Volume 8, Chapter 21 – The Two-Faced Queen

“An elf dares to speak so arrogantly? Don’t think that just because you have Her Majesty’s favor, you can do whatever you want!”

Although the undead’s face wouldn’t flush red with rage, her trembling body as she spoke was enough to expose just how agitated she was.

“Afla, Dofilia is my guest—”

“You don’t need to stand up for me, Your Majesty. I’ll handle this myself.”

Interrupting Lucitine once more, Fia took a step toward the maid standing below the throne. Whether it was the “barking maid” from before, or the group of undead who had cast disdainful looks her way as she ascended the stone steps, it was clear that these undead held an extremely arrogant attitude toward the living. Of course, under normal circumstances, they might have the strength and standing to do so. But directing such contempt at her was undoubtedly a mistake. Dofilia feared no challenge.

If she didn’t make these undead recognize the gap in their strength, their arrogance would persist and become an obstacle to future cooperation.

“How about we make a bet? You’re undead. As long as I don’t use my life force to cancel out your negative life energy, you won’t truly die. But in the next strike, I’ll kill you. If I win, you’ll obey one command from me. Of course, if the rest of you aren’t convinced, you can all come at once. If I lose, I’ll obey your commands—though I don’t see that happening.”

“Arrogant.”

Facing Fia’s provocation, the maid, already trembling with fury, grew even more incensed. As a seventh-rank undead, her disdain for the living was deeply ingrained. It was like a man in his twenties being repeatedly provoked by a boy just over ten years old—it would be a miracle if he didn’t want to beat him senseless.

Her eyes wide with anger, she took a step toward Fia. Despite the quiet warnings from the other undead around her to stay calm and not incur the displeasure of the Queen or the future Queen Consort, her dignity demanded she not shy away from the challenge.

“Fine, I accept. But if you lose, don’t go running to Her Majesty to hide behind her skirts.”

“You be the judge.”

Fia pointed to a male among the remaining twelve attendants. Dressed in a black tailcoat, he was momentarily startled, then produced a gold coin from storage magic.

The tumbling coin traced an elegant parabola through the air. All the undead, including the maid accepting the challenge, held their breath. Their gazes simultaneously fell upon Fia, who remained motionless, not even assuming a battle stance. Confusion arose in their hearts. To these undead, seasoned in combat, Fia’s current stance was full of openings. Moreover, she should at least draw a weapon, yet her hands were empty, and she made no move at all.

She must be used to throwing her weight around in the elf country, grown arrogant and blind to all else.

Nearly all the undead thought so. They knew about the annihilation of the undead army sent to the front lines recently, but they didn’t believe Fia had destroyed it alone. Over a hundred thousand undead—even if they just stood there and let her slaughter them freely, it would take her days to kill them all. The idea of one person destroying them in a single day was unthinkable. It was more plausible that the elf kingdom had staked its national fortune on that battle, deploying all their magic casters together. After all, most of that hundred-thousand-strong army weren’t undead from the Kingdom of Death, so their fragility was understandable.

Making them believe that Fia had slain those hundred thousand undead was as absurd as a young child defeating hundreds of adults in unarmed combat.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the elf country. The arrogance that worked there didn’t apply in the kingdom of the undead. Or rather, what was the end point—the final limit—in the world of the living was merely the starting point among the undead.

Even if she was the future Queen Consort, she needed to learn that her arrogance had no place here.

The maid issuing the challenge narrowed her eyes. Seven short swords, points facing outward, materialized before her. This was her forte: manipulating seven short swords with numerous low-cost spells to toy with her prey until death. Even among the undead, unless one could kill her instantly with a powerful area-of-effect spell, once drawn into a prolonged fight, victory was inevitably hers.

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Don’t focus on defense. Kill this elf in one strike.

She was ready. The moment the gold coin hit the ground and the sound rang out, she would spring into action. This was the Netherworld, saturated with dense death energy. If she killed this elf here, she could take the opportunity to turn her into an undead. Kill two birds with one stone.

Ting—

The gold coin, having completed its arc, finally hit the ground.

Now’s the chance!

The maid, poised and ready, shot forward like a hunting leopard. But at that instant, she was astonished to find Fia had vanished. Her vision held only the figure of her Queen, Lucitine.

Illusion?

There was no sound of displaced air, proving she hadn’t moved. That left only the possibility of illusion. But whether she herself was under an illusion spell, or Fia was using one to hide, it didn’t change the fact that Fia was still standing right there. If she just charged through, she’d surely catch her!

Without hesitation, she launched six of her seven short swords toward where Fia had been. Before firing them, she didn’t forget to enhance them with spells: [Tracking Arrow] to pursue the enemy, [Paralysis Poison] to immobilize, [Abhorrent Soul] carrying the curse of undead,and [Acceleration] and [Minor Spatial Leap] to increase their speed and make their trajectories more erratic.

She herself, gripping the last short sword in a reverse grip in her right hand, used [Shadow Strike] to blink instantly behind Fia, viciously stabbing down at the back of Fia’s neck—though her eyes saw nothing, she knew Fia was there.

However, just as a triumphant expression twisted her features, she realized with horror that her body had lost balance. Or rather, it was no longer under her control. Her hand did swing down at the empty space, but her suspended body didn’t fall naturally due to gravity. It was as if something had clamped onto it, rendering her immobile.

Without a sense of pain, she didn’t know what had happened. She could only stare blankly at her companions across from her, their shocked or grim expressions reflected in her eyes.

What did this mean?

She understood in the next instant.

In that moment, all six short swords that should have pierced Fia struck nothing but air. Each one whistled through empty space. Then, as if they intended to skewer her from six different tricky angles, they all twisted mid-flight and lunged viciously toward her .

Stop!

She commanded them instantly. The seven swords were connected to her soul; with her strong magic, she could make them halt abruptly in mid-air. But to her terror, she found the six swords showed no sign of stopping. It was as if they hadn’t heard her command at all. Instead, they accelerated, trailing cyan flames as they streaked straight toward her.

Damn it.

Panicking, she swung the single remaining short sword in her hand, trying to bat them down. But the angles of the six swords were too tricky, and worse, she found her body still frozen in the air. Even when she tried to twist, she could only move the parts below her neck, making any proper evasive action impossible. In the end, she couldn’t deflect a single one.

A series of sickening thuds rang out as the blades sank into flesh, accompanied by the horrifying crunch of metal striking bone. Even though her undead nature meant she felt no pain, such severe damage was enough to prevent her from standing. In a human, having the heart, thighbone, and abdomen pierced would be a fatal wound, beyond even the Pope’s salvation.

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Then, like a discarded sack, her limp body crumpled and fell with a thud . She tried to reach out and push herself up, but her body wouldn’t obey. At a glance, she looked like a pool of mud.

What… happened?

Her mind couldn’t process it. She could only stare, fish-mouthed, at her companions’ lips moving, unable to utter a single syllable.

All Fia had done was use [Teleport] to appear behind the maid, grabbing her by the scruff of the neck. The maid was defeated.

It should be noted that [Teleport] wasn’t originally like this. It was an improved version of the [Spatial Leap · Major] spell. Originally, [Spatial Leap · Major] could only be used on inanimate objects, typically to teleport arrows or rocks already carrying significant kinetic energy for a surprise effect. But enhanced by [Hyper-computation], it could now teleport even complex objects like a person. However, the sheer amount of information constituting oneself meant that every time she teleported herself, it placed a noticeable burden on her brain.

“You lost.”

Fia’s cold voice sounded from behind her.

“Ugh!”

Hearing Fia’s voice, the maid whipped her head around. Meeting Fia’s condescending gaze, her eyes widened rapidly, and her lips trembled more violently. She realized she had lost, and didn’t even know how. But her dignity—or rather, the ingrained concept that she, a seventh-rank undead, could not be defeated—made her refuse to accept reality. She screamed hysterically.

“I’m not dead yet! You lost! You didn’t kill me in one strike, you lost!”

Fia shrugged and looked towards the male undead who had served as the judge. The one in the tailcoat now had an exceptionally grim expression, his voice deep and low.

“Afla, you lost. The Queen Consort had many opportunities to kill you. This is the result of her showing mercy.”

The maid’s eyes widened further. The trembling in her lips spread to her whole body. Pointing one finger at Fia beside her, she glared venomously at her companion and shrieked.

“I don’t believe it! She must have cheated! How could a mere living thing possibly be my match? Don’t you cave in to the Queen Consort’s threats! She’s not even the Queen Consort yet! Aren’t you undead? Why are you taking the side of an insect? Change the ruling, now!”

“Lost is lost. Don’t make a spectacle of yourself.”

The male in the tailcoat had seen enough and stepped forward, intending to drag his companion away. But Lucitine’s abnormally cold voice rang out first.

“Enough, Afla. Withdraw.”

“Even you, Your Majesty—”

The maid’s words were cut short as her eyes met Lucitine’s emotionless gaze. Fear flashed instantly in her eyes. The hysterical fire vanished in an instant, replaced only by tension and cowardice.

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“What, do you intend to defy my will? She is my Queen Consort. From the moment I decided, you were all to regard her as me . Challenging Dofilia before my very eyes—do you have no respect for me?”

“I… I didn’t mean that!”

The maid scrambled to defend herself, no longer daring to lift her head, prostrating herself deeply on the floor.

Lucitine’s expression remained unchanged. She stared coldly down at the maid on the floor.

“Withdraw.”

“Yes!”

A voice filled with fear echoed through the great hall. The maid, in her panic, resorted to crawling toward the door on her hands and knees. Her companions could not bear to witness this scene and, flanking her on either side, hoisted her up and carried her out. Fia clearly saw the remaining twelve servants cast looks of undisguised pity toward the maid. It seemed this servant named Afla was headed for a rather miserable fate.

It was worth noting that, perhaps due to her display of defeating Afla in a single strike, Fia noticed that as these servants departed, some of them cast respectful glances her way. A few even nodded slightly and smiled in salute, completely devoid of the contemptuous looks from before.

Only after everyone had left did Lucitine wave her hand expressionlessly. With a series of creaks, the great hall’s doors, a full seventy or eighty meters high, slowly closed. The entire hall was plunged into darkness.

Then, because of the light that appeared in Lucitine’s hand, there was a little illumination.

Lucitine’s emotionless face finally relaxed a little. The two of them stared at each other for a second. Just as Fia was feeling awkward and was about to speak, Lucitine, without warning, stepped forward and tightly grasped Fia’s right hand with both of hers. Those pink eyes, which should have been filled with majesty, wavered slightly. Fia wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that Lucitine currently looked on the verge of tears. However, due to the noticeable height difference between them and Lucitine’s overly ample chest, Fia felt embarrassed to look her directly in the face.

—Looking up at Lucitine from below made it unavoidable to gaze upon the deep cleavage before her. Although Lucitine was wearing a black long dress, the style wasn’t conservative. The luxurious whiteness of her chest seemed ample enough to hold wine—the type that made Fia not know where to look.

“You… you’re not angry, are you?”

The Queen of Death’s first words left Fia frozen on the spot.

First, she had taken my hand with both of hers, which I already found strange. And now she was speaking with this pitiful expression, as if begging me? Could this Queen of Death be the same ghost I encountered back on the wilderness? But the gap in our strength was far too great.

Mistaking Fia’s daze for nervousness, Lucitine grew so anxious she was nearly in tears. This was the person who had created a living body for her, allowing her to experience the joy of being alive. And how had she repaid her? Not only had she used threats to make her benefactor endure humiliation and agree to be her wife, but after her benefactor had sorrowfully agreed to marry her, a being of death, she had to face the contempt and doubt of Lucitine’s own subordinates. She was practically the most villainous antagonist in any story.

If she left the impression in her benefactor’s heart that she was a wicked person, she would never be able to clear her name for the rest of her existence… No, she should say it would be difficult to clear it now . Although she had never been to the world of the living, she still knew that in that world, especially for women in a disadvantaged position, marriage was a momentous event occurring only once in a lifetime. Once taken as a wife, it was nearly impossible to marry again. Not to mention that this was a princess of a nation. Having agreed to come to her side under such unfair conditions, she must have surely been utterly despairing and given up on herself.

This current state of silence, of standing frozen, was precisely proof of her utter despair. Her challenge to that subordinate earlier was merely a way to vent the grievance and bitterness in her heart.

A poor girl who could never return to the world of the living…

Thinking of this, Lucitine’s nose tingled with sadness, and her self-reproach deepened. She gripped Fia’s hand tighter. Her gaze quickly grew firm, filled with a sense of responsibility.

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“Please rest assured. Although it was a misunderstanding that led things to this point, I will definitely take full responsibility for you to the very end. I will never betray the resolve you have shown. I will make you the happiest woman in the world!”

…Huh?

Never mind the fact that the Queen of Death was using respectful language towards her—didn’t Anastasia say the Queen of Death was a wise and decisive figure? Why did it seem like she was being serious, genuinely intending to make her queen?

Fia couldn’t help but look Lucitine up and down. Now dressed in her black high-slit dress, Lucitine had a unique charm. Pink hair and pink eyes might ordinarily conjure images of a delicate, helpless princess, but combined with Lucitine’s queenly elegance and the black long dress, it became quite majestic. If it weren’t for the fact that Lucitine was currently looking at her with an expression that seemed to be begging for forgiveness, Fia could tell with just her naked eyes that this was indeed the Queen of Death herself.

Her tall, voluptuous figure, the black veil covering most of her long pink hair, and the proud aura she exuded when expressionless—these three elements combined. Had she been seated high on her throne, her innate presence as a ruler would have been enough to make any visitor bow in worship.

Although there was much she wanted to criticize, Fia decided to first clarify her position. Lucitine was certainly beautiful; her elegant queenly aura was not inferior to Claire’s, who was similarly elegant yet inclined toward a moon-elf mystique. But becoming her queen? No, thank you. She already had someone she loved—if she had encountered this situation when she first arrived in this other world, she might not have been able to resist such an offensive. But she was no longer that naive elf.

Fia tried to pull her hand back, but Lucitine still held it firmly, as if afraid Fia would slip away. Fia had to carefully choose her words.

“…You seem to have some misunderstandings. I never intended to become your queen.”

“That’s alright, it’s understandable to have such thoughts. After all, it was my subordinates who coerced and threatened your homeland. I will strive to reverse your aversion. Please give me a chance to prove myself. I am not the kind of enemy that repulses or disgusts you. Also, you… you don’t have to be sad about leaving your homeland. Although I shouldn’t say this, seeing you wear such a sorrowful expression would fill me with guilt. I will work hard to change this situation, until the day you can return to your country with your head held high.”

What is this person even saying?

Fia was utterly bewildered. Logically, the Queen of Death should have more important matters to discuss with her, which is why she sent undead to find her. Why did she seem so deeply immersed in this persona? She seemed to see Fia as the heroine of some tragic story, forced to marry for her country under the oppressive might of the undead queen, then becoming depressed because she had to marry someone she didn’t love.

If that were truly the plot, then the undead queen before her was actually a good person. In a typical story, the next part would involve her, the delicate elf, being secretly persecuted by the undead subordinates. Then the undead queen would step in to protect her. Subsequently, she would discover that the undead queen was unexpectedly gentle and responsible. Her initially resistant heart would slowly become curious, then shift from curiosity to acceptance of the undead queen, and finally, the two would fall in love and travel together across the entire World Tree Continent.

What kind of novel plot was that? And one outdated for its time, at that.

Having somewhat understood Lucitine’s thoughts, Fia sighed.

“I say, haven’t you been reading too many storybooks? What I meant from the beginning by ‘never intended to become your queen’ is that I didn’t come here to be queen. I came to discuss cooperation with you. Didn’t your subordinates tell you? I kept saying ‘negotiations’ the whole time. You all filled in the blanks yourselves, assuming I had agreed to your conditions. Aha, I repeatedly emphasized this point, but your servants remained immersed in their own world, impossible to wake up.”

“…Eh?”

Lucitine blinked in confusion. Her brain worked rapidly, slowly beginning to understand what Fia was saying. If it were her subordinates, it was indeed very possible. But if Fia wasn’t going to become queen—

The strength suddenly left Lucitine’s hands gripping Fia’s. Her expression instantly became dazed, and she murmured, as if something had been lost.

“Then… then what about me…”