Queen Gabriel and the Old King's Sweet Honey Trap
The Holy Land of Light that Britannia prided itself on. Just as Perpena had warned, the world kept turning even while Roman was buried deep in her bedding. Queen Gabriel Light sat with her legs crossed, flaunting her thighs as she looked down at her subordinates.
"Report."
She wiggled her white fishnet-stockinged legs with a haughty little rhythm. In exchange for the reward of being allowed to admire the thick lines of her thighs and hips through the side slits, they bowed their heads.
"Yes. Reporting. The Sacred Special Research Institute has been completely destroyed. It appears an infidel intrusion occurred."
"How did you handle it?"
"We performed purification in preparation for any possible incidents and erased all traces."
"And the investigation results?"
"The internal investigation is complete. All spirits responsible for maintaining the barrier have vanished, leaving only disposable ones. We thoroughly checked the recording magical tools, but the intruder's appearance could not be confirmed. We suspect it was an infidel skilled in such matters."
"Most importantly, the internal survivors?"
"Isabel Berry's death confirmed. The Spirit Saintess is dead."
"—Khhhk!!"
Even when her own fingernails had been torn off, Gabriel had never shown anger. Now she covered her face with both hands and threw her head back. Rage surged to the top of her head, turning her ears crimson as she clawed at the floor with her heels until they rang out with a metallic clang. Multiple emotions churned in that sound.
"It was a horrific sight. As if both a woman's dignity and rights had been utterly violated… truly the work of a demon."
"That is why we concluded it was the infidels' doing."
The figures in white robes had knights bring in a coffin. It was an ornate one containing Isabel's corpse.
"Normally we shouldn't show this to anyone, but… even so…! We believed Your Majesty Queen Gabriel must see it for herself…!"
"You preserved her exactly as she died?"
"Yes… We preserved her well so she wouldn't decay."
"The knights may lower their heads. I alone will look."
「「「「Yes, Your Majesty-!」」」」
Once the knights bowed in unison, Queen Gabriel opened the coffin herself. Isabel's buttocks greeted the queen. No other word came to mind—only "horrific." Bruised buttocks and genitals, a permanently gaping, rag-like vagina, a massive clitoris ruined by countless piercings, and tattoos carved into the anal wrinkles that continued even after Roman had left. Trash had even been stuffed into the hole. So much had been forced in that the stretched opening made wet, squelching sounds when full.
"Their perverted tastes… have gone too far…"
Even Queen Gabriel broke into a cold sweat at this. They themselves had done terrible things to spirits, but they had always drawn the line at killing cleanly and training them "so they could still be used." This… was not that.
"Isabel. That is not an expression you should be making. Where did that signature arrogant look of yours go, leaving you in this state?"
She turned the body slightly to see the face. That too was terrible. It was the face of someone who had climaxed until the very moment of death.
"Dying with such a blissful expression… How absurd…"
"…Your Majesty."
"She hasn't been dead long. According to our examination, her organs are intact and her soul likely hasn't gone far."
"Intact, you say… I wonder if we can even call this 'intact.' As a woman, her dignity has been completely trampled. I think it would be kinder to simply leave her dead as she is."
"However…"
"What is it now?"
"However, for the sake of national interest, we still require the descent of the Great Spirit of Light…"
"That's right… We're so close to achieving the plan, yet losing a talent like her is far too…"
"What happened to the other saintess candidates besides Isabel?"
"They were all wiped out. No one as compatible with spirits as her has appeared."
"…………"
"Your Majesty, please make a decision."
"We beg you…"
"……Haa."
Gabriel closed the coffin and ordered the knights to stand. "It will be cruel to Isabel, but shall we bring her back? Even if she revives, she likely won't be in her right mind."
"In that case…"
"Move her to the Spirit Spring. The moment her soul is summoned through the believers, I will personally perform the resurrection. She may convulse after revival, so have the knights restrain her. I will permit the use of restraints or even rough handling."
「「「「Yes, Your Majesty-!」」」」
The knights recited the same cheer and carried the coffin away. Left behind were the white-robed believers who had come to report on the institute, and one man quietly holding his breath against a pillar.
"Continue the report."
"Yes… No video records remain, but we obtained testimony from the disposable spirits. The intruder was Riu Yawen. She is the protective sword of Princess Sunho of the Chang Kingdom."
"…That battle-mad general. I've seen her up close before. Anything else?"
"It seems the Great Spirit SoroR herself infiltrated… The kidnapping was apparently staged, and she supposedly escaped by pulling her fingers out of her own buttocks…"
"Excuse me?"
"They truly testified as such. Whether the spirits who witnessed it lacked vocabulary or whether it actually happened, they claimed SoroR's fingers emerged from her buttocks to rescue people and reduce Isabel to that state."
"Haa, what kind of nonsense is this now…?"
"We who are reporting also find it regrettable. Nevertheless, it is certain that the infidel Roman is the mastermind. We have secured testimony that SoroR and those around her referred to the fingers as Roman. Since all the spirits said the same thing, that part is undoubtedly true."
"Roman, is it… Come to think of it, he was also the one who placed the curse on Isabel, wasn't he?"
"Yes."
"Looking at the series of events, it seems deliberate—letting the Great Spirit be taken, discovering the institute's location, infiltrating, the princesses' audience… all planned…"
"The Great Spirit of the Sea followed SoroR, so……"
"Yes, of course. She is a Great Spirit, after all~? Having obtained her so easily, she would never have simply returned her to nature."
She sat comfortably, chin raised high, and let out a sigh.
"Haaa… The Great Spirit Project the Church was advancing… The saintess needed for it died in disgrace… The Great Spirit of the Sea we had kept as a sample and advisor was stolen… And now that the institute's existence has been exposed to other nations, we had no choice but to erase all traces…… This is terrorism. State-sponsored terrorism, at that."
"Will you publicly denounce the Cornelius family?"
"Ohoho! Don't joke around~. We were the ones attacked, remember? Even if the other side deliberately lured us into it, that's what happened. Rumors were already spreading in the Academy that it was the Spirit Council's doing, weren't they? With the princesses of various nations involved, if we speak carelessly we might end up taking the blame ourselves."
"But we did possess the Great Spirit of the Sea. That is an undeniable fact."
"The Spirit Council will follow Your Majesty's words. If we issue a statement claiming the Church's treasure was stolen, the criticism will intensify and we can demand compensation as well."
"We imprisoned and trained her for our purposes. The moment the Great Spirit mentions that at the Academy, our image will suffer. Above all, treating a Great Spirit as property would turn even our outward believers against us."
"Then shall we officially declare them infidels?"
"Given what happened with SoroR, if we spread the word that the infidels deceived the Great Spirit…"
"Officially declare any spirit mage who commands a Great Spirit an infidel. Then boldly launch a holy war to seize the Great Spirit. Yes, that means war. A fight where it's obvious people will point fingers at us. Even if we win, making two Great Spirits our enemies is confirmed, so that wouldn't be normal either. I have no intention of doing something so insane."
"That was a slip of the tongue."
"No~? It was well-intentioned advice. I don't dislike that kind of enthusiasm from all of you. Ohoho~!"
"Your Majesty…"
"It was I who rejected all of your proposals in the first place~! You may think of me as an incompetent queen in your hearts if you wish~?"
"No… We would never…!"
"How could we criticize you when it is our own thinking that was shallow!"
"Really, I already accepted it as sincere advice, so please stop… Now, stop kneeling and smile. Smile. Ohohoho~!"
It was an ill-fitting laugh. It was obvious she was deliberately clowning around to ease the tension in the room. Even so, it suited the queen beloved by all.
"Now then, let's get back to the topic. No matter how much it was for national interest, the fact remains that we made a serious mistake. If we stir up more trouble, we'll only invite criticism from the other four great nations, so I'd rather not make any major moves for a while. That doesn't mean we won't engage in behind-the-scenes work, though~♪"
With that, she turned her gaze toward the pillar. The man who had been leaning against it with his eyes closed—King Remerus of Tebere—opened his eyes.
"Did you hear the story well? Oh my, you weren't sleeping, were you? Really now! That's not allowed~! You must eat a balanced, nutritious meal and exercise diligently! King Remerus, your age is your age, after all!"
"Even my jokes… haven't reached senility yet."
"Is that so. Then it's all the more surprising. I never expected King Remerus to stick his head into something like this. I thought your dream was to be born in the safest country, do your duty quietly, and live in peace. What wind could have blown to make such a peaceful king act this way~?"
"Because it would be troublesome if the Cornelius family grows any larger. The previous head, Marcus, was already quite irritating, but his son Roman is even more so. It would have been fine if he had quietly had the Great Spirit taken from him, but this is truly troublesome…"
"But isn't that too bold? You came here with no information whatsoever and immediately concluded it was our doing the moment you heard about the Great Spirit theft. Acting so boldly made me respond directly without thinking~?"
"Queen Gabriel. As you said, I am an old man with missing teeth. But don't underestimate me too much. If I had merely idled away my time, I wouldn't have been able to maintain the weight of the crown."
"Ohoho~! So it's the old man's bag of wisdom, then!"
"Call it whatever you like. In any case, the current Cornelius is troublesome. Thanks to the sanctuary treatment granted by the Great Spirit SoroR's declaration, even pilgrims have begun appearing like bamboo shoots after rain. The Spirit Council must have noticed this as well."
"Yes. It was tremendous information we hadn't heard from the Great Spirit of the Sea. The Cornelius family is cultivating the Golden Land through that sanctuary and supporting our four great nations, so how sacred must they appear in their eyes?"
Though she praised them, the underlying meaning was that it was extremely irritating. To have two of the beings they worshipped on the side of their enemy… It was no laughing matter.
"I hear that Princess Servilia and Roman don't get along very well."
"It's because of the things he did before he changed. It seems to have calmed down for now due to the banquet incident, but given my daughter's temperament, that won't last long either. In any case, the things he did in the past far exceed what Servilia can tolerate."
"Is it impossible to use my daughter as a honey trap agent?"
"Do you think a foolish child who only knows fighting could manage it? I thought at least Senia had some brains, but she ended up like that in the end. Fortunately, Roman seems to show interest in our Servilia, so it's not entirely unusable, but……"
"Not the best option?"
"At best, it's the next best thing after the next best thing. She's of age, and even if I tell her to take lessons for marriage, she pays no attention…"
"Declaring them infidels is impossible, and pressuring the Cornelius family in cooperation with you is also difficult because of the Great Spirit… So in the end, the only option is a honey trap? The previous head Marcus also died from womanizing, so even if his son ends up in the same situation, he won't care──"
"Marcus did not die from womanizing."
"…Didn't Nigilia officially kill him?"
"No, she did nothing wrong. The one who killed Marcus was none other than I, Remerus Tebere."
"…………"
The queen raised an eyebrow. This was clearly the first time she had heard it.
"…Why?"
"It was partly to curb the momentum of the Cornelius family, but if I speak honestly, it was because I desired Nigilia."
"Oh my."
Suddenly, a love story. As a woman, she couldn't miss this.
"Alright, this is interesting. Will you continue?"
"It's an old story. One day I slipped out of the palace and wandered the night streets in secret. I wanted to feel the wind, see how the common people lived, and escape my wife's watchful eyes for a while."
"You mean your current wife?"
"Yes, that very woman. Back then, I hated the marriage itself. For someone like me who only wanted a quiet life, my wife's constant bad advice was truly unbearable… It was around that time that I met Nigilia, who was working as a dancer. Her seductive appearance alone was enough to captivate any man's gaze. Compared to my wife, who only schemed from the inner chambers, I wondered if they were truly the same gender. Even now, thinking about that time makes me feel ecstatic."
The old king stretched out both hands as if inviting someone to dance and continued.
"I immediately summoned her to the palace. My wife was displeased, but I placated her anger by pretending to give her affection while keeping Nigilia by my side. The nights spent appeasing my wife were truly hell, but the happiness I felt when calling for Nigilia behind her back made me understand why I was born."
"Oh my, was she that skilled in bed?"
"You've misunderstood. I never lay with Nigilia. At the time, my wife had more than one or two spies, so at most I had her recite poetry or dance at night. Even that would make my wife's face turn red the next morning, so if I had embraced her, it would have been a disaster."
"Yet you were still that happy."
"She was my comfort and my hope. She was the one who lit a fire in my withered heart."
"But Nigilia belonged to the Cornelius family. How did that happen?"
"…………She was taken from me. By none other than that vile Marcus!!"
"Oh my my my…"
She opened her feathered fan and laughed. It was quite a sight to see the peace-addled king with veins bulging on his forehead.
"One day, Marcus found out about my feelings for Nigilia. Since he had frequently visited the palace since birth as a ducal noble, he was quick to read my mood. He was already a difficult national noble to handle, but he approached me with this suggestion."
He mimicked Marcus's voice and gestures exactly as they had been then.
『Your Majesty, then how about sending her to me instead? The current queen is strong-willed and perceptive. If she learns of this, Nigilia will surely die.』
"──It was true. If my wife had found out, she wouldn't have left Nigilia alone. So I agreed."
『Then Marcus, can you keep Nigilia for my sake? On the days you hold banquets, I will attend for any reason and praise you and the Cornelius family every time. In return, if I can have secret meetings with Nigilia on the way back, that would be wonderful for both of us… What do you think?』
『I could ask for nothing better. Nigilia will also be able to groom herself in a safer place and wait for Your Majesty with longing.』
『Indeed! Indeed! Hahaha!』
And so, Nigilia was taken from him.
"Oh my… Such a thing happened…"
"Still, I didn't give up. Once Marcus died, the acting head of the family would be confirmed as Nigilia. It was true she had been defiled by Marcus, but thanks to that she gained the title of ducal lady. Using that as an excuse, I planned to take her as a concubine without anyone else's interference and marry her."
"Ah, because there was the pretext of absorbing the Cornelius territory…!"
"That's right. Though her status was low, the value of being able to fully absorb that family's territory was far greater. No one loyal to the royal family would have opposed it."
"The old man's bag of wisdom… Not to be underestimated…"
"After that, I planned to deal with my wife as well. That venomous woman had earned hatred from below with her unique personality, and her faction was being devoured. If I obtained Nigilia, I intended to poison her later. I'm sorry to Servilia, but that woman's temperament didn't suit Tebere. The problem is that my daughter Servilia has a similar temperament…"
Still, she was his daughter. There was no reason to kill her.
"I see. Now I understand why King Remerus is so angry. From ancient times to the present, the grudges of love run deep. Moreover, to see your first love framed and reduced to such disgrace… I understand how painful it must be, to the point of rotting from within."
"This old man has shown all his cards. Queen Gabriel, now it's your turn."
"Yes. I intend to do the same. But before that…"
The queen tapped her chair with her feathered fan. At that signal, the audience hall doors opened and beautiful women appeared, displaying graceful steps.
"Who are they?"
"They are the women who will participate in this operation. In other words, the honey trap agents."
"Hoo…"
"Originally, I planned to have them infiltrate slowly from outside, but if King Remerus cooperates, the story changes, doesn't it?"
"Using the name of the Tebere royal family to put them forward as engagement candidates for the Cornelius family…?"
"That's right. It's a much better choice than openly recommending Servilia. Since they all have different backgrounds, at least one is bound to be caught."
"Have you heard the Cornelius family's conditions?"
"Yes. The conditions set by that demonic man—I saw them all. Fitting for a man who did such things to Isabel."
"And you still think you can set a honey trap?"
"They've been perfectly trained, so there's no need to worry."
As if responding to the queen's words, the women carefully removed their clothes and quietly prostrated themselves. Opening her feathered fan, she smiled from within. Even to her eyes, they were a well-trained pack of females.
"Everyone, pay attention. From now on, you will be under the command of King Remerus here. Your objective is singular: infiltrate the Cornelius family and contribute to national interest. Among them, the highest priority is to uncover the secret of how the infidel Roman 'tames the Great Spirits.' Given his personality, he won't refuse women, so seduce him with your female bodies. Either seize his weaknesses or rise to a position where you can poison him at any time—that is the next best plan. —Do you understand?!"
「「「「All for the Spirit Council.」」」」
"Oh my, wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Ohohoho~! Ohohohoho~!"
Queen Gabriel laughed loudly as if to wrap things up. King Remerus, the anger from moments ago nowhere to be seen, spoke calmly.
"You, won't you stop that laugh? Every time we meet I think this, but it doesn't suit you at all… The gap is a bit…"
"Ohoho! It's style! Style! For a blonde roll, this laugh is perfect~! Ohohoho~!"
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to style your hair more elaborately? Just curling the ends a little—what should I call it… If I had to say, it's like the sophistication of kids these days? That kind of laugh would suit a woman who curls her hair more tightly…"
"That makes me sound like an old lady! I'm still young, you know!"
"…………"
"Do you have a complaint?"
"Understood. I apologize."
Thus, with Queen Gabriel revealing the facts and true intentions behind the project, the two agreed to cooperate. The engagement commotion that would soon arrive. The moment Britannia and Tebere's joint operation was completed.