526 The Royal Slippers

“I think we can finish this quest in less than an hour. It’s a simple errand task anyway,” Elena started when Ren was awfully quiet as they approached the hut.

“Let’s just get this done and over with.” Ren went to the door of the little hut and found that it had been broken in.

The door’s lock had been melted away with acid, and shoes littered the floor. Inside the cobbler’s hut, there was a cozy workbench made from a gnarled oak tree, and a variety of tools and materials were scattered about.

The cobbler’s workbench was surrounded by shelves filled with jars of dyes made from crushed petals and berries, spools of brightly colored thread, and piles of soft leather hides in every shade of brown and tan.

The walls were decorated with a variety of whimsical trinkets and treasures, such as sparkling crystals, delicate butterfly wings, and miniature terrariums filled with tiny flowers and mosses. They were adorned with colorful tapestries woven by the local fey folk, depicting scenes of the changing seasons and the beauty of nature.

Though the place was a mess right now, Ren had no doubt that it looked exactly like in the books in fairy tales.

[The cobbler’s hut was a gathering place for local fey creatures who would come to commission the cobbler to create bespoke shoes and boots for them. Frendamus would take great care in measuring their delicate feet and crafting shoes that would perfectly suit their needs and style. As he worked, the scent of freshly tanned leather and the sounds of birdsong and laughter would fill the air.]

Right now, there was no laughter, though. Only the sound of sniffling and crying.

Ren and Elena found the source of the wailing, and Frendamus was found weeping silently in the back of the shop.

I knew this wouldn’t just be a simple task. Ren lamented. He only wishes it wouldn’t take so much time. This quest wasn’t part of his plan.

But for the sake of having the Princess with him to the end, Ren had no choice but to do the task, or else he feared that Elena would be taken back to the Elven lands.

Besides, having the Princess with him tremendously shortened his travel time. If he had been alone, who knew how long he would have passed the forest to Hedgegrove with the Wild Hunts happening everywhere.

“What happened here?” Elena asked the small Leprechaun.

Frendamus looked over his big callus hands and sniffed. “Who are you?”

“We are the Queen’s emissary to retrieve her slippers,” answered Ren, showing Frendamus the scroll with the Queen’s seal.

Frendamus wiped his tears and shuddered. “Uhm . . . c-can you come back some other time? As you can see, this isn’t a good time.”

Elena didn’t back down and pressed on. “We won’t take much of your time. If you can give us the slippers, then we will be on our way.”

“I am the one which the Queen commissioned to make her slippers,” Frendamus admitted. “But I don’t have it right now.”

“Where is it?”

“Well . . .” Frendamus was skittish and slow to reveal anything, seeming to fear for his life.

The Princess had enough and pulled Frendamus by his collar. “We don’t have time to hear your excuses, so if you don’t want a world of pain, spell the flowers. WHERE IS IT?”

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“D-don’t hurt me!” Frendamus covered his face with his hands. “I-I’ll tell you. J-just doesn’t hurt me.”

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Frendamus loosened his collar and started his story with a sigh, revealing that the slippers were stolen the other night, and he didn’t know what to do. “I fear the Queen’s wrath. I believe that she’ll punish me for being late with my delivery of her slippers.”

Knowing how Archfey behaved, this was a likely outcome. Ren mused.

“Did they steal other things?” asked Ren.

To which Frendamus shook his head. “No, they only took the Royal Slippers and nothing else.”

“What do you think?” Elena questioned when Ren was thinking.

“This might not have been an ordinary robbery,” he said. “The melted lock suggests a burglar, but not one savvy enough to use thieves’ tools.

Pentagrams swirled in Elena’s eyes, and she saw trails of magic. “Is this . . . are the slippers enchanted?” she asked Frendamus.

The Leprechaun nodded his head. “Why yes. The slippers have a mild enchantment that protects them from wear and tear, which might leave a faint trail that can be followed.”

“Then do you know someone who might have something on the Queen?” Ren asked and explained his reasoning. “If the slippers were the only thing stolen, then we’re not dealing with a thief here. We’re dealing with someone who specifically targeted the Queen.”

Elena snickered behind her closed fist. “By getting revenge on her slippers? What would he gain from it?”

“He would annoy the Queen, no doubt.” Ren knew how pitiful it was, but they needed to clear the quest nevertheless.

Frendamus thought for a moment before he slapped his hand against his palm. “I might know someone. Her name is Lydia El’Ranatoth!”

[The Quest Royal Slippers have been Updated!]

[The cobbler, a gnome named Frendamus Tacktallow, had his shop broken into in the night. The royal slippers were stolen. He was unwilling to come forward with this news, fearing the Queen’s reprisal. Her business is the only thing keeping his small shop afloat. Frendamus insist that the slippers were stolen by Lydia El’Ranatoth, an elven thief with a grudge against the Princess.]

Ren and Elena didn’t waste any more time and tracked the Thief’s Trail. The thief, Lydia El’Ranatoth, had a hideout that was a few kilometers from the cobbler’s location. She was seen by a number of nearby shopkeeper NPCs, who pointed Ren and Elena in the right direction with the right persuasion and bribery.

In addition, the slippers left a faint magical trail that could be followed by Tiki and Elena.

Lydia was seen entering a warehouse built into a hedge tenement. The sign outside of it said it houses carts, and wagons. Its doors were locked, and its windows were boarded up from the inside.

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