Chapter: 631
A few days ago, listening to everyone’s stories, I thought that the First Queen really did love the King.
Not just among the dukes with good discernment, but even Karia seemed to nod in agreement. And it was clear that the King was a decent guy.
So, if the King directly persuades the First Queen, wouldn’t she give up her plans?
At the very least, it should be possible for the King to instill some hesitation in her, and in the worst-case scenario, he could take her soul hostage.
While listening to Adri’s story, I came up with this possibility and persuaded Visi to join in this plan, albeit half-forced.
Afterward, I conveyed my thoughts to my grandfather and others, and we solidified the plan to snatch the King’s soul.
As the saying goes in warfare, the best victory is one without fighting! If the plan succeeds, there couldn’t be a better situation!
With this in mind, after the foundation for the plan was set, I called Frey and Phoebe to inform them about our infiltration plan.
For reference, Visi was substituting for Arthur’s position.
We had to prevent someone from being possessed. I had gathered the princes and left them with Bishop Johan for contingency.
Arthur and Rene looked dissatisfied, but what could be done? It was better to reduce variables where possible.
After a lot of hardships, the day of infiltration arrived. Until now, everything had been going according to plan.
The First Queen was blocked by the dukes, the princes stayed among the clergy with Bishop Johan, and we successfully infiltrated the royal castle without anyone noticing.
All that was left was to reach the place where the King’s soul was, and the plan would be as good as achieved.
One anxious point was that the Sloppy God, who made a fuss over every little occurrence, had been quiet.
Why was the guy who used to throw useless quests at me trying to block me now, silent until today?
He couldn’t have thrown a tantrum, could he? Or was Agra desperately blocking the Sloppy God? If that was the case, soon after this was over, I’d be bombarded with quests.
– There it is. The place where the soul can be felt.
Using various secret passages in the royal palace, we quickly reached our target location without any hesitation, opening the door to the room.
“Old hag. Is that the King who goes oink?”
– Just a moment. I’ll talk to him.
While Adri spoke to the soul, we scanned the room.
I did not feel any Evil God’s Energy. Was the sealed Evil God stored elsewhere to avoid tainting the soul? It must have been put in a secure location.
If things went wrong, the King’s resurrection could turn into a disaster regardless.
– It is indeed His Majesty.
“Then bring him out. We need to find out if he’s a wild boar or a domesticated pig.”
– I always think this, but Lady Allen has survived quite well until now.
“Right? There seem to be a lot of useless adults who like to get hit.”
The moment Adri touched the black magic holding onto the soul, my grandfather gasped in shock.
[If the church saw this, it would immediately label it as heretical magic.]
‘Is it that difficult?’
[That’s not the problem. To reach the level of casting such black magic, countless souls must be studied. Just achieving that level is proof of sin.]
While my grandfather’s words were mostly correct, they didn’t cover everything.
By that logic, wouldn’t Adri, who easily dispelled that magic and pulled the soul into her domain, be a prime sinner?
If living as a hermit in a corner is a crime, then I wouldn’t have anything to say, but that’s just pitiful, not bad!
Arguing in defense of Adri internally, the soul in her hand began to take shape.
– …You precious guests have arrived.
The King, having regained his human form, looked at us and let out a low sound.
*
Among the five dukes, the First Queen watched the dukes greet each other without mentioning the King, and she guessed their intentions.
So, they plan to keep me here, huh?
It’s not surprising. I had anticipated this would happen since the meeting was called.
Then, by now, those moving separately must be heading towards where His Majesty’s soul is.
They might have already arrived, actually.
With a smile, while listening to the dukes, the First Queen felt her magic shatter and turned her gaze to Duke Serlan.
At that, Duke Serlan nodded and smashed the gem hanging from his necklace.
“Duke Serlan. What do you think you’re doing?”
“Please understand. Duke Kurten, I’m merely following orders.”
“Explain properly.”
As Duke Kurten and Duke Bedford pressed Duke Serlan, Duke Partlan, who had been observing, narrowed his eyes and looked at the First Queen.
“It seems you’ve thrown the room itself into another realm. Have you thought of a way back?”
“No.”
“That’s troublesome. It may take several hours to find our way back.”
Duke Partlan, a Great Wizard recognized even in the Magic Empire, caused other dukes to show signs of embarrassment.
“Why is everyone panicking? Isn’t this what you wanted?”
As the First Queen said, the dukes’ plan was to separate her from the royal castle. But now the situation felt delicate.
It was as if the dukes were not holding the First Queen, but rather, she was holding them.
“Do you have an ally?”
“It seems so. Someone the First Queen trusts enough to stake her fate on.”
“Among those standing with the First Queen, is there anyone capable of withstanding the Authority of Evil God?”
Upon Duke Burrow’s inquiry, the other dukes furrowed their brows. They had already captured all the talented individuals within the kingdom.
No one from the outside had infiltrated. There was no one the First Queen could rely on with her fate.
“Yes. There is.”
With a smile that denied the dukes’ thoughts, the First Queen spoke.
“Your Majesty, if my guess is right, when we escape from here, the matter will likely be over, but could you tell us about your plan?”
“I’ll decline. Duke Partlan. I’m not a villain who enjoys chitchatting about my plans.”
“Ah, that’s a shame.”
Putting on a forced smile, Duke Partlan bit his lip slightly at the tranquil demeanor of the First Queen.
“No, Your Majesty. You see, ah— it feels like I’m going to die trying to use honorifics here.”
Just then, Karia broke the silence and stepped forward.
“Hey, crazy lady. What the hell happened while I was gone?”
*
– It seems the First Queen’s plan to revive me has all been leaked.
“That’s right, Your Majesty.”
It was Phoebe, not me, who stepped forward. Our goal wasn’t to trample the King, but to persuade him.
It was Phoebe, who exuded compassion from the start, suited better for this task than me, who specialized in provocation.
“Do you remember me?”
– Of course. The Saintess of Jushin Church. How could I forget your kindness?
“It is truly an honor, Your Majesty. Had it not been this reunion, I would have been overjoyed.”
– I feel the same. I never thought your warmth could be this painful.
As a former man, I can confidently say that no one can resist Phoebe’s mercy!
That gaze that seems to worry even though he committed bad deeds!
That gentle voice filled with sincerity, comforting the other person! A heart as broad as the ocean!
For any human heart, it is impossible to remain steadfast against that!
“Your Majesty. Nothing is ever too late in this world.”
– Is that so, even though I have defied the rules of the world?
“If you acknowledge your sins and seek to correct them, surely Lord Jushin will graciously embrace you. After all, He embraced even the one with a great sin like me.”
– …You knew him.
At the King’s astonishment, Phoebe smiled brightly, but just then, I sensed a presence nearby.
Did they realize the seal was broken and come here?
From the presence, it looked like they weren’t guards or knights but agents from the Information Department.
Looks like they don’t know their place. Do they really think they can take us on?
“Lucy, what now?”
“We need to dispose of them.”
“Okay, got it.”
“Understood. Let’s subdue them.”
The first ones crashing through the window tried to shout something when they saw us but were devoured by the shadows that rose from their own.
The ones descending from the ceiling met the hilt of Frey’s sword and sprawled out on the floor.
Honestly, their level is just pathetic. They would have had better odds causing a ruckus outside.
Of course, they’d still be subdued by the people waiting around.
[Lucy, another one’s coming.]
‘I know. At least they seem like a strong opponent.’
But even then, it’s not dangerous.
They might rank on the stronger side, but our standards are set to the strongest in the continent.
As the door burst open, I blocked the incoming magic with my shield and charged at the opponent with a smile.
I broke the wire ensnaring my ankle, effortlessly dodged the daggers aimed at my vitals, purified the poison hidden in the enemy’s mouth in an instant, and then slammed into him with my shield.
When the man stumbled back to regain his balance, I drove my mace into his thigh and stomped on his head.
Only after repeating this a couple of times did the man stop moving.
Grabbing the neck of the unmoving man, I returned to the room and left him among the others who were unconscious.
Then, as I turned, my eyes met with the King’s.
– You are merciful. Letting him live.
“We came here to uphold justice, after all.”
– Indeed, you are the Saintess. I felt an unusual sense of disharmony from the King, who was nodding his head.
…Wait a second. No way.
A chill ran down my spine as I dashed in front of Phoebe and raised my shield.
– Control!
Just as I made it there, I heard Adri’s shocked voice from behind, and in front of us, the walls of the palace rose to attack us.
With a heavy thud, I got pushed back along with Phoebe and glared at the King, who clicked his tongue in disappointment.
– I had planned to execute a pincer attack, but my subordinates seem more inept than I expected.
Wasn’t the King an innocent victim!?
Was he actually in the position of a perpetrator too?!
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