Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Late-Night Snack and Memories

 

In the end, due to everything that had happened the day before, Sora didn’t have the energy to play the game. As soon as she lay down on the bed, she fell asleep.

 

The next morning, after waking up, I completed my usual morning routine of jogging and having breakfast, and then logged into ?Astral Online?.

 

As I woke up in the game and got out of bed, the first thing I saw was Satanas, the little red-haired girl.

 

When she saw me, her face lit up with joy, and she jumped up from the floor, rushing towards me.

 

“Soraaa-samaa!”

 

“Urgh!?”

 

Caught completely off guard after logging in for the first time in a day, Sora took a critical hit to the stomach from Satanas’ headbutt.

 

While my upper body was protected by the high defense value of the ?Envy of Darkness Coat?, it didn’t completely eliminate the impact.

 

Unable to withstand the force of Satanas, I fell backward and landed awkwardly on the floor.

 

Sitting on top of me, she grinned from ear to ear and greeted me with a bright smile.

 

“Good morning! Satanas behaved just like Sora-sama said, staying quietly in the room with Alice!”

 

“G-good morning, Satanas. I’m glad you’re full of energy…”

 

I greeted Satanas with a wry smile, and shortly after, the dragon princess Alice appeared.

 

With her hands on her hips, she looked at me with a slightly exasperated expression.

 

“Honestly, it was tough dealing with Satanas all by myself while you were away, Sora-sama.”

 

“S-sorry. Things got hectic up above, and I couldn’t log in.”

 

As I sat up, still holding onto the clingy Satanas, I apologized to Alice.

 

She shot me a suspicious glare, as if checking whether I was telling the truth.

 

“Hmph, I thought maybe you had forgotten all about me and Satanas.”

 

With a pout, she turns her head away.

 

However, it was clear that Alice wanted me to say something to her. She kept glancing sideways in my direction while turning her face away.

 

This was definitely a chance to recover her lowered affection from being ignored for a day—a perfect moment for a conversation.

 

From what I could tell, Alice’s personality was pretty easy to categorize. She clearly fell under the *tsundere* type, one of the more straightforward personality types.

 

Speaking of *tsunderes*, it reminded me of that terrible dating sim game I was recommended to play a year ago on the forums, ?VR Boy Meets Girl ~Abyss~?.

 

In that game, after you successfully won over the heroine, she turns into a *yandere stalker* on the second playthrough. If you made even the slightest wrong choice, you’d either be killed or imprisoned, heading straight for a bad ending.

 

And after clearing the second playthrough, the third playthrough added a second *yandere stalker*, and with each loop, the difficulty skyrocketed…

 

Ugh, f-fuoohhh, the traumatic memories of trying to escape from six *yandere stalkers* are making my heart race a-a-a-agghhhh!?

 

“S-Sora, are you okay?”

 

Satanas, noticing Sora trembling uncontrollably, looked slightly scared.

 

Seeing her expression brought me back to my senses. I responded with the best smile I could muster and then turned my attention back to Alice.

 

Now, the dragon princess Alice was clearly displaying a textbook *tsundere* move.

 

Judging by her personality and behavior, there was only one thing I needed to do at this moment.

 

Switching gears, I shifted my mindset from combat mode to acting mode, adjusting my “parameters” accordingly.

 

Sora asked Satanas to step aside, then stood up and walked over to Alice, gently taking her hand.

 

“I’ll be more careful from now on. Thank you for protecting Satanas. I really appreciate having you here.”

 

“W-what!?”

 

Caught off guard by Sora’s unexpected action, Alice’s face turned bright red, and she began to panic.

 

Finding her reaction amusing, Sora decided to push a little further.

 

“In battle, too, you’ve helped me so many times, Alice. You take the initiative to guard Satanas, you’re always aware of covering Kuro, and you make sure I’m free to move around. Not to mention, in town—”

 

“That’s enough! Please stop! If you say any more, I’ll die of embarrassment!”

 

Whether from being flattered or cornered, Alice, with her tail swishing wildly from side to side, shook her head tearfully.

 

While admiring how cute she looked, Sora suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder.

 

From behind her, a chilling, icy intent pierced through the air.

 

Nervously turning around, Sora saw Kuro, the black-haired girl, standing there with a sweet but slightly terrifying smile.

 

“Sora, what are you doing?”

 

“Ah… n-no, this is just a friendly event to recover some lost affection points, I swear, nothing shady—guh!”

 

Before Sora could finish her explanation, Kuro’s sharp elbow struck her side with perfect precision, enough to cause pain without causing serious harm.

 

………………………

 

After departing from ?Eupheme?, Sora and her group spent a day traveling back to the kingdom before the day ended. Upon their return, they received a new quest from Otter, the Dragon King.

 

The quest involved defeating a mysterious monster that had appeared at the source of the hot springs in the southern town of Philophrosyne, which was a full day’s carriage ride away. The dragonkin who managed the springs, not being fighters, barely escaped with their lives, and fortunately, there had been no casualties so far.

 

The hot springs hadn’t stopped, and no major damage had been reported yet. However, the situation couldn’t be left unattended, so the kingdom received a request for help.

 

Apparently, the locals tried to deal with the monster themselves, but they couldn’t get past the skeletons that appeared along the way and had to give up.

 

The moment Sora heard this, she couldn’t help but think, ‘A mysterious monster… what kind of skeleton could it be?’

 

After accepting the quest, Sora and the others left the room. They decided not to head to the town today and agreed to leave the kingdom the following day. Given the late hour, Sora and Kuro planned to log out soon.

 

As they were heading to their rooms, Alice stopped them with a suggestion.

 

“Why don’t both of you join me for dinner in the dining hall tonight?”

 

“Aren’t royals supposed to eat in a special place?”

 

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know, Sora. At Mother’s suggestion, the Fafnir Royal Family has been eating in the same place as the commoners and soldiers.”

 

“Heh, she sounds like an interesting person.”

 

“Yes, Mother loved the people dearly and always wanted to stand on the same level as them.”

 

“I see, I bet everyone admired her for that.”

 

“Indeed, she was my proud mother. We used to sneak into the dining hall late at night and talk about our ideal men while having a midnight snack.”

 

“Is that so? So, what do you think of me, Alice?”

 

“Aria praised you a lot, but since I’ve only seen this side of you, I can’t give you a score just yet.”

 

“That’s a shame. I’d like to show you more, but I can’t risk my life just for that…”

 

As Sora answered, cold sweat ran down her back.

 

For some reason, she remembered Kuro, who had been giving off a terrifying aura toward her lately whenever she talked to other girls.

 

Also, this conversation was giving her a bad feeling.

 

A lively person, loved by all, who never appeared before the adventurers who accompanying her daughter. The answer was obvious.

 

Suddenly, Alice stopped walking in front of a large portrait hanging in the hallway.

 

The painting depicted a beautiful woman in her twenties with red hair, who looked like an older version of Alice.

 

Alice’s expression became a mix of sadness and pride.

 

“I wish I could have introduced my mother to you all. But a year ago, she died protecting the kingdom from the great disaster, the resurrected ?Demon Dragon King?.”

 

“Alice…”

 

“I’m sorry for bringing the mood down. The dining hall is just ahead. Given today’s special, I recommend the big sandwich made with wild ?Forest Bear? meat, freshly delivered from the ?Forest of Spirits?.”

 

With a forced smile, Alice recommended a dish that sounded quite heavy.

 

Kuro made a displeased face when she heard the word “wild,” as if it was something she didn’t like.

 

“Is there, um, anything else you’d recommend?”

 

“If you’re not into wild flavors, Kuro-sama, there’s also a sweet and crispy apple pie made with *Dragon Apples*.”

 

“I love apple pie!”

 

“Satanas likes sweets too!”

 

With Alice leading the way, Kuro and Satanas followed closely behind.

 

Sora, however, stopped and gazed at the portrait. Placing his hand over her heart, she made a vow to Alice’s late mother.

 

“I swear, I will protect her.”