The Maid and Her Princess

There's Still Life Here (part 3)

III.

A mechanism inside the door clicked, and the stone around it began to let puffs of dust out in the air. Madoka instinctively stepped back, guiding Audrey a short distance by the shoulder. A pout escaped over the noise, but soon it slid to the side revealing a dark tunnel within.

Madoka glanced at the princess, then towards the entrance that now glared back at them. This truly was a dungeon, was it not? Audrey was unnerved for a moment, but as soon as the dust settled, she strode forward into the dark.

Madoka wondered if she was afraid. Could a being of such power be afraid? Even after knowing her end is coming, she still moved forward. She was not sure on what she was rambling about earlier on the Closed Timelike Curve, or any of the other concepts, but she understood that the princess was intending on marching straight to it. And she was the reason why she displayed no fear.

Ah, she stared at Audrey's resolute back. That is what a true Royal would do.

Would Madoka not do the same? She wondered this time and time again. Would she persist even if the burden of duty to her princess was lifted? She knew it in her heart better than anyone: She would serve the princess, as a free woman or a slave.

One boot in front of the other. There might still be life down there— Madoka felt something strange watching her from below when she flew after that bag. But at least, this powerful force of nature in front of her was on her side.

The moment she stepped over the entrance's threshold, her feet landed on not stone, but a strange solid woody foundation. The princess's magic came to life as a small floating ring of light as she waited for Madoka, serving as a lamp. She scanned her surroundings.

"This isn't like the mineshaft at all," she remarked. "It's more like we're on the inside of a tree log."

Audrey's eyes also watching things, with that same focused yet odd stare. She was tracking the unseen while taking everything in.

"Yeah," she agreed. "The composition of this place is like a mushroom's mycelium, more than a tree."

She looked at the door, which remained open. The daylight filtered in, and the view of a massive Alpir'Row floating majestically over the rooftops from the ravine came by. Madoka noted that they were still in Ceghinortan, at least. "Not yet a Grotto situation."

"I don't like how you said, 'yet,'" Audrey grumbled. Madoka simply shrugged. "Well, time to go down the mushroom path!"

And so they traveled down into the dark. Tiny threads, like little hairs sticking out, seemed to lace the walls and roof of this tunnel. Madoka felt cramp, but she also felt like it was getting warmer around them. The hike was also at a slight decline, ensuring that they were, in fact, traveling deeper into the mountain. She was expecting Audrey to start talking, but surprisingly, the girl was quiet. For now, she was simply observing the place. To suppress her own nervousness, Madoka decided to break the silence.

"T-Those adventurers," she started. Audrey instantly straightened up— a clear sign of guilt.

"I- I didn't do nothing to them! They, uh, they ran away!"

"Uh huh," Madoka sighed. They were going to come into conflict with people sooner than later, but this was a city. "What if we get in trouble for murdering people?"

"I— I didn't kill them. Outright, at least to my knowledge," Audrey murmured. That did not convince Madoka, but even now, she hoped that it was true. "I experimented with the concept I used to shield people back when we ran into the Gift Giver... and simply relocated them. It's like this, Madoka. I..."

Madoka recalled their encounter with the massive beast. That strange, mechanical tower serpent was certainly dangerous. She also remembered that Audrey did indeed save the Adventurers from getting swept away in its rampage. This only served to confuse her more on the motives of their hostility towards House Dalion. Why were they upset over losing their town? The princess had lost her entire kingdom and she was not angry towards Esmeralda or this country. Their logic evaded her simple mind.