Chapter 145: Slandering the Queen (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: Slandering the Queen (1)
Which city in the Traul Kingdom was the best place to live?
The general consensus pointed to the capital, Calia, and a few other major cities. Recently, however, a new city had become the talk of the town.
The city of Noctar, once riddled with vagrants.
A trash heap of a city, overflowing with vagrants, just as the rumors said. It might sound like the ramblings of a senile old man, but the world had changed.
Because Noctar was experiencing an unprecedented boom.
The vagrants who once roamed the back alleys now held pickaxes instead of rusted daggers. They no longer lived in alleys that offered little shelter from the rain, but in small, proper homes.
The streets bustled with people day and night, and the city came alive with a vibrant energy.
The catalyst was the founding of the Merchants of Death.
Under the supervision of its acting head, Narsha, countless trade routes were opened, bringing in goods. They utilized spirits bonded with the elves to fertilize the land and put people to work.
To an outsider, she might have looked like a benevolent ruler saving the city and its people, but the reality was subtly different.
‘I can’t possibly let the Master see such a wretched city.’
Noctar was the city where the Merchants of Death had made their nest. She was deeply displeased that her Master had to be served in a mere barony, but for now, there was nothing to be done about it.
Whether it was replacing the lord, building a new city, or establishing a kingdom—those were all matters to be handled once Karami returned.
At the very least, she wanted to show him a clean city when he eventually came back. This was all part of preparing for Karami’s return, alongside growing the merchant group.
If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before they stood tall as the greatest merchant group on the continent.
This was largely thanks to the significant contributions of the elves and spirits.
‘That part is all well and good, but…’
Narsha sipped her coffee as she reviewed the transaction records. From one to ten, every item was something she remembered, but there was an eleventh and a twelfth item that were not in her memory.
One was Ether Resin.
The other was Lachnia pollen.
Ether Resin was a catalyst that maximized magical effects, a common ingredient in the mana-herbs smoked by mages. It was an expensive material, but not particularly special.
The problem was the next item.
Lachnia pollen.
Lachnia was a poisonous plant also known as the Flower of the Dead. Its thorns secreted a toxin that could stun or paralyze a target on contact.
Lachnia pollen was used as a paralytic agent, but there was a fine line between medicine and poison. It was more often used as a primary ingredient for narcotics than for medicine.
The pollen was processed through a special procedure and made into a smokable substance. When the pollen was burned and the smoke inhaled, it induced hallucinations, much like a typical narcotic.
It was so addictive that quitting after a single use was virtually impossible. Repeated use weakened the mind and intensified the hallucinations.
Users would reach a point where they could no longer distinguish reality from illusion, and when the effects wore off, they would be plagued by extreme anxiety and emptiness.
On a scale of one to ten, it was a dangerous item ranking about an eight. If there was someone who could bring in such an item without Narsha’s permission…
Narsha stared at Alfia, who was lazing about on the sofa.
“Miss Alfia. Did you happen to buy something behind my back again?”
“Hm? What thing?”
“Ether Resin and Lachnia pollen.”
“Hmm~ I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is that so? Then I suppose there’d be no problem if I threw it away.”
Just as Narsha was about to ring a bell to summon someone, Alfia let out a sigh. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Narsha with an irritated look.
“I bought it. So what?”
“Why did you buy it? Do you not know what this stuff is?”
“I knew exactly what it was when I bought it, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“What do you mean? How can I not worry? Lachnia is incredibly dangerous…”
“Even if it is dangerous, it’s not your place to interfere. It’s not like you’re my master, are you?”
Alfia cut Narsha off sharply. The two women stared each other down with sharp eyes, neither willing to back down an inch.
The air grew cold in the dead silence. It was Alfia who broke the stillness, her lips parting first. She smiled brightly.
“Hey now~ Why the death glare? Did you forget I’m an elf? My body can purify poison even if I eat a toxic plant whole. Lachnia is nothing more than a child’s toy to me. So you don’t have to worry. I just bought it out of curiosity.”
“…”
“Anyway, have you heard the rumor? About something called the Reaper’s Order being founded in Vestia?”
Alfia was trying to change the subject.
Narsha hesitated.
Should she let this go or not? Narsha knew what secret lay beneath the bandages wrapped around Alfia’s arm.
But Narsha had no obligation, nor did she have the right.
As Alfia had said, her master was Karami, and Narsha couldn’t scold her for buying something in secret. After all, Alfia owned half of the Merchants of Death.
The elves’ cooperation was all thanks to Alfia. The merchant group’s growth wasn’t just due to Narsha’s business acumen; Alfia’s contribution was also immense.
So, Narsha decided to play along.
She was simply curious to see how Karami would react when he returned and saw the state Alfia was in.
“I have. There’s no need to investigate; it’s undoubtedly his handiwork.”
The Reaper’s Order that had appeared in Vestia. A small number of elves had been sent to Vestia to fulfill their deal with the Celestial Pavilion. The information they brought back was that a new religious order worshiping the Reaper had emerged.
Vestia was the destination Karami had mentioned. It was surely an order established in his honor.
It seemed he had once again succeeded in bestowing the joy of liberation upon the wretched.
“What should we do? Should we go and join?”
“I’m not interested for now. It won’t be too late to do so after he returns. Until then, I will simply do what I must.”
“Really? Then I’ll do it later, too.”
Alfia swung her legs back and forth.
“He’s finished his work, so he should be back soon, right?”
When he comes back, I’ll finally make the thousand-year vow we couldn’t make back then.
For the first time in a while, a fresh, bright smile graced Alfia’s lips.
*
The day of Karami’s return was not far off.
Alfia entered the Great Forest, her steps lighter than usual.
The ever-peaceful forest. A sanctuary for the elves.
But today, that sanctuary was in a commotion.
To put it one way, all hell had broken loose. In any case, something was strange.
Glancing around the forest, Alfia spotted Leon.
The captain of the Forest Guardians. The elite of the elite. The same Leon who had consistently stamped his name as the winner of the Elven Dance Festival until Alfia’s awakening.
That same Leon was now rushing about, his usually cool expression grave.
“Leon?”
“…What is it? Alfia.”
“What’s going on? The forest is so noisy. And your face is quite a sight.”
“…”
Leon glared at Alfia with irritation.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s all because of that master of yours.”
“Why? What did he do now?”
“What did he do? Oh, yes. He’s gone and made a magnificent mess. The kind of mess that could turn the world upside down.”
Leon roughly shoved a piece of paper in Alfia’s face. Startled for a moment as if it were a surprise attack, Alfia cautiously took the paper.
She glanced warily at Leon as she slowly read its contents.
A human with black hair and black eyes.
Made a thousand-year vow with the Elf Queen of the Great Forest.
Had an affair with the Snow Princess in Eisengar.
Three short lines.
But each one was a bombshell.
“…What is this bullshit?”
A human with black hair and black eyes. As far as Alfia knew, the only person with such rare physical traits was Karami.
But Karami made a thousand-year vow with the Elf Queen? And as if that weren’t enough, he had an affair with the Snow Princess in the North?
It was utter nonsense.
Alfia’s face twisted in displeasure.
“Who? Who’s spreading this ridiculous slander?”
“The Snow Elves sent it as an urgent message. Not just to the Great Forest, but to all the elven elders across the continent.”
“What…?”
“I was just on my way to the Queen to ascertain the truth—”
Fwoosh!
Summoning a Wind Servant, Alfia kicked off the ground and shot into the sky. She flew straight to the tallest ancient tree, the one that pierced the clouds, and arrived at the Queen’s chambers on the highest floor in an instant.
She familiarly opened the window and entered the chambers.
“Your Majesty!”
“Eek?! Ah, Alfia? Through the window again…! You scared me! If you wish to have an audience with me, you must go through the proper channels…”
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
“It’s not that it’s not important… My dignity as Queen is at stake…”
Just as Leon had done to her, Alfia shoved the letter in Ivrelia’s face, not caring in the slightest that she was brazenly interrupting the Queen.
Ivrelia looked at the letter with a wary expression.
“Wh-what is this?”
“My thoughts exactly. Is what’s written here true?”
“Even if you ask me so suddenly…”
Even if she is the greatest elven warrior in all of history, isn’t this no way to treat a queen? My dignity as a queen is crumbling.
Harboring such complaints, Ivrelia took the letter. And read it. As she did, her pupils dilated and her mouth fell open.
“N-no! It’s a lie!”
She hastily denied it, her face flushing red. Her earlier thoughts about her dignity vanished in an instant.
“Really? It’s really not true?”
“It’s not! It’s really not! A thousand-year vow? Besides, this human with black hair and black eyes is your master, isn’t he, Alfia? Why would I make a vow with a human like that…”
“A human like that?”
“Ah, no, I mean, why would I make a vow with someone like him… More importantly, I’ve never even spoken to him! All I’ve ever done is see him from a distance!”
This letter is saying something that could cause a huge problem. Is someone trying to ruin my marriage prospects?
“Who on earth sent this? I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!”
“The Snow Elves sent it.”
“The Snow Elves! Even if the branches have spread far, the trunk is still one! How dare they slander the Elf Queen!”
“To the elven elders across the continent.”
“……Huh?”
Letting out a foolish sound of confusion, Ivrelia blinked blankly.
This… to the elven elders across the continent…?
“A-all of them…?”
“Probably?”
“Ah…”
Ivrelia let out a sigh and staggered, collapsing onto her bed. It wasn't a bout of anemia from some delicate elven pastime; it was the shock that had struck her mind.
She could vividly picture those old geezers rushing over with veins popping in their necks. Just the thought made her head spin.
Alfia quietly looked down at Ivrelia.
Just in case, she asked one more time.
“It’s really not true, right?”
“I told you it’s not… Besides, I’m the Queen. Why is an elf more worried about her master than her queen…?”
Ivrelia felt like bursting into tears.