Even though Gwendal said he could take a break, Yuuri kept himself busy filling out papers anyway, mainly to occupy his thoughts with something. After a tiring trip, they returned to the castle last night, and this morning after waking up, Yuuri continued with his traditional routine. The only thing that had changed was Wolfram sleeping in his bedroom, and he had to be careful not to wake him.
When the evacuated residents of the destroyed city separated from them on their way back, everyone quickly began to behave similarly to how they were during their trip to Bielefeld, and Yuuri soon became infected by this. He came to the conclusion that they were right, and there was no point in getting so worked up over the destroyed city. It was still a tragedy, but it would be better if he had focused on finding a way to avoid the event from happening again rather than worrying himself over things that had already happened. That thing still lived and threatened them.
They had already taken care of the security measures to protect Wolfram, but young Lord von Bielefeld was not someone who would just sit back and let others protect him. He was very similar to Yuuri in that regard, so he couldn't blame him. But it would have been nice if he hadn't tried to make his men's task more difficult.
An hour earlier, one of them had come to him and asked if Wolfram was hiding in his office, and from then on, Yuuri sat on pins and needles, finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on his work. He ordered the boy to inform him when they found their captain, but no one had come yet.
The door to his office opened slightly, and a brown-haired girl slipped inside, running up to his desk with a broad smile.
"Are you still working?" she asked, although there was none of the disappointment in her voice that he often heard there.
"Some urgent matters have come up while I was away, and I need to get them done quickly."
"Then you'd better hurry. Wolfram said we're going on a trip tomorrow, and you need to get ready."
"A trip?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Greta nodded enthusiastically.
"We're going to the lake!" She went around the desk and put her hands on the armrest of his chair. "We'll have a picnic and swim and play in the water. Maybe we'll even fish. Can you fish? Will you teach me?"
"I think it would be better to ask Conrad to do that." He turned toward her, putting down his pen and pushing the papers away. "Did you and Wolfram plan this together?"
The girl nodded again.
So he was together with her. What a relief.
"All right. I'll finish these few more things and go get ready."
They smiled at each other, after which Greta left his office, wishing him good luck.
As he said, he spent the following hour dealing with the accumulated documents. In the meantime, a soldier in a blue uniform came to announce to him that they had managed to find Wolfram, and Yuuri sent him away with just a nod.
But once he finished his work and left the office, he didn't quite know how he was supposed to prepare. The cooks would probably take care of the food, and all the necessary things, such as blankets, cutlery, and plates, would be packed for them by the servants. What then was left for him to do? Prepare clothes? He always wears practically the same thing anyway. A swimsuit, then?
He shook his head quickly. Only one thing came to mind when it came to swimsuits in this world, and there was no way he would wear that again, especially since there would probably be a lot of guards with them. After all, it's an outing for the entire royal family - they must have adequate protection.
But if they were going to swim, then they must have the proper attire prepared for it, right?
The only option was to go and ask the person planning the whole trip. The soldier had told him where they found Wolfram, and Yuuri hoped he was still there. In truth, Greta's room would be the first of the places he would check, so either Wolfram somehow managed to deceive his people, or he was a little right in complaining about them.
Their daughter had her room in the same hallway as their bedroom, so she was always close to them. He nodded to the soldiers stationed at the door and went inside. Initially all in pink, the room was now beginning to be more subdued with colors, but it was still colorful and bright.
A perfect princess room with a huge canopy bed, gilded furniture, and decorative lace pillows sharing armchairs and poufs with stuffed animals. In the center, on a fluffy white carpet, sat the two people responsible for tomorrow's sudden outing.
Next to Wolfram was laying several pieces of paper with letters tightly written on them, and Greta held a light-colored leather bag on her lap, packing what looked like a shawl.
"I see preparations are in full swing." Yuuri sat on the floor between them, resting on his hands and leaning back slightly.
"Of course! We still have plenty of things to pack!" Greta pointed to a small pile of clothes not far away.
"How many days are we going for?" Yuuri asked Wolfram, tilting her head slightly. The clothes Greta had prepared could last for almost a week.
"Just for one day. Gwendal hasn't agreed to a longer trip for now."
"In that case, I guess you don't need that many clothes."
Greta sighed impatiently and shook her head.
"You don't understand, Yuuri. A lady must always take a complete of clothes with her to change. What if I get dirty? I can't walk around in a stained dress. It's not appropriate."
"Of course," Yuuri admitted and turned to Wolfram again. "Are you going to take so many clothes too?"
"I can handle just with the uniform."
"I thought since we're going on a trip, you'd let go of being on duty."
"But I like my uniform."
"And I like your other clothes."
Wolfram looked at him closely, his cheeks turning slightly red. He lowered his shoulders with resignation.
"I'll think of something."
Greta leaned in front of them, slapping her hands on the floor. Her eyes glistened with excitement.
"In that case, we'll pick you some clothes for the trip!" she announced, getting up and heading toward the door. "You'll also need a few sets."
"No need, I can manage on my own," Wolfram tried to protest.
"Oh, I also think it's an excellent idea." Yuuri laughed as Wolfram looked at him reproachfully.
"Something has to be found for Yuuri as well! You can't go around in the same things all the time."
"Find something? I don't even have any other clothes besides like this one."
"I think we can do something about it." This time it was Wolfram who laughed, pulling himself up from the ground and dusting himself off. "You may be a little taller than me, but I'm sure we can find something that fits."
"Do you want me to wear your clothes?"
"You said you like them."
"Yes, they'll fit you!" exclaimed Greta from his spot by the door. "Now, hurry up. We don't have all day!" She rushed them and went out into the hallway.
Yuuri shook his head but no longer looked for excuses and followed the two. It was his idea, after all, and the price wasn't that high - he could also always count on them forgetting about it.
They spent the afternoon choosing Wolfram's clothes and, after a dinner eaten privately in the bedroom, returned to this activity. Greta had the most fun in this, matching colorful outfits and choosing the ones she said would best match her own. Yuuri couldn't process so many clothes or how they fit in the closet. And then it turned out that the ones kept in that bedroom were not all of them.
Wolfram tried to somehow control the chaos in the bedroom by arranging the scattered clothes into piles. Dressed in a light-blue shirt with short, buff sleeves and pants of a similar color, according to Greta, he perfectly matched her summer dress.
"I didn't know she was so keen on matching clothes," Yuuri said, watching as his daughter searched for something to match her pink skirt.
"Apparently, it's a popular trend at the Cavalcade court for parents and children to have matching clothes."
"I see. In that case, why don't we specially order something matching from a tailor? Although I'm not sure about the black dress. I would prefer her to wear lighter colors."
"You sound like my mother." Wolfram sighed and picked up the dark shirt from the ground, which had been instantly rejected. It looked like Greta didn't want to see him in dark clothes either, although Yuuri didn't mind them. "You can always think of a light-colored dress with black trim."
Wolfram looked at the shirt for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the piles of clothes stacked on the bed. He smoothed out the garment, folded it, and stacked it on the largest pile.
"Do you sort them somehow too?"
"I just check to make sure I remember all of them. Sometimes something shows up in my closet that I had no idea where it comes from, and then it turns out that my mother bought it and put it there."
"Something is wrong with her clothes?"
"She likes to point it out to me when I put them on, so I prefer not to do it by accident."
"Wolfram!" Greta ran up to them, holding in her hands a white tunic trimmed with bright red thread and with decorative embroidery on the front. "Try it on! And also the pants." She handed Wolfram the tunic, then ran to the closet and returned with light-red pants.
"Ah, don't you have anything pink?" Yuuri asked, disappointed, leaning over to look into the closet.
"I don't." Wolfram slung the clothes over his shoulder and hid behind a screen set up in the corner of the room.
"But you have that pink nightgown. That color suits you, so why don't we buy you something? A pink shirt or something like that."
Wolfram laughed from behind the screen and replied after a few moments of rustling clothes.
"I don't have anything black either!"
"Really?" Yuuri replied in a much quieter tone and leaned back, staring at the ceiling, feeling his cheeks getting hotter. He had already thought about giving him something. He'll have to think about that later.
Wolfram stepped out from behind the screen, and Greta clapped her hands in approval. The tunic was made of thin material, loose and with wide sleeves - perfect for a trip to the lake.
"Is that all?" Wolfram asked, looking at the girl carefully. It was getting late, and her time to go to bed was approaching.
"We haven't found anything for Yuuri yet!" Greta protested, and Yuuri shuddered. He thought they had already forgotten about it.
Wolfram sent an amused smile in his direction and pointed to one of the piles of clothes.
"I think I found a few things that will fit him. We can take them all with us, and you can dress him up as much as you want on the spot."
"You guys are terrible."
"Don't exaggerate. It's just clothes."
Greta laughed and walked over to him, resting her hands on his lap.
"I also want to see Yuuri wearing something other than black. We'll be outside the castle, so it won't be a problem, right?"
Yuuri sighed and stroked her head. There was no way he could say no to his lovely daughter. So he nodded his head.
"Fine."
Greta made a sound of joy, and Wolfram approached them.
"And now it's time for bed."
Greta pouted her lips but no longer protested.
"Alright, but I'll manage on my own. Good night!" She turned and ran out of the room.
"I'll manage on my own?" Wolfram repeated after her.
"I guess she thinks she's big enough, and her parents don't need to put her to sleep anymore."
Wolfram huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking disgruntled. Yuuri understood him perfectly - it was frightening how quickly children grow up.
"That's how it is with children at this age, unfortunately." He shook his head and looked at the clothes lying on the bed. "You know we're going to sleep on it, right?"
"I'm cleaning it right now."
Wolfram started putting the clothes back in the closet. Yuuri wanted to help him, but his boyfriend told him not to touch anything because later he wouldn't know what was where. Apparently, with so many clothes, you had to have a system to find anything without throwing everything out of the closet.
"A trip to the lake," Yuuri mused as the room was finally cleared and the two prepared for bed. They were leaving early, so they also had to get to bed already.
"You yourself have talked about some kind of trip."
"Yeah. I just didn't expect you to plan something so soon."
"There's not much to plan. Gwendal probably had more work organizing the guards. I've been there plenty of times before, so it's at least familiar territory."
"You say?"
Wolfram sat on the bed, dressed in a pink nightgown, and smiled fondly. Illuminated by the faint light of several candles on the nightstand, he looked like a mythical creature, and his gentle expression only enhanced the effect.
"You'll like it. Just you see."
"I already like it."
It had been a long time since the three of them had had the opportunity to spend so much time together, with hardly anyone bothering them. And now he had such a pleasant view to wrap up the day.
He sat down next to Wolfram and put his arm around his waist. The boy rested his head on his shoulder, his blond hair tickling his face. Yuuri lifted his other hand and combed them. He moved his fingers across the soft cheek when Wolfram lifted his head away and looked at him, making Yuuri stop his thumb millimeters from his mouth. Again the scene from that cave popped into his mind.
He couldn't let it haunt him all the time, especially in such an intimate situation, so he pulled himself together, trying to chase these thoughts away.
His heart began to beat harder as he took a deep breath and leaned in slightly, carefully watching Wolfram's reaction - his cheeks reddened, and eyes widened, but after a moment, they closed, and Wolfram also leaned closer.
Hearing the blood rushing in his ears, Yuuri closed the distance between them, locking their lips together. Never before had he felt so nervous. He felt far too hot, and his hands were shaking, so he grabbed Wolfram's shoulders with them to calm down a bit. His boyfriend, in response, also put his hands on his shoulders and deepened the kiss a bit.
It lasted only a few seconds, and he felt unsatisfied when they pulled away from each other. Still, he held back. He didn't want Wolfram to push him away again.
Remaining calm required him to use all his willpower, and the ever-so-rare sight of an embarrassed Wolfram did not help him at all - his gaze lowered and his hands playing with a pillow that had somehow appeared in his lap. But worst of all was the red cheeks and shallow breath coming out of his slightly open lips, Very soft and pleasant lips.
He embraced him carefully and breathed deeply when Wolfram rested his head on his chest.
"Let's go to sleep."
A nod answered him.
Yuuri lifted the covers, and they both slipped under them. Wolfram extinguished the candles but didn't lie down yet, instead leaning on his elbows and looking down at him.
"Is something wrong?"
The boy moved restlessly, and Yuuri raised his hand to touch him but froze when he suddenly felt his lips on his own. It was more of a peck than a kiss, but it still left him unable to say anything.
Wolfram quickly lay down, mumbling goodnight, and curled up in his now customary spot next to Yuuri.
This time he was doing a much better job than that evening at the camp. He could easily explain his exceptionally good mood with an upcoming family trip.
They ate again with Greta in their bedroom, and as they were finishing up, Conrad looked in, saying that if they wanted to leave before Gunter found out about their trip, they should hurry.
For now, Wolfram dressed in his uniform, promising that it was only for the ride and that he would change his clothes on the spot. Greta, meanwhile, wore a lovely riding outfit with a cut similar to Wolfram's current attire but in purple.
They handed the bags of packed clothes to the soldiers, who were to pack them on the horses, and went downstairs.
The guard waiting for them consisted of Wolfram's and Conrad's men, so at least they would be in the company of familiar people.
Greta immediately ran to her horse, excited that she could ride on her own, and Wolfram followed her to help her mount.
"Everything ready?" Yuuri asked Conrad, who was standing next to him.
"Yes, Your Highness."
He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"A bit of a break, and you've already forgotten? It's Yuuri. Yu-uri." He said his name dragging the syllables as if trying to teach someone how to say it.
"Of course, Yuuri." Conrad smiled and walked him to his horse. "It's only an hour away. I'd ask you to stay in the circle of soldiers and not suddenly ride away from us, okay?"
"I'm not an uncontrollable child. You'd better go tell that to Wolfram."
Someone kicked him in the leg, and he hissed, leaning over and massaging the spot.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Wolfram was right next to him, already on his horse, and Greta, sitting on her own mount beside him, giggled quietly.
He should check his surroundings more carefully before saying such things.
"Nothing. Let's get moving." He rushed his horse to avoid continuing this conversation, and everyone around him followed.
Conrad was beside him after a while, smiling slightly at Wolfram, who continued to look at Yuuri with displeasure.
Fortunately, he was over it quickly, and after driving outside the city walls, Wolf was in good spirits again. They passed through a different gate than before and headed toward - much lower than those on the Bielefeld border - mountains visible on the horizon.
Even after leaving so early, the route they took was busy, with most travelers looking like merchants. Yuuri smiled to himself. That meant trade in the city was doing well, right? He guessed that news of the attack on the town would get here quickly but hoped it wouldn't worry the residents too much or disrupt their daily lives.
They turned into a less busy road, which quickly led them between the trees and continued straight ahead, meeting fewer and fewer people. After passing another fork, the road was now completely empty.
"I guess this lake isn't that heavily visited."
"Not where we're heading," Conrad answered him. "Most people are heading to the town we passed a turn to."
"Some kind of tourist town?"
"They have a river port there."
"Eh, and I was curious what such a town in Shin Makoku would look like. They also have casinos like in - "
"There are no casinos here," Wolfram interjected. "Really, that's the first thing you can think of?"
"I was just curious."
"Gwendal forbade us to go near crowded places anyway, so you can forget about it."
"It's good to know that you're following his instructions so closely." He slowed his horse slightly and moved his leg back in case Wolfram decided to kick him for that remark.
His boyfriend watched his actions and huffed, smiling with satisfaction.
"It's good to know that at least you realize you've done something wrong."
Greta, riding ahead of them, turned around and laughed. Yuuri maneuvered his horse so that their daughter was now between them. Wolfram seemed to be in the mood to kick people, and it was better not to take any chances.
In front of them, the trees began to part, and the sparkling waters of the lake could be seen between them. Yuuri straightened up in the saddle, feeling the gentle breeze on his face.
The road turned near the shore, and from there, he could see how big the lake was. Or actually, he couldn't, because the opposite side was hiding behind the horizon. On the left was a small point that must have been the aforementioned town, beside which ran a ribbon of water - a river flowing out of the lake.
After a short ride, they reached a meadow and a small sand beach, and the soldiers got busy unpacking their belongings.
Yuuri dismounted from his horse and stretched, watching with a smile as Greta jumped off the saddle and ran up to the beach, and Wolfram only sighed quietly at her behavior.
Conrad assigned a few soldiers to patrol the area and the road, then stood next to Yuuri with his hand resting on his sword as if he expected that someone was about to attack them. Wolfram, meanwhile, took care of organizing the unpacking.
Among other things, a tent had been put up, which could serve as a shelter from the sun and provide a bit of privacy.
Having looked into several bags, Greta took one of them, then approached Wolfram with it and, grabbing his hand, pulled him toward the tent.
Yuuri decided to stay put for the time being, hoping that if he didn't say anything, he would be forgotten. But when he heard a giggle from behind the cloth, he felt like looking there.
"Yuuri!" Greta ran out of the tent and spun around in front of him, her light purple skirt swirled. " How do I look?" she asked, looking at him with anticipation.
"Beautiful." Yuuri smiled, and the girl brightened up even more. "And you too," he added, seeing Wolfram approaching them. His loose tunic of the same color as Greta's skirt made them look like a set. Even the embroidered patterns and decorative ribbons on the back were similar.
Greta grabbed Wolfram's hand and circled around him, forcing him to turn around and laugh as his tunic also swirled.
"By the way," Yuuri began when he suddenly remembered something. "What about the swimsuits?"
"Swimsuits?" They both looked at him curiously.
"You said we were going to swim, right? Not in normal clothes, I guess?"
"Greta have a special swimming suit!" The girl exclaimed, raising her hand in the air.
"All right." Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Wolfram.
"I have no intention of swimming. But if you want to..." He tapped his index finger on his cheek and tilted his head to the side. "You can always swim naked."
"Are you kidding me? Do you really want me to swim naked?"
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Yuuri. Everyone here is a professional, and you can be sure that no one will look where they don't need to," said Conrad, who had trouble keeping from laughing when Yuuri bawled his eyes out at him.
"It's not a matter of whether anyone will look or not. I'm not going to just take my clothes off in the open. I'm not an exhibitionist."
"Well - " Wolfram began, apparently wanting to say something about it, but Yuuri silenced him. He was too far away to put his hand over his mouth, but the mere gesture of extending his hand toward him was enough.
"End of topic. I'd rather swim in one of your clothes."
"I think something made of water-resistant material would be more suitable, but whatever you prefer." Wolfram shrugged his shoulders and walked toward a blanket spread out on the grass, squatting on its edge and reaching for a juice carafe.
"Teasing me right at the beginning. He really has some nerve." Yuuri muttered as Greta joined her other father.
"It's a sign that he's in a good mood."
"Yeah. I think so."
"But if you change your mind about swimming naked, please let me know first."
He felt like taking Wolfram's example and kicking him. But instead, he decided to join the two sitting on the blanket while Conrad stayed a few steps away from them.
Cooks had packed them light snacks and a chilled juice to sip. Wolfram poured it into a cup for him while Greta planned what she would do first. The sandy beach was almost the same as the one by the sea, so Yuuri suggested building a sand castle.
They initially tried to build the Blood Pledge Castle, but it turned out that Yuuri wasn't a very good architect - or at least that's what Wolfram claimed - so they decided just to build something that would work out for them.
Wolfram sat next to them and watched at first, apparently unsure about playing in the sand, but when they put up the first foundations, he joined in and tried to carve realistic-looking windows and doors into the sand so that their block actually began to look like a castle.
When they dug a moat and Yuuri filled it with water that he had transferred from the lake using a bit of maryoku, they decided that the construction was finished.
Greta had already started wading in the shallow water, splashing Yuuri when he approached her and laughing. Wolfram again merely watched them from afar, this time refusing to enter the water and only telling Greta to change into a swimming suit if she didn't want to ruin her dress.
The girl ran to the tent and returned a few moments later, dressed in a one-piece swimsuit with a frilly skirt reaching halfway to her knees. All she was missing for the perfect picture was an inflatable ring. She ran back into the water, again splashing Yuuri.
"Looks like you'll have to change after all!" Wolfram called out from his place on the beach and shielded himself with his hand as Yuuri sent a few drops of water in his direction.
"With this weather, I'll be dry in a second."
"You can't avoid it anyway. Aren't you hot in this?"
"Gunter put a lot of work into making sure I wasn't," he replied, sitting next to him and taking off his black vest. "He didn't want me to have any excuses to wear anything other than black."
Greta was still in the water, taking small steps away from the shore and getting deeper and deeper into the water. He heard footsteps behind them and, after glancing sideways, saw Conrad sit down next to Wolfram, who seemed to have no objection.
"You said you've been here several times before." Yuuri leaned back on his hands and looked around the area. A line of trees separated them from the road, so it was quite a private place. And charming. Looking at such a large body of calm water filled him with peace of mind. A pleasant place, although with Wolfram's aversion to water, he didn't understand why he would be visiting it so often.
"For purposes a little different from relaxation, I'm right?" Conrad asked teasingly, and Wolfram pouted his lips.
"Huh? So what were you doing here?"
"There are rumors that there are sunken ruins at the bottom of this lake." Conrad again answered for his brother with a bit of amusement in his voice.
"And what, did you manage to find anything?" Yuuri smiled, finally understanding what he meant.
"And why do you think I took you here? After all, those are underwater ruins."
"Wolfram." Conrad sighed. "You're not going to try to get there, are you?"
"You said yourselves that these are ancient creatures, so where's the best place to look for information about them than in an ancient city?" Wolfram crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Conrad challengingly.
"Do you think we'll find any clues about them there?" Yuuri asked.
"You don't even know what this city is or if it has anything to do with it."
"But it's better to check it out than to do nothing. I doubt Gunter will find anything in the library, which was only created four thousand years ago when father couldn't find anything in the ancient books in the temple."
Conrad sighed and shook his head, then looked at Yuuri. But he probably concluded there was no point in telling him anything because he felt silent.
This had to be one of those secret places you can't get to that Wolfram had mentioned. Of course, there was little chance that anything survived underwater, and they would probably only find piles of stones on the bottom, but it was still an underwater ruin. His heart began to beat faster with excitement at the thought of exploring them.
And from Wolfram's expectant gaze directed toward him, he could guess he was thinking the same thing. He smiled at him and rose from the ground, brushing off the sand.
Conrad glared at Wolfram but stayed silent with his lips tightly closed, standing next to Yuuri with his hand on his sword.
Still, he had to find a way to get there. The lake was huge, and he couldn't just get rid of such a mass of water. It would be best to disturb it as little as possible, given that people and boats could swim there.
A minimally invasive solution that didn't require too much maryoku so he wouldn't have to go into Maou mode.
He summoned Greta, who ran up to him, looking at him curiously when he raised his hand. The water began to part slowly - he only wanted to make a tunnel that a few people could walk through on the bottom. That way, he shouldn't upset the lake's waters too much.
Wolfram stood beside him, but when the tunnel plunging under the water was already visible, he turned abruptly and ran somewhere; Greta followed right behind. Yuuri didn't want to get distracted, so he didn't check where they had gone. Fortunately, after ordering the water to move accordingly and form a tunnel, he didn't have to pay much attention to it anymore until he wanted to change the order.
He wasn't sure how far to run the tunnel, so he stopped lengthening it when he couldn't see the end and decided to resume making it when they got there.
He lowered his hand, and soon Greta was standing at the entrance to the tunnel, peering inside and looking at the water walls. She changed her clothes to pants and a tunic, as did Wolfram, who put on long pants and a shirt.
Yuuri swept his eyes over them, taking a closer look at the bag slung over Wolfram's shoulder.
"So, you both plotted against me," he said in an accusatory tone, although he couldn't help but smile.
"Don't say you don't want to go there." Wolfram also smiled, adjusting the leather strap on his shoulder.
"But you could inform us about your plans." Conrad shook his head, summoning several soldiers to his side.
"I'm informing you now."
Two soldiers in blue uniforms stood beside them when Conrad said they would go with them through the tunnel, although Yuuri wasn't entirely sure about their usefulness there. Several other men in brown uniforms stood in front of the tunnel entrance with orders to guard it.
"Are we going to go under water?" Greta asked as Yuuri approached the parting waters. She had exactly the same expression on her face as Wolfram, and he shouldn't be surprised about that. After all, she was their daughter.
He nodded and extended his hand to her. Greta grabbed it and followed him across the damp sand, stopping where the water was closing above their heads and looking upward. Yuuri felt like he was in an aquarium, but now there was no sheet of glass separating them from the water.
Greta reached her hand toward the tunnel wall and broke the water's surface, spinning her palm for a moment, then pulling it out with a giggle. The water still remained in place, acting as if the laws of gravity had suddenly changed and something was now pulling it sideways.
Wolfram looked at the tunnel with fascination but stood in the middle of it as if trying to be as far away from the water as possible. But the other three soldiers accompanying them were not so impressed. Conrad still looked uncertain, and Wolfram's two men looked at the surrounding masses of water as if they expected it to swallow them up in a moment. Yuuri wanted to jokingly ask them if they could swim, but he still felt uneasy conducting any interactions with Wolfram's subordinates.
The mere fact that he was their king didn't go well with forming friendly relationships, and on top of that, he was dating their captain. He wasn't sure what they thought of him, especially when they saw them together.
They reached the end of the passage, and Yuuri raised his hand, lengthening it and widening it a bit. Watching the fish swim past them, Greta almost fell into the water wall twice already, so he preferred to make a little more room for her. He was worried that one of the water creatures would fall into their tunnel from the outside, but it looked like they somehow knew to avoid it.
They continued walking, but the lake was much larger than he had imagined. They had already been walking for half an hour, during which he had had to extend the tunnel several times, and their ground continued to slope downward. Less and less light was reaching them, so Wolfram had to light several fireballs to make sure everyone could see clearly and no one will fall into the water.
During the next tunnel extension, he felt something strange. As if there was no water for him to command. It was off-putting, but Yuuri said nothing about it now and just went ahead, deciding to not worry anybody now and check what it was when they got there.
And eventually, they did. The tunnel ended, but instead of encountering a wall of water at its end, there was a clear space behind it. It was filled with air, as if they were on the surface, although Yuuri was pretty sure they were walking on the bottom of the lake.
Wolfram created more fireballs, bright as a bunch of little suns, and scattered them around, illuminating the dark-engulfed space. An enormous space.
A valley stretched down below them, and in the middle of it was a city.
It was almost as big as the city by the castle. The white stone buildings were arranged in circular patterns, and a huge structure towered over the whole, built on one of the underwater hills. It looked like the ancient temples he had seen in history books. The whole view was amazing, especially since they were still at the bottom of the lake, and its waters were above them, forming a dark firmament. Wolfram created even more fireballs, lighting them up and sending them around to get rid of all the shadows and finally bring daylight to this lost city.
They stood in silence, looking at the view before them with fascination. It appeared to be abandoned, with no signs of life, even though, with its air bubble, someone might think that some ancient civilization was still living there, away from the sight of the people above.
Among the white buildings, black roads and statues stood out. There were also things that looked like trees and shrubs, but they had strange, metallic colors.
"I didn't expect that," Wolfram muttered, taking the sights with awe.
"Yeah. I guess nobody did." Yuuri turned around when he heard the clatter of a weapon. Conrad adjusted his sword, still looking uncertainly at the city before them. "Do you still have a bad feeling?"
"I think it's because of all that water above our heads." He smiled awkwardly.
"Understandable."
"If word about that comes out, I imagine how many people would arrive here. Do you think you can keep that tunnel?" Wolfram asked, rearranging things in his bag.
"For some time, I think."
"I see. Better then investigate this city before some outsiders find a way to come here." He took out a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, then began sketching a simple view of the city from above. "It looks like there's a main road over there." He pointed with the pencil to the black road leading out of the city and into the water. "We can enter through there. I think splitting up and looking around the city would be better. It will be faster that way if we don't want to spend here days." He finished the simple draft and raised it, examining it with squirmed eyes.
"What is it?" Yuuri asked when he became silent for too long.
"I know this city plan from somewhere."
He and Conrad got near him and looked at the plan.
"I don't recognize it," Conrad said.
"Of course you're not, because you never read any of my books." Wolfram looked at his brother, who raised his eyebrow and pointed toward some point on the plan. "It's the lost city Erythera. Nearly any treasure hunter and adventurer were looking for it." He lowered the sheet of paper and looked at the city, smiling. "And now we find it."
Yuuri followed him with his eyes. It was like finding Atlantis, so he had to agree that it was an exciting discovery.
"That building over there should be an academy, where there's probably a library. I'll go take a look at its collection and see if there's anything there that we need now. In the meantime, you can check out the rest of the city." Wolfram handed Conrad the map he had made. "We can meet in the central square in a certain amount of time. Eckbert, go with them and send a flare if anything happens."
The mentioned man flinched, and the soldier standing next to him smiled sympathetically at him.
"Let's meet in three hours then."
Conrad nodded to Wolfram, who apparently decided that was all they had to discuss, and set off down the hill, heading for the black road. One of his soldiers followed him.
"I guess we going sightseeing then." Yuuri extended his hand toward Greta, who grabbed it with a look on her face that said she was also looking forward to it.
The soldier named Eckbert didn't look much pleased with it, but Yuuri decided it would be better not to comment and leave the poor man alone.
They followed after Wolfram at a slower pace.