300. Queen Liselotte (1)
300. Queen Liselotte (1)
- 1 -
"Her Majesty the Queen wishes to meet you."
The lord's bold claim was soon backed by action.
He dispatched word to the capital through a mage.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been unthinkable.
After all, the court mages were notorious for demanding a pouch of gold even for a single spell.
"This battle must have left quite an impression."
At Maria's words, Sonia inwardly agreed.
Thanks to the lord's financial efforts, five days later the procession—Sonia among them—set out on the road to the capital, Wolfsaehir.
The group consisted of key personnel including Sonia, Maria, and Artemis, along with Jarax and thirty neatly-presented mercenaries.
The remaining mercenaries were left behind for the defense of Tremilite Port.
"Haa..."
Sonia leaned her forehead against the carriage window and sighed.
It was because of the desolate fields drifting past outside.
"This... isn't just the effect of Astaroth."
Her voice was tinged with disgust toward humanity.
The scenery unfolding before her eyes was no simple calamity, but the result of prolonged war and exploitation.
Maria shook her head. No matter how much it was someone else's affair, it didn't feel good.
"Barbarians are flooding down from the north. And Kakia in the west? Those so-called allies aren't lifting a single finger. This country is..."
She too looked outside and let her final words trail off.
"Surrounded by enemies on all sides."
On the third day of their journey, they arrived at a small forest inn.
Most of the mercenaries made camp outside; only Sonia, Maria, and Artemis entered the inn.
It wasn't to receive special treatment. It was because they had business there.
The inside of the inn was unexpectedly bustling. From what they gathered, a merchant who had been born here had returned and was dispensing some fate-bestowed spending money.
Farmers and merchants, reduced to skin and bones, sat at tables drinking and lamenting their situations.
"The royalty and nobles live comfy inside their palaces and just tell us to endure it!"
"Yeah! What's changed since we joined the federation?"
"To those Kaski bastards, we'd just be dogs!"
Voices mingling anger and despair filled the inn.
Sonia listened quietly to their conversation.
The mood of these people would be useful later when her master advanced north.
"There you are."
Sonia turned around at the voice that came from behind.
A slender figure who looked like a teenage boy stood before her.
But Sonia recognized their identity.
"Sir Talhan."
They moved to a quiet corner table.
"I came to inform you of how things stand elsewhere."
His voice was buried in the noise of the inn and reached only the ears of Sonia's party.
"You didn't need to come in person..."
A faint smile touched Sonia's lips.
It was unusual for a figure of Talhan's rank—Libertas's intelligence director—to appear in person at a scene like this.
Talhan smiled faintly and whispered.
"How could I neglect a matter concerning you, Lady Sonia?"
Without even a gesture, they relocated to the farthest corner table.
The complaints and laments of the drunkards all around covered their conversation.
"What of Dantalion's movements?"
Maria asked, raising her glass to shield her face.
"He remains quiet."
Talhan's eyes held a dangerous light.
"But Wepar continues to leak false information to him. We have succeeded in creating a weak point in the Demon Realm's defensive line."
He too lifted a wine glass, briefly smelled it, and added in a meaningful voice.
"If that place were to be attacked from the outside, we could provide that information... to Kakia."
A smile spread across Maria's lips.
The plan of the master she served had advanced another step.
"What about the Northern Alliance?"
"Internal conflicts are intensifying. The relationship between Kakia and Elieniessi has fractured, and Jake-Crossian is seeking its own path."
"Master would not welcome that."
At Sonia's words, a look of some concern settled on the faces of the group.
Stabilizing the north to keep Dantalion in check was the very reason they had come north now.
A worry had arisen that the reason might disappear.
But Talhan calmly shook their head.
"The Master said they would maintain the framework of the alliance, one way or another."
"Why is that?"
"Because they made Hysen's northern territory independent on a whim of their own."
"Ah."
Artemis, who had asked, nodded.
When Hysen was in chaos, Kakia and Elieniessi had seduced one of the northern border counts and carved out an independent duchy.
And now they were ruling that duchy split in half.
With Hysen below and the Demon Realm above, there was no way they would tear the alliance apart.
"Lastly... I wish to hear about the situation inside Ulland."
"The conflict between the pro-Kakia faction and the royalist faction is sharp. But Rizelotte Queen, though young, is holding her ground in her own way. She does not seem the sort to give in easily."
Sonia was lost in thought for a moment, then smiled gently and inclined her head.
"Thank you, Sir Talhan. That was helpful."
Talhan drew a rare smile, then rose from the seat, concluding with the news that Libertas had sent travel funds and additional supplies to Tremilite.
- 2 -
The next morning, Sonia's party attempted to set out again.
Their steps were halted because more and more people began gathering along the road they were taking.
"Rumors have spread."
Artemis whispered.
"People are coming to see the 'heroes'."
"Heroes..."
"Are those people them?"
"So they say. I heard they're going to the royal family now to receive titles?"
The conversation of onlookers was audible. People murmuring baseless rumors while staring at them.
Sonia gave a bitter smile.
She had no intention of denying that they were heroes. It was true, after all.
What else would you call those who save people and revive a region if not the heroes of that place?
'People originally have no interest in the truth about heroes.'
Sonia thought cynically, closing the carriage window.
"There it is."
Two days later, the walls of Wolfsaehir came into view.
Walls that must once have been magnificent. But now, traces of collapse were visible everywhere.
Royal Guard knights were waiting for them in front of the East Gate leading into the city.
"Lady Sonia Medib and Sir Jarax. And your party, I presume?"
The senior knight asked with courteous posture.
When Sonia nodded, the knight paid his respects with full formality.
"Her Majesty the Queen awaits your visit. We will guide you."
When Sonia's party passed through the city, many people came out onto the streets to spectate.
Most gazes were curious, but some still looked at the monsters with wariness.
At last, the party arrived at the royal palace.
Copper-colored domes and high towers soared into the sky, but the gold leaf was peeling and traces of repair were visible everywhere.
This place, which must once have been glorious, could not escape the flow of time and the nation's decline.
"Please wait here a moment. I will come to escort you when the audience is ready."
In front of the main gate, the senior knight handed them over to the Chief Chamberlain, and the Chief Chamberlain himself guided them to the palace's reception room.
Sonia would now finally meet Rizelotte Queen.
And this meeting was the seed of a great change that would determine not only the fate of Ulland, but the fate of the entire north.
- 3 -
The audience chamber of the royal palace was grand.
But it was the grandeur of decline, not of splendor.
Pillars with peeling gold leaf and faded ceiling paintings. The traces of dust and age permeated everywhere.
'Would it have been dazzling once?'
Thinking that, Sonia turned her gaze to the throne.
Rizelotte Queen sat in that seat, the only thing that seemed to have withstood the passage of time.
Twenty-two.
She was much younger than Sonia had imagined. Only a couple of years older than Sonia.
But her eyes.
'They look as if she has already weathered much.'
"You are Sonia Medib and Jarax."
The queen's voice was weary, yet soft and firm. It felt like an old tree.
Sonia knelt and greeted her. A little less deeply than she would for her master.
"Yes, Your Highness. I am Sonia Medib."
"I am Jarax, Your Highness. It is an honor to meet you."
For a moment, a slight agitation rippled through the room.
'A monster can display such etiquette?'
'He is different indeed...'
The subjects were lined up on either side of the queen.
A sign that the opinions of the Kakia faction and the royalist faction, sharply divided, had aligned for an instant.
Their gazes were fixed on Jarax and the other monster officers behind him.
In the meantime, only the chancellor, an old man, and the queen were distributing their attention equally between Jarax and Sonia.
The queen rose from her seat and descended from the throne.
"...!"
"Your Highness!"
"I have heard of your achievements at Tremilite. They were most impressive."
Leaving the alarm of her subjects behind, the queen took Sonia's and Jarax's hands each in turn with both of her own, and bowed her head slightly.
Though she said slightly, it was polite enough that anyone could tell it was sincere.
"We are honored, Your Highness."
If Sonia had been an ordinary person, she too would have been alarmed and not known what to do with herself.
But she knew another monarch who possessed a far higher power and dignity, yet always took the initiative.
"However, we merely followed the orders of our superior. Please withdraw such excessive praise."
Seeing Sonia's polite composure, the queen regarded her with a glint of interest in her eyes.
"You are far too humble. To show such modesty after such achievements."
Though she was young herself, she was curious to see the even younger Sonia display such boldness.
Moreover, she was a mage who had achieved remarkable feats even on that battlefield.
But even at the queen's praise, Sonia merely bowed her head. She showed no sign of preening.
At that moment, a minister from the royalist faction stepped forward.
"We acknowledge the mercenary group's achievements, Your Highness. But there are still points of concern. How can we trust monsters in the first place?"
The queen swallowed a sigh before it could escape.
And seeing Jarax, who had stepped forward, place his gaze on her, she nodded.
It was a sign granting him permission to speak.
"Respected Queen of Ulland and honored subjects."
Jarax's voice was courteous but firm.
"We are a mercenary group acting under a contract with Countess Echidna. The contract is sacred to us, and breaking it would be a stain on our honor."
The nobles stirred once more.
The etiquette he had shown earlier was excellent, but the eloquence he displayed now was even greater.
Though there were some who muttered, 'What honor could a monster possibly have...', they did not raise their voices just yet.
Rizelotte Queen looked at Jarax with an interested expression.
"I had already heard that coexistence between humans and monsters has begun in the central continent, but it is even more astonishing to see it firsthand."
Sonia was granted the right to speak again.
"Your Highness. We have come for the coastal defense of Ulland. Based on our success at Tremilite, we can construct a defense system along the entire coastline."
"What do you wish for in return?"
"We have drafted a detailed contract."
Sonia handed the document to the attendant beside her, and after checking the document for forgery and toxicity with a simple magic spell, the attendant bowed and presented it to the queen.
The queen examined it, then looked at the two with surprised eyes.
"One month free of charge?"
The queen's eyebrows rose. The contract in her hand crinkled slightly.
A wave of surprise rippled through the audience chamber. The subjects looked at one another and whispered.
Such a generous offer was rare.
"This is... how did this come about?"
Sonia answered in a gentle voice.
"We have already renewed the contract with Tremilite. We always honor a contract once we make one."
"I see. After that period, it transitions to a standard contract..."
The count who was the representative of the pro-Kakia faction stepped forward. His eyes were full of suspicion.
"I am curious as to the reason."
The count maintained his distance out of respect for the monarch, but spoke in a voice clearly audible to Sonia.
"Why do you make such a generous offer?"
'Isn't there something you're hiding?'
Even though she recognized the obvious implication hidden in those words, Sonia answered without wavering.
"The Countess has a great interest in the peace of the continent."
Though she had subtly blurred the subject, it was the truth. Her voice was steady and clear.
"She is firmly convinced that if the current Six Dukes advance into the continent, all monsters on the continent will lose their freedom."
Rizelotte Queen adopted a thoughtful expression.
Her eyes moved between Sonia and Jarax.
"I see. I now understand that those called monsters also have a great interest in their own freedom and the peace of the continent."
The queen paused for a moment, then spoke so only the two of them could hear.
"They are remarkably human."
It was their turn to be surprised.
Lord Tropos was like that as well; there were many in this small nation who possessed practical ways of thinking.
She, who had drawn up the corners of her mouth, took Jarax's and Sonia's hands once more.
"Thank you once again. You will be a great strength."
The queen turned and ascended to the throne again.
Her eyes, as she sat down, were shining with hope.
"Let us conclude here for today. I hope Lady Sonia, Sir Jarax, and your party will remain in the palace and rest."
The official audience ended, and Sonia and her colleagues were guided to the guest rooms of the palace.
And just as they arrived at the guest room.
"Lady Sonia."
A maid approached and whispered in a low voice.
"Her Majesty the Queen wishes to see you in private."
Sonia asked, puzzled.
"Alone?"
"Yes, right now."
Sonia exchanged glances with Maria and Artemis, who were seated together in the same room.
They said nothing, but the same thought rose in each of their eyes.
Something was beginning, in line with their plan.