36. So, Queen, what is the price?
After fulfilling the first request from the queen to see the Moon Fairy, which was to “make the troublesome Earl of Glamorgan behave,” the queen smoothly proposed a second, even more “serious” request: for me and Kefiel to eliminate the fairy sent by Nilu to disrupt the Moon Fairy, simply put: to act as a bodyguard and enforcer, removing the enemies threatening the safety of the Moon Fairy.
The queen’s “request” was not a pretense, as the script straightforwardly reminded me: 【Nilu has sent a new fairy!】
Everything in the script seemed fine, so I had no reason to hesitate and agreed. Then…
“Thank you very much!”
Clearly, it was I who agreed to the request to see the Moon Fairy, yet the queen looked even happier than I was. Under the moonlight of the night, she rose and twirled like a butterfly in front of me, finally catching my hand with a radiant smile.
“Indeed, Oujilide, you are the most fortunate star for our Great Ying Empire~ Since you have already agreed to my request, let’s not linger in this mosquito-infested place~ Come with me to my room, and let’s have a good talk about how to lure out and deal with the dangerous fairy, shall we?”
As she spoke, the queen raised a finger to her lips, as if reminding me: work quietly, and don’t tell Kefiel!
—
“Let’s go back from the other side of the garden; the night is still long~”
Clearly, the queen has become a bit more thoughtful, wanting to take this opportunity to “be alone” with me again. However, putting aside the fact that I would definitely have to sleep on a washboard after this, more importantly…
“Your Majesty, let’s just talk here.”
“But…”
“I’ve already told Kephiel to come find us in the garden.”
More importantly: I’m not without self-control; how could I be so easily fooled? After all, from the very beginning, the script has clearly reminded me [… that Louis IV wants to seduce Oqilide, causing a misunderstanding for Kephiel.]
The queen’s heart is too ruthless; Kephiel is clearly your cousin, and you want her to see the green pastures?
I pointed to Kephiel’s figure, which was quickly approaching us from a distance, and watched as the queen’s originally happy face immediately revealed a hint of displeasure.
“Ah! You really have no sense of romance, Oqilide.”
“At least can we say I’m a ‘family-oriented good man,’ Your Majesty?”
I caught the queen’s hand, which was trying to create a misunderstanding, and while putting it back, I distanced myself from her. “Your Majesty, since Kephiel is here, let’s take this opportunity to discuss our next course of action.”
A moment later.
Kephiel’s arrival finally made the queen reluctantly abandon those strange thoughts, and instead, she began to sarcastically comment on Kephiel’s status in my heart while explaining the best course of action we needed to take to eliminate the “assassin” sent by Nilu, who was attempting to attack the Moon Fairy.
“When I heard you mention the ‘Thunder Fairy Zousi’ earlier, I’ve been pondering: could it be that Miss Nilu wants to directly destroy the fairy to prevent you, Kephiel, from gaining the fairy’s power~”
The queen, now seated back at the table, winked at us. “Now that I have your affirmative response, I can finally confirm our course of action. Even I can’t immediately investigate the fairy sent by Miss Nilu through the patrol team, but… we can definitely use some events that it cannot continue to hide from to draw it out.”
This time, the queen not only asked us to “help,” but even thought of how we should “help.” I should have been thrilled to receive advice from the clever and scheming queen of the Great Ying Empire, but… this time, I felt something was off.
The next moment, the queen’s “proposal” interrupted my thoughts.
“So, we need to spread the word within necessary limits that you, Kephiel, have already gained the power of the ‘Moon Fairy,’ and then attract the attention of the Great Ying Empire’s ‘Sword Saint.’ That Sword Saint is just a fool who only knows how to fight strong opponents~ She will definitely come to challenge you, Kephiel~”
“Of course, that’s secondary; the most important thing is: ‘gaining the fairy’s power’ and ‘competing with the Sword Saint’—these two combined, I believe, will be enough to attract that fairy’s appearance~ After that, you just need to wait for the right moment to reveal a flaw, and that little rascal will be drawn out~”
After her speech, the queen concluded with the brightest smile, delivering the most dangerous ending, her voice devoid of any emotion.
“And then, be sure to eliminate it; this way, I can definitely persuade the Moon Fairy to meet with you, Kephiel. That’s a huge favor~”
Kephiel fell silent for a moment, but what she was concerned about wasn’t the method proposed by the queen, but… something else!
“Your Majesty, how did you know that the ‘Sword Saint’ would definitely appear that day!? You can’t control her, and now you can guarantee her actions. Does that mean the one who drove her to attack Oqilide was the Moon…?”
“Kephiel!”
I immediately interrupted Kephiel’s questioning. “What happened before is in the past; I’m fine now. Let’s… focus on the ‘Moon Fairy’s’ requirements.”
There’s no point in dwelling on the Sword Saint’s attack on me now; after all… the more we investigate, the more it will affect Kephiel’s script for obtaining the treasure. I don’t want my issues to interfere with Kephiel’s main storyline.
Because more importantly, I must ensure that Kephiel is not deceived or harmed in the slightest; otherwise, I wouldn’t have the right to make decisions on her behalf regarding the queen’s requests.
A complex smile that I couldn’t understand appeared
The seemingly ordinary magic stone, when placed on the table and bathed in the moonlight of the night, suddenly erupted with a mysterious and elegant luminous glow!
As the script states, this clearly contains the power of the Moon Fairy!
“This is part of the Moon Fairy’s power. Although rare, it’s enough to make Kephiel very strong~”
Saying this, the queen pushed the magic stone in front of Kephiel and me. “Kephiel, Oqulid, this is a gift from the Moon Fairy, delivered by Sister Wang to you. No need to be polite. Kephiel, take it! You can immediately experience a bit of the Moon Fairy’s power that even Sister Wang envies~”
Accompanied by the queen’s cheerful smile, along with a hint of “sourness,” and… an overwhelming flood of scripts rushing into my mind, all expressing the same purpose and meaning without exception.
【… Kephiel has obtained part of the Moon Fairy’s power!】
【… Oqulid has allowed Kephiel to obtain part of the Moon Fairy’s power!】
【… This is genuine Moon Fairy power,】
【… Kephiel has gained part of the Moon Fairy’s power, enhancing her magical strength!】
……
I… tightened my fists in that moment.
—