Queen's Friend
"I am seriously so annoyed. Half a day of searching, yet there's not one person who can go there. I'm not blind; I know the chapel is gradually taking control over the North. I thought Veirya would be able to control the chapel a little if I sent her there, only for me to overlook the fact that she's an idiot. She's back now, which means that I don't have a single ally in the North. The chapel is running the entire border, which makes them a thorn in my side." Queen Sisi heaved a heavy breath. She then she looked at Achilles, who was silent, and asked, "Achilles, you're one of the businessman I trust and are competent. I trust your network. Do you have any sufficiently loyal and capable enough to take back control of the North for me?"
"Your Majesty, I can only say that the chapel now has full control over the North. Initially, I planned to do some business with the elves. Unfortunately, they sealed the deal on an agreement with the chapel. At present, the chapel has power and authority in the North. With the elves, who have also received gifts from the chapel, added to the equation, we have no means of taking control of the North. I would argue that the wisest decision is to give up on the North."
Achilles was aware that his answer was a relatively tough pill for Queen Sisi to swallow, but the chapel was the true ruler of the North. They were definitely waiting to smuggle flavouring. Trying to stop that was unrealistic for the chapel didn't need to bring it out. They could even stay in the North. How it was brought back was up to the crazy buyers. To add, the North was also in contact with the dwarves. When they worked things out with each other, they could directly transport weapons from the dwarves. Queen Sisi didn't have any spies in the North; they had no clue what the chapel was up to. The chapel no longer needed to join hands with Achilles, which meant that he had to return from the North to avoid getting in trouble himself.
Queen Sisi's strategy for the North completely fell through. Not only did her plan to attack the elves fail but even lost in the race against the chapel. That was the most disgraceful and unacceptable failure that she had suffered.
"I know that. In that case, I'll have to destroy the chapel by force. With that said, without a legitimate reason, I'm afraid we'll lose the support of the people."
Queen Sisi wanted a legitimate reason to demolish the chapel. If there was concrete evidence that the chapel revolted or tried to assassinate her, then it would work, but she didn't have any excuse. Destroying the chapel without an excuse would only result in losing her peoples' support. Furthermore, attacking the chapel with force was unfeasible. Everyone knew of Angelina's reputation. Veirya wasn't the only one who could defeat the Demon King in a one on one fight; Angelina could, as well.
Additionally, Queen Sisi knew Veirya wasn't Angelina's match. Veirya was hailed as humanity's strongest soldier, but that was because Angelina wasn't active on the battlefield. Veirya only managed to slay the Demon King thanks to the severe injury he suffered at the hands of Angelina the night before his death. Worth noting was Angelina inflicted a severe wound on the Demon King with her bare hands. If such a killing machine were to strike first, it was unlikely she could be stopped.
Queen Sisi needed someone to sort the issue out. She, alone, wasn't enough. She couldn't leave the imperial palace. She needed a brilliant human to investigate the chapel. Queen Sisi didn't have any candidates in mind. As she said before, she had countless people with brown noses, but not one was reliable.
"Achilles, go and investigate the chapel. See if they are up to anything questionable. It's best if you can find illegal weapons or something. Also, do your best to eliminate all of those adventurers. We can't allow the chapel to control them. Then get Veirya to return to me. Just what exactly does the chapel want?!"
Queen Sisi didn't know what the chapel wanted, but it undoubtedly wasn't to her benefit. She was extremely vigilant of the chapel. Their relationship with each other was decent, but the chapel knew what Queen Sisi had in mind. Thus, they began to conceal their activities. While it was unclear what it was, they wouldn't hesitate to attack Sisi if it meant protecting themselves.
"Who else do I have around me that I can trust?"
Queen Sisi heaved a heavy breath again. She scanned her empty imperial palace melancholically. She wasn't lonely. Even in times when the world turned their backs on her, she had a loyal friend. However, when she sat on the throne, she had to find new friends to make her throne comfortable enough for her desire. Queen Sisi relied on those around her time and time again to overcome obstacles. After she overcame each obstacle, though, she'd need new friends. She viewed friends as another consumable product. Did she have friends to use this time, though? She didn't know.
I figured that I really might've offended her to some degree when she was frustrated. I might've fallen out of favour as a consequence for all I knew. Strictly speaking, I wasn't exactly in favour, but, at the very least, I was somewhat trusted. I wondered what arrangements she'd have for Leah.
Leah hugged me. Owing to what happened during the day, I couldn't sleep at night. I didn't know where Veirya went or what mission she carried out to leave Queen Sisi that furious. I doubted Veirya and Queen Sisi would suffer defeats in battle. The Demon King was dead, so what battle would Veirya fight? Also, I knew how skilled Vierya was. Besides the Demon King, I couldn't think of anyone else who could match Veirya.
I reasoned, "This is strange, very, very, very strange. I doubt Veirya would disappoint Queen Sisi in her own field of expertise. Does that mean Queen Sisi sent Veirya off to manage land? In that scenario, it's most likely Veirya was sent to a key location. That being the case, it should be the North that has just been occupied, but unfortunately didn't handle it well."
I then went on to brood over a bunch of questions: "As for me, what should I do to please Queen Sisi? I'm not informed about the North. As a matter of fact, I'm not even from this world. I don't have the courage to say that I can manage it well, either. Besides, what's the point of talking big after Veirya failed?
What can I do to have Queen Sisi perceive me as valuable again? How do I prove myself through this matter? Also, what do I do about Leah? Regardless, this won't be an easy bridge to cross. After all, I have a Queen I can't read the thoughts to deal with."
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