35. The Dual Approach of Grace and Authority
Afterwards, I learned through various channels from Professor Moriarty that Earl Glamorgan, upon realizing that he had to bear the blame this time, had lost his earlier bravado of “I’ll make that pretty boy pay” and “I’ll take care of that pretty boy” and returned home in a rather dejected manner. The entire Mediterranean aristocracy had nothing to do with the timing of the attack; it was merely their haughty attitude towards us. Once he returned and had a chance to cool down, he should come to the conclusion that the one who truly needed a lesson was his troublesome son, the Second.
Sure enough, that very night, we received news that Earl Glamorgan had driven out of the city. It seemed that far away at Glamorgan Castle, the Second, after being investigated, was about to receive a good thrashing from his father. However, I had no desire, nor the luxury, to sympathize with the Second. After all, while Glamorgan had admitted defeat, my own “mission” was far from over; the Queen’s request for assistance still required one final step.
At this moment, in the evening, within the royal city of the Great Yng Empire.
In the vast garden, only the Queen, seated at a white round table beside a flowerbed, was enjoying the rare night view of a crescent moon hanging in the sky. This serene moment was interrupted by my unexpected intrusion, breaking the Queen’s “contemplation.”
“Set aside Kephir and come to report to me alone”—this was the last item in the Queen’s request regarding how I should handle this incident. Although I knew this would worry Kephir, who was waiting outside the garden, I had no choice but to steel myself and attend the meeting for the sake of the clues and requests the Queen had regarding the Moon Fairy.
“Your Majesty…”
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time~ O’Keefe.”
The Queen’s affectionate words, accompanied by her somewhat “surprised” gaze directed at me, washed over me. After all, it was late at night; even the Queen couldn’t possibly wear a beautiful short skirt and attract mosquitoes. But… was it because she had changed into a more elaborate and heavy black midgetta dress? At this moment, the Queen seemed somewhat unfamiliar and… more dangerous to me.
Her gaze appeared even more excited than usual, her eyes seemingly shining with a light that expressed a kind of “satisfaction” with me, as if she were not looking at O’Keefe, but rather… a useful tool.
The next moment, the script appeared, interrupting my wild thoughts.
【…Louis IV had been waiting for O’Keefe for a long time, and began to express… a certain allure towards O’Keefe.】
The allure, or seduction, was something the Queen had always been good at. To prevent her from saying anything strange in this public setting late at night, I decided to take the initiative, not giving her the chance to make any odd “exclamations,” lest I repeat past mistakes.
“Your Majesty, Earl Glamorgan has calmed down for the time being; at least he won’t keep going on about his son’s troubles. I wonder if this counts as fulfilling your ‘request.’”
“Thank you~ That’s more than enough.”
As she waved me over, the Queen feigned a troubled demeanor, sighing dramatically despite having no real worries. However, this was one of the manifestations of the rather troublesome personality of Louis IV, Queen of the Great Yng Empire.
“Otherwise, Glamorgan would have been making a fuss, which is quite annoying. This time, due to the special circumstances, I couldn’t handle it myself. I’m really grateful that you could help Moriarty resolve it, O’Keefe.”
Then, with her hands clasped together, she expressed her gratitude in a very “girlish” manner before looking up to meet my gaze: “Speaking of which, O’Keefe, compared to someone like Moriarty who merely deals with nobles, you are much more skilled. How about I take this opportunity to give you a minor official position and have you serve me directly?”
“Hmm~ But I’m being vague, so if you have any requests, just let me know~ I’ll see if there’s a suitable position for you, and then…”
“Your Majesty.”
I interrupted the Queen’s self-indulgent plans. If I let her continue, I feared I wouldn’t be going home tonight but would end up staying in the Queen’s bed to “serve her.”
“I didn’t agree to help you just to seek an official position or to win your favor. You know the reason why Kephir and I are helping, right?”
If it weren’t for the condition in the script that the Queen had to appear with the “Moon Fairy,” I would have to think carefully about whether to “help” her. Given the current situation
“！”
Such content, I absolutely cannot ignore! And along with the queen’s words, the script also appeared!
【Nilu has sent a new fairy!】
It seems that, just like the previous encounter in the Rosia Empire, this time Nilu has also dispatched a fairy that may have grown stronger, with the purpose of… the purpose… hmm?
The queen’s face suddenly leaned in closer.
“Isn’t that right? Divine·Official·Sir?”
“Indeed… the prophecy told me so.”
I avoided the queen’s gaze and answered cautiously. As for more details, I couldn’t know, after all, the script so far only contained the part about the fairy’s appearance.
Only this part.
“This fairy must be here to cause trouble, Oujilide. So, after verifying, the queen also received a new message from the Moon Fairy: she hopes you can deal with the fairy that threatens her safety~ And as thanks: the Moon Fairy will meet with Kefiel afterwards~”
“……”
I didn’t respond, but this must be the continuation of the “main storyline,” as new scripts were flooding into my mind one after another.
【…Louis IV has made a request to Oujilide!】
【…Louis IV has made a… zzz, arranged an opportunity for Oujilide.】
So…
“Oujilide?”
“N-no, it’s nothing… I was originally going to stop Nilu’s fairies as well. I agreed to this request on behalf of Kefiel.”
I shook my head, so this time, I agreed very “decisively.”
—