III.

A mechanism inside the door clicked, and the stone around it began to let puffs of dust out in the air. Madoka instinctively stepped back, guiding Audrey a short distance by the shoulder. A pout escaped over the noise, but soon it slid to the side revealing a dark tunnel within.

Madoka glanced at the princess, then towards the entrance that now glared back at them. This truly was a dungeon, was it not? Audrey was unnerved for a moment, but as soon as the dust settled, she strode forward into the dark.

Madoka wondered if she was afraid. Could a being of such power be afraid? Even after knowing her end is coming, she still moved forward. She was not sure on what she was rambling about earlier on the Closed Timelike Curve, or any of the other concepts, but she understood that the princess was intending on marching straight to it. And she was the reason why she displayed no fear.

Ah, she stared at Audrey's resolute back. That is what a true Royal would do.

Would Madoka not do the same? She wondered this time and time again. Would she persist even if the burden of duty to her princess was lifted? She knew it in her heart better than anyone: She would serve the princess, as a free woman or a slave.

One boot in front of the other. There might still be life down there— Madoka felt something strange watching her from below when she flew after that bag. But at least, this powerful force of nature in front of her was on her side.

The moment she stepped over the entrance's threshold, her feet landed on not stone, but a strange solid woody foundation. The princess's magic came to life as a small floating ring of light as she waited for Madoka, serving as a lamp. She scanned her surroundings.

"This isn't like the mineshaft at all," she remarked. "It's more like we're on the inside of a tree log."

Audrey's eyes also watching things, with that same focused yet odd stare. She was tracking the unseen while taking everything in.

"Yeah," she agreed. "The composition of this place is like a mushroom's mycelium, more than a tree."

She looked at the door, which remained open. The daylight filtered in, and the view of a massive Alpir'Row floating majestically over the rooftops from the ravine came by. Madoka noted that they were still in Ceghinortan, at least. "Not yet a Grotto situation."

"I don't like how you said, 'yet,'" Audrey grumbled. Madoka simply shrugged. "Well, time to go down the mushroom path!"

And so they traveled down into the dark. Tiny threads, like little hairs sticking out, seemed to lace the walls and roof of this tunnel. Madoka felt cramp, but she also felt like it was getting warmer around them. The hike was also at a slight decline, ensuring that they were, in fact, traveling deeper into the mountain. She was expecting Audrey to start talking, but surprisingly, the girl was quiet. For now, she was simply observing the place. To suppress her own nervousness, Madoka decided to break the silence.

"T-Those adventurers," she started. Audrey instantly straightened up— a clear sign of guilt.

"I- I didn't do nothing to them! They, uh, they ran away!"

"Uh huh," Madoka sighed. They were going to come into conflict with people sooner than later, but this was a city. "What if we get in trouble for murdering people?"

"I— I didn't kill them. Outright, at least to my knowledge," Audrey murmured. That did not convince Madoka, but even now, she hoped that it was true. "I experimented with the concept I used to shield people back when we ran into the Gift Giver… and simply relocated them. It's like this, Madoka. I…"

Madoka recalled their encounter with the massive beast. That strange, mechanical tower serpent was certainly dangerous. She also remembered that Audrey did indeed save the Adventurers from getting swept away in its rampage. This only served to confuse her more on the motives of their hostility towards House Dalion. Why were they upset over losing their town? The princess had lost her entire kingdom and she was not angry towards Esmeralda or this country. Their logic evaded her simple mind.

"…Knotting Strands that store information can be easily transformed and remain the same simultaneously… Oh! You're not paying attention," Audrey was fiddling with her fingers. The little light ring danced around her, seemingly with a mind of its own, illuminating the tunnel network with its blue glow. "Anyways, I threw them somewhere far away, but they'll be fine. Trust me!"

Madoka immediately began to look at Audrey suspiciously. She clearly heard an explosion. Trusting that the princess's magic would not go overboard obviously was not an option. But for now, she thought of the fool who spat blood on her. The one whose arm she tore off.

"I meant to say that we're quite strong, aren't we?" Madoka explained herself. Audrey stopped in front of her and looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"Yeah!" Audrey gave her an exasperated look towards the maid. "You're a goddess's daughter and me? I'm… I don't really know the limits of what being an Otherworlder pertains to, but I'm pretty damn strong, you know."

"Too strong," Madoka muttered.

"Wha?"

"Nothing, it's just that," Madoka trailed off. She had already forgotten that man's name. Feeling a little perturbed over that fact, she debated whether or not to address it directly. She felt safe enough to do so, since she had not heard any hostile thoughts around them.

"I've already forgotten the worm who brought trouble to us already," she said, trying to conjure up anything remotely interesting about him other than pure disgust. "I don't remember the memory of crushing his arm. If I even did such thing at all."

"Hmm," Audrey hummed. She stood in thought for a moment before gearing up for an elaboration. "Otanor, right. I think it is probably because, somehow, you aren't looking at anything in this world the same way as before. You and I both know how much we've gone through. A simple fly like that is annoying, yeah, but you can swat it down without really feeling anything."

"Wouldn't that make all those in his rank… Gold rank… weak? How is he—"

Audrey burst out laughing. Madoka was at a loss, not understanding what was so funny. The princess slapped her thigh and wheezed, finally getting to the point. "No, I think that guy is a nepo-baby. Someone from the top is a little too involved with him. So she gives him favors, free Gold tags. You know how spoiled people can get. They begin to not see it as spoiled or a privilege— they expect it. And that's how they become little annoying punks who spit on others."

Madoka felt her face where Audrey wiped instinctively.

"We at least got the key from him," she mused.

Audrey nodded. "Yeah."

She pulled out the comission from Armor and began reading it. Madoka wondered if they were actually going to go through with it and assist the mysterious metal suit. Well, she had the storage talisman's band wraped around her wrist.

"Faragor is the commisioner," Audrey pit it away. "That was the guy who we collected those red flowers for. The apothecary or whatever. Funny how things always circle back."

Madokaa noticed that the path had widened, but now the root network of whatever they were traveling inside of was now bursting through the walls and dangling from the ceiling. If it was not for Audrey's light, she would have bumped into many exposed roots by now.

"So, he's here in the Capital, ordering more flowers called the Elwatchers," she folded the scroll and tucked it away. "Specifically, it says to 'deliver their heads.' Flower heads? Huh."

"It means," Madoka said quietly. She was hearing voices that definitely did not belong to a person. Little rodents and bugs, but they were avoiding something else from seeing them. For now, it was still safe to continue. "It's Platinum rank for a reason. When I was flying to get the bag he threw, I sensed something large down here watching me from below."

"Well, that doesn't sound comforting," Audrey complained.

"That's because it isn't," Madoka intoned.

"Armor mentioned that he was investigating that Faragor, which is why he departed with the old guy on the night when I… when he took Georgia. The big guy said she disappeared from his sight one day when he was going to the Abyss."

"She was kidnapped," Madoka growled.

"Yeah," Audrey's brow furrowed. "So I offered to help him. The commission is a convenient excuse to see what an Elwatcher flower actually is. And to save her, if possible."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

This time, Madoka was surprised. Audrey was a Royal, yet she cared for some reason. She had always been looking out towards the slaves of her home, but even to this extent. It prickled something inside her.

Kidnapping a servant, a so-called Afflicted, was heresy in Fiara, though mistreatment of the maids would happen frequently. It was not uncommon for various individuals to vanish in the palace, never to be seen again. To what end would abducting ones who were sick though?

She thought back on what that cat said. And also the snippets of conversations between the passing Adventurers they have eavesdropped on prior to entering the Guild Hall. The Afflicted have been disappearing quietly, and the number of them in their usual haunts were dwindling.

Their talk ceased when something in the distance made a loud clicking noise. Madoka's boots scraped against something other than dirt. Looking down, she saw nothing but concrete ground. The floor had changed, but ahead was a dead end void covered in thick roots. Audrey rose her hands to make something terrifying out of magic, but Madoka stopped her. The clicking stopped, but she heard something else.

"Sing, sing, sing," a small voice sang in her head. "It's been so long since our eyes have laid upon something so pretty."

Madoka stopped, pulling out Magnolia II from the portal. Audrey became alert, and her arm began to glow gold her own magic began flowing. It was only then when she realized she could see her surroundings without the little light emitting from the princess's floating ring.

"Come, come, come, pretty," the voice was watching her. "We long to see you enjoying our song. Come help us sing, sing, sing."

The air was growing humid and the pungent smell of wet soil invaded her nose. But she could not see any signs of monsters. Audrey was waiting on Madoka to make a move. It was evident that the voice was speaking only to her. She, however, remained quiet.

If something was reaching out to her, that means it was watching her somehow. Yet, there was nothing but roots covering the brick walls in the corridor they have wandered inside of and blocking the way. No, she recalled her time in the Truth Guild's Secret Garden. The plant inside of there was beckoning her to come here; it was luring her to Angel's Harp. Therefore, she glanced at the roots with a new weariness.

A small light in the shadows flickered, but she caught it. That was an eye growing from the roots.

"Sing, sing, sing!"

Madoka growled, contemplating whether she should break the wall down or not with her own hands. Audrey had already raised her own barrier around them.

"I think—" she murmured. Her eyes shot up to something in the darkness. "I think the roots are alive. What are they saying to you?"

Madoka was surprised that she broke the tense silence, but there was not any hostile intent emanating from the place yet.

"I think… I think they're asking me to help them," she said.

"Help? Help? Help? You'll help us sing, pretty? Come, come, come, pretty."

The moment the voices stopped, rocks began to shift and move violently. The two moved towards the wall as the ground shook with force. The corridor opened up and the bricks shattered to dust as a pale golden light pierced through the thin fibers of the parting roots. And then, a world of green greeted the two of them.

They were on a platform overlooking a giant foggy void, where the source of a golden faint light filtered through. It was like they were standing above the sun. Ahead of them, more enormous and tangled brambled roots extrended above a massive structure. The rocky surfaces and outcrops of mountain stone intertwined with the underworld's lush and alien forest, and bordered the entire place.

Madoka instinctively followed along the top of the structure, which bent like an elbow before curling at the top and stretched down to the depths in a triangular shape. Despite the odd shape, she noticed that there were taught vines jutting out in groups straight down along the curvature of the structure.

A flock of black flying creatures scattered along the open air, their thoughts frantic. They were fleeing something. Others were hunting smaller creatures that emitted twinkling lights. Suddenly, a long blue vine burst from the fog, snatching several of the winged creatures and dragging them into the depths. Then she saw it. The massive head of a strange green beast floated above, shaped like an enormous flower bulb. It was about as large as a house, but thankfully, it did not seem to notice them hiding in the hole in the wall.

The screeching continued from one of its prey, and Madoka saw the center of the flower head open up into a stigma that resembled an eye. Then its scream was silenced after a violent crunch. It was then she noticed that there were more of those creatures, hiding in plain sight, attached to and hanging on the various strands of thick vines.

"Whoa," Audrey gasped. "So that's an Elwatcher flower? And that big structure kind of does look like a harp, huh."

"That huge beast?" Madoka whirled around to her. Audrey did not notice her incredulity, instead focusing on the commission in her hand. The crude drawing on it resembled the flying flower beast, who was now sinking back into the fog.

"Says we need five of those."

"Sing, sing, sing! Pretty! Witness our harmonious world!"

Madoka ignored it. Harmonious was not something she would call this exotic place, but it was obvious to her that she should respect this place. She did confirm one thing while observing the so-called Elwatcher. Its thoughts were focused entirely on hunting more of those black flying creatures. So whatever these roots were, they were not attached to the Commission's request.

"Five of those massive creatures," Madoka sighed. "How are we supposed to…"

She knew the answer. She just did not like it. Audrey pointed to the ones who were hiding along a branch above them.

"I slice, you catch." She started to levitate above her.

"Audrey," Madoka snatched her ankle before she could fly away. "What about the ones we can't see?"

Audrey paused, raising her finger in deep thought. "Well, maybe you catch those too. Maybe we can lure out the big guy too. That Vale Bá. Don't you remember why we're here in the first place?"

"But—" Madoka sighed. They were here for her, after all. "We don't even know what that Vale Bá monster really is."

Audrey had already taken off. Her green glowing magic left a small trail as she got into position. Madoka groaned, and released her Crystal's magic in the form of wings. She let out a soft prayer to the kind gods that she would not get sick in the middle of this. Especially when they were close to finding a solution. She held Magnolia II close and jumped into the void, noticing that she still had Audrey's barrier protecting her.

Warm air pressed into her, causing sweat to trickle down her forehead. This was not good, was it? Madoka floated under the branch, where she could see a glimpse the princess's magic glowing through the thin veil of white fog. So far, that Elwatcher below had not resurfaced.

As she waited for Audrey to make her move, she heard a commotion in her head. That was intent! Screeching came to her left, full of beating wings and scheming hunger.

Give us your eyes! Weak mountain surface dweller! Fall prey to us!

Oh? You think I'm weak? Madoka let out a growl and swung. Magnolia II was heavier and more powerful than the first one she made, easily cleaving through one of the black leathery creatures. Its ugly, hawkish face split into halves, and the wing exploded into violet blood. The creature splattered against her barrier, but it held. She saw a sharp clawed, four fingered hand attached to the tip of the wing clang against her barrier before falling into the abyss below.

The others scattered, realizing that they were clearly outmatched. At the same time, Madoka felt her eye jolt with Knotting strands coming from above. Audrey was on the move. Seeing how the princess fought from her perspective was terrifying. Her hands were quick, guiding something coursing underneath the skin of her wrists. It was magic flowing from the glowing core in her chest. The Elwatchers were clearly rattled by her presence, unleashing their predatory vines at her. But Audrey was ready for it. Her hands moved out like a fan, sending a sickening wave of purple black energy, consuming everything in its wake.

Madoka regained control of her eyes, meaning that the Princess had finished her work on those massive flower beasts. This silent communication was helpful, and only that troublesome girl could come up with such tactics. The speed and devastation was now up to her to clean up afterwards, though the sight of personally watching Audrey use magic would take her some time to become completely inured to. Massive tower sized shadows were now descending upon her.

Madoka instantly reacted, lifting the storage talisman up and conjuring up the largest portal setting she could muster in her head. It glowed white hot, just in time to catch one nearly crashing into her. The noise was deafening, with her cursing the entire time.

The roaring wooshing to the gnawing noise of the portal's activated humming soon grew more intense. Others fell through her portal like boulders loosened in an avalanche, presumably still clinging to life as they spiraled downward in viscous heaps. It was like a castle wall's spires were tumbling down upon her, raining nasty liquid and rubble. Still, the talisman accepted the raining flower beasts like sacrifices and the debris around her bounced off Audrey's shield.

Eventually, the chaos quieted down. Even the fog was starting to fill inside the gaps pierced by the dalling bodies agsin. She saw that above her, the branch's tangled roots were sheered by Audrey's magic like wool from a sheep. Seven of the Elwatcher flowers were now lying neatly next to the Crystal Lizard. She counted her fingers and found that seven was indeed more than the five requested. If Madoka stacked them up on top of each other, they would triple the lizard's height. She floated in place, catching her breath. Heh, catching things was not so bad.

Her eye buzzed again, and she could see that Audrey had landed on top of the massive branch. She was staring at her boot, wiping off dirt from its the surface. Then she saw it. It was not a gnarled wooden structure like she expected, but a gleaming metallic plate. Madoka quickly ascended and joined the princess.

Sure enough, what she saw through the princess was now made real. Her boots made a clanging noise as soon as she landed, like she had stepped on a shield embedded ib the ground. Audrey nearly jumped when Madoka approached her. She was transfixed by the strange patterns.

"This," Audrey muttered. "This isn't a root at all. This is a piece of a building, or something."

"I—" Madoka glanced at the pattern. She clutched her head, and realized that it was not the whole thing. It was a familiar word.

"Are you sick? Madoka? Stay with me," Audrey's voice was full of concern.

"I'm fine, it's just that," Madoka backed away, further up the spine of this mysterious metal structure. "I recognize the pattern. It's buried by all the plants."

She unleashed her crystal in the form of a massive broom and flew upward, preparing to execute her perfect sweeping upon the structure's contaminated surface. Audrey shrieked, but quickly got out the way. With a loud crash, the snapping of branches were swept away by Madoka's giant magical broom. As it dissolved in a stream of golden dust, she was left confused at what the letters she uncovered meant.

"Emergency valve?" Madoka pondered aloud. "What does that mean?"

"Emergency valve?" Audrey was levitating next her, pale from her broom antics. "You can read those symbols?"

Madoka nodded, but suddenly something boomed. They turned towards the source, and saw that the Harp structure was vibrating violently. Thousands of flying creatures scattered like shredded pages in the wind. The "branches" and strange strings connected also began to loosen, filling the atmosphere with an earthy hum.

What was this? She growled, flying in front of Audrey to shield her. Why was this so called harmonious world coming to life now? All because she swept some branches?

「Warning: Heavy H₂S and CH₄ build up detected. Recommend system purge at the Pnaumic Harp Basin. System structure status: Calamitous. Anomalous lifeforms detected on west emergency valve. West Emergency Valve status: Compromised.

Welcome, Servants of the Holy One. We sure hope you know what you're doing.」

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