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 224
Chapter 224: The Oni Royalty’s Request
“The Calamity… has already been defeated…?”
It was so shocking that it took me several minutes to process her words.
My companions were similarly stunned, their expressions asking, *What on earth does that mean?*
The one who had delivered this revelation, however, merely narrowed her golden eyes sharply as she observed our reactions.
“It happened about a month ago. The seal on the Calamity of Gluttony had begun to weaken, likely influenced by the reawakening of the other Calamities.”
“At that moment, adventurers led by a knight calling himself the great archangel ?Metatron?, accompanied by comrades bearing the names of other angels, came to our land. They promised to defeat the creature, and true to their word, they did.”
The mention of a “white knight” immediately brought to mind those people surrounding El Aurum.
But as far as I could recall, those ostentatious individuals had never been involved in any of the battles we’d faced.
They’d never come up in discussions among the top players or the game’s highest-ranking guilds, either.
To defeat a Calamity would require a level of strength on par with the leaders of the top clans. That’s the baseline assumption.
…But that’s not the issue right now.
What matters most is what happened to the angel’s ring entrusted to this country.
If that group obtained it, we’ll need to track them down and make contact.
Shaking off the lingering shock, I turned to her and asked the most pressing question.
“I see… In that case, what happened to the angel’s ring that was in this country?”
“The ?Amber Ring?, you mean? Unfortunately, it’s no longer in this castle.”
“…!”
The thing I feared most had come to pass.
This is the worst possible outcome.
Not only has the Great Calamity been defeated, but one of our main objectives, the ring, has slipped through our fingers.
This raises serious concerns about the progress of the ?Four Star of the Lord of the Rings? quest we’re currently undertaking.
(This is an unexpected turn of events. I’ve reached out to game system for clarification, and it seems the quest is still active.)
Given the circumstances, it’s neither a failure nor a success, which implies there might still be a way forward.
Taking a deep breath, I exhaled a long sigh internally.
Even in the face of this unprecedented issue, I resolved to at least confirm one thing with her.
“Does this mean that, since it’s no longer here, the people who defeated the Calamity took it?”
“…That question is incorrect. They said that it was unnecessary for those with the power of angels, and they left without taking the ring.”
“So where is the ring now?”
“The ring is…”
When I asked, Setsuna hesitated. Her expression seemed troubled, and her eyes momentarily shifted away from me.
At that moment, I noticed that the Oni around us, who had been under the effect of my ?Perception? skill, were all wearing serious expressions as well.
Considering these signs, it became clear that something related to the ring had caused trouble.
If there’s even the slightest chance that it’s still possible, I need to move forward.
I decided to speak plainly, offering my help without hesitation.
“Princess Setsuna, if there’s something troubling you, would you allow me to lend a hand in solving it?”
“…N-No, there’s nothing like that. Even if there were a problem, the proud Oni clan would never easily accept help from others.”
I couldn’t help but think inwardly that she was just your typical princess with high self-esteem, but I kept that thought to myself.
However, since I had been rejected directly, I knew that offering to help with sweet words wouldn’t make her easily accept. I had to change my approach.
And so, without hesitation, I unleashed the power of Lucifer, which had evolved to reduce the remaining destiny usage to just ?1?.
“Wh—what!?”
Everyone in the room was stunned as I summoned an angel’s wings and a pure white armor dress inside my coat. I then released the battle aura I usually kept restrained.
The aura, strengthened from my long journey and battles with powerful enemies, immediately dominated the room, taking everyone, including my companions, by surprise.
With tension thick in the air, I seized complete control of the situation and slowly opened my mouth.
“I don’t know exactly what problem you’re facing, but as one who possesses the power of Archangel Lucifer, there’s no reason the Oni clan can’t ask for help, is there?”
“Sora! Did you really reduce your Life Point to transform into an angel just to say that!?”
“Yeah, I figured words alone wouldn’t be enough.”
I nodded at Kuro’s exasperated comment, while facing Setsuna, who seemed surprised by my transformation into an angel.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it quickly and looked down.
It seemed like she was hiding something she couldn’t share with outsiders.
…Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen the castle’s lord, Susanoo, around since earlier.
For her, as his daughter, to be sitting in the King’s throne in his place, there had to be some reason behind it.
Perhaps the ring was strongly connected to whatever was happening here?
I was about to speak again, as I felt that Setsuna was on the verge of saying something, when suddenly, the entrance we had entered from swung open forcefully. Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to it, and a loud bang rang out.
The person who slowly entered was a beautiful woman who resembled Setsuna but appeared a bit more mature.
Her long black hair reached down to her waist, and the furisode she wore had chrysanthemum patterns, mindful of the season.
With a dignified presence and an air of sharpened authority, she silenced the surrounding murmurs with just a glance.
The woman stepped forward, stopping in front of me, and as the eyes of everyone were on her, she slowly knelt before me.
“Thank you for coming to this land, adventurer, who bears the power of the great *Lucifer*. I am Kushinada Yaoyorozu, Setsuna’s mother.”
“I… I’m Sora,” I said, still caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the queen and her unexpected action of kneeling.
Kushinada nodded in satisfaction and continued speaking.
“Sora-sama, could you lend your strength to help this country in its time of crisis?”
“Mother, that’s—!” Setsuna protested.
“Setsuna, I will not allow you to interrupt. This issue is beyond what you and the soldiers can handle alone,” Kushinada said, silencing her daughter.
“But we only failed due to carelessness! Next time, we’ll capture—”
“Do you think you can win next time, after already being defeated once? The girl you face now is a force beyond your reach.”
“……”
Suddenly, a heated argument broke out between mother and daughter, but after being gently scolded by Kushinada, Setsuna, looking frustrated, fell silent.
The phrase “the girl” gave me an idea of what had happened, but I decided to wait quietly for the queen to continue speaking.
Kushinada, still keeping a humble posture, spoke of the problem they were facing.
“Actually, a few days ago, my youngest daughter, Rasetsu, severely injured my husband, Susanoo, and then stole the ?Amber Ring? before fleeing.”
“Ha…?”
It took me a moment to process what I had just heard.
She mentioned her youngest daughter. That meant Rasetsu was Setsuna’s sister.
Whatever had happened, it seemed like this was more than just a typical family dispute. Moreover, from Setsuna’s story, she had already been defeated in battle.
This was no ordinary matter, and while I was deep in thought about it, I waited for the next part of the explanation.
“Please, Sora-sama. Rasetsu has fled abroad. Could you either track her down and capture her, or, if necessary…”
Kushinada struggled and swallowed her words, the unsaid part clearly suggesting she wanted her daughter to be *defeated*.
She could not say it easily, for the person they were chasing was her own daughter, not a bandit.
Well, it looks like instead of heading to a temple, this time we’re chasing after a girl.
Compared to fighting a Calamity, dealing with just one girl shouldn’t be too difficult. Especially with this team.
I glanced at my companions, and they all seemed eager to take on this quest.
There was no need to hesitate. I nodded and responded firmly to Kushinada.
“Understood. Leave it to us.”