Ch-103: Queen Maker (3)

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A week of time of digging up the ruins of the collapsed palace, and the number of corpses found was too many to count, and among them there was also a corpse presumed to be the prince.

The reason we had only presumed was because the body had dried up to the point where it was difficult to recognize the original shape.

It was because of the princely garb he was wearing that we were able to assume that he was the prince.

"Your stamina is no joke. You haven't shed a drop of sweat even though you have been moving for hours. We all get exhausted after only half a day of work."

Selenion, who was taking a break, approached me. He picked up the thick piece of pole next to my feet and threw it aside.

"Sir Selenion, you will find yourself to be the same if you back up to travel the whole Continent and explore and experience a plethora of things."

"I would like to take my words back. Rather than wandering around, it suits my constitution to settle down in one place."

The conversation ended with his bear-like laughs. We immersed ourselves in work in silence, and soon the rest of the other knights returned to work.

After several more hours of digging, we were able to find the entrance down to the dungeon.

The entrance to the dungeon was sabotaged with stones.

Looking at the darkness beyond the stairs, the knights hardened their expressions little by little.

"I hope that His Majesty is safe in there."

One of the knights muttered.

Yes.

There was a reason why the knights and other workers were nervous as they looked at the entrance of the dungeon, though it was not a dungeon that spilled out monsters.

A thorough search over the past week hadn't hauled us with the King's body.

Even his supposed corpse.

Based on that, the knights had hope.

The hope that their King might have secured himself in the dungeon.

"Let's go down."

I tramped down first, and other knights followed. We hadn't settled down the stairs yet, but the darkness that enveloped every inch in front of us was already welcoming us.

"I can't see nothing. Hey, did anyone bring a torch?"

"Not me."

"Me neither."

"No one brought one? Why does no one ever brings anything? Ah, wait a minute. I'll go up and get it right away."

"Leave it to me."

At my words, the knight who was about to climb the stairs stopped.

"Yes? Hero? Did you by chance carried a torch?"

Instead of answering, I drew my sword and injected magic.

Crimson flames soared on the surface of the sword. A skill I had learned from a former Hero I met in the depths of the dungeon.

Brightness revealed the surprised expressions of the knights.

"Condensing mana on top of the sword… is that even possible?"

"I heard that it is possible. But I also heard that, even in the Empire, only a few outstanding knights can do it."

They looked at the flames and were genuinely amazed.

"Now, now. Admire it later, and let's rescue His Majesty first."

Selenion garnered the attention with a clap.

The knights also nodded and clamped their mouths shut.

By the way, 'rescue'.

They seemed to conclude that the king will definitely be alive out there.

'It's not good to be so excited.'

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

"Then, the light source problem has been solved, so we will continue."

We went downstairs and started searching the first basement floor.

And I started seeing some bad signs.

"The prisoners are all dead."

All the prisoners confined on the first basement floor were dead.

Most of them lay unscathed, but they seemed to be dead from dehydration.

"Do you have anything to store drinking provision in the prison? Like in the guard's room or something like that."

"Yes? Nope. There's nothing such. The guards look out for themselves…"

The knight couldn't finish his words, his complexion turning white.

He was no different from any other knight.

An ominous imagination dominated the air.

And the dream soon became a reality.

"Ha, damn it."

Fourth floor of the basement.

The king lay dead against the wall.

Cause of death: dehydration.

* * *

Lately, Leslie was having a problem.

She was seeing no serious progression towards her relationship with Cloud.

It was not like she was on bad terms with him.

Rather, she was on the good side of the starting vestiges of a romantic relationship.

Because he cared for and respected her as a teammate.

But it didn't go any further than that.

All because of Cloud's lover named Katarina.

Leslie honestly thought it would be easy to bake and boil even when she first set out. Katarina seemed to be an innocent woman who knew nothing of the world. However, Katarina's obsession with Cloud was much stronger than Leslie thought.

She was obstinate about simple subjects, tuned out her conciliation or threats, stuck close to Cloud like gum and left Leslie with no opening.

It wasn't as if there weren't times when she was lucky to find Cloud alone.

Any every time she snooped for an advance, he parroted out to seek permission first.

It triggered her further on meeting his older teammates crushing on him…

No wonder, she was uncharacteristically nervous.

So, when he came to her room alone in the middle of the night, she had expectations.

She did…

"The king is dead."

She was at a loss for words at the unexpected declaration.

"…huh?"

"The king of Prona is dead. So is the prince, and are all the vassals."

Cloud sighed as he dropped on the bed.

Seeing that, Leslie sighed.

So the reason he had come over was not just to provide a tidbit. He had a good reason to come sneaking up at night.

"I will ask you a few questions. Did you confirm the king's death today?"

"Yeah. Found his body in the dungeon today."

"Who knows about the death of the king? Are there any others beside you?"

"The knights who searched with me. They are alright. I asked them to not open their mouths about the fact that the king is dead. Even took an oath."

"Good job. Declaring the death of the king would have only added to the anarchy in the city."

Even though it was a relatively small storm compared to a Heavenly King's descent, it was still but a storm. What if another storm strikes the city that has already been swept away by the great storm named the Heavenly Kings? No one would be able to stand it.

"But if the king and the prince are dead, isn't… the bloodline of the royal family completely severed?"

"But if the king and the prince are dead, isn't… the bloodline of the royal family completely severed?"

"Not really. They say there is a princess who's currently studying at the Empire's Royal Academy."

"Good, that's fortunate in adversity. The fact that the lineage remains means that the validation also remains. I'll ask you one last question. What do you want?"

"What do I want?"

"Yes. I need to know that to set in order the direction of my advances. If you want to become a king or a prominent noble, I'll do my best to make it happen."

There was a strange fervor to Leslie's voice.

As if she wanted him to be the king.

Cloud looked at Leslie quietly for a moment before opening his mouth.

"I would rather not be in power. I just don't want the kingdom to fall into chaos. To be precise, a rebellion happening."

"…you mean the civil war between the lords."

"Even if it is not civil war, there's the possibility of small circles of power struggle breaking out. For example, the conflict between other Kingdoms over this piece of monarchless land in chaos. I just wish not to see that. I don't like, neither want war."

This time, Leslie stared at Cloud.

Then she slowly nodded her head.

"I understand your choice. It's a bit unfortunate that you have no intention of becoming the king, but I will do my best to help regardless."

"Are you certain? I hope you're not just bringing this option out to satisfy me, this will be an exhausting ordeal."

"I have mandated the Principality of Polycia, a land that was more difficult to manage, more barbaric. It will not be more difficult to take charge of such a peaceful city for a while."

Her voice was full of resolve, sourcing from her experience.

Relieved, Cloud smiled.

"Thanks. To be honest, I suck at administration or accounting. I don't even know the basics of how to run a country. I think I did myself a favor consulting you."

"You don't have to thank me. It's all what I'll get paid for."

"…huh? Paid?"

"Yes. Did you really think I would work nonsalaried? And for this country, which has nothing to do with me?"

"No, yesh, you're right."

As anyone else would come to know, Leslie was his teammate.

No matter how clouded he was in economics, he wasn't so shameless that he would make his teammate work for free.

That's why he had thought to present her a surprise later, but was stuck as of now. He hadn't thought of anything yet!

"Is there anything you want?"

"Yes, definitely. But before that, please answer me honestly."

Crawling forward, Leslie sat down on Cloud's chest.

It wasn't too difficult to get on top of him, who was lying on the bed and unguarded. She put her hands on his chest, lowering her body just as it was, and looked down at him.

"What do you think of me?"

"Of you?"

The thin, white long hair that tickled his cheek was as soft as fine silk. The jewel-like eyes that shone blue made likely to fall into if one got careless even for a moment.

In an attempt to look down, away from her mesmerizing eyes, one would see the translucent négligée; the flashy black underwear visible through the see-through curtain of cloth.

Sensing his gaze, she quietly squeezed her chest together and spoke.

"Looking at it objectively, I'm on the pretty side. I have the hair, the skin, the face, and even the body."

"…"

"I've vacated it now, but I was also the head of a country. In addition, I certainly have a certain air to myself."

"…"

"I have heard that men prefer beautiful women. And have also heard that they take pleasure in corrupting and tainting a noble woman, and take additional pleasure in crushing an overbearing woman."

Leslie led Cloud's hand up her soft thighs.

She continued speaking.

"Then why don't you embrace me? I have everything. Don't you want to see me more deeply? Don't you want to see me covet your manhood rather than power? Don't you want to see me groan under you?"

Leslie stroked Cloud's cheek like a fragile jar.

"I can show you everything."

She felt the warmth in her cold hands.

Leslie smiled at that warmth. The natural smile was alluring enough to touch the heart of the man who saw it.

Cloud sighed.

"I know. You are a stunning woman. Too good for a guy like me. But like I said the other day, I want to avoid ruining the party because of a fuss. That's why I put the condition of getting permission from Katarina,"

"If I had met you before Katarina, would the position have been reversed?"

Cloud nodded his head.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Satisfaction lingered in Leslie's smile.

"I'm glad I'm not lacking."

"Yes. So stop…"

"Not so easily."

Cloud, who tried to raise his body, was gently pushed back by Leslie as she leaned on him.

"I want to be paid for my service in advance."

Leslie pulled Cloud closer to her face. When he raised his palm to stop her, she swatted it.

"If you don't pay for it, I will return to the principality."

"You really don't think from my position at all."

"I don't think, I feel. Didn't you also not think about my heart?"

"…If you say like that, I have nothing to add."

"Don't worry, though. I'll only ask to get paid when two of us are alone. And I won't cross the line. I'll do 'it' only after I get permission from Katarina."

"Wait for a moment. Are you sure you intend to fall in this entanglement?"

Leslie tilted her head.

"Of course, I'm. I plan to continue serving you from now on, alright?"

"No, but if the tail is long, it will be stepped on in due time, so if you keep doing it, you might get caught."

"It's okay. Even if I have to lose a little bit, I will get permission before I get caught. Then the secret will remain a secret forever."

Even if she said so, Cloud was disapproving.

Still, they'd come a long way at this point.

Was he just going to back out?

""

Leslie decided to drive in a wedge.

"Cloud. I don't know if you know it, but the world is really simpler than you think. Mine or someone else's. It is divided into two parts."

She caressed Cloud's face with both hands and let out a sad mewl.

"In other words, if you push me away, I will become someone else's. Do you want that?"

"No."

Leslie's eyes widened at his immediate reply. She hadn't predicted him to be so sudden. It was a pleasant mistake. She smiled and slowly lowered her face to his lips.

"Then take me. I will gladly be yours."

Cloud's hand pressed against Leslie's forehead, blocking her kiss.

'Now what else is the problem?'

Leslie narrowed her brows to express her question.

"Let me ask you one thing. Are you doing this because you like me or because of your father's will?"

Was this really a question worth to ask for breaking the mood? Leslie was puzzled, but when she saw Cloud's serious expression, she smiled.

"No woman pushes this hard herself on someone she doesn't even like."

"…is there any reason why you fell for me?"

"Why, um? Hmm… If I had to think about it, there are a few things that come to mind, but should I summarize them?"

After thinking for a moment, Cloud shook his head.

Because love's a feeling, not a calculation.

He removed his hand from her forehead.

"Are you sure about getting permission from Katarina?"

"Do not worry. Even if I have to lose a little bit, I will definitely accept it. So now…"

—focus on me.

Leslie and Cloud's lips overlapped.

The girl managed to win her first kiss in a bit of a rough way.

You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02