Chapter: 508
Looking at Luka’s face filled with despair, I felt certain of my victory.
He had realized that he had created the star that made him ugly, and without even a glimmer of a mental victory, he crumbled down.
Sure, I had built up some debt with Yuden during this process, but whatever. If I just explain things well to Benedict, it should sort itself out.
“Can I hear the story too?”
Just as I thought I should take a break and let the others handle the chaos, a chilling voice came from behind me.
The first queen of the kingdom, Kavadi Soladin.
A person I never wanted to meet and someone who I could never afford to let catch my weaknesses.
She flashed a feigned smile from the stairs of the clock tower.
…How on earth did that person get here!?
There was a barrier laid out by the Clumsy Fox near the clock tower, so only those permitted could enter, right?!
Even if she broke in by force, it doesn’t make sense that the Clumsy Fox or the old man wouldn’t notice!
[…I apologize. I didn’t notice.]
‘The old man?’
[It seems this is my first time experiencing something like this; I’m a bit flustered.]
The voice of the bewildered old man explained that he wasn’t joking.
Well… Is there some variable in the first queen too? Something I don’t know.
“Since it’s a problem at the academy, I think I have the right to hear about it as well?”
[But let’s save the detailed context for later. For now, it seems our priority is to shake off the first queen.]
‘…Okay.’
The old man was right. I could think about how the first queen ended up here later. What’s important now is overcoming the gaze of those eyes darting around, studying the situation.
“Why not threaten me instead? Delusional Queen?”
…Yo, amazing Mesugaki skill!
How can a line meant to say “Hello, Your Majesty” end up like that!?
That’s not translation; that’s distortion!
The entire meaning has changed!
Cold sweat trickled down my back from the chilling atmosphere shrouded in silence.
This is exactly why I didn’t want to meet with the first queen. It was too obvious that this would result in a disaster, and I didn’t want to see her face.
Why do you have to show up at this worst possible timing, you damn Trump Queen? Stay holed up in the palace and think of ways to make the kingdom greater!
“Am I delusional?”
Breaking through the suffocating atmosphere, the very subject of the matter, the first queen, spoke up.
She didn’t flush or get angry, merely continuing with a tone full of curiosity.
“I’m curious. Why? I don’t seem to be particularly delusional.”
Oh. Good question? Why is that? I have no clue either.
If I had to defend my Mesugaki skill, it feels like she’s a psychotic person who believes this country can’t exist without her.
But if I say that out loud, I feel like the sword hanging at her waist might turn on me, so I’ll smoothly avoid it.
“Why don’t you think about that yourself? As a queen, you should have that level of insight, right?”
“But you know, Lady Alrn, you called me the Mad Queen in the past. Why has your title changed? Why is that changed title tied to delusion? I’m really curious.”
Lucy, dear, you already have a record of this. After all, you called the king livestock, so you probably didn’t hold back when it came to the first queen.
Hmm… It’s incredible how she’s survived. Lucy, too. And Benedict, somehow.
As I was taken aback by the shocking antics of the old Lucy, the first queen smiled faintly and continued her words.
“It seems you’re not keen on answering, so let’s get back to the main point. You say that everything that happened at the academy was your plan. What does that mean?”
I managed to clear one trial, but now another trial awaited me.
Where do I even start with this explanation?
No, can it even be convincingly explained through the lens of the Mesugaki skill?
It would probably be more convincing to hypnotize the first queen to make her believe my words than to reason with her.
[It seems like the story is flowing in a positive direction.]
‘…Huh? Positive direction? Not some underlying issue?’
[Right. The justification exists on our side.]
The old man’s pointed out that the source of this mess is right before me, the first queen.
The main reason why the followers of the Evil God could invade the academy is that the first queen was forcing her own people into it.
If it weren’t for this ruckus, such a huge commotion couldn’t have happened inside the academy.
And one of the culprits who orchestrated this whole event, Luka, was part of the first queen’s influence as well.
The responsibility for the incident at the academy falls squarely on the first queen standing before me.
I’m merely in the position of managing what has gone wrong because of her.
[The most irritating situation is when the opponent tries to suppress you with power without considering your position, but luckily it seems the first queen isn’t going to do that. Although thinking about the people around you, it’s probably difficult for her.]
‘So what should I do?’
[Act like you normally do and push back. That should be enough.]
I vaguely understood what the old man was trying to say.
Push back? In front of this crazy woman?!
And then what? Be prepared for some kind of revenge later?
[If she were the type to take revenge over something like this, you would’ve handed over the things you did before.]
…Oh. Really? I suppose that’s true.
Unconsciously persuaded by the old man’s words, I raised my shoulders proudly in front of the first queen.
“What plan? It’s just a scheme to clean up the foolishness committed by the Delusional Queen trying to struggle for power.”
The Mesugaki skill isn’t suitable for communicating situations accurately. I can’t predict how this skill will translate my words; how can I get the other party to understand the situation?
However, this skill is unmatched for picking apart the other person’s faults one by one.
It selects words that get me worked up without me even thinking, making it infinitely suitable for delivering cold, hard facts.
“The delusion-riddled queen brought in the followers of the Evil God, trusting that they wouldn’t pose a threat. This perverted professor, included in your circle, didn’t even try to stop them but actually helped them implement their plans. If I hadn’t noticed these idiots’ lame plot, things would have turned out much worse.”
As I shot back, secretly harboring grievances about why I’m being made to bear the brunt, Yuden unexpectedly stepped forward to add to my words.
“I don’t know the exact circumstances, but I see no errors in Lady Alrn’s statement. It’s clear that thanks to her, today passed without any casualties.”
“I agree. Your Majesty, had it not been for Lady Alrn, we would still be fighting against the followers of the Void, counting countless casualties.”
As Yuden’s support was followed by Frete, the first queen lifted her eyebrows slightly and then broke into a gentle smile.
“Both of you seem to be under some misunderstanding; I have no intention of interrogating Lady Alrn at all.”
…Huh? No intention to interrogate? But…
“I am merely curious to understand the sequence of events. It helps in sorting out the situation.”
“Then shall we take our leave? It seems the Delusional Queen has heard all she wants to hear?”
I was surprised to hear something from the first queen that I would never expect and tried to get a rise out of her, but she nodded without changing her expression.
“I apologize. You must be very tired after fighting the followers of the Void, and I’ve delayed you.”
How strange? I openly challenged her, yet she doesn’t say a word?
“Finally, I’ll just clear up the situation regarding Professor Luka.”
“Why is that? You don’t mean you intend to take him, do you, Delusional Queen?”
“If Lady Alrn permits.”
Seeing the playful grin from the first queen, I wiped away many thoughts from my mind.
We can think about the changes later. For now, I must focus on the dialogue at hand.
“In case you misunderstand, let me explain beforehand: I don’t intend to steal your glory, Lady Alrn.”
“Glory? I don’t care about such things. What pride is there in dealing with such worthless trash? If anyone brags about it, they must be an even more pathetic person than the trash itself.”
I’m not looking for glory. It’s not about humility; I genuinely don’t want to stick out.
If I get shoved into the spotlight, things will get troublesome!
If I seriously attract attention from the Church of the Gods, it’ll really complicate things!
Why should I make all my efforts just to get everyone’s focus on Yuden?!
But if the first queen openly declares me as the hero, all my hard work goes down the drain!
“So?”
“What do you think, Delusional Queen?”
I wonder how she interpreted my retort. The first queen approached me with a light smile and bent slightly to meet my gaze.
“Lady Alrn, I don’t know how you feel about me, but I’m the type of person who can throw everything away for the kingdom.”
I know that better than anyone.
I’ve seen the kinds of crazy things you can pull on behalf of the kingdom.
Perhaps I might know your madness even better than you do.
“And Professor Luka has betrayed my expectations in the worst possible way.”
Through her bitter smile, I caught a glimpse of her icy, cold gaze.
Her eyes, so solidly frozen, seemed like they would never melt, a gaze filled with a chill that cut deep.
“I have the obligation to punish him.”
In this scenario, the easiest choice would be to simply hand over Luka.
What happens to Luka at the hands of the first queen is none of my business.
I have no interest in the worthless wannabe who has failed even in seeking mental victory.
If I could evade the watchful eye of a power player by disposing of this trash, then great!
If I didn’t know about the first queen, I might have rejoiced at shedding such a burden and handed Luka over!
If only I hadn’t known about her.
“Hmm. Is that so?”
But I know all too well what kind of person the first queen is.
I know what will happen once she secures Luka, who has sinned.
I know that she is not a person who adheres to the concept of common sense.
“So how does that relate to me?”
That’s why I can’t hand him over.
I arranged a smile equal to hers but saw the color beyond her feigned smile.
…
Whoa. This is seriously terrifying.
Maybe I should have just handed him over without being all bold.
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