“The chaos has been quelled by your Queen—me, Evelyn. Now, you may return to your duties in peace.”
After the chaotic and broken situation was mostly sorted out, Evelyn shouted with a commanding presence, oozing the aura of a mature older sister. Unfortunately, the people around her didn’t know how to read the room; they just looked at each other in confusion, staring blankly.
Erika, the designated mood-maker, raised her hands high and shouted with exaggerated volume, “Let us praise the sole Queen of Noel, Her Majesty Evelyn! Long live the Queen!”
As her voice fell, the cowering crowd followed suit, raising their hands and shouting one after another, “Long live the Queen!” “Long live Her Majesty Evelyn!”
As the cheers rose and fell, the girl took the opportunity to glance at Evelyn’s expression.
She looked quite gratified and satisfied. Seeing the people praise her like this, she must be in a very pleasant mood as a ruler. As far as Erika knew, Evelyn loved being praised and complimented—an unexpectedly childlike trait.
Doing something so worthy of praise and pride today would likely stay with her for a long time, becoming a source of pride for a while.
If Evelyn ever felt like making blood flow in the future, Erika hoped she would remember this feeling. Or perhaps Erika would be there to remind her of the flowers and applause of the past.
Actually, when she saw the massacre earlier, Erika thought something terrible would happen. But she followed the principle of ‘turning crisis into opportunity’ perfectly, successfully removing one dark spot from the Queen’s history and adding a highlight!
Good job, Erika!
As Erika tilted her cute little head in self-praise, the ogre Gorigo, bound in shackles and chains, was dragged toward her by guards. The large ogre spoke up:
“Erika Angelina… promise… keep!”
“That’s right. Your back pay will be used to cover the damages you caused. From now on, you’ll be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Demonic Beast Labor Department, which I’m in charge of.”
“Hard words… I don’t understand… but… you… seem trustworthy.”
She hadn’t killed this ogre named Ogre Gorigo but saved his life instead. Since she’d built up some favorability, she might call on this big guy whenever she needed a human excavator in the future.
Not bad. Things were going surprisingly smoothly. Was it because they left the Royal Capital?
Was the Royal Capital, Monarch City, just incompatible with her luck?
While Erika was lost in these idle thoughts, Queen Evelyn slowly turned around.
“Where are you going?”
“I heard there’s a village nearby. I plan to have lunch there.”
“Ah, alright.”
Evelyn didn’t seem ready to end her stroll yet. Probably because she had just been praised, she was full of energy now. The lonely Queen’s tone held a hint of eagerness for battle. “Will there be rampaging demonic beasts or slaves in that village too? What are the chances it’s been occupied by rebels?”
The moment the Great Mage thought about subduing those guys and receiving cheers and applause from the people, she became so excited she looked ready to use her telekinesis to fly over and knock them all down.
To this, Erika gave a soft “Mm,” placing her curled index finger against her lower lip before answering seriously, “Rebellions don’t happen that easily.”
“Why? Why wouldn’t a rebellion happen?”
Hey, is it really okay for a Queen to be this desperate for a rebellion?
As for why there weren’t many rebellions, it was obviously because Erika put so much effort into patching up every hole. But she couldn’t say that to her face, so the girl gave her usual vague dismissal. “That is because Lady Evelyn governs the country so brilliantly that the seeds of rebellion have no chance to take root…”
“Phew.” Evelyn let out a deep sigh, her exquisite face full of distress.
“My political talent is so exceptional… that is indeed something to ponder.”
“…If you say so.”
Near the picturesque Heinrich Castle, there was a small village nestled between a lake and the Dark Forest. The village, named Lake Village, was a prosperous place where the roads were well-connected and the sounds of life were constant. It was self-sufficient but also attracted traveling merchants.
There was nothing particularly special about the village itself. If one had to point out something impressive, it was that it consisted of nearly a hundred households—a significant size—and was surrounded by a forest and lake rich in resources.
Perhaps because Heinrich Castle attracted many tourists, the village had become lively and prosperous, with a steady stream of pedestrians. Erika and Evelyn hid their identities and quietly entered the village.
“It’s quite lively.”
“Indeed.”
Looking closely, a large crowd of villagers holding torches had gathered in front of the church near the village square, shouting things like, “Come out, you wicked woman!” and “It’s all because of you that things have become a mess!”
“Thump, thump! Thump, thump!”
The chapel was a church building with an appearance similar to a medieval European church. As a religious structure, it was usually respected and cared for by local residents. But what on earth could be the reason for people to gather here in such force, looking ready to storm the building to vent their anger?
“Excuse me, what is going on? Who are you people?”
Erika, wearing a cloak, walked up to ask. A man in a wide-brimmed straw hat said with a face full of resentment, “There is an evil witch inside! And we are members of the righteous Slave Rights Promotion Association.”
Slave Rights Promotion Association? Was this a group that existed to protect the human rights of slaves? She thought she had heard something similar from the ogre earlier.
Evelyn, wearing a hood, asked curiously, “Then, are you slaves?”
“No, we are slave owners. We are a civic group demanding the protection of slave owners’ interests, including the right to whip slaves.”
“No, we are fighting for the opportunity for slaves to receive lashings! Our group even published a book on how to establish a correct and healthy master-servant relationship with slaves. It’s 5 silver coins a copy. There’s a stall over there; feel free to buy one.”
Who are you kidding? Are your slaves all hardcore masochists?
No wonder the soldiers were whispering earlier. At the thought of more and more strange groups like this appearing, Erika felt the world turning dark.
“Bang! Crack!” The old doors the people were pounding on finally gave way under the weight and pressure, collapsing inward.
“The door is open! Come on, get in there!”
Many people rushed into the open entrance, and after a moment, they dragged something out. The person caught and dragged out by the crowd… was actually a girl, a girl wearing a jet-black nun’s habit.
“Wah! Wah! Let me go!”
“Drag her away, quickly!”
She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her features were quite youthful and lovely, with long reddish-orange hair flowing down. Her pointed ears indicated she might be of the same elf race as Denoy.
So this world has elf nuns too. Truly great. Amen.
By the way, Evelyn really liked elves.
The people who grabbed the girl shouted angrily, “Look here! It’s this one! The one who’s always yelling about giving slaves and workers all sorts of rights and benefits! Everyone thought she was just an ordinary elf nun, but we received an anonymous tip!”
Then, a female villager even started lifting the nun’s knee-length habit!
“This is sexual harassment against an elf! I’m going to report all of you to the Elf Rescue Foundation…!”
The elf girl’s resistance was quite fierce; even several older women working together couldn’t pin her down for a moment. But in the end, the petite elf was unable to withstand the rude actions of the boorish villagers.
“Report? Report what? You’re not even an elf! Besides, an elf wouldn’t talk as normally as you do! They have strange accents!”
The habit being tugged and pulled finally ripped with a “shred” sound. Fortunately, the elf girl was wearing something similar to safety shorts, so she wasn’t completely exposed.
But, huh?