Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Aoi - Ch. 125

I woke up with a start.

Right, I passed out after I could no longer follow them. The impossible colors of the foilage kept me hidden while I slept, but I couldn't even guess how long it lasted. This stupid world had no sun, only this fake-looking purple sky, and the lazy clouds floating above.

The air was thick with the scent of exotic flowers and the distant calls of unfamiliar creatures. Those tiny luminous creatures I noticed before now completely covered my legs. They fluttered away as I sat up. I felt a dull ache in my calf, reminding me of the long walk while I followed those two before I lost their sight. And all my remaining strength.

I was a disgrace to my royal family. A lineage that traced its roots to the ancient dynasties of Saipole. And now that I was well rested, I thought dying here would be still better than returning defeated. Not that I found a way out, completely alone now.

I wondered what happened with the two idiots. If those monsters accepted them or if they offered themselves on a silver platter. But I had no better idea than to follow their tracks.

The castle still loomed in the distance. It overshadowed the thick jungle and its dense, tall canopy that played in red and blue. They had no reason to grow green leaves if there was no sun. The wizard in me had questions about the ecosystem, but the disgraced princess decided to move on. And go out with a bang.

Still, as I walked, I couldn't help but marvel at my surroundings. The jungle was alive from the vibrant hues of the flowers to the calls of the unseen creatures. Critters scurried in the lush vegetation, avoiding everything larger than them.

Our royal palace's garden was quite something, but part of me couldn't wait to explore this alien world. Even yesterday, or whenever I fell asleep. I followed the survivors without hope but kept looking in every direction to take all the sights. All the while a sense of unease kept me on my toes.

The path ahead was clear, and wide enough to traverse without getting caught in vines or branches. Now that I couldn't see a single soul in either direction, I gave up sneaking and went straight ahead. Thinking about it now, it was stupid to follow them like that since I could have walked up to the minotaurs as they did. If the situation got hairy, I could have finished them with a single blow.

Instead, I wasted all that energy trying to hide, and now I lost sight of them, and sight of time completely. If the monsters of this dungeon could keep track of it, they must have had a secret method. I found no signs that could measure time in here. I could have slept for a few minutes to a week at once, and I still wouldn't know.

I didn't see dreams, and I woke up refreshed apart from the sore legs. With the dense mana of this place, it might have been faster to rest than normal anyway. I hoped I didn't sleep for an entire week though, not that it mattered much.

The castle was still there, and I had one way to find out if the idiots were inside. As I drew closer, more trails crossed this one, and it resembled a proper road through the jungle. My unease increased as I tried to watch every possible angle and junction. It was more tiring and nerve-wracking than yesterday. I still marched quite far before I ran into the first creatures.

But that was quite the group. Chained together in long, winding lines, were thousands of monsters. More or less humanoid creatures, all dragged towards the castle's enormous gates. I saw minotaurs and harpies in chains but also escorting, and there were so many more I couldn't recognize. I remembered my scientific codex back home.

A mixture of fear and resignation filled their eyes, but not a hint of resistance. Whatever awaited them within those walls, they accepted it already. Driven by curiosity, I couldn't wait until they all passed by, moving in a slow, endless line. I decided to move closer to better understand what happened. It was impossible to hide from that many eyes, so sticking to the foilage again, I hoped to avoid the guards.