After receiving a clear answer, Prince Peach left the hotel where Cyan and Nishi were staying.
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
Nishi closed the door and saw Cyan lost in thought.
"This prince isn't as simple as he appears."
Cyan had a feeling that Prince Peach was hiding something. From the moment Mario and Luigi ate the snacks and ended up in the hospital, to the Toad they met inside the Koopa Kingdom, and then to how smoothly everything went after rescuing Prince Peach — all of it carried the scent of a conspiracy. It felt like someone was working with Prince Peach to plan something.
"Nishi, keep an eye on Prince Peach. After Mario and Luigi are discharged from the hospital, he'll be hiding something from us." Cyan looked at Nishi seriously. "With your skills, will you get caught?"
"Master, are you underestimating me? I used to be a thief!"
Nishi put her hands on her hips and straightened her back, speaking proudly, "Just watch! I'll keep a close eye on him!"
"After Mario and Luigi are discharged, Prince Peach will go to their house to find them. That's when you should go. I want to know what they talk about."
"Huh? Master, how are you so sure that Prince Peach will go find the Mario Brothers?"
Seeing how confident Cyan was, Nishi asked, "What if Prince Peach invites them to the castle instead?"
"Because he needs to lay his cards on the table with the Mario Brothers. They're the only ones in the Mushroom Kingdom capable of directly confronting Queen Koopa. If he and whoever is behind him want to achieve their goals, they can't keep it hidden from them." Cyan paused for a moment before continuing, "Don't forget — the protagonists of this world aren't Prince Peach or Queen Koopa. They're the Mario Brothers."
"Prince Peach won't invite the Mario Brothers to the castle. He's doing this to keep it hidden from the Mushroom Chancellor. If the Chancellor finds out what he's planning to do next, his plan probably won't work."
"Master, have you already figured out Prince Peach's plan and the people behind him?"
Nishi's eyes sparkled as she looked at Cyan, feeling that her decision back then had been absolutely correct.
"This is just my guess based on the clues we have so far…"
Based on the current information, these were the only conclusions Cyan could reach.
"As for whether my guess is correct, we'll see what Prince Peach does after Mario and Luigi are discharged from the hospital."
"Master! You're amazing!" Nishi pounced toward Cyan with admiration.
Cyan jumped off the bed onto the floor and looked at Nishi lying on the bed. "Do you want to learn Ripple Breathing? I already tested it — you don't need a skill book to learn it. It strengthens the body and can even extend your lifespan. If you keep practicing it consistently, it can raise your stats."
[Ripple Breathing (Special Passive)]
[Skill Level: LV1.]
[Generates energy in the blood through special breathing techniques. Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Spirit +1.]
[Note: This is a special passive skill and cannot be upgraded with skill points.]
Although the skill level of Ripple Breathing hadn't increased, the improvement to her physical condition was already clearly visible. The skill description now showed the effects of Ripple Breathing on both body and mind.
Cyan guessed that the skill level of Ripple Breathing might be tied to the amount of Ripple energy stored in the body.
"Huh? Really?"
Nishi, who had been lying on the bed unwilling to move, instantly bounced up and looked at Cyan with excitement.
She had been extremely envious of Cyan's ability to wrap golden lightning around her body for a long time.
"Of course. It's just that learning it will be a bit painful. If you want to get stronger, you'll have to stick with it."
"Master, who did you use as test subjects?"
Nishi became curious after hearing Cyan mention the experiment.
"Sophie… Erni."
"Two people?"
"One person."
After teaching Nishi the special breathing technique for Ripple Breathing, Cyan let her try it on her own first. If it didn't work, she would share some of her own Ripple energy with Nishi like she did with Erni to help her cultivate.
Nishi tried breathing using the special technique. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.
Endure… endure… I have to endure this!
Sweat ran down Nishi's cheeks. Her clothes were soaked with sweat. She continued breathing with the difficult technique, but she couldn't feel any Ripple energy forming inside her body.
"It's not working! I can't feel any Ripple at all…"
Nishi opened her eyes. She felt extremely thirsty. Outside, it had already become completely dark. She got up, poured herself a glass of water, and gulped it down.
"It looks like just learning the breathing technique isn't enough to master Ripple Breathing." Cyan watched as Nishi finished an entire glass of water in one go.
While Nishi had been practicing the Ripple breathing technique, Cyan had been observing her closely.
"Am I just too stupid?"
Nishi said dejectedly. She had practiced for so long but couldn't feel even a trace of Ripple.
"You're smarter than Erni."
Hearing Cyan's words, Nishi felt a little better.
Cyan closed the curtains. After confirming there was no one else nearby, she activated the Ripple energy in her blood. It seeped out through her pores and formed a golden mist-like glow around her body.
"So beautiful…"
Nishi stared at the warm, hopeful golden light surrounding Cyan and became entranced.
"Don't space out. Feel it carefully. This is Ripple."
Cyan walked up to Nishi and placed her hand on her chest. Part of the light around her body flowed through her hand and into Nishi's body.
Nishi quickly closed her eyes and began breathing using the special Ripple Breathing technique.
So this is Ripple?
With Cyan's help, Nishi finally sensed the presence of Ripple energy. A joyful expression appeared on her face. She opened her eyes and asked worriedly, "Master, will sharing your Ripple energy with me affect you?"
"It won't."
The light around Cyan faded. She let out a small breath and said, "Get used to using the Ripple Breathing technique instead of normal breathing. That way, you'll be able to cultivate Ripple Breathing all day long."
"That's way too exaggerated! There's no way I can do that! Breathing in such a weird way all the time? Impossible!" Nishi shook her head. She felt that Cyan was asking too much.
"If you want to get stronger, this is the only way."
"Then… Master, you…"
"The special breathing technique of Ripple Breathing has already replaced my normal breathing. Even subconsciously, I breathe using the Ripple technique now."
"..."
Master, I feel like you're just showing off…
Nishi swallowed the words that were about to come out and nodded with difficulty. "I'll do my best."
Two days later, in the afternoon, Mario and Luigi were discharged from the hospital.
Inside the mushroom-shaped house where the Mario Brothers lived, Prince Peach explained the current situation to them.
"Mario! Luigi! I hope you can help me — for the sake of the Mushroom Kingdom, and for its future!"
Prince Peach extended his hand toward Mario and Luigi, asking for their help.
"Prince Peach, no matter how dangerous it is, Luigi and I will go to Queen Koopa's castle and defeat her! We'll restore peace to the Mushroom Kingdom!" Mario and Luigi excitedly grabbed Prince Peach's hand.
"No. What I'm asking of you isn't just to defeat Queen Koopa. I want to marry Queen Koopa. That way, the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom can form an alliance!"
Prince Peach shook his head and told them his real intention.
"Ah, this…"
Mario and Luigi were stunned when they heard Prince Peach's words. How could they possibly help with something as important as marriage?
"As long as I can marry Queen Koopa — even if it's only in name — she won't be able to cause any more trouble in the future! Don't you want to prevent what happened to the Mushroom Kingdom from happening to other countries? Mario! Luigi! I'm doing this for the safety of all seven kingdoms!"
Prince Peach spoke with a heroic, self-sacrificing expression, his tone sincere and earnest. Mario and Luigi were so moved that their eyes welled up with tears. They held his hand tightly and said with choked voices, "Prince Peach… you've really suffered for the sake of the Mushroom Kingdom!"
Who was Queen Koopa? She was a terrifying existence whose name alone could stop children from crying!
After Prince Peach left the Mario Brothers' house, Nishi finally stepped out from her hiding spot, her eyes filled with thought.
Just like Master said… there really is something wrong with this Prince Peach…
Does that mean Prince Peach was also the one who drugged the snacks given to the Mario Brothers? Just like Master guessed, there must be someone helping him from behind the scenes. Could it be… someone from the Koopa Kingdom?
After returning to the hotel, Nishi told Cyan everything she had heard Prince Peach say to the Mario Brothers.
"Master, are we going to get involved in this?"
Nishi was excited and clearly wanted to jump in.
"We'll focus on completing the survival quest first."
Cyan had no interest in interfering.
The traitor from the Koopa Kingdom who was working with Prince Peach had been able to provide a map of the castle and move soldiers away from certain areas. Their status must be quite high…
Once Survival Quest One is completed, Survival Quest Two will most likely force us to choose between two options: either help Prince Peach marry Queen Koopa, or help Queen Koopa escape from danger. It will probably be one of those two.
Thinking this, Cyan shared her thoughts with Nishi.
"Ah! Forcing someone to marry that fat pig would be awful! But we can't just ignore the survival quest either…" Nishi held her head in frustration.
"There's also a chance we'll be the ones to choose which side to help." Cyan mentioned another possibility.
"In that case, we'd have to go against the protagonists of this world, right? Master, can you handle that?"
Nishi blinked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Cyan. She really didn't want to become the kind of person who forces someone to marry against their will.
"You'll have to work hard."
Cyan patted Nishi on the shoulder.
"Master, I'll do my best to support you!"
Nishi clenched her fists with determination, already imagining the scene of Cyan beating up the Mario Brothers and that hateful Prince Peach with her help.
"..."