Kaguya-sama: Love Is War wants me to turn myself in.

Fujiwara Chika's pretty face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away as if nothing had happened.

No.

Never sacrifice yourself to relieve your symptoms!

"Why are you looking at me, Natsuki-kun?"

Senior Yanzi's heart skipped a beat; she felt a little nervous.

She was standing next to Fujiwara Chika and thought Amamiya Natsuki was looking at her.

(Does this mean I... have to take responsibility?)

(It should be.)

(Everyone risked their lives to accompany me into the dungeon, and now they're even helping me pick mushrooms. Natsuki herself is plagued by a curse, so of course I can't stand idly by and do nothing.)

It must be said that this senior student, Yanzi, has an exceptionally strong sense of responsibility.

Even if it's a complete stranger in danger, she'll do her best to help. Not to mention that Amamiya Natsuki is now growing the Sin Mushroom because of her.

(That's right, I have to take responsibility!)

Senior Yanzi clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and decided that she couldn't let Xia Shujun get into danger, nor could she let him hurt the other girls.

(But... how can we take responsibility? Or rather, what methods can we use to help mitigate the effects of the Sinful Mushroom?)

Zian Yan blinked, and a blush quickly rose to her pretty face. Before long, even her earlobes turned a lustrous pink.

She wasn't a girl who grew up in a sterile environment, so she naturally had some knowledge of the subject. At this moment, the scene she had secretly watched before involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

(No, no! That's shameless!)

(I've only known this junior for less than a month, and things have gotten so fast!)

(Unless, unless there is absolutely no other way and someone has to sacrifice themselves... we'll see then.)

With their own thoughts in mind, everyone continued to rest.

Silent all night.

the next day.

When Amamiya Natsuki woke up, she went to the window and looked out. The sky was gray and the snow was still falling, as if it had really been snowing all night without stopping.

Although there was no timekeeping device, there was no doubt that it was already the second day.

After everyone woke up and ate something simple, Natsuki Amamiya began to plan the day's activities.

"First, we need to find Karen, the owner of the Red Shoes." Natsuki Amamiya recounted the information about Karen, then looked at Ai Hayasaka and said, "Hanamori, you and Senpai will go together, along with Little Red Riding Hood and the others."

"give it to me."

Hayasaka Ai nodded in agreement.

As a spy, one naturally learns how to find people—the method is actually very simple: surveillance is extremely advanced now, and as long as one goes out, there is a high probability that one will be captured by surveillance cameras.

Of course, there are no surveillance cameras in fairy tales, but the principle is the same.

No human being can hide in a hole and never show themselves; they will inevitably come into contact with others, and thus, they will leave an impression on others.

Little Red Riding Hood was the only one who knew Karen, so naturally she was taken along. The dwarves were there for protection; the dwarves carrying axes were not people to be trifled with.

Amamiya Natsuki then looked at the other random players, took out a stack of paper and pens, and said:

"You two work together to draw a simple map of the royal city. There should be other players in the dungeon. See if you can encounter them. If you do, help them if you can."

The random players had no objections to Amamiya Natsuki's arrangement and readily agreed.

With the Cursed Castle as their base and the Sinful Mushrooms harvested, completing the main survival quest was a certainty, so they naturally followed orders.

"Natsuki-san, what about us?"

Fujiwara Chika raised her hand and asked.

Amamiya Natsuki said:

"Let's investigate the Queen and the Magic Mirror first, then go find the glass slipper."

Therefore, lone wolf players are far less efficient than team players. If you are alone, you have to do everything yourself. But now it's different. Ordinary side quests can be done by others, saving a lot of effort and trouble.

The discussion is complete.

The group quickly got to work, went to a room on the second floor, grabbed a rope, slid down to the courtyard, and then left the castle.

Snowflakes are falling softly.

The streets were unusually deserted; even during the day, there were hardly any pedestrians.

Natsuki Amamiya, Kaguya, and Chika act together. The three of them stop a passerby and successfully use a piece of bread to gain a guide. Under the guide's lead, they arrive at the location of the royal palace.

From a distance, a castle stands on the mountainside, heavily guarded.

"May I ask what the Queen's name is?"

As a social butterfly, Fujiwara Chika was the one who directly handled the inquiries about information.

The person leading the way was a thinly dressed young girl, blonde and blue-eyed, a typical European, with her hands tightly clutched to her chest, where she had hidden the bread she had just eaten. Hearing this, she said somewhat nervously:

"The Queen... she is the Queen."

Fujiwara Chika then said:

"Does the Queen have a magic mirror?"

The girl leading the way nodded: "I've heard that the Queen does indeed have a magic mirror."

Where is the magic mirror?

"do not know."

Does the Queen often leave the palace?

“In the past…” The girl leading the way tilted her head and thought for a moment, then hesitated and said, “The last time I saw the Queen was a long time ago. Since it started snowing, the Queen has not left the palace.”

After a pause, the girl leading the way nervously looked left and right, making sure no one was nearby, before lowering her voice and saying:

“I heard from others that… the Queen may have grown mushrooms on her head, which is why she lost control and caused the whole kingdom to keep snowing.”

"Wait a minute." Natsuki Amamiya raised an eyebrow. "What does the Queen growing mushrooms have to do with snow?"

The girl leading the way replied matter-of-factly, "Because the Queen's ice and snow magic is incredibly powerful."

Damn it! How did that woman who's always asking who's the most beautiful woman suddenly become an ice and snow magic user?!

Kaguya Shinomiya frowned slightly and said in a low voice:

"Could it be... the Ice Queen?"

As we all know, there are multiple versions of fairy tales that have been passed down to this day. In some dark fairy tales, Snow White even has an ambiguous physical relationship with her father, the King.

As for queens, besides the vase queen in Snow White, there is also a famous ice queen, from which Frozen was adapted.

Needless to say, if she really is the Snow Queen, then obtaining the magic mirror will obviously be many times more difficult.

Chapter 381 Yes, we are despicable outsiders.

"Her Royal Highness is in that palace."

The guide led the three to the vicinity of the palace, pointed, then clutched the bread in his arms, lowered his head, and hurriedly left, his figure quickly disappearing into the wind and snow.

There were many guards at the gate.

Fujiwara Chika stood on tiptoe to look.

There were seven or eight armed guards standing watch at the palace gate.

“I understand,” Kaguya Shinomiya said softly. “Mushroom people are dangerous; perhaps someone once tried to storm the palace.”

Amamiya Natsuki said:

"How about sneaking in by climbing over the wall?"

Kaguya Shinomiya said:

"There are too many guards; it feels dangerous."

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Fujiwara Chika suddenly said, holding up a finger. "How about we use diplomatic means to get closer to the Queen?"

Amamiya Natsuki said with great interest:

"Be specific."

"Hmm~" Fujiwara Chika put her hands on her hips and tilted her delicate chin slightly. "My mother is a diplomat, so I know some diplomatic skills too."

"Auntie is amazing." Amamiya Natsuki glanced at her sideways, feigning shock. "No wonder people say you speak eighteen foreign languages."

"You only know five languages, eighteen is an exaggeration." Fujiwara Chika scolded, "Let me finish."

"Lady Chika, please continue."

"..."

Fujiwara Chika tilted her chin up and continued:

"Diplomacy represents the dignity of two countries. If we meet the Queen as diplomats, we certainly won't be refused, will we?"

"For example, we are strangers who have come from afar at the end of the sea. We have come here to present gifts to Her Majesty the Queen and to establish friendly relations."

“Understood.” Amamiya Natsuki stroked his chin and said, “We will first prepare a map and present it to Her Majesty the Queen. When the Queen unfolds the map and lowers her guard, we will grab the dagger hidden inside the map and capture the Queen.”

"Wait a minute, why does this sound so familiar?"

Fujiwara Chika looked over silently.

Amamiya Natsuki said:

"Because this is a classic case from thousands of years ago."

"Let's get down to business." Kaguya Shinomiya gently rubbed her forehead and said helplessly, "If we don't speak up when meeting the Queen as diplomats, then Natsuki and I won't be able to get in."

"Hey, why?"

Fujiwara Chika asked, puzzled.

Natsuki Amamiya reminded us, "We still have mushrooms on our heads."