"Peta Lusius."
Ahildern Salina's solemn voice echoed through the Audience Chamber. The Royal Guards, clad in pure white armor, glared at with murderous eyes. Eve narrowed her eyes as if to return their murderous intent, but then just clicked her tongue and bowed her head.
Ahildern Salina was a beautiful woman who looked exactly like Erina. In ga terms, you could call her the SSR version of the SR Erina, or an Another Version of Erina who showed a different kind of allure with the maturity of a married woman and a classy posture. She was looking down at us, brushing her green hair back.
To us, who had been led to the Audience Chamber without even ti to unpack our luggage upon arriving in the Capital City, Ahildern Salina seed to have much to say. The hand holding her staff was trembling, and her eyes burned so fiercely that the phrase 'killing with a look' felt real. She stared back and forth between Eve and for a long mont before shouting to the Royal Guards.
"Royal Guards, leave us for a mont."
"But Your Majesty, that order..."
"Did I not tell you to leave at once!"
At Salina's thunderous command, the Royal Guards retreated like an ebbing tide. Just from the way they looked at , I could guess what the perception of was in the Elf Kingdom. As soon as the soldiers disappeared, Ahildern Salina sighed deeply and spoke.
"Peta. Lusius."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"My daughter, Princess Ahildern Erina, and you... There's an interesting rumor going around. That there is a very sticky scandal between you two."
"That is..."
There was no use denying it here. I couldn't provoke her like I did with the elf guard earlier, asking 'Sex? Are you talking about sex?' I hung my head low. Salina spoke.
"Fine, I will not bother asking what happened between you two. The reason you are here today is not because of such a 'trivial' and 'vulgar' scandal."
Salina's statent was clearly full of sarcasm. I bowed my head low and spoke once more.
"I have no face. So many incidents occurred at once that I failed to pay attention to the scandal with Princess Erina."
"As the eldest son of the Peta Family, I thought you would have an ounce of responsibility and send so statent of explanation for the shaful incident that occurred in the royal palace. But what you sent was an official docunt from the Royal Palace asking for cooperation to catch 'Evangeline.' What do you think I possibly could have thought upon receiving this?"
"I am sorry."
"Does 'sorry' end it? Everyone in the world is talking about my lovely Erina! They're saying the princess of the Elf Kingdom sleeps around carelessly, that she drags anyone with a reputation to her bed, from clerics to the hero!"
"I am sorry."
I just had to keep apologizing for now. Queen Salina was shouting at , the veins on her neck bulging. Eve, seemingly uncomfortable in her prostrate position, shifted her body and glanced at Queen Salina. Salina sighed deeply and spoke.
"On top of that, marrying a rmaid... I have no idea what kind of person you are."
Salina said this, overtly pointing at Eve. At her words, I had no choice but to look at Eve. She flinched at the word 'rmaid,' but she didn't seem all that angry.
Salina stared intently at Eve for a mont before shifting her gaze back to . She scraped the floor with her staff and spoke.
"Alright. We are well aware of what kind of place the dungeon you request entry to is."
Salina was angry, but she was also soone who knew well that she needed my power for the common goal of defeating Evangeline. She suppressed her anger and brought up the topic of the dungeon. I was inwardly relieved that she wasn't throwing a tantrum and demanding I present a solution to this problem.
"Yes. I felt the need to beco stronger than I am now to defeat Evangeline..."
"The dungeon you speak of is our sanctuary, 'Mimir'."
"You an Mimir?"
"You don't know what Mimir is? Wasn't your ancestor, Peta Canopus, the manager of Mimir?"
"Ah, I did know. But it was so different from the image of a dungeon I had in mind..."
I didn't know who Peta Canopus was, but it seed Lusius's family had been a very renowned one in the Elf Kingdom for generations. This was where I couldn't help but have questions. If it was such a successful and famous family, why was Lusius a lord in the Human Kingdom? And why was everyone accepting that fact so naturally?
And, despite that, why did Queen Salina think that as a mber of the Peta Family, I would naturally be friendly to the Elf Kingdom? Just what the hell happened to this guy in the past? In the first place, Sieri didn't seem like she had t Peta Sirius or knew much about my family. Why on earth did my father put in a human monastery and have educated there?
Salina looked at with a strange expression, then continued.
"In the Depths of Mimir, there is a shrine that houses the spirits of our ancestors. There, a liquefaction device draws up this forest's essence and liquefies it. Mimir itself issues trials there. To those who pass these trials, Mimir grants a liquid full of the forest's essence. The 'dungeon' you spoke of in the Elf Kingdom must have been referring to this enhancent device in Mimir."
I was curious what it ant for Mimir to issue trials itself, but I couldn't ask. Since one of my ancestors was said to be the manager of Mimir, asking sothing like that would have seed very awkward. I just nodded vaguely and, looking up, spoke.
"Then, are you granting permission to enter?"
"Personally, I would like to end this filthy scandal by killing you and burying you in Mimir, but the world's affairs are not so simple. For the greater good of defeating Evangeline, I have decided to specially grant you forgiveness and give you permission to enter the Depths of Mimir."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will live up to your expectations."
"Good. I'm counting on you."
Salina said, her face deeply scrunched up. Then she looked at Eve and asked.
"So, what do you intend to do with your wife, the rmaid...? Should I arrange a separate place for her to rest here while you are in Mimir?"
"Ah, actually, I wish to enter Mimir with my wife..."
Salina reacted sharply before I could even finish my proposal. She pointed her staff at and shouted.
"Don't speak such nonsense. Letting a rmaid into our sanctuary? Is it not enough that you defiled my daughter, do you intend to insult Ahildern itself?"
Eve clicked her tongue slightly at those words, but she didn't lunge at Salina or spit out curses. I felt grateful just for her holding back. Salina was furious enough to eat alive at my single statent. Still, I decided to try persuading her on this matter one more ti.
Because if I didn't, there would have been no aning in bringing Eve here.
"...Still, to defeat Evangeline, Eve's help is absolutely necessary. She is a very competent combatant and also..."
"Before she is a competent combatant, Mimir is our sanctuary! Just the single statent of putting you, a mixed-blood, into the elven sanctuary caused fluctuations in the Council of Elders. And now, you want to put a rmaid in? Who in the Elf Kingdom would accept such a thing? Has that rmaid been recognized for so special quality, like a hero on a mission? Is she even good? Isn't that rmaid the mad murderer who raped dozens in the trade city of Esta and killed sailors?
It is only because she is your wife that rmaid is breathing at my feet right now! Because you are the eldest son of the Peta Family, a distinguished man with the ritorious service of defeating the Demon King! You are breathing in this place despite all your twisted sexual desires and ssy scandals! Peta Lusius! Never again speak of bringing a rmaid into the sanctuary in front of !"
Salina's long speech ended. Eve stared at the floor with a somber face. I gasped for breath. Still, I couldn't let it end like this. I had to get at least one thing out of this. I spoke to Salina.
"Then, I would be grateful if you could at least lend us a facility for minimal training or practice."
At those words, Salina stopped her rage and let out a sigh. She looked at with a very wistful gaze and said.
"I don't know what on earth changed you like this, Peta Lusius. Fine. I will permit that much."
And with that, the audience was over. As we returned and the Audience Chamber doors closed, Eve's face remained downcast. I stroked Eve's back and said.
"You did well to endure it."
".....Of course. Whose wife do you think I am."
Eve forced a grin at that, but she still looked depressed. Passing soldiers would flinch in surprise at the sight of Eve's feet, then look back at and walk by, whispering. Eve was limping, staring at the floor. I gently touched Eve's shoulder and asked.
"Were you that depressed?"
"Can I beco a good person, too?"
Eve asked. I was taken aback by the sudden question, but I nodded. I was going around acting like a good person, so there was no reason Eve couldn't.
"Do you think I, who have killed dozens of people, can beco a good person? Really?"
"Because that is the doctrine of the Archdeity Church."
"Because religion says so, you think it's possible?"
"I also believe in you."
I added. Eve, seemingly pleased by my words, grinned again.
"Right. So that's what you an. You really believe in , right?"
"Of course. You can beco as good a person as ."
"That's another way of saying I can't."
"But you still love , right?"
"I fucking love you, you son of a bitch."
Eve hugged tightly. In front of the Audience Chamber hallway, Eve and I embraced like that for a long while. Passing servants whispered, but I didn't care. A married couple can hug, so who was going to say anything?
And so, we headed to our assigned room. The coachman was given a separate room and would lead a reasonably comfortable life until I returned. Eve said she was tired and went into the room first. After suffering from motion sickness, it seed her sleepiness hit all at once when the tension was released. She entered the room and imdiately collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep.
I covered Eve with a blanket, then ca out of the room to get so fresh air. Outside the room, there were many people busily coming and going. I rembered there was a balcony at the end of the hall, so I walked that way. In the distance, a familiar silhouette was approaching .
"Lu-Lusius?"
It was Erina. She was walking down the hall holding a baby mobile and a rattle when she ran into . I whistled unconsciously.
"Ooh."
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