Chapter 102: Queen Maker (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 102: Queen Maker (2)
My body felt heavy.
It was probably because using (Falling Blossom) had cost me a full 10% of all my stats.
But the sight unfolding before me was enough to give me a headache.
“G-get back!”
Eri scrambled away from Shedia. After fumbling at her neck to check for injuries, she finally snapped at her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
“…”
Shedia stared at Eri in silence.
Her black eyes were devoid of emotion.
Eri flinched, her hands trembling. She was clearly afraid.
This isn’t good.
Like it or not, she was a companion I’d be traveling with from now on. It was best to avoid any bad blood.
“Shedia. Apologize to Eri.”
“…I told you. She tried to threaten the unnies first. Her staff glowed. I know spellcasters. Once it flashes, it’s too late to move.”
“And you think what you did was right? Holding a knife to a companion’s throat?”
“…”
Shedia pressed her lips together, looking wronged. She stood there silently, and just as I was about to say something more, she bowed her head low and mumbled.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“See? You can do it if you try.”
I walked the rest of the way down the stairs and approached Shedia. Smiling, I reached out to pat her head, but she pouted, pulled her head back, and dodged my hand.
Oh, really?
She usually didn’t say anything when I patted her head.
Was she sulking?
I awkwardly lowered my hand and turned my gaze to Eri.
“I know you’re shocked and angry, but can you forgive her? She didn’t know any better.”
Eri looked dumbfounded.
“You think she did that without knowing any better? Does that even make sense to you?”
“I’ll explain someday, but Shedia grew up in a very special environment. She must have perceived your actions as a serious threat.”
“A threat?! I had no intention of…”
“She said the gem on your staff was glowing, right? Isn’t that what happens when you finish an incantation?”
“W-well, yes, but… I really wasn’t going to attack!”
“You may not have intended to attack, but you still brandished your weapon, didn’t you? We call that a threat.”
“Th-that’s…”
“Can you forgive her?”
Eri’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally nodded in resignation.
“Fine. I’ll forgive her. You just want me to forgive her, right…”
“Thanks, Eri. You really are big-hearted.”
“Hmph! F-fine, whatever! Just make sure this never happens again!”
With that, Eri shouted and ran up the stairs. I caught a glimpse of her ears, which were slightly red. As I tilted my head in confusion, Neria asked me in a trembling voice.
“C-Cloud. I heard something strange just now…”
“Something strange? What is it?”
“That you… found a lover…”
“Are you talking about Katarina? If so, then yes. She’s my lover.”
Neria’s face went slack, as if she’d been struck by a hammer.
“Why… Why, all of a sudden…”
“Cloud! What do you think you’re doing down here?!”
Katarina’s angry voice drowned out Neria’s. She had appeared beside me at some point and was now smacking my arm repeatedly.
“If you’re awake, you should be resting quietly in bed! Why did you come down?!”
“Why are you making such a fuss over me just coming out of my room?”
At my words, Katarina’s eyes blazed.
“A fuss? A fu~uss? Do you have any idea what state you were in?!”
“What state was I in?”
“You were in a state that scared the hell out of me, Leslie, and even her!”
I glanced at Leslie, who nodded as if to confirm Katarina’s words.
“I was on pins and needles, thinking you were going to die right then and there.”
“Was it that bad?”
“Yes! Do you know how we managed to save you when you were on the brink of death? And yet you’re treating your body so carelessly…”
“How did you save me?”
“Huh?”
“The way you’re talking, it sounds like you went through a lot of trouble to heal me. I’m just curious what you did, specifically.”
“Uhh…?”
Katarina’s eyes darted around nervously.
What’s with her all of a sudden?
Is she hiding something?
I was about to press her, but she smacked my arm once more and yelled.
“A-anyway! You’re a patient, so get back in there and rest!”
Her expression was firm.
I gave her a quick peck on the lips.
She was flustered.
“Wh-what was that?”
“Because you’re cute.”
I grabbed the cheeks of the girl who had taken a step back and kissed her again. Unlike before, it was a deep kiss, our tongues intertwining. As I pulled away, I said.
“This is my thanks for healing me.”
Thump!
The sound of someone falling on their butt.
It was Neria.
Her facial muscles twitched as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.
“Ah, ahhh!”
She scrambled up the stairs with a clatter.
Watching the spot where Neria had been, Katarina narrowed her eyes.
“There are too many stray cats around here.”
After the commotion at the inn, I went outside. Katarina and Leslie tried to stop me, telling me to rest, but I went out anyway.
To be honest, I wanted nothing more than to lie down in the inn’s bed and sleep.
The backlash from using my friend’s technique in this body was quite severe.
But I couldn’t afford to rest easy.
This incident was on a completely different level from the Behemoth attack. Back then, there were leaders left to handle the aftermath, but not this time.
The royal palace, where key figures like the royal family and their vassals had gathered, had collapsed.
If they were all dead, the kingdom’s capital, Lupus, would be paralyzed. In the worst-case scenario, the Prona Kingdom itself could fall apart.
All due to a civil war between the lords.
I hope that doesn’t happen.
I hoped they had survived as a group, or at the very least, that the king was safe.
With that hopeful thought, I started walking toward the palace, but I noticed the atmosphere on the streets was a little strange.
Considering how devastated the city was, the citizens’ mood wasn’t all that bad.
Usually, after this much destruction, thick emotions like despair and anger would dominate the streets, but I couldn’t find any of that now.
They couldn’t erase their sorrow, but they hadn’t broken.
It was as if a small glimmer of hope remained.
It’s a good thing, but…
Why was everyone stepping aside as I walked?
Why did they fall silent when I appeared, even stopping what they were doing to pray?
Did they recognize me as the Hero?
That seemed highly likely.
I quickened my pace. I couldn’t afford to be surrounded by citizens like with the Behemoth. I was short on time.
Fortunately, no one blocked my way, and I reached the palace faster than I expected.
Or rather, the ruins of what used to be the palace.
Sighing, I was about to approach the rubble when a man lightly armed with a breastplate and pauldrons came toward me.
“Hey. This area is off-limits… Hm? Red hair? Are you perhaps the Hero?”
“I am.”
“May I see your Hero’s Badge?”
I took out the badge and handed it to him.
He examined it carefully before handing it back and bowing his head.
“My apologies. The situation is so urgent that I failed to recognize you, Sir Hero.”
“It’s fine. And you are?”
“Selenion, a knight of the Prona Kingdom.”
“A knight. Then, Sir Selenion, could you explain the situation at the palace?”
“Yes, of course. I will explain as I guide you inside.”
Selenion began to lead me around to the right side of the palace.
“As you can see, the palace has completely collapsed. Not just the palace, but the gardens, the training grounds… it’s hard to find a single place that’s unscathed.”
“To have survived that is quite remarkable. You have my respect.”
A shadow fell over Selenion’s face.
“…At the time, I was patrolling the city. I was just lucky. I am simply ashamed.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of. Even if you say you survived by luck, I’m sure you did your best in your own way, Sir Selenion.”
He shook his head.
“I am a man who swore loyalty to His Majesty the King. Therefore, when the monster appeared at the palace, I should have rushed in immediately to fight it. But I couldn’t. Shamefully, the moment I saw the monster, fear froze my body. So I ran from my duty under the pretext of saving the citizens. I am a man unworthy of being called a knight.”
Selenion suddenly stopped walking.
He looked at me with a solemn gaze.
“But you, Sir Hero, were different from me. Far from turning your back on that horrifying monster, you stood and fought it. And you defeated it.”
“I only did what had to be done.”
“I am a man who couldn’t even do that.”
Selenion gave a bitter smile, which then faded as he dropped to one knee.
“I, Selenion Fargarte, dare to express the kingdom’s gratitude to you, Sir Hero. Thanks to you, the Prona Kingdom was saved from fading into the annals of history.”
Selenion held out his sword, presenting it to me with both hands.
“I, Knight Selenion Fargarte, swear an oath to the kingdom’s savior. As long as your commands do not go against the peace of the kingdom, my sword is yours.”
I was a little taken aback by Selenion’s sudden oath.
I hadn’t expected this to happen.
But seeing the earnest expression on his face as he held out his sword, my mind calmed.
I decided to accept his oath.
The knighting ceremony of the Prona Kingdom… this was it, right?
I bit my thumb, drawing blood, and touched it to the flat of his blade.
“I, Cloud, the Hero, accept your oath.”
I drew my thumb straight down the length of the blade.
A straight line of blood.
Seeing it, Selenion rose to his feet with a satisfied look.
“Thank you for accepting, though it must have seemed rather sudden.”
“You’re aware of that, I see.”
“Haha, to be honest, I’ve wanted to say this since I first saw you. Holding it in until now has been quite an ordeal.”
With an awkward laugh, he led me toward the palace once more.
He brought me to the center of the ruined palace. A dozen or so people were digging through the collapsed debris.
“That is…”
“We are clearing the rubble, focusing on the area around His Majesty’s office. Honestly, the chances are low, but you never know. A miracle might happen.”
“But for a search for His Majesty, the number of people seems small?”
“We decided it would be better for us knights to handle it ourselves rather than have a crowd of ill-suited people getting in the way. Above all, we also need to maintain security in the city.”
Selenion’s explanation made sense.
Indeed, having dozens of soldiers rush in would only create chaos.
It would be more efficient for a few high-level knights to work together.
I should help out, too.
Just as I thought that and started walking toward the rubble, I felt the gazes of the knights digging there turn to me, one by one.
“Sir Selenion.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not what I think it is, is it?”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’re probably right.”
“…I didn’t realize the knights of the Prona Kingdom pledged their loyalty so lightly.”
“Doesn’t that just prove how incredible the miracle you showed us was, Sir Hero?”
Selenion shrugged.
I looked at the knights running toward me, then down at the thumb I had bitten earlier.
It had already healed and scabbed over.
Damn it. I have to bite it again.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The sun had completely set, and the sky was pitch black by the time we finished clearing the rubble for the day.
We agreed to gather and continue the work tomorrow, but everyone probably knew the truth.
There would be no miracle.
We were only doing this because it was the only thing we could do right now.
So it’s heading for the worst-case scenario after all.
The administration of Lupus was paralyzed.
It meant the system that supported the city had broken down.
How long would it take to restore this system?
I didn’t even know if it could be restored in the first place.
With a heavy heart, I returned to the inn.
The first-floor hall was empty.
It was late at night, so that was to be expected. I went up to the second floor and entered my room.
“You’re back?”
Katarina, who had been lying in bed, sat up.
“Katarina? You waited up for me this late?”
“I couldn’t sleep because I was worried you hadn’t come back yet.”
“I’m not so weak that I need someone to worry about me.”
“Shut up. M-more importantly, come sit over here. Not there, here!”
Katarina said, patting the bed.
I did as she asked and sat on the edge of the bed. She then began to pull down my pants.
What’s gotten into her? Why is she being so forward?
But the timing was bad.
“Katarina, I’m tired. Can we do this next time?”
“…It’s fine. I’ll do all the work. You just sit there.”
She knelt before me.
Uh, this position is perfect for…
“Is this what I think it is?”
“…Yes.”
“What’s gotten into you? You were grinding your teeth, swearing you’d never do it.”
“Sh-shut up. This is a one-time special.”
Katarina’s face was flushed red.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and lowered her head.
When I stroked her hair, she moved even more diligently. It was quite cute.
A lover… Why, why all of a sudden…
Neria lay in bed, buried under the covers.
She hadn’t left the blanket once since she’d run into her room earlier that day.
Please, just say it was a joke…
She wished he would say it was a lie. That it was just a prank to mess with them.
But even that hopeful fantasy was denied to her.
For a joke, Cloud and Katarina’s kiss had been far too intense.
So much so that it overwhelmed anyone watching.
And the two of them had looked so used to it.
All the evidence pointed to the fact that they were indeed lovers.
Her emotions surging once more, she buried her face in her pillow and burst into tears.
“Sob… You said you liked short hair… So why are you dating someone with long hair…!”
Cutting hair that she had grown for years was no easy decision.
Nevertheless, Neria had squeezed her eyes shut and done it.
Because she heard Cloud liked short hair.
But now, he was dating someone with long hair.
How could she not feel miserable?
“You’ve known me longer… hic..!”
Unlike Neria, whom he had known since childhood, Katarina hadn’t known Cloud for very long.
And yet, Cloud was dating her.
Even though she had long hair, not his preferred short hair.
This was proof that Katarina possessed a charm that made even his preferences irrelevant, and it made Neria feel like a female who had lost in a mating competition.
In other words, she felt fucking miserable.
I shouldn’t have done that back then!
The day Cloud had said, ‘If you want, I can make you soup every day.’
Neria had passed it off as a joke but had still left the door open. At the time, she had enjoyed the feeling of him liking her, but now she regretted it immensely.
Instead of just giggling, she should have smashed her lips against his… no, she should have just pounced on him.
If she had done that and then hidden away deep in some mountain, wouldn’t even the goddess have seen their plight and changed the oracle?
Couldn’t she and Cloud have lived happily ever after?
Her happy fantasy was short-lived. The damp feeling of her pillow brought her back to her shitty reality, and she began to sob all over again.
She repeated this cycle over and over, not sleeping a wink all night, and had to greet the morning with hollow eyes.
She felt dead tired from crying all night, but surprisingly, her expression wasn’t too bad.
Because last night, she hadn’t heard any moans from Katarina!
Maybe their relationship hasn’t gone that far yet.
Feeling a small glimmer of hope from that fact, Neria left her room.
As she walked down the hallway, she heard voices from downstairs.
Cloud?
It was Cloud’s voice and the voice of the woman named Katarina.
They’re up early.
What should I do?
Getting caught between those two seems like it would be incredibly painful…
After some thought, Neria decided to go back to her room. But just as she was about to turn around…
“Can you use your mouth next time, too?”
Cloud’s words reached her ears, freezing her in place.