Chapter 92: Guardian of the Dark Forest Part 1

"…Isn't this attempted murder?"

"Sorry. I'm still not very good at fine control…"

Following my words, Darion responded very kindly and smiled softly. A chill ran down my spine. Wait a minute, this isn't the arrogant elf noble I know, is it?

"Could it be …"

"Yes, it's me."

Darion's face was filled with a very benevolent light. And that was the creepy part; the soft voice, the kind smile…

"Your Majesty the Queen?"

"I knew you would recognize me."

"What exactly is going on here?"

"It's a long story. For now, shall we deal with this problem first?"

Darion, or rather the queen, pointed to the "life thread" binding our hands. My magical power was still being drained through it.

"But this seems to be made of mithril…"

"You have an eye for it, just like a dwarf. Yes, the 'life thread' can only be made from mithril. Of course, making or using it is now forbidden."

"I see."

"And this scent too."

The queen clenched her fist around the incense by her bedside and put it out before blowing away all the smoke with a single breath. I felt my head clear a little.

"Since Grizel ended up like that, I naturally assumed that Your Majesty had escaped from the labyrinth of dreams."

I shared my doubts with her.

"I was trapped in the labyrinth of dreams for too long."

Like a vegetative patient unable to wake up immediately, was the queen in the same state?

"Moreover…"

"..."

"There were various obstacles."

The queen gave a bitter smile filled with sorrow. If it weren't for Darion's face, I would have felt her sincerity a hundred percent…. Unfortunately, his naturally disagreeable expression spoiled it.

"The elders, you mean?"

"I know what they are thinking. The shadow of destruction looms over the world, and with no clear solution, they must have been anxious. I understand why they disapproved of taking care of the dark elves."

"But they are also citizens of Lysette."

"…I wish Blanche could have thought like you. Growing old is unfortunate in many ways."

"For people, maybe, but not for trees."

The queen nodded her head in agreement. As people aged, they became more rigid. This rigidity, however, meant they also became more inflexible. The elders who lived for such a long time were incredibly wise but also full of prejudice. That was likely why they didn't care about the dark elves at all.

'If it were me, I would have actively utilized the dark elves. These foolish people…'

The queen reached out to the life thread. Green flames began to rise from Darion's fingertips. As the queen murmured something, the green flames flared up and reached the high ceiling. It was pure and powerful magic.

So Darion had such power within him?

The green flames slowly melted away the spell etched into the life thread. As part of the spell was consumed by the flames, I could feel the bond that had tied the queen and me together being undone.

"…It may sound rude, but the queen's power is truly impressive."

"It's not my power. It's merely the latent magic within Darion."

The queen smiled gently.

"If it were my power, the entire spell would have vanished."

"Hmm…"

"Did I sound boastful?"

"Yes, very."

Hoho, the queen chuckled and lightly supported me. I staggered slightly, but it wasn't to the point where I couldn't walk.

"I'm glad you came in time. If too much time had passed, you wouldn't have regained your senses."

"That's quite scary."

As expected, I almost ended up used as a backup battery. I immediately used [Nature's Healing] on myself, which made it a bit easier to breathe.

"Now it's your turn to help me."

The queen looked down at her real body lying on the bed and spoke.

"What do I need to do?"

"It will be simple for you and Darion."

Following the queen's instructions, I held the hand of the real, sleeping queen with one hand and Darion's hand with the other. The queen who was still present within Darion also held her own hand with one hand and mine with the other.

"My body is currently in a stagnant state. The magical power isn't flowing properly. All you need to do is help restore that flow."

"Understood."

"Don't stop the magic circulation until I wake up again. No matter what happens…"

With those final words, the queen vanished. The silver glow in Darion's eyes soon returned to its original green. He looked at me with a dazed expression.

"The… Theodore …"

"Are you already done calling me Sir Theodore?"

"…The adventure was pointless."

"Well, not exactly. Thanks to it, things are going well."

"..."

"You know what to do, right?"

Darion nodded his head. Even though the queen was present in his body, it seemed he could still grasp the situation.

We followed the queen's instructions, chanting the spell together and circulating our magical power. My magical power flowed into Darion, Darion's magical power flowed into the queen, and the queen's magical power flowed back into me. I took in the stagnant murky magical power, purified it through myself, and then passed it to Darion, who as an elf like the queen filtered it once more before supplying it to her. I had gone from being a backup battery to a human water purifier. Even for someone of the queen's caliber, accepting another's magical power wasn't a pleasant experience. I concentrated and my face contorted in the effort. Darion did the same.

-Booom!

Just then, the door leading to the corridor burst open with a tremendous noise. The villains had arrived. A typical turn of events. I glanced at the door and then shouted towards the shadow at my feet.

"Cuscus!"

As the queen had repeatedly stressed, we couldn't stop the magic circulation. Darion and I had to continue assisting with the queen's magic flow, and there was no guard to protect us.

Except for my shadow.

-Whoooooooooooosh!!!

From the elongated shadow, an astonishingly large black flame erupted. It was powerful enough to burn down the palace. It seemed that during the magic circulation, Demarcushel was also affected.

-Khahahahaha!!!

Demarcushel's creepy laughter echoed through the entire palace. Empowered by the magical power, Demarcushel wasn't just a simple black flame; he had taken on the form of a demon with horns and wings.

Ah, anyone can see that's a demon.

Seeing Demarcushel's appearance, I sighed inwardly. I could already foresee my future of being banished from Lysette because of the excited Demarcushel.

But for now, there's no other choice.

There was no other option but Demarcushel. I had to focus on the magic circulation.

"I'm counting on you!"

At the same time, the flame flew towards the door with a speed that seemed to swallow it whole.

-Thud!!!

-Whoooooooosh!!

-Crashh!!

-Clattter!

-Whoooosh!!!

The screams of elf soldiers echoed with a tremendous noise, I should have told him not to kill. Surely, he would be reasonable? But the sounds were ominous. The sound of bones breaking, flesh burning, and gut-wrenching screams.

"Huff, huff…"

I was fine, but Darion couldn't hold on and started panting and he even broke out in a cold sweat. I gripped his hand tightly, almost crushing it.

"Get a grip, Darion! We can't stop here!"

"Ugh…"

He shut his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth. Then, he began chanting the spell even louder.

-Twitch.

The queen's fingers moved slightly. This was not my imagination.

"Good, it's working!"

If Dimacushel could hold on a little longer, the queen would wake up. Once she was awake, immediate safety would be secured.

"How dare you, how dare you do this in the sanctuary!!!"

Blanche's voice echoed at that very moment.

A furious Blanche and the elf elders pushed past the fallen soldiers and entered. They hadn't planned to intervene directly, but seeing how things were unfolding, they couldn't stay idle. Damn, even if Dimacushel was strong, could he really withstand the elf elders? Should I abandon everything and escape while I still could?

Glancing sideways down the corridor, I saw Blanche raise his staff high in the direction of Dimacushel. A bright light, the like of which I'd never seen before, emanated from the tip of the staff. I had a feeling. If that light struck, Dimacushel would die. Well, technically, he wouldn't die, he would return to hell, but still… If Dimacushel disappeared, the next target for the staff would be my head.

-Flaaash!!!

The end of Blanche's staff shone as if the sun itself were attached to it. Dimacushel's shadow grew shorter and shorter. He tried to resist but shadows were always weak against light.

Shit …!

I bit my lip and cursed inwardly. The queen and Darion's hands, clasped in mine, were trembling.

Then the light…

-Flaaash!!!

The light…

burst forth.

Not from Blanche, but from the queen.

"Ah, finally…"

The queen's voice, which I'd only ever heard in the labyrinth of dreams and in my mind, resonated with the light.

Queen Dianta of Lysette had awakened.

She who was lying on the bed as if dead slowly rose while holding my and Darion's hands. A radiant light accompanied her every movement. It was a breathtaking sight.

The queen placed her feet on the floor and slowly moved forward. Her long silver hair trailed behind her. It was longer than her height and it created a beautiful halo of light as it brushed the floor. Even I was mesmerized by that radiant appearance and couldn't help but stare at her in awe for a moment.

"…It was a really long dream."

Her voice was still dreamy and delicate, but everyone knew that its owner possessed more power than anyone else here.

-Thud, roll…

Blanche's staff fell from his hands and rolled powerlessly across the floor. The queen picked it up herself while smiling brightly.

"Now, it is time to fulfill my duties as queen."