chapter 39
39 – Episode 39 – Conspiracy of Another World
There were several major problems within the Kingdom of Osen.
Such issues included the threat and influence of the Teseur Empire.
Or the fact that the surrounding countries of Terin, Majeros, Ardel, and the Empire were all in conflict, which solely put our kingdom in an agonizing position.
There were countless problems like the abundance of dungeons, and the large number of discoveries of ancient demon relics and seals.
Despite having numerous issues, ironically, the bigger problem actually lied somewhere else.
It was the queen herself.
She was as tough as iron, had superb political abilities, and earned everyone’s respect as a queen.
However, there was one issue that tormented everyone.
“When will the queen finally wed?”
“Does she even have any interest in men?”
“Could she possibly prefer women?”
“Ugh, judging by her reactions, she definitely isn’t interested in women. But we can’t be sure about men either.”
Whispers upon whispers.
Although the discussion within the court may seem insignificant, it was a serious matter.
A marriage needed to be arranged for the sake of the future…
But the queen didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
In that case… how about suggesting a marriage?
“Your Majesty. What about an alliance with the emperor of the empire….”
“Hush. If you wish to die, just say so. I have plentiful knights in the palace ready to chop off your head.”
A poor servant nearly got his head cut off for cautiously suggesting a marriage alliance!
It’s tricky to find a suitable match, let alone find any suitable candidates at all.
It might even be considered disrespectful to recommend someone unsuited for the queen’s status.
Therefore, there was only one solution.
“Summon the courting party!”
Naturally seek an encounter! And lend a helping hand on the side!
When someone pleasing to the queen appeared, progression towards a marriage was the thing to pursue.
Other than this, there were no other ways they could proceed.
But who would have known the queen would not form any connection with men thereafter?
It was a situation no one had anticipated.
Not that the queen didn’t meet men.
She attended social gatherings and came across many, but the queen did not show any interest in men.
Those involved in the administration and her subordinates began to feel worried.
Uh…? Won’t she end up not getting married at this rate?
Extending the lineage is of utmost importance to the queen, isn’t it…?
Whether or not she was aware of it–
The queen had never shown any direct interest in men.
Not even once.
Queen Beatrice is already 21 years old now.
Despite reaching the age full and overflowing with marriageable years, her listlessness drove them to the point of madness.
It doesn’t even matter if the man is a commoner. Or even if he has just a handsome face, some kind of crude guy was still acceptable.
People can be refined and used.
So they were hoping for a man in whom the queen would take an interest.
Everyone was in a desperate situation.
An unexpected event happened in front of them.
“My honored guest has arrived, please treat him with utmost respect.”
Everyone was surprised at her expression.
To express ‘honored guest’ to a man…? The queen who had never done so before?
Claiming it’s ‘just a guest’ after declaring him an ‘honored guest’. It’s as much of a lie as holding hands and sleeping at night without any relationship.
No one doubted that the man was someone special to the queen.
“The queen… referred to a man as an honored guest!?”
“At last, he’s arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“The queen is now noticing a male for the first time at 21…!”
“The world… has started to move…!”
Even though they all serve the queen, they do not all belong to the same faction.
There are the loyalists, anti-imperialists, militant aggressors, ethnic supporters, pro-ardal assassins, moderate fairies(?), and so forth.
Though they all advocate for different directions for the kingdom, they have now united in a common purpose.
“…It must happen,”
“Of course. Of course it must.”
A first time opportunity.
A rare chance, one that we do not know when will come again if not now.
“For our queen’s marriage.”
With a united purpose, they moved.
***
Meanwhile, the queen personally showed Juddak his room.
“This is your room, Juddak. And… For a general sense of the place, you can ask any of the maidens.”
“Oh, nice.”
Entering the guest room, Juddak was amazed.
The bed was plush and of far superior quality compared to what he had in his own room. The room was also spacious.
Always on standby were a maiden and a knight.
It was the first time he was treated this grandly in his life.
“If there is anything uncomfortable, please tell the maiden. And for Juddak’s escort, I have sent a letter to the warrior.”
“Warrior?”
Upon hearing the word, he thought of a person named Warrior.
A third circle mage who can’t do mental arithmetic. A consistent ad for recruiting party members, easy to trick and prone to being scammed, like a tutorial target wearing a blue badge of honor.
He thought of the gender-ambiguous, counterfeit warrior, shook his head, and let it go.
The person the queen was referring to must be the ‘real’ warrior.
Comparing the fake and the real warrior would be an insult to the real warrior.
“Upon hearing my desperate request, the warrior sent a reply saying he is coming to the palace.”
“I see. But was there a need to call the warrior… for my escort?”
“No. Juddak, you are an influential figure that can affect the entire continent.”
“Oh.”
Influence…!
No matter how much he thought, that did not sound like a good thing to Juddak.
“Is it going to be beneficial? I think it might unnecessarily stir up trouble.
Is there any advantage in having influence over the mainland…?
Ah, they’re sending out concepts like they’re feeding us. It was that kind of a conversation.
“Um… we have been speaking for a while. It’s getting late and it’s about…dinner time. How about we have a meal?”
“Are we having chicken?”
“…It could be chicken, or we could offer a meal prepared in our royal palace.”
“Oh?”
I wonder what the standard of a meal prepared directly in the royal palace would be.
While I imagine it to resemble a famous restaurant, my memory is quite vague.
Only if I had the chance to visit such a place during my lifetime.
Going to a restaurant alone? Not easy.
This was my first time experiencing a meal at such a lavish place.
I followed Beatrice.
As soon as I entered the entrance, the smell of delicious food had already filled my senses.
“The meal is ready.”
Guided by the maids around me, I moved inside.
Though I opened the door and stepped into the dining hall, it was quite dark inside.
What’s this…? Does the king have a hobby of eating in the dark?
That thought was but for a moment. The moment the door closed, the lights turned on.
‘What is this?’
A crystal emitting a subtle orange glow illuminates the interior of the dining hall. The chairs are comfortably close together, as if custom-made for the two of us.
There was even a heart-shaped straw in our glasses.
“Dining at a palace sure is eccentric.”
“…My servants have played a distasteful prank. I’m sorry, Judak.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Well, given that I’m the one receiving, I don’t mind.”
As long as the food is delicious, this kind of thing doesn’t matter.
Judak and Beatrice sat side by side.
The space between them was so narrow that they could touch each other if they stretched their arms out a little.
But, when the food was so tempting, does that matter?
‘Wow, the food quality is no joke.’
Pulled pork, roasted duck, bacon sandwiches, cheese and wheat bread, and more.
Judak carefully served himself with a fork and knife.
‘This is so deliciou’s.
The food is as good, if not better, than chicken.
Eating chicken feels like dining out, but this meal feels homemade…!
No matter how much or how often he ate, he never got tired of the taste.
This must be what it’s like to be a royal chef.
If it had been born in the modern era, it would have been rumored to be a gourmet restaurant.
Judak, who has been admiring the food, reached out for his cup.
However, what he touched was not a cup. It’s a smooth and graceful touch of fingers.
In an attempt to drink water, he made contact with Beatrice’s hand who was holding the cup.
“Ah.”
“Oh.”
“I can drink later, Judak, you drink first.”
“No. You’re the queen, so you should drink first…”
“Okay, I’ll drink first.”
“Or should we drink together?”
The heart-shaped cup has two straws, so maybe it’s possible.
“…,”
Beatrice has stiffened. Judak has thrown the suggestion as banter.
Did he cross the line with that joke…? Judak quickly defused the situation with an apology!
“Oh… I was just joking.”
“I see…”
As soon as she drank, an air of coolness filled the room.
Judak drank the remaining water that Beatrice left.
Then regretted it.
I should have kept my mouth shut…!
Because of his useless humor, he felt like he was going to be chased out of the palace.
He responded to the queen’s kindness with a terrible joke!
It sounded like a story that would appear in the kingdom’s newspaper.
What kind of joke would an insider make at times like this?
Eating alone with a woman. It was never easy.
‘Ah… I had forgotten.’
The fact that you should never approach a woman first.
Forgetting momentarily that liking someone could cause them pain.
So, instead of unnecessarily speaking, Judduck decided to keep his silence.
When Judduck put down his fork and knife, it naturally signaled that the meal was over.
“Judduck. Was the meal okay?”
“If two are eating, three might die. It’s delicious.”
“I’m relieved it was to your taste.”
“Then… I think I’ll go to my room now.”
Having eaten such a delicious meal, now it’s time for me to run.
Judduck excused himself lightly and escaped to his room.
If he remained by the queen’s side this way, he feels like he’ll blurt out another joke.
Reality is so harsh!
The online world is more comfortable than reality!
Upon realizing this again, Judduck threw himself onto his bed as he usually does.
And connected to the gallery immediately.
He opened a window of the gallery at a lightning speed.
The gallery was still filled with commendations.
Title) “God”
“Judduck”
Upvotes 2988 Downvotes 3
ㄴEasy post for memory today lol
ㄴJudduck Punch! Judduck Punch! Judduck Punch! Judduck Punch!
ㄴJudduck is… God…!
ㄴYeah lol I will worship again today
ㄴWor ship Time
ㄴI guess it’s time to worship already
ㄴNo, these bastards always have time to worship lol
Damn it, it’s him again. I was going to sleep after reading this post, but then I saw him. Now I have to worship. I know the moment I start worshipping, I won’t be able to sleep, but I still have to. It’s the duty of anyone who has laid eyes on him. Alright, time to start worshipping…
Lol!
Complete nonsense lol! So dizzying.
Isn’t this a religion then? Seriously, it’s scary.
If he dies, it’s the end of the continent. If he’s not God, then what is he?
He really should be declared a god lol
Title) Haven’t seen him around lately
Seems like I saw him about three weeks ago.
Not three weeks, not even one week, still not even a day.
Time without him… feels so long…
Damn, fell for the nonsense again lol.
Fell for the nonsense again…
Is it him again? Is it you again…?
But seriously, where is he?
He deserves a day off lol.
He disappeared after posting he was tired and going to sleep.
Seems really tired.
Makes sense he’d be exhausted after getting stabbed and freaking out lol.
Even someone who spends 20 hours online will get tired if they get stabbed… note to self.
Title) Test of Faith
Anyone who purchased shares in his theme, press upvote?
I’ll start lol.
Upvotes 5834 Downvotes 787
Upvote, upvote lol.
Isn’t he the one who makes money? Not buying his shares? Are you gay? An idiot? The racehorse horologe is starting lol.
It’s you again, isn’t it?
Yep lol, already made 20% return lol, cheers to that ~
It’s rolling in~~~
His praises are so damn annoying lol.
How much did you make?
– Don’t ask, you b*****d.
– LOL
– Someone is burning money on fanning flames?!?!?
– That’s not easy either LOL. But thanks, your money is sweet~!
– You should stop trading stocks LOL. Please, even quit using the forum LOL.
– Am I the only one screwed by just worshiping?
– Honestly, these praises are all the same boring threads. It feels again that the power of the worshippers who manage to even glorify these comments is remarkable…
– Damn LOL
– What’s with this guy LOL?
– How far will you drift???
– What’s your talent in naturally praising them LOL?
– The best follower of the month LOL
Title: “Who is He?”
To the blind, he is light.
To the hungry, he is a chef.
To the thirsty, he is water.
If he thinks, I will agree.
When he speaks, I will listen.
If he has a follower, that would be me.
If there are no followers, I will cease to exist.
– Real bullsh*t LOL
– Is it already time for worship?
– Praise the Award
– Worship the Prize
– Habitual Worship
– Damn it.. Him again… blah blah… I slept well today and blah blah…
Title: Him Again…
Damn, it’s him again. But I’m going to sleep.
Because in dreams, I can meet him up close.
– What’s this flashback? LOL
“This is the first time I’ve seen this lol
Already a leaked copy is out? That was fast lol
“What sort of bull is this.”
Is this a gallery or a church?
My mind feels like it’s about to go crazy in this dizzying, constant worship of nonsense in the gallery.
Yet, Juddak managed the gallery as usual.
He even checked the auction house and downloaded heart wrenching images after censoring them. This is heaven.
Juddak was lying on the bed, scrolling through the gallery.
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
He was hit with knock PTSD.
‘Could it be…again?’
Even famous people have experienced the same thing three times…!
Bunker rush three times… Knife stabbing three times…?
Juddak tremblingly shook.
‘I’m scared.’
Tonight, he missed his mother more than usual.
Of course, it’s not his biological mother but Mamang, who could comfort him in baby mode.
To overcome this fear… It has to be a woman with that kind of large heart…!
Juddak, who has turned his blanket up to his nose, pointed his handgun under his blanket.
He would become a killer who feigns being bored with fear and kills people.
But even after waiting for a while, nothing happened.
Could it be a bell prank? I wonder if this kind of prank is popular even in Wangsung. He briefly pondered.
“Huh?”
Juddak discovered a piece of paper placed under his door.
When he unfolded the half-folded paper, a brief sentence was written on it.
─Come alone.
A woman’s elegant handwriting…
Come alone? This place is Wangsung, too safe for it to be a trap. Could there possibly be another stab trade killer here.
Right, Wangsung couldn’t be that loose.
Squeak.
As the door opened slightly, the corridor was empty.
Instead, a tiny light stretched far into the corridor.