Chapter 100: Cursed Ring of Love

Ryuu supported Emiya, whose body had somewhat recovered and who could now barely walk, back into the tent.

"Shirou, are you hungry now? I'll go get you some food," Ryuu said, then dashed out of the tent energetically.

After Ryuu left, a figure quietly appeared at the entrance of the tent where Emiya was. Just as she was about to enter, she saw Ryuu dash back again.

"Lady Riveria, what are you doing here?", Ryuu, holding a food tray in one hand, asked in confusion.

The training in the tavern hadn't been meaningless; at the very least, Ryuu was now steady and quick when carrying plates.

Caught red-handed at the tent entrance, Riveria smiled awkwardly, "It's nothing, I just came to check on you two."

"Really? Thank you for your concern, Lady Riveria!", Ryuu said with deep honor and gratitude.

Riveria: "…No need to thank me."

In fact, she had come here because she suddenly remembered the [Elf King's Ring] she had lent to Emiya.

Not that she was reluctant to part with the ring or worried that Emiya would try to keep it. Just a sudden, inexplicable unease welled up in her heart.

Of course, apart from that, part of her reason was also to see how Emiya's condition was.

"Lady Riveria, please come in. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I brought a lot of food," Ryuu said.

Most of the food in the camp was simple items like hard bread, along with some roasted meat from hunted animals.

Although the taste was average and didn't really suit the palates of elves, if it was just to fill the stomach and replenish energy, it was good enough.

After entering the tent, Riveria saw Emiya sitting on a hammock.

Her gaze instinctively landed on the boy's lips.

At the time, because of the urgent situation and being in the peak of her emotions, she had impulsively done that kind of thing.

'What was that feeling again…', Riveria tried hard to recall but felt her mind go blank.

Ryuu asked in confusion: "Lady Riveria?"

"Huh? Oh…", Riveria snapped back to reality, "I'm fine."

"Shirou, how's your body feeling?", She asked.

"Much better after the treatment. I also drank panacea, so I should be fine by tomorrow," Emiya said, "Thank you for your concern, Riveria-nee."

Ryuu: 'Riveria... nee?'

'That sounds kind of off… Does Shirou not know Lady Riveria's age?', Ryuu thought.

Ryuu thought, 'No, I need to remind Shirou later. Calling Lady Riveria that way isn't quite appropriate!'

"Right, Riveria-nee, your ring," Emiya said, raising his left hand and trying to take off the ring on his middle finger.

However, he couldn't remove it.

Emiya pinched the ring on his hand, trying to take it off, but no matter how hard he tried, the ring wouldn't budge.

At first, he thought the ring was just too tight to remove, but as time passed, he gradually felt something was off.

There wasn't that tight pressing sensation on his finger, and even when he exerted force, there wasn't the slightest feeling of being "stuck" or "unable to move."

If he had to describe it, this ring seemed more like it was fixed to his finger spatially, rather than physically stuck.

Noticing Emiya's shift from calm to confused and finally silent, Riveria and Ryuu also sensed something was wrong.

"Shirou, what's wrong?", Riveria asked aloud.

"The ring won't come off," Emiya looked up and said helplessly, "No matter what I try, this ring just won't come off."

"Is it stuck too tightly?", Riveria's expression also turned uneasy, her tone full of doubt.

In truth, a vague answer had already surfaced in her mind, but she was unwilling to believe it.

"How about you try it, Riveria-nee," Emiya helplessly raised his hand.

Riveria hesitated, then reached out and gently held Emiya's left hand.

'…This feels kind of wrong,' Watching this scene, Ryuu murmured in her heart.

'No way, this is Lady Riveria, not that perverted elf Alicia, so there shouldn't be any problems… right?'

'Right?'

Riveria pinched the ring, tried for a while, then let go of his hand.

She shook her head, "It really won't come off."

Ryuu also stepped up to try, but the result was the same. The ring remained as steady as a rock.

'Cursed equipment?', They both thought of this idea at the same time.

So-called cursed equipment, as the name suggests, are gear imbued with curse effects. These curses often don't affect enemies, but instead are placed upon the user.

Usually, it's in exchange for great power or designed as traps to harm others.

The characteristic 'cannot be removed' is a type of curse.

However, curses are a type of magic. If this were really a curse, Riveria would never have failed to notice.

Moreover, she had used this ring for years, from the time she ran away from home until now, and never encountered a case where it couldn't be removed.

Taking it further, a royal heirloom of the Elf King's line turning out to be cursed equipment? That's a bit too absurd.

"Riveria-nee, what should we do now?", Emiya asked, looking helpless.

"First, Shirou, do you feel any abnormalities in your body. Like the ring absorbing your life force or mental power?", Riveria asked seriously.

"I don't feel anything like that," Emiya replied, "On the contrary, this ring seems to have sped up my mental power recovery."

"Looks like… we'll have to ask a senior," Riveria said helplessly.

"Lady Riveria, even you don't know? This is a royal heirloom after all," Friana said with a clearly pleased smile at the corner of her mouth.

"…Senior, please enlighten me," Riveria sighed.

Indeed, this was a royal heirloom. But the royal treasury of the Elf King's court had countless such heirlooms. How could she possibly remember each one in detail?

When she ran away from home back then, she just randomly grabbed a few convenient items. This ring, she only knew it was called [Elf King's Ring]. Sure, it sounded impressive, but at the time it was just something gathering dust in a corner of the treasury.

Moreover, after wearing it, it didn't seem to have any special effects.

It only slightly increased her magic and mental recovery speed, something negligible to Riveria.

It was Friana who had told her that if she lent the [Elf King's Ring] to Emiya, maybe her own [Fairy King Seal] would also have an effect on him.

That was the only reason Riveria decided to give the ring to Emiya.

Riveria looked at Friana and asked, "What's the secret of this ring?"

Friana's lips slightly curled, "This involves some royal secrets."

She spoke casually, her gaze sweeping toward Ryuu.

Riveria understood her intention, "Let's talk outside! Ryuu, stay here for now."

Ryuu was stunned. Though her instincts told her something was fishy, out of trust in the princess, she gently nodded and followed Riveria's instruction.

After leaving the tent, Friana smiled and spoke in a meaningful tone, "This ring carries the blessing of the fairy spirits."

"Blessing?", Riveria's brows furrowed slightly.

"Yes, a fairy spirit's blessing. In a way, it's something two sides of the same coin with a curse."

"It brings protection, but it can also bind the wearer like a curse."

Riveria's mood grew heavier, "Please continue."

Friana seemed to be enjoying herself a bit. She narrated slowly, "A thousand years ago, a high-ranking elven prince fell in love with a human woman. At that time, the elves were extremely xenophobic, more than now. The people were extremely displeased with this romance."

"However, the queen, who was kind, brave, strong… and possessed many virtues, received the blessings of the fairy spirits. Because of this, she gained magical talent equal to elves. That ring was the relic she left behind."

"So although it's called the 'Elf King's Ring,' it was actually meant for humans to use."

Riveria's face turned extremely unpleasant, "Are you saying I gave such a meaningful ring to Shirou?"

"Obviously, yes," Friana nodded.

Riveria: "…Senior, you knew this all along, didn't you?"

Friana said innocently, "Of course, but I always thought you knew too. You are royalty, after all."

Riveria fell silent. She couldn't even refute Friana's words.

She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, "Then what now, blessing or not, how do we remove it?"

"First, you must remove the blessing. But that's no easy task," Friana said, "You'll probably have to bring Emiya back to Alf Forest and find those fairy spirits. They might have a way, but…"

Friana didn't continue, and upon hearing such a method, Riveria also fell silent.

An image involuntarily surfaced in her mind: the elven princess who had long left the high Alf Forest, returning decades later, hand in hand with a human male, to the elven sacred land.

And that person is wearing a ring that once belonged to elven royalty. That scene… she really didn't dare to imagine the consequences.

In the end, she let out a long sigh and said helplessly, "Forget it… Let's just give the ring to Shirou."

Riveria silently made up her mind. She never intended to return to the Elven Forest again.

Because if her father, King Larfal, current ruler of Alf Forest, asked her where the ring had gone… Riveria honestly didn't know how to answer properly.

.

.

.

The next morning, after a night of rest, aside from Emiya, the first-tier adventurers had mostly recovered.

High-level adventurers had extremely tough bodies. Hedin, who had looked deathly pale and seemed unable to even stand yesterday, now looked no different from usual after just some healing magic, panacea, and one night of rest.

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