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

59-Snow White

“Haa, haak!”

“Hmph~ is that all you got?”

Rough breaths poured endlessly from my mouth. My heart felt like it was going to burst, and I could feel my blood pumping fiercely. Sweat streamed down my body, which was burning hot.

Alice was above me, making a spiteful face. She looked down at me with a look that was both condescending and endearing.

*Splaaash!*

Then, a cool deluge of water crashed over my face. Pushing Alice aside, Ariel appeared, beaming, and reached out a hand to me.

[My prince, you okay? You don’t need to do this brutal training! Don’t worry with me here!]

That’s right. I’m currently training. It’s gotten easier to use a sickle than before, but I’ve realized, with bone-deep clarity, that my weak body still stands no chance against strong enemies. So, I asked Alice and Ariel to train me.

To make me stronger. To see a happy ending.

So I spent an hour sparring with Alice. Though it was called sparring, it was really just one-sided assault. I was mostly busy dodging Alice’s attacks. Even if I tried to find a gap to strike, another wave of attacks would immediately come, and all I could do was run.

Alice was really trying to kill me, and Ariel intervened whenever I was in danger, blocking attacks or healing my injuries.

It’s truly agonizing.

“B-but, rather than just being protected, I want to do something on my own.”

The fact that I’m making an effort now is rewarding in itself. I grinned and took Ariel’s hand.

Ariel smiled as if she couldn’t help it and pulled me up.

“Honey~ I knew it, but you’re really weak. Considering both Rapunzel and the gingerbread house, it’s a miracle you even survived, you know.”

[What are you saying to our prince! Ignore her, my prince!]

“Haha, it’s true though. Still, if I keep training like this, won’t I become somewhat decent someday?”

Alice chuckled and shrugged.

“Well, maybe eventually.”

“Huuuh~awn. Everyone’s busy in the morning.”

Then, Adele, who had been sleeping in, stretched and got up. No, with the sparring, nearby trees were getting smashed, and I was yelling all sorts of things, and he’s just waking up now? Just how heavy a sleeper is he?

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shuffled towards us.

“Is breakfast still far off?”

What can I say. It kinda pisses me off. Alice, grinning, approached Adel like he’d mistaken this place for a hotel, and grabbed a fistful of his hair.

“How’s a fist for breakfast? You seem to think we’re your maids, maybe this’ll knock some sense into you.”

“H-hey! No, no! I-it was just a joke!”

“Right~? A joke~?”

Alice burst into laughter, slapping Adel on the back, sending him stumbling to his knees.

“Haha! Of course! It was just a joke!”

Adel chuckled nervously in response.

[Seriously, what a weird little dwarf]

Eriel shook her head. She glanced beyond the forest, then handed me some dried jerky. It was the meat from the boar we’d butchered yesterday, cured and dried.

[You’ll be hungry from your prince training. Have some of this. We’ll be meeting the hunters soon.]

“Ah, thanks.”

As I took the jerky, the pot-bellied dwarf, Adel, stared at it, his eyes wide. A string of drool hung from his mouth.

“Well, let’s just eat breakfast now.”

So, we decided to grill the leftover meat from yesterday. There weren’t really any other cooking tools, so just like yesterday, we had to eat it skewered, but no one complained. It was amazing. When someone mentioned kimchi stew, we were completely terrified. This was the best food compared to that.

Adel gobbled down the meat, filling his belly, and I stared at him for a bit before asking,

“Adel, how much further until we get there?”

“Chomp chomp, huh? Ah, get there? Chomp chomp, gulp! Let’s see, our base is about an hour away if we just walk. Our princess is there, too.”

An hour wasn’t that far. The outline of the castle was now clearly visible. But there was something strange: a beam of black light was shooting out from the castle’s highest point, creating a huge dark cloud in the sky. Because of this, the kingdom was trapped in a dreary darkness.

“Hmph~ A princess. What kind of princess is she? Hopefully not some wicked princess sacrificing things to demons, right?”

“How can you say such rude things!…is what I should say. Haha! Absolutely not!”

He’d clearly just swallowed back his anger at Alice’s words. Adel gave a nice, people-pleasing smile.

“Your skin is as pale as fresh snow, you are as beautiful as a single rose, and you are a revolutionary princess.”

[What mission did that revolutionary princess give us?]

“Haha, that, that’s top secret so… Well! Anyway, the princess will be overjoyed to meet you all!”

[So, can we get the VIP treatment in your kingdom? I’ve been working nonstop lately and my body’s all stiff.]

“Why, of course! As for a place to sleep, we can provide you with one, as many as you want! Please, stay as long as you like! Hahahaha!”

Adel intentionally showed off an exaggerated laugh. Alice and Ariel glanced at him and then focused back on the meat.

Hmm, it seems like these two are mistaken in thinking Snow White is in the kingdom. Well, considering this is a place where stories are twisted, there’s a chance of that, but the basic framework doesn’t stray far, so if I’m right, the revolutionary Snow White is probably hiding from the Queen and preparing for something.

“What kind of person is Snow White? Not like, her looks, but her personality, things like that.”

“Oh, well she’s very, ahem! She’s a strong person! The strongest person I’ve ever met!”

“Heh~ Stronger than me?”

Alice leaned forward and Adel flinched, avoiding her gaze.

“Haha~ I mean, her inner strength. Our princess has a really strong spirit. On the outside, she looks like she’d break if you touched her, but in reality, she’s endlessly strong. On the other hand, she’s also so fragile, it really worries me.”

A soft smile, one I’ve never seen before, spread across Adel’s face. A proud, beaming smile mixed with worry.

“Hearing Adel say it like that, it seems she’s a wonderful princess.”

At my words, Adel grinned, showing his gums.

“Hahaha! Of course! Our princess is the best!”

“So is the revolutionary princess currently being pursued in the kingdom?”

“Well, yeah. But don’t worry. Our headquarters is so well-hidden it’s hard to find… Eek!? What, how did you know that!”

Adel jumped up from his seat like a spring, completely startled.

“Hah hah. Guess so.”

[Shock! Chased by the kingdom, what is this about?!]

“Kyahaha, I knew it. There wasn’t a single place that felt right. Did she kill a king or something?”

Adele, flustered and not knowing what to do, eventually wore a look of resignation and let out a deep sigh.

“Haa, alright. I’ll tell you the truth.”

He settled back into his seat and fiddled with the meat skewer.

“Actually, our princess is wanted. She’s been framed for assassinating the king.”

“What, she *did* assassinate the king? Kyahaha! This is fun?”

[He said framed! Clean out your ear holes!]

Framed for assassinating the king. It’s probably the queen then. The picture’s forming. The queen killed the king and pinned it on Snow White. So Snow White ran and hid around here.

Adele gave an awkward smile and continued.

“The reality is different. After the previous queen, Snow White’s mother, passed away, the new queen is the culprit. She murdered the king and framed Snow White.”

Mhm, just as I suspected so far.

“Snow White ran in a hurry to escape the queen’s grasp. She ran as far as possible from the kingdom. That’s when she met us seven dwarfs, and since we were indebted to the previous queen, we decided to listen to her story and help her.”

“Wait a minute. You said she ran far from the kingdom, but isn’t this near the kingdom?”

Adele shook his head ruefully.

“No. This isn’t the castle where the queen resides, but the castle of Count Baekjek, her minion. After the king’s death, the queen expanded her power. Our princess’s base is inside there.”

[Isn’t that too dangerous? How could they think of making a base in the territory of a minion?]

“It’s because the safest place is often right under your nose. They’ve been planning for a long time without being discovered. They’re gathering comrades to reclaim the nation while escaping the hands of the damned vampire.”

Huh? Did I mishear? I blinked and asked.

“A vampire?”

“Yeah, a vampire.”

“That… a vampire, the monster that drinks people’s blood?”

“That’s right.”

“And burns up in the sun?”

“Correct.”

Crazy. A vampire! No, are vampires even in fairy tales? Is that why this kingdom is always covered in storm clouds? To block out the sun?

“Hmm~ I get it now. So your mission was to find people to support the princess’s rebellion, wasn’t it? It would be hard to find them in there, so you were looking for them outside, in a safe place. You even went to other kingdoms, I guess?”

Alice said, resting her chin on her hand. Adel nodded, looking dejected.

“Yes, that’s right. But no one would help, they said. I asked the surrounding kingdoms for assistance, but they were too busy dealing with their own problems and didn’t want to risk the notorious Queen’s wrath. On the way back, I even… lost my companions.”

[So you were trying to take us as soldiers!?]

“Shamelessly, yes… it’s true…”

Ah, so that’s it. Now I get why he said the mission was a success. From Adel’s perspective, Alice alone would be a powerful force, so he must have been sure that if he just brought us there, he could persuade us to join somehow.

“You’re bold, aren’t you?”

Alice smiled savagely, and Adel, his survival instincts kicking in, immediately hid behind me.

“H-Hick! I didn’t mean to! I-I was going to tell you! Hey, Si-yu. I-I’m begging you. Please, won’t you help us? If it’s you guys, you’ll definitely be a great help to the princess! I’m begging you, please!!”

Adel immediately prostrated himself and started begging.

He was groveling with all his might, hands and feet burning.