Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Princess - Ch. 119

"So what now?"

I could have asked this question to either of us, all I saw were puzzled faces. Cath looked more concerned about me than the situation itself, while Aoi simply fell on her knees in front of the collapsed cliff face, looking pale and apathetic now that our only escape disappeared.

And Geddu was eerie silent in my head. I no longer had to focus all my energy on resisting her attempts to take over my body, so this new and heavy situation made my life much easier. Not to mention that all our dangerous and hostile guards were gone. All but the blue-robed princess who didn't seem like a real obstacle anymore.

"How do you feel, Elizabeth?" The paladin asked, genuine curiosity twinkling in her eyes, and I answered with my warmest smile. A few months ago I would have raised my nose and yelled at her for asking something trivial like this, but we both came a long way since.

"I'm fine, Gadurien seems scared of that dragon, and no longer tries to take over me," I told her, looking around the alien landscape. The change was noticeable since that monster appeared, there were long, burned-out patches in the jungle, the mountain we camped on was in ruins, and all the curious noises the critters in the area made before disappeared.

Only the sky was the same purple, clouds lazily swimming across it in this permanent, fake sunset as if nothing had happened. Dungeons were crazy. Tiny creatures tried to take over our minds, flying demi-humans captured our soldiers, and then this dragon. How did the Imperial Companies clear these places so easily?

I was only a child when I saw them descend the last dungeon that opened in Nordhaben, reemerging victoriously three days later, with no casualties, and multiple carts worth of legendary loot in tow. I wondered where those soldiers were now, and if they disappeared with the old capital, having a few questions I could ask them.

At this point, I would have asked the goddess inside my head too, but I didn't mind the silence. It felt good to be in control of my thoughts, without anyone interfering all the time.

Smoke rose in the distance, unlike what remained after the dragon's attack, which incinerated everything instantly, leaving nothing but ashes behind. This looked like a sign of a campfire or smoke that escaped a chimney, maybe a proper beacon, giving us a direction to explore.

"We should check that out." I pointed at it, and Aoi slowly raised her head. I imagined that's how I must have looked, sick, tired, and exhausted after fighting Geddu for a long time, although I don't think I ever gave up on my life. But I felt pity for her even if she treated us poorly. "There must be some kind of civilization down there if they light fires, and they might know about an exit too."

"Or murder us on sight," Cath noted, but I shrugged it off.

"We have the proud princess of the Sea People, a strong paladin, and even if Gadurien finally quieted down, I should be able to access her miracles." I tried to cheer them up, taking a confident step. "She pulled back when she saw the dragon but didn't disappear."

"I can't blame her." The paladin giggled nervously, but a quick shiver ran across Aoi's exhausted body. "Well, we won't leave the dungeon through here anyway, so we might as well explore that smokestack."

She turned her back on the Saipole princess and set out for the big unknown. She followed us like a sleepwalker and hopefully didn't plan to stab us in the back.

As our group shrunk, we traveled much faster even with the apathetic princess in tow. I can't say our expedition was cheerful, we barely exchanged a few whispers with Cath along the way, but I got used to this the previous month and felt better than ever in the last weeks.

We weren't in a jail cell, a crazy goddess didn't try to take over my body, nor did an arrogant princess drive us to our deaths, but we had an arguably amazing and vast landscape to explore, and enough food in a Bag of Holding, with no way for the Elder to find us. Life was good.