The hall opens by itself, as if it had allowed entry to the path of riddles now that Elowyn deposited a little more of her own blood on a door at the back of the place where they had previously been.
'Today will be the day I become worthy of the crown'
With each step, the corridors transform as if the castle itself were watching those who walk through it. At first the light is soft, the walls are clear, almost beautiful, but they seem to grow darker the deeper they go. Narisse approaches Elowyn carefully, checking to see if there are any traps.
"We've arrived, so you can stop."
The four behind Elowyn stop moving as she observes the new hall they have reached. In the center there are several statues split into three parts in the same way: a crown on the ground, a faceless body, and a head without eyes. A moment after she takes another step forward, a voice echoes.
[To pass, it is necessary to discover who the true king is]
"Which one is the true one? There are at least ten, so why not analyze—"
"Narisse, leave this to me. This part is only for the one who is meant to be the future king."
Seeing the serious look on the princess's face, Narisse becomes a little confused, because they came here to help her and prove their loyalty, just as previous kings had gained their most important subordinates, like the two former professors of Class S in the third year. They were only teaching because they wanted to before taking on that mantle.
"If you're confused, then you failed to understand that subordinates should only participate in the first and last phases. And don't forget that I must prove that I am worthy to be Queen."
"I understand, my Lady."
Behind Narisse, Enrico watched Elowyn, thinking for a few moments. This was the easiest riddle to pass, because all she had to do was focus her magic on her eyes and analyze which of the statues had hidden mana.
"Who do you think it is, Enrico?"
Siena comes up behind him with a smile, also watching what the princess's decision would be. The magic in the statue was so weak that it couldn't be felt, but he was sure that Siena already knew, even though she was someone who would normally just charge headfirst into a fight.
'That's because she has instincts beyond the norm, with the ability to sense anything that is different from normal in whatever area she's in.'
"I can't. The princess might hear."
"Come on, just whisper it."
Her face looked a bit annoyed, so he simply raises his hand behind his back and, with his fingers, shows the number four. With satisfaction, she nods, directing her attention back to Elowyn.
'Truly an exceptional boy, just as Virelle and Zenaria used to say.'
She wasn't simply grateful that he had given the director the idea about ego weapons, allowing knights to visit the special library. She also wanted to know what level he was to receive so much attention from the strongest on the continent.
'It looks like the princess managed it.'
Elowyn picks up a head and a crown in front of statue number four. When she places both in position, the room seems to rotate to the left and reveals a new corridor. Narisse celebrates in a restrained way the success of her future queen.
"You did it, miss."
"We shouldn't celebrate. That must have been the easiest one."
'She's right.'
The beauty of the hall slowly fades behind them as they head toward the next riddle. Further ahead, the walls grow narrower, stone begins to appear, and the light becomes irregular. The second riddle is born in the middle of a constantly changing corridor where doors appear and disappear, an inscription covering the floor.
[Choose the safest path and you will die. Choose the most dangerous and you will live. Choose with everyone and you will fail. Choose alone and you will fall.]
Here many unworthy successors fail, because they try to guess the correct path, but the answer is not in the doors; it is in the steps of those who follow them.
'She must order the four of us to walk first, each through a different door, while she remains still, and when all fail, the doors will dissolve, revealing that the inscription was false.'
This phase was to test the loyalty of the subordinates and see how the heir would act with these sacrifices—at least, that was the first answer.
The second answer was that she should command the subordinates in a way that made each one step on lights that turned golden for 0.001 seconds. Like the previous one, this tested the loyalty of the subordinates, but also the heir's command ability.
"Enrico, go to the safe path."
Velka immediately grips a small knife she brought with her. Her eyes carried a threat directed at Elowyn, but Enrico simply raised two fingers, asking for calm.
"Okay."
"Velka, go to the path and choose alone."
Hesitant, she moves, obeying the gesture Enrico gave her. Velka and a bored Siena go toward the other paths. When they reach a certain point along the way, Elowyn's eyes move rapidly.
"Enrico, step to the left. Velka, one step back. Narisse, two steps forward. Siena, five steps to the left."
With a skill that surprised Enrico a little, she managed to guide them to the correct spots. With Velka still hesitant but stepping in the right places, an invisible door opened in front of Elowyn.
[Congratulations on achieving the second answer. You may proceed to the final riddle.]
While Velka sighed, Enrico winked at her reassuringly, which made her calm down considerably. His confidence simply made her feel safe in a way.
'This savior of mine is…'
Shaking her head, Velka follows right behind Enrico, who enters just after the other three. He had waited for her to accompany him before fully entering. The five of them calmly observe the corridor that would lead to the final riddle.
The last corridor is the oldest, the rockiest, and the darkest. The stone is rough, the light almost nonexistent, and the air feels heavy. At the end of it is an empty circular hall, except for a black mirror on the floor and a phrase carved into the rock.
[The greatest enemy of the king will always walk with him. Face it and defeat it.]
This was considered the hardest to overcome for the ancient kings, because it wasn't truly a riddle. When the heir approaches, the mirror rises and from it emerges a distorted version of himself, with the same power, the same memories, and the same ambition. Many try to defeat it with force and fail, because every blow is reflected by the transformed mirror. The solution is not to win, but to recognize that the heir must accept his flaws, his fears, and his desires. When he does so, the reflection dissolves, because a king who does not know himself should never rule Sanos, according to the ancient subordinates of the first king.
"Let's finish this second phase already."
Elowyn looks at herself in the mirror with a dark smile on her face. This phase was difficult for the previous ones, but for someone like her, who had always accepted that she was evil, this was simply something useless. With a simple touch to the mirror, Elowyn's golden aura with black traces erased her own image in the mirror. Hearing one last door open, she looks back with a smile.
"It seems I was mistaken. The riddles weren't as difficult as I imagined."