Chapter 4: (EP-4) Flower Aira #4
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Various noises filled the audience room in the Angmar Royal Palace.
"Uh-huh! I'm against raising interest rates! Lord Belmott, I understand your intentions of paying your allegiance to Her Majesty, but isn't this a little too much?"
"I am also against it! Now, we should instead lower the interest rates and lending conditions, to encourage loans and revitalize the economy…."
"I agree."
The hawks and the doves constantly opposed each other. Some of them were right, but there were also many who objected just for the sake of opposing the other side.
There was a time when they were united as one. That was when I opened my mouth.
"Now then, let's proceed with the decision on the issue of raising the salaries and pensions of Royal Palace members."
"I'm in favor."
"Me too."
"That's right. It's been a long time since we have gathered our opinions."
"The collaboration between both sides, isn't this the first step towards peace in the Kingdom?"
What do you mean, you bastards?
You alway fought like rabid dogs on the streets! It was only when it was this topic that you all would agree on something!
Of course, this was convenient for those who had to deal with them. It made the job easier. But in the end, these dogs were ultimately the cancer of the Kingdom. It was because of them, the people had become bandits.
Kwaaang!
At this moment, the doors of the Court were smashed open. Who dared to open the door to Queen Aira's Courtroom like this?
Was it possible that the revolutionary army was attacking the Court? For a moment, my heart sank, as I wondered if the angry crowd was finally coming.
"This place has nothing but garbage that likes to spout shit."
Tadak, hududuk-
Someone slowly emerged from the cloud of dust caused by the smashing of the door. The first thing I saw was a squeaking and swaying iron plate armor.
The armor was bright red like a rose, with sharp thorns all over. It didn't look pleasing at all, appearing that it would hurt if you were rammed by it.
This?
Ah. Damn.
"Whoa, the expedition team is back!"
"The expedition team is back!"
The rowdy hawk and doves all suddenly began to tremble together.
Jolgeurok, jolgeurok-
Either way, the Knight in red armor entered the Court without hesitation, before finally raising their huge halberd. Whoosh-
The cold weapon was pointed towards Aira Von Tarantera, who was sitting on the throne, with her chin resting languidly in her hand.
"Ahh, the Queen. Protect the Queen!"
"Royal Guards!"
While the others were trembling and in disarray, Aira was simply leisurely watching, as if she had nothing to do with whatever was happening.
The halberd, which had been raised high towards Aira, fell down upon the floor.
"Die!"
Shinggg, chwaaaa!
However, it was not Queen Aira who was struck down, but rather the head of the doves next to her.
"Hmph, this bastard was giving weapons to the Barbarians on the outskirts. You traitorous prick! Thanks to you, I had to deal with the Barbarians. No wonder they had catapults out there."
As the Knight took off their Lion Helmet, their mane-like blonde hair peeked from underneath.
Soon, a pure white face drenched in sweat was revealed, a face that strangely resembled that of Aira's.
She was Aira's cousin. This person was, so to speak, a distant royalty.
Kicking the head into barrel rolling on the floor, the Scarlet Knight – Angmar's Field Commander, Elga Lioness, roared loudly.
"Rotten bastards! There's a traitor right next to you and can't even recognize it!? It's because of useless bastards like you, who are getting paid while doing nothing, that my workload is increasing!"
Elga's roar had exposed the reality loud and clear. The lawmakers, who had split the state affairs in half, all kept their mouths shut.
They held their breath and hoped that the blade of that dreadful executioner wouldn't touch them.
I was also stumped.
I deliberately kept that dove Elder, the one that just got killed, alive.
I was using him as a tracker to monitor the situation of the Barbarians in the South, and yet you just killed him like that? Did you enjoy making my work harder than it had to be?
Fuck off.
Shinggg-
I then felt the sharp tip of the halberd getting pointed towards me. The blood dripping off of it was a bit scary and it smelled fishy.
"If there's anyone else who has done the same thing, confess right now. I'm going to give you a quick death."
Elga's blue eyes were staring at me, it was as if she was telling me to listen.
To be frank.
Elga hated me.
It was because Elga was neither a hawk nor a dove, but a warrior.
She loathed the schemers coordinating this and that behind the scenes without holding a sword. Yeah, just like me, Tae-oh.
But it didn't matter. It was because I hated Elga too. We hated each other.
But there were times that one had to bow one's head, even to someone they didn't like. So I bowed my head towards her and said.
"Congratulations on your safe return from the expedition, Elga-nim. I have heard of your victory, but I didn't expect your return to be so soon."
"Hnngg, they were nothing. They were just as sloppy as you are."
"I see. However, this is Her Majesty's Palace. Please withdraw your weapon."
Oooooohh— Voices filled with expectation along with admiration sounded here and there. People were surprised that there was someone who could say a word to the fearsome Elga.
At times like this, I often felt proud of myself. But Elga wasn't too shabby either.
"You want me to withdraw my weapon? No. If you really want to do that, why don't you take it from me?"
It was a cheap provocation. I had long graduated from being affected with this kind of thing after 3 months of being here. Now, the only thing it could get out of me was laughter, but…
The faces of the Elders, who were watching this scene, seemed to become more and more anxious. It was as if they were about to pee their pants.
━Anyone wants to stop her?
━How would you stop Elga?
━She doesn't even listen to Lord Tae-oh. At this rate…
Everyone busily observed the situation. Elga and Aira were the big pillars supporting the Kingdom, as well as the current system.
No one could stop her, except one person.
"That's enough, Elga. You have already made the floor dirty."
"Ah, If you say so, Cousin. Then so be it. I was just joking around. Why are you all standing there frozen from just a little prank?"
Elga put the halberd down on the floor and laughed. Seeing this, Aira just shook her head and said, "It was a tasteless joke."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I ordered the guards to clear the decapitated corpse of the Elder.
I wanted to prevent Aira from turning into a complete Psycho Queen. If she continued to look at the decapitated corpse, she might awaken her pleasures for murder. Fortunately, Aira seemed to have no interest in the corpse.
"Elga, how was the expedition?"
"It was easy since they were just organizing their forces. If you just wave your arm once, dozens of heads would fly off. I haven't even practiced enough."
"Hnnggg-"
"Still, it was fun to see those damn savages screaming. They ravaged, looted, burned, and raped the people of our Kingdom, bet they didn't think that they would suffer like that!"
"They got the punishment they deserved."
"Yeah, I wish you were there, Aira. If you were there, I would have been able to catch the Barbarian Chieftain that escaped this time."
Elga emphasized a few times that it was really disappointing that Aira was not on the battlefield. Aira also lamented, "I know."
"More than that, that chieftain was a damn evil bitch. They were offering people as sacrifices to a demon."
"Really? Demon? Was there a demon? Those monsters beyond the barrier?"
━Huh? Demon?
There was a lot of noise around the word "demon" here.
"I defeated it. But thanks to that, the damn Barbarian chieftain took the opportunity and ran away. One day, I will definitely catch and parade that bitch in front the graves of my fallen soldiers. Speaking of killing, wanna know how many children I killed?"
No… There was no need for such a conversation.
For me, who was trying to keep Aira away from getting triggered as much as possible, this uncouth Elga was a thorn in my eyes.
What should I do if Elga influenced Aira and she also became a murder maniac?
I deliberately planned a long expedition to keep her far away, and yet how come she was already back after a month? I expected it to take at least two years!
I was going to have a headache again for a while.
Where else could I send her away?
I thought of a map near the Angmar Kingdom in my head. Come to think of it, it was said that those fanatic Sandmen from the West were a problem, but…
"You just got back from an expedition, so get some rest, Elga. I will prepare a banquet for you."
"I would be happy if you did. As expected of my cousin."
Aira and Elga hugged each other.
It was a good sight to see two cousins and beautiful beauties getting along.
The combination of Angmar's two villainesses would be a disaster for their enemies.
Also to me as well…
* * *
Elga, who had changed into comfortable clothes, was a woman who looked as good in a dress as Aira did. It wasn't strange for her to dazzle men at a banquet.
"You have a bigger chest than I thought."
"Kyaa, Elga-nim, if you do this…"
"What? What are you going to do about it?"
Both on the left and right of Elga, she was teasing dancers dressed in quirky, flimsy clothes.
Elga liked things that were beautiful and good-looking, regardless of gender. Hence, the dancers were specifically added to keep her company and have her behave.
It would be better if she stayed quiet like this.
"Come, come, everyone drink!"
Elga shouted loudly, like she owned the banquet.
Putting all other things aside, the banquet was held at the Court to commemorate the hard work of the returning expedition team.
The magician's fireworks, the singing of the court musicians, and the graceful dance of the dancers was a feast to behold.
━Haha, pour some wine! Drink!
━Uh-huh. Come, come, look at my rhythm.
━Kyaaa! So cool!
It was already well past midnight, yet, everyone didn't even think about going to sleep and just kept pouring glass after glass of alcohol…
My stomach churned from the overflowing smell.
I had gotten used to the smell of blood lately, but I couldn't stand the bitter smell of wine.
Yes.
I, Tae-oh, didn't really drink.
In modern society of the 21st century, one would face many difficulties if they couldn't drink. In this less civilized backward society, being unable to drink was a fatal weakness.
"Tae-oh, you must have had a hard time at the court, sucking honey from this and that, right? Come here, I'll pour you a drink. Drink it up!"
Elga, who already looked half-drunk, beckoned to me.
She was holding Bashkir Honey Wine in her hand, which was known to be a strong kind of liquor in the Kingdom.
"I'm good. I am a believer in the religion of light, which has the precept of abstaining from getting drunk. So I can only accept your offer in my heart."
"Huh? The precept only says that you shouldn't get drunk, but it does not say that you cannot drink. You won't get drunk with one cup."
"No, I'm really fine."
"…."
Elga suddenly began to laugh.
At that moment, the boisterous atmosphere of the banquet hall slowly turned silent.
The instrument, the singing and the sound of swaying trinkets from the dancers all stopped at once.
"What is this, Tae-oh? Are you saying that you won't receive my cup, a toast for fighting with the Barbarians for the sake of the Kingdom's peace?"
Elga's voice was solemn.
Her drunk appearance was nowhere to be seen. Her intense eyes gazed at me, making me feel as if my bones had been pierced by a spear made of ice.
This was troublesome.
"Sir Tae-oh, could it be that you are refusing the cup that Elga-nim is giving you?"
"As a gardener, you're refusing the favor of the 3rd Grand Duke of Angmar's Order of the Royal Palace and 2nd in line of succession to the throne, Elga Lioness-nim?"
Shinggg, shingg-
Elga's overly loyal bodyguards were also ready to slice my neck off. I knew very well that this was part of Elga's schemes.
This woman was deliberately trying to set the mood. She was always like this, every time she came back.
I tried looking at Aira.
".... Zzzz."
Like her usual style of going to bed early, she was dozing off while sitting at a banquet that lasted past midnight…
Basically, there was no one there to help me.
Perhaps this was Elga's goal in continuing the banquet until very late at night.
Siik-
I could see the corners of Elga's lips rising.
Alas, I could not help it. Sometimes one just had to swallow it, even if they knew it was bad.
"Then I'll take one drink."
"Yeah. Drink it and prove your manliness, little sweetheart."
A female younger than me was calling me a kid, hah? I scoffed inwardly as I took Elga's glass of wine and drank it.
Gulp, gulp.
Did someone say alcohol was a cold fire? What I was drinking right now was exactly that.
The cold liquid passed through my throat, making the stomach feel burning hot, as if it was on fire. Why did people drink this if it was not even delicious?
"Ugh-"
After I emptied the glass, I felt my legs shaking and the world spinning.
"Wah, See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Only then did Elga smile brightly. Soon after, her Red Flag Guards started to cheer and clap.
━Pour! Drink!
━Someone, sing a song!
━Ditch, ditch, ditch- A small ditch- Stream, stream- A little stream-
━No, what the hell is that song?
Like it was before, the banquet began to return back to normal.
But my head was spinning and my stomach was churning. Despite sitting still, I couldn't stand it at all. Damn it, this was why I didn't want to drink.
I didn't know what mistakes I was going to make if I got drunk.
"I, in a moment"
I quickly went outside, before the alcohol I had just drank got absorbed into my body.
It felt like someone was following me, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.
"Ueek-"
To read up to 300 chapters. patreon.com/Daoist02
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