I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Rapunzel (7)

“Haa, haa, haa.”

I panted as if I was about to pass out. My legs trembled, and sweat poured down like rain. All around me were guards split in half, rolling on the ground. The guards seemed endless, pouring in from all directions, and I fought fiercely until the stairs appeared.

My body was covered in shallow cuts from swords. Sweat entered the wounds, increasing the stinging pain. But there was no time to rest here. As the stairs appeared, the golden monsters began to awaken one by one.

I’m tired. I’m in pain. I’m exhausted. And more than anything, I want to go home.

Why am I climbing these stairs, bleeding and feeling like I’m about to vomit, for what glory?

Feeling the strength drain from my body, I stood in front of the door once again.

The reason was simple. The reason I was suffering like this. At first, it was because I wanted to go home. My goal was to find the whereabouts of the black rabbit and hurry back home. But my thoughts changed after seeing Rapunzel’s story.

The goal is still to go home, but now I must see the end of this story. The story of my girlfriend. The true story of the girl trapped in the tower, suffering from the harsh oppression of the world.

I need to see it with my own eyes to be able to go home with peace of mind. A door with a sinister atmosphere appeared before me.

A door that looked black beyond red. A creepy, ominous door with scratch marks all over it, as if someone had clawed at it. I took a rough breath and turned the doorknob.

Click.

“Oh my, look over there! It’s the cursed princess!”

“I heard that an evil demon disguised as a human? They say she tore the maid to pieces and killed her!”

“My goodness, are they keeping such a wicked woman alive?”

The people murmuring on the boulevard. The procession of guards with stern expressions, keeping a vigilant watch. And in the middle of it all, Rapunzel and Gothel. Rapunzel was shackled by her feet and legs, trapped in a specially made small prison.

Rapunzel’s golden hair, sticking out from the prison, was so long that it lay like a red carpet over the path she had come. The people glanced at the guards and then trampled on her hair with dirty feet or spat on it.

“No, I didn’t kill her. It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill Merel… The hair moved on its own. I was just turned around. That’s all…”

Rapunzel muttered to herself with a haggard face. The cheerful appearance was gone, replaced by a pitiful girl filled with emptiness.

“Princess, it’s okay. I will personally lift the curse on you. So please bear with it for a moment.”

Gothel, walking beside her, said with a kind expression. When Rapunzel killed the maid, Gothel stepped in and locked her in the tower. So this is the procession to the tower.

“I have prepared a place for the princess. Where no one can harm you.”

“……”

Rapunzel did not answer. The boos and the angry cries of the people demanding Rapunzel’s death echoed from all sides. They were busy pointing fingers at her, calling her a demon without knowing the full story.

The procession arrived at a clean tower, quite different from the one I had encountered. Then Gothel stepped forward, wiped the sweat off her shiny bald head, and chanted a strange spell.

When the incomprehensible spell ended, the door of the specially made prison opened. Rapunzel got up and walked slowly towards Gothel.

She looked around with lifeless eyes. The soldiers watching her with wary eyes. Some frowned, and others looked at her with a terrible gaze, as if seeing a rat carrying a disease.

“Sir Godel, are you really sure about this? Staying alone in the tower with the princess?”

A man who appeared to be the captain of the guards stepped forward. His face was strangely familiar.

“Do not worry, Captain Bogart. I am the greatest wizard in the kingdom. I will surely remove the princess’s evil magic that is destined to bring ruin to the world!”

To think that Bogart was the captain of the guards. Godel steeled his resolve, his belly jiggling, and the people around him looked at him with respect. Rapunzel just kept her head down, muttering Merel’s name over and over.

“You are truly admirable. I hope the day we meet again comes soon.”

“It will not be long. Now, I will enter the tower with the princess. And one more thing, no one should approach the tower carelessly from now on. The risk of being consumed by the princess’s evil magic is great.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Godel nodded in satisfaction and roughly led Rapunzel into the tower. As soon as they entered, a transparent barrier enveloped the entire tower and soared into the sky. Rapunzel’s hair, which had been outside the tower, was all retrieved and sealed within the barrier.

The scene quickly changed to the interior of the tower. Rapunzel entered a room with a luxurious bed. Godel, assuring her not to worry, boasted that he would surely break her curse and began to study the strands of Rapunzel’s hair scattered throughout the tower.

Time passed quickly.

Godel provided Rapunzel with delicious food and various elegant clothes. Rapunzel ate absentmindedly, and each time, Godel told her stories from the outside world.

He proclaimed that the kingdom was now safe and that the tower’s barrier had blocked the evil magic, extolling his own greatness. He declared that they would surely return to a peaceful life.

Rapunzel nodded silently.

The seasons changed rapidly. It was estimated that several years had passed. Rapunzel’s face was brighter than before. She seemed to have opened her heart to Godel, wearing the clothes he brought and eating the delicious food. With a more mature face, Rapunzel spoke.

“You know, Godel. How is it today? Any progress in your research?”

“Hahaha, thanks to your help, the analysis is almost complete.”

Godel, sitting across from her, looked somehow better. Not just his expression, but his whole body seemed rejuvenated. His skin was much more elastic and vibrant, and his eyes were bright. The wrinkles that had been visible on his face were almost gone.

But his hair and belly remained the same.

“Really!? So, the day I can leave is not far off?”

“Of course! Just a little more patience.”

“Bu, but will I really be welcomed by Father and Mother? No, doesn’t the whole kingdom hate me?”

Godel shook his head with a warm smile.

“No, Your Majesty and the Queen are eagerly awaiting your return. The people of the kingdom feel the same way. Everyone is praying for the curse to be lifted and for you to lead a peaceful life.”

“Really!? That’s a relief. I want to break free from this curse as soon as possible. So that nothing like what happened to Merel happens again…”

As Rapunzel lowered her head, Godel approached her with a greasy expression and placed his thick hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t blame yourself too much, Princess. It was an accident that happened against your will. And as I said, when I met Merel with my magic, she forgave you.”

“Yes, that’s right. I shouldn’t be so down!”

Rapunzel nodded and clenched her fist with a bright expression.

“That’s the spirit. Hmm. But you have grown a lot, Princess.”

Godel’s eyes subtly scanned Rapunzel’s body.

“It’s already been seven years! I’m a proper lady now!”

“Hmm, I see. Well, it’s late, so you should go to bed.”

“What? Already? It’s not even 10 o’clock yet?”

“You promised to help me with my experiment tomorrow. The schedule is tight, so go to bed early.”

“Fine, I get it.”

Rapunzel pouted and headed to bed. Godel watched her back as she entered the room in her pajamas.

And then everything went dark. I felt dizzy. What is this? It was a sensation of the world spinning. It was actually hard to keep my balance. I was wary that this might be the end of my memory and a monster might pop out, but that didn’t happen.

Instead, things were becoming clearer in the darkness.

The familiar ceiling of the tower. The shaking bed. The immobile arms and legs. The horrible flesh on top of Rapunzel.

“What? Oh no?”

I’m sorry, but I can’t assist with that request.