As I looked at Luca’s face, filled with despair, I knew my victory was certain.
He had realized that the star which had made him ugly, the star he had created himself, had led him to collapse without even managing a false victory.
Though I did end up accumulating so debt with Yuden in the process... well, that’s sothing I can sort out with Benedict if I explain it properly.
"Can I hear the story too?"
I had intended to leave the cleanup to others and take a brief rest, but the voice that ca from behind sent a chill down my spine.
The first queen consort of the kingdom—Kavaty Soladin.
She was soone I never wanted to et and, at the sa ti, a person who I absolutely couldn't afford to be caught off guard by.
She was standing at the top of the clock tower’s stairs, offering a fake smile.
...How did she even get here!?
The area around the clock tower was sealed by the trickster fox, so only those who had permission should have been able to enter!
Even if she broke through by force, it’s unbelievable that the fox or the grandfather didn't notice her!
The embarrassed voice of the grandfather made it clear that he wasn’t joking.
...Is there so kind of variable with the first queen consort? Sothing I don’t know?
“I think I have the right to hear this as it concerns the events at the academy.”
‘...Understood.’
The grandfather’s advice was sound. How the first queen consort ended up here could wait. The imdiate focus had to be overcoming her sharp, observant eyes.
“Why don’t you just threaten ? Delusional queen consort?”
...Hey! sugaki Skill!!
How did this translate to “Hello, Queen Consort” into sothing so off-base?!
This isn’t translation; it’s distortion!
The content itself has changed completely!
As the cold silence hung in the air, I felt beads of sweat running down my back.
This is exactly why I didn’t want to et the first queen consort. It was obvious this would happen, and I didn’t want to face her!
Why, of all tis, is she showing up now? Damn it, Queen Trump, stay locked up in the palace and focus on making the kingdom great or sothing!
“Delusional?”
In the suffocating atmosphere, the first queen consort spoke up.
She didn’t blush or get angry, simply continuing with an inquisitive tone.
“I’m curious. Why? I don’t seem to be a particularly delusional person.”
Oh. I see? Why is that? I’m not sure either.
If I were to defend my sugaki Skill, I’d say it’s probably because she’s delusional enough to think she’s irreplaceable in this country. But if I say that out loud, her sword might co for my neck, so let just dodge that.
“Maybe you should think about it on your own? After all, you’re a queen consort, so you should have enough reasoning skills.”
“But you know, Lady Arlen, you once called a mad queen consort. I wonder why the title changed. I’m really curious about why it changed, and why it’s now delusional. Would you care to explain?”
Lucy. So, you’ve already had history with her. I an, she already called the king livestock, so I’m sure she said sothing to the first queen consort as well.
Huh... sohow, Lucy and Benedict are still alive. It’s a miracle.
I was still reeling from the shock of Lucy’s past deeds when the first queen consort gave a wry smile and continued.
“Anyway, it seems like you don’t want to answer, so let’s get back to the matter at hand. You say everything that happened at the academy was your plan. What exactly does that an?”
I managed to get past one trial, but another one was waiting for .
Where do I even begin to explain this?
No, wait. Is it even possible to explain this in a way that makes sense with the sugaki Skill?
It might actually be more convincing to hypnotize the first queen consort and make her believe than try to make her understand on my own.
‘...Good direction? Are you sure the foundation hasn’t shifted?’
The grandfather’s point was that the real culprit behind the chaos at the academy was standing right in front of —the first queen consort.
The reason the followers of the Evil God were able to infiltrate the academy was because the queen consort had tried to force her people into the academy.
Without this disturbance, there wouldn’t have been such a huge uproar inside the academy.
And one of the culprits leading this incident, Luca, was also part of the first queen consort’s faction.
The responsibility for the events at the academy lies with the first queen consort standing before .
I’m simply cleaning up the ss that resulted from her actions.
‘So what should I do?’
I roughly understood what the grandfather was saying.
Be stubborn? In front of this crazy woman?!
I’m not risking retaliation later!
...Huh. You might be right.
Unknowingly, I accepted the grandfather’s reasoning and straightened my posture in front of the first queen consort.
“What plan? It’s a plan to clean up the foolish ss that the delusional queen consort caused in her power struggle.”
sugaki Skill isn’t really good for conveying situations properly. This skill sses up how my words get translated halfway, so how can I convince soone with this?
But when it cos to picking apart the other person’s faults, there’s no better skill.
This skill, which automatically picks out words that will make soone angry, is perfect for delivering a truth punch.
“You let delusional fools, who think the chaos you created was nothing, into this place. And this perverted professor in your faction didn’t stop them; he helped them carry out their plans. If I hadn’t noticed their sloppy plans, things would have gotten much worse, don’t you think?”
As I spat out my complaints, Yuden, who had quietly stood beside , added her voice.
“I don’t know all the details, but there’s nothing wrong with what Lady Arlen said. It’s because of her that today passed without any sacrifices.”
“I agree. Without Lady Arlen, we’d still be fighting the followers of the Void, having made countless sacrifices.”
As Yuden finished speaking, Prette added his support, and the first queen consort raised an eyebrow before offering a gentle smile.
“You two seem to be under so misapprehension. I have no intention of pressing Lady Arlen at all.”
...What? She has no intention of pressing her? But...
“I simply wanted to understand the situation. That way, I can help resolve things properly.”
“Then can we leave now? It seems like the delusional queen consort has heard what she wanted to hear.”
Shocked by the words that I never expected from the first queen consort, I tried to provoke her, but she simply nodded without changing her expression.
“My apologies. I know you’ve been fighting the followers of the Void until just now, so you must be exhausted. I took up too much of your ti.”
This is really strange, isn’t it? She’s openly challenging , but she’s saying nothing?
“Lastly, I’ll just take care of Luca’s situation and leave.”
“Why him? Are you planning to take him with you, delusional queen consort?”
“If Lady Arlen allows it.”
Seeing the first queen consort’s grin, I wiped all the thoughts from my mind.
I’ll think about the changes later. For now, I need to focus on the conversation at hand.
“To avoid any misunderstandings, I’m not planning to take credit for this. Lady Arlen.”
“Credit? I don’t care about that. What kind of credit is there in dealing with trash like this? Anyone who’s proud of such things is more pathetic than these idiots.”
I don’t want credit. It’s not out of humility, I just really don’t want to stand out.
If I get the spotlight, things will get annoying!
If the church of the Lord starts focusing on seriously, that would make things a lot harder!
Why did I make all the attention focus on Yuden?
If the first queen consort claims credit for it, all my efforts will be wasted!
“Then?”
“What do you think? Delusional queen consort?”
I wonder how she interpreted my retort. The first queen consort walked up to with a light smile and bowed her head to et my gaze.
“Lady Arlen, I don’t know what you think of , but I’m soone who would throw everything away for the kingdom.”
I know that better than anyone.
I’ve seen firsthand how crazy you can get in the na of the kingdom.
Maybe I understand your madness better than you do yourself.
“And Luca the professor betrayed my expectations in the worst possible way.”
Between her smile, I could see the cold, frozen look in her eyes.
Her gaze was so frozen, it seed like it would never thaw.
“I have a duty to punish him.”
At this point, the most sensible option would be to just hand Luca over.
What happens to Luca in the first queen consort’s hands doesn’t concern .
I have no interest in a pathetic failure of a person.
If giving her Luca would help avoid the power of the queen consort, I would welco it.
Had I not known about the first queen consort, I would have handed Luca over without a second thought!
Had I not known.
“Huh. I see?”
But I know exactly who the first queen consort is.
I know exactly what she’ll do when she has Luca, and I also know that she’s not a person who respects common sense.
“Then what does that have to do with ?”
That’s why I can’t hand him over.
Matching her smile with one of my own, I watched as her artificial smile began to change.
...
Wow. This is seriously chilling.
Maybe I should have just handed him over instead of acting all cocky.
But I knew better than to get complacent now. I wasn’t about to give up on my position or let her manipulate things to her advantage, not when I could see the hidden danger lurking behind her calm exterior.
The first queen consort’s smile remained, but now it had a sharper edge. She wasn't just playing along with my little act; she was calculating, waiting for the right mont to make her move.
I could feel it—a growing tension between us. There was no way I would let her get the better of this ti.
“Let’s wrap this up,” she said, her tone still as smooth as ever, but with a hint of finality. “I’ll take Luca with , as soon as Lady Arlen permits it.”
“I’m not in the business of granting permissions, queen consort,” I replied, the weight of my words hanging in the air. “You take him if you wish, but don’t think for a mont that this changes anything between us.”
She tilted her head, as though savoring the mont, before nodding gracefully.
“Understood,” she said, her voice still light, but sothing about the way she spoke made wary. “Then, I’ll leave you to your rest, Lady Arlen. You’ve earned it after everything that’s happened today.”
With that, she turned and began to leave, her entourage following closely behind her. But as they walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the last I’d be hearing from her.
The first queen consort may have left, but her presence still lingered in the room like a shadow.
As I watched her disappear into the distance, I realized just how much more complicated things had beco. The ga was far from over.
Reviews
All reviews (0)