Chapter 109: The Queen Maker (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: The Queen Maker (9)
‘She left me on read.’
Playing with a man’s pure heart… what a fucking bitch.
I crumpled the letter from the goddess, about to throw it into a corner of the room, but stopped. If someone saw this, they might accuse me of blasphemy for daring to use the goddess’s name so freely. So, I just burned it in the candlelight.
It burns nicely.
After the letter was completely incinerated, I turned my attention to the remaining one.
A letter from the Ferdiac family.
‘Who could it be from? I’m guessing Frillite.’
My guess was right.
==============================
To my dear Cloud,
I have heard what happened in Lupus.
They say you defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings on your own.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't surprised when I heard the news. After all, it was an impossible feat for the you I last saw.
However, before I question it, there is something I must say first.
Congratulations.
Defeating one of the Four Heavenly Kings single-handedly is an achievement that none of the heroes of our generation, myself included, have managed.
You are more than worthy of being called the greatest hero.
Now that the Pope himself has officially recognized your accomplishment, no one will ever doubt your abilities again.
No one will be able to mock you for your origins.
The disgraceful title of ‘Incompetent Hero’ will also fade away.
I cannot even begin to imagine how much effort you must have put in to reach this point.
As your friend, I am truly proud.
And in that regard, there is something I must tell you. It is the main reason I am writing this letter. You might think it’s something that could be conveyed through a simple letter, but this is something I wish to say to you face-to-face.
It’s just my own stubbornness.
Honestly, if I had my way, I would head to Lupus right now, but I have too many duties to fulfill.
You must be busy in your own way, so I doubt you have the time to come and see me.
Still, I hope you will attend the Imperial social gathering that will be held in a few months. I, too, will make time to attend, no matter what.
I miss your silly laugh.
I hope we can see each other again then.
<Frillite de Ferdiac>
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“How can even her letters be so stiff?”
I never thought she’d write in her usual stiff tone.
Still, I didn’t dislike it.
In fact, I liked it.
It was just like Frillite, and just reading the letter felt like I was talking to her.
‘I do kind of want to see her again.’
The shy expressions that would occasionally break through her stoic face were quite cute.
“What are you looking at that’s making you smile like that?”
A voice came from right behind me, and I spun around. Katarina, her crimson hair still damp from a recent wash, was tilting her head.
“What kind of letter makes the man who’s usually so on edge completely unaware of someone sneaking up right behind him?”
“It’s from a friend.”
I replied, carefully folding the letter and tucking it into my clothes.
“Frillite is the name of another hero, isn’t it?”
Her casual remark made me freeze.
‘She saw it that quickly?’
I was impressed, in more ways than one.
“That’s right. The hero of the Empire, to be exact.”
“…I heard the hero of the Empire is a woman.”
“Is that so?”
“So you two are close enough to exchange letters…”
Katarina’s eyes narrowed into crescents as she stared at me. I couldn’t help but slap my forehead.
“Are you even suspicious of me getting a letter from a friend now? You’re being a crazy jealous wife!”
“Crazy jealous? Ha! Fine, let’s say I’m being overly suspicious, as you put it. Then what was that smile just now? That bright, warm smile I’ve never seen before, what was that? How is that the smile of someone reading a letter from a mere friend?”
“…Was that what my face looked like?”
“Yes, you bastard!”
Katarina suddenly grabbed me by the collar and threw me onto the bed. She climbed on top of my stomach and bit down hard on my shoulder.
She didn’t bite hard enough to hurt, though.
It was a playful gesture, full of pouting.
I gently stroked her head and said, “She’s just a friend. We haven’t even held hands.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded without hesitation.
She’d leaned her head on my shoulder and put her arm around mine, but we never held hands, so it wasn’t a lie.
“Besides, we live in different worlds. She’s the eldest daughter of one of the most powerful families in the Empire. What would she be lacking to want to be with me?”
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
“You’re convinced that easily?”
I grabbed her by the waist and flipped us over.
Our positions were reversed, and I was now on top of her.
“The real reason you’re upset isn’t because of that letter, but because I was away with the princess for two months, right?”
“And you still did it, knowing that?”
Katarina turned her head away, pouting her lips. I smiled and gently stroked her hair.
“I’m sorry. It was for something important.”
“You could have taken me with you.”
“You need to level up, don’t you? You’re still a scrub, and you think you can afford to slack off?”
“Hey… Mmph?!”
Seeing a vein pop on her forehead, I quickly kissed her. She frowned, clearly displeased, but as I gently caressed her thigh, she wrapped her legs around my waist as if she couldn’t resist, returning the kiss.
We were in the middle of a deep, passionate kiss, our tongues intertwined.
Suddenly, the contents of the letter came to mind.
‘What could she possibly need to tell me face-to-face?’
I thought about it over and over again after that, but nothing came to mind.
About a month had passed since I brought the princess back.
We spent that month to the absolute fullest.
“Katarina, their flank is wide open! Why aren’t you pushing in?!”
“Katarina, did you just doze off during your watch? I know you’re short on sleep, but this is unacceptable!”
“Katarinaaa! I told you to watch out for traps!!!”
We explored dungeons where the armaments of past heroes were hidden.
“Katarina, you’re a spinning top. If you stop spinning, you die.”
“It hurts? I hit you to make it hurt, of course it hurts. If you don’t want to get hurt, then dodge!”
“The spirits are not Shedia’s toys, dammit!!!”
We honed our skills through sparring and training.
Come to think of it, I guess I was pretty hard on Katarina… but what could I do?
She was the weakest one.
Eri, Neria, and Ophelia all went through the same thing, so I hope she doesn’t feel too wronged.
Besides, the results were as good as the training was tough, right?
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Lv. 56
Strength: C(364)+(66)
Agility: B(411)
Durability: C(308)
Magic Power: C(300)
============
My stats alone had risen this much, so imagine how much Katarina’s had grown.
She, who had been in her late teens level-wise, was now approaching her late thirties.
And this was all achieved in just three months.
It was a truly astonishing growth rate.
Of course, it was only possible because she was being power-leveled and had consumed the internal cores the kingdom had stockpiled.
‘For a kingdom, they had a lot of internal cores saved up.’
There were more than enough to restore the 10% of my stats that had been shaved off by the side effects of [Falling Flower].
“Sir Cloud, are you really okay with just that one earring?”
Leslie asked, her gaze shifting from her documents to my ear.
I touched the earring I was wearing.
A simple, round, jade-colored earring with no pattern.
It was the only item I had chosen from all the loot we’d gotten from the dungeons. She was asking if this one item was really enough for me.
“I told you before. This is enough.”
Despite its plain appearance, this earring had a backstory of being crafted by the Dwarf King from the scales of the Dragon King.
As such, its effect was extraordinary.
When activated, the magic stored within the earring envelops the user’s body in a protective barrier. Since it’s made from a Dragon King’s scale, it can hold a significant amount of mana, making the barrier incredibly strong.
It only lasts for three seconds, but so what?
As long as it can tank one ultimate move, that’s all that matters.
Asking for more would be greedy.
“More importantly, when are they going to pick a new archbishop? The coronation keeps getting delayed because of it.”
The coronation was an event to officially proclaim the new monarch.
To hold it, an archbishop recognized by the Church was required, but the position of archbishop in the Prona Kingdom was currently vacant.
After the archbishop who had sided with the demons was executed, his newly appointed successor had also died during the recent incident with the Four Heavenly Kings.
“I asked about that as well, but it seems they’re having trouble finding a suitable candidate.”
“If that’s the issue, then it can’t be helped.”
Appointing the wrong person as archbishop could lead to a world of shit.
As I was licking my lips in thought, someone knocked roughly on the door of Leslie’s office.
“Is the Hero inside?!”
“Yes, I’m here. What is it?”
“Y-You need to come outside and see this!”
“What?”
When I opened the office door, I saw a sweat-drenched Selenion. When I asked what was wrong, he pointed outside with his index finger.
“Outside the castle walls… an army… an army has gathered!”
“?”
What kind of fresh bullshit was this?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Selenion urged me to hurry outside.
In the end, I followed him up to the castle walls with Leslie, and there I saw it.
A massive army spread out before the eastern gate of Lupus.
“That’s the army of the Carta Kingdom, right?”
“It seems so. It’s not just the royal family; several noble houses are mixed in.”
“Right? But what’s that one doing there?”
I said, pointing to the banner of the Oller Ducal Family, the rulers of the Prona Kingdom’s southern region.
“…It’s not just the Oller Ducal Family and their vassals. The most prominent families from the east are with them as well.”
“A betrayal, I take it?”
“It’s not certain, but based on the circumstances, it appears so.”
I had been wondering why we hadn’t detected the movements of the Carta Kingdom’s army, but if the eastern nobles had turned traitor, it all made sense.
The Carta Kingdom was located to the east of the Prona Kingdom.
“But why did they bring an army? They can’t be planning to start a war at a time like this.”
Lupus had emerged victorious from a desperate battle against one of the Four Heavenly Kings, albeit with heavy losses.
To declare war on Lupus before it had a chance to recover was also a challenge to the Church, which preached the extermination of demons.
No matter how crazy those bastards were, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to mess with the Church, would they?
That question was answered when I read the letter brought by the enemy’s messenger.
“‘We are heading to the Alitia Kingdom, so grant us passage’?”
This line sounds like something I’ve read in a history book.
“That’s a ridiculous story,” Leslie said, closing the letter.
I nodded in agreement.
The Carta Kingdom was famous not only for its knightly families but also for its shipbuilding and sailing skills. If they simply intended to send aid to the Alitia Kingdom as the letter claimed, they would have chosen a sea route, not a land route.
Even if they were forced to take a land route due to unavoidable circumstances, a letter like this should have been sent before they moved their army.
In other words, the request for passage was merely a pretext.
Their real intention was likely to swallow Lupus whole.
“So in the end, they brought this army just to intimidate us.”
Or maybe they really would head to the Alitia Kingdom after gobbling up Lupus.
As I was lost in thought, tapping my fingers on the rampart, the soldier who had brought the letter came back up the wall.
“Sir Hero, my apologies, but they are pressing for a reply.”
“They don’t intend to give us time to think.”
As if she had expected this, Leslie immediately gave an order to the soldier.
“Stall for time, use any excuse you can think of. Even if they press for an answer, ignore them. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
The soldier replied energetically and went back down the wall.
“This should buy us a little time. We need to think of a countermeasure in the meantime…”
“Hey, Leslie. You said before that we were short on funds to rebuild Lupus, right?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. I mentioned that two weeks ago.”
“Let’s squeeze that money out of them.”
Her eyes widened at my sudden suggestion. She fell into thought for a moment, then a smile spread across her face.
“Well then… shall we?”
It was a very mischievous smile.