Avalon's Dungeon

　The next day, the same old, unchanged routine comes to life again.

　Ten years have passed since the disappearance of the "Avalon Dungeon".

　Reconstruction has progressed considerably, and Sagrado has become a completely peaceful country.

　But today, in the royal palace, there is a voice that can be called a tradition.

「Uwaaaa, Mother~!」

　Fatima, who walked in the corridor with her papers in her hand and dressed in her high priest's uniform as usual, thought to herself, "Not again...".

　Sure enough, Prince Fernando came running to her with tears in his eyes.

　He hugged her so hard that Fatima almost fell backward, but she managed to catch him.

「Huff... What is it today?」

　She asks, but it should be Angelica, a Princess-Maiden. Unfortunately, even for her son, there's not much she can do.

「Ane-sama, Ane-sama took my ball! Waaah! Waaah!」

「...She never learns, does she? Angelica. After what happened yesterday.」

　Queen Fransisca called from behind her.

　She is wearing a loose-fitting dress and carrying a ceremonial staff.

「Is today the day of the ceremony?」

「Yes. Is Fatima at work?」

「Yes. When I'm not scheduled to accompany you, I have the same duties as the other high priests...」

　While exchanging these words, she looked at Fernando, who wiped away his tears and straightened up his back.

「M-Mot— Stepmother. Umm, good morning...」

　Fatima smiled at her son, whose cheeks were stained with tears as he said this.

「Yes, good morning, Fernando」

　Fransisca smiles, never dreaming that her stepson recognizes her.

「Umm, yesterday I, uh...」

　Apparently, he feels more or less bad about tying Angelica up and hanging her from a tree.

　Fernando tries to squeeze out an apology to Fransisca, his stepmother, but the queen smiles at him.

「Well, Angelica has gone too far. I'll tell her again.」

「No, but you're the queen...」

「Don't be shy. You're a prince and we're parent and child, aren't we?」

「Y-Yes...」

　Fatima almost laughed at the sight of Fernando's pouting.

　But she knew that it would hurt him, so she didn't say anything.

　In the meantime, Fransisca waved her hand.

「Well, I should get going」

「Yes.」

「Good luck with your work, stepmother!」

　Thus, the mother and the daughter saw her off together.

　After the queen left, Fatima could not help but laugh at the weak prince who was in tears again.

「Well, it can't be helped, Fernando. The queen belongs to King Alexis.」

　She patted him on the head and shook her hand away.

「M-Mother... I didn't...!」

「Ah, I'm sorry. ...But I think Angelica looks just like Fransisca when she was a child... Don't you care about your sister?」

「Ane-sama and stepmother look alike? How could that be?」

　Fernando made a fist and insisted.

　He had seen how violent, tyrannical, and coarse his sister was. The queen, on the other hand, is gentle and kind.

「That's true, the queen was not so violent...」

「Right!?」

　Fernando leans forward.

「I like quiet and gentle women. But Ane-sama is so violent and rude... Ugh, I'm getting angry again. I'm going to punish her again...」

「S-Stop it! What if the Princess-Maiden develops a strange hobby?」

　In a rush, Fernando said, "What kind of hobby?" Fatima, who was asked back with a puzzled look, hurriedly shook her head.

「...No, nothing」

「No?」

「A-Anyway, the queen will be sad too, right?」

「I-I see. I don't want stepmother to be sad...」

　Looking at Fernando's groaning figure, Fatima felt relieved.

　Even so, she suddenly remembered what Fransisca had often said about her that the prince was "just like Alexis-sama."

　Maybe Fransisca unconsciously detects Fernando's latent S-ness in her heart.

（Indeed. I wonder what will happen to this boy when he grows up. He won't become a second Alex, will he?）

　It's not that she doesn't like Alexis, but she makes him uneasy.

（I have to bring him up to be a prince who can strictly follow the rules and regulations, as befits a Sagrado）

　She has changed her mind.

　Unaware that his mother felt this way, Fernando said to his mother.

「Then, what kind of punishment should I give to Ane-sama this time...?」

　As Fernando folds his arms and begins to think, Fatima tells him again, "Don't do it."

「Whyyy?」

「You're dealing with Her Highness Princess-maiden. Don't you?」

「Umm... I know that... Still, I wish Ane-sama was kinder to me!」

　Seeing Fernando sighing, Fatima decides to talk to the priest-king and queen about appointing a personal teacher.

　If possible, it would be better to have someone who could speak back clearly.

　The purpose is to make him grow up to be a prince like Prince Sagrado, straight and without any distortion.

* * *

　A month later, a girl carefully selected from a high priest's family comes to visit the castle, but that is another story. (Note: the light novel version)

　In peaceful Sagrado, the prince and the princess-maiden grow up well.

　Twelve years remain until the next incident related to the Labyrinth of Avalon.