Ch-118: Queen Maker (18)

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

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02

The coronation ceremony took place in Lupus Square.

Francisca, the heir to the throne, kneeled on a single knee on a platform high enough for citizens to look up to, and the Archbishop held the crown over her head.

"Archbishop Vedic dares query the Queen by borrowing the name and authority of the Goddess. Do you solemnly swear, Queen, to rule Lupus, and hence the kingdom of Prona, by law and custom?"

"I solemnly swear."

"Will the Queen exercise her royal power according to the law, with fairness and mercy?"

"I will."

"Finally, does the queen acknowledges that she puts her faith in Goddess Iris and that she would serve the Goddess with all her heart and soul as she would her own mother?"

"I swear."

"Then, I, Archbishop Vedic borrow the name of the Divine Mother and consent. You are the Queen of the Kingdom of Prona from this moment onward."

The regal crown rested on Francisca's head.

Archbishop Vedic knelt down and muttered hymns as he placed the crown.

"Please be a merciful and wise queen."

Francisca nodded her head and stood up, looking around at the people fanning behind the Archbishop.

Hero Cloud and his teammates.

Hero Lorian and his teammates.

The cohort of Royal Knights.

She looked back.

Francisca froze.

Under the podium—

—many of her citizens were looking up at her with eyes full of anticipation, enough to crowd the vast plaza.

Heavy.

Their gaze toward her and their expectations was so heavy.

Her lips stuck together and couldn't be separated.

No.

This was the most important moment.

She must suggest a way for the kingdom to move forward so that the citizens could feel at ease.

'So please, open up!'

Just as she felt her lips would twitch and fall off her face.

– You're too stiff on the shoulders.

Cloud's voice stuck in her head.

Startled, she looked behind her. He smiled and waved his hand slightly.

Seeing him, the pressure that had weighed on her shoulders alighted.

Yeah, she was not alone.

Francisca raised her voice and fixed her scrutiny on the citizens who only looked at her.

"In the recent past, we faced a great ordeal."

Darkness fell on the faces of the citizens. It must have reminded them of the fear they felt that day and the precious things they had lost.

"But we persevered. We did not succumb to the evil and darkness and even overcame it. What else can we not overcome? We even defeated the malevolent Heavenly King!"

It wasn't the citizens of Lupus who overcame the Heavenly King.

Cloud.

It was something he did alone.

But Francisca didn't bother to tell the hard truth. Instead, she emphasized 'we' so she could pack the painful memories together.

Because people have the habit of finding strength in collective unification.

Especially if it's a difficult memory.

Murmurs carried over.

Strange heat began to dwell in the plaza.

Francisca didn't miss it and declared it out loud.

"I, Francisca Frutois, promise you—Lupus will prosper. It will become incomparably richer than before. We will create a city full of laughter and joy and happiness, not tears and grief."

Citizens cheered at the Queen's confident tone.

""

– Wow!!

– Long live Her Highness!

– Prosperity to Lupus!

Francisca smiled as the crowd cheered.

She was worried about what she would do if she messed up, but she had warped it up nicely.

Now her role was over.

After her speech, Francisca stepped back and the Archbishop stepped forward in her stead.

As the archbishop stepped forward, the noisy plaza slowly began to quiet down.

Finally, when it was completely quiet, the Archbishop opened his mouth.

"Dear citizens of Lupus, blessed be you. Like all of you, I sincerely congratulate Her Highness the Queen on her coronation. No one can deny that Her Highness the Queen is today's protagonist."

Lorian smiled looking at the archbishop, who addressed the public.

'Looks like he made a choice.'

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the archbishop to step forward.

As expected, the Archbishop lifted the queen up a few times and sprinkled consolation and hope, finally finishing with that there was a person indispensable to this city.

When the people asked, the archbishop pointed to Lorian with a gnarled finger.

"Hero Lorian, people. As you may already know, a lot of food and ration was distributed at the squares. It was Hero Lorian who contributed the food. Greet him with applause and cheers."

No citizen was surprised by the fact the archbishop revealed. It was because Lorian had spread enough rumors.

But apart from that, they were grateful in their heart deep.

Citizens greeted Lorian with applause and cheers.

"It's not something I did in hopes of hospitality, but I'm glad the citizens are happy."

A humble expression schooled on his face.

The Archbishop continued.

"Her Highness the Queen has decided to bestow a present to Hero Lorian as a token of her gratitude. Hero Lorian, please kneel before Her Highness."

Even Lorian was a little surprised by his pronouncement.

Because this wasn't what he had asked for.

'It's worth the money.'

The situation was good for Lorian, if not very good. If he was to receive a gift from the queen herself, it would leave a deep impression on the citizens.

Lorian willingly got down on one knee toward the queen.

"Hero Lorian. We present this bracelet to you in gratitude for your services to Lupus."

The bracelet Francisca handed over had gold edging and colorful patterns and embellishments.

She couldn't have given him an ordinary bracelet, so it must have some function.

Lorian bowed his head toward the queen.

"Thank you, Your Highness, the Queen."

He returned to his original position and glanced at Cloud. He was curious to see how he was reacting.

It would be best if he looked as distraught as possible…

'Hmm?'

Contrary to Lorian's expectations, Cloud's expression was mirthless and poise. Just silently looking ahead.

However, Lorian smiled at the sight.

'Pretend Cloud, pretend.'

This was even funnier.

Just when Lorian almost chuckled at him and pulled to wear the bracelet leisurely, the archbishop continued.

"Next is Hero Cloud."

As if he was done with Lorian, the archbishop pointed at Cloud.

This… was something he had not expected.

'What the hell is he doing?'

Cloud stepped in front of the podium while a bewildered Lorian shook his head.

"Everyone knows about this person, even if I don't address. You must remember it well. The holy light I saw that day. The brilliant miracle that saved Lupus, which was reeling in despair!"

The Archbishop, who had been austere until a moment ago, suddenly hollered frenziedly toward the square as if possessed.

On the other hand, unlike the archbishop, the citizens quietly listened to him as if frozen by some spell.

When the Archbishop's speech to the people ceased, the Queen called Cloud.

"Hero Cloud."

"Yes, Your Highness the Queen."

"Unfortunately I was not in the city that day. That's why I don't know the fear and despair you all must have felt. I don't know much about the miracle you brought upon the city that fateful day. But…"

…they knew the miracle had saved cities, kingdoms, and even the continent.

Francisca flourished her right hand.

""

A knight waiting at the lip of the podium approached and opened a long red case.

Inside the case was a sword, radiant blue and glimmering.

The splendid gold patterns embossed on the sword's surface and hilt seemed to suggest that this sword was not an ordinary item.

"It is one of the treasured swords that have been passed down from generation to generation in the royal family," Francisca introduced. "It is one of the swords favored by the progenitor of the Kingdom of Prona, His Highness Caltus."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Queen."

Receiving the sword, Cloud slid it into the scabbard.

He turned around.

The eyes of countless citizens were focused only on him.

Still, Cloud fretted not.

Rather confidently, he drew his sword and brandished it at the sky.

-…

There was no applause or cheers like for Francisca or Lorian. On the contrary, in the plaza, which became as quiet as it was strange, citizens put their hands together and prayed.

One couldn't have known about other places, but here, in Lupus, the symbolism of Cloud was something else entirely.

* * *

"Damn it!"

Returning to the room, Lorian plucked off the bracelet and flung it away. The slammed bracelet was pinned into the wooden slat, but he didn't care.

Compared to the sword Cloud had received, that thing was nothing more than a toy.

"You insult me like this, huh?"

The coronation was, in a nutshell, a play to keep Cloud afloat.

Lorian and Francisca were just supporting characters to make the play stand out.

"That damn bastard…"

Originally, the main character in the play should have been Lorian, not Cloud.

To do that, he tried to enlist the Archbishop's affiliation.

But the archbishop betrayed him.

Lorian remembered what he had said when he confronted Archbishop Vedic after the coronation ceremony.

– You took the bribe, so why didn't you keep your promise?!

He couldn't say he was actually betrayed because the archbishop had praised him a little.

"What bribe you are talking about, Hero Lorian…"

A person called a priest could be so shameless.

But Lorian couldn't argue further.

There was no evidence and the other individual was the archbishop of a foreign Kingdom, and the meeting at that time was clandestine. And if Vedic was caught, he would be embroiled too.

He was angry but could only chew at the inside of his cheek.

"Whoa…"

Lorian pounded at his chest to relieve the frustration.

"You cannot blame me for what comes next."

He would now have no choice but to go a little into the rougher way.

He seized one of his knights and gave his command.

"Go and tell the queen. I want to meet her."

* * *

"Imploring a meeting… Is that really what he said?"

Queen's temporary residence.

Francisca asked, lying comfortably on the huge bed. Her demeanor as a queen was nowhere to be found.

"It was Leslie's idea, not mine. I only made the bigger picture, she wove all the nuances."

The same went for Cloud, who answered.

He was lying in the same bed, as if not talking to the queen of a monarchy.

It might be a heart-dropping scene to others, but the two of them were used to it.

The time the two spent in the countryside hiding their identities was by no means short.

Now, whenever they got formal in front of others, they would laugh behind the back.

""

"Now, now, don't get carried away by trivial matters like this. So maybe now? Did you do what you said before?"

"Uh huh. Make an appointment for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Do we really need to? Wouldn't it be better to make them wait a long time until they are vexed?"

"I think that would be fun too."

Cloud stretched and propped up.

"It's time to finish it. I'll finish it all tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night? That's fast."

"Shedia did better than I thought. I will reward her when she comes back."

Two pieces of moonstone and she would be happy, right? It was twice as much as originally planned.

Shedia would be delighted.

Cloud nodded and saw Francisca yawning.

"Sleepy?"

"I guess it's because I have not rested properly in days…"

"Then sleep. I'm leaving."

Just when he covered her with the blanket and was about to get out of the bed.

"Why don't you sleep with me as well?"

The words she uttered made Cloud stop.

Cloud turned his gaze to her. She looked at him with her innocuous, liquid gaze.

"What? Didn't we do it before?"

"Is a village girl and a queen the same?"

"What's the difference? As I am… Ah!"

Cloud flicked Francisca on the forehead.

"Stop talking nonsense and just go to sleep, my queen. I'll be leaving."

"Hero, how dare you hit the queen? Hey! This is treason! Treason, I say!"

Cloud raised his middle finger and left the queen's quarters. When he came out, the knights guarding the mansion looked at him strangely. Cloud frowned at them.

"Did you guys think it was weird? That's insulting to royalty. If you don't want to be flogged for blasphemy, don't even think about spreading rumors."

"Ye, Yes sir!"

Cloud, placating the knights, headed for the gymnasium.

As always, Lorraine, lightly armed, was waiting for him there.

Lorraine, who found Cloud, spoke before he could say anything.

"Go back and come properly armed. Today's duel will be the last."

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

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02