Chapter 572: 482 [Oath Stake]
At this moment, Reiger was in the midst of a star ocean.
It was an endless expanse without a known end, yet it was incredibly beautiful—a star ocean.
In this ocean, there were flowers, trees, mountains, and rivers. Despite being within the star ocean, there was a variety of beautiful scenery from within the planets, which seemed rather marvelous.
Reiger felt quite content in such a star ocean and even had a thought.
"If there exists such a thing as an ideal world, then perhaps this is it?"
Having this thought, Reiger found that the beautiful view in front of him suddenly changed.
It was no longer beautiful.
It was no longer comfortable.
A terrifying storm hit the place, like a blizzard in winter. It wilted the flowers, withered the trees, eventually turning mountains into snowy ranges, and freezing the rivers into ice—transforming an idyllic haven into a world filled with the despair of an apocalypse.
Reiger, who had just been feeling content, now felt his mood plummet to an all-time low.
At that time, a voice drifted into Reiger’s ears.
"There is no such thing as an ideal world in this world, and I do not need one."
The voice was as cold as ice.
Upon hearing this voice, Reiger immediately spotted a figure.
Like him, the figure stood amidst the blizzard, the cold wind blowing across a desolate icy landscape, fluttering a dark robe and lifting a head of snow-white hair.
"Do you yearn for such a place?"
The queen who ruled over the winter asked, her back to Reiger.
Gazing at the queen, Reiger was silent for a long, long time.
Then, he spoke.
"Who doesn’t wish for their surroundings to become better?"
He gave such an expected answer.
The queen of the cold winter, however, sneered at this.
"Humans may think so, but fairies do not."
"Fairies might think so, but I do not."
"And if I do not, then you surely do not either."
"Because you are Reiger Brillhaut, a man who loves adventure, excitement, and tense battles, to the extent of risking your own life in perilous situations."
"What you desire is not an ideal world, but a playground where you can chase freedom."
As she said this, the queen who ruled over the winter turned around to face Reiger.
The queen did not wear the Thorny Crown nor wield the Scepter Spear. She was, quite literally, defenseless against Reiger.
Her appearance was still stunning and alluring, like a goddess from paradise as well as a witch from hell, extremely tempting yet supremely dangerous.
Subsequently, the high and mighty queen walked towards Reiger, coming to stand before him.
No, it was not as simple as just standing before him.
The queen, both goddess and witch, nestled into Reiger’s embrace, caressing his face, looking up at him with a smile of unparalleled beauty.
"You and I are the same, entities that have rejected our own worlds, choosing the world of another."
"I won’t say that I can give you the amusement park of your dreams, but what I have, you will surely possess."
"The Fairy Country of Britain is mine, but it is also yours."
Tempting words lingered around Reiger’s ear, as the queen, both goddess and witch, leaned in close, whispering softly.
"Rule this island with terror by my side, my dearest husband."
With those words, the queen’s lips met Reiger’s.
"Buzz!"
At that instant, the entire world struck by winter blazed with light, causing a mystical array with crossed spears to emerge on the ground.
The man and woman, embracing at the very center of this world, became inseparable, completely merging into one.
...
"————!"
Suddenly, Reiger awoke.
He sat up abruptly, instinctively covering his throbbing head, closing his eyes, calming his rapidly accelerating heartbeat.
"What was that...?"
Reiger murmured softly, as if in a moan, his mind feeling as if it was filled with glue, utterly chaotic.
As he composed himself and the dizziness in his head subsided significantly, a familiar yet strange voice reached his ears.
"Are you awake?"
Upon hearing this voice, Reiger’s hand, which had just begun to move from his head, stopped.
He remembered what had happened before he lost consciousness and also realized the situation he might be facing now.
This caused Reiger to fall silent for a long while until, seeming to have prepared himself mentally, he lowered his hand and opened his eyes.
As he opened his eyes, Reiger saw where he was.
It was a grand hall.
The hall was as solemn as a temple and as serene as a palace, reminiscent of a king’s audience chamber, at least in terms of atmosphere.
And in fact, it was so.
The proof lay in the fact that there were few decorations and furniture, save for an unmistakably expensive throne at the furthest end.
Reiger was lying on this throne, having turned it into his bed.
Of course, he was not alone.
Right in front of Reiger, the same figure who had appeared in his dream, now wearing the Thorny Crown and holding the Scepter Spear—the winter queen—stood there.
"It seems you had a pleasant dream, my husband."
The Fairy Queen, who had ruled over the Fairy Country of Britain for two thousand years, looked straight at Reiger and spoke such words to him.