice, heard only in the Dream Labyrinth and my mind, resounded with the light.
Lüset's Queen, Dianta, had awakened.
She, who had lain on the bed like the dead, slowly rose, still holding our hands. Radiant light accompanied every movement. A wondrous sight.
The Queen set foot on the floor and advanced slowly. Her long silver hair, longer than her height, trailed behind, sweeping the ground and creating a beautiful halo of light. Even I was entranced by her ethereal beauty.
"......What a long dream it was."
Her voice remained dreamy and frail. Yet everyone knew its owner held power surpassing all present.
-Thud, roll......
Blanche's staff fell limply to the floor. The Queen personally picked it up, beaming brightly.
"Now, it's time for me to fulfill my duties as Queen."