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 139

Chapter 139: The Battle in the Dragon’s Garden (Part 3)

 

The red-haired Dragon Princess, Alice, lay on a white, canopied bed, still unable to move.

 

Beside the bed, a small girl named Satanas sat on a chair that the maid had thoughtfully placed, holding Alice’s hand as if in prayer.

 

How much time had passed since then?

 

When Alice turned her gaze toward the large window in the room, she could hear the sounds of violent impacts outside. The windowpane shook with repeated shockwaves that reverberated through the air.

 

Outside, the fierce battle between the adventurers and the ?Demon Dragon King?, Belial, continued to rage.

 

Their enemy was the same monster that had been impossible to defeat a year ago. Her mother, who wielded the power of the ?Dragon Shrine Maiden?, had sacrificed herself to finally seal it away.

 

It was one of the seven ?Calamities? that existed in the world—?Belial, the Demon Dragon King?.

 

From what Alice overheard from the castle’s conversations, only 43 adventurers, including Sora, were taking on this battle, despite being elite fighters.

 

Even an army of 10,000 soldiers had been pushed to the brink of annihilation by this ?Calamity?. Forty-three people seemed far too few to face such an opponent.

 

Alice wanted to join the fight herself, to lead her skilled soldiers into battle, but her limbs felt like lead. At this moment, she couldn’t even move a single fingertip.

 

…Frustrating.

 

It seemed the curse that woman had placed on her had not only drained her strength but had also maxed out her fatigue.

 

In this world, it was common knowledge that when one’s fatigue level reached its limit, the body would stop moving entirely.

 

Even items that recovered fatigue wouldn’t work in this state, making it extremely rare for anyone to reach this point…

 

The frustration of being unable to move her body was overwhelming.

 

Alice turned her gaze to Satanas.

 

The girl, who usually wore a cute smile, now had swollen, tear-filled eyes, her face a mess from crying.

 

Even though Alice was simply too exhausted to move, Satanas showed no sign of resting, staying by her side without a break.

 

Ever since Alice had been struck by that grey-clad woman, it seemed Satanas had been holding her hand the entire time.

 

Even when the head maid, who was currently away, had asked Satanas to rest, she stubbornly refused.

 

Just as Alice cherishes Satanas, Satanas thinks of her with the same affection.

 

That thought brought Alice a sense of joy, and the warmth from the small hand in hers felt so comforting.

 

Then,

 

“Big sister…”

 

Satanas’s voice, filled with deep concern for Alice, broke the silence.

 

Alice wished she could stroke her head and reassure her, but the fact that she couldn’t do so in her current state made her feel both helpless and angry.

 

She vowed, she would give her a big hug later.

 

As she held onto this promise, a loud sound erupted from outside, followed by the roar of some enormous creature.

 

Before Alice could make sense of it, the room shook violently, and Satanas, startled, fell from her chair.

 

“Hyah!?”

 

The tan-skinned girl disappeared from Alice’s view.

 

Judging by the noise, she probably hit the floor pretty hard.

 

Startled, Alice worried about Satanas, but the girl quickly stood up as if nothing had happened and returned to her place beside the bed.

 

Seeing that Satanas wasn’t injured, Alice felt relieved, but she quickly noticed that something was off.

 

This wasn’t Satanas.

 

Alice knew because she had spent so much time with her since they met.

 

The way the girl now stood at the edge of the bed, her gentle expression, everything was different from the girl who had been holding her hand just moments ago.

 

And Alice knew exactly who it was.

 

“It’s been ‘a year,’ hasn’t it, Alice?”

 

Alice’s eyes widened in shock at the familiar voice.

She could never forget it.

There was no way she could forget.

The way she spoke, the soft demeanor.

 

As this not-Satanas gently stroked Alice’s cheek, tears welled up in Alice’s eyes, and suddenly, the paralysis in her body lifted.

 

Now able to move, Alice, momentarily surprised, quickly sat up and embraced the girl tightly, who was looking at her with a smile.

 

“Mother…!”

 

“Alice, to meet again in such a way. It is all by the guidance of the heavens.”

 

“It feels like a dream. I’m so happy, but why are you in Satanas’s body?”

 

As she accepted her daughter’s embrace, the Dragon Queen Mime wiped the tears from her eyes and answered Alice’s question.

 

“That’s because this child, who passed away in my womb ten years ago, is actually your real sister. Right now, she’s unconscious from exhaustion and the impact of the fall, but she’ll wake up soon, so don’t worry.”

 

“…I see, I knew it.”

 

Even after hearing the revelation of Satanas’ true identity from her mother, Alice wasn’t surprised.

 

In fact, the realization that they were truly sisters made her so happy that a smile naturally spread across her face.

 

Seeing Alice’s joy, Mime smiled warmly and continued to explain why Satanas, who had died, was here now.

 

“First, I need to tell you that a few weeks ago, since I had become the seal itself, the god of this world came to me and proposed a deal. What the god wanted was for me to gradually weaken the seal so that the adventurers could have a battleground to fight the Demon Dragon King. In exchange, I asked for this child to be brought back to life.”

 

“So that’s why the seal on the Demon Dragon King had been weakening. But, Mother, if she was simply brought back to life under those terms, wouldn’t Satanas be just a baby with no knowledge or understanding?”

 

“That’s right. But I also asked the god to grant her knowledge appropriate for her age.”

 

“I see, that explains everything.”

 

Satisfied, Alice looked again at the girl her mother was inhabiting.

 

Indeed, except for the skin color, Satanas looked a lot like her and their mother.

 

Now, everything about Satanas made sense. But there was still one pressing issue left.

 

“Mother, does the fact that you’ve come out by borrowing Satanas’ body at this timing mean…?”

 

“Yes, that’s right. We don’t have time to bask in the joy of our reunion. The adventurers fighting the Demon Dragon King are in grave danger.”

 

“Danger…?”

 

Alice tilted her head, puzzled, and Mime looked at her with a serious expression.

 

“They’re cornering the Demon Dragon King now. But when his remaining strength falls to a third, the ?Pride? skill will activate, making him immune to all attacks from anyone whose level is lower than his.”

 

“Immune to all attacks…?”

 

That would make him literally invincible.

 

As Alice stared in shock, Mime gently clasped her hands in both of hers and revealed the way to overcome the enemy’s ability.

 

“The only way to break through this is with the combined power of both you and Satanas, the two Dragon Shrine Maidens.”

 

“Me and Satanas?”

 

“Yes, if the two of you work together to continuously nullify the Demon Dragon King’s skill, the adventurers will be able to deal damage.”

 

“…I understand. So, to help Sora-sama and the others, Satanas and I need to head to the Demon Dragon King.”

 

“I’m glad you understand so quickly, Alice.”

 

As she said this, Satanas’ body began to emit soft particles of light.

 

Mime looked somewhat reluctant, as if saying goodbye was hard.

 

From her expression, Alice realized that the time had come to part.

 

“Mother, are you leaving already?”

 

“It’s the agreement I made with the god, so it can’t be helped. Besides, I never thought I’d get the chance to see you or this child who should have passed away, and that fills me with so much joy.”

 

“And Father…”

 

“He’ll be fine. With you and this child, he won’t be lonely.”

 

“Mother, I…”

 

The words she couldn’t express back then, the feelings overflowing in her heart.

 

Alice conveyed them to her mother, who was about to disappear.

 

“I always wanted you to stay by my side, Mother… forever.”

 

Mime, with a final “I’m sorry,” hugged Alice tightly.

 

Her soul then dissolved into particles of light, returning to the heavens.

 

Left behind were the two daughters, proof that she had lived.

 

Satanas, looking puzzled, asked Alice, who was crying, “Are you hurt somewhere?”

 

Alice shook her head, denying it, and hugged her tightly. With her depleted energy, she mustered the strength to stand.

 

“Let’s go, Satanas. We have to help Sora-sama and the others!”

 

“Y-yeah? I don’t really get it, but okay!”

 

Hand in hand, determined not to let go, the two dragon princesses dashed toward the battlefield with resolve in their hearts.