Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Survival Competition (2)
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The Cappuccino Cafe had returned to a somewhat peaceful routine, but two new habits had been added to my daily life.
One was reading. I was focusing mainly on history books, trying to learn about the origins of the labyrinths.
The other was sword training. I'd taken out three high-ranking members of the Demon God Cult, so it was only a matter of time before someone tried a direct confrontation or pulled some scheme on me. If my skills rusted and I botched the response, that'd be a real disaster.
Before opening the cafe, I worked up a sweat and headed inside, only to find an unexpected visitor.
"Your Majesty. What brings you here?"
"Uh, first, go change your clothes."
"Ah, yes."
I'd thrown on a plain white tee for comfort during my workout, but it was soaked and basically see-through now.
Not that it mattered much. It wasn't like I was stripping naked in public or anything.
I quickly showered, changed, dried my hair, and came back out.
"Ahem. Hearing the shower from someone of the opposite sex... it's a strangely thrilling feeling."
"I suppose it is."
"Ahem, ahem. That's beside the point, but I really am sorry about last time. I needed a bit of liquid courage, and things got out of hand."
"It's fine. Just drink in moderation from now on."
"If there's no special occasion...?"
"..."
"Ow, fine, I get it."
For now, we agreed to forget about what happened last time and get down to business.
"So, what brings you to my cafe at the crack of dawn on a weekday?"
"I've got some pretty important intel. The Empire has more diverse diplomatic ties than the Imir Kingdom, right? You know that much."
"Yes. The Imir Kingdom's northern border is too frigid for civilization, so it's empty. East: demon tribes. West: Pallan Empire. South: elves. That's it."
"Exactly. The Empire deals with non-human nations like the elves and dwarves, the Holy Kingdom, Astraea—which might as well be its own country—and the cluster of city-states along the southwest coast."
"Hearing it laid out like that, it sounds like a real headache."
"Care to marry me and help out?"
"...So, what's this important business?"
"To root out tax evaders and traitors, we've overhauled the flow of goods heading out of the Empire to foreign lands. And we noticed military supplies vanishing midway."
"Smuggling. Or embezzlement."
"Embezzlement would be better. We could squeeze them dry and make them cough it up. Sadly, it's smuggling."
"Where to?"
"They wouldn't talk even under torture, so we had no choice but to impose collective responsibility."
Meaning they went after the family.
Her Majesty Alina wore a far more irritated expression than my own uneasy one, speaking in a listless tone.
"We tied up the couple and shattered their daughter's bones one by one right in front of them. We had a bone-breaking expert on hand—said there are 27 bones per hand and methodically snapped them in half."
"Did they confess?"
"They did. The problem came after. The ones buying the smuggled goods? Demon tribesmen. So we sentenced the guy to hanging, and decided not to return his severed head to the family."
Dismemberment and denial of corpse.
Skimming a bit between human nations? It happens. And there's no guarantee those goods are headed our way.
But dealing with demon tribes is straight-up treason, so the death penalty is unavoidable.
"What about the demons' whereabouts?"
"We have a rough location. Damn noble faction makes it hard to use fully, but the Empire's intelligence isn't half bad. We traced the transport routes completely, and it looks like the destination is the mountain range where the dwarves live."
"Dwarves, huh."
"The ones settled in the western mountains of the continent."
"Yeah. Last time I tangled with elves in the south, I passed through the mountains briefly. I was coming from the south, so heading north from there should get me right to them, no?"
"Pretty much."
The dwarves and elves don't get along due to lifestyle differences, but swinging by that way would let me drop in on Ellie after ages. Not that I could visit leisurely with demons involved.
"So, what's the imperial family's next move?"
"I'd love to mobilize the army, but it's not that simple. With 'demon tribe' now public knowledge, even the nobles and elders can't block it—it's like a free pass. So I'm deploying my Royal Guard Knights."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Yeah. Heh heh. Care to lend a hand?"
"If you need it."
"Then let's rendezvous separately at the mountains' midpoint!"
"Planning to lead the subjugation personally?"
"Of course. My Royal Guard Knights—my sword and shield—are leaving the palace. The only place I can sleep soundly without them is here."
I let the obvious question slide—why here of all places felt safe. And considering the palace intrigues, she didn't need to be alone anyway.
Got it. Understood.
"Ahem. I've cleared my morning schedule."
"Yes."
"How about breakfast together?"
A chuckle escaped my lips.
She had such a cute way of expressing it. A monarch who listened to those around her—what more could you want?
Without protest, I got up and started cooking.
Thinking back to her inspection tour of Astraea, she seemed open to most foods, but I decided on something relatively upscale.
Her build and personality didn't scream glutton, so I grilled fist-sized steaks from premium beef cuts and infused them with a rare vintage wine for aroma.
Garnish matters more than you'd think, so I used the highland produce Ellie sent this morning.
Steak pairs surprisingly well with coffee, so during the resting period—letting the heat even out inside—I brewed a drip.
And so, the morning steak special was complete.
"Steak for breakfast."
"Not to your liking?"
"No. I don't fuss over food no matter the time or place."
Her knife moved gracefully in line with palace etiquette, and she finished elegantly without a clink of silverware. With only coffee left, she spoke up again.
"You could open a proper restaurant and do quite well."
"Running the cafe has sharpened my skills."
"Once we're married, I could fire all my personal chefs."
"Now I'm hearing weird grudges."
"Oh ho. Talking like that means you're not entirely against it?"
"Eh, enough of that."
Her lips softened into a smile as she sipped her coffee with a giggle. The clean, precise flavors of drip coffee suited her type perfectly.
The cup was nearly empty—you could see the bottom when she swirled it—and she still seemed thirsty for more, so I brewed another and brought it over.
"Mmm. Thanks. It has this uncanny way of soothing the soul."
"Didn't you say something about opening a branch in the capital?"
"Been too busy rooting out traitors for new ventures lately. 'Once this is over...'—I've said that a few times now."
We were both endlessly swamped.
Our eyes met as she set down her cup, and Her Majesty gave me a playful wink.
"Heart skipping a beat?"
"Questions like that make you sound like an old-fashioned human."
"I'm at the age where people start whispering about my marriage prospects..."
"What do you plan to do?"
"If there's no one I like, it doesn't matter. Bloodline secured, job done. But when you do like someone... you end up waiting for them."
"...I'll give you a proper answer later. Not putting it off—I promise."
"Good. Hope it's positive."
Normally caffeine would've perked her up, but with warm food and relaxed tension, Her Majesty began nodding off.
Maybe move her somewhere comfier? As I stepped closer, she grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go.
"Just a little longer. Like this."
She hugged my arm and leaned on my shoulder, not fully asleep but pressing close as if savoring the warmth.
Makes sense. Human contact brings comfort in all sorts of ways. Even just holding hands can soothe so much.
As empress, few could offer her that casual reassurance or simple joy.
In my past life, physical contact with my mother was limited to slaps when my grades slipped.
So granting a simple "stay like this a bit longer" was no big deal.
I took my free hand and gently clasped the one she wasn't holding. She cracked her eyes open in mild surprise, then beamed and snuggled closer.
Close enough to feel her breath.
Soon she was fully asleep, breathing softly, and I waited by her side with the cafe still closed.
When she finally woke, I saw a smile on her face unlike any before—purely relaxed and endearing.