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"What's that place over there?"
Amamiya Natsuki took out the divining compass and found the direction where the castle was.
The guide loli looked up with her small face: "I don't know."
The seven dwarves also shook their heads, indicating they didn't know.
Only Snow White, wearing a hood, said, "That's the direction of the castle."
"The castle?"
Amamiya Natsuki put away the compass, "That's perfect, then."
He had already planned to steal the Magic Mirror, and now Kaguya was likely also in the city, so there was no need to run around.
Snowflakes fell thickly, as if they would continue to fall until the end of the world.
Compared to the lonely two people when they first arrived, the team's numbers had rapidly increased: seven dwarves, Little Red Riding Hood, plus one Snow White, and the lively atmosphere and morale were equally high.
Only Snow White was very unhappy.
"Commoner, take this cover off my head. I can't see anything."
"Brave One, why are you holding that commoner and not me?"
"We can have the seven dwarves pull the sleigh; they have endless strength anyway."
"…"
Hayasaka was in charge of Snow White. Faced with such an arrogant and prejudiced princess, Hayasaka Ai's response was quite simple.
"See this snowball?"
Hayasaka Ai bent down, scooped up a handful of snow from the ground, molded it into a snowball in her palm, and held it out in front of Snow White, saying nonchalantly:
"I love snowball fights the most in winter. This snowball might end up inside your clothes later, you know."
"…"
Snow White snorted lightly and fell silent.
After putting on the hood, the Simp Curse was greatly weakened. By sound alone, it could no longer turn others into simps; only those who knew how to adapt would thrive.
The journey continued.
"It's so dark," Fujiwara Chika said, her voice clear, as she walked beside Amamiya Natsuki, holding a flashlight to illuminate the path. "I never knew the wilderness was this dark."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"It's because there's too much light pollution in the city."
The most inconvenient aspect of traveling at night was the darkness.
Unlike modern times, where light pollution is everywhere, ancient nights were so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. That's why the dwarves said night travel was very dangerous.
Now, with flashlights for illumination, safety issues could be resolved, but the deep snow on the ground made walking difficult and uneven, still a hassle.
"My shoes seem to be wet from the snow, it's so cold," Fujiwara Chika kicked off the snow on her feet. "I miss Miss Werewolf who pulled the sleigh."
"Coincidentally, I miss her too," Amamiya Natsuki said. "When I went to see Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, I was still wondering if I would meet Big Bad Wolf and have her pull the sleigh, but unfortunately, I didn't."
"That's the Big Bad Wolf, isn't it?" Fujiwara Chika covered her stomach. "…The mushroom is so annoying, I feel a bit hungry again."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Hold on, if you eat more, I won't be able to carry you."
Secretary's rosy cheeks couldn't help but puff out: "You don't need to carry me! I'll lose weight after we clear this!"
"…"
After an unknown period of walking, a faint voice suddenly spoke up.
"Um… can we take a break?"
Passerby player raised her hand to cover her mouth, yawning, her voice full of exhaustion, "I feel so tired, I can barely walk anymore."
Tsubame-senpai bit her lower lip, her tone hesitant:
"I'm a bit tired too."
Hayasaka Ai frowned slightly, "We've only been walking for less than an hour since we left the cabin… Is it the mushroom's influence?"
The mushroom on Tsubame-senpai's head, like passerby player's mushroom, was a Sloth mushroom.
"It must be," Fujiwara Chika nodded in agreement. "I don't feel tired at all… just hungry. What about Hanamori-chan?"
Hayasaka Ai averted her gaze, saying nonchalantly: "I don't feel anything for now."
Actually, she did feel something.
And it was the kind that bothered her a lot.
Why did she have to look after Snow White while Chika got to walk beside Senpai and chat happily with Senpai?!
Damn it!
If there's chatting, it should only be with her!
That's right, the mushroom on this Spy Maid's head was precisely the Jealousy mushroom.
Whatever mushroom grew on one's head, the corresponding attribute would continuously magnify.
Although Hayasaka Ai showed no expression on her face, she was actually stomping her feet internally, wanting to drive Chika away and take her place.
"Senpai, come over. I'll check on the mushroom and see if it can be removed now."
Amamiya Natsuki waved.
"Oh…"
Koyasu Tsubame walked over and lowered her head.
"The mushroom seems to have grown quite a bit," Fujiwara Chika shone the flashlight on it. "It feels faster than what the dwarves said."
According to information gathered from villagers and dwarves, mushroom people are roughly divided into three stages.
The first is the larval stage, where a small mushroom grows on the head and slowly grows larger over time, with no fixed duration. During this period, it affects the mushroom person's personality.
The second stage is the mature stage, where the mushroom has grown large. At this point, inner desires begin to multiply rapidly, eventually leading to a loss of control and becoming chaotic and evil.
Finally, there is the spore stage, like Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother before. Once the mushroom is fully mature, it can even affect other people.
"Perhaps it's because players have too many distracting thoughts and impurities in their minds?"
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and touched the mushroom on Senpai's head, then quickly shook his head.
"No, it can't be removed yet."
The Dark Chef can only collect ingredients. The current mushroom does not yet meet the ingredient standard, and forcibly removing it could endanger life.
"Then there's no other way," Fujiwara Chika said softly. "We can only wait for the mushroom to grow a bit more… What if Senpai can't walk anymore?"
"It's fine," Koyasu Tsubame bit her lower lip. "I just feel a bit tired, I can still keep going."
"I don't think so," Amamiya Natsuki retorted. "If perseverance worked, then not so many people would fall into chaos and evil."
"We can't stop to rest now," Amamiya Natsuki said decisively. "Once we stop, body heat will be lost very quickly, and we'll become even more tired and cold."
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head and looked at Snow White, saying: "Excuse me, Princess, how did you leave the castle safely?"
"Of course, I just walked out," Snow White raised her chin. "No one dared to stop me."
"Then that's fine," Amamiya Natsuki smiled. "However you got in this afternoon, that's how we'll get in now."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll know soon enough."
"…"
The city gate was already closed.
Light from a fire glowed from the fortress at the entrance, and in the distance, several guards in medieval armor could be seen on duty.
Amamiya Natsuki took Snow White's hand and strode forward. Although the others were puzzled, they followed suit.
"Stop!"
"Who are you?"
"The city gate is closed. If you want to enter the city, come back tomorrow morning."
"Take off your hats!"
"…"
Several guards emerged, drawing their longswords from their waists, their voices cold and full of authority.
Amamiya Natsuki paid them no mind and yanked off Snow White's hood.
Her golden hair, more brilliant than gold, her skin, whiter than snow, and her lips, redder than plum blossoms, instantly captivated the guards' attention.
"It's Snow White!"
"So… so cute."
"Princess is indeed the most beautiful person in the world."
"…"
The Simp Curse quietly activated.
The eyes of the guards facing Snow White went straight.
Amamiya Natsuki slowly took out a dagger, placed it close to Snow White's face, and smiled: "You don't want the Princess to get hurt, do you?"
In ancient times, warriors wielded Medusa's head to wreak havoc; today, I'm using Snow White's face to get by, which is quite normal and nothing wrong with it.
"Damn it!"
"Quickly release the Princess!"
Several guards immediately became furious and were about to step forward.
"Don't move," Amamiya Natsuki said calmly, "If you move, I might not be able to hold the dagger steady."
"Don't come over."
Snow White cooperated, speaking with a voice like a heavenly melody.
All the guards instantly stopped; one guard even dropped his weapon to the ground, clutched his chest, and looked infatuated.
Amamiya Natsuki gestured with his eyes: "Open the city gate; we need to enter."
One guard struggled to speak: "The Queen said no one is allowed into the city after dark..."
"It's the Queen again."
Snow White was very unhappy to hear this, so she actively cooperated, biting her pink lips slightly and showing a tearful expression, "Please open the city gate."
Clang.
Two more guards dropped their weapons to the ground.
"Don't hurt Snow White!"
"We'll open the gate immediately!"
Several guards completely abandoned their duties, scrambling to open the city gate.
Fujiwara Chika and Tsubame-senpai and the others stood behind, unaffected by the charm, and were now all dumbfounded.
"So amazing... No, it's so terrifying."
"So pitiful."
"Fortunately, we didn't become simps."
...
Having passed by 'face', Amamiya Natsuki and the others entered the city unimpeded.
It wasn't actually late, but due to the wind and snow, the sky was already pitch black, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets.
"The buildings all feel very small," Fujiwara Chika looked around, "It feels only slightly richer than a village."
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"Compared to the buildings, I think we should be more concerned about what's underfoot."
"Huh, why?"
"Why were high heels invented?"
Hearing Amamiya Natsuki's rhetorical question, Fujiwara Chika's eyes immediately widened, "N-no way?!"
High heels, this invention, first originated in Europe. Because of the poor hygiene in the Middle Ages, the ground was covered in indescribable things—like the Louvre in France.
Today it looks solemn, magnificent, and beautiful, but in the Middle Ages, it was actually too dirty to look at.
Why does France have so many palaces?
Because only by building many palaces could they move out to seek refuge when one palace became too dirty to walk in.
In short, to avoid stepping on those things, the French invented high heels.
The development level of the fairy tale kingdom was similar to that of medieval Europe, so Amamiya Natsuki naturally had to remain vigilant.
The other girls were also startled and began to watch their steps carefully.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario did not happen; there was only snow on the ground, which made them breathe a sigh of relief.
"The compass can only confirm that we are inside the city," Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Spy Maid, "Hanamori, the rest is up to you."
"Leave it to me, Senpai."
Hayasaka Ai nodded seriously, took out a hairpin, and began to search for the Young Lady; although a mushroom grew on her head, it did not hinder her from performing her duties as a maid.
This hairpin was bound to Kaguya-san; it would glow when the distance shortened and dim when it moved away, working very effectively.
Led by Hayasaka Ai, the group traversed the streets and alleys, finally arriving in front of a building.
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