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Chapter 240: 127. Queen Rox -1 (Part Two)

Vampires in the Land of the Dead Spirits, was it? This too, was a puzzling element requiring some investigation. Surely the quality of the undead found up there was too poor to create an imposing undead army, so why were the Vampires present in the north?

Maybe they were trying to do something bad by utilising the annual Tide of Death?

And a mysterious giant had been seen as well, so...

I definitely needed to investigate all those matters.

“Not only that...”

I read the information regarding warp magic that Hans handed over to me earlier. The coordinates were also pointing to the northern region.

This also meant that the group of Vampires that raided the Aslan royal palace, the ‘colleagues’ of the former Second Imperial Prince Ruppel, were hiding there somewhere.

“Can I directly travel to Ronia if I warp from here?”

I tried to think of a simpler way of reaching there, but soon shook my head. Warping from here to there was next to impossible.

I heard that I’d need a crap ton of energy in order to warp that far. We weren’t talking about a short hop here, but travelling between two different countries. Only someone like an archmage could pull that off.

I initially wondered if I could ask Queen Rox for her help, but she was currently too ill from the aftermath of firing that Meteor spell, so it seemed that this option was unrealistic at this stage.

“...By the way, what about your condition?”

I turned my head to my side. That’s where Alice was, silently peeling the skin off of a fruit.

It had been two weeks since we managed to clear the underground labyrinth, Titalos. My condition hadn’t fully recovered yet, so here I was, still lying on a bed, yet this Lady CQC Saintess was trying to take care of me as if nothing was wrong with her.

I was beginning to think that maybe she was straining herself a little too much while pretending to be all fine and dandy.

“I’m fine, your highness.”

Even though that’s what she said, there were some droplets of sweat visible on her forehead. Although it was nice to see a healer who devoted herself to the care of her patients, I’d still prefer not to see her strain herself so much like this.

“Oops, I almost forgot. Mister Hans asked me to give this to you, your highness.”

Alice opened the leather bag resting on the floor and pulled out a bottle before presenting it to me. The gourd-shaped bottle was made out of transparent glass, and its contents looked like some kind of green-coloured viscous liquid. Judging from the colour, it might be related to the plant sap he got from the carnivorous plant found in Titalos.

Hans, that weirdo. He created something strange again, didn’t he?

Alice continued on with her explanation, “Mister Hans said that we should pour some holy water you created in the bottle, your highness.”

“My holy water?”

I thought back to the current state of Titalos. What about all the holy water overflowing in there, though?

“He said that only freshly-created holy water will have the desired effect. Apparently, no foreign substances should be present in the water itself...”

I took the lid off the bottle and extended my fingertip in there, then guided my summoned stream of holy water inside.

Soon, the green-coloured liquid changed to a purplish hue.

I asked while feeling a bit suspicious, “What the heck?”

Even Alice was shaking her head while looking perplexed herself. It seemed that she had no idea either.

I lightly shook around the gourd-shaped bottle.

Could it be poison?

Nah, that wasn’t possible, since there was holy water in the mix.

While we were wondering to ourselves, the door to my quarters were abruptly shoved open.

It was Hans, and he was crying out with a jubilant expression on his face. “I finally decoded it, your highness!”

I furrowed my brows at that.

Wait, what? Wasn’t he already finished with deciphering the warp runes?

Just as I began thinking that to myself, Hans shoved a golden-coloured bangle in my direction and spoke in an excited voice, “I’m talking about god’s letters, the Aztal Rune, sir!”

**

(TL: In 3rd person POV.)

Queen Rox was currently recuperating under the careful assistance of her maidservants.

She sat on the royal palace’s balcony and stared at the outside scenery.

Birds were flying by. Her subjects were out and about in the capital’s streets, seemingly enjoying living their lives.

However, that was only a facade. The queendom of Aihrance that looked peaceful outwardly had already been taken over by the Vampires.

It was no longer possible to view this nation as ‘safe’ anymore.

Not only that, her own condition also wasn’t all that great.

The Theocratic Empire’s leadership had been hiding this fact, but according to the intel gathered by the Aihrance royal court, Vampires were already spread out to basically everywhere on the continent at this stage.

They had already infiltrated the hearts of various nations and were quietly – or overtly – raising their forces.

Without a doubt, they were getting ready for war.

As it turned out, the civil war of Lome was due to the handiwork of the Vampires. There was no guarantee that the Aihrance queendom wouldn’t suffer similar indignity in the future.

‘And that’s why we need to prepare.’

She had gotten old and her physique had become too frail. To think that she’d be this sickly after casting one Meteor spell.

‘The war with the Vampires, and also...’

Queen Rox gently closed her eyes before murmuring to herself, “I heard that Kelt has chosen the Seventh Imperial Prince as his successor.”

She opened her eyes and looked at the letter clutched in her grip.

“But I can’t yield this matter to him, now can I?”

This document with her pledge was actually written in her blood, and was even branded with the royal seal as well.

Queen Rox smiled wryly before cautiously folding the document. She placed it inside a luxurious envelope.

“Your majesty.”

A maidservant called out to her and Rox shifted her attention.

This maid gracefully brought her hands in front of her skirt and bowed deeply. “His highness the Seventh Imperial Prince is preparing to depart, your majesty.”

Queen Rox could only grin bitterly at the report.

It hadn’t been all that long since they met each other, yet they had to go their separate ways already?

She still hadn’t done anything worthwhile for the Seventh Imperial Prince as of yet, too.

“So... Is this how you will depart, child?”

She had a great time all thanks to Kelt’s grandson.

The adventure back in Titalos was filled with fun and excitement rather than the state of constant fear. And during the battle against the archangel, not only did she get the chance to avenge her father’s passing, she also got to experience the type of thrill that she had not felt before in her entire life.

That thrill had almost, but not quite, rivalled the emotions from back when she was a young woman going on adventures together with Kelt.

She definitely needed to thank the Seventh Imperial Prince for gifting these wonderful memories to someone with not much lifespan remaining.

Also...

“I need to give this letter to him.”

Queen Rox looked at the envelope and smiled gently with her eyes.

It contained the last gift she could give to the Seventh Imperial Prince. The fate of the entire Aihrance queendom was also hanging in the balance with that important document.

**

(TL: Back in the 1st person POV.)

I stared at the bangle that Hans showed to me.

I tried to take a better look through [Mind’s Eye], but for some reason, I couldn’t check out its functions at all.

Then, I noticed a small crack running on the surface of this ridiculously important item meant to summon the one and only archangel.

No freaking way. Is it broken?!

This had to be the reason why I couldn’t see a thing through [Mind’s Eye] just now.

I got genuinely worried and hurriedly studied the bangle from this and that angle. That’s when I sensed a faint little amount of divinity gathering on the crack itself.

Hans spoke up, “You don’t have to worry, sir. It seems that the bangle is repairing itself.”

I was relieved to hear that.

This thing called magic sure was convenient, wasn’t it?

I mean, seriously. This wasn’t even manufactured with some Sci-Fi nanomachine technology or something, yet to think that it was actually repairing itself.

In any case, what a relief it was. If we failed to get our hands on Holy Emperor Ordin’s treasure after going through all that crap, then I might have gone stark raving mad from the unfairness of it all. Probably.

In any case...

“...Why don’t you put them away for now, Hans?”

I stared at Hans. He was in the middle of setting up some ink containing the metallic powder of ground Eltera, a tattooing needle, and a small furnace that had been heated up already.

He kind of reminded me of a mechanic, what with the goggles on his face and the pair of leather gloves on his hands. Although, the light burning in his eyes made him look more like a lunatic at this point.

“Sir? Weren’t we going to engrave the rest of the Aztal Rune on your body?”

Huh. Why did it sound like he was having fun tattooing me?

I shook my head while staring at the clearly-excited Hans.

Sure, it’d be good to enhance the capabilities of the Aztal Rune, but I thought that if Hans tried to transplant more rune letters on me right now, I’d most likely collapse on my face and black out.

I spoke to him, “My condition isn’t good enough for that.”

“...Ah, I see.”

Hans nodded in disappointment.

It was around the same time that knocks came from the door.

Alice looked at me with a look that was asking for my permission, so I nodded to indicate yes. She got up and opened the door, and I saw Queen Rox through the open gap of the doorway.

“Your majesty?”

She was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a simple dress. While looking like a lady from a well-to-do family, she spoke to me with a letter held in her hands.

“Seventh Imperial Prince, would you kindly spare me a moment of your time?”

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