Chapter 27: A short reunion
It had been over a week and there had still been no sign of Rose. The odds were high that she was either dead, captured, or fled the city. Doem didn't seem to think so, as his people were still searching and there were more wanted posters plastered everywhere. Alexia was also not ready to give up on her friend. She was willing to do just about anything to try and help her.
Which explained why she and Pooch were where they were.
"You know," Pooch said. "When I came here to the big city, I imagined a lot of different scenarios of things that could happen. Tramping through the sewers with a princess somehow never made the list."
"Oh, shut up," she growled. "We haven't gotten any clues looking everywhere else, and I got information from a reliable source that she's down here."
"What kind of source?"
The image of an obnoxious, arrogant, overdeveloped elf came into her mind. "That information is classified; all you need to know is that the source has been pretty reliable up until now."
Poochie grunted in reply.
If things actually worked out and they really did find Rose down here she'd be damned if she gave that porn writer a speck of credit.
Alexia was feeling annoyed since many of the reports sent in from big titty elfy had actually proved accurate. Alexia had been astounded at how much information a slutty elf could uncover on the Diablos Cult. Shadow Garden must have been a much better hidden organization as she'd never given them anything on them.
Alexia grinned to herself. That's probably because word is Shadow Garden is a completely female organization except for its leader. I bet the porn writer gets all her leads by shaking those damn milk jugs in guys' faces.
Well, whatever her methods, the slut elf had delivered a lot of good intel. Last night she'd found a single sheet of paper left on her bedroom pillow. How it had gotten there and who had delivered it she had no idea. Previously all the correspondence with the porn writer had gone through Rose. Alexia was a little bothered that someone like big tits had the connections to deliver a note to her bedroom without a single guard or servant knowing about it. The note had read:
Princess Alexia,
I have information that Rose Oriana may be in the labyrinth beneath the city.
Natsume
P.S. – I should be publishing my new novel, 'The Shameless Noble Woman' later this year. I am dedicating it to you and will be sending you a free autographed copy. I hope you find the scenes accurate.
"What the hell did that slut mean by accurate?" Alexia growled.
"You say something?"
"Nothing!" she snapped.
"Well, you're in a good mood. Is it that time of the month again?"
She sent him a withering gaze. "You know if I murder you down here no one will ever find the body."
Poochie was unfazed by the death threat. "You know this place is pretty fancy for a sewer."
As they were walking, they passed doors, stairs, arches, statues, and even stain glass windows. The architecture would have fit in perfectly inside the royal palace.
"When the capital was originally founded my family built secret passageways down here in case we ever had to escape from some emergency. Over the centuries by ancestors kept expanding it. They added false passages that lead nowhere or run in a circle. Rooms for secret ceremonies. There are even supposed to be some secret vaults where valuables could be stored."
Poochie perked up noticeably. "There's hidden treasure?"
Alexia frowned. "Don't get any weird ideas Pooch. If there really are hidden vaults, then their contents belong to the kingdom and my family. Not that you would ever be able to find them, we've lost all the maps over the years, so this entire area is one vast unknown labyrinth."
"So, you're saying if the treasure suddenly disappeared no one would notice."
"Poochie, anything my family would go to the trouble of hiding down here would be rare and precious. It might even be something on the level of an artifact or holy relic."
"So, you're saying that this treasure's incredibly valuable."
"Hey! It's not just lying around you know. IF it even really exists. I'm sure these hidden vaults would be protected by deadly traps."
"So, you're saying this treasure's really worth getting then."
Seeing him only getting more excited the more she warned him she went over and smacked the back of his head. "No! Bad Poochie! Bad! No stealing national treasures!"
He rubbed the back of his head and gave her a glum look. "I was just kidding, obviously a plain and ordinary academy student like me would never do anything dangerous. Like, oh I don't know, hunting down a slasher or searching an unexplored labyrinth."
"Those are completely different, doing dangerous things is totally fine so long as it's my idea."
For some reason, Poochie sent her an aggrieved look.
XXX
They continued creeping about for maybe a couple of hours when Poochie came to a sudden stop.
"What? Did you hear something?" Alexia asked.
He turned to her with a serious expression. "I have to go drop a deuce."
"What? What's a deuce?"
"I have to fertilize a field."
"Fertilize a field? Are you saying you want to be a farmer?"
He sighed. "I need to take a shit."
"… You have got to be kidding me. What do you eat in the morning? Have you tried a low fiber diet?"
"Sorry," he hurried away. "I'll be back as soon as I can, but I feel like this one might take a while."
She stood there in the middle of a sewer and watched him disappear behind an archway. "And that's the man I dream about spending my life with. Geez, maybe I really am an idiot."
She sat down on a marble bench that happened to be there and waited.
He was gone an awfully long time. Alexia was thinking that maybe she should contact a medical specialist and put Poochie on a special diet.
That was when she suddenly felt a strong burst of mana. Alexia jumped to her feet, poured magic into her legs, and dashed in that direction. This might make finding Poochie a bit harder, but she had to investigate this!
The traces of mana were fading, but they led her to the smashed in door of what looked like a cathedral. Within there was stained glass depicting the three heroes slaying the demon Diablos, a grand piano, the bodies of four men dressed in black, and…
"Rose!"
Her friend jumped a bit as if startled, then turned to her. She was holding a bloodied sword in one hand. Her face and clothes were dirty, but otherwise she looked fine.
"Alexia? What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you obviously! Poochie and I have both been searching for you ever since you ran off."
"C… Cid? He's been looking for me this whole time?"
"Well, of course he has. Aren't we all friends?" This was definitely not the time to tell her Pooch knew about her feelings for her and supported them. "We got separated but he's somewhere close by."
She glanced at the broken door and there were tears in her eyes. "Cid… he really did believe in me."
Rose's reaction was a bit much, but she'd been through an awful lot these past several days. Having been kidnapped and imprisoned while having blood siphoned out of her, Alexia could sympathize. Going through extreme trauma tended to make your emotions run a bit wild.
"Listen, Iris is willing to hear your side of things. We just need to get you back safely to the palace. As soon as we meet with my sister, I'm sure we can fix everything."
Rose stared longingly at the door, but then shook her head and wiped her eyes. "No, no, I can't walk that path now. It's too late."
"What are you talking about? It's only been a week! I'm sure once you talk to Iris and get her support, we can bring my dad on side too and he can explain things to your father and-"
Rose was shaking her head. "I'm afraid that won't work."
"Why not?" Alexia demanded, getting frustrated.
"It's already too late."
"What do you mean? No matter how powerful Doem is, what can he do against two kings?"
"You don't understand," Rose looked heart broken.
"Explain it to me then!"
"I can't. That would involve you and the kingdom. I understand now that this has to be dealt with internally. I've been granted power, and I know what I need to do now."
"What do you mean by that?" Alexia demanded. "Rose, what are you planning to do?"
But rather than answer, Rose forced a smile. "Alexia, you've been such a wonderful friend. Ever since we came back from Lindwurm, you've been truly kind to me. All despite knowing my feelings."
Alexia couldn't help but squirm a bit. She didn't want another love confession or for Rose to ask her to run away with her.
"You are truly a good, kind person who cares about others. I can understand why Cid lo… likes you the way that he does. Whatever comes I want you to know I treasured our time together and am grateful to have gotten to make so many happy memories with both you and Cid."
"Why are you talking like a soldier leaving on a suicide mission? You haven't killed anyone, Rose!" Alexia glanced at the four dismembered. "Well, you haven't killed anyone who didn't deserve it, I'm sure. I don't know what kind of power Doem has or what exactly happened that night. But there's no way it can't be handled if we just work together."
Rose shook her head. "I'm sorry, Alexia. I refuse to drag you into this." She performed a deep and graceful bow. "But thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. And please, could you tell Cid I l…" she hesitated and took a deep breath. "Tell Cid I thank him for having faith in me. Goodbye."
With that Rose turned on her heel to go.
"Stop right there!" Alexia drew out her sword. "Whatever it is you're planning to do I'm sure it's stupid and reckless. I would have much preferred you coming with me voluntarily, but if the only way I can help you is by beating you unconscious and dragging you out of here, that's what I'll do."
Rose halted and faced her. "I understand."
There was nothing more to say.
Both girls drew on mana to strengthen their bodies and dashed forward. Unlike last time, Alexia was going into this knowing it was a real fight. Rose wouldn't blindside her this time. After all their many training sessions together, Alexia had a good idea of the girl's ability and felt the two of them were fairly evenly matched in skill and mana reserves. She had a good chance to-
XXX
When Alexia opened her eyes, it took her a moment to realize she was moving. Her jaw was hurting for some reason.
"You awake?" Pooch said.
As she regained her senses, she realized she was on Poochie's back being carried through the sewers. "Huh? Wait, what…"
"I found you unconscious in an abandoned church, along with four dead guys dressed in black. Do you just automatically get ambushed by people whenever I have to leave you to take a shit?"
"Rose! What about Rose?"
She felt his shoulders shrug. "I think we'll have to call off the search for today. There might be more guys in black lurking around."
"No! I found Rose! I was trying to stop her from leaving!"
"You did?" Pooch looked at her in surprise. "What happened? There wasn't any sign of her when I showed up."
"I'll tell you everything later," she groaned.
After all her effort she'd found Rose, but their reunion had been a painfully short one. She still had no idea what had happened to cause Rose to stab Doem. Even worse, she had no idea what Rose's plans were. What she did know was that there was nothing she could do about them. All Alexia could do now was worry about her friend and hope she would get another chance to help her in the future.
"Hey," Poochie said. "Can I ask you something?"
"Just wait until we're back on campus. I promise I'll tell you everything."
"No, not that, I was just wondering if you've put on weight."
"What?"
"Because you are definitely heavier than the last time, I carried you. Did all those chocolates go straight to your hips?"
XXX
And no one ever saw Cid Kagenou ever again.