Ch-109.1: Queen Maker (9)

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'What a doleful read.'

It would be like a witch playing with a man's innocence. Exactly, that.

I crumpled the letter from the Goddess and was about to throw it to the corner of the room, but paused. If someone misunderstood this letter, blasphemy will be more of my concern, for anybody would think the sender had dared to use the name of the Goddess arbitrarily. So burning with a candle seemed a better alternative.

It calcined well.

After burning the letter, I turned my attention to the remaining letter.

A letter from the Perdiac family.

'Who send it? It could be Frillite, but…'

Expectations were not wrong.

==============================

Dear Cloud.

I've come to hear what has transpired in Lupus.

It is said that you, alone, defeated a Heavenly King.

I'd be lying if I say I wasn't surprised when I heard the news. Because it was impossible for you, the you I saw the last time we met.

But before questioning, there is something I must say.

Congratulations.

Defeating a Heavenly King alone is a feat that no other Hero of the time, including myself, has achieved.

You are worthy of being touted, as people call you now, the Greatest Hero.

Now that your achievements have been recognized by the Pope, no one will ever doubt your abilities.

No one will be able to make fun of you employing your origin as an excuse.

The dishonorable title of the Incompetent Hero will also fade.

I can't even imagine how much effort you must've put in until now.

I'm really proud of you as a friend.

And I have something to tell you about. It is also the main reason for writing this letter. You may wonder why I didn't just state it in the letter, but I want to say this face to face.

Just think of it as my obstinacy.

To be honest, I want to head for Lupus right away, but I have too many responsibilities to do so.

You'll be busy in your own way, so you won't have time to come see me either.

Still, I would like you to participate in the Imperial Banquet that will be held in a few months. I will also participate even if I've to split the time I don't have of much.

I miss your silly laugh.

Hope to see you again soon.

==============================

"Who writes an informal letter so formally?"

But on second thought, Frillite's speech had always been like that: austere and reserved.

Still, it was good to hear from her.

Rather good.

I felt like I was talking to her just reading through the letter.

'It's been a long time, I wanna see you too.'

The shy expression that sometimes sprang on her mirthless face was rather cute.

""

"What are you looking at, smiling like that?"

I quickly swivelled around to the voice emerging from right behind me. Katarina, who had just washed her hair and was drying the scarlet cascade of strands, tilted her head.

"What kind of letter is it that the normally sensitive Hero wouldn't even notice a presence gaining on him?"

"It's a letter from a friend."

I answered, then folded my letter and put it under my coat.

"Isn't Frillite the name of another Hero?"

My body stiffened at the words she spat out.

'Did she see?'

I was bowled over.

"That's right. To be precise, the Hero of the Empire."

"…I recall the Hero of the Empire being a woman."

"Yes?"

""

"The two of you even exchange letters…"

Katarina stared at me with a half-lidded gaze. At that, I felt like hitting my forehead! Come on.

"Are you even suspicious of receiving letters from my friends? You're so doubting!"

"Doubting? Hey! Okay, let's just say I'm over-possessive. Then what about the smile you just made? What is that bright yet hearty smile I've never seen before? That's not the smile you'd elicit getting a friend's letter!"

"…was my expression like that?"

"Yes, you bastard!"

Katarina suddenly grabbed me by the collar and threw me onto the bed. She climbed onto my stomach and bit on my neck.

It didn't hurt because didn't nibble hard.

More of a feral gesture of discontent mixed with grumbling.

I said, gently stroking her hair.

"She is just a friend. I've never even held her hand."

"…really?"

"Yeah."

I nodded my head without hesitation.

I've rested my head on her shoulder and linked arms, but never held her hand, so it was not a lie.

"In the first place, the world we live in is so different. She's the eldest daughter of one of the exalted noble families in the Empire. What she's lacking to see in me?"

"I understand."

"When did you become so easy to understand?"

I grabbed her by the waist and turned her body over.

We were now upside down as her body writhed beneath mine.

"The real reason you're upset isn't because of that letter just now, but because I've been out with the princess for two months, right?"

"Does everything gets to you belatedly?"

Katarina propped her head aside, snorting. I smiled and gently stroked the rear of her head.

"Sorry. It was important."

""

"You could have gone together with me."

"Then how would you've levelled up? Were you planning to remain the most flimsy one of us?"

"Hey…eup?!"

Seeing veins protruding from her forehead, I quickly kissed her. She frowned, her brows creasing as if she didn't like it, but gently rubbed her thighs against mine.

We were in the middle of kissing each other hard, mixing her tongue with mine.

Suddenly, the content of the letter came to my mind.

'What is it you must say face to face?'

I ruminated but nothing noteworthy came to my mind.

* * *

About a month has passed since I brought the princess.

We really have had a good time this month.

– Katarina, the other side is empty! Aren't you flanking on too fast?!

– Katarina, are you actually sleeping in combat? No matter how much sleep you lack, this is not the time!

– Katarina, aaaa! I told you to be careful and not to step on the trap!!!

Exploring the dungeons where the gears of previous Heroes were stowed.

– Katarina, dodge my strikes. Training.

– Hurts? I hit you saying it will hurt, but of course it should hurt. Avoid it if you don't want to get hurt!

– Spirits are not Shedia's toys!

I honed her skills through sparring and training.

Come to think of it, it seems like I've been grinding Katarina a lot… but what to do?

She gets airheaded with monsters.

Eri, Neria, and Ophelia have all gone through this phase, so it isn't as if the situation is unfair.

And the results are as exceptional as the effort put in.

===========

Lv.56

Strength: C (364)+(66)

Agility: B (411)

Durability: C (308)

Mana: C (300)

============

Right now, my stats have risen to such a scale, and there also has been progress with Katarina's.

She, who was in her late 10s, is now looking up to be in her late 30s.

This is what she accomplished in just three months.

It is truly an astonishing rate of growth.

Of course, it helped that I reaped off quite a lot of experience points, plus the speed was possible because I ate the beast cores that the Kingdom had stocked up.

'There were many beast cores to consider they were using them efficiently.'

It was enough to recover my stats, which had been reduced by 10% due to the side effects of using the [Glyph of Heroes].

"Cloud, are you really okay with just that earring?"

Leslie, who was looking at the papers, asked, looking at my ear.

I touched the earring dangling from my earlobe.

Round, jade-colored earring without any runes adorned.

It was the only item I had picked out of the loot I got from the dungeon. It made sense she was asking.

"I said it before. This is enough."

Contrary to its normal appearance, these earrings have a background: the prolific Dwarf King made them from the scales of the Dragon King.

As such, the effect is excellent.

When used, the mana harnessed in the earring wraps around the user's body to create a protective shield. As the Dragon King's scales are the forging ingredients, the mana that can be contained is considerable, so the conjured protective shield is very powerful.

Although it only lasts 3 seconds, so what?

It's enough if I could chew up a special move of my adversary.

It's extravagant to wish for more.

"When will they elect a new Archbishop? Because of that, the coronation keeps getting delayed."

The coronation ceremony, an event that announces the official accession to the throne.

In order to hold the coronation ceremony, an Archbishop recognized by the church is compulsory, but the seat of the Archbishop of the Kingdom of Prona is currently vacant.

After the execution of the Archbishop, who shook hands with the demons, the newly elected Archbishop also died in the Heavenly King incident.

"I asked about that too, but it seems that they are having difficulties because there is no suitable candidate."

"If it's a problem of theirs, there's nothing we can do about it."

If they put up a weirdo into the Archbishop's seat, we can get f**ked up once again.

As I was wetting my parched lips, someone knocked on the door of Leslie's office.

– Hero, are you inside?!

"Yes, I am here. Why?"

– I, I think you should come out and see it yourself!

"Alright?"

When I opened the door outward, I saw Selenion drenched in sweat. When I asked what was going on, he pointed outward with his index finger.

"An army… an army has gathered outside the walls!"

"?"

What kind of new bullshit is this?

I tilted my head, nonplussed, to which Selenion urged me to come out and see myself.

Eventually, I followed his advice and went up to the wall with Leslie, and I was able to see.

An army sprawled out in front of Lupus' east gate.

"Is that the army of the Kingdom of Carta?"

"It seems so. Not only the royal family but also several aristocratic families are mixed."

"Oh? But why is that thing over there?"

I pointed to the flag of Duke Oller, the ruler of the southern region of Prona.

"…It's not just the Duke of Oler family and their vassal families. There are also families that are said to be the finest in the East."

"So, mutiny, is it?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems that way under the current circumstances."

I had been wondering why no one spotted the movement of Carta's army, but it would make sense if the eastern nobles had turned their backs.

The Kingdom of Carta occupied the east of the Kingdom of Prona.

"Huh, now, why would they bring the army? It's not like they would want to go to war at the current timing."

Although we suffered great damage, Lupus was victorious in a battle against a Heavenly King.

Commencing a war before Lupus even recovers is also a challenge to the Church's authority, that calls for extinction.

No matter how crazy some of these sods are, it won't be worth not giving the Church face.

The question was resolved upon reading the letter brought by the messenger from the other side.

"On their way to the Kingdom of Alitia, we have to give shelter?"

It sounded like something you'd read in a history book.

"This is so nonsensical."

Leslie said as she closed the letter.

I nodded and agreed.

The Kingdom of Carta is famous not only for its knight families but also for its shipbuilding and sailing skills. As written in the letter, if they simply intended to go to the Kingdom of Alitia, they would have chosen the sea route rather than the land.

Even if the ground route was chosen due to unavoidable circumstances, this letter should have been sent before marching over the troops to Lupus.

In other words, asking was just a justification.

The real intention was to swallow Lupus.

"Alright, the army has been brought in to create coercion."

Perhaps, after swallowing Lupus, they would really head to the Kingdom of Alitia.

As I was lost in thought thrumming the parapet with my fingers, the soldier who had brought the letter earlier came up to the walls again.

"Apologies, esteemed Hero, but the other side is pushing for an answer."

"You mean they won't even give me the time to think."

As if on cue, Leslie immediately gave orders to the soldier.

"Stretch out the time no matter what excuse you have. Ignore them even if they prod for an answer. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

The soldier answered energetically and scuttled down the wall again.

"This bought us a little bit of time. In the meantime, I need to think of a solution…"

"Hey, Leslie. Didn't you say you didn't have enough money to rebuild Lupus?"

"Yes? Ah yes. I told you two weeks ago."

"Let's take that money from them."

At my sudden pronouncement, she opened her eyes wide. She thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Will… that be so?"

An impish smile.

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

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02