The Forest Castle was an attraction in the Forest Area. According to Alice, it was a game where we had to clear specific tasks to advance through a series of rooms.
I had been grouped with Fate-san, Lilliwood-san, and Cornelia-san, and the four of us would be working together to progress.
Cornelia-san had been incredibly nervous at first, and I’d expected I would need to act as a mediator the whole time. However, she seemed to have grown accustomed to the situation as we talked, chatting quite naturally with Lilliwood-san and Fate-san. Since my Sympathy Magic wasn’t picking up any stress from her, she seemed to be doing just fine.
"Um, should we start by opening the door and heading inside?"
"...I see some drawings and text on the door."
As I spoke and looked toward the door that marked our path forward, Cornelia-san reacted at the same time. Just as she noted, there was a large jigsaw puzzle on the door... but two pieces were missing.
The door bore the inscription: "Complete the forest picture." Since this was the first room, I assumed it was a tutorial of sorts with a simple objective. I glanced around and quickly spotted the missing pieces—one on a table and another in an unnaturally large gap on a bookshelf.
"If I fit these in... Ah, the door opened."
"Is that all? That was pretty easy."
"Well, I think the attraction is about moving through a bunch of rooms like this, so that was probably just the first one."
『Is it some kind of... riddle-solving game?』
Fate-san and Lilliwood-san looked intrigued; they seemed to be seeing this type of attraction for the first time.
The door with the puzzle pieces slid open automatically. When we stepped into the next room, we found ourselves in a circular chamber with pictures of animals posted on the walls.
『Touch the odd one out.』
I see. The various animals and monsters depicted in the pictures followed a specific pattern, and touching the one that didn't fit would let us proceed.
Since we were only in the second room, I figured we could probably try as many times as we wanted even if we made a mistake. Even if someone couldn't figure out the answer, they could probably just brute-force it by touching everything.
"The odd one out... I wonder which one it is?"
『In that case, wouldn't it be that seahorse over there? That is the only creature among them from the sea.』
"Oh, good point."
The picture Lilliwood-san pointed to showed a monster that looked like a cross between a fish and a horse. So it wasn't just a literal seahorse, but a monster actually named "seahorse"...
When I lightly touched the picture, it turned out to be the right answer, and the door opened.
"The tasks are actually pretty simple, aren't they?"
"It is an attraction in a play facility, after all. The difficulty is likely lowered so a wide range of guests can enjoy it. Though there is a chance the questions will get harder later on..."
Cornelia-san had somehow become relaxed enough to chat with Fate-san. Considering how tense she had been at the start, this felt like an incredible leap forward.
It felt like that, but... what was this feeling? She seemed calm, and her emotions through Sympathy Magic didn't feel strange... but something felt... like she’d completely snapped, or maybe like she’d gone a bit too far past her limits... Was I overthinking things?
"Kaito-sama? Is something the matter?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing. I was just worried because you seemed so nervous at first, but I'm glad to see you've calmed down."
"Ah, I see. My apologies for making you worry. I suppose it is the nature of a noble; I kept worrying about my family's circumstances and my future standing in the social circle, which led to all sorts of worst-case scenarios and made my mind quite rigid. Now that I’ve set all that aside for the moment and decided to simply enjoy the attraction, it's much easier to relax."
It was true that for nobles, things like networking and reputation were vital. While making connections with Fate-san and Lilliwood-san was a good thing, she was probably worried about drawing too much of the wrong kind of attention. I’d unintentionally been treated like a hero in Rigforresia, which had put me in an awkward spot, so I knew that being put on a pedestal could be a problem...
"The social circle really does sound like a lot of work."
"It certainly involves a fair share of posturing. While it does have its glamorous side, the reality is quite different from the world commoners often dream of. Hypothetically, if Kaito-sama were to attend an evening party, no noble would dare greet you carelessly given that person's warning. However, you might find it taxing to decide who you should speak to, so it would be best to attend with a noble acquaintance."
"I don't know if I'll ever have the chance, but if I do, maybe I'll ask you to come with me, Cornelia-san."
"Fufu, that would be a major role indeed. If the opportunity arises, I shall do my absolute best to fulfill it."
I couldn't say for certain that I'd never attend an evening party. For instance, if it were something like Chris-san's birthday party, I’d probably want to go since she had celebrated mine.
Though it was a lighthearted exchange, she had given her consent, so it might be good to rely on Cornelia-san if the occasion ever came up.
Serious-senpai: "He's steadily paving the road to hell..."