I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

The Cursed Kingdom (2)

“Hmm, they said they dealt with the cursed golden beast?”

“Yes, that’s right! I saw it with my own eyes!”

The king. A person dressed in luxurious clothes that dazzled the eyes. A person with a golden crown on his head. The only being who rules this cursed kingdom. That is the one standing right in front of me now.

I naturally tried to kneel, but Elise said to hell with manners, and Ariel firmly said there was no need to show respect to someone who wasn’t her king. So, feeling awkward, I hesitated, wondering if I should kneel on one knee like Bogart and avoid making direct eye contact with the king, but Elise convinced me that since we were the ones helping, there was no need for that.

The king had a solemn appearance. His hair was white. Next to him stood a beautiful queen, who looked twenty years younger than the king, with a kind smile. Her hair was blonde.

The king stroked his beard, seeming to ponder for a moment. It was understandable, as a farmer suddenly brought strangers covered in blood, claiming they were the key to breaking the curse. Even I would be suspicious. Moreover, they weren’t even showing proper manners.

“My people wouldn’t lie to me. Very well. Strangers, if you break the curse on this kingdom, I will gladly give you anything you desire.”

“Kya hahaha, what are you talking about? Everything? Then can you give me your heart too?”

At Alice’s words, the atmosphere in the audience chamber turned cold. The sudden chill in the air made my lungs ache. The thought of being thrown into prison and having my head chopped off made my neck tingle with fear.

I quickly stood up, grabbed Alice’s shoulder, and flashed a bright smile.

“Hahaha! No, no, it’s just that His Majesty’s offer to give us what we want has made my friend here a bit emotional and excited!”

As I signaled with my eyes, Ariel chimed in from the side.

[Ye-yeah! This guy is just a weirdo by nature. Please understand!]

“Heh~ You all are making a fuss. Honestly, you can’t give us your heart, can you? Right?”

The king furrowed his brows and let out a short sigh. I was worried that the guards around us would pounce on us immediately, but fortunately, the king’s words were not an order to arrest us.

“Unfortunately, I cannot give you the heart that is responsible for the lives of my people. But is there something else you desire?”

“Kya hahaha! You should have said that from the beginning! What nonsense were you talking about, ugh!!”

I quickly covered Alice’s mouth with both hands and spoke hurriedly.

“Hahaha! His Majesty truly cares for his people! You are a wonderful king! We only have one request. Do you know the whereabouts of the Black Rabbit?”

At my words, the king’s eyes filled with curiosity.

“The Black Rabbit, yes. I saw it recently. It was a peculiar rabbit wearing a black hat and cloak. I even had a conversation with it.”

“You had a conversation with it?”

I was shocked to hear that the rabbit, who I thought was busy running away from me, had time to have a conversation.

“Yes. He said… that the one he chose to end the story would come. Now I see, he was referring to you.”

The king gazed at me with a deep look. What? Is that it? Seeing my dissatisfaction, the king continued his story.

“It was absurd, but I quite liked his words. They were similar to an old legend I am fond of. That mystical rabbit left me with a few words of encouragement and then disappeared. He even told me his destination.”

[Where did he go?]

The king, curious about Ariel’s voice, stared intently at her necklace before speaking.

“That… I’ll tell you once the curse is lifted.”

[Ugh, can’t you just tell us now!?]

“If I did, you might leave immediately, wouldn’t you?”

“What a petty king. Tsk tsk, how can someone with such a narrow mind be a king, pfft.”

Elise even spat on the marble floor, and I slapped my forehead. Fortunately, the king seemed to take Elise and Ariel’s rudeness as a funny skit, merely chuckling, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Bogart, you’ve worked hard to bring the heroes to break the curse. But for the sake of me and this country, guide them to the Tower of Godell.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Before that…”

The king scanned us with a cold gaze, and I swallowed nervously.

“Have them washed and fed.”

At the king’s command, footsteps suddenly echoed from somewhere, and maids appeared to lead us away. Elise and Ariel were taken in one direction, and I in another. Following the maid’s guidance, I arrived at a bathhouse.

It was a bathhouse that maintained an excellent level of cleanliness, comparable to modern bathhouses. I spent some time there, washing away the truly disgusting smell of blood and healing. After finishing my bath, the maids brought my clothes, now clean and freshly dried.

It felt like magic. While I was marveling at the maid’s laundry skills, I was then dragged to the dining hall, where I met Ariel and Elise, whose skin now looked plump and fresh. They seemed quite pleased, probably because it had been a while since they last bathed.

A grand feast was laid out, and I devoured it with tears of gratitude. Compared to the terrible things that Elise and Ariel called food, it was heavenly.

That sweet time passed in an instant, and we returned to the audience chamber.

Bogart was still kneeling on one knee, showing his respect. I felt a bit guilty for being late.

The king smiled with satisfaction at our neat appearance, free from bloodstains.

“Now you look presentable. Heroes! May your journey to lift the curse from our kingdom be blessed!”

Bogart bowed his head and then stood up to guide us outside. The king watched us leave, murmuring quietly to himself.

“Please, kill my daughter. Rapunzel.”

A request to kill one’s daughter. No matter how cursed it may be, how can one so nonchalantly ask for their daughter to be killed, even if a golden beast is rampaging?

Usually, one would try to break the curse.

I thought about this as I observed the kingdom’s scenery. The streets were desolate. Perhaps because of the golden monster, people rarely ventured outside, and even if they did, they silently went about their business.

Like machines.

There was an awkward atmosphere. Something felt unnatural. And though I thought the kingdom would be swarming with monsters made from Rapunzel’s hair that attacked us, surprisingly, not a single one was in sight.

“Rapunzel is taking a nap right now.”

Bogart spoke as if he had read my mind.

“A nap?”

“Yes. So this is the only time when the golden monsters don’t appear. In about 1-2 hours, they will wake up.”

“Heh~ You checked all that?”

Elise said with an uninterested face. Bogart nodded with a kind smile.

“That’s right. We want to survive too. The aftermath of the golden curse was truly devastating. No matter which wizard we called, no matter what talent we recruited, we couldn’t solve it. Instead, the stench of horrible death just spread more intensely.”

“But can we really enter the tower?”

Bogart answered as he walked silently.

“I am certain.”

“Don’t worry, dear~”

Elise put her arm around my shoulder and handed me a clean mace, free of blood and flesh, just like her now-clean body.

“If things go south, I’ll smash everything.”

“Mm. Thank you.”

[No! I’ll help the prince! We don’t need Alice’s help!]

Alice looked at Ariel and covered her mouth with her hand, chuckling.

“What are you going to do with that droplet? Water the tower? The tower isn’t a plant; it won’t grow just because you water it.”

[Shut up! My magic is great! I can blow away whatever barrier that Godal or whoever put up in one shot! It’s a hundred times better than that barbaric mace!]

“Oh my~ Such confidence. All those who died by my mace were just as confident as you.”

“Ugh, please stop.”

Even though I tried to intervene, their bickering continued.

“Hahaha!”

The one who stopped the quarrel was none other than Bogart’s laughter. It wasn’t an ordinary laugh. It was a genuine, heartfelt laugh. A laugh that was hard to decipher, filled with both sadness and joy.

“You all get along so well.”

“I’m only close with my darling, not with that kid. Right, darling~”

As Alice provoked, Ariel linked arms with me and opened her jewel-like sparkling eyes wide.

[What are you talking about! The prince likes me the most!]

“Um, I like both of you, so could you please stop?”

Alice pulled me closer with her arm around my shoulder, and Ariel pulled me with her arm linked, making me feel like I was going to be torn apart. Ugh, please stop.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Huh?”

Before I knew it, we had left the kingdom and entered a nearby forest. Right in front of me stood a towering structure so high that its top was out of sight, boasting its grandeur. It felt strange to suddenly be in front of the tower when it seemed like we were just walking through the city a moment ago.

Thud.

Suddenly, something pushed me from behind.

“Ugh!”

As my body lurched forward and I turned around, there was Bogart, smiling brightly and waving at me.

Just before crashing into the tower, I clearly saw the shape of his mouth.

“Nice to meet you.”