Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

Chapter 196 Shadow Old King
At dusk, the black tower appeared again in front of Lake and Poro.

Not far away, the two Shadi soldiers on guard were still observing their surroundings from the sentry post they had built. The patterns on their breastplates flickered with subtle lines in the dusk.

But if Lake and Poro deliberately sneaked around, the soldiers would not be able to find them at all.

"So, how do we get back to that... Shadow Capital?"

Lake stroked the outer wall of the tower without doors or windows, but she still started with the hard bricks. "Waiting for dusk?"

The setting sun sank into the ground inch by inch, and darkness covered the sky and the earth.

The skylight also seemed a little dim.

But Lake and Poro blinked, and the abandoned city not far away still had not returned to its original state.

"What did we do to get to that city last time?"

"Last time?"

Lake thought for a moment, "Inside a house, light a fire?"

A fire...

Poro thought for a moment and looked at the two Shadi guards at the bottom of the tower.

What are the effects of the magic patterns on the breastplates of the two Shadi Guards?
The Poro observed carefully and found that the shadows under the feet of the silk flute guards became more blurred than during the day, showing a vague and scattered outline.

shadow?

Thinking of this, Lake and Poro retreated quietly and found a small room not far from the tower and lit a bonfire.

In a room with no other light source, the shadows are drawn out very long, with a clear boundary between light and dark where the shadows meet.

It's like... a door formed by shadows.

"Sure enough, there are some differences."

Poro stared at the boundary between light and dark. His magical perception made him feel that something in this world was becoming different.

But, there’s still a little bit to go.

Poro remembered the shadow magic Princess Marlene had used at the end of the Shadow Capital. That shadow had flooded him like a tide...

Yes, use magic to imitate this feeling!
This is not too difficult. When the boundary between the two worlds overlaps and becomes blurred, even if you do nothing, you may fall into the Shadow Capital. All Poro has to do is increase this probability.

"Lake, close your eyes first."

Poro gave Lake a hint, and the next moment, a devilish light flashed in his eyes, and he blew gently at the flickering bonfire—

"Fura!"

The next moment, the shadow jumped suddenly under the drive of the flame.

When he opened his eyes again, the dilapidated room in the real world had been replaced by an intact room in the Shadow King City.

Sure enough, he's back!

Lake and Poro looked at each other. Just like last time, the speed of entering the Shadow Capital was much faster than returning to the real world. Perhaps it was because of the capital itself?

They left the room, walked straight through the palace, and headed towards the black tower in the deepest part again.

"Hmm? I've seen you before, miss. Didn't you just come here a few days ago?"

The guards of the Shadow Shadi Kingdom looked at Lake with wide eyes.

"Yes, I shouldn't have disturbed you rashly, but this matter is so serious that I have to ask Her Royal Highness for help. Please help convey this to Her Highness."

"Hmm, it's really rare that someone can come to the Shadow King's capital to ask for an audience..."

The guard muttered to himself, then laughed, "However, we all know about the demise of the Kingdom of Weiser. Thank you.

Wait a moment, I will go and inform His Highness, he will be very happy to see you again."

In the Shadow Capital, inside the high tower, Princess Marlin sat on the throne.

She blinked, showing a little surprise:

"You're saying that the ruler of the Shadi Kingdom is my fiancé now? And... he's been delaying you and hasn't agreed to an alliance?"

"So can we..."

Lake asked earnestly, "Help us?"

Afterwards, Lake told Princess Marin about the ministers and Prince Peter in the new capital of Shadi.

Princess Marlene fell silent after hearing this. She turned her head and saw that although there was a window inside the room, there was nothing outside the window. Or rather, there was no scenery outside the window, only a flowing shadow.

After a long moment, she looked back at Lake and whispered:
"As the only one still alive in Shadi, perhaps I should go out and rule a wandering kingdom, but..."

Her lips trembled. "I don't know what I should do. After all, I don't understand politics at all. I always listen to a lot of people, which makes me wonder what they really want.

When I was young, my father didn't teach me those things. I was like an ordinary girl. I longed for love, a prince from a foreign country, that is... the one, Prince Peter.

He is very handsome and good at talking.”

Listening to Princess Marlene's words, Lake briefly recalled that Prince Peter, although he had a certain inexplicable arrogance, as a prince, in this world, most of their appearances would not be mediocre.

"But then, my father sent me to this tower without doors or windows, and gave me these powers - this is the secret of our family.

But, my father, and grandfather... for many generations, they didn't master this power, until I, I have this gift."

Princess Marlin said this while stretching out her slender white fingers and moving them in the air.

The shadows under her feet swirled like snakes, following the movements of Princess Marlene's fingertips, forming blurred, rippling shadows.

"After years of wandering in the dark tower, I finally arrived here, in this world beneath the present world.

These vague shadows seem to me clearer than this world."

Princess Marlene released her hand, allowing the raised shadow to return to the ground.

She took a deep breath, looked at Lake, and said slowly:
"In the shadows, my ancestors taught me many things. I don't know if I really have the potential to become a king, nor do I know if I am truly ready to change things."

She extended a hand to Lake, her fair hand contrasting with the shadows, giving it a somewhat unreal beauty.

"Who am I? A girl who knows nothing? A forgotten princess?
I've been locked away in the shadows for a long time. In these seven years, my understanding of the outside world has been limited to those who strayed here from the outside world...

You came here and wanted me to make a decision and help.”

Princess Marlin looked at Lake and said seriously:

"I won't make any decision rashly, so can you let me see your shadow? It always follows you and has seen many things...something more real."

"shadow?"

Lake was stunned for a moment.

"It's like a magic trick, and it doesn't hurt."

Princess Marlene explained, "I was just watching—that's all."

After a little thought, Lake could feel that the "Princess" in front of her had no ill intentions. She didn't even have the arrogance of an ordinary princess. She was just like an ordinary girl.

"Okay, I believe you too."

After a brief thought, Lake reached out and held Princess Marin's hand. It was very cold, like pinching an ice sculpture, with a smooth and delicate touch.

"Thank you."

Princess Marlene whispered, and the next moment, part of the shadow under Lake left the ground and floated up. Then, Princess Marlene's entire body began to be covered in shadow - or rather, her body, clothes and flesh, from this moment on, began to transform into a shadow-like substance.

The bedrooms around him also began to distort and dissipate, and everything became completely dark.

There is no light at all.

In such a space, Lake and Poro found that with the help of Princess Marlin, they could see some things clearly.

It was also a shadow, the shadow coming from Lake.

The shadows began to spread, and Lake saw his own shadow and the shadows of many others in those shadows, on the flying flagship above the Goethe capital.

King Weiser was speaking, his voice sounded a little dull, but the meaning of his words could still be heard clearly.

Then, Lake swung the Star Killer Sword and stabbed King Weiser in the neck.

Then the shadow dissipated.

Lake looked at Princess Marlin in the center of the room, watching the shadow of King Weiser disappear. She fell silent, and the shadows that made up her body even trembled slightly.

She waved her hand again, and some shadows flowed along her hand, forming other pictures.

Above, the shadow of the flying ship passed over the blurry city, and then, the city began to collapse and be destroyed...

"thank you all."

Princess Marlin's voice sounded a little weak. She whispered, raised her hand, and dispelled the shadows. Another scene quickly changed before her eyes. It was the capital of the New Shadi Kingdom.

In the palace, Prince Peter sat on a high throne, speaking loudly.

Princess Marlene moved closer to Prince Peter's shadow and put her finger in, as if trying to see Prince Peter's details from the brief shadow.

But in the end, she withdrew her hand.

All the shadows disappeared, and it was still the same room, Princess Marlene's bedroom.

"Thank you. I have seen it all... from the shadows of the present world."

Princess Marlene nodded, with a hint of thought in her eyes, as if she was recalling something from long ago.

"I don't know if Prince Peter still remembers me, but..."

Princess Marlene fixed her gaze, "I will help you. I think your Goethe Kingdom is right. You should use your strength to protect more people and stop every ambitious person who wants to invade.

However, if I want to leave here, I still can't do it with my own strength."

"Do you need our help?"

Lake listened, her eyes widened, and she asked, "Do you need magic or something?"

"My strength originally comes from my ancestors. I need their help to help me return to reality from the shadows."

"Your...ancestor? Is he still alive?"

"Yes, he is not a human, or rather, I don't know how long he has survived in the shadow world, but he told me that he was once the king of the Shadi Kingdom."

As Princess Marlene spoke, the surrounding environment began to collapse, and the scenes in those bedrooms began to disappear.

No, not only that, after the disappearing shadow, Lake saw the outlines of other things, like the real appearance of the interior of the black tower, the same as the Shadi King outside.

The curved wall is built with bricks and stones stacked one by one.

There was not a single crack through which light from the outside world could penetrate. It was small and confined—there was only a bed, nothing else, nothing that could illuminate the darkness.

It's like a prison cell, an eternal prison cell.

"here……"

"If we talk about real time, I have been here for seven years."

Princess Marlene spoke, looking up, "This ceremony is very simple. It doesn't contain any magical magic. It just locks me in this tower without doors or windows. There are only shadows.

It was torture. I couldn't see anything. Even the only vent was at the top of the tower, hundreds of meters high. It was specially designed so that no light could penetrate it.

Lake listened to Princess Marin's words. There was no more detailed description, but even so, she could still feel the extreme cold.

Alone, in the dark?
Cold and dead silent.

"But after that, suddenly one day, I could see again. I saw the world behind the shadows, the oldest kingdom of Shadi since ancient times, and the city hidden in the shadows."

"The oldest city is the capital of Shadi Kingdom?"

"No, the capital of Shadi was born because of me, but what I saw at that time was a world at a deeper level, a legend that every Shadi person would hear in their childhood -

That story deep in the dream."

Then, in the drowning tide of shadows, Lake and Poro saw that the outlines of those shadows appeared again - it was a world that ordinary people could not see at all.

Even they saw only vague shadows.

"You can see those things through my eyes."

Princess Marlene spoke, and then, Lake and Poro felt a shadow entwined around their bodies. At the same time, they also saw more things—

Details in those shadows began to appear, as did some color.

But Poro knew that perhaps the shadow itself was the essence of this city, even purer than the previous Shadow Shadi King's Capital.

It is also a city, and the city's structure and style are extremely ancient.

On the streets of the city, there are many figures walking back and forth. They are only shadows, but they have many human features. Their clothes are also in the style of the Shadi people.

"In the story of Shadi, there was once a king who governed the Shadi Kingdom from a small country to a powerful nation at the peak of its power. He seemed to know everyone's secrets, whether they were lords of enemy countries or his own country—

But in his later years, he disappeared with the royal city at that time, and no one knew where the city went.

And now, you can see it for yourself.”

Princess Marlene spoke without taking a step, and the city shrouded in shadows began to surge rapidly, as if this place and the real world had two completely opposite laws.

"This is the real Shadow Capital."

No, it's more than that...

The moment Poro entered the city, he felt an invisible oppression, as if he was being stared at by a pair of eyes, and this invisible gaze came from the depths of the shadows on all sides.

The owner of this city discovered several people the moment he entered.

This wasn't him moving towards the city center, but shadows from all directions locked onto the positions of Lake and the others, and then the next moment—

At the speed of light, Lake and Poro had almost no time to react before they found themselves in an ancient palace.

At this moment, Poro also saw the owner of the sight.

He sat on the highest chair in the palace, a young man in gorgeous royal robes and a cloak, with a golden crown on his head.

But the most important thing is that this "King of Shadows" is completely different from the human-shaped shadows seen before.

His body can be seen without the help of Princess Marlene's eyes.

It was a reality more solid than shadows.

It's like a completely real human body.

And at the feet of the King of Shadows, there is also a complete shadow.

(End of this chapter)