novelraw Chapter 157 : The Silver Shoes
Chapter 157 : The Silver Shoes
Swish swish swish—
Although they couldn't hear the content of the conversation, seeing Yvonne's aggressive behavior, the surrounding soldiers responsible for guarding the palace all raised their spears, pointing at this 'criminal' with a previous record.
...Not good.
She had been too hasty.
Cold sweat seeped out layer by layer on her back, and Yvonne began to regret her recklessness.
Now that she had connections with both the royal family and the demon race, she could slowly probe and take a cautious route, gradually unearthing the buried secrets behind it all. Such rash direct questioning was really not a wise move.
But... she really couldn't hold back anymore.
Yvonne's heart had always been very anxious, she didn't have much time left.
As long as she remained in exile, her parents' safety could not be guaranteed.
"There's no need."
King Oz closed the bell and raised his hand to signal. The spears that had been pointed at Yvonne were finally withdrawn.
Today was his daughter's birthday, and King Oz didn't want the scene to become chaotic.
"Rest assured, I won't do anything unfavorable to you... so have her withdraw her magic as well."
...What does this mean?
At first, Yvonne didn't understand the king's meaning, but following his gaze and looking back, she realized that Elsa was standing not far away with a dark face, her hand extended towards Yvonne's direction with a circle of fully charged magical patterns floating above it. Only then did she understand the dangerous situation that had just occurred.
If those soldiers had taken one more step forward just now, Elsa would probably have already acted.
Although she had just started, the magical power Elsa possessed was already quite formidable. In this vast imperial palace, there were really not many who could block Elsa's magic now.
But even so, Yvonne couldn't help but shout in her heart.
—Is this fool an idiot?!
She had already warned her before coming that no matter what happened, she shouldn't act rashly.
If it were seen as an act of rebellion, it would be equivalent to opposing the entire country.
Although that person looked natural on the surface, she was actually quite shrewd at heart. She couldn't possibly not know this. Yvonne understood her better than anyone—
That idiot...
She would definitely have to lecture her properly later.
Although thinking this, Yvonne felt a warmth in her heart.
Knowing that it would put herself in an unfavorable position, she still wanted to protect her.
Thinking of this, it made her feel somewhat more at ease.
As long as she was there, she wouldn't suffer any harm.
She had promised her this, and was now prepared to do so.
At this moment, she felt more deeply than ever...
She was not alone.
Yvonne made a gesture towards her direction, indicating that she was safe and sound. Only then did Elsa lower her hand, canceling the pre-casting of the spell.
But she still didn't seem reassured enough, so Yvonne hurriedly made a request to King Oz.
"Your Majesty, can that child accompany me?"
"It's fine, let her come along."
Just now Yvonne had been regretting her rash behavior, but the other party didn't seem to be angry.
As a descendant of the great magician Oz, the king's image had always been that of a dignified and calm wise man, and it was the same in the game.
"I ask you——how much do you know about the history of this continent?"
King Oz narrowed his eyes and asked with deep meaning.
"I've read some books compiled by historians... but it's just superficial knowledge."
Hearing this, the king nodded with some satisfaction.
"Then you must have heard the story of the Great Magician Oz's apprentices... that is, the Four Witches?"
"...Yes."
The Four Witches were the Wind Witch Theodora, the Water Witch Evanora, the Earth Witch Glinda, and the Fire Witch Addaperle; the Four Witches and the Great Magician Oz together built the foundation of this country and made contracts with the Four Races.
If one had to say, Yvonne's body also contained some of the witch's magic power.
But after so many generations, this magic power had become diluted and weak.
"How do you view history? Or rather... how do you view this world?"
The king pointed his scepter at a decorative fish tank nearby.
This fish tank was placed on a display stand about half a person's height, with a width that could just be encompassed by a person's outstretched arms.
In the transparent glass tank, goldfish with colorful scales were swaying in the water, turning just before touching the transparent glass walls, and beginning a new round of swimming.
It seemed that some kind of illuminating magic scale powder had been added to the water, which was emitting a cyan light, shining brilliantly on the colorful fish scales.
Fine mud and sand, as well as visible white pebbles, were spread on the bottom of the tank, and even several aquatic plants were planted, forming a small-scale underwater landscape, just like the simulated ecosystem in biology class.
Yvonne looked at those colorful goldfish swaying in the water tank and fell into deep thought. She didn't quite understand the king's intention.
King Oz gripped the bell, his long beard quivering, and spoke again.
"—Although they are in a fish tank, the fish don't know they are in an artificially confined environment, so they remain content."
He paused, then said the most chilling words Yvonne had heard today.
"This world might not be so different."
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Many people who have played some fourth-wall-breaking game works... such as "Totono" or "Doki Doki Literature Club", would have this thought:
That is —what would happen if game characters knew they were game characters? What actions would they take?
And now, Yvonne felt closer than ever to the answer to this question.
Standing beside her, Elsa tightened her grip, firmly holding onto Yvonne's arm.
It was clear that she was nervous too.
Yvonne could well understand her current feelings, because she was also extremely nervous.
But in front of Elsa, she had to at least maintain outward calm, and not further amplify her unease.
"There's no need to be so nervous."
King Oz chuckled lightly. Now he was like a kind and gentle elder.
For some reason, the king today seemed particularly tolerant towards her. Before this, Yvonne had never realized that this person, who had almost become her father-in-law, was such a character.
"I think seeing with your own eyes is easier to understand than words—"
Leading the two, King Oz, holding the royal scepter, came to a high tower.
The overall shape of the palace was like a Disney castle, and this tower was the tallest among them.
This was the tallest building in the Oz Kingdom, also known as the Tower of God.
People here believed that as long as one was close enough to the sky, they could communicate with the God of the world.
While climbing the stairs, one could only hear their own heartbeat and footsteps.
She had always been curious about the purpose of this tower when playing in the palace as a child, and now the mystery was finally about to be unveiled.
Cold sweat also seeped from her palm, making her hand holding Elsa's somewhat sticky, but in this situation, as if to convey some kind of belief, she gripped her hand even tighter.
"I have no intention of making things difficult for you and your father—As the 'adjuster' of this world, I am only making the best choices to ensure the balance of this world."
Taking over this position meant inheriting the wisdom and memories of all previous Oz kings, so King Oz knew what this world truly was.
"As I said earlier, this world is a giant fish tank."
"Do you mean... this world is fake?"
Yvonne asked cautiously. However, King Oz shook his head repeatedly.
"It can't be asserted like that."
He explained to the two in a different way.
"Do you think the fish in the tank are living in a false environment?"
"This..."
Yvonne felt her mind struggling to keep up, but she quickly understood the implications of his words.
If she were the 'person' outside the wall, looking from the perspective of a transmigrator and game player, she could determine that this fish tank was fictional for her.
But—if the perspective changes, as a 'fish in the fish tank', she couldn't draw such a conclusion so easily.
Although it's narrow here, both the container and the water source it relies on for survival... are provided by humans, but this fish tank does exist in reality.
The reality of the world is relative.
Here, Yvonne preferred to think from an idealistic perspective. If she believed this world was real, then it was indeed real.
The amount of information was truly overwhelming. Yvonne only felt her head buzzing, and unconsciously followed behind King Oz.
He tapped the white brick on the column in the middle of the spiral staircase with his scepter. Soon, a device like an automatic door slowly opened, revealing the hollow structure inside the column.
"Come up."
This device seemed able to take them directly to the top floor.
...Actually.
There's even an elevator??
She was so surprised her mouth couldn't close.
She had already prepared herself to climb the stairs honestly, but unexpectedly, what appeared before her was something similar to a modern scientific product.
...It's really amazing.
Now Yvonne's understanding of 'Magic x Science' had advanced another step.
The unique technology points of this world might be higher than she imagined.
Although it was based on that familiar game, now, without a doubt, it had developed its own unique culture and technology.
When it evolved to this point, it was no longer just a simple game.
Without a doubt... this was a real world.
"—We've arrived."
On the top floor, various rare magical items were displayed.
Without exception, these…
"These are all tools used and left behind by the previous generation of witches... Although I'd like to introduce them to you properly, given the limited time, let's get to the main point quickly."
King Oz led the two to the center of the stone tower. If the cross-section of the stone tower was a perfect circle, this was undoubtedly the exact center of the tower. It was in harmony with the murals inside the top of the tower.
"...Ah!"
A surprised sound reflexively escaped from her mouth.
Yvonne instinctively covered her mouth and held her breath.
There was a reason for her excitement, because
What was placed before the two of them was a silver shoe.
"Could this be the Silver Shoes??"
She didn't expect to obtain information about such an important item so easily!
Yvonne felt very excited.
"That's right."
King Oz nodded with satisfaction.
"It seems you also have some understanding of it."
"...Not much understanding."
In the game, there was an item used to break through the card limit, called 'Silver Fragments', which was a limited acquisition item and also the most valuable resource in the game.
And Silver Fragments were the material that made up the Silver Shoes.
As Ampu said, there was only one Silver Shoe.
"May I ask... where is the other one?"
King Oz shook his head, then said something that shocked the two:
"This is exactly what I want to talk about—This world has been tampered with."
The omniscient and omnipotent 'Oz' was the adjuster of this world, as well as its observer and recorder. His descendants also inherited this responsibility.
"Although we don't know the purpose of the person who triggered the anomaly... with only one Silver Shoe left, its function is greatly reduced."
At this point, King Oz's eyes also became somewhat complex.
Normally, shoes should come in pairs.
The king waved his scepter, and the protective barrier covering the Silver Shoe
disappeared.
"Put it on—"
King Oz said.
"If it fits, it means you are its recognized owner."
What kind of setting is this??
Wasn't this supposed to be based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? Yvonne felt like she had jumped into Cinderella's glass slipper story.
But no matter what, this was an important item, and it had to be tried.
Yvonne tried to put her foot into this shoe that looked like it was prepared for a child.
"...It doesn't work."
Although she had a feeling it wouldn't succeed, when it actually failed, Yvonne couldn't help but let out a discouraged sound.
It really didn't fit.
This was like trying to force a size 45 foot into a size 36 shoe, how could it possibly work?
"Um... Your Majesty."
As the protagonist, Elsa felt a sense of mission at this moment. She stepped forward.
As if this was something she had to do.
"...Can I try?"
She sought the king's permission, hoping he would allow her to try on the Silver Shoe.
King Oz nodded, as if this situation was also within his expectations.
"Then sit down, I'll help you change."
"Wait??"
After sitting steady, Yvonne knelt on the ground, took off the formal shoes Elsa was wearing, revealing her delicate feet, as if they were freshly peeled eggs.
"I-I can do it myself..."
"It's fine."
Feet are so dirty! How can she put shoes on for me like this—
Being touched directly by Little Yvonne like this was somewhat embarrassing.
Yvonne didn't seem to mind, and directly lifted Elsa's slender, smooth calf with her hand, putting the silver shoe on her toes.
A very magical scene occurred. The moment the Silver Shoe touched her skin, it fit perfectly on her foot as if it was tailor-made for her.
King Oz nodded with satisfaction.
"It seems the owner of the Silver Shoes has been found."