"I'll go first!"
Seeing the other three still hesitating, Jenkins spoke up.
With that, he didn't bother to inspect them closely. He simply picked up the apple nearest to him. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he paused.
"The princess chose this one," he declared, "and ate it."
Only then did he take a bite. The rich juice and flesh filled his mouth—it was, indeed, a fine apple.
As he thought this, he raised a hand to wipe his nose and saw a sar of red blood.
He caught Mr. Black Cat's horrified expression in his peripheral vision and understood exactly what was happening. Before his Undying Man ability could activate, flas burst from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, following the trickle of blood.
After the purifying flas vanished, Jenkins stared blankly at the poisoned apple with its missing chunk. He wondered if he should eat the whole thing, but decided that being purified after every single bite would be far too troubleso.
"In the fruit platter, Sophia chose the largest, ripest apple and happily ate it. This displeased the aproned maid, for a lavish breakfast awaited Sophia in the magnificent dining hall."
It seed he wouldn't have to eat the rest.
"When Sophia arrived at the castle's dining hall—a room vast enough to seat half the kingdom—the old king and the young queen were already at the table.
‘Oh, my daughter, you are as beautiful as a flower blooming in the garden!’
‘Oh, my daughter, not even the sprites of the forest are as lovely as you!’
The king and queen praised her in unison.
But Sophia had a secret of her own, one that often caused her great pain, yet she guarded it closely.
After breakfast, it was ti for her delightful riding lesson. But Sophia's beloved little pony, Albert, had fallen ill. She would have to choose a new mount from those the maids brought forth..."
The old man paused. At the sa ti, a strange sound echoed from the black mist behind the group, and it was decidedly not the clip-clop of hooves.
They all spun around. As the black mist began to recede, a deafening roar tore through the air, nearly shattering their eardrums, and the very ground seed to tremble beneath them.
"Oh, gods..."
Miss Knight began to pray, and Jenkins instantly recognized the holy symbol she subconsciously began to trace in the air: the Eternal Blazing Sun!
"They're knights from the Church of Sun and Justice?"
The surprised thought flashed through his mind, but his attention was imdiately snatched by Mr. Black Cat's shriek. Striding out of the mist was a monster the size of a small hill.
It was a creature of imnse strength, with a long, thick neck, a horned and frilled head, and a powerful, sweeping tail. It walked on four mighty legs, while a pair of colossal, bat-like wings were folded against its back. Its entire body was armored in scales that shimred like obsidian. It had four eyelids, three of which were transparent to protect its eyes from harm, and its pupils were slitted like a viper's. Its teeth, sharp and deadly, curved inward.
"A dragon! A pure-blooded dragon!"
All four of them recognized it. Although dragons had long vanished from the material world, descriptions of the terrifying species appeared in nearly every occult text.
"ow?"
As Jenkins stood up, Chocolate scurried back behind his boot, peeking out with just its head visible.
"What in the world did I do to offend Fate so badly that I'd be forced to encounter sothing like this!"
Mr. Black Cat clutched his chest, groaning under his breath.
It was a black dragon, standing at the edge of the mist, its gaze fixed on the campfire. The intelligence in its eyes made it clear that this was a sapient being, no less intelligent than they were. Its colossal size, combined with the innate spiritual pressure of its kind, made it difficult to breathe.
"We're supposed to ride that?"
Miss Knight asked in disbelief.
"No, there must be other choices. Look over there!"
Following Mr. Kreide's pointing finger, they could see two dark shapes near the dragon's feet, now advancing toward them.
The creature in the lead resembled a horse, its coat of fluffy, pure-white fur seeming to radiate a soft, gentle light in the dark adow.
From its forehead grew a magnificent golden horn etched with runes. A single glance was enough to convince anyone of the creature's purity.
"A unicorn!"
This ti it was Miss Knight who gasped, her voice trembling with excitent as if sothing were caught in her throat.
Behind the unicorn was a black steed with a mane and tail of fiery red that billowed like flas. Its hooves hovered just above the ground, leaving a trail of black fire in their wake. Its slanted eyes were terrifying; to et their gaze was to feel an overwhelming dread that few could endure.
"A Night—"
"A Nightmare! You don't need to explain them one by one. I think the most important thing for us to do now is pick one and ta it."
Jenkins interrupted Mr. Kreide rather bluntly, then turned to the storyteller.
"He won't give us much ti. From what I know of Mysterious Realms, the longer we delay, the more likely sothing will go wrong. Who's next? We need to be quick!"
"I'll do it!"
Mr. Kreide raised his hand, his brow furrowed, and gave Jenkins and Mr. Black Cat a solemn nod.
He could see the two were companions. Since Jenkins had already taken a risk, it was now their turn.
"Uncle Kreide..."
the young woman cried out worriedly, grabbing his sleeve.
"It's alright."
The middle-aged man shook his head, then declared loudly, "The brave Princess Sophia has decided to try and ta the Nightmare."
With that, he stepped out of the circle of firelight.
His choice was a sound one. Only a madman would attempt to ta a strange dragon, and unicorns were said to favor pure-hearted maidens. For him, there was really no choice at all.
He had no better thod, so he resorted to using a highly recognizable Golden Divine Art—Mount Taming.
This bluntly nad ability was an exclusive divine art of the Church of Sun and Justice, typically only mastered by followers of the Great Sun.
But he failed, nearly getting scorched by the hellfire the Nightmare spewed. The origin of this powerful species was unknown, but so, including Papa Oliver, believed they possessed demonic blood.
The second to try was Miss Knight. Her level was lower than Mr. Kreide's, so she didn't overreach by approaching the Nightmare, which was now pawing angrily at the ground in a clear display of foul temper. Instead, she cautiously approached the beautiful unicorn.
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