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 22
Chapter 22: The Wind Spirit Queen
To think she’s not just any princess but a hybrid princess born of the Fairy King and the Wind Spirit Queen.
After that revelation, Sora was led to the largest wooden mansion in the village, where she settled into a chair that looked like it was crafted by a top-notch artisan.
Aria wasn’t present.
She had left to call her mother, the Wind Spirit Queen, so now it was just me here.
Hmm, it’s a very relaxing atmosphere.
It seems the Wind Spirit Queen dislikes extravagance, as the guest room is furnished with items that look like they belong in an ordinary home.
As I sipped the tea-like beverage brought by a maid of the spirit race, its slightly bitter yet deep flavor made me smile.
The cookies, filled with something like walnuts, were crisp and had a delightful texture, making them truly delicious.
In most VR fantasy games, the food usually looks good but lacks taste, but Astral Online seems to put a lot of effort into this.
Exploring various restaurants sounds like it would be quite enjoyable.
As I reached for my tenth cookie, the only door in the room slowly opened.
In walked Aria, accompanied by a graceful woman dressed in a slightly more mature version of Aria’s dress.
Could this be Aria’s older sister?
Thinking this, I withdrew my hand from the cookie and turned to face them.
The woman stepped in front of Aria, lifted the long skirt with both hands, and bowed gracefully.
“Nice to meet you, I am ?Wind Spirit Queen? Sylph.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m the adventurer Sora. …Wait, does that mean you’re Aria’s mother?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You’re quite young-looking.”
“Both the spirit race and the fairy race have not changed much in appearance over the centuries.”
“Oh, I see. So that means…”
“Yes, even though she looks like this, my mother is over 500 years old!”
Aria joyfully interrupted our conversation with Sylph.
Sylph gave a wry smile at the sight and gently patted Aria’s head before turning back to me.
This time, she and her daughter both bowed deeply together.
“Sora-sama, I sincerely thank you for saving my daughter from the skeleton soldiers.”
“I truly appreciate it. If not for your help, I would have died there.”
“P-Please, both of you, lift your heads. I couldn’t just leave someone in trouble as an adventurer!”
Having two beautiful women suddenly bowing to me was more than a little overwhelming.
As I stood up from my chair and fidgeted, the princess and queen lifted their heads and chuckled at my flustered reaction.
“What a lovely person you are.”
“But Mother, when Sora-sama fought, she was very strong and impressive, just like in the fairy tales about Lord Lucifer!”
“Yes, indeed. The color of your hair and your appearance are remarkably similar to the late Lord Lucifer.”
“Um, I heard from Aria earlier, but who exactly is this Lucifer?”
“…It’s been 300 years. Lord Lucifer, along with the Four Great Archangels, went to the ?Edge of the World? to defeat the Demon Lord Shaitan who appeared to destroy this world.”
And Lucifer and their companions never returned.
Instead, five columns of light rose from the direction of the ?Edge of the World?, and since then, the presence of the Demon Lord has vanished from this world.
From this, it can be inferred that Lucifer and their companions chose to seal the Demon Lord rather than being defeated by them.
That’s because the beautiful Demon Lord I encountered seemed so full of energy. Honestly, if she had been a little weaker, I might have been able to put up a better fight.
“I see, it’s fortunate that I’m still lacking information about this world.”
The place known as the ?Edge of the World?, where the Demon Lord is believed to be.
The choices made by ?Lucifer? and the ?Four Great Archangels? to challenge and seal the Demon Lord.
With these essential pieces of information fitting into the unclear puzzle of this world, I smiled, having made a small step forward.
“Um, Sora-sama…”
“What is it?”
Sylph looked at me with an apologetic expression and then with a pleading face as she began to speak.
“I understand that adventurers have the important mission of defeating the <Demon Lord>. However, I ask you to lend us your strength.”
“…Your Majesty, is there something wrong?”
“Yes. Actually, the ?Forest Barrier? has been weakening recently, and skeleton soldiers and other monsters have started appearing in the forest.”
“I see. Do you have any idea what’s causing this?”
“We believe we know the cause. The likely culprit is the ?Jade Ring? sealed in the Forest Temple.”
“The ?Jade Ring?…”
The item name sounded like it was related to the Unique Quest ?The Four Star of the Lord of the Rings?, making me narrow my eyes.
Sylph nodded in response to my words and continued.
“The ?Jade Ring? fell into the depths of the forest 300 years ago and holds immense magical power. We cannot even touch it ourselves, so the leader at that time… my mother, sealed it.”
“And it’s interfering with the Forest Barrier?”
“Yes, indeed. Recently, we have sensed a rapid increase in magical energy. We dispatched five level 10 soldiers, but none of them have returned.”
“That’s quite serious.”
“Yes, if we don’t remove it as soon as possible, it could endanger the inhabitants of the forest as well.”
At this point, the Unique Sub-Quest ?Retrieve the Jade Ring? is triggered.
With the choice of ?YES/NO? appearing once again, I touched YES and nodded firmly.
“Got it, leave it to me.”
“Sora-sama, thank you so much!”
“……”
Suddenly having my hands grabbed and seeing the face of the stunningly beautiful Sylph up close made me blush.
Whoa, hold on. She’s a married woman.
To distract myself, I cleared my throat and said to Sylph:
“But I don’t know where the seal is located, and I don’t have the power to unseal it. As for finding someone to handle those tasks…”
“Yes, I will take care of everything!”
“Aria?”
Aria, with a determined look, raised her right hand, insisting that she would come along.
However, according to my ?Insight? skill, her level is only around ?10?.
Her profession appears to be a special role, not the regular ?Priest? that can be obtained in the temple, a ?Special Priestess?, with a skill level of ?5?.
In contrast, my current level has risen to ?22? due to quest rewards.
From what I’ve heard, the destination is a dangerous area where even five level-10 individuals would face annihilation.
I’d be quite anxious about protecting her while advancing alone.
Moreover, while I’m skilled at exterminating enemies, I’m not so good with defense missions.
It would be helpful if there were at least recommended levels to use as a gauge.
When starting a quest, such information was nowhere to be found.
Sora glanced at Sylph and asked if there was anyone else she could seek help from.
However, Sylph shook her head and looked quite apologetic.
“I’m terribly sorry. Ideally, we would want to send several skilled individuals, but our strongest are currently deployed to assist allies scattered throughout this vast forest since yesterday…”
“Can’t you ask the Fairy Kingdom for help?”
“The barrier’s effect is still in place, so even if we request assistance, they won’t be able to enter the forest.”
“I see… Ah, so that’s why Aria was in such a dangerous place without any escorts from the Fairy Kingdom.”
Understanding this, Aria reflected on her reckless actions, saying, “I just couldn’t stand the thought of the forest being in danger…”
Hmm, but there are still some mysteries left.
Taking a pose with her hand on her chin, Sora suddenly remembered.
“That’s right. If the people from the Fairy Kingdom can’t enter, why was I able to go into the forest at that time? If I figure that out, I might be able to ask my companions for help.”
“I can answer that. It’s probably thanks to your clothes.”
“What do you mean by ‘my clothes’?”
“Yes, actually, it’s a long-standing fact that the ‘Adventurer’s Starting Clothes’ have the power, blessed by Yggdrasil, to allow entry into the forest just once.”
“…What?”
That was new information to Sora.
She reopened her status screen, touched the simple clothes she was wearing, which had the same design for both the top and bottom, and checked the details.
The information left her speechless.
—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–
?Starting Clothes?
– Defense: ?F??
– Durability: ?F??
Clothing blessed by Yggdrasil.
Can be sold for a high price.
?Note? Not a product for sale.
—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–