Re:Zero - Jobless Reincarnation: Succubus Sword God? I don't recognize it!

Chapter 498. Imprisoning Ariel in the basement? Sylphie also knows the Northern God Style?
"Please, you must help me! Help Princess Ariel! I only need your introduction, just tell us the whereabouts of the Dragon God, Lord Orstide, and we'll go there ourselves. We absolutely won't reveal where the information came from!"

The second floor of the research institute.

Dilik knelt on the ground, bowing before Seven Stars in an almost pleading manner.

Qixing crossed her arms and turned to look at the window beside her. Unable to accept such a grand gesture, she was covered in sweat, but still resolutely closed her eyes and shouted:

"Stop asking me if I can visit Alsterd! No means no!"

Upon hearing this, Dilik became even more anxious, almost to the point of kowtowing to Qixing, and spoke at an extremely fast pace.

"The First Prince has already moved into the Throne Room. The King was seriously ill and we don't know how much longer he has left. It's too late, it's too late for us. Please save us, please save Princess Ariel. Considering her contributions to the research institute over the past year, please help her."

Qi Xing paused upon hearing this, his face turning bright red.

Two years have passed since the Great Transfer, but time has not left any trace on Seven Stars' face. On the contrary, Rudy has grown a few centimeters taller, tied his hair in a small braid, and looks much more mature.

Where is Rudy?

He stood awkwardly to the side, trying to help Dilik up, but couldn't budge him. Turning his head, he wanted to persuade Seven Stars to reveal Orsteed's whereabouts, but his mouth remained open for a long time without uttering a word.

The verbal tug-of-war has been going on for several days.

— Dirich arrived at the research institute precisely on time every morning for the past five days. When he first inquired about the whereabouts of Seven Star Orsteed, the latter only showed a troubled expression and said that Orsteed had instructed him not to say.

Dirich was determined to make a life-or-death decision for Ariel, and he kept nagging her about it every day.

Seven Stars tried every possible way to hide, but today, they finally couldn't take it anymore.

That's why the scene that just erupted happened. Who knew that Dilik's face would fall and he would kneel down.

this.
Rudy's lips twitched as he grabbed his hair, completely bewildered.

He was actually more inclined to side with Dirichlet and Ariel, after all, he was indebted to them, and the princess had helped him resolve the matter of the duchess's death.

But Seven Stars, his fellow countryman, really didn't want to talk about it, and Rudy didn't dare to press him, because the scene of Alsted tearing the Duchess apart that day still made Rudy feel cold to this day.

Who can help me? No, Allen's not here, Sylphie...
The sound of a carriage stopping came from downstairs.

Rudy paused, then looked out the window.

Just then, he saw Hilfi look up at him expressionlessly.

Rudy was overjoyed at first, but then he saw the words 'you're useless' in Hilfi's eyes and gritted his teeth in pain.

But this was just an illusion; Hilfi's attention was still focused on the Seven Stars' shouts she had just heard.

She lowered her head and was about to push the door open when she saw that Ariel had already stepped inside before her.

Hilfi glanced at Ariel's graceful, swan-like figure from behind, and silently followed.

When the two reached the second floor, what greeted their eyes was Seven Stars trying to leave, with Dilik clinging tightly to her boots, refusing to let go.

"open!!"

"I won't let go!!"

Qixing's stubbornness kicked in, and she suddenly swung her leg, kicking off her boots and turning to run outside.

Dilik grabbed at empty air, his head slammed down, and the lower half of his face below his nose went into his boot.

Rudy, who was watching from the side, was dumbfounded and looked at Dilik with a strange expression.

However, Seven Stars took two steps and then stopped. She looked at Ariel in front of her and Sylphie who was slowly following behind, and sighed.

He muttered to himself in Japanese, "I really can't say whether the person in question has arrived."

Ariel frowned as she looked at Dirich, who pulled his face out of his boot and hissed as he took a deep breath.

“Dilric, what kind of behavior is this! Stand up! Put the boots on for Ms. Serente.”

Dirich's expression turned grim when he saw Ariel at the research institute, but he still walked gracefully to Seven Stars' side and was about to put her boots on.

The latter snatched the boot away and kicked it in.

Looking up, I saw Ariel giving a deep, noble bow.

"I apologize, Your Excellency, Director of the Severnsta Institute. I apologize to Dilik on your behalf."

Seven Stars looked at the top of Ariel's head, sighed, silently moved away, and grabbed his hair, revealing a troubled expression.

Then Ariel said sincerely:

“The previous funding has already been used to help us in this struggle for the crown prince position. You owe us nothing in any way, so please forgive Dilik. Please sit down and give me a chance to talk. Whatever the outcome, I am willing to accept it.”

".good."

-

The group sat in a tea room next to the research institute.

Hilfi stood beside the four people, holding a teapot. She gracefully pressed the lid of the teapot, and orange-red tea flowed from the spout, creating a bright stream that slowly filled the teacup along the rim.

Throughout the process, Hilfi kept her eyes down, her hands were steady, and the water jet never broke midway.

She pushed the tea to each of the three people in turn before pouring herself a cup, gracefully sitting down, and silently sipping the tea with both hands.

By focusing one's eyes on the nose and contemplating the mind, one minimizes their own presence.

Rudy, sitting opposite her, had a similar reaction, but instead of drinking tea, he kept glancing at the magic circle blueprints he had drawn the night before.

Compared to Silphie, who has grown into an elegant young mistress of Boreas, Rudy has not shown any of the manners of the young master of the Notos family.

Because he and Paul are now completely excluded by Notos, they are treated like air, the heads of the royal family in the capital, and are busy with the reconstruction work in the area affected by the disaster after the family's relocation.

—We, Notus, are no longer playing the crown prince battle. That's it. And let's not pretend that our patriarch, who has now become a wandering frog, is still alive. That's it.

Therefore, Rudy did not interact much with nobles, and instead spent most of his time studying magic circles with Seven Stars.

The project has progressed from using a magic vehicle to using a transfer magic circle.

The latter is obviously more convenient than any magic vehicle, but this magic circle is said to be forbidden to be taught or used, so he and Seven Stars can only do it secretly behind Alsterd's back.

Rudy's goal was to help Paul find the lost group more quickly so they could return to the palace sooner, while Seven Stars was exploring whether a teleportation magic circle could directly transfer her back to Japan.

"So, it was the Dragon God who instructed you not to reveal his whereabouts?"

Qi Xing scratched his head.

"Yes, he emphasized it many times, and his expression was very serious, so I really can't say."

"Is that so? Is there absolutely no room for negotiation? The Dragon God has been famous for a long time, always appearing and disappearing like a dragon. I sincerely wish to pay my respects to him."

There is no room for maneuver.

Ariel paused for a moment, picked up her teacup, but didn't seem too disappointed: "I understand. I'm so sorry, Sir Cyrton."

Dirich's chest heaved as he gripped his trouser leg tightly, his face full of frustration. Seven Stars stared at Ariel for a moment, then suddenly spoke again:
"However, he did mention you."

"Ok?"

Dilik stood up abruptly: "Your Highness? May I ask what the Dragon God said?"

Seven Stars looked at Ariel for a moment, his expression somewhat strange: "Well... he said that if anything happens to the King, he wants me to save your life."

Dirich exclaimed in surprise, "Does that mean that the Dragon God is inclined to support Princess Ariel?"

Ariel's expression showed obvious surprise: "He saved my life. Did he already foresee that Father's health might be in trouble? Besides saving my life, what else did he say? Would you mind telling me? Also, did he leave any arrangements? If it's just you, the struggle for the crown prince might not be able to stop my brother."

Qixing looked up at the ceiling: "Yeah, that's what I asked too, but his tone was a bit strange. His exact words were..."

As if sensing something amiss with the relaying of this, Seven Stars hesitated only briefly before tightening her expression, crossing her hands on her chin, rolling her eyes, and speaking in a low, somber voice: "Ariel."

Rudy's pupils dilated in shock: Hey! Don't do these weird imitations! Are you Yodogen? And your eye-rolling is way too much like Alsteed's!
Seven Stars: "If necessary, you can seek Rudeus's help. As for Ariel, there's no need to deliberately participate in the crown prince competition. Just keep her alive. I don't have any good help to offer you. You can choose to break Ariel's legs and throw her in the basement of the research institute. Just make sure she doesn't die."

Ariel: !! !! ???
Dirich: !!! !!! !!! !!! !!!
Rudy: ? ? The basement, broken legs? Huh??? What kind of strange method is this? But why doesn't it feel out of place at all when I put it in Alsteid's tone?!
Hilfi paused in her tea-drinking motion, glancing at Qixing's expression through the rising steam.

Even with her refined manners, Ariel was speechless with astonishment: "This..."

Dirich was stunned for a moment, then immediately flew into a rage, his face turning a deep purplish-red: "Broken legs and imprisoned in the basement? We accept that you don't want to support Princess Ariel, but why insult her like this?"

Ariel turned her head to look at him: "Sit down, Dirich."

Dilik gasped for breath, his energy completely drained. He sat silently in his chair, burying his head in his hands.

"Why is this happening? Why am I so useless? If Lord Allen were here, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by."

Ariel glanced quickly at Sylphie: "Diliquik!!"

Dilik clutched his head: "Your Highness...I'm sorry."

Ariel closed her eyes for a second to calm down, then opened them again, shaking her head with a wry smile.

“I understand. We will not bother Lord Alsteid any longer. We will leave now.”

Seven Stars looked rather embarrassed; she knew Ariel and Dirichlet would react this way before she even spoke.

She stood up and waved her hand, "I think I might have misunderstood. After all, my Asura language isn't very good. I'll leave. You two already knew each other before I came here, so you can talk about what to do next. I'll go check on the application of the magic circle first."

After saying that, she downed her black tea in one gulp and turned to walk out the door.

Just then, with a thud, Hilfi put down her teacup.

She looked at Ariel beside her and spoke in a voice just loud enough for Seven Stars to hear:
"I met the Dragon God, Lord Orsteed, yesterday."

As soon as she said that, Dirich, Ariel, and Rudy all turned to look at her at the same time.

Hilfi, however, turned her head and stared quietly at Qixing's back.

As expected, Qixing stopped in his tracks.

She turned her head in surprise, looked at Silphie in astonishment, and said, "He's back?"

Dirich, Ariel, and Rudy all turned to look at her at the same time.

Qi Xing was taken aback, not understanding why.

Hilfi continued, "It's fake. According to what Miss Serent just said, since the Dragon God instructed Miss Serent to protect Princess Ariel's life, it must mean that he is not available, so much so that he needs to imprison Princess Ariel in the basement."

In this situation, the only thing I can think of is that Lord Dragon God has left the capital.

Qi Xing's expression changed.

Ariel, however, seemed somewhat dazed.

She should have noticed this, but she and Dilik were so stunned by the absurdity of this almost insulting way of saving their lives that they didn't notice the hidden message in Seven Stars' words.

Seven Stars stared at Hilfi, frowning:
"You're trying to steal my words?"

Hilfi glanced at Seven Stars indifferently.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, he smashed the teacup in his hand on the table.

This move left everyone bewildered.

Without even flinching, Hilfi lifted her bleeding hand, pierced by a shard of teacup, from the table amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

She pulled out the shards, showing her wound:
"I think the Dragon God's advice to Miss Cyrette was heartfelt, not out of any perverse sense of humor."

Compared to the First Prince, Allen also prefers Princess Ariel, which proves that Princess Ariel is actually the most suitable candidate to be the next king of Asura, and it is only natural that the Dragon God supports her.

As for his suggestion, from a rational perspective, it should be as follows:
With the Dragon God unable to leave behind enough reliable people after leaving the capital, locking them in the basement and not letting them out was indeed the best way to hide them.

After all, no one could have imagined that a princess of such noble birth would not escape but instead be locked in a dark and damp basement.

As for breaking her hands and feet, that was because Princess Ariel herself could not accept this way of hiding, or she had given up on herself, so the only way to save her life was to use force.

Finally, breaking limbs is actually no big deal.

Green light flickered between Hilfi's palms, and the wounds visibly healed.

Healing techniques without chanting.

Hilfi showed her perfectly intact palm and continued, "It can be healed afterward. That's the logic behind what the Dragon God said."

As soon as she finished speaking, Silphie's expression softened again, and she even smiled.

He shrugged, gesturing to the chair opposite him, indicating that the Seven Stars should take their seats.

"Please have a seat, Miss Serente."

The conflict during this period left Seven Stars still reeling. But when Hilfi's attitude suddenly changed, the intense confrontation—the feeling of being forced to speak and the smashing of the teacup—vanished abruptly. The atmosphere softened rapidly under Hilfi's smile and gentle explanation.

She subconsciously followed Silphie's instructions and sat down in the chair.

It wasn't until after they sat down and the latter shoved a new cup of black tea into their hands that they realized something was wrong.

? ?
Why did I sit down again?
Then she heard Hilfi say something in a harmless way in her ear:

"At present, although Miss Cyril has not revealed the whereabouts of the Dragon God, it has been proven that the Dragon God is not in the capital at all and cannot help Princess Ariel."

So, it's still necessary to discuss again how to follow the Dragon God's instructions to break Princess Ariel's arms and legs and then lock her in the basement to protect her, right?

Qi Xing nodded blankly: "Yes."

Sylphie smiled sweetly and said this under Ariel's stiff gaze:

"So, will you do it yourself, or will you instruct me to do it while you supervise?"

Seven Stars: "Huh?"

(End of this chapter)