“Uh… Elise?”
[Shock! The legendary Elise? How did she get here!?]
As the two of us were flustered, Elise approached with a sinister yet alluring smile.
“I thought you might have crossed the sea since I couldn’t find you anywhere. Came here and hit the jackpot. I did sneak onto a ship midway, but there was only that red-haired guy with a hook hand, so I left. Though it seems I might’ve made a mistake?”
Surely she didn’t cross the sea to get here? It was an absurd idea, but her soaked body proved otherwise. Her golden hair glistened with water droplets.
“Well, whatever. Thanks to you, my story has progressed nicely. I was able to k*ll that annoying Heart Queen.”
“T-That’s good news…”
The image of the Heart Queen’s corpse crushed by a staff made my stomach churn. What should I do? This was completely unexpected. She’s a girl driven mad by senseless killings, and I can’t predict what she might do to me.
“Now all that’s left is to find that detestable white rabbit. Find it, learn how to get home, and then it’ll be dinner. Heheh, Siyoo, will you come with me? Huh?”
Elise’s eyes flashed with a disturbing red glow. Though she was smiling, it wasn’t a normal smile but one filled with silent pressure and madness. She leaned in with a beautiful face like a poisonous flower, mesmerizing yet deadly.
[Stop right there!]
Suddenly, Ariel interjected between us.
“Hmm? An interesting little machine noise-making kid? What’s wrong?”
“Not a kid! Siyoo is MY prince! There’s no way I’m letting him play around with crazy women like you!”
“Prince? Siyoo? Ah~ I see what you mean. To beings like us, he’s practically a savior, like a prince on a white horse. But what shall we do about this?”
Elise grinned mischievously while lifting her staff.
“Siyoo is mine, right?”
“Don’t push your luck! Siyoo is my prince!”
“I’m not anyone’s possession.”
Ignoring me completely, they exchanged fierce glances. However, Ariel was gradually being overpowered by Elise’s genuine madness.
“Then let’s settle this here. Who will Siyoo finish the story with?”
[That’s what I want too!]
“Then I should take one of those weak arms first. So he can’t cling to you. Or maybe break your legs. Hehehe.”
I wanted to run away at this point, but if I did, Ariel would end up like the Heart Queen under Elise’s staff.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. It wasn’t from Elise’s madness but from Ariel’s back, radiating a bone-chilling aura comparable to Elise’s.
Ariel’s pupils turned into vertical slits as she glared at Elise.
[Don’t get cocky. He’s MY prince. The prince I’ve longed for and desired. If you dare to touch what’s mine, I’ll tear your limbs off and feed them to the fishes.]
Though her mechanical tone lessened the impact, the killing intent emanating from Ariel was no laughing matter. Remembering that she killed a witch, someone who could wield all sorts of magical spells, made me realize how dangerous she truly was.
With her own hands.
So maybe Ariel is just as strong as Elise?
I swallowed hard as I watched the tense standoff between these two girls.
Elise looked at Ariel’s face like a child observing animals at the zoo.
“Hee, interesting. Shall we test if your words are just empty threats?”
[Bring it on!]
The situation was reaching its breaking point. A blue energy rippled around Ariel’s body, causing the nearby sea to stir restlessly. Elise casually lifted her staff above her head with one hand, grinning wickedly.
If they fight, one of them is bound to get hurt. While others might envy the sight of two beauties fighting over me, it’s actually a horrifying scenario where bl**d will surely be spilled.
The moment Elise’s staff twitched and Ariel reached out…
Ah, screw it.
“Stop it!”
I stepped between them. As Elise’s staff descended toward my head, I desperately prayed that this was just a vivid dream and that I’d wake up the moment I died.
“Oh dear, this is problematic.”
The large spikes on the staff stopped just above my nose. Whew! I thought I was going to d*e from fright!
[Prince, don’t stop me! I’ll teach her a lesson!]
“That’s right. Things were just getting interesting, why are you stopping us?”
I sighed deeply after looking at both their defiant faces.
“Haa…”
The change in my demeanor made Elise grin creepily and Ariel’s eyes widen.
“Why does everyone assume I’m some kind of possession? I’m neither yours nor anyone else’s. I wish you’d stop treating me like some object to claim.”
[Not at all! It’s just because I like Siyoo so much!]
Elise stroked her crimson lips with her thumb while Ariel frantically denied it despite sweating bullets.
“Yup. You seem easy. And once I pick a luscious fruit, I can’t let another take it.”
Ugh, tried to sound tough but it’s having zero effect on Elise. She’d probably crush my limbs with her staff and carry me around like a bag if I tried to escape.
“Hmph, anyway! I don’t want either of you trying to claim me like this. If you keep doing this, I’ll leave both of you behind.”
[Hiiik! That won’t happen! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!]
“Hee~ Running away? Next time might not be as fun.”
cr*p, she’s relentless. Ariel listens to me and is easier to handle, but Elise is completely different.
“So… why are you ignoring my opinion when you all want me? I’m not someone to be trifled with. Please stop making such ridiculous claims.”
[Of course you’re not easy! It’s just because Siyoo is special!]
While Ariel nervously retracted her statement, Elise licked her bl**d-red lips with her thumb.
“Yup. You seem easy. Once I pick a ripe fruit, I can’t let another take it.”
Gulp, tried to stand up to her but she’s completely unimpressed. She’d probably smash my limbs with her staff and carry me around like a bag without hesitation.
“Cough, anyway! I don’t want you two fighting over claiming me. If you keep this up, I’ll leave you both behind.”
[Hiiik! That won’t happen! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!]
“Hee~ Leaving? That’s disappointing.”
Ariel agreed reluctantly while Elise sounded bored.
“So, the reason you both want me is… Elise wants to find the white rabbit while traveling with me, right? And Ariel wants to regain her voice through love?”
[Mostly, but yeah!]
“Hmm~ Sure.”
Both nodded in agreement.
“Then why don’t we all travel together? I’m going on a journey to find the black rabbit. Along the way, Ariel can find love and Elise can find her rabbit. How’s that sound?”
[Even though I don’t want to travel with that psycho, I’ll endure it for Prince!]
“Hee, was getting interesting, now it’s boring.”
Ariel accepted, but Elise was the problem. I was anxiously wondering what to do if she refused and started a fight.
“Still, I can’t ignore when my beloved shows up like this. Fine, let’s do it.”
Thank goodness! Saved! When Elise finally agreed, I secretly rejoiced. Not sure what conflicts will arise during our travels, but at least we’ve passed this hurdle.
[If you hurt Prince, I won’t forgive you!]
“Hope you don’t stick to me too much, kid.”
Elise and Ariel stuck close to me, glaring at each other. Not sure if this is good or bad. Having beautiful women nearby is definitely pleasant, but it feels like wearing a bomb necklace that could explode anytime.
We managed to overcome this immediate crisis, but I still had a big problem – the location of the black rabbit. Judging by the direction, it seems to have entered this continent, but I have no idea how vast it is or which way it went.
“Hey Elise, have you seen a black rabbit around here?”
“Rabbit? I k*ll every rabbit I see. Since I haven’t killed any here, I guess I haven’t seen one.”
Creepy answer. Hopefully any rabbits unrelated to Elise’s white rabbit stay far away from this continent.
“Haha, got it. Guess we have no choice but to move forward.”
We entered the nearby forest. The fresh air was worlds apart from the polluted city air, clearing my mind pleasantly. Suddenly, a pungent smell assaulted my nose.
Familiar odor. The cigarette smoke you often encounter in bar streets or alleys.
Honey? This wasn’t Elise’s voice or Ariel’s mechanical tone.
It came from a pig sitting by a tree trunk, smoking and sniffling.
A pig?
A talking pig?
momentarily stunned, but remembered the talking animals I met when I first arrived in this world. Nothing unusual about it.
At that moment, our eyes met with the chubby pig who was sniffling. He stared at us blankly before suddenly standing up and waddling over, his fat jiggling.
“Sniffle! Help me please, honey! If things keep going like this, I’ll be eaten by wolves, honey!”
