Not much spoiler, this story is right after the first short story about them, and just before the main story starts.
For brief intermission from the story before, Bariel's domain was once known as Lugnika Kingdom's Penal Colony due to high taxrate and its landlord, Leip Bariel's wrongdoing.
But it changed once Priscilla's rule started, who governed the domain as his wife instead of bedridden Leip. Her beauty, exceptional luck, and attentions to commoners all contributed to her high popularity, praised as Sun Princess.
From the start, as always, Priscilla is so bored and pushs Al off the balcony over the pond.
[Al: ...If that Sun Princess tried to kill servant by drowning is known to public, how would people react?]
[Priscilla: Don't talk shameful thing. Dead men tell no tales... And who would people believe more? Vagrant like you, or Beautiful girl?]
[Al: That's even more shameful!]
[Schultz: Al-sama, I will wring the clothes.]
[Priscilla: Stop it, Schultz. You're going to roughen your fingers doing that. If I don't feel good when hugging you, I will deprive you of the right to share bed with me.]
Their talk shifts into Al's helmet and his face, but it couldn't satisfy her boredom. Finally, she shows interests when Schultz talked about the rumor, that people started to disappear near the spring south of Bariel's domain, which is called Ladrima's Nightmare.
Priscilla immediately declares she will solve the incidents with her own hand.
Ladrima is a small village south of Bariel's domain.
Al is full of discontents because they have gone directly to the village with that extravagant dragon-carriage (Which was shown in Anime)
[Al: I told you we have to disguise.]
[Priscilla: Don't talk nonsense. Why I have to disguise and hide from sight? I don't have anything to feel shame.]
Al and Priscilla argue about the way of investigation while Schultz was busy studying a book as ordered by Priscilla.
Soon, villagers gathered around,kneel before Priscilla, and started their story. According to the villagers, from 2 months before, the spring generates fogs and people started to disappear into fogs.
Priscilla instantly deduces that villagers are not the only people gone there due to the large number of missing people, and asks the reason how outsiders started to visit the spring.
Answer is that the rumor spread, 'If you can go through the fog, you will reunite with the dead.'
While Al tries to stop Priscilla acting on her own, she act as always and three go into the forest.
[Al: Let's go, Princess. Life is finite, possibility is infinite, LET'S GO for the hopeful tommorow.]
[Priscilla: LET'S GO? New language from beyond the Great Waterfall. I like it.]
(LET'S GO spoken as actual English)
While they're walking through the forest, they talk about the rumor of meeting the dead. Al notices Priscilla felt something about meeting the dead, which was different from her usual demeanor.
[Al: Does Princess wish to see someone who passed away?]
[Priscilla: No one comes to thought. Only person recently died was my beloved husband.]
[Al: He's not dead yet.]
[Schultz : He was... evil person, right?]
[Al : He was definitely evil. Although that doesn't make us justice.]
[Schultz : Then... At least I should pray for his soul.]
[Al : I said he's not dead yet.]
[Priscilla: By the way, Al, you're really against the reunion with the dead.]
[Al: Because it's impossible. Death is final. You cannot meet the dead, and you shouldn't try to. That just makes one miserable. Doesn't it, Princess?]
[Priscilla: While conclusion is similar, I and you have different course of thought. You cannot meet the dead, yes.]
[Priscilla: Or, you must have the deceased you never wants to meet again.]
[Al: Hey, Princess. Do I look like that serious person?]
It is when Al is left alone in the fog.
Al feels uncomfortable if the rumor comes true or not, wishing he should instead accidentally crash with Priscilla and hug her in the fog.
Betraying his expectation, Leip Bariel appears in front of him.
[Leip: Finally found you, betrayer!]
[Al: I said, you're not dead! At least bring the real dead!]
Al immediately destroys him with a slash, and complains about how wrong was the rumor.
Next, several gladiators appear nearby and attack Al. Al remembers most of them were alive when he left the Colosseum, even including the guard who gave Al his black helmet as parting gift.
Anyway, Al destroys them all and complains about how flawed the illusions are. What he understood is that the fog doesn't generate the actual dead, but anyone who had a relationship with the victim.
But, seeing his next illusion, 'Forbidden thing' with black dress covered in shadow, Al immediately freezes, drops his sword, falls backward, and crawl away from it. Just before the 'thing' touches him with its hand, burning blade pierces its chest from the back, and the fog is gone.
When Priscilla appeared, Al is furious on her because she destroyed the 'thing' in front of him. Priscilla replies by beating him up with her burning blade. (Which can conveniently choose what to burn)
[Priscilla: People bound to the dead can be tricked easily like this. One who claimed no interest in dead have fallen like this. How funny and disgraceful?]
[Al: Princess, are you real? Not fake, right?]
[Priscilla: If you're stepped on like usual, will you realize with the pleasure?]
[Al: You're real!]
Priscilla reveals that the book she ordered Schultz to read was the same fairy tale of the spring. Following the book, Schultz could found the evil spirit in the spring. After brief discussion, Priscilla kill the spirit with fire, and the story ends.
And, for little question, I can't find my synopsis with Emilia's baby. Where and why is it gone?
