The Reluctant Queen
I didn't hesitate. I activated the skill right away.
“Summon Inhabitant.”
Searching for an inhabitant suited to the territory.
Island. Sea. Offering migration to those who dwell in such terrain.
The number of options had shrunk considerably, probably because the summoning location had changed.
Search complete. One individual desires to migrate.
Target terrain: Island. One Black-winged Queen from the Silent Isle.
Would you like to summon her?
“The Black-winged Queen of the Silent Isle… Do either of you know her?”
“Nope! First time I’ve heard of her!” Miya answered brightly.
“Hmm… I think I might have heard the name before. Something about a queen who loves peace?” Asne said softly.
“Ooh, peace sounds nice. But she’s a queen… If she comes here, will her tribe be okay?”
“Uung… Maybe something happened and she wants to come? I only accepted the summons because I was looking for a place to settle and heard the call!”
“It was similar for me. I suddenly felt lonely being by myself… I was thinking about making a nest when I heard the invitation.”
So it wasn’t completely random. It seemed the skill only reached out to people from other worlds who genuinely wanted to migrate.
In that case, there was no reason to refuse.
“If that’s the reason, then let’s summon her.”
I accepted without much thought, and just like before, a brilliant light burst forth.
But this time it was different from when I had summoned the other two.
The air split open and a gate appeared. Beyond it stood someone.
A beautiful woman standing between temple-like structures. A mysterious figure floating behind neatly tied black hair that gleamed like a full moon. She looked down at me with an expressionless face and overwhelming eyes—deep blue-black irises. Black angel wings sprouted from her back. She was the very picture of a queen, an undeniable beauty.
Whoa…
And even more overwhelming than her gaze was the ridiculous, overflowing mass of her chest. She wore a black dress that revealed a generous amount of cleavage, yet it only emphasized her overwhelming presence.
Click. Click.
The queen walked out with graceful dignity.
“Are you the one who called me?”
“Yes. I called you.”
As she stepped out, the gate behind her closed. She glanced back to confirm it, then spoke again. Her voice was beautiful, the kind that sank clearly into the ear.
“Hmm. The island is small.”
“Does it not please you?”
“No. It seems suitable for living alone. Lord, would it be acceptable for this one to reside here?”
The migrant wishes to belong to the territory.
Inhabitants belonging to the territory will behave differently depending on their satisfaction level.
Target: Lei, the Black-winged who has taken on the unwanted role of Queen of the Silent Isle.
Target’s satisfaction: Very High.
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…Thankfully, her satisfaction was listed as very high.
But the modifier before her name looked suspicious.
Wondering how to handle this, I looked at her. A faint sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead. Her pupils trembled ever so slightly.
“Haa… Lord, would it be alright if this one relaxed a little?”
“Ah, yes.”
At my answer, she ran a hand through her hair. The neatly tied strands came undone, transforming into a sleek bob. Then she brushed her hand down her clothes, and her dress changed into a one-piece that left her arms and shoulders refreshingly bare.
“Haa… That’s much better. So, Lord, you will accept me, yes?”
“Before that… there’s something I need to confirm. Is that alright?”
“Confirm…? What is it?”
“Is it really okay for you, a queen, to come to my territory like this?”
“I have already chosen a successor before coming.”
Her pupils trembled faintly as she answered.
“Are you certain?”
“O-of course.”
Her voice trembled ever so slightly too. When I discreetly checked her status, it showed anxious.
“It doesn’t look that way to me… If you’re going to stay in my territory, shouldn’t there be trust between us?”
“Ugh…”
The queen’s sweat increased.
“If you speak honestly, I’ll reconsider.”
“R-really…?”
“Yes. Speak. Honestly.”
Miya watched our standoff with sparkling eyes and an excited “Ooooh~!” while Asne let out soft “My my~” sounds. If I handed them popcorn, they’d probably be over the moon.
“I-it’s true…?”
The queen now completely avoided my gaze.
“Yes.”
The upper hand had completely shifted to me.
The queen squeezed her eyes shut in distress. She looked like she was struggling so hard that a few tears slipped out. More sweat beaded on her skin. I started to feel like I was bullying her.
Still, I had to confirm what needed confirming.
“I… I r-ran… away…”
“A little louder so I can hear you properly.”
“Hic.”
“Now now. Anyone watching would think I’m tormenting you.”
Miya and Asne watched with great interest. The queen avoided my eyes, tears welling up in clear frustration. Her cheeks flushed red; she looked like she was about to burst into sobs any second.
“Hwaaaang~! Fine! I ran away!!!”
Along with that thought, her tears exploded like a dam breaking.
Oh my god… A crybaby queen…
But with assets that huge, moving so dramatically like that…
“Is that so wrong?! They were the ones who suddenly shoved the queen position onto me!!!”
Whoa…
The straps of her one-piece looked pitiful, strained by the movement.
“I didn’t want to do it!!! The moment I was crowned they all thought everything would be fine!!!”
Apparently her resentment had built up quite a bit. The former queen—no, just Lei of the Black-winged now—poured out everything that had been bottled up inside.
From what I gathered, Lei was simply a Black-winged with unusually strong power. At some point she had repelled monsters that invaded their territory, and from then on the tribe began to revere her. Even her casual actions somehow benefited the Black-winged. Before she knew it, she had been pushed into the queen’s seat, and everyone else lived happily ever after.
Everyone except her.
She had to act like the perfect queen despite it not being her real personality. She lived in constant fear of being found out… The pressure had piled up so much that when I called her, she left only a note behind and fled.
“Alright, have you calmed down a bit?”
“Hic… Yes… I’m sorry… We’ve only just met… Hic… But I had nowhere else to talk… Everyone thinks I’m a competent queen…”
“Sigh, you’ve been through a lot.”
Perhaps because Lei looked so pitiful, Asne had already pulled her into a hug and was gently patting her back, while Miya stroked her head. It seemed to work; Lei gradually calmed down.
“Uuu… So can’t you let me stay here…? There are such kind people here… I’ll really work hard…!”
“You were still a queen though. You only left a note behind. Will that really be okay?”
“That… does worry me a little, but I didn’t actually do much, so maybe it’ll be fine…?”
“Hmm…”
“C-can’t I…?”
All her dignity had completely crumbled. Yet when someone with such overwhelming power clasped her hands together and looked at me with such desperate eyes…
“Khh…”
I felt my mental walls crumbling one after another.
No, seriously—those massive, heavy things were jiggling right in front of me…!
How was a man supposed to endure that?!
Not to mention she was a beauty who could rival Miya and Asne.
Though, to be fair, I had only known Miya for three days and Asne for two.
“Then let’s do this.”
“How…?”
If there was a way to summon, there was also a way to send back. I didn’t have any inhabitants I wanted to return yet. Honestly, I just wanted to accept Lei.
Still, she was the representative of an entire race.
“Tomorrow I’ll summon another Black-winged… Well, a day will have passed, but we can hear what the situation is like and then decide. If they’re in a state of panic after just one day, you go back. If it seems fine, we’ll check in once a week from then on and see how things develop.”
“I don’t have a choice… I understand.”
And so I accepted Lei as an inhabitant for now.
She was a temporary resident with quite the complicated circumstances.
“It’s getting late and I’m about to sleep. Lei, do you need anything for bedtime?”
“A soft nest would be nice, but I don’t want to trouble you, Lord. I’ll make one myself!”
“It’s no trouble. Just something soft?”
“W-warm would be good too…”
When I said it was fine, she added another request. It was better than arguing about it.
More importantly, she wanted it warm.
Finally, a companion who felt the cold normally?
“Do you get cold easily?”
“Yes! Even on warm days like today, I prefer somewhere cozy!”
“Ah, I see.”
She wasn’t a cold-weather species at all.
Even though we were in the south, the current temperature was ten degrees below zero. It was definitely not “warm.”
Then again, with her arms, legs, and chest so openly exposed, of course she’d be cold.
“Let’s see… For something soft, this cushion should work. How about it?”
I bought a large cushion from the market.
It was a two-meter-tall giant cushion modeled after the Toroto from next door. I had seen an advertisement for it once. I even remembered thinking it would be nice to throw myself onto that plump belly and fall asleep hugging it.
That thought had vanished quickly, but for some reason I suddenly wanted to see Lei doing exactly that.
“Wow! Wow! It’s so cute! This is a cushion? Can I really snuggle up and rest here?!”
“Yeah. Want to try it?”
“Yes yes yes!!! Waaaah!!!”
Lei flew straight at the Toroto cushion.
She dove into it with all her might. The cushion sank in deeply. She hugged it first with her arms, then wrapped her wings around it for a second layer.
Because of that, I couldn’t see the “pressed bread” shape I had imagined from those massive assets.
“So fluffy~! So soft~! Hehehh~!!!”
It was a shame I couldn’t see the squished bread, but just watching her plump backside was enough to make me happy.
Lei was so delighted she hugged the cushion tightly, kicking her legs in the air and wriggling with joy. Just seeing her like that made my whole body swell with satisfaction.
I also bought a tent just big enough for the cushion and set it up. After showing her how to adjust the temperature, Lei immediately cranked it up to sauna levels.
She said minus ten degrees was “cozy” and around forty degrees was “warm.”
I think Korea’s four seasons are quite harsh.
But from Lei’s perspective, it seemed like most days were either “cozy” or “warm.”
“Um… Minsoo?”
“Um… Lord…?”
“What?”
“Can I… have one of those cushions too…?”
“If it’s not too much trouble… may I ask for one as well?”
Once Lei’s temporary nest was complete, Miya and Asne approached me.
Of course! There was no way they could resist after seeing that cushion!
I bought one for each of them too, grateful that they had shown me I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hold back.
“Heek! Yap! Grrrrrr~!!!”
Miya pounced on her Toroto cushion and immediately began purring loudly.
“Hehe… It’s incredibly soft. It would feel wonderful to sleep while hugging it.”
Asne leaned elegantly against her cushion, hugging only half of it sideways as she gracefully enjoyed the texture.
Two squished, heavy buns!
One plump, heavy bun!
All my regrets flew far, far away.
Tonight, I was definitely going to sleep like a baby.