Chapter 74
Chapter 74
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Chapter 25 - Entering the Palace #2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Malkuth Kingdom was a great power strong enough to go to war with the Justia Holy Empire.
Over 90% of its territory lay beneath the sea, which was why people didn't know much about it, but it lacked for nothing in terms of land area, population, resources, or anything else.
'Whether it's even possible to defeat the Malkuth Kingdom at sea is questionable in the first place.'
The people of the Malkuth Kingdom were merfolk who could breathe freely underwater.
Fighting those merfolk in the ocean, surrounded by water on all sides, was reckless even for a great power like the Justia Holy Empire.
'In any case, the Malkuth Kingdom is a great power beyond what meets the eye.'
And this was the royal palace of such a Malkuth Kingdom.
The true royal palace where the king resided was underwater, but the palace before them now was the one publicly presented as the capital's royal palace, and its scale was truly impressive.
[The palace occupies 48% of the island's area.]
[Is this really okay?]
'Well, it should be fine.'
Most of the citizens lived underwater anyway.
The central island and surrounding islands were merely gateways for contact with the surface world, so the palace being disproportionately large compared to the number of residents posed no real issue.
White, towering walls; wide, open white roads; refreshing palm trees lining both sides; and a clear blue sky that looked like it had been painted there.
'It looks like a Pocari Sweat commercial.'
They passed through the entrance of the palace, which was grand and beautiful but gave a simple, unadorned impression rather than flashy opulence. A massive archway door, at least ten meters high, loomed ahead. Standing beneath it was Aru, beaming brightly with the palace guards at her side.
"Welcome, Grandmaster of Go— pfft, sir."
Unlike Integra, who would clutch her stomach laughing outright, Aru covered her mouth, desperately trying to hold it in, but ultimately failed, letting out her laughter in a muffled burst.
As Luther's face turned bright red, Integra started laughing openly as usual, making Luther's face flush even deeper.
"Sigh, anyway, Luther. It's been a while—happy to see you. About a month, right?"
They had met just last night, but Aru played it cool as if nothing had happened, and Luther nodded along.
"It's been a while, Princess Peliaru."
"You're doing it again. Just call me Aru."
"Yes, Aru."
"Heehee, good."
Aru smiled widely, clearly pleased, and the guards around her softened their expressions a bit too.
He had worried they might complain about him being too casual with the princess, but it seemed his concern was unfounded.
[Well, an insider princess like her probably acts this way with everyone normally.]
Integra muttered in a tone that was uneasy yet somewhat relieved.
Separately from that, Aru took a deep breath, wiped the playfulness from her face, and said,
"We welcome the benefactor of the kingdom who brings the Token of Gratitude."
Wearing a flowing dress, Aru slightly lifted the hem and curtsied. The guards around her raised their spears high in salute to Luther.
"We greet the benefactor of the kingdom!"
"We greet the benefactor of the kingdom!"
The unified chant carried a powerful rhythm unique to a group voice.
With the massive arch amplifying the sound, it felt like being cheered by hundreds.
"It's a pretty nice greeting, right? Now, let's head in. Lots of people are eager to see you, Luther."
Aru's face switched back to playful in an instant as she extended her hand to Luther directly.
As if telling him to take it.
"Aru?"
"You're a benefactor, aren't you? And a candidate for my groom."
Aru winked mischievously, and Sandalphon, standing beside Luther, nodded in agreement, folding three of his seven fingers to leave five.
'No, this country's princess groom candidate rankings are all over the place.'
In truth, maybe Luther was the only real candidate to begin with.
[What a promiscuous kingdom, despite their supposed propriety between men and women.]
[Master, you mustn't hold the shameless princess's hand.]
'No, it's not shameless just to hold hands over something like this.'
Promiscuous was a bit of an overstatement, wasn't it?
Still, holding hands felt a bit much, so Luther dodged her gesture with an awkward smile.
"Hmm. Well, I like that you play hard to get."
"Huh?"
"Hehe."
Instead of explaining, Aru grinned mischievously and spun around, taking the lead.
"Come on, let's follow."
"Ah, yes."
Sandalphon patted his shoulder and started walking, so Luther followed the two for now.
Of course, Integra puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
[Seductiveness and mischief are supposed to be my domain.]
In any event, after passing through the tall archway, the true palace grounds came into view.
White and beautiful buildings that looked like they were sculpted from sand.
Aru spun around again on the white stone path and said,
"It's huge, right? That's why we usually travel the canals instead of walking."
She gestured with her eyes, and sure enough, there was a large ditch beside the road with cool, clear water flowing swiftly through it.
"It's hot out—want to take the canal?"
She tilted her head, but her face said she'd already decided.
So Luther nodded with a smile.
"Yes, I'd love to try it."
"As expected of Luther—I knew you'd say that."
Aru grinned brightly and plunged into the canal with a splash. Only now did he notice she was barefoot from the start.
"Feels so refreshing. Come on in, Luther."
She dove deep underwater and surfaced, her hair and clothes instantly soaked.
Luther swallowed dryly at the sight before clearing his throat and slipping into the canal.
"Oh......"
It wasn't too cold—just perfectly refreshing.
Of course, with his clothes on, it felt a bit heavy and uncomfortable, but still pretty nice overall.
'My clothes—Integra can dry them once we're out.'
[Master, I may be in a maid outfit, but I'm not an actual maid, you know?]
'You'll do it anyway, right?'
[Sigh, honestly.]
Integra puffed her cheeks again, but Luther just chuckled softly.
She always grumbled about requests but ended up fulfilling them anyway.
"Anyway, Luther, let's go."
"Yes, Aru. Where are we headed?"
"Since you brought the Token of Gratitude—one related to the royal family—we need to visit the audience chamber to meet Queen Dowager and the other princesses. But even at best, that's this afternoon...... So first, to Her Highness Aru's Blossom Palace."
Sandalphon, now in the canal, answered Luther's question.
"Normally, going to Blossom Palace would mean a huge entourage of attendants and guards, but with Sandalphon here today, we can go simply—just the three...... no, four of us."
Aru spoke while glancing at the empty space beside Luther where Integra was, and Integra, right there, made a sullen yet complicated expression before saying,
[Princess Peliaru really is such an insider.]
'Tell me about it.'
Luther smiled in agreement and signaled Aru it was time to depart. Aru flashed a refreshing smile and headed forward.
* * *
The Blossom Palace looked far more beautiful in the daytime than it had at night.
True to its name—meaning "cultivating flowers"—a vast, lovely flower garden surrounded Aru's palace, its blue blooms harmonizing with the blue sky for a cool, serene vibe.
"Feels familiar, right?"
At Aru's teasing question, Luther gave a wry smile and entered.
The palace interior had canals too, but indoors, the water felt a touch cooler.
"We greet Your Highness."
The guards inside saluted as Aru, Luther, and Sandalphon passed through the canal.
At night, only female guards were present, but daytime brought plenty of males into view.
"They're all good people. And they like me too."
Aru was always brazen, but she showed a hint of shyness when talking like this.
'That's probably why people like her even more.'
Indeed, not just the guards but the maids throughout the palace all brightened up healthily upon seeing Aru.
Their smiles weren't forced—they came straight from the heart.
[In a way, you could call her a girl of the sun even more than Anne Rose......]
'Tell me about it.'
Agreeing with Integra, they pressed on until they reached Aru's bedroom door.
Aru opened the canal-access door and turned to Sandalphon.
"Sandalphon?"
"Enjoy your intimate time."
With a full-on uncle grin, Sandalphon winked at Luther and folded his thumb—the last of his five extended fingers—giving a knowing look.
As if urging him to climb from groom candidate #5 to #4.
"Come on, Luther. Hurry."
As Sandalphon chuckled "uhuhu," Aru grabbed Luther's hand and led him inside.
It seemed Sandalphon had no intention of following.
[As expected, this shamelessly lewd kingdom.]
[Master, is this really okay?]
'No, it's not like it's a problem.'
With Integra there, it wasn't truly just the two of them.
And would they really leave a princess alone with an outsider? Scanning for life signs would probably reveal people hidden all over the room.
But ten seconds later.
[There's no one else?]
Aside from Sandalphon outside the door, only Luther and Aru registered as life signs.
'Uh...... Aren't they trusting me a bit too much?'
Of course, he was grateful for the trust.
Aru made sense after last night, but even Sandalphon acting this way was surprising.
"Sandalphon really loves Go. Seems he likes you a ton, Luther."
Aru smiled as if she could read his thoughts.
"Of course, it's not just about Go. He's testing you now too. If you try anything funny with me, he'll just...... You know, right?"
Grinning mischievously, Aru stepped up the sloped exit from the canal.
Her clothes were soaked from swimming, but the thin, airy fabric would dry quickly.
'It might be embarrassing to look at.'
The wet cloth clung to her body, revealing its curves perfectly.
And naturally, Aru's figure was stunning.
"Ahem."
Luther cleared his throat and lingered in the canal a moment longer. Aru leaned against a stone chair and watched him.
"So, Luther, can we pick up where we left off from last night?"
The stories Luther had shared with Aru last night.
The reason he came to the Malkuth Kingdom and the medicine that could help cure the ailing king.
Straight to the point, as was Aru's refreshing style.
So Luther skipped the preamble, climbed out of the canal, approached her, and said,
"Aru, actually, I'm a doctor before I'm a warrior."
"Huh?"
What kind of story was this?
It was so out of left field that Aru furrowed her brow and tilted her head unconsciously, but it was essential for what came next.
'Just offering medicine won't cut it.'
The queen dowager, the grand general, the high priest.
One of the three was a Hecatoncheires spy, and all held immense power in the palace.
'From the Hecatoncheires' perspective, it's better if the king stays bedridden.'
They likely didn't want him cured.
So if Luther offered herbs claiming they could treat the king's illness now?
'If they judge it effective, they'll ensure it never reaches him.'
Thus, Luther delivering the herbs himself—and performing the treatment—was safer.
'The spy is one of three. With the right justification, I can meet the king directly.'
Two of the three weren't spies.
Many palace officials served the Malkuth Kingdom loyally.
With proper justification, no one could block Luther from seeing the king.
Even a spy's power had limits.
'And that's the justification I came up with.'
Luther was a doctor.
An extraordinarily skilled one.
"Really......?"
At Aru's question, Luther smiled and knelt, gently taking her hand in both of his.
"I'll prove it."
The discussions with Integra last night.
[Master, you really are the ultimate househusband.]
'And I'm always grateful for that.'
[Look at you saying that.]
Integra let out a disbelieving chuckle but soon smiled faintly and settled beside Luther.
'Integra.'
[Yes, Master. Beginning scan of Princess Peliaru's body.]
Ninth-generation nanomachines.
Trace amounts transferred from Luther's hand into Aru's flesh.