(EP-126.2) Queen #1

126 – The Wise Queen #1

Even after a long time passed, the rain showed no sign of stopping.

Kwarrung, kwarrung-. Wheeoooo-.

Rather, thunder and lightning started to strike and the wind blew even fiercer. The hut was shaking as if it was about to collapse, making me terrified.

“It’s practically impossible to get out.”

I looked up at the sky through the door. The world was so dark that I couldn’t tell if it was late afternoon or already night.

Giiik.

Closing the door, I had no choice but to break more of the nearby furniture to create more firewood. If this continued, we might have to spend the night here.

As long as I had a roof and a wall, I wouldn’t mind staying here. But I couldn’t even imagine what unexpected variables would pop up if Aira spent time in such a shabby place.

It might seem peaceful now, but after a while, Aira, who easily got bored, might just say, “How dare you make me stay in a place worse than a doghouse? Theo Gospel, I sentence you to death!” and snap my neck.

“…….”

However, Aira looked remarkably calm.

It had already been an hour or two. Even someone with considerable patience would likely feel bored and frustrated sitting still, trying to avoid the rain.

Aira simply had her eyes closed without saying a word, so I had no idea what she was thinking.

“…….”

“…….”

The silence was deafening.

Swoooooosh-. Kwarrung-.

Thanks to this, the sound of rain and thunder outside the hut was particularly loud.

There was a sense of relief that I had shelter above my head, away from the storm outside. But at the same time, a tension grew within me, realizing that being with a woman under the same roof was far more dangerous than any storm.

What on earth could Aira be thinking?

Based on my recent observations, Elga and Mirna both had their own principles guiding their actions.

Elga had high self-esteem, pride for her lineage, and some affection towards me, while Mirna was prideful and very religious.

Meanwhile, the more I observed Aira, the less I understood her thoughts and the basis for her actions.

Saegeun, saegeun-.

Currently, Aira was dozing off sitting at the table. To be able to fall asleep in this chaotic situation, one could say she had an exceptionally calm demeanor befitting a Queen.

Whilst Aira was asleep, I wanted to check her status, so I activated «Farsight».

Name: Aira Von Tarantera Lv. 45 → 48

Job: Queen Lv. 3 → 4

Ruler Lv. 7 → 8

Flower Lv. 9

Saintess Lv. 6 → 7

Archmage Lv. 5

Talent: [Locked] 《Tarantera》 《Genius》 New!

Inclination: [Locked]

Kneel and pay your respects to the Queen of all things.

Bow down, kiss the tip of her toes, and ask for mercy and affection.

Hiding the deadly truth from everyone.

I like cute things. New!

“…….”

I couldn’t help but be quite surprised. Clearly, her levels had risen since the last time I checked.

She also unlocked a new talent.

「Talent 《Genius》: Can easily achieve success with minimal effort. However, the probability of encountering a tragic fate is significantly increased.」

‘I see.’

It seemed that Aira’s outstanding achievements were quite literally because she was a genius. No matter what she did, she’d absorb it quickly like a sponge.

It was probably because of this talent that Aira could reign in tyranny.

The weak Theo Gospel in the story, behind the scenes, managed to manipulate Aira’s talent at will.

Since she was such a genius, Aira easily accomplished numerous achievements as a tyrant. But thanks to that, the probability of her meeting a tragic fate was increased, like a pawn in a game of destiny.

“Hmm.”

The higher her achievements, the stronger the gravity trying to pull her down. Which ultimately led to a bad ending.

This explained a lot of her situation.

“Hmm-.”

Then I suddenly became curious.

What could possibly be the last locked talent, when even such a big talent like《Genius》had been revealed?

Lifting my finger, I pressed on the [Locked] item. Then words appeared before my eyes.

「To unlock a locked item, a higher level of understanding and intimacy with the target is required.」

‘So this is how it works.’

“━─.”

At this time, Aira flinched, so I hurriedly deactivated Farsight. But contrary to what I was nervous about, Aira had a soft smile on her lips.

It seemed that she had a good dream.

Seureuk.

Her eyelids fluttered, and finally, her dark pupils met mine.

“So the rain has yet to stop even after I took a nap. Well, I had a pleasant dream.”

“What kind of dream did you have?”

“I went on a picnic with my sisters. But then, my second sister, Penelope, dropped her shoe in the mud, and we tried to retrieve it—”

Aira said while chuckling. However, her face quickly lost its smile and laughter. Instead, it turned chillingly distant.

Her melancholy was understandable. She just had a sweet dream together with her sisters, then she opened her eyes to a gloomy storm in reality.

Even I sometimes dreamed of drinking Coke and eating chicken, only to get depressed after waking up.

Aira said.

“Sister Penelope was about to get married. She looked more beautiful than anyone in her wedding dress. She would have undoubtedly become a good bride, a wife, and a mother.”

“…….”

I listened attentively to Aira’s story. With her languid voice, neither the wind nor the thunder bothered me anymore.

Of course, the story that Aira was telling would undoubtedly end in tragedy. And my expectations were right on the money.

“At the wedding, Sister Penelope died bleeding. In her eyes and nose, in her mouth, and in her ears….”

I already knew Aira’s story.

Written in Angmar’s records with the name ‘The Blood Wedding’, it was a horrific incident where the new bride, Penelope, suddenly started bleeding from her orifices and died in agony.

I searched for the possible causes such as poisoning and assassination, but all it led to was an unknown mystery.

However, Aira wasn’t done and added.

“I didn’t know back then. But now, I feel like I know who killed my sister. The one who made her suffer so horribly.”

“Are you saying you know who the culprit is?”

“Yes.”