Into the Heart of the Kingdom
I pointed at the map.
“Yes. With just these pipes.”
I moved the pen along the line and drew several more connecting lines.
“Linking them like this and like this.”
The lines ran along the village.
“The water will flow naturally into every home.”
I indicated another section.
“It would be ideal if each house had its own pump facility, of course.”
After a moment’s thought, I added one more small circle.
“If not… a modest personal well would suffice.”
Queen Seraphina listened in silence.
Her eyes traced the route of the pipes.
A slow smile gradually spread across her lips.
“Excellent.”
“Truly excellent.”
The queen leaned farther over the map, studying the lines I had drawn with careful attention.
Her finger paused atop the small circle.
“I do not know what this pump is.”
She rose slowly and took a few leisurely steps, clearly deep in thought.
“The notion of using personal wells as backups…”
“A design that accounts for variations in terrain and resources…”
Her head gave the faintest nod of approval.
“We have mages skilled in shaping materials.”
Her hand moved through the air in illustration.
“They create physical forms and imbue them with magic.”
Her crimson eyes flashed as her gaze locked onto me.
“When their power is joined with your design.”
“These pipes can be made light yet incredibly strong.”
She stressed each word with deliberate force.
“And even capable of purifying themselves.”
Self-purifying?
I blinked.
“Self-purification? That’s brilliant.”
I looked at the queen.
“Magic truly is astonishing.”
Seraphina smiled softly.
“Indeed. Magic is a formidable tool.”
She walked to a side table.
A crystal decanter.
Inside shimmered a gently glowing liquid.
The queen took out two glasses.
As she poured, light danced within the crystal.
Seraphina handed one to me.
“But magic alone is not enough.”
She raised her glass.
“What is required are ideas that surpass mere possibility.”
“Dreamers who dare to envision them.”
Her eyes deepened.
“People like you.”
The queen lifted her glass slightly.
“A toast to the union of wisdom and magic.”
I raised mine in return.
After I took the first sip, her gaze fixed on me once more—sharp and piercing.
“Speak, traveler.”
“What other wonders exist in your world?”
Her eyes narrowed.
I stared down at my glass for a moment, lost in thought.
“In the place I came from…”
“There are lands as beautiful as this one.”
I paused.
Then met her eyes again.
“But the places we call cities have achieved unimaginable advancement.”
I sketched a rough shape in the air with my hand.
“There are iron beasts known as automobiles.”
I went on to tell her everything I had once explained to Riona—the machines that traveled vast distances, the airplanes that soared through the sky, the technology that let people converse instantly across any distance.
Queen Seraphina remained silent for a long time.
Her eyes widened progressively, and the glass in her hand trembled ever so slightly.
“You claim they fly through the sky without magic?”
Her voice came out low and hushed.
“That every person can seek out information.”
“And speak with one another at will.”
She set her glass down.
The heat in her eyes as she stared at me was intense.
“Traveler.”
I answered lightly.
“You may call me Jun.”
The queen gave a slow nod.
Her voice dropped a fraction lower.
“Very well. Jun.”
“If your words are true, that world defies all imagination.”
Lost in thought, the queen began to pace slowly.
“If such technology were brought here.”
Her hand swept through the air.
“How far could we reach?”
“How many lives could we transform?”
She stopped and turned to face me.
I inclined my head slightly.
“Though my abilities are humble, if I can be of service, I will give it my all.”
Seraphina, who had resumed walking, halted and slowly turned back toward me.
She raised a hand and rested it firmly on my shoulder.
The grip was solid.
“Your assistance is no trivial matter.”
Her eyes deepened, her voice lowering further.
“What we need now is hope.”
She drew even closer.
“This is not an official discussion.”
The air grew heavy.
“Our kingdom currently stands upon a fault line.”
“Those who covet power, ancient enemies.”
“And omens that the world itself trembles.”
The hand on my shoulder tightened faintly.
“Yet your knowledge, your perspective.”
A smile ghosted across her lips.
“They may yet carve a new path.”
“The path for Lunaris to stand united once more.”
“The path to overcome the trials that approach.”
I bowed my head.
“If that is what Your Majesty desires.”
“I will devote myself to that cause as well.”
I lifted my gaze to meet hers.
“However, I have one request.”
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Seraphina’s eyebrows rose slightly—curiosity mingled with wariness.
She settled slowly into her seat, fingers interlacing beneath her chin.
“A request… speak.”
“Choose your words with care.”
Her eyes deepened, and the air seemed to press in around me.
“I arrived in this place only days ago.”
“As a stranger I have been met with suspicion…”
“And at present I remain confined.”
I looked directly into her eyes.
“If you would lift that confinement.”
“And permit me to remain close at hand.”
I continued quietly.
“I believe I could concentrate far more effectively.”
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed.
Surprise. Calculation.
And somewhere between them, an emotion I could not name flickered past.
The queen remained silent for a long while.
After an extended pause, she finally spoke.
“Your request is not without reason.”
Her voice was low.
Her eyes never left me.
“You may indeed prove useful to Lunaris.”
The queen rose slowly and walked until she stood directly before me.
Her presence was overwhelming.
“Yet you are a man.”
Her eyes deepened further.
“For a man to move freely in this realm.”
“To approach our sacred domains and secrets.”
Her voice sank even lower.
“That would defy centuries of tradition and law.”
I considered for a moment before replying.
“Then… what if we did this?”
I met Seraphina’s gaze steadily.
“Until Your Majesty deems me trustworthy.”
“I will not set foot outside.”
I gestured toward the map.
“Instead, I will impart only the knowledge the mages require.”
I drew a breath and looked up.
“And I will remain at Your Majesty’s side.”
Seraphina’s head tilted by the smallest degree.
Her expression suggested she was carefully weighing every word.
After a moment, a smile curved her lips—calculated, deliberate.
“Clever.”
“You propose to trade your knowledge for my trust.”
She paused.
“To confine yourself until freedom is granted…”
She moved, circling me once while continuing to study me with an appraising eye.
Her steps halted directly in front of me.
“A gamble.”
“But an intriguing one.”
She stepped even closer—close enough that I could feel the warmth of her breath.
She bent at the waist, tilting her head upward to look at me from below.
“Very well.”
The queen’s voice rang with finality.
“I shall grant you limited authority.”
“The right to access my inner council.”
She paused once more.
“And the resources necessary to carry out your plans.”
I bowed my head.
“I am grateful for your wise decision.”
Queen Seraphina gave a light wave of her hand.
“Flattery is unnecessary.”
A faint, mocking smile touched her lips.
“Though I do find your obedient demeanor rather pleasing.”
Her crimson eyes swept over me once again.
Then she turned and strode toward the door.
She placed her hand on the handle.
Pausing, she glanced back over her shoulder.
“Follow.”
“We head for the council chamber.”
“It is time to refine your proposal in earnest.”
Just before opening the door, the queen added in a low voice.
“And Jun.”
“Do not fall behind.”
A smile flickered across her lips.
“I do not wait for the slow.”
I hurried to stay close at her side.
Seraphina’s pace was swift.
Her steps held no hesitation.
The corridor leading to the council chamber stretched long before us.
High ceilings.
Winding passageways.
Every wall displayed intricate ornamentation and exquisite works of art.
The kingdom’s technological prowess and refined taste were evident at every turn.
Soon the queen stopped before a massive door.
Thud.
Someone opened it.
It was the council chamber.
As we stepped inside, the heavy wooden doors closed behind us with another resonant sound.
Thud.
The impact was deep and heavy.
“Open the palace communication network.”
“Elder Council. Court Magic Division. Royal Palace Architecture Bureau.”
⟨ Royal Summons ⟩
“Elders.”
“Mages.”
“Construction overseer.”
“Summon them all.”
The queen’s voice echoed through the chamber.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The attendant bowed deeply at once.
From his belt he produced a small crystal orb no larger than his palm.
A transparent sphere holding a faint blue glow.
He closed his eyes and recited a brief incantation.
The orb’s light flared brightly.
Whirr—
A slender wave of mana rippled through the air.
Inside the orb, multiple tiny lights appeared simultaneously, as though linking to many distant points at once.
The attendant delivered the command in a low tone.
“By order of Her Majesty Queen Seraphina.”
“Elders, court mages, and the construction overseer.”
“Assemble in the council chamber at once.”
The orb’s radiance dimmed, returning to its original soft glow as the connection ended.
The attendant bowed once more.
“They will arrive shortly, Your Majesty.”
Whoa… Fuck… This is insane…
Seraphina gave a silent nod.
I glanced around the room.
At its center stretched a long table crafted from thick, heavy timber, its surface engraved with ancient patterns.
High-backed chairs lined both sides—seats reserved for the kingdom’s most powerful figures.
At the far end, upon a raised dais, sat an ornately decorated throne.
The queen’s seat.
Seraphina walked toward it, then gestured lightly to the chair beside her.
“Sit here.”
I took my seat.
At that moment the queen leaned toward me, her voice dropping to a near whisper.
Her eyes gleamed, piercing straight through me with an emotion I found difficult to read.
“Before we begin… you understand, yes?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Your very existence.”
“The mere fact that you are here.”
She drew a short breath.
“May disturb the balance we have maintained.”
“Many will suspect you.”
“Others may openly oppose you.”
It sounded like both reassurance and warning.
“I will shield you as much as I am able.”
Her gaze remained steady.
“But I cannot block every threat.”
A small smile touched the queen’s lips—an enigmatic one.
“Prove your worth.”
“Show them all how vital your knowledge truly is.”
Her eyes glowed softly, refusing to release me.
“Only then may you claim a place for yourself in this world.”
Haa… This is tough… So damn tough…
My harem!
