"Queen Liyana really enjoys blueberry jam most."
....I cannot imagine why this information is supposed to be useful to me, nor why anyone would ever ask. But being given useless advice is better still than having every answer handed to me by a clueless idiot partner voice.
Not hearing it at all is the best choice, but this world has hated me since I arrived, so...
I will take what I can get.
Which means I will also try to turn this 'quest' into a challenge for myself.
I don't know how to do that yet but...
There's probably some way.
Maybe if I provoke the whole elven village they'll pose some threat.
"Doing that will endanger your team mates!"
Yeah, yeah...of course.
...I'm probably being overly hopeful anyway.
But it's better than the alternative.
I am escorted back to a room, where the others are waiting for me.
Elara is pacing, wringing her hands nervously. "This is a disaster. What are we going to do?"
Meera shrugs. "The Queen seems nice. Maybe if we ask nicely she'll just let us go?"
Kael rolls his eyes. "That's really what you thought?"
"Uhh...." Meera fidgets. "W-well...she didn't seem that bad, right? I mean, we're not prisoners or anything!"
"No, but we can't leave either." Kael replies dryly.
We're not in a cell, but Kael is right - it's effectively a prison. But I don't really care.
I'm not going to get involved in a pointless blame game. We already know the way out. Prove I can take on the demon king and the queen will let us not only out of this not-quite-cell but out of the annoyingly endless forest.
...She hadn't said how.
And of course, the annoying little chirpy thing in my head decided to chip in over idle thoughts of curiosity.
"Queen Liyana has a resistance to charisma due to her own high stat, but your charms should-"
What does that have to do with anything?
Does this damn thing even know what the test is...? I wasn't asking to begin with, but it'd fit my luck this whole lifetime if the one time System Helper might come in handy, she's got no relevant information.
"She's not going to be seduced by anyone, Master, that's all I was going to say! She'll only accept proof of strength or power."
I don't care.
The idea of seducing her to escape was never a twinkling in my eye. That kind of quest is stupid, too. It's just another annoying attempt to force me into an awkward and out of character choice.
Even though I'm not exactly in my usual element, I'm not going to become a playboy just because of the charm buff. The thought of playing into that is just annoying. It would be tedious, anyway.
Just like the rest of this whole situation.
I sigh and shake my head. "It'll be fine. Just trust me."
"Ryo, what are you planning?" Arin asks. He's got a worried look on his face, but I'm not sure why.
"I'm not planning anything. The queen is, apparently. I think she's just going to throw a monster at me and expect me to beat it. I'll be able to."
It's not a question.
I don't know how she's going to do that, or how she's going to ensure that it's a fair test, or how it's even remotely going to prove anything, but it's her quest and her rules.
If that's the game, then I'll just have to play along.
For now.
"Ryo, you can't seriously believe-"
I shake my head. "I do. It'll be fine."
The door opens and several elves enter the room. They're dressed in armor, with swords at their hips, and they look like they mean business. "You have been summoned by the Queen. Follow us."
...I've barely even had time to sit down here and they're back already?
Well...
It must mean she had a very specific thing in mind, and she's not agonizing over different possibilities.
Probably a good thing.
Means it's straightforward and she'll believe it.
I shrug and follow them out of the room. Elara, Meera, and Arin all follow after me, with Kael trailing behind them. The guards lead us down the hall and into another room. This one is larger than the last one, and there are several chairs arranged around a long table. There's also a large window looking out onto a garden full of flowers.
The queen sits at the head of the table, and the guards gesture for us to sit down. I do so without hesitation, as do the others. The queen smiles at us, and then turns her attention back to the guards. "You may leave us now."
They bow and exit the room.
Once they're gone, the queen speaks again. "I have decided on a test of your strength, and of your loyalty to your companions."
Loyalty?
I arch an eyebrow.
Well, it's not like I'm going to abandon anyone here even if given the opportunity, I guess, and I don't think any of the others would do that to their party either, but...
Well.
If there's some test of loyalty that just increases the challenge, right?
And that's what I want.
I nod. "Alright. How do I prove it?"
The queen stands up and walks over to the window. She gestures for me to come closer, and I do so.
Outside, in the garden, there is a large circle of stone. Inside the circle, there is a small pedestal with a sword resting upon it. The sword is made of dark metal, and it gleams ominously in the sunlight.
The queen points to it. "That is the Sword of the Demon King. It was forged from his own bones, and it burns any who touch it."
Why is it here in the elves' hometown, lodged in a rock like a spicy version of the sword in the stone, then?
...And by spicy, I mean painful.
I frown. "And I have to retrieve it?"
She nods. "If you can take it from its pedestal and remain standing, then you have passed the trial."
Ah....
Well. It makes sense, I suppose. An endurance trial, not combat.
I'm sure the whole point of it is that I'm supposed to die.
But I won't.
Probably.
...I have no idea what kind of stats the demon king has. But this, even if it's not battle, is something. It's a chance to see what he can do.
I won't miss it.