Before long, the girl approached as well, executing the same gestures as the young man had. When she extended her hands, a wall of translucent crystal emerged, halting the advance of the White Flame.
Now, the two of them stood before Orion as a protective barrier.
As he observed the duo, Orion felt an immediate urge to ask about their identities and origins, noting their distinct and peculiar hair, unnatural skin tone, and eyes.
However, he refrained from posing the question, realizing that they likely harboured similar curiosity, given that the girl had already broached that topic with him.
"Come on, let's go!" the princess instructed, at least that's what Orion had heard the young man call her. Following closely behind the girl and the boy, with Saria still draped over his shoulder, the sound of glass and crystal shattering echoed behind him, signifying that the White Flame had broken through the barrier. Orion quickened his pace.
The trio sprinted, navigating through various corners and passages, some of which Orion hadn't traversed before. They kept up this frantic pace for another thirty minutes until they arrived at an apparent dead end.
Gazing at the sizable boulder obstructing their path, Orion watched as the two of them exerted their combined strength to roll it aside, revealing a narrow passage on the other side.
Following their gestures, Orion carefully lowered Saria and cradled her in his arms before crouching down and entering the passage.
Once he stepped through, he sensed the large stone door rolling back into place behind him, effectively sealing the exit.
In the dim illumination offered by the wall crystals, Orion observed the young man's clothing shift from the hardened glass-like state to a light blue shirt and trousers, while the girl's attire transformed into a thin yellow gown extending just above her knees, shimmering and emitting a soft glow. Although he couldn't fully take in the details, he could discern that she had a striking dick-erecting figure just by glimpsing at her plump thighs that peeked out from beneath her raised dress.
With his curiosity reaching a tipping point, Orion found himself unable to contain his questions any longer. He was on the verge of asking where they were headed when the girl's voice abruptly cut through the air, announcing, "We have arrived."
The three of them then carefully emerged from the narrow passage, and Orion's eyes widened as he observed the stone entrance smoothly opening and closing on its own.
Looking at the other end of the cave wall, Orion couldn't see it because of the various stone houses that surrounded the area, some were large, others small, and various others were connected to the walls, instead of the ground, looking like a multistory building that had been embedded in the cave walls, while up above, various kind of crystals shined brightly providing them with light as unsurprisingly lit up the whole area.
The girl suddenly turned her gaze toward Orion and extended her hands forward with a gesture.
Initially confused by her actions, he soon understood her intentions when her hands began to emanate a brilliant yellow light.
In a moment of realization, Orion watched as a piece of cloth started materializing in her hands, taking on a distinct texture. "Here, take this," she offered, handing the cloth over to him. "Use it to cover yourself, especially your hair. We don't want to draw any attention as we make our way back to the castle," she added, her eyes flickering to the unconscious form of Saria in his arms. "Make sure she's not visible either."
Orion nodded quietly, sensing her relief that he understood her instructions.
He observed as the girl draped another piece of yellow cloth over her own form, shrouding herself completely. With a signal, she urged him to follow, accompanied by the young man standing beside her.
They cautiously descended the narrow path together, hugging the side of the wall to avoid any missteps.
Their footsteps echoed in the dimly lit passage as they ventured onward. Soon enough, they reached a tunnel-like path that seemed to narrow down with walls closing in from both sides.
Advancing through this constriction, they eventually came to yet another dead end. However, this time, the path was guarded by two men with distinct hair similar to the girl and the boy.
Unlike the girl's neatly tied hair, the guards had shorter hairstyles, with one of them letting his hair flow freely. Orion also noticed that despite the colour difference, their clothes bore a resemblance to the rough glass-like texture of the young man's attire when they had faced off against the White Flame.
This led him to deduce that this might be a shared ability among them, as he observed the crystalline spears held by the guards and the swords tied at their waists.
The two guards, noticing the arrival of their princess, glanced briefly at Orion before tapping their crystal spears against the ground. In response, the passage before them began to transform. The stone pathway ascended, revealing one of the stony passages that led to their hidden underground kingdom.
As the group prepared to proceed through the stony doorway, one of the guards, dressed in red attire with tousled hair and appearing to be in his early twenties, spoke firmly, "Princess Crystalia, we must inform you that if any matter arises from the King or Queen, you are responsible for addressing it, as the guards are unaware of your departure and escape routes."
The guard directed a stern gaze at the young man beside the princess. He continued, "You were the only one privy to this information and still chose to accompany her in this recklessness."
"Don't worry, I won't involve you two if any problems arise," Princess Crystalia spoke, a frown creasing her face.
With a flicker of a warning glance, the guard returned to his guarded stance, concluding with, "You may pass."
She then scoffed at the pair before striding through the passage, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow as they entered the city. "As long as you keep quiet and don't speak out, we shouldn't encounter any issues either," she added, as she and the group stepped into the city.
