Rosens Full Course (6)
"Wha-what...? You... you...?!"
"It's been a long time, Bertrand."
Blaze the saintess was looking at me with a warm, delighted smile.
"What the hell are you doing here...?"
I was so flabbergasted by this absurd situation that I just stood there stammering.
I mean, why the fuck was she here?
"Is there some reason I can't be here?"
"Of course there is! Elua—no, Her Majesty the Queen—is on an inspection right now..."
Saintess Blaze pointed to the ornate pendant hanging around her neck. I knew exactly what it was, and my jaw dropped.
"You've become the Chief Saintess...?! Blaze, you?"
"Is there some reason I can't be Chief Saintess?"
"No... that's not it... haha... wow..."
As I scratched my head awkwardly, Blaze pointed toward the inn with a laugh.
"Go keep Her Majesty company for now. We can catch up properly after dinner."
"Yeah..."
Even as I climbed the stairs to the inn's entrance, the shock wouldn't fade.
Holy shit... Blaze as Chief Saintess... How had this kid, younger than me, already climbed to the top spot? Well, actually, Blaze had more than enough talent for it.
I'd first crossed paths with Blaze back during the Al-Jasha black magic curse incident. It was me, Brione, Idi—we needed advice on black magic—and the Church dispatched Blaze as their saintess rep.
Back then, she was just a fledgling saintess, around Celereja's current level. Fresh out of the Holy Academy.
Sending a newbie like her on a dangerous mission investigating mass black magic killings? There was a reason for that.
Blaze was a superhuman talent. Straight-up. She wielded holy power like a goddamn superhero. Celereja's holy healing or holy beams? Child's play compared to her.
When we went to Al-Jasha to take out the archdemon behind the black magic, that poor bastard got wrecked way worse by Blaze than by me. His limbs got torn off by her holy power.
After that, she racked up insane merits in the war against the Demon King's army. Her signature move, Healing Rain, showered vast areas with holy power like actual rain—a feat only she could pull off in this era.
While I smashed the Demon King's main forces, Blaze popped in and out via dimensional gates, ambushing scattered Demon King detachments with her killer(?) holy blasts. From their perspective, it was hell on earth.
My style was sweep 'em before they felt a thing. Hers? Made 'em burn alive in agony till they dropped. Pretty inhumane, if you ask me.
Of course, Blaze was just a regular human physically, so she couldn't spam it. And right after unleashing it, she'd be defenseless—super risky without backup.
If not for those limits, she might've been the one to topple the Demon King's castle, not me.
So yeah, Chief Saintess made sense. Plus, she was a genius at handling holy power and scary smart. Compared to her, I was a total meathead.
Anyway, right now I had to serve Elua's dinner. Catch-up with Blaze later.
Never thought I'd see her again...
The inn hall had all the staff lined up. Probably prepped by the head attendant or some escort.
Della, Idi, Pelle, Marim, Francois, Kosa, and... Aterugar...? Why the hell was she out here?
"A-ah... hello, Your Majesty...?"
Della, insanely tense, gave a slight curtsy with a trembling voice.
Elua gazed at her calmly and smiled.
"You're really pretty."
"Th-thank you... I've heard that since I was little... N-no, sorry...!"
"What do you have to apologize for? Being pretty and beautiful is a good thing. For yourself and for those who see you."
"Ah, y-yes...!"
Della flushed beet red, flustered beyond words, and Elua smiled warmly, clearly finding her adorable.
Next up: Idi. She was already sweating buckets—her shirt clung like it'd been soaked.
"Uh... hehe... Your Majesty..."
"So you're the black mage working at the inn? You don't look the part at all."
Elua eyed Idi's impressive chest as she asked, and Idi just grinned like an idiot.
"Yup, black mage..."
And then she casually conjured a shard of curse from her wrist to show off. Jesus, you dumb cow... that's dangerous as hell.
One of the special agents next to me lunged forward the second he saw it. I snatched his wrist fast, and he glared at me ferociously.
I smiled and slowly shook my head. He tried wrenching free, fuming, but I held firm. Fear crept into his face bit by bit.
No wonder—his strength was way above average. Getting shut down like that? Total shock, first time for everything.
Elua, who'd seen the curse shard, smiled softly like she got it.
"A black mage indeed. You look so innocent, I must've mistaken."
"Hehe..."
Pelle faced Elua with her usual icy, emotionless stare—no awe, no fear.
"Even among the staff, a demon. Were you in the Demon King's castle too?"
"In the Demon King's secretarial office."
"Secretarial office? So you were pretty close to the Demon King."
"We crossed paths often, but as a low-level secretary, not intimately."
Elua smiled as she asked, "Must've been heartbreaking when the Demon King's castle fell."
Every eye in the room locked on Pelle's mouth. She glanced at Elua, then me, before answering.
"No, not really."
"Why not?"
"Because it led to this honor of meeting Your Majesty."
"Hahaha!"
Elua burst out laughing at Pelle's reply. The staff flinched at the eerie sound, spooked. Pelle just stared blankly.
"I see. I'm honored to hear that."
In front of Francois, Elua tilted her head slightly.
"Hmm... we know each other, don't we?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Francois Audrion, at your service."
Francois bowed gracefully, and Elua rolled her eyes, thinking.
"Audrion... the territory that fell for unknown reasons, right?"
She knew damn well I'd smashed it. And that Francois was the Audrion lady. Smiling at her deeper bow, Elua said,
"Heard you're from the Cuisine Academy. Looking forward to dinner."
"I'll do my utmost, though imperfect."
Tiny Marim had to crane her neck way up to meet Elua's eyes.
"Half-elf?"
No disgust or disdain on Elua's face—just pure curiosity that a half-elf worked here.
"Yes..."
Marim, locking eyes, shrank and trailed off.
Usually so sassy, but one look at those snake eyes and she tucked tail.
"Any half-elf communities around here?"
Elua glanced back—not at the intel chief, who answered,
"Not nearby, Your Majesty. She's from Lenditofte."
Holy shit. They even knew that?! That bastard... gonna have to rough him up before they leave.
"Lenditofte's far from here. How'd she end up connected?"
"Well... uh... um... actually..."
Marim's green eyes darted nervously. This brat was about to confess drifting here as a thief.
"Your Majesty. Marim's a half-elf who wandered direct territories to feed her siblings."
I jumped in, covering for her.
"Near Lenditofte forest, there's a community of about twenty half-elves including Marim. She's supported several siblings alone through her work."
Elua listened silently.
"But due to prejudice, she couldn't hold jobs long, kept searching, and ended up here."
"Hmm."
"I've employed half-elves myself—they're diligent, clever workers. Very satisfied."
Marim's eyes went wide, staring at me.
"Yet stereotypes paint half-elves as lazy, filthy, evil-born, leaving them jobless, starving in the cold."
"Such circumstances..."
Elua's snake eyes stayed eerie on Marim, but her voice held a hint of warmth.
"As the innkeeper says, our kingdom surely poses hardships for half-elves like you. I'll look into it personally upon return."
"Thank you, Your Majesty..."
Elua's words weren't empty. The attendants behind would remember and spark discussions back at the palace.
Even after Elua moved on, Marim kept staring at me, eyes huge.
Finally, Elua stood before the real wildcard: Aterugar. Similar red hair and short stature to Marim, she looked up with an unreadable expression.
We all tensed, watching Aterugar.
Seeing Elua's smile, Aterugar spoke.
"Long live Queen Elua! May Your Majesty's grace shine upon all creation forever! The inn's mascot cutie Pipi sends regards to Your exalted Majesty!"
Wha...?