Chapter 9: The Princess’s Lap Pillow and Bedtime Story

“Hurry, faster!”

With the Great Sage’s magic boosting their speed, Althea and her group raced toward the boundary.
How was Tina doing? Was she okay?

Anxiety churned in Althea’s heart, a rare moment of visible distress in her two years on the run.
But when they reached the scene, the gruesome sight made everyone’s hearts lurch.

“What… is this?” Even the Great Sage, Everett, had never seen anything like it—

Bones steeped in pools of blood, the enclosed space reeking with a pungent stench, and lingering heat from magical energy still rising.
This was hell.

Everett cast fire-resistant buffs on his team and began searching the scorched ground for their targets.
“Sir, over here! Two people, still alive!”

Hearing this, Althea outran even Everett, rushing over in a frenzy.
“It’s her. She’s alive.”

Thank goodness.
Tina and Tyr lay on an unburned patch, dried blood streaking from Tina’s eye down her cheek.

Her skin was slightly dehydrated, wrinkled from the intense heat.
“Everett, I want to take her back first.” Althea lifted Tina, feeling the girl’s warmth in her arms.

“Alright. I’ll handle things here. You head to my shop and rest.”

Everett, the Great Sage, eyed the nearby corpse, hacked into pieces, and sank into thought.
The Mistmoon Cult? An archbishop, no less?

Only one person could wield blood magic to this degree—Uri Paterson.
The scene confirmed it was him.

But… what kind of being could kill him so thoroughly, so brutally?
Shock gave way to a chill of fear.

“That girl might just be the key to the princess’s restoration.”

…

Meanwhile, in a room in the inner city’s underground district—

Tina stirred awake, her hazy vision greeted not by blazing flames but by warm, cozy light.
“You’re awake?”

A gentle voice reached her ears.
“So I’m not dead?” Tina forced a lighthearted grin, earning a scowl from Althea.

“Don’t throw around the word ‘dead’ so casually! If you ever leave me behind again, I’ll really get mad!”

“Hahaha, I’m fine, aren’t I?”

Tina stretched, only to realize her head rested on something extraordinarily soft.
“Huh? No way!”

She double-checked, her angle revealing Althea’s chin above her. The perfect warmth confirmed it—this was a lap pillow!
But when Tina tried to nuzzle lower, Althea stopped her cold.

“Are you a pervert? Don’t push your luck.”

“Fine…”
‘Ugh, so close.’

Still, the lap pillow was heavenly. She didn’t want to move an inch.
“Tina, I have a question.” Althea’s eyes held a trace of confusion.

“Go ahead, Your Highness.”

“That archbishop—did you kill him? Is he really dead?”

“Uh… I’m not sure. I passed out halfway through the fight.”

Recalling the moment, Tina’s memory cut off just before the bone spike hit her.
She hadn’t had the strength to dodge.

Then, faintly, she’d heard the system’s voice, but what it said was a blur.
Judging by Althea’s tone, though, they’d won.

[Prompt: The system took control of your body at that moment. Cost: Your task duration is now halved to six months.]

What?! Cutting my time in half like that?!
Tina felt her already tight schedule crumble further.

She’d have to steer clear of danger from now on—another bad situation, and she’d be relying on the system again.
“But it wasn’t a total loss. I got a ton of info about the Mistmoon Cult from that guy.”

Tina spilled everything—useful or not—to Althea.
Their whole trip to the underground was for cult intel, and despite the rocky road, they’d succeeded.

“Your Highness, what’s on your mind?”

“I’m wondering… since we know the royal family’s tied to the Mistmoon Cult, who’s the real culprit? And what did they offer—massive human sacrifices for the cult? Or the kingdom’s crystal mines?”

Too many unanswered questions gave Althea a headache.
But having someone by her side who supported her filled her with renewed confidence.

At some point, Tina had stopped being the arrogant noble from the rumors. She’d become a friend Althea could trust completely.
If she lost this girl someday, could she keep going?

Was thinking like that… still just friendship?
“Your Highness, you seem overwhelmed by all this info. Feeling lost?”

Seeing Althea’s prolonged silence, Tina decided to lighten the mood.
“How about I read you a bedtime story? I’ll use that fairy tale book you picked from the shop.”

“Mm.” Althea nodded.

Tina got up from the lap pillow, grabbed a book from the table without checking it, and decided it looked good enough.
“This one’s got a nice title. Let’s go with it!”

One lay on the bed, the other sat with the book, reading aloud.
“Once upon a time, a princess was kidnapped by a dragon. Her beloved knight, unwilling to let her suffer, braved countless dangers to slay the beast.
When it was all over, the knight rescued the princess. As she was about to pledge her life to him, she discovered the knight was a woman in disguise.
The knight feared the princess would leave her for the deception, but the princess didn’t mind. She said, ‘Ours is pure love—it’s not about gender.’
Moved, the knight and princess spent a passionate night together.”

…?
This wasn’t right.

How’d it turn into a sapphic fairy tale?
Tina flipped through the book, realizing it was her book. The actual story was just a tiny part—the rest was about their “fun” in every corner of the palace.

“Haha, oops, grabbed the wrong one.”

She carefully picked another, cleared her throat, and started again. “Ahem, this one’s definitely normal.”

As hoped, this was a pure fairy tale about a girl living with townsfolk.
But Althea couldn’t sleep.

‘Gender doesn’t matter? Hmm, makes sense. Liking someone who happens to be a girl doesn’t mean I’m into girls.’
With that settled, everything felt clearer.

Althea drifted off peacefully.

…

Outside the simulator, in the Kingdom of Kellivir’s palace—

Several attendants knelt before the figure on the throne, not daring to make a sound.
“Have you found her?”

“Your Majesty, not yet…”

“Your efficiency is pathetic.”

“Your Majesty! Please, give us a bit more time! We’ve pinpointed her general location!”

“Oh? I’ll trust you one last time. You know the consequences of lying to me.”

The silver-haired queen leaned back on her throne, her eyes heavy with love and hate, thick as teardrops.
“Tina, we’ll meet again.”