Chapter 129. The Queen's Overseas Trip
Chapter 129. The Queen's Overseas Trip
Song Hoon's statement.
The moment news broke of Serenia, Queen's 'visit to Earth', the minds of representatives from every nation began racing.
'The gate was near the Strait of Malacca, so geographically speaking, hosting her falls to us...'
'Our country was known for its many resorts and tourist attractions, so...'
'For a queen, the security we could provide was unparalleled...'
They were all desperately trying to make a good impression on Serenia, Queen.
They eagerly pitched their various proposals to Song Hoon.
"What's everyone going on about?"
As Song Hoon listened to them, he tilted his head like someone who had just heard the strangest thing.
"Well, she's just coming to see me and Laila... so there's really no need for any of you to worry about it."
With that single sentence, the atmosphere in the meeting room turned ice-cold.
The corners of the diplomats' mouths, which had been smiling so hard, stiffened, and they couldn't hide the regret in their eyes.
'Tch... we were so close to making a good impression...'
With that, they all shifted their thinking accordingly.
'We were planning to offer gifts to secure Hunter Song Hoon's cooperation anyway... we might as well just include a gift for the queen and present them together.'
---
And a few days later, Serenia, Queen finally arrived in South Korea.
To be precise, she arrived at my house.
The problem was, she didn't come alone.
"..."
Behind Serenia, who wore an elegant dress, the captain of the royal guard and his handpicked knights had all arrived in a swarm.
Neatly maintained armor, sharp gazes, and emotionless demeanor.
"I get that they're her escort since she's a queen, but still..."
A hollow laugh escaped me as I watched the spectacle from one side of the living room.
"All of you, don't be so uncomfortable. Just relax and have a seat..."
"How could we, who serve Her Majesty, ever place ourselves on the same level as the queen..."
"No, I'm the one who's uncomfortable here, so just sit down..."
I pressed down on their shoulders one by one, as they were being far too self-conscious, and forced them into their seats.
Even as they sat, they kept glancing nervously at Serenia.
'This was the first time I've ever seen a sofa look this small...'
"Serenia, do you guys have a place to stay?"
"It's my first time on Earth, so..."
"..."
There was no way I could just dump them anywhere.
I clutched my pounding head and made a call somewhere.
- Hello?
"Mom... do you happen to have any buildings available under the guild's name?"
- ...?
"We've got guests, but there's a lot of them... and I can't just book any random hotel, you know."
I explained the situation to my mother.
A sigh came from the other end of the line.
- We do have a villa set aside for employee welfare. It should be empty right now.
"Can you help me out? There are quite a few people."
- Fine... okay. I'll have it tidied up, so just let me know before you head over.
After I hung up and returned, the queen was still sitting politely in the living room.
And the royal guards were squeezed onto the sofa behind her.
"..."
The weight of their heavy armor was so great that the sofa was actually creaking.
"Serenia, can we talk for a moment?"
Serenia and Laila went into our studio.
"Just rest here for a bit..."
Amid the chaotic situation, I also made my escape into the room after them.
"What now?"
Serenia was still looking around the room with curious eyes, and Laila was kindly explaining things to her, one by one, in response to her questions.
'I expected Serenia and the captain of the guard... yeah, honestly, I even expected a few escorts... but wasn't that way too many?'
Then, I suddenly sprang to my feet.
"Serenia, want to come try out a broadcast with me?"
"A broadcast...?"
"Hmm... it's when your image gets transmitted out to other people..."
She wouldn't understand even if I gave her a detailed explanation anyway.
I gave her a rough description.
"People watch this screen and laugh, admire, and well... they send donations to me, stuff like that."
Even to my own ears, it sounded like a strange explanation.
But Serenia's eyes went round and she nodded.
"Aha! It's similar to how a monarch conveys their voice to their subjects and encourages them!"
"Well, I'm not a king, and our country isn't a monarchy either... but, yeah, I guess it's kind of similar?"
I wasn't a monarch.
But the structure was the same: providing dopamine, empathy, and emotional reward.
'Right...?'
"You want to give it a try?"
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You can also see how people react to you. And you can talk back and forth with them."
"Y-you mean I can converse with countless people at the same time?"
Serenia's eyes were literally sparkling like stars.
"That's the gist of it."
I nodded casually and set up the broadcast.
[ World's Strongest Hero : The Queen Appears ]
The camera swiveled slightly, and the face of Serenia, Queen appeared on the screen.
Finding it fascinating that her own image was being shown, she stared intently at the monitor.
[Whoa wtf lol]
[Did you pull her out of the water?]
[Lol they should cast someone like this for the Little Mermaid...]
[It's that thing where the witch looks more like a princess...]
In an instant, people flooded in, and the chat window scrolled up in a frenzy.
Also, clips must have spread everywhere because the viewer count kept climbing.
I felt a slight pang of worry that some malicious chat might pop up, but soon relaxed.
'Serenia couldn't read Korean anyway.'
But then, as if mocking my thoughts:
"Oh my, 'You're prettier than an idol, Queen'—is that a compliment?"
"...?"
Serenia was reading the Korean script fluently.
"Wait, how did you read that?"
In answer to my question, Serenia carefully showed me the underside of her necklace.
It was an ancient-looking silver ornament with a jewel set in the center.
"This is a Translation Artifact. Royalty and high-ranking nobles always carry one. It would be quite troublesome if we couldn't communicate during diplomatic banquets with other nations, you see."
"..."
'Come to think of it, we've been conversing just fine ever since we first met, haven't we?'
What I'd brushed off casually back then suddenly felt jarring now that I thought about it.
Serenia, meanwhile, was reading the chat, one line after another, with a bright smile.
"She may not be on the Saintess's level, but the Queen's 'mammatong' is also quite impressive? What is a mammatong?1"
"..."
— Click, click.
I banned them permanently without a shred of mercy.
Still, I was fortunate that such vulgar slang terms apparently weren't being translated perfectly (?) for her.
"It, it's just... saying your charm pouch is quite impressive..."
[Charm pouch?]
[I mean, he's not wrong... that place is overflowing with charm]
[This transcendent translation is insane lmaooo]
I scratched my head and fumbled for words.
Even Laila, who had grown accustomed to internet broadcasts, laughed awkwardly and nodded along.
[So what are you gonna do now?]
[Bringing on guests and talking is a familiar flavor, but...]
Chats full of questions kept scrolling up.
Since I didn't really have any specific content planned, I spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"Uh... just ask away if you're curious about Serenia."
[Open Q&A lol]
↳ This was a temporarily restricted chat.
"Don't cross the line..."
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 50,000 Watts! ]
- Still, her name is Queen, so did she come alone?
That was Lee Chae-hyun, who's been busy with company work lately.
Serenia nodded and answered her question.
"No, I didn't come alone. The captain of the royal guard and a few knight escorts accompanied me."
[Whoa, the knight order is real?]
[Where did they go then if they're her escort?]
[ Overflowing Holy-Power Pouch has donated 30,000 Watts! ]
- Where are those people right now?
As the questions grew more intense, a tired expression naturally settled on my face.
"They're resting in the living room right now."
[Show us]
[Show us!!!]
[Otherworlders wow]
At the viewers' request, I glanced over at Serenia.
"Is that okay?"
"Yes, it's fine."
I let out a sigh, picked up the camera, and slowly moved toward the living room.
When I opened the door and stepped out, the knights who had been quietly waiting saw Serenia and immediately rose from their seats.
Their iron armor clashed together, producing a metallic ring, and their instant, synchronized posture showed their class.
[Oh... that's cool as hell?]
[Wow, so freaking cool]
[Is this not cosplay, but the real deal?]
Just then, Serenia carefully spoke up.
"Excuse me... I'd also like to walk around and see the streets of Earth. I want to visit clothing stores and tour the downtown area..."
"Hmm... I think it'll be a bit tough to bring all of them along with you?"
I slowly looked toward the captain of the guard.
He bowed his head, expressionless, and spoke.
"Ordinarily, Her Majesty must never move alone. However... considering the Hero's abilities, I believe we can trust you more than anyone else."
At those words, I shrugged my shoulders while looking at the camera.
"Then shall we take Serenia to a department store or something? Though your current outfit is... a little too conspicuous..."
At my words, Laila tugged on Serenia's arm.
"Then I'll lend you some clothes~"
With that, the two of them disappeared into the room.
And after a short while, Serenia emerged wearing modern clothes.
[Giving off that cold, elegant goddess vibe]
[If there was a girl like that in my college life, every day would've been happy lol]
Serenia looked around here and there, finding the modern clothes fascinating.
Beside Serenia, Laila was looking triumphant for some reason.
"Heh heh, perhaps because the clothes were a little big for Her Majesty, it took some time to pick out an outfit~"
She subtly placed her hand near her own chest, lifted her chin, and spoke with overflowing confidence.