Student To King: The Transportation To A New World

Chapter 36: A Small Breather

Yuni jogged over to Ace, who had just finished skinning the dead wolves. "I got the stuff from the tent," she said.

"Alright, we're done here, let's go," Ace replied, standing up from his crouching position.

Yuni noticed Darklin was nowhere to be seen. "Hm? Where's Darklin?" she asked.

"He's scouting around for any other enemies," Ace answered with a yawn, removing his helmet to look at the sunlight. Dark circles beneath his eyes hinted at a sleepless night.

Yuni felt a pang of guilt. "Sorry... you stayed up all night just for me," she said, clenching her hand to her chest.

"It's fine. I'll sleep it off. Darklin's on his way back, so let's head to the castle," Ace said.

Yuni nodded in agreement as they began walking.

With each step, Ace noticed the debris from the buildings, some still standing, others completely demolished. Rusted weapons from previous battles lay scattered on the ground. After surveying the area, Ace confirmed that they were alone, the only living beings in sight.

"We're finally here..." Yuni said with a dejected tone.

The trio stood before the castle entrance. The giant structure loomed over the ruined buildings. Despite the kingdom's history, the castle remained standing, though some of its accompanying towers were destroyed. Its black material stood out against the surrounding rubble. Ace inspected the castle more closely, discovering that the exterior felt like stone.

Darklin flew down the entrance where the two were standing.

"There are no signs of any other enemies. What are we doing now?" Darklin asked.

"Sleep," Ace answered with no energy in his voice and expression.

"I much prefer the outside. I'll sleep at the top, if I sense anything I'll let you know."

"I'll leave it to you."

In an instant, Darklin flew up, disappearing into the distance, leaving just Ace and Yuni alone together.

"Let's head in," Yuni said to him, leading the way.

The castle's interior kept much of its integrity, with bits of debris here and there. The building's foundations remained strong, as if the kingdom was never attacked in the first place while inside.

After going through the entrance, Ace found himself following Yuni to a hallway, where there were many paintings of the previous rulers of the castle. All the queens shared some sort of resemblance to Yuni until they made it to the end, showcasing a giant painting. Yuni stared at the painting with sadness in her eyes. She went up to the painting, placing her hands on the canvas.

In the painting, Ace recognized a young Yuni with her parents. Yuni's mother overall looked much similar to her. Yuni's father, on the other hand, was a man of great size. Ace's first impression of him was that he was a rough warrior. What stood out in his appearance was his beast-like ears, not knowing what kind of demonfolk he was.

"I'm home..." Yuni weakly smiled but soon after dropped her forced smile, recalling the memories of their deaths.

"Sorry... we're almost at my old room."

"It's fine. I know you're doing your best to be cheerful, but can you rely on me for anything?" Ace said to her. Yuni simply responded with a smile, taking a turn to another hallway.

After a minute of walking, Yuni stopped in front of a door and took a deep breath. Soon after, she opened it, but as Ace was expecting, there were signs of dust everywhere.