I, Who Came From the Abyss, Will Save Humanity Again Today Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Mother and Daughter

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"...Who are you?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

Of course, that was a question I already knew the answer to. The mont this woman showed up, she spoke to with that insufferable air of superiority, treating like so enemy standing across a battlefield, barely sparing a single glance before turning away... If you'd just talked to nicely, I might've been perfectly polite back. But this attitude of hers was really getting on my nerves.

So why would I bother treating you normally...

Victoria's mother looked sowhat taken aback. She turned her head back toward , eyes glinting with amusent. "Oh? You don't know who I am?"

"Why would I... need to know you." I said offhandedly as I walked toward Victoria. "Are you famous or sothing?"

Victoria, who had been sitting on the sofa, imdiately stood up and said to , "Let's go talk upstairs."

"Sure."

I gave a light acknowledgnt and was about to turn away, when the woman, seeing we intended to leave, quickly rose to her feet as well.

She stepped in front of , looking up and down with a half-smile, and said, "Is there sothing wrong with saying it here? Or is there sothing the two of you... need to hide from , the Queen Dowager of the royal city?"

I stared blankly into her pretty eyes, deeply displeased with the behavior of this so-called Queen Dowager. But she wasn't so nobody, she was Victoria's mother, and with Victoria right here, it wouldn't do for to lose my temper. So I drew a quiet breath and did my best to keep my voice calm. "We... have important things to discuss. It has nothing to do with you."

"Miss Sylvia, I'll return the sa words to you." The Queen Dowager laughed at my response. "You ca uninvited and interrupted an important conversation between a mother and her daughter... This is the royal city, not your Shanter Castle. Don't go sticking your nose into our family affairs."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Well, that's terrifying. The Queen Dowager of the royal city is apparently so... lacking in manners."

The Queen Dowager's expression imdiately frosted over. "You—!"

"Mother. Miss Sylvia is an honored guest of the royal city. Please refrain from saying anything unnecessary." Victoria said in a flat tone.

"...An honored guest of the royal city? Sounds more like just your guest to ." The cold smirk on the Queen Dowager's face deepened. "When did Miss Sylvia arrive at the royal city? Sothing this important, even the errand boys running around the royal palace knew about it, and you couldn't be bothered to tell . If it weren't for what happened the day before yesterday, I'd still be completely in the dark... Victoria, do you even have any regard for at all?"

"Mother is always busy admiring flowers and watching the moon. How would you have ti to care about such things."

"Are you calling idle and useless?"

"I'm stating a fact."

"...Fine! After all this ti apart, you've really grown so nerve!"

"After all this ti apart, is that all you have to say to ?"

"You've pushed the royal family into a fire pit! What else do you want to say—!"

"Then don't say anything."

The two of them argued at a rapid-fire pace, one of them fuming and explosive, the other cool and unbothered. The atmosphere in the large sitting room was suffocating. Lecter, standing not far away, kept his head lowered in silence. His face was buried in shadow, making it impossible to read his expression.

Victoria had no more patience for her mother. She turned to calmly and said, "Let's go."

"Yeah."

But the mont I took a step forward, the Queen Dowager sidestepped and blocked our path again.

"I'm not finished talking. I ask that you respect and sit back down."

She glared at with sharp eyes and raised her voice... Why was she looking at when she said that!

I was so fed up.

I looked at the Queen Dowager in front of , my gaze traveling over that pampered, exquisitely maintained figure of hers, that slender waist that looked like one good slap could snap it in half... I drew a long, deep breath.

"Respect is sothing... you earn for yourself..."

I raised my head again and looked her dead in the eye, asking word by word, "So then, Your esteed Highness the Queen Dowager. May I ask, where did the Iron Guards get their equipnt?"

That question made the Queen Dowager's expression freeze.

Her eyes went even wider, lips slightly parted, and after a long, hesitant pause she asked in a low voice, "What do you an."

"Just curious, asking around." I gave a light laugh.

I had noticed it earlier. The Iron Guards, whether it was the armor on their bodies or the swords hanging at their waists — every single piece bore the mark of the Central Workshop without exception. Which made sense, of course. Those people had bled the royal city's treasury dry, and with all that enormous wealth in hand, they'd naturally arm themselves with only the best.

And the Queen Dowager was clearly fully aware of this, in fact, her own contribution behind the scenes was no small part of it. But if the Workshop were to cut off their supply right now... those so-called Iron Guards would no longer be able to afford to sustain a single battle.

They could, of course, go look for other workshops and smithies. Only then, the Iron Guards, fad for being "elite and well-equipped," would lose every bit of that edge.

"Mother used to say I have to write letters ho every month." I tapped my chin with one finger and tilted my head to the side. "Also, that Advisory Council. If I were to represent Shanter Castle. In that case... would I have the standing to attend?"

I blinked innocently after saying that.

"..."

The Queen Dowager was at a complete loss for words. That beautiful face of hers, which could rival flowers and the moon, had gone dark and gloomy, impossible to tell what she was thinking.

After a mont, she let out another cold laugh. "Even if you could represent the Central Workshop, so what? The Advisory Council is Isenbell's business. You're so young— "

"But!" I imdiately cut her off. "It seems like I can also represent the Church at the sa ti, you know."

Because of her status, Victoria could only speak from Isenbell's ruling position here in the royal city, but I was different. I could take a purely Church-aligned stance and reach any number of agreents with Victoria that she could or couldn't even imagine. And if I felt like being reckless about it, I could even...

"I can mobilize... the Church Knights."

"You dare—!"

Of course I didn't dare. That would be stirring up a war, and Engel would absolutely never agree to it. I was just bluffing.

You said I was young, right? Then let act young for you, I'm not going to reason with you.

"I'm young. So I'm very naughty, auntie—"

The Queen Dowager was so furious her lips were trembling. "Are you threatening ?!"

"I have no desire to threaten anyone." I wagged a finger at her and put on a serious, earnest expression. "I have no interest in any of this. I only hope that you don't go out of your way to make interested."

With that, I turned to Victoria beside and smiled. "Let's go."

"...Yeah."

I strode forward.

This ti, the Queen Dowager didn't block us again. But halfway up the stairs, I heard her voice shatter into a desperate, ragged shout from behind us. "What do you two think you're doing! Are you trying to start a war—!"

"They have tens of thousands of soldiers! Tens of thousands of people! And what do you have! The Sword of Kanri, which can't even scrape together 100 fighters?! The Valen Empire can't help you! They're heading into a war of their own! What can you do on your own! You can kill 1,000 people, can you kill 10,000?! Can you wipe them all out?! Will you kill them fast enough before they kill us—!"

"Victoria—! Don't you dare take everything from ! And don't you dare drag the entire royal family down with you as your grave companions!"

"How did I end up giving birth to a reckless, worthless wretch like you—!"

Victoria suddenly froze mid-step.