◈ Episode 366 In the land of mystery (2)
Standing at the forefront was a beautiful woman who stood out from the crowd.
Silver hair mixed with bluish light that flowed down to her waist.
Her haughty steps, dignified attitude, and blue dress made a beautiful harmony.
Irrespective of the reactions of the people around him, the way he walked while looking straight ahead reminded me of a noble swan.
An aide followed as if to assist the left and right of such a woman, followed by knights escorting her.
“and. You must be royalty. There is a knight next to you.”
“… … .”
Arfa said in an innocent voice.
It is usually impossible for non-royal people to escort a knight to a place where magicians gather.
It was not unreasonable that the guests were surprised.
Instead of accepting Arfa’s words, Rudger stood up naturally.
“… … Arfa. wake up We need to get out of here as naturally as possible.”
“yes?”
Arfa was puzzled by Ludger’s sudden action, but did not refuse the order.
Just in time, the lobby staff came back with the key.
After receiving the key, Ludger took Arfa and quickly left.
To avoid being seen by those people as much as possible.
“leader. Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Can you recognize the people who entered the lobby a moment ago?”
“hmm. wait a minute.”
Arfa recalled the scene he had just seen.
Ordinary people only vaguely remember the scenery from a few seconds ago, except for some parts.
But to Arfa, the sight was as vivid as a photograph he had just taken.
“ah. There was a face I saw in the newspaper. The one who was at the forefront of her was that queen, right?”
“Ekaterina Volsvaya.”
“that’s right. It was that name.”
Arfa clapped his hands as if he had heard the name.
“You are famous! Because she is the Queen of Utah!”
Queen of Utah.
At those words, Arfa had something on his mind.
“Not just a queen. The protagonist who led the civil war in the northern kingdom of Utah to victory. She was once a princess, but she is the savior who drove out the tyrannical Prince Alexei. She is called the Torch Queen, or Tsaritsa, by people in her homeland.”
Arfa was amazed at the information that flowed out of Ludger’s mouth.
“and. How does the leader know all that?”
“How do you think I know?”
“ah. Come to think of it, the leader said that he entered the civil war as a mercenary before coming to the Empire.”
“I didn’t jump in. It got swept away.”
“hmm. I know that the leader is one of the main factors that led to victory in the civil war. I still don’t understand why you want to leave.”
Rudger did not reprimand Arfa for asking a very obvious question.
Instead, it just tells you why.
“I pretended to be dead to get out of the Utah kingdom. The other side knows I’m dead like a stone. But what if they found out I was alive?”
“hmm… … .”
Arfa, who lacked common sense, could not easily come up with an answer.
After thinking for a while, Arfa answered.
“Will you be angry?”
“… … After much thought, you’ve come up with an excellent answer. okay. would be angry and?”
“and… … You must be very angry, right?”
“Isn’t there anything other than angry?”
“Uhm. I do not know. I’m angry, but wouldn’t the joy be greater? Of course, the leader is actually one of the main players who led the civil war to victory.”
“It did. But I had work to do, and I had to leave Utah Realm. Conversely, the people over there did not want to let me go.”
“Why?”
“Because I was one of the key players in the victory. Even if there is only one person, the difference between having and not having such a person in the country is huge. Especially in countries deeply scarred by civil war.”
“ah. I see.”
Arfa nodded her head innocently because she did not know this part.
“That’s why I can’t even tell them I’m leaving. So I pretended to be dead. Because that was a neat way to say goodbye to each other.”
“Then, wouldn’t it be okay if we met again now? After all, the leader was hiding his identity in disguise.”
“It was then. But Arfa. The world doesn’t know how to do it. Just as if you happened to come across a relationship from the past at this place, there are cases where your true identity is revealed by chance. Nothing good will ever happen.”
“Uhm. It is difficult.”
“Arfa. The day will come when you will understand as you meet more people and gain experience. Everyone has a different opinion and there are bound to be differences.”
“Still, even if there are differences of opinion, I think it would be good if we worked hard to resolve them through dialogue.”
Rudger’s eyes widened at Arfa’s words.
Arfa’s words were truly pure, so it was an ideal sound to say.
To resolve differences of opinion through dialogue.
Had it been easy, mankind would not have taken up arms and continued to fight.
Workers and factory owners, nobles and commoners, rich and poor.
Hierarchies were firm, and they did not try to understand each other.
But ironically, these words came out of Arfa’s mouth.
An automaton built as a tool for war.
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Could that be the opinion of the automaton?
Or is it the opinion of the child’s soul, dwelling in that body?
“… … okay. I hope the day will come when we can fully understand each other.”
Just, Rudger continued.
“The reason I don’t want to meet Queen Catherine is because of the situation I’m in now, but also for another reason.”
“What is it?”
“She has a weird personality.”
“What is your personality?”
“Because that’s not unusual. I get very tired when I’m with you.”
Rudger’s head hurt just thinking about that time.
* * *
The top floor of the Land River Hotel.
Entering the VIP room, Ekaterina stood by the window and gazed at the scenery beyond.
A panoramic view of the city could be seen through the transparent glass.
Ekaterina’s look at the city was like a painting in itself.
Firmly closed lips and eyes that do not know what is inside.
If you stand still in that form, you will understand why she is called the ‘Queen of Frost’.
Cold, lofty and beautiful.
Her nickname was a compliment full of pure respect.
Before long, Ekaterina’s lips parted, and her clear voice came out.
“Oh-ho-ho-ho-!!!”
She put the back of her right hand to her mouth and her left hand on her waist, shouting loud laughter.
Her laugh boasted a different level of frivolity, to the point where I wondered if it was the laughter of a person nicknamed the Frost Queen who looked blunt.
“Have you all heard? The words people praise me for! Just listening to it makes me feel so good!”
Ekaterina couldn’t help laughing as she recalled the attention people had shown her since entering the hotel lobby.
Ekaterina’s two aides opened their mouths at the same time.
“Queen. please shut up I am worried that someone will see it.”
“Queen. You have such a beautiful and elegant smile today. It really suits you.”
The two aides said that at the same time and glared at each other.
The man who reprimands Ekaterina is Bartali.
The one who praises Ekaterina is Barencina, a woman.
The aides were surprisingly similar to each other.
Not to mention, the two were twins.
“Barencina. what nonsense is that No matter how much you are a queen, you have to keep your body shape. Isn’t the queen doing that because you act like that?”
“Bartali. What nonsense are you talking about? The Queen herself is a model for everyone. He is the one who will naturalize all people with his true appearance.”
The two siblings didn’t just fight with words.
While having a conversation, they threw their hands at each other, defending them and counterattacking.
Papababat!
It seems like a simple hand gesture, but if it’s a knight-level body spec, it becomes a beast in itself.
In the end, it was Bartali who gave up first.
“Whoa. If rumors spread that the queen really looked like that, it would be a national disgrace.”
“It is our job to cover it up. Although I want everyone to see the queen as she is.”
“Would you please stop saying something out of a nightmare like that?”
Bartali said so, but his loyalty to Ekaterina was second to none.
“ruler! You two should hurry up and get some rest!”
Ekaterina, as if unaware of the hardships of the aides, encouraged the two of them to rest with a smile.
“We are fine. May the queen rest well.”
“Hey, I’ve come this far more comfortably than anyone else, so what else can I do to rest? now. Don’t do that and get some rest! This is an order.”
Seeing Ekaterina resolutely saying it was an order, Bartali and Barencina siblings eventually had no choice but to stick their butts to the sofa.
“It’s a long-awaited trip, so let’s put aside all the tedious duties and get rid of the blood.”
At Ekaterina’s easy words, Bartali immediately opened her mouth.
“Queen. I’m sorry, but we’re not here to play. Didn’t you come here to make friends with the wizards by attending the [Mysterious Night]?”
“Of course, it is also necessary to make friends with wizards. But the mystery night will be held tomorrow, right? So you don’t have to worry about that today.”
“In other words, many celebrities are gathered in this hotel now. They seem to be eager to meet the queen, so I think now is the right time.”
“Hmm. I do not want to agree with this repulsive brother, but I also fully agree with you on this point.”
As Barentina joined in, Ekaterina pursed her lips.
“Something really.”
“I understand how you feel, but your position has changed. Now you are a queen who has to lead a country, not a princess. Of course, it means that you need to do it even if it is something you don’t want to do.”
“Like the man said?”
“… … .”
At the mention of that man, Bartali fell silent.
There was no way he didn’t know who Ekaterina was referring to.
That’s right, because that man was a comrade who risked his life and fought against the enemy together in the civil war.
can’t meet anymore
That’s why he is more memorable than anyone else.
“yes. That would make the story easier. Because he said something similar.”
“A ruler must pretend to possess many virtues, even if he does not possess them. It is far better for him to pretend than to actually have it.”
When the words of Machiavelli came out of Ekaterina’s mouth, Bartali nodded.
“You remember.”
“Aside from that, I remember everything you said to me like nagging.”
“You mean everything?”
“How can I forget? They say he’s just a mercenary, but he’s someone who dedicated himself to our kingdom.”
Reminiscent of Machiavelli, Ekaterina’s face was weak but pensive.
But she quickly shook off that weakness and rose from her seat.
“great! Then let’s go meet new friends right away!”
“Queen. It’s good to be strong-willed, but not to make friends. It is just a business meeting at the national level.”
“You stupid brother. It’s important that the queen does it, is that a problem now? queen! I will follow you!”
Saying that even the horns were sweet, Ekaterina left the VIP room with the two escorts.
The escort driver waiting in the hallway tried to catch up, but Barencina lightly stopped him.
Inside the hotel, where only those who have verified their identity can stay, there won’t be any particular concerns.
“Queen. Would you like to go down to the first floor?”
“yes? Why are you going to the first floor?”
“That’s right, if you want to meet people, you have to go to a place where there are a lot of people.”
“Is there one nearby?”
Ekaterina said nothing, and then knocked on the door of another VIP room on the same floor.
It was so out of common sense that the two siblings had no time to stop it.
“who are you?”
The door slid open, revealing a boy’s face.
Ekaterina smiled brightly and greeted the boy with gorgeous features.
“nice to meet you. My name is Ekaterina Volsvaya.”
“hello. I am Arfa.”
Arfa replied with an innocent smile.
“What else did you come for?”
“Ah, do you have any companions or other people? I want to talk to him.”
“Oh, there is. Uh, but… … .”
Arfa belatedly recalled what Rudger had said and was speechless.
When Ekaterina was puzzled by Arpa’s strange smell, a new person suddenly appeared through the gap in the half-open door.
“Sorry, outsiders are not welcome.”
“uh? Now, hold on!”
The dark-haired handsome young man who had glanced at them slammed the door shut as if he did not want to hear any more.
Ekaterina had no choice but to stand still as if nailed to her seat.
“Queen! Are you okay?!”
“oh my god. You must be so shocked! queen. Don’t worry. Wizards usually build a wall with society, so it could be that they don’t recognize the queen.”
When the aide and sister didn’t know what to do, Ekaterina put her hand to her mouth and let out an exclamation.
“Oh my. oh my gosh that person… … .”
“Queen. Maybe someone you know? then… … .”
“How can someone be so handsome!”
“… … .”
“… … .”
Ekaterina’s sudden words made the two aides dumbfounded.
