I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Rapunzel (5)

I am weak. I am neither brave nor a great hero. But there is only one reason why I swing my scythe at these golden monsters here. Rapunzel. I must meet her. I must hear her story.

To understand the true intention behind her tearful plea to be killed. I move forward. Because I am Rapunzel’s boyfriend.

“Huff, huff.”

Sweat pours down like rain. The sweat stings as it seeps into the wounds I got while narrowly dodging attacks. There is no end. I barely managed to defeat the remaining hair monsters. Their movements were slower than expected and they had many gaps.

But they kept coming out endlessly. No matter how much I cut and cut. From below, from the ceiling, golden hair squirmed and gave birth to monsters. As if mass production was possible like in a factory. That’s why I was still on the first floor. I could already feel my stamina draining away.

My arm holding the scythe trembles, and I take rough breaths, feeling a terrible sensation as if someone is gripping my lungs and shaking them.

Whoosh!

The hair monster charging at me swung its arms to grab me, but I lightly leaned back and swung the scythe, holding it as close to the blade as possible.

Although the endlessly repeating situation was exhausting and difficult, there was one good thing. Experience points. Now, I was gaining experience points, and my proficiency with the scythe was increasing. Swinging it recklessly and wildly is a foolish act. If I swing this heavy scythe recklessly, I will quickly lose stamina and become exhausted.

So, I am figuring out how to apply force according to the situation, using the weight balance concentrated on the scythe’s blade. I don’t have to cut them entirely. Even if I cut off just one part, like an arm, leg, or head, they lose their strength and collapse.

Moreover, I have roughly learned their attack patterns, making it much easier to dodge.

If this were a game, it would feel like leveling up through hunting.

But the throbbing wounds screamed that I must not let my guard down. The destructive power of these monsters cannot be ignored. Even a graze causes flesh to twitch and blood to pour out.

If I get hit properly, I will at least suffer a serious injury, if not death.

Don’t lose your tension. And think. Think of a way to break through this situation.

“Hah!”

I dodged the fist of the monster charging at me by ducking my head and used the rotational force of my body to slash its shoulder. The arm of the hair monster fell off with a thud.

The monster lost its magical power and returned to ordinary hair. With this, I defeated all the hair monsters again. And as always, new monsters were preparing to appear. The wriggling masses of hair, as if they were resurrecting eggs.

Now is my chance.

I gritted my teeth and ran at full speed. I heard the monsters waking up and roaring behind me. They pounded the floor and chased after me, but I never looked back. My goal is only one. To climb the tower.

With the determination to climb even one more floor rather than continue fighting the resurrecting monsters here, I quickly ascended the stairs.

Tap, tap, tap! Thanks to my large build, I managed to put some distance between myself and the slow-moving monsters. I could see them on the spiral staircase. They were relentlessly pursuing me. Don’t they ever get tired?

Sweating profusely, I reached the end of the stairway hell and found an old door. I immediately turned the doorknob, slammed the door shut, and leaned against it, trying to calm my heavy breathing.

“Hoo, hoo. I’m exhausted.”

Have I ever sweated this much in my life? It would be nice to have a moment to rest. As soon as I thought that, my body suddenly tilted backward, and I fell.

“Ouch! What, what is this?”

There was definitely a door I was leaning against, but when I looked back, there was nothing but empty space. It was a relief that the monsters weren’t coming up, but something felt off.

“Oh, oh, is this child truly my daughter!”

At that moment, I heard a familiar voice in front of me and stood up, gripping my scythe tightly. It was the king. The king of the cursed kingdom, not with a stiff and unnatural face, but with a bright, smiling expression. This was no ordinary space.

It seemed to be a bedroom. On a luxurious bed, the queen, who looked exhausted from childbirth but had a contented expression, was touching the chubby cheeks of a cute baby wrapped in a clean veil. Despite being just born, the baby had a head full of dazzling golden hair.

The king, too, was smiling happily as he touched the child. Surrounding them were several vassals and servants, congratulating them.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

“She is truly a beautiful princess!”

“Hahaha! Indeed! She’s a daughter so precious, she wouldn’t hurt even if I put her in my eye! You’ve really worked hard.”

The queen shook her head, looking at the baby with eyes full of love.

“No, it was this child who worked hard to come out. I am really looking forward to seeing how she will grow.”

“I feel the same way! Hahaha!”

It was a harmonious atmosphere. It seemed they couldn’t see my blood-soaked, scythe-wielding figure. What is this? Just a moment ago, a monster was trying to kill me, and now I’m in a peaceful bedroom.

I cautiously approached them, still wary. My eyes weren’t deceiving me. It was the king who had seen the black rabbit. He looked younger, though.

Which means this baby is…

“The name Rapunzel would be nice!”

“Your Majesty, do you really like the name Rapunzel that much?”

Rapunzel. A vegetable that looks similar to cabbage, which is said to be good to eat during pregnancy. Was it the king’s favorite vegetable? That’s why he named her Rapunzel.

This is the past. The memory of the moment Rapunzel was born. And from what I’ve heard, she will appear at this very moment.

“Your Majesty!! Your Majesty!!!! It’s dangerous!!!!”

A man came running, drenched in sweat, to the sacred place where the princess had given birth. He was panting heavily, his plump belly jiggling. The man appeared to be in his thirties, a middle-aged man. He had thinning hair that looked like it could be blown away by the slightest breeze. The width of his forehead, visible as he ran, made one shake their head.

“Godel! Running in like this, saying it’s dangerous! What are you talking about?”

“Huff, huff. Ha! Your, ha!”

Godel was on the verge of collapsing, barely able to catch his breath. The king, unable to watch any longer, gestured for a maid to bring him some cool water.

Godel grabbed the glass with his sweaty hands, and when his fingers slightly touched the maid’s hand, she made a face as if she had touched something dirty. Meanwhile, Godel grinned broadly.

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

“Ah! Now I can live! Oh no, this is not the time for this! Your Majesty! It’s dangerous!”

“So what exactly is dangerous?”

“I am sorry to inform you, but the child born now possesses a power stronger and more dangerous than any magic I have ever felt. It is so evil and ominous that it could be considered the essence of evil!”

Everyone who heard the news was shocked.

“Godel! No matter how great your achievements, I cannot allow you to speak such nonsense about my daughter!”

The queen strongly warned, but Godel shook his head sadly.

“Your Majesty, this is reality. There was a prophecy long ago. The worst being that would spread a curse upon this kingdom would be born, and the only one who could stop her would be the chosen one. If she is not stopped, the world will be led to ruin.”

Godel spoke with a serious expression. Somehow, it felt like his eyes were staring straight at me, behind the queen.

“This child is that worst being.”

Whoosh! Suddenly, a strong wind blew from somewhere, and the bedroom in front of me was completely disheveled. All the characters scattered in the wind and disappeared. They turned into a handful of golden hair. I gazed bitterly at the piles of hair.

To be treated as a cursed child from birth. It means you shouldn’t have been born.

Where in the world does such a thing exist?

I clenched my fist tightly.

At that moment, the pile of hair wriggled and soared high into the ceiling. Moving as if alive, the hair began to weave grotesquely. Soon, the shape became consistent and turned into a giant mouth.

The golden mouth spat out saliva and shouted.

“Curse!!!! Cursed child!!! Curse!!! Rapunzel is a cursed child!!!!”

I frowned and thrust my sickle.

“That’s just a superstition. So shut that mouth!!”

“Curse!!!!!!”

Ugh, my eardrums are going to burst! I rushed towards the noisy giant mouth. Annoying. Cursed from birth? A child destined to destroy the world?

What basis do they have to spout such nonsense, like a cult? To a child who has done nothing but be born. Just a baby.

Whoosh! A large, thick tongue shot out from the golden mouth like a frog, aiming for my torso. I had no intention of getting hit by such a slow attack. I jumped up and climbed the tongue, reaching the top of the mouth.

“Don’t insult my girlfriend!!!”

The sharp blade reflected in the gold as I struck the mouth.