Chapter 127
Chapter 127
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Wise Queen #2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Aira spoke.
There was a reason her family had died so gruesomely, and she now believed she knew who the culprit was.
I had no choice but to ask.
“Who on earth is the culprit?”
Who was the culprit?
It was tense.
If the words “House Liones” or “Draco” came out of Aira’s mouth, I wouldn’t be able to handle the shift in the situation.
However, what came from Aira’s mouth went a bit beyond what I had imagined.
“The will of Angmar. The will of Solomon, still lingering in this world.”
“Solomon’s will?”
“Yes.”
“You’re saying the Demon King’s lineage slaughtered Queen Aira’s family?”
“......”
Aira didn’t answer my question.
I couldn’t tell if it was because she didn’t know, or if there was a reason she had to hide it from me, or if she was just too lazy to explain.
It might have even been nonsense from Aira, not fully awake yet.
But while others might dismiss it, I couldn’t just let it go in one ear and out the other. It was plenty plausible.
Aira continued.
“I want to know the answer too. So, Theo, bring the descendants of Angmar to me quickly. How far along is the investigation?”
“Well, we’re investigating as you instructed. Looking for someone with red hair, a mage, and if it’s a man, someone with messy affairs with women. If it’s a woman, someone with complicated issues with men.”
Aira nodded as if satisfied with my vague response. Did she already know the answer was right in front of her?
I didn’t know yet, but she’d figure it out eventually. My hair was gradually turning redder under the influence of mana!
Whether Aira uncovered my identity first,
Or I subdued Aira first. It was a time attack where one of us would win. And right now, I was at a disadvantage.
So I pretended to know nothing, asking her as if out of pure curiosity.
“What will you do if we find Angmar’s descendants?”
“Theo, what do you think would be the right thing to do?”
She was asking me?
I thought objectively. From Aira’s perspective, was there anyone more headache-inducing than the former owners of the throne? Naturally, they should be killed.
But giving that answer would be like strangling my own neck.
What a dilemma.
Still, I decided not to miss this chance to butter her up. Maybe as insurance in case I lost the time attack and she discovered my identity?
“What if you spare them and use them? As Angmar’s bloodline, they’d surely be useful in the long run.”
“You want me to spare someone who might be the enemy of my family? It’s obvious they’d try to usurp my throne. You’re saying I should let that person live?”
“......”
Normally, Aira wouldn’t have reached that conclusion. Had Arc’s air and water made her wise? Shockingly, she was spouting straight talk.
Just recently, I’d desperately hoped Aira would make smart, wise decisions.
But now that it was tightening around my neck, I oddly missed the days when she was foolishly oblivious.
Ignoring the cold sweat and karma crawling down my back, I mustered some logic.
“Even if spared, they couldn’t possibly harm Queen Aira.”
“Why not?”
“The Demon King’s line has already fallen. Alone, they can’t do anything. If they were a threat to you, rumors would have spread in some way by now.”
“Hmm...”
It was clever for Theo Angmar, but zero points as a queen’s retainer.
Spare the queen’s enemy? Only a scheming villain would say that.
And I was originally a villain.
But the current Aira wasn’t the oblivious queen I knew.
Aira shook her head firmly.
“Theo, you can’t underestimate Angmar’s descendants. Their terror isn’t as individuals, but when they form a group.”
“When they form a group?”
“Theo, think of Imp Marmar or Ogre Gorgor. They’re called magical beasts. In your eyes, Theo, are they as evil and cruel as the rumors say?”
Aira’s question brought images of Imp Marmar and Ogre Gorgor to mind. Honestly, they felt a bit different from the magical beasts I knew.
Marmar had her own kind, petit-bourgeois charm, especially.
And recently, when I met Ogre Gorgor, he’d earnestly explained what he’d learned to me.
—Violence. Lowest tool. Intelligent ones don’t rely on violence. But always consider violent incidents. Must be humble.
He’d been diligently attending lectures in Arc and climbed nearly 400 ranks in standings. It was astonishing.
The ogres I knew were siege engines that smashed walls single-handedly in heavy plate armor.
“Hmm.”
Thinking about it now, there were differences from the fearsome magical beasts I remembered. As I admitted it, Aira added an explanation.
“They seem docile and peaceful now. But magical beasts gathered under Angmar’s banner become fearless even of death. Like the shadow army beyond the barrier.”
The words “shadow army” recalled the latter half of the original novel. The black hordes surrounding Arc’s barrier dome. They were a brutal wave.
But I couldn’t imagine Marmar and Gorgor becoming that savage under my orders. And I wouldn’t give such orders lightly.
* * *
The pouring rain stopped after the moon rose high.
The dusky sky now sparkled beautifully with the moon embedded high, twinkling here and there. Though I couldn’t gaze up while walking, wary of sinking into the mud.
Still, returning to the dormitory before such a deep night was fortunate. I’d thought we’d spend it in some rundown shack.
Aira, at the limit of her patience, kept urging me: “Theo, tell me an interesting story.” It had been real agony.
Finally arriving at Aira’s room, I bowed to her.
“Your Majesty. I received so much help today.”
“Isn’t helping a retainer’s hardships the way of a queen?”
“That’s...”
It was profoundly right. Aira was becoming a proper queen. I was moved, yet anxious that her growing sharpness would make subduing her harder.
“More than that, I feel grimy. I’ll go wash up quickly. Theo, help me bathe.”
Aira entered her room.
Actually, purification magic had cleanly removed the mud and filth from Aira’s body, making her cleaner than a bride fresh from the bath.
Yet Aira seemed to seek mental comfort in the act of washing.
「Calm Situation Assessment!
Gain experience via Talent 《Composed Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
Help her bathe, though?
I hoped I wouldn’t have to lick soap again....
It made me tense for no reason.
Soap was honestly disgusting. To a half-fairy’s sensitive tongue, it was utterly revolting.
“Then, I’ll help you undress first.”
“Yes. I want to wash quickly.”
Rustle, rustle.
In the changing area, I removed Aira’s fluffy uniform completely.
Each reveal of her smooth skin and legs released a sweet, peachy fragrance that made my head spin.
“Theo, what’s wrong? Your face is so red.”
Aira, in her undergarments, placed her hand gently on my forehead. Only then did I realize I’d been tense and excited while undressing her.
Getting aroused just from seeing Aira’s body...!
That was utterly impossible.
Of course, Aira had a more beautiful figure than anyone I knew, but I wasn’t idiot enough to get excited by her anytime.
So why did my whole body feel feverish now—.
My composed thinking finally provided an answer.
It was because I’d come to know the softness, warmth, and pleasure of a woman’s body.
Having those pleasant experiences with Elga and Mirna, I’d unconsciously started seeing Aira’s body the same way.
Perhaps natural for a healthy man.
But if the target was Aira, it was a problem. So I awkwardly shifted to hide my untimely erection.
“I’m fine. I’ll remove your undergarments now.”
However, Aira, with her uncanny intuition, noticed my odd behavior.
“Theo, what are you hiding in that pocket?”
“...What do you mean I’m hiding something?”
“......”
Slide. Aira narrowed her slender eyes.
“Theo, don’t you know your queen is the wisest and most brilliant in this world? How could I not notice you’re hiding something?”
“Well...”
“What’s in the pocket? Did you put a dagger in there?”
Trouble.
Aira seemed to mistake it for me hiding a weapon.
“Why bring a dagger to the bath? Answer me, Theo.”
Prickle, prickle.
Intense hostility radiated from Aira.
As a 4.5th Circle mage, I recognized it as mana surging from intense anger.
Aira was demanding the truth, furious.
Given her family’s string of unfortunate “accidents,” her disgust for assassination and treason was understandable.
But what I was hiding wasn’t a dagger.
It shared the trait of being able to stab someone, but if its identity was revealed, the trouble would dwarf any dagger.
The size was too much of a giveaway....
“Theo, tell me straight. I don’t want to reprimand you as your queen.”
I could see Aira’s patience reaching its limit.
If I stayed like this, I might be branded an assassin or traitor and literally torn apart. I had to choose.
“Would I bring a dagger?”
“Then what are you hiding?”
I decided to man up and tell the truth. Sometimes, charging straight ahead beats sly dodges.
But word choice mattered. I couldn’t say, “It’s not a dagger, it’s my dick.”
“What are you hiding? This is my last question, Theo Gospel.”
“What I’m hiding is...”
Facing Aira’s stern question, I quickly picked the most plausible term. Penis. Cock—any word felt weird.
“What are you hiding?”
“My tail.”