The treasure

After surviving a life-or-death battle against such a terrifying final boss at the very top of the tower, exhausted but carrying the pride of victors, we finally set out to claim the ultimate reward that would justify this entire hellish ordeal...

"What the hell?!"

However, the exact moment we pushed open the heavy oak door, the king's "treasure" stood revealed before us, making an indescribable impression...

<"Well... this is unexpected.">

Do you want to know what was inside the legendary chamber?

(?)

(?)

(?)

Well... The truth is that... The treasure chamber was...

("Mom...?")

A damn, monumental mountain of women's underwear!!

"What on earth?!"

THIS was the highly acclaimed "treasure"?!

<"Wait a moment, partner... There seems to be something else here.">

But before I could continue unleashing my colossal confusion over all this, Echidna's words brought me to a sudden halt...

"Welcome, brave warriors..."

Immediately after, a hologram began projecting from a magical formation that manifested out of thin air right in front of the lingerie pile.

"If you are watching this, it means you have overcome all trial, proving yourselves worthy."

The image that appeared was that of an extremely dignified and majestic old man, dressed in royal attire as he uttered those words with almost sacred solemnity.

"...."

...Okay... I don't get anything anymore... What on earth is happening now...?

"I know you must be asking yourself: what is going on?"

.....

"Hey, only I get to break the fourth wall!"

(Slap!)

<"You know that's just a pre-recorded projection of someone who died centuries ago, right?">

Well, after that brief and necessary display of dissatisfaction by slapping the hologram, and after taking a bit of time to regain my composure...

"I shall reveal the truth to you who have made it this far."

Thus, we kept absolute silence to listen to the rest of the royal message.

"Throughout my life, I have seen much, learned much, attained great power, wealth, and a beautiful family."

Great power. Wealth. A family. Of course you did. Why do ancient kings always have to start their funeral messages boasting about how perfect their lives were? It's practically a mandatory requirement in the winner-of-life manual.

"My life was complete; however, I kept a secret that I could never reveal to anyone: a dangerous and uncontrollable obsession with women's underwear."

What?

"In secret, I gathered this impressive collection you see behind me, and now, as my end draws near, I have decided to bequeath this legacy to future generations who prove themselves worthy of it. And that is you, my true successor!!"

My true successor?! No, no, no! Wait a damn second!

"...Please... Take good care of it..."

And with those last words whispered with devotion, the projection faded away, leaving the room plunged into a deathly silence...

"......"

In the end, I could only stand there completely frozen, wide-eyed and my jaw practically scraping the stone floor.

<".......">

The wall torches flickered gloomily, making the ancient lace and silk cast unnecessarily dramatic shadows across the room.

(...)

(...)

(...)

("...")

I feel a vein on the verge of bursting popping violently on my forehead.

"Okay... There's only one thing left to do now, right?..."

So, after painfully regaining consciousness, I uttered those words while looking at everyone. After they all nodded with the same lost, traumatized look in their eyes, we proceeded to take action.

"Everything must burn..."

Along with everyone present, I pulled a torch out of my dimensional storage pocket, which we lit without hesitating for a single millisecond, and hurled it straight into the center of the majestic and outrageous collection.

<"Fire is an excellent way to purify negative energies and cleanse the dirt of this world...">

The sacred flames began frantically devouring the silk, lace, and ancient corsets of a thousand colors.

(Purification)

(Burn)

(Cleanse)

The smoke ascended toward the ceiling, and as we watched the massive blaze in silence, I swear on my life that I saw the silhouette of the king's ghost waving at us with an approving smile amidst the flames.

("Mom?")

...Oh, somehow it makes me want to burst into tears.

"...."

And that was how we finally escaped that crazy literary world, completing the narrative story that had been left unfinished.

"I wasn't going to leave empty-handed!"

I suppose that, in the end, after all this chaos, I learned a valuable life lesson...

("MOM!!")

...The real treasure of this adventure was the adorable armor we stole along the way.