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Chapter 10: Sleeping Beauty: Before
"Yes, I've completely recovered."
After finally healing from his injuries, Aelusdro descended from the bed and made his way to Marianne.
"I'm glad. Now, you can fight alongside us again."
With Aelusdro's return to the frontlines, the party consisted of six members. They could now engage in battle against monsters with peace of mind.
"It's been a while... Living together with everyone, fighting together..."
Aelusdro took the sword hanging on the wall and tightly grasped it. This sensation was long-awaited and felt warm.
"Well, it's not like you’d die from a mere serious injury! Ohohohoho!"
"H-Hahahaha..."
Aelusdro was lured into laughter by Marianne's boisterous laughter.
"Aelusdro-chan, are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, thanks to everyone."
"You haven't been eating much, have you? Eat plenty!"
Today's menu consisted of coleslaw salad, vichyssoise, and pasta bolognese. Farna added extra minced meat, assuming Aelusdro had fully recovered.
"...Ah, it's delicious. But the portion is a bit large..."
"What, are you a light eater?"
"I'm usually not a big eater... But it's a sufficient amount for me now."
"I see, thanks."
And today marked exactly three months since Aelusdro had arrived in the Nagal region.
"You've gotten quite used to life here, so I'd like you to start helping with household chores soon."
"Why me?"
"...Well, it's my way of showing goodwill."
"..."
Aelusdro saw through Marianne's true intentions. She wanted to burden him with household chores because she knew she couldn't do them herself. Despite that, Aelusdro believed in Marianne's inherent kindness and nodded in agreement.
"I thought you'd answer that way! Well then, let's get started!"
"..."
As expected, Marianne wasn't skilled in household chores. Aelusdro and Marianne had the "Galba Empire Easy Cookbook" with them.
"Well... In that case, please open page 94. We'll start with 'How to Make German Potatoes,'" said Marianne.
Aelusdro and Marianne opened the cookbook together. German Potatoes were a reasonably famous dish in the Galba Empire, so they decided to start with that. Since neither of them had any experience in cooking, it took them quite some time to understand the instructions.
"Well... at least we can manage to make a light snack with this," Marianne said. It seemed that both of them had somehow grasped the content of the book. Now they were able to prepare simple dishes.
As they were about to return, Aelusdro and Marianne overheard Rudolf and the elven woman talking about something.
"Hey, did you hear? There's a place outside the town surrounded by thorns," said Rudolf.
"Well... who lives there?" the elven girl asked.
"I don't know... but I've heard a story like this before," Rudolf replied.
"What kind of story?" the elven girl asked.
"Um... I'm sorry," Rudolf hesitated.
Intrigued by the conversation, Aelusdro and Marianne approached them.
"Aelusdro-san, what's going on?" Marianne asked.
"What was that story about? Can you tell me a little?" Aelusdro inquired.
"Ah... yes," Rudolf thanked the elven woman and then went over to Aelusdro and Marianne.
"Now, let me tell you the story. In a certain kingdom, the long-awaited baby girl was born to the king and queen. To celebrate her birth, they invited all the magicians from across the country. The magicians bestowed numerous blessings upon the princess. However, the 13th magician, who was not invited, placed a curse that said, 'On her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel's needle and die.' Sensing the danger, the 12th magician altered the curse to 'sleep for a hundred years' instead of 'die.' And so, on the princess's 16th birthday, disguised as an old woman, the magician presented a spinning wheel's needle, and the princess fell into a deep sleep. In tandem, the entire castle was enveloped in thorny vines and fell into slumber. A hundred years later, a prince from a neighboring kingdom heard the rumors and visited the castle. The thorns unraveled to welcome the prince, and he made his way to the sleeping princess. With the prince's intervention, the princess was awoken, married the prince, and they lived happily ever after."
"Well... that was quite a nice story. But how does it relate to this tower?" Marianne asked.
"Yesterday, in my dream, I saw a scene of an elven woman sleeping in a tower surrounded by thorns. It could have been a divine message... And so, I've been gathering information," Rudolf explained.
"Also, adventurers who went to the place surrounded by thorns went missing!" added Rudolf
"We should investigate what's happening there and, if possible, eliminate the cause.” Aelusdro thought it would be a good opportunity for his first adventure after his return and expressed his desire to go.
"Well, let's at least go and see what's there. Of course, we'll inform Dyst in advance," Marianne said.
"Eh, are you telling us to go to that place too?"
"It may not be straightforward. We need your power as well." Marianne replied.
"Why should we bother? You guys alone can probably defeat him."
"We're busy, you know~" responded the indifferent Miro and Yumir.
Aelusdro said with a serious expression, "Many adventurers don't return."
Feeling a sense of unease, the two of them realized they needed to be fully prepared.
"Well... I guess there's no choice. We'll go and see."
"You can freely wield my magic to your heart's content."
"Miro-san, Yumir-san, thank you."
"With your power, I'm sure we can solve the case."
Aelusdro and Marianne reluctantly expressed their gratitude to the time-space police officers who agreed to cooperate.
And so, Aelusdro and the others decided to go to the place surrounded by thorns.
"Wow..."
The outskirts of the town were indeed entangled with thorns, repelling intruders.
In the distance, they could see a large mansion and a tall tower emitting a sinister presence.
They wouldn't be able to proceed unless they dealt with these thorns somehow.
"There are so many thorns... What should we do?"
"Leave it to me. Hyah!"
Aelusdro swung his sword, cutting through the entwined thorns.
Then, a strange scene appeared in the minds of the six.
"..."
In the dark abyss, threads were shining brightly.
A girl with crimson eyes and silver hair was bound by the threads, suffering in agony.
"How dare you subject me to such a fate... I won't forgive you... humans!"
"Humans..."
However, the only human present here is Marianne.
Without paying much attention, the group continued forward, and two skeletal warriors clad in armor stumbled towards them.
These were likely the remnants of adventurers who challenged this thorny land.
"Sleep quietly!"
Marianne shot the Skeleton Warriors with her twin pistols.
Immediately after, another Skeleton Warrior lunged at Marianne.
Unable to react in time, Marianne suffered considerable damage.
"I'll grant you strength!"
"Okay!"
Ellie enhanced Miro's physical abilities, and Miro rushed at the Skeleton Warrior, tearing it apart with her claws.
Normally, slashing attacks wouldn't be very effective against Skeleton Warriors, but Miro's already high physical abilities were further enhanced, allowing her to easily tear them apart.
"Wind!"
"Flames!"
"Flame Tornado!"
Then, Rudolf and Yumir simultaneously chanted spells, creating a tornado of flames that engulfed the Skeleton Warriors.
"It seems there are many monsters in this area.
Everyone, proceed with caution."
"Understood."
"We should do this here."
As Marianne untangled the entwined thorns, a mysterious scene once again unfolded in the minds of the group.
"Happy birthday!!"
In the grand hall of the mansion, there was a large birthday cake and plenty of feasts.
The invited guests brought many presents, and a baby slept in the cradle.
Seven great fairies approached the cradle, bestowing blessings upon the baby.
Then, the seventh fairy, dressed in white, kissed the baby's forehead while spinning a spinning wheel.
"May fortune be with you."
"What is this... someone's birthday, perhaps?"
Rudolf abruptly stopped in his tracks.
This baby might be that girl from before... he thought.
"Rudolf? What's wrong?"
"If the story is true, then she might be..."
As Rudolf pondered, he continued forward, and the path gradually widened.
There was a wide road ahead, but if they could somehow deal with the thorns on the side, they could proceed on the narrow path ahead.
"If it's thorns, I'll tear them apart."
"M-Miro?"
"Here I go!"
Miro forcefully tore apart the thorns with their incredible strength.
As a result, the group was able to proceed along the narrow path.
And once again, a strange scene unfolded before them.
"This is amazing! So this is the power of magic!"
A young and beautiful girl with silver hair skillfully wielded elemental magic.
She conjured winds, shook the ground, summoned water, and controlled both light and darkness.
The fairies praised the girl, but she seemed slightly dissatisfied.
"With this progress, I'll be able to contract with a spirit of valor!"
However, the fairies shook their heads in response to the girl's words.
Because spirits of valor exerted greater power when contracted with males.
However, irritated by this, the girl clicked her tongue and retorted to the fairies.
"It doesn't matter now, whether they're male or female, right? I can do anything."
"...! How arrogant...! As an elf, I cannot forgive this!"
Rudolf was angered by the girl's arrogance.
Indeed, elves were typically proud and composed, cherishing order as benevolent beings.
But an elf like this was a disgrace to their kind, and he felt angry.
"It's fine for you to be angry. But without actually meeting her, it's just unwarranted frustration."
"...I hope this scene isn't a lie."
In this thorny land, a faint sound of spinning thread could be heard…
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