I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

The mist swayed, and the woman with the blurred face seemed to be laughing: "Of course I know. Back then, Uncle Perinoa insisted on fighting me for the 'gatekeeper' position. Fortunately, my brother and Uncle Alan were on my side, taking turns to get him drunk. It is said that after Uncle Perinoa sobered up, he was furious and beat my brother so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for half a month... Ha."

"That……"

"But in his heart, the people within hundreds of miles were more important than his niece." The lantern's light flickered a few times, seemingly growing dimmer, the interplay of light and shadow falling on the wall like lurking ghosts, sending chills down one's spine: "Uncle Perinoa often said, 'We eat, dress, and use better than everyone else now. Why? Because if anything happens, we have to rush forward faster than everyone else, and die before everyone else. That's what makes a good nobleman, a good king.'"

“This isn’t a matter of weighing one hundred people against one thousand people. Even if there were only one person on the other side, a ragged, dying beggar, Uncle Perinoa would not hesitate to risk his own and our lives to save him. Because in his eyes, this is how it should be—”

Elaine suddenly laughed: "Father and Uncle Alan think so too. That's why I've always admired Uncle Perinoa. All three brothers had the same personality, but now one has gone mad, one died young, and only he lived peacefully to his sixties... Some people are just incredibly lucky, they just can't die no matter what, but ironically, it's often these people who don't cherish their lives the most... And those who cherish their lives usually don't live very long."

"Relax a bit. Although these things happened thirty years ago, things have generally settled down now. Even without the pearl and the ring, the complete Poseidon's Trident is enough to maintain the existence of this 'prison'. With me here, the guy possessing Father won't affect the outside world for at least a hundred or two hundred years. As for what happens after that... after all, I've already paid such a high price. Let people worry about this little thing back then."

As if finding the statement amusing, she chuckled twice, but seeing that Guinevere was still biting her lip, her expression grave, and the atmosphere gradually becoming serious through the shimmering mist, she said, "Let me make it clear beforehand, I don't need any sympathy. This was my own choice, a decision unanimously approved by my brother, Uncle Alan, and everyone present at the time. Perhaps it wasn't the best decision, but cheap sympathy would only insult me."

"Princess from Scotland, I don't care whether your trip is out of pure goodwill or some other ulterior motive. I'm telling you the truth so you understand that restoring the Trident of Poseidon is tantamount to killing me. To save this town and the many people around it, you must take my life yourself. If you're prepared for that, this jewel, this ring—"

She extended both hands forward, the golden ring lying quietly in her left palm, while the lantern in her right hand had somehow transformed into a crystal-clear pearl, its radiance flowing and shining brilliantly, like a condensed ocean.

"You may take it."

Guinevere simply watched her silently, not reaching out to take it, and for a long time, she remained silent. Her eyes flickered, as if she were pondering something, unable to make a decision. The blue-haired woman in the mist also maintained this posture, standing there motionless and quiet.

The crimson moon shone brightly, and the dragon bird soared high. Occasionally, a piercing, unpleasant shriek would pierce through the air, making the small space even quieter, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I……"

I do not know how long it has been.

Being in this place felt like a blink of an eye, yet also like decades or even centuries had passed in the blink of an eye. Guinevere licked her lips. In her spirit form, she didn't feel dryness or thirst; this was merely a way to ease her tension: "Perhaps..."

She was about to speak.

Suddenly, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps approached from outside. Before the person even arrived, a loud shout resounded: "I—will—not—allow!"

Each word drew closer, and as the final sound was uttered, a tall figure holding a scepter appeared outside the half-open door. Guinevere had just turned to the side when she was startled by those fierce, beast-like eyes.

"Eleanor, put away the Ring of Solomon and the Jewel!"

With a shout, he strode in and headed straight for Guinevere, showing no intention of giving way. Guinevere hurriedly dodged, and he opened his large hand to grab the ring in Elaine's palm. But the mist swayed and turned from solid to ethereal, causing him to miss his grasp. The ring and his left hand holding the ring remained in place.

"you!"

"Dear brother, when did you become so domineering?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! If you hadn't secretly sent someone to inform Uncle Perinoa, he wouldn't have been able to return here so quickly from East Wales, and he wouldn't have happened to run into Avank on the eve of his awakening!"

He reached out again, his calloused fingers piercing through the illusory mist. Fisher gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot: "Knowing I wouldn't agree, you tried to distract me with Vortigern's messenger, hoping to steal the scepter. After failing, now you want to use this Scottish princess? You think I don't know what you're thinking, Elaine? You think I don't know what you're thinking, don't you—"

“Those are over a thousand innocent civilians.” A hoarse voice spoke through the mist.

But his words were barely out of his mouth when they were drowned out by an even louder roar: "Just a mere thousand people! Don't even mention a thousand, even the entire country, the entire island, the entire world, are nothing compared to you. If they're going to die, then let them die—"

"Fischer!"

For the first time, there was murderous intent in Elaine's voice.

Seemingly stunned by this astonishing killing intent, Fisher, who was about to reach out for the third time, suddenly froze in place. Amidst the billowing mist and an unprecedentedly violent tremor, the blurry figure stepped forward and lifted up a grown man who was more than a head taller than her.

“You are the son of the Fisherman King! Before your father went completely mad, he personally handed you the scepter that symbolized his authority! You must protect this land and every citizen of this kingdom! There are some things that others can say, but you cannot; there are some things that others can think, but you—cannot!”

She released her grip, and with a thud, her burly body crashed to the ground. The scepter slipped from her grasp, rolling silently to a stop in the corner of the room. Fisher didn't get up to pick it up. He remained seated in front of the chair, head bowed, his long hair obscuring his face. After a moment, he raised a hand, as if to grasp something, but it slipped away again through the steam.

Put your five fingers together.

They caught nothing.

"but……"

His mouth opened and closed: "You are my sister... So many years, so many years, and you still haven't gotten married..." His voice gradually became choked with sobs, and finally he withdrew his arm, covered his face, his shoulders trembled violently a few times, and from between his fingers and palms came a low growl that was suppressed to the extreme.

"what--"

The mist swayed as Elaine walked right past Fisher, who was sitting on the ground like a child, and came to Guinevere: "I'm sorry you had to see this."

The girl bit her lip and watched her silently.

“My brother is usually quite reliable, but when it comes to this kind of thing, he easily… becomes like a child. What he said just now was just an angry outburst, so don’t hold any grudges against him because of it… he’s not that kind of person.”

After explaining for a bit, seeing Guinevere nod, a smile appeared on her blurry face: "That's good. But how should I put it, if I hadn't met that knight named Kai, I wouldn't have come to my senses so quickly. Although I would probably have agreed to your request in the end, there would definitely have been a lot of difficulties along the way... It would never have been as easy and effortless as it is now."

“Perfect timing, the scepter is here too. Take all three. Uncle Perinoa knows how to restore the Trident of Poseidon. I only have a little time left, so I can’t stay with you any longer. Besides, I need to comfort this silly brother… If he gets upset and turns around and causes trouble for you, that would be terrible. Heh…” Seeing that Guinevere didn’t seem inclined to accept the ring and the jewel, Elaine’s tone was also somewhat puzzled: “What’s wrong? Things have come to this point, you can’t be saying you’re not mentally prepared, can you?”

"No, I just..."

Guinevere shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "I just feel that there aren't necessarily only two options in this matter, and perhaps... things aren't as irreversible as you think."

"what?"

Clearly, Elaine hadn't anticipated this response, and she was taken aback. Even Fisher, who had been sitting quietly to the side, suddenly looked up and glared at them: "What do you mean by that?"

Meeting two anxious and surprised gazes, Guinevere took a breath and slowly exhaled. Understanding the significance of her next words, she couldn't help but offer a slight, bitter smile:

"Before I explain, may I meet with His Majesty the King? There are some things I'd like to confirm."

……

P.S.: Remember to vote for this post!

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Monsters in Nightmares

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

Guinevere's words were like a pebble dropped into water, causing ripples to spread through the misty water.

Although the blue light obscured Elaine's expression, her surprise was evident in her voice: "I think I made myself clear. Father is possessed by something. Whether it's a highly skilled magician, druid, or a priest from the Empire, they all lose their minds and go insane the moment they look directly at Father..."

"I know."

Guinevere replied.

She shook her head, seemingly trying to suppress any lingering fear and doubt in her heart. Fisher had also stood up at this moment, with the same expression of surprise and uncertainty. Perhaps the incident of being grabbed by the neck, lifted up, and thrown by his younger sister had greatly affected him. This de facto ruler simply watched her silently, without saying a word, and made no attempt to pick up the scepter in the corner.

“It is precisely because I know that His Majesty the Fisherman King is under some kind of strange and bizarre curse that I made this request…” He paused slightly: “I may know the origin of this curse.”

"What?" Fisher's expression changed.

But before he could press further, Elaine had already raised her hand, and at the same time, Guinevere felt a gaze, both real and illusory, pierce through the mist and fall upon her: "Could I interpret this as... that you have other motives besides Uncle Perinoa's entrustment?"

Such quick thinking.

Slightly surprised, she didn't give a definite answer—nor did she deny it: "Right now, it's all just speculation. May I see His Majesty the King in person first?"

"You haven't answered Elaine's question yet." The man suddenly took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Or do you think we would rashly allow a suspicious person—whose motives are unknown—to contact Father?"

“But in my opinion, if what Princess Elaine said is true, a king who is insane and can drive everyone around him to madness, a princess who has lost all five senses and can only move by ‘borrowing’ other people’s bodies, and a prison that is separate from the kingdom of the living and the underworld, the current situation is already so hopeless, so why do you speculate on the possible turning point?”

“Besides, even if I really had ill intentions, the worst-case scenario would be that this space would be destroyed, and the strange entity possessing the Fisherman King would break free…” Fisher’s expression shifted several times as he spoke, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he only glanced at his sister. Guinevere twirled a strand of hair with her finger, then released it, flicking it back to its original shape: “On the condition that I can perform such an astonishing ‘feat’ right under your noses.”

"But..."

The man hesitated, but Elaine made the first decision. She took a step forward, and the ring transformed back into a rusty lantern, which she held in her left hand. The dim light dispelled the darkness and illuminated the cold walls around her: "Come with me."

"Elena?"

"Just like she said, things are already like this, they can't get any worse. When a person is drowning, even if there's only a straw in front of them, they'll still reach out and grab it, regardless of whether it's useful or not, just for peace of mind. The most important thing is..."

Elaine turned around and saw Guinevere following her. A faint smile seemed to appear on her face, which was shrouded in blue light: "Since they are willing to die, what is there for us to be reluctant to bury?"

……

The crimson moonlight shone faintly into the corridor.

The three left the empty room and returned to the corridor, where they were still faced with that enormous, seemingly indestructible door. The door was tightly shut, and the circular magic circle painted with several colors flickered on and off, the multicolored light stinging Guinevere's eyes slightly. She took a small step back, then watched as Elaine handed the lantern to her other hand. A few wisps of moisture appeared, and suddenly, a pale gold ring abruptly appeared on the empty middle finger of her left hand.

“This prison is located in the rift between the mortal world and the underworld. As a result, it possesses some very magical characteristics, such as… this door. The space connected to the door changes depending on the medium used to open it… Just now I used the Pearl of the Illusionary Sea, so you saw my body… And now, the Ring of Solomon will point to the descendant of the Magic King.” Elaine put the ring on the middle finger of her right hand, clenched her fist, and placed it in the empty space in the center of the magic circle.

"Hehe, hehehe, ho, ho ha ha ha ha..."

Almost at the same moment the ring touched the door, a chilling, aged laugh suddenly rang out from behind the door. Guinevere was somewhat prepared, but she was still startled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fisher take several steps back, his brows furrowed, as if he were in great pain.

The swirling mist trembled violently for a while, like a bubble on the verge of bursting, but Elaine's tone remained cold and indifferent: "Let me make this clear first. Although you seem confident, if you really go mad like those people did, my brother and I will kill you immediately, and to prevent you from turning into a zombie, we'll even completely destroy your body. If you still don't intend to change your mind after that..."

She spread her five fingers and gave a gentle push.

It was as if a tooth-grinding "creak" sound of a door opening rang out, but it was just an illusion. The magic array on the giant door suddenly emitted an unprecedentedly bright light, which then dimmed completely. The door slowly opened a line behind it, and the eerie laughter suddenly became louder because of this small gap!

"Hehe, hehe, hehe, hehahaha, hahaha wuwuwuwu!" The laughter rang out a few times, then turned into heartbreaking sobs.

Bang!

The scepter in his hand fell to the ground again, and Fisher staggered back, his back slamming heavily against the window. As it shook, the light of the red moon became even thicker. An ugly dragon bird perched outside the window, staring at the three people with its cold, golden vertical pupils, as if it were about to bite them at any moment.

"—Then let's go in."

The voice just fell.

Elaine pushed the door open completely with one more push.

Behind the door was the same scene Guinevere had once seen—a bare room with only a dark figure huddled in a corner. As the massive door opened, the light from the lantern shone in, and the old man with a full head of white hair, dressed in expensive but dirty clothes, who was sometimes crying and sometimes laughing erratically, suddenly looked up. His eyes snapped open amidst his tangled hair and stared straight at her.

These eyes had no distinction between pupil and sclera; instead, they were a mass of crimson gel that seemed to be constantly surging. Guinevere stood behind the door, directly in the eye. The instant her gaze met those crimson eyes, which resembled a frozen red moon outside the window, she felt a buzzing in her mind. In that instant, it was as if thousands of fragmented images flashed through her mind—

It was a blood-red setting sun hanging high in the sky.

A cold wind blew, and fiery clouds filled the sky. A towering peak, mostly hidden in the clouds from its summit to its waist, had stones floating in mid-air, like steps. A young woman with long pink hair, wearing a thick white cloak, was led by an old man with white hair and beard, step by step, ascending these floating stone steps.

As the sun set and night fell, the pink-haired woman followed the old man into a magnificent palace.

The old man had a few leaves tucked into his hair as if for decoration, was wrapped in a complete bearskin, and carried a crooked oak cane. He seemed to be a druid of high status. The two entered the palace one after the other. The woman knelt down in front of a large cauldron in the center of the palace, her hands pressed to her forehead, as if she were praying for something.

In a daze, it seemed as if someone was speaking:

Tell me your wish—

"..."

“State the price you are willing to pay—”

"..."

"Rejoice, for your wish will surely be fulfilled, for before you lies the treasure of Murias—"

The old man spread his arms wide, and a sudden gust of wind rose in the palace, blowing his hair and beard wildly. But on his wrinkled face, an incredibly bright and maniacal smile appeared.

The same night sky, the same moonlight.

"no, do not want!"

Amidst screams, the strong young man watched helplessly as pieces of his flesh fell away, leaving only a bare white skeleton scattered on the ground. Soon after, it reassembled itself under some strange force and he stood up unsteadily.

……

"In the end..."

A young man with long, peach-pink hair and a delicate, almost feminine appearance stood under a lush tree, silently raising his head with eyes full of sorrow.

On a tree branch, a boy of about ten years old, with half his face covered by a scarf, was playing with a dagger. Suddenly, his movements stopped, and his entire body, starting from his fingertips, gradually disappeared.

The dagger fell to the ground.

The next moment, the dagger, the effeminate-looking man, and the entire tree were all swallowed up by the sudden darkness, leaving no trace.

……

On the plain, a solitary cloak hangs in the silent air, and blood seeps from the seams...

……

"I never imagined that my mother would still..."

The blond boy squatted down and placed his hands on the heads of two children who were only three or four years old. Both children looked up at him with blank expressions.

"elder brother?"

One of the children called out in a childish voice.

The boy opened his mouth, letting out a soft, choked laugh. He suddenly pulled the two children into his arms, so tightly that they struggled desperately. The boy kept repeating the same words: "Don't move, don't move, be good, it'll be over soon, soon..."

One after another, jet-black scales pierced through the skin and grew out.

"It'll be... alright soon..."

A pair of enormous dragon wings suddenly unfurled behind him, bursting through the tent and blocking the moonlight from the sky. The half-dragon, half-human boy still held the two children tightly in his arms, but before he knew it, the two children had disappeared.

There, there was only a constantly wriggling mass of flesh.

Chi!