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Chapter 11: Sleeping Beauty: The Aftermath
"Kyaa!"
"Long ears!"
"Similar to Phonon! Scary!"
Upon seeing Rudolf, the fairies became frightened.
"No, we are allies. Please don't be afraid."
"No bullying...?"
"Kind... Like them."
"Yeah, we're on your side."
Rudolf and Ellie's sincere attitude reassured the fairies.
"By the way, who is Phonon?"
"A girl with beautiful hair."
"She was our friend."
Trembling, the fairies began to talk about Phonon. Aelusdro wanted to know why Phonon had betrayed these fairies.
"What do you mean by 'used to be' friends?"
"Phonon did something terrible to everyone."
"After that, everyone became sad, and the thorny castle appeared."
"I don't understand."
"Thank you for the information."
It seemed that the fairies didn't know any further details. Aelusdro and the others thanked the fairies and continued on, leaving the fountain behind. Suddenly, a new scene appeared in their minds.
At the girl's feet, many fairies lay fallen. The fallen fairies turned into particles of light and disappeared. An alarmed sound of footsteps could be heard, and the door behind opened, revealing an Elf couple with pale faces.
"What is happening here!?"
"What have you done!?"
In response to the enraged parents, the girl answered angrily.
"I wanted to make a contract with a Spirit of Valor! But the fairies refused me. So, I killed them! And now, both of you shall die too!"
The girl, her silver hair flowing, attacked her parents. Her skin had turned a tanned color.
"...Ah, it has finally come to this..." Aelusdro sighed in disappointment as he saw the girl who had fallen into becoming a Dark elf. He wondered if there was any way to save her now.
"Aelusdro, I believe she must be suffering... So, please, at least defeat her to save her," Yumir pleaded.
"If you say so... I understand," Aelusdro reluctantly agreed.
"It's unusual for me to say something so sentimental, though," he added.
As the group continued along the wide path, Yumir muttered to himself, questioning what he was saying. They arrived at an open area. In the center of the square stood a beautiful statue of an Elven girl, surrounded by destroyed statues of fairies. The pedestal bore an inscription: "Praying for the eternal bond between our daughter and the fairies, Jeremy and Yvette."
"Jeremy and Yvette... Could they be the names of Phonon's parents?" Aelusdro wondered.
"It's possible," Marianne replied. "She must have received a lot of love..."
Aelusdro's mother never considered him her true child. With his heterochromatic eyes and alignment towards goodness, he was regarded as a "failed creation" by his mother. This only intensified his pity and envy for Phonon. While Marianne nonchalantly acknowledged the situation, she couldn't help but feel slightly concerned about Aelusdro.
"Well, that's not really important right now. May I examine this statue for a moment?" Marianne asked.
"Sure," Aelusdro replied.
Marianne inspected the statue of the girl and exclaimed, "Oh?"
She had discovered a staircase leading underground.
"I've found a hidden passage!" Marianne exclaimed.
"Really?" Aelusdro asked.
"Yes... I hope we find something worthwhile down here," Marianne remarked.
Guided by Marianne, the group descended the dimly lit staircase and, as soon as they reached the final step, they heard a rattling sound from above.
"Oh no... it's a trap! Everyone, get out of the way!" Marianne warned.
Following Marianne's command, the group tried to dodge the trap. Yumir was a moment too slow, but thanks to Miro's pull, she managed to avoid it. In the next instant, an iron gate descended, sealing off the area where Aelusdro and the others had been standing.
"That was close... If we had been any slower, we would have been caught," Yumir breathed a sigh of relief, placing her hand on her chest.
"That was probably a trap for intruders. Let's be cautious as we move forward," Aelusdro advised.
The group that had escaped the trap for intruders continued down the dimly lit corridor. As they proceeded, they came across a small altar. On the altar, there was a small spinning wheel, turning and spinning sacred thread. Aelusdro stared intently at it, and a scene unfolded before his eyes.
A girl with silver hair, red eyes, and tanned skin walked forward, covered in blood. She passed through the grand hall where her birthday party had been held, destroyed fairy statues as she crossed the square, and approached a tall tower. Clutching a blood-stained coin, she threw it into the mouth of the door, opening it. She ascended the spiral staircase to the top floor. The girl rummaged through the treasure vault but eventually found herself holding the spinning wheel. With the spinning wheel spinning "karakara," it captured the girl, Phonon, with its thread and pierced her chest.
"I will not die... I will merely sleep for a hundred years!" With these words, the witch Phonon fell into a deep slumber.
As the spinning wheel came to a stop, a delicate voice of a girl could be heard. "Please... stop that child who has fallen into darkness..." In Aelusdro's hand, there was a small coin adorned with fairy wings. The spinning wheel entrusted them with the coin, and it began to quietly spin once again.
"Thank you. I will definitely save her. Now, let's go back," Aelusdro declared.
"Yes."
Upon obtaining the coin and returning to the surface, the landscape had drastically changed. "What... is this?!" The thorny barrier had transformed into threads of light. Presumably, it was because they had been recognized by the spinning wheel. As Aelusdro and the others attempted to move forward, the threads naturally unraveled, opening the path ahead.
As they passed through the square with the statue of Phonon, the path ahead split into two. Aelusdro observed, "This side leads to the mansion, and that side leads to the tower." Since they had already explored the mansion, Aelusdro suggested heading towards the tower. The group proceeded in that direction.
The door of the tower had eyes and a mouth. As Aelusdro approached, a calm voice echoed, "What lies ahead is the treasure of my sworn companion, Jeremy. Unauthorized ones, be gone." Aelusdro wondered how to obtain permission and then recalled the previous scene and the coin he had acquired. He realized that he could enter the tower by inserting the coin. Aelusdro placed the coin in the mouth of the door, and with the voice saying, "Jeremy's token," the door opened.
The interior of the tower consisted of a spiral staircase, leading to a single room on the top floor. This room was their final destination—the place where Phonon resided. Aelusdro declared, "Now, all that's left is to save Phonon." The Dark elf and the Villainess led the way as the group entered the room.
"This is where Phonon is..." The room's walls were adorned with treasure swords and paintings, while numerous beautifully decorated boxes lay on the floor. The items emitted a sparkling, warm, and gentle light, as if blessed by fairies. Amidst the serene and gentle atmosphere, they noticed a wriggling shadow.
"...Phonon..."
It was a silver-haired girl restrained by threads, with one piercing her chest. The threads absorbed the darkness from the girl, turning red.
"Finally... a hundred years have passed...! I won't forgive you for binding me like this...! I'll kill all of you...!"
With a forceful motion, the girl pulled out the thread lodged in her chest and threw it onto the ground. In that moment, her eyes turned red, and her skin grew darker. She had transformed into a Dark elf herself. Witch Phonon, with her mesmerizing eyes, targeted Aelusdro and the others.
The battle had begun.
"Do you mind if I go ahead?" Marianne said. She attacked Phonon with her twin pistols, but Phonon's defensive barrier blocked the attack, and she couldn't inflict significant damage.
"Spirit of darkness, reveal your dark form!" Phonon borrowed the power of the dark spirits and formed a blade of magical energy, slashing Marianne.
"Kyaaah!"
"Watch out, Marianne!" Ellie created a shield of light, saving Marianne from being incapacitated. Although she still sustained considerable damage, Ellie quickly healed Marianne with magic.
"Hey, Aelusdro, Dark Elves have such strong magical powers?"
"Dark elf women are stronger both mentally and physically than men."
"Hmm, it's the opposite of humans, isn't it?"
Marianne continued firing her twin pistols, steadily damaging Phonon.
"Spirit of wind, unleash an invisible impact! Wind Blast!"
"De Gate La Rota Do Is!"
"Such attacks won't reach me." Rudolf and Yumir attacked Phonon with magic, but the defensive barrier prevented any damage from getting through.
"Damage isn't getting through easily... We need to do something about this barrier."
"I wish we could have just surrendered... Oh supreme spirit of flame, bring forth a tempest of fire and consume all!" As Phonon raised her hand and chanted the spell, a tempest of fire erupted, engulfing Aelusdro and the others. If caught in it, they would be burned to the bone.
"This is bad, dodge it!"
"No, dodging won't work!" Miro charged into the tempest of fire.
"This is dangerous, Miro-san! Please stop!"
"Don't worry! I'm strong, you know?" Although Rudolf tried to stop her, Miro didn't listen. She "grabbed" the tempest of fire and threw it towards Phonon.
"Aaaah!" Phonon was caught in the tempest of fire, her once beautiful dress quickly burning away as her body was consumed by flames. Rudolf was amazed at the power to throw away magic like that.
And then, as they confirmed the disappearance of the defensive barrier along with the fire, Miro stepped back and handed it over to Aelusdro and Marianne.
"Now, it's up to you two to finish it off!"
"Huh... me?"
"Me?"
"I'll leave the good parts to you two!
Now, go for it!"
Miro said so, jumping back and leaving the finishing blow to Aelusdro and Marianne.
"It's... a bit complicated, but..."
"We have no choice but to do it!"
Aelusdro and Marianne prepared their respective weapons.
Phonon crawled forward slowly towards them.
"You... how dare you...!"
"Sorry, but we want to end your suffering."
"So stop your futile resistance!"
"Do Tonito Do Teneb!"
As Aelusdro chanted the spell, Phonon's body froze, unable to move.
"I... can't move...!"
"Now, let's finish this!
Piercing Shot!!"
Then, as Marianne fired a powerful bullet, it seemed to be absorbed into Phonon's chest, and upon impact, Phonon coughed up blood.
"Why...?"
Phonon murmured in a gentle voice and fell, never to rise again.
The sound of spinning gears could be heard.
Threads enveloped Phonon's body, slowly floating in the air and ascending to the heavens.
- Thank you for stopping Phonon.
- We will take her soul with us.
- Truly, thank you...
"...The battle is over. Phonon will be saved now."
"May she be reborn as a good person next time..."
Aelusdro and Marianne continued to gaze at the spot where Phonon had been.
When Aelusdro and the others went outside, the threads had completely disappeared. The anomaly in the Sleeping Forest had been resolved.
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