I could hear people all around quickly heading up to the chamber. I was a bit surprised after the fuss we had made that they weren’t already upon us. However, when I stepped out into the hall, although I could hear countless demons coming toward us from both directions, I hadn’t seen any yet. If I had Portal, this wouldn’t even be an issue. I’d simply cast the spell and escape with ease. However, I couldn’t teleport.
“Teleport! Of course!”
The idea hit me immediately. I spun, grabbing Carmine, and then diving into a room right next to the chambers that held the princess. A few moments later, I heard men run by in the hallway, and even kick in the door. However, I had a feeling that they wouldn’t be checking this room at all. I had a feeling that those guards would treat this room like it didn’t even exist.
“A… safe room?” Carmine looked around worriedly.
“Is your mind clearing?” I asked.
“Ah! Y-yes!” She nodded. “I mean, I’m a Paladin, so the miasma wasn’t affecting me too much in the first place, but I suppose if this was a safe room, then it wouldn’t affect me much in here either.”
Within a safe room, the miasma was repelled. Monsters wouldn’t usually enter this room, and it was a good place to rest up if you were feeling beat. I didn’t know why it existed, but it was a concession that the curses gave those that tried to challenge them. In this case, all of the demons out there wouldn’t notice this room. Only Bernard would be able to see it, and there was a good chance he wasn’t looking for it.
It wouldn’t show up on a map, and what person would just randomly check doors while pretending to be the prince? He would trust his soldiers, not even thinking that there was a room that fell out of their perspective. I looked over at Carmine who was looking at the mural with some curiosity. Technically, the mural was about her.
“If the curse wasn’t affecting you so much, what was all that talk earlier?” I asked.
Carmine blushed. “I told you but you weren’t listening. The curse did infect my heart a bit. You’re right, it was making me feel things that I didn’t before. Once I became aware of it, I was able to cleanse my body of it with one of my Paladin skills.”
“However, the effect it had wasn’t to make me have feelings for the Demon Prince.”
“Really? But that was how the story went?”
“The story went that I fell in love with the knight that protected me.” Carmine touched the mural that showed the princess in the arms of the demon knight.”
“Yeah, but no knight rescued you, I came in and… oh…” I stopped, closed my mouth.
“I already have complicated enough feelings when it comes to Master. To suddenly have a curse bullying me into loving you like a helpless princess… it was all I could do to keep from embarrassing myself.”
So, that was ultimately why she was acting the way she was acting.