(EP-126.1) Queen #1

126 – The Wise Queen #1

Swaaaaaaaa-.

It was a rainstorm.

In such a heavy downpour, even the tough wild animals that lived in the forest would hide in caves or something with a roof.

Fortunately, I found a hut where we could take shelter from the rain.

The wood it was built of had already rotted. The doors looked ragged and the windows were smashed. Still, a broken roof was better than wandering around soaked.

Though, Aira didn’t share the same sentiment as me, “How dare you ask me to hide under this shabby hut?”

However, Aira had no choice and ended up entering the small hut as well.

Giiik.

The place looked simple, with a table and bed in one large room. Maybe it was a bit of an exaggeration, but it felt full after Aira and I walked in.

Ttuk, ttuk-.

Rainwater was seeping in through the cracks in the old roof, but compared to the downpour outside, this was dry.

“Hm, it’s actually okay on the inside. You did well, Theo.”

“My apology, my lady. I didn’t think it would rain in the evening.”

I took off the wet Angmar Robe. It was not waterproof and was completely soaked, with each squeeze producing a bucket of rainwater.

“Heuetchwi-.”

I was wearing wet clothes, which made me tremble from the wind seeping through the crevice of the door.

I might even catch a cold at this rate.

But there was something I needed to take care of more than my own body.

Ppigeok, ppigeok.

Aira was treading on the wooden floor in mud and rain-soaked women’s loafers. At this point, I didn’t know if the wood squeaking was fun or annoying.

“Did Aira-nim get wet or dirty?”

“No.”

Aira’s answer was concise.

In fact, not a single strand of hers got wet. Her body was completely dry and clean, as if she wasn’t just standing in the rain. I didn’t know how she did it, but perhaps it was some kind of magic.

“Now that I see it, my shoes got dirty.”

Creak, squeak-, creak.

Aira stomped her feet on the wooden floor, trying to shake the mud off her shoes.

Seureuk.

“How dare a puny mud cling to this Queen’s shoes. Get off!”

Squeak, creak.

However, the mud wasn’t coming off her shoes.

While Aira might be a tyrant and was gifted in magic, in everything else, she was inferior to even the average person.

Creak, creak. Shake, shaking.

If this continued, I was afraid that the hut would collapse. So, I quickly opened my lips.

“Allow me to clean it. Please extend your foot this way.”

I took out my wet handkerchief and knelt in front of Aira, and began wiping off the mud from her shoes.

But as I was wiping, I noticed that Aira’s stockings were also wet up the ankles.

I guessed even for an Archmage like her, it was completely impossible to be fully dry in a rainstorm.

“Your stockings are wet. Shall I take them off?”

“Yes.”

I removed Aira’s shoes and pulled down her stockings that went up to her hips.

Her exposed pale white thighs and legs were like a swan’s neck. As I gently touched her foot, it felt very cold.

“I’ll make a fire so we can dry ourselves.”

“Alright.”

After breaking the old chair, I placed it in the small fireplace tucked in the corner of the hut.

Using a sharp dagger, I grinded a flint placed nearby and made some sparks. However, without any light material for a fire starter like wool or hay, it was hard to ignite some fire.

This would have been easy if Aira just used fire magic.

Seuljjok.

But taking a sneaky glance at Aira, she was just sitting on the table, while swinging her legs back and forth.

She was just idling around, not doing anything.

But well, she was the Queen.

The Queen didn’t need to do any work.

If I became the great king of Angmar someday, I’d make others do everything while I relaxed. Then I’d make Aira do all the annoying tasks.

However, for some reason, I couldn’t really get a clear picture in my mind. Some parts just couldn’t seem to fit…

“Theo, what’s wrong?”

Then Aira spoke to me.

I wanted to ask her for help in regards to the fire, but the embers came to life just in time and I was able to save my dignity.

As the dry firewood burned, the cramped hut was enveloped in a gentle warmth.

It would take a while for the air to completely warm up, but this was working better than I had expected. I felt my body melting. Finally, I could take a look around.

The hut seemed untouched by human presence for a long time.

“I wonder who used to live here?”

I said out loud to alleviate the silence. Then Aira chuckled softly in response.

“Theo, there’s no way a person could have lived in a place worse than a kennel like this, right?”

“I guess so…”