Chapter 72

Ariel’s group was guided to the guest room of the palace, which was more luxurious than expected.

An antique carpet covered the entire floor, and an elegant chandelier hung from the ceiling, with hundreds of crystals emitting a mysterious light.

Through the tall arched windows, the lush greenery of the Lizardman Kingdom was visible at a glance.

The sunlit leaves shimmered with a fresh glow, rustling gently.

“Wow, this is better than I thought, sis.”

Roo fluttered her wings and flew toward the marble bathtub prepared in one corner of the room.

On the table next to the bathtub, golden goblets and a basket of fruits were arranged.

Roo peeked into the golden goblet and began rummaging through the fruit basket.

Ariel walked briskly across the antique carpet. It felt as soft as walking on clouds.

She then leaped and flung herself onto the bed placed in the center of the room.

The bed was enormous, probably king-sized.

A squishy sensation spread through her entire body.

Ariel rolled around on the bed. She thought there couldn’t be anything happier than sleeping on such a wide and soft bed.

Part of her wanted to sneak the bed into her inventory and use it for outdoor camping.

But she knew she’d get caught. If something as big as a bed disappeared, it would be noticed immediately.

No, even if she didn’t get caught, it would still be theft.

She didn’t want to go as far as stealing a bed.

Ariel bounced up from the bed.

Ghost and Black had already settled by the sunny window, and Roo flew over, holding a glowing red apple.

“Sis, this apple looks really sweet. Try it.”

Ariel took a bite of the apple Roo offered.

Crunch.

“!”

Fresh juice filled her mouth. The sweet, honey-like flavor made Ariel shiver slightly.

This apple was as delicious as dessert.

Holding the apple, Ariel walked out of the guest room.

“Where are you going, sis?”

Roo quickly perched on her shoulder.

As Ariel walked through the grand palace corridor, she said,

“I’m going to the water.”

“The water? There’s a bathtub in the guest room, though. It’s big enough for you and the wolves.”

“It needs to be much bigger than that.”

What Ariel wanted to do was swim. Well, it was a bit ambiguous to call it swimming.

She wanted to test if she could move through water using telekinesis without moving her body.

Clomp, clomp.

While walking through the palace corridor, she encountered a few Lizardman soldiers.

But they had already been informed, so they simply bowed respectfully and didn’t stop her.

Ariel exited the palace and looked around.

Since Lizardmen loved water, there were lakes and streams throughout the kingdom.

Surely, there must be one inside the palace.

“Whoa…!”

At that moment, Roo fluttered her wings and flew off somewhere. It was a garden blooming with colorful flowers.

“How… how beautiful…”

Roo rubbed herself against the flowers and buried her face in them, like someone intoxicated.

Roo was indeed a fairy. Fairies loved alcohol, but they also loved flowers.

“Don’t tempt me too much… I can’t resist this…”

Roo muttered as if enchanted.

Ariel also entered the garden. The wind carried the scent of roses.

The garden felt dreamlike, as if standing on the boundary between reality and a fairy tale.

Ariel began to stroll through the garden. The deeper she went, the more she found what she was looking for.

At the end of the garden, a lake appeared.

The lake was as still as a mirror. Without a single ripple, the surrounding trees, flowers, and blue sky were perfectly reflected on the calm surface.

The water lilies blooming by the shore formed a picturesque scene with the lake.

It was a sight that made one hold their breath.

The serene atmosphere above the water brought peace to the heart.

While other Lizardmen considered this a wondrous place to become one with nature, Ariel didn’t feel quite that level of admiration.

She immediately kicked off the ground and jumped into the lake.

Splash!

Ariel’s body disappeared into the lake, and the calm surface rippled. Circular waves spread out around her.

The lake was deeper than expected. Ariel reached the bottom and activated her telekinesis magic.

Her body began to move slowly. She could feel the water’s resistance, but she could still use telekinesis underwater.

Ariel smiled slightly and surged out of the water.

Splash!

The tranquil lake began to come alive.

Ariel splashed around, diving in and out like a whale.

Then she dove deep again, spinning her body like a top.

Whoosh!

The spinning grew faster, creating a fierce spray.

It was around that time that Rugerico, the Lizardman King, arrived at the lake.

*

Rugerico stood with his mouth agape, watching Ariel play in the lake.

“What… what is that…?”

The sight of her spinning and cutting through the water.

How was that even possible?

Lizardmen were experts in swimming, but he had never seen anyone swim like Ariel before.

It didn’t even seem possible.

She spun so naturally, as if one with the water, creating an elegant and mystical feeling.

The Lizardman soldiers, who had been staring in awe, snapped out of it and asked the king,

“…Should we pull that elf out right now?”

This was Monarch Lake, a space reserved only for the king.

No one but the king was allowed to set foot here.

For an elf girl to frolic in the lake as if it were her own home was no trivial matter.

“No, it’s fine… You can all leave now.”

But Rugerico dismissed the soldiers.

Ariel had entered Monarch Lake simply because she didn’t know it was the king’s private lake.

He had no intention of blaming her, and seeing her enjoy herself so much, he didn’t want to stop her.

In fact, Rugerico was slightly excited. His tail wagged in excitement, hitting the ground.

Thump, thump, thump.

Rugerico felt like jumping into the water immediately. He hadn’t swum in Monarch Lake since his younger days.

Because Monarch Lake was a place of memories, where he had enjoyed time with his queen when she was alive.

After the queen’s death, being alone in Monarch Lake brought him sadness and loneliness.

‘That’s why I’ve avoided swimming here all this time…’

But seeing Ariel swimming so dynamically in the lake made Rugerico’s heart race.

Eventually, Rugerico began to undress. He intended to enter the lake.

Originally, Lizardmen didn’t care much about clothing.

Lizardmen started wearing clothes because of the scorn from other races. They were told, “You’re already disgusting, at least wear clothes!” and were oppressed in that way.

Ariel was also of a different race to Rugerico.

That’s why Rugerico didn’t remove his underwear. While it would be more comfortable to swim without clothes, he kept his underwear on as a minimal courtesy.

Standing by the lake in his underwear, Rugerico took a deep breath. How long had it been since he last swam? It felt like he had returned to his youth.

“Ah.”

At that moment, Ariel poked her head out of the water and looked at Rugerico.

“Lizard man. Are you going to swim?”

‘Lizard man…?’

Rugerico couldn’t help but chuckle.

Calling a Lizardman a lizard was actually taboo. An aggressive Lizardman would stab a spear into the chest of anyone who called them a lizard.

It was clearly a derogatory term.

But Ariel’s tone didn’t carry any such malice, and he didn’t feel the least bit offended.

That’s why Rugerico could laugh.

‘Well, I am a lizard. And I’m not a man, I’m already an old man.’

Being called a man was actually a compliment.

With an innocent smile, Rugerico asked Ariel,

“Would you like to have a swimming race with me?”

“Sure.”

Ariel agreed immediately.

And shortly after.

“Pant, pant…”

Rugerico was gasping for breath, wearing a defeated expression.

He had been completely defeated in the swimming race against Ariel.

“You’re like a water spirit… I had no idea an elf could swim so fast!”

He knew elves were good at climbing trees, but he didn’t know they could swim so well.

Rugerico had three swimming races with Ariel and lost all three.

Even though Ariel used a simple, splashing swimming technique rather than the spinning one, she still overwhelmed Rugerico.

Ariel’s movements were somewhat clumsy, but her speed in the water was something Rugerico couldn’t match.

Rugerico looked at Ariel with a grin.

Even though he lost the race, his face was filled with joy.

The feeling of cutting through the water and swimming vigorously after so long was incredibly refreshing and exhilarating.

“Could you keep this race a secret? I’d be a bit embarrassed if word got out that I lost. I am the king, after all. Hahaha!”

Rugerico laughed heartily, slapping the water surface with his large hand, and Ariel nodded with a smile.

“I’ll keep it a secret.”