135. Alicia's Bizarre Adventure (1)
But despite Alicia's anxiety, the Royal Guard assembled, and she informed the cabinet and the Protector that the queen herself would lead an expedition to subjugate the monster. The cabinet expressed skepticism about the queen being an Awakener, while the Protector was surprised but approved of the expedition.
"They're hoping the expedition fails so I die along with my loyal Royal Guard!"
That's right.
"No way! I want to go back a day! I want to go home! I can't take responsibility for the Royal Guard's lives too!"
She was blatantly wishing for the expedition to fail and for everyone to die there. The Protector watched the queen preparing for the expedition with a mocking expression that screamed, How dare she? He openly sneered at what he saw as her childish antics, and Alicia could tell he wanted her dead. So at the start of the expedition, her face was a picture of misery, looking like she might drop dead any second.
But once they plunged into real combat—
"Hya-ha! Monsters are just pests to exterminate! Even the ones that don't run are trash to hunt! And the cowards that flee? Burn them all!"
She focused on monster hunting more intensely than anyone, clearly enjoying it. Point her finger at a terrifying monster with its gruesome form, and boom—it exploded. How could she not revel in that spectacle?
In this apocalypse, she'd Awakened late and been sidelined, enduring the Protector's contempt and persecution. It wasn't strange that her pent-up emotions exploded now.
"Th-the queen is this strong...!"
"Is it the grace of God?"
To the Royal Guard, it was nothing short of a miracle. The queen was too strong. Her escorts were elite among elites—Awakened for the apocalypse, battle-hardened on the front lines, leveled up to match global standards. Yet even they couldn't help but gasp in admiration at her display.
Point her finger, and light burst from her knuckle, shattering the monster into pieces.
"Overwhelming."
It would be weirder not to feel awe at that sight.
Of course, Alicia was just mindlessly spamming the ultimate spell she'd learned from Yuna: Yuna Des Beam! "Ah, wait—this is supposed to be my name now, so Alicia Des Beam!"
She hunted monsters mercilessly, pouring all her power into what was now the holy spell Alicia Des Beam, racking up levels without a care. In this apocalypse, levels equaled political power, so maximizing her growth on this expedition was her top priority. Even a puppet queen became untouchable with high enough levels.
"Ha-ha-ha-hat! Monsters are such trash! So this is an Awakener's power—feels amazing! I've never felt anything like this before! This is so much fun!"
But for Alicia, watching monsters get blasted like garbage by her magic was even better than the level-ups. She felt great. No more cowering like a cornered rat, terrified of the Protector murdering her every day. Knowing she could fight back now filled her with joy. She grinned uncontrollably, giggling with excitement at her newfound strength.
"But... it's kinda scary."
"Scary, yeah."
The Royal Guard escorting her found the scene a bit frightening. Up to the point where she pointed in her ornate armor and fired beams to slaughter monsters, it was noble and cool. Even silence would have kept the majesty going. But the queen couldn't maintain a serious face for ten seconds—she burst into childlike laughter, reveling in the hunt.
That innocent, carefree demeanor terrified them instead.
"But in this apocalypse, a lord with such overwhelming power... doesn't that make her more trustworthy?"
"The Protector's the same. The others betrayed the queen because of his strength."
If some felt fear at her display, others felt affection, faith, or swore personal loyalty to Alicia herself. In this world, her strength made her worth pledging to. The Protector had seized the Royal Guard by proving his power; even after a failed coup, his might let him wield real authority shamelessly. Strength was politics here, so more and more guards began trusting the queen's power.
"A sadistic little queen... Wait, isn't that kinda hot?"
And for guards with particular tastes, one teared up on the spot, proclaiming her the true queen.
"Looks like we've got an idiot."
"Whoops!"
The idiot got reported by comrades and shot dirty looks, but what could they do? Tastes were tastes. They brushed it off as a joke to lighten the mood. No way it was serious... right? ...Right?
"With this power, I could stand up to the Protector! What the—monster hunting is this easy?"
"That's because Your Majesty is so strong. Ordinary monsters can't even challenge you anymore."
Alicia now believed she could really confront the Protector. She knew the British community and parliament constantly lamented monster defense issues. But she dispatched them effortlessly, earning the guard's awe and boosting her prestige.
"Heh-heh. I want to show this to the Protector and his cabinet. Bet they'd look like they swallowed shit."
She yearned to rub it in his face, watch him seethe. Of course, she wouldn't advertise her strength—he might do something drastic if he knew. Better to let Dragon God Bahamut take center stage this time.
Back when you first proposed this, he looked like he'd bitten off more than he could chew.
Bahamut had called out the Protector at the expedition council, declaring he hoped it failed more than anyone.
"He had that Who do you think you are to pull this off? look! That bastard Protector! If he still thinks of me as the powerless Alicia from before, he's in for a rude awakening!"
"Well, pre-contract, Your Majesty couldn't have opposed him."
"That's a painful fact! No violence!"
Before contracting with Bahamut, it would've been a guaranteed failure. He'd failed himself—how could she succeed? Even if she Awakened on this trip, he'd calculated the expedition would flop, dragging the royal family's reputation lower. Her throne had held only on her grandmother's lingering prestige and public pity for the tragically fallen royals. A failed expedition would shatter that sympathy.
By the by, I heard the story, but I didn't expect this many loyal Royal Guards left.
"Surprised?"
In this apocalypse, might makes right. I figured they'd follow the strong Protector over a powerless queen.
The pleasant miscalculation? Far more Royal Guards loyal to Alicia than expected. She'd heard three regiments swore fealty, but seeing them was different. They followed without complaint, even on this grueling expedition.
"It's all thanks to the late queen. Loyalty to her now flows to Your Majesty."
Indeed. The late queen's legacy.
"I'm truly grateful to my great-grandmother. But after all she endured, she couldn't rest in peace."
The late queen's true inheritance: a loyal Royal Guard. As a head of state, she couldn't leave Alicia nothing—and in this power-hungry world, it was fittingly apt.
"By the way, what monster couldn't the Protector subjugate?"
"A massive one, they say. Reportedly over 43.7 yards."
"That's... apartment-building size? Huge!"
Chitchat aside, when Alicia asked about the Protector's failure, Mary explained it was a behemoth exceeding 40 meters.
"Yes. Its size made it easy to spot, and the Protector tried to—"
"Failed and fled in disgrace, right? Perfect. I'll take it down!"
Before departing, she'd despaired of beating it. But buoyed by easy kills, she boldly declared she'd slay it herself. Now she could topple what the Protector couldn't, earning recognition—even from that jerk.
The royal party headed for the giant monster.
"Your Majesty, I feel ground tremors. We'll reach the giant's area soon."
"Good. Then I'll—I... uh... I...?"
As they arrived, tremors like earthquakes signaled the beast's movement. Alicia looked up expectantly—then blanched.
"No way. No way. No way! That's way bigger and grosser than I imagined! I'd get snatched by those claws and munched!"
"And it's what Your Majesty must subjugate."
"Why are you so calm, Mary!? There's a giant bug right there! Isn't it creepy?"
"It's cool. A giant stag beetle."
"Huh."
It was enormous, scuttling on countless legs with majestic horns and razor limbs. Resembling a stag beetle, its sheer mass and horns suggested no natural predators.
"Your tastes are wild! But seriously, aren't you scared? It's massive!"
"Because I believe in Your Majesty. And the guards here are excited too."
"Excited?"
Alicia quailed at the colossal insect's majesty, but Mary and the guards beamed with anticipation. They'd come on faith alone, armed with Mary's assurances.
"I told them beforehand... that Your Majesty contracted with a great being."
"Wh-what? Huh?"
Mary had revealed the Dragon God contract. Alicia gaped at the eager faces, but they just smiled loyally.
"Show us now. Prove the royal family still has heaven's mandate on this soil."
Demonstrate irrefutable proof that Alicia's reign endured.
"Ugh... Fine, no choice!"
Under their gazes, she couldn't back down. Resigned, she prepared the summoning spell from Bahamut.
Calm down. You've practiced. It'll be fine.
She'd rehearsed before coming. Follow the steps—no problem. Then...
Wait... what was the incantation again? Uh... um... crap?
Nerves wiped her mind blank. She forgot the method, the chant.
Only one option left.
Screw it! Make up something cool! Improvise with max flexibility!
Spells ran on mana and will over words anyway.
"By sacred contract, heed my call... Ancient dragon! Come forth, slayer of giants and evils, architect of epic sagas! Descend here and smite my foes!"
To form a clear image, she bellowed an improv chant—pure word salad from her head.
So embarrassing! Just blurted nonsense—will this work!?
The shame was all hers; failure would kill her. But luck held: exhaustion hit as a massive magic circle formed overhead. It shattered like glass, and Dragon God Bahamut emerged, plummeting earthward.
He veered at the last second, screeching to a halt amid thunderous noise, landing dramatically.
Whoa, so cool! She's got style, this one!
I wanna go home. Bugs suck. Wake me if it's a dream.
Alicia beamed inwardly at her chant's success. Sure, she cringed at her ramblings, but they were packed with flair, praising Bahamut himself! Thrilled at his first "compatible" contractor, the Dragon God descended in full glory at her summons.