"The room at the very top of the spire on the western side of the Royal Palace, is that what he said?"

Once Li finished her explanation, the King folded his arms and groaned thoughtfully.

"So it was the sealed chamber."

"The master is correct. No one knows since when, but it has long been a room none could enter."

The ‘master’ referred to the headmaster.

He was also the teacher of both the King and Li’s father, the King’s younger brother.

““So the Founding King was involved after all…””

The older men muttered in unison.

"We are to pour mana into this ring, hm."

"Your Majesty, may I speak?"

Li interjected.

She could already sense the atmosphere shifting toward ‘let us all go together.’

All eyes turned toward her at once and she felt the pressure.

But she could not back down.

"For now, I would like to take only Your Majesty with me."

"Why?!"

There it was.

Especially her father, who now looked utterly devastated.

She knew he deeply respected the Founding King.

But she could not yield here.

Li steeled her heart and spoke firmly.

"The Founding King’s remnant said he wished to live quietly. If a crowd descends upon him, he may withdraw and conceal himself elsewhere!"

She did not truly believe that would happen.

After all, he was bound to the dungeon.

Still, if he were genuinely inconvenienced, he might disable the teleportation mechanism.

That, Li believed, would be a grave mistake.

Should the worst ever occur, this place might serve as the kingdom’s only evacuation route.

Thus, it would be unwise to act recklessly.

She explained this carefully.

In the end, the older men reluctantly relented.

"Li is correct. I shall meet with the Founding King myself and discuss matters directly."

The King declared this with a faintly triumphant expression.

"Andy… you understand, do you not?"

Pressure radiated from the headmaster toward the King.

The fact that he had shifted from ‘Your Majesty’ to the King’s nickname was proof of his seriousness.

"Master, rest assured. Now then, Li, let us go!"

Brushing off the pressure entirely, the King strode from the room with almost a skipping gait.

Li followed behind him, her feelings complicated.

The tales of the Founding King were beloved throughout the realm.

They were even told as illustrated storybooks, known to young and old alike.

Yet Li herself had never felt such intense admiration.

Thus, she could not fully understand why the King, her father, the Chancellor and even the headmaster were so attached to him.

When she once asked, the answer had been simple.

“Every man of this kingdom admires the Founding King at least once in his life.”

Li considered herself male at heart.

Though her body was female, the one inside was still a man.

And yet perhaps something in that perception was slightly misaligned.

Was she being influenced by her body after all?

She did not know the answer.

After walking for some time, they reached the chamber in question.

The ring bestowed upon her rested upon the King’s finger.

When his hand grasped the doorknob, the so-called sealed chamber opened as easily as if the rumor had never existed.

The room held no furnishings.

Only a magic circle of geometric design was drawn upon the center of the floor.

"So we stand here and channel mana into it."

The King spoke.

Li nodded and stepped onto the magic circle beside him.

"Very well. Here we go."

In the next instant, they were transported into the dungeon.

It was the very place where the Saint had once lain asleep.

"Oh… so this is…"

The King’s words faltered as the remnant of the Founding King appeared before them.

[Hm? I wondered who had come so soon—ah, Li. You have returned quickly.]

"This is His Majesty the current King, Founding King."

Li bowed her head and introduced him.

"Anselm Euphemio Heliantheus Liese."

The King dropped into a kneeling salute.

And tears streamed down his face.