53.5. The Great Yīng Empire Parent-Teacher Conference
Louise’s perspective.
After the incident at the church involving O’Keefe and Kephiel, they had to be temporarily transported to the Rodmar Empire for safety reasons. Louise decisively abandoned the work that could have been completed quickly and efficiently with just a little more effort—completely taking control of the church—and instead handed over this troublesome task that required staying at the church to Moriarty.
Originally, Louise would never have made such a hasty and somewhat frivolous decision, one that was completely inconsistent with her creed of “Everything for the Great Yīng Empire.”
Externally: As the queen of the Great Yīng Empire, she must always maintain a positive image, especially since this was to take control of the church. It would be easy for people there to think, “The queen of the Great Yīng Empire was just pretending all along,” if she hurriedly left the church at the last moment when everything was almost settled.
Hehe~ Although it was indeed all an act~ But to so easily give up the pretense, this was something Louise had never done before.
Internally: Handing over the “control of the church,” a matter that should clearly be handled personally, to Moriarty was something Louise would never have agreed to in the past. It had nothing to do with Moriarty’s loyalty or capability; it was simply that… Louise would never allow such “power” to flow into the hands of anyone outside herself.
But this time, Louise broke her own rules consecutively. After all, as the captain of the patrol team and a servant she trusted, Moriarty was so wise and intelligent, her loyalty beyond doubt. Ah~ If it were Lady Moriarty…
She would surely scoff at such an easily seen-through lie. So, Louise entrusted the church’s affairs to Moriarty, and her reason was quite simple.
“O’Keefe’s matter is more important★~”
“……Your Majesty, will you ultimately become a foolish ruler swayed by personal feelings?”
“Watch out, or I might secretly kill you later~ Moriarty★~”
“Look, the moment he’s mentioned, you forget even the jokes we usually share. Seriously, have you really considered snatching him away from Kephir?”
“Sigh~ Moriarty, you truly are a wonderful teacher for Kephir. By the way, I won’t be doing anything that could destabilize the Great Yng Empire~ I’m quite satisfied as it is~”
After all, there exists a layer of “secrets” between me and Euclid that even Kephir cannot interfere with, hee hee~
With that parting remark, Louise hurried back home.
For Louise, the importance of certain matters had quietly surpassed the very essence of the Great Yng Empire in her heart, even when she herself might not have been entirely sure. Like for instance…
The fact that some “white-haired elves” had already set their sights on Euclid as a hunting target.
So, when Louise rushed back and realized that she might have acted a bit “irrationally” out of anger…
She had already summoned nearly all the “trump cards” of the Great Yng Empire she could muster, using her identity as both queen and “fairy” to bring them forth!
In the room, standing, sitting, or floating, were all those “immortals” that existed only in people’s “legends.” Her impulsiveness had perhaps led her to a slight lack of reason; this was a call for help on the level of “the Great Yng Empire is in danger!”
Once she calmed down, Louise finally felt a bit of tension. After all… no matter how well she could disguise herself, she was just an ordinary fairy. And those before her were… monsters.
“Sigh…”
Fortunately, in the end, what made Louise both happy and unhappy was that the old hag of the Moon Fairy had come to her rescue.
“Apologies, everyone. It seems my education of my foolish, useless daughter has been somewhat lacking, and I’ve indulged her too much, allowing her to hastily summon you all for such a ridiculous reason.”
With that, Iris turned her gaze toward her.
“Louise, apologize to everyone.”
“N-No need for you to teach me…”
Since this was no longer Iris’s domain, Louise shot back with a crispness. It was true that the moment she heard “white-haired elves were hunting Euclid,” her mind had gotten a bit “heated.”
But if it were to happen again, to be honest, Louise still wouldn’t have the confidence to remain calm.
“Louise, you used to have at least a smidgen of cleverness that could barely hold its own; just look at you now!”
Iris’s reprimand turned the scene into a parent-teacher meeting.
Fortunately, there were still some who had a good relationship with Louise, helping her with a few words.
“Ilis, interfering in your ‘daughter’s’ romance is not the mark of a good parent.”
“Hmph, that treacherous fairy has already kissed that man and severed her ties with me. If it weren’t for the lack of a replacement, I would have already replaced her from the queen’s position!”
“Hoh hoh hoh, isn’t there a certain charm in the affairs of children? Besides, it’s not really a hassle, because Louise mentioned the ‘white-haired fairy.’ If they truly are appearing frequently, we must uncover their identities. Let’s not even mention the sudden betrayal of Ilis by your fairy sword saint; there are others as well.”
“In that case, everyone, I do have the latest intelligence!”
The old woman’s scolding didn’t bother Louise; after all, she had nothing to do with her anymore.
After receiving a positive response from the “trump cards” of the Great Yng Empire, Louise regained her confidence and even accidentally let something slip.
“Master, cough cough, Mr. O’Keefe and Kephiel recently brought back some ‘people.’ Rather than people, they resemble ‘corpses’ driven solely by instinctual aggression. It’s said that a white-haired fairy is behind all this, and I hope to quickly identify these fairies and find answers.”
“This isn’t just about ‘him,’ because Kephiel is also involved. If not handled properly, it could very well impact the Great Yng Empire as well, so… please help me as much as you can!”
Though there was a hint of ulterior motive, Louise primarily hoped that these old monsters would lend a hand, aiming for O’Keefe’s safety. However… the stability of the Great Yng Empire was also part of it, so it wasn’t a lie. The blend of truth and falsehood was something Louise excelled at.
Making it impossible for her opponents to get angry, and inconvenient for them to refuse. The only loss might be her image in front of these “trump cards,” after all, such “last resorts” couldn’t be used frequently.
Sigh… once it’s safe, you must make sure to properly compensate the self that has sacrificed so much for you in the rear, Master.
Next chapter will be updated as usual.