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 171
Chapter 171: The Songstress’s Secret
After that, Sora added the slime Sue-chan to her party, and after exploring the town with the two of them, they decided to climb the lighthouse on the outskirts of the town at Laura’s request.
“A lighthouse, huh? I remember climbing one once back in elementary school.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, but it was during the day, not at night, and all I could think about was how hot the sun was.”
Recalling that she had only talked about the game with Shin and Rou during that time, Sora couldn’t help but smile wryly.
While chatting about such trivial matters, they left the town with Laura holding Sue-chan close to her chest and walked a bit along the port, crossing the ship they had arrived on.
At the top of the long staircase ahead, they saw a towering structure several dozen meters tall facing the dark sea at night.
This structure was named the Rode Lighthouse.
According to Laura, the large magical lamp installed at the top serves as a guiding light for ships, illuminating the sea, and also plays a role in keeping large monsters from approaching the island.
The magical lamp that the Wind Spirit Princess Aria had, and the one used in buildings, is a smaller version of this. When the magic stone is reduced in size, the monster-repelling effect almost disappears, rendering it just a portable light source.
So that magical lamp was based on lighthouse technology.
As they walked, impressed, Sora and the others arrived at the lighthouse.
There was only one entrance, and two armed dog-eared men and women were standing guard to prevent unauthorized entry, wielding a one-handed sword and a shield, keeping a lookout in front of the door.
Both had a fairly high level of 58, and their chosen classes were the classic knight.
As they approached slowly, the two drew their weapons and asked who they were, prompting Laura to step forward, remove her hood, and reveal her identity.
The knights were shocked to see the princess.
From their amusingly flustered reactions, Laura easily obtained permission to enter based on her royal authority.
Thanking them, Sora and the others entered the tower, with Sora leading the way up the long spiral staircase.
She held Laura’s hand, careful not to let her stumble, and soon they arrived near the summit.
As Sora opened the unlocked door and stepped outside, a breathtaking view spread out beyond the safety railing.
“…It’s beautiful.”
The words slipped naturally from Sora’s lips.
From the high vantage point of the lighthouse, she looked down at the streets of Rode Island.
The little magical lamps sparkled like stars, creating a dazzling illumination that rivaled the nighttime cityscape of the real world.
She was captivated by the beauty, almost sighing in awe, when Laura spoke proudly.
“Sora-sama, isn’t it beautiful? It was my mother who showed me this view.”
“The queen?”
“Yes. When I was young, I would sneak out with her in the middle of the night, keeping it a secret from Father. We would look down at the city from here while sipping sweet hot milk, talking about the kind of gentleman I would like in the future.”
Sora couldn’t help but wonder if royal women, like Alice, enjoyed talking about romance as she tilted her head in thought.
So this was a secret place known only to Laura and her mother—a cherished spot for her.
It was indeed an honor to be brought to such a significant place for her.
“…I see, so you have a good relationship with your mother.”
“Yes, that’s right. We’ve never had a single fight.”
“Seriously? That’s impressive.”
“My mother looks young, so the townspeople and the maids often say we look more like sisters than mother and daughter.”
“Having a good relationship is a good thing, right?”
“I think so too. Truly…”
With that, Laura hugged Sue-chan closer and fell silent.
Her face was downcast, making it impossible for Sora to gauge her expression from her angle.
An awkward atmosphere began to dominate the scene.
In moments like this, a suave, gentleman like Rou would probably come up with some clever conversation, but unfortunately, Sora had yet to master such conversational skills.
Moreover, it was a meta thought, but if this were a scripted event, any misstep in behavior could turn out to be a blunder.
So, it was better to remain silent for now.
In this unavoidable situation, Sora decided to keep quiet and placed her hands on the railing, gazing out at the cityscape.
After a while, Laura suddenly intertwined her left arm with Sora’s and gently leaned closer.
Wondering what was wrong, Sora turned her gaze toward her, only to find her expression devoid of light, looking somewhat dejected as she gazed up at her.
Even Sue-chan, cradled in her arms, seemed worried about Laura’s downcast demeanor, skillfully forming a worried “X” above its vertically lined eyes.
“Laura…?”
Noticing that something was clearly bothering her, she spoke up in concern, prompting Laura to bite her lip tightly.
With a determined look on her face, Laura finally opened her mouth.
“…Sora-sama, you heard my mother’s conversation when we departed from the port of ?Enoshigaios?, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, you were definitely worried about the queen’s health when we left the port. Is she possibly ill or something?”
“No, she is not sick. It’s not that kind of issue.”
Not sick?
But when the queen jumped onto Liam’s ship, the port’s overseer, she clearly showed signs of a physical abnormality and nearly collapsed.
Sora had seen that clearly, so she knew it was no mistake.
If it’s not a physical abnormality due to illness, the only remaining possibility that came to mind was that she was cursed.
As Sora frowned in confusion, Laura momentarily lowered her gaze as if hesitating.
However, seemingly resolute, she lifted her gaze straight toward her and voiced a problem she had been carrying.
“Actually, we, the songstress of Enoshigaios, have been sealing the Great Calamity, ?Asmodeus?, within ourselves for generations.”
“…!”
Sora clicked her tongue inwardly, realizing this was the scenario.
……………………
The story dates back several hundred years.
In those times, the Yggdrasil Sea had many more island nations than it does now, all of which were destroyed by Asmodeus, a Great Calamity born from the negative emotions of the people.
This situation, if left unchecked, could escalate into a world crisis, prompting the archangels to rise and, after a long battle, successfully defeat Asmodeus.
However, one problem arose at that time.
As the Great Calamity Asmodeus was vanquished, it seemed to have secretly possessed the songstress who fought alongside the archangels, lying in wait, and suddenly revived during the era of the current songstress’s predecessor—Laura’s great-grandmother.
After the archangels were defeated by the Demon Lord Shaitan, the revival of Asmodeus now threatens to plunge the world back into crisis once more.
The predecessor who made that judgment sealed Asmodeus, which was trying to emerge from the body, using the songstress’s calming power.
And with each generation of the “songstress,” they decided to pass down the seal of Asmodeus into their bodies through song, managing it in that way.
However, perhaps due to the recent resurgence of various “Great Calamities,” a chain reaction seems to be strengthening Asmodeus’s power.
Laura’s mother’s poor health is likely influenced by Asmodeus, which she has sealed within herself, awakening and threatening to break the seal if things continue as they are.
The current solution being considered to resolve this problem is to split Asmodeus’s power and manage it between the queen and Laura.
She wanted to become a songstress as soon as she could, so she went to see Sora, the strongest adventurer around.
“I see, then you should have said something sooner.”
“This is a matter concerning the ‘Country of the Sea.’ I thought you might refuse to get involved in trouble if I told you, so I hesitated…”
“Hmm, I see. You thought that way? That’s a bit surprising.”
“I-I apologize…”
Saying this with a slightly teasing tone made Laura look dejected.
Next, gently touching her head, Sora smiled warmly.
“Yeah, it’s all good. Thank you for telling me. I’ll gladly help you to free your mother from her suffering.”
“Sora-sama…”
“By the way, I want to ask two things: Is it possible to bring Asmodeus out from the queen? And if so, are there any risks involved?”
“Uh, um… Since Asmodeus is trying to emerge, it’s easy to bring it out. As for the risks… When sealing it, we will apply protective measures, so I think it should be fine if we use that…”
That was good to hear, and with a daring grin, Sora made one suggestion.
“I think it would be simpler to just defeat it rather than splitting it up and sealing it.”
“No way… But, could that really be possible…!?”
Hearing her suggestion, Laura’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was as if she had never considered such a thing before, and she looked confused.
“Of course, this is only if you’re okay with it, though. What do you think?”
“If it’s possible… But, is that really alright? The opponent is a being that has destroyed many nations. No matter how strong Sora-sama is…”
“It’s fine. Plus, we’ve already defeated two other Great Calamities. I fully understand that the opponent is strong, but I also know it’s not something we can’t defeat. So, leave it to me.”
“……”
“Come on, don’t make that face. I’m really weak against the tears of cute girls.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m just so happy…”
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with her finger, the siren princess offered her brightest smile.
Seeing her fragile smile, Sora sighed, resolved to fight to protect the future of the girl and her mother.