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Volume 3 Chapter 13.4

Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes

「Thanks to you folks, Farlane has become a better place, and the kingdom of Darl is grateful for it.」

「I always assumed that it wasn’t a good thing for neighboring countries to get powerful……」

「Maybe where your folks come from, songstress, but over here there is no country that would want its neighbors to weaken. The weaker the country, the bigger the burden on its neighbors.」

　In this world where monsters were spawning on a constant basis like natural disasters, it was not unusual for the decline of one country to lead to the next. In the case of small-scale nations like those participating in the Midas Confederation, it was easier to look after one another, but with large nations like Farlane, all jokes aside, one wrong step and the world would be thrown into chaos.

「Now then, moving on.」

「What is it now？」

　The queen had gotten tired of discussing politics, changing the subject. If things continued like this then she might say something unnecessary, hence why Hiroshi and the others decided to go along with it.

「Primula, you were clearly overexerting yourself. Did that magician reject you?」

「……Oh, so you can tell？」

「I can’t think of any reason why you would look that way. Besides, I can just observe him and tell that he does not share your feelings.」

「I do understand that having such a wish granted would be too luxurious for one such as I.」

「You cannot change the hearts of people. Besides, if you say it is too luxurious a desire for you, keep in mind there are not many men who can win against the master of the workshop.」

「Oh boy, now I’m suddenly involved……」

　Hiroshi was expecting Tatsuya to get roasted, but now that he found himself on the coals, he reeled back in fear.

「The magician already has a lady, so I understand that, but in the case of the workshop master, I feel that he is too stubborn. Obviously, the songstress is fooling herself into seeing something that is not there. I assume you would happen to know something about that?」

「……」

「Workshop master, I do not recall giving you permission to remain silent.」

　The minute she changed the subject to relationships, the queen mercilessly cut in with her glossy face. Hiroshi was unsure how to answer such sharp hounding.

「It is not for me or for other people to decide whether the workshop master accepts the songstress’s feelings. But if you do not wish to accept them, I would advise you to not give her the wrong idea with some of your actions. That is simply bad manners」

「So ya want me to change the way I act around her？」

「Not just around her. If you are so scared of women, then you may as well just stop trying to be so nice to them. That will make things easier for both sides.」

　Hiroshi thought deeply about the queen’s advice, unable to really say anything back. Apparently this particular matter was not something he would be able to explain to the queen, let alone the average person.

「……Hm. So you are scared of that too. This seems to be a difficult topic.」

「If you get that, then maybe it’s best to stop pushing Hiroshi-kun into a corner……」

「Ah, I do apologize. It just seems like the master’s actions and the way he thinks are a bit too distrusting of women as a whole. So I was a bit miffed at it and attempted to change his mind. Unfortunately, it seems I was rather arrogant in jumping to conclusions, rather than try and understand what you went through.」

　Chastised by Haruna, the queen had no choice but to admit she was in the wrong. She was somewhat aware that she was going a bit too far, but she felt very sorry for Haruna and all the other girls who had fallen for him. It was difficult to keep her mouth shut even if she knew she was going too far. In a sense, she was like the typical overly helpful auntie.

　And it wasn’t like they didn’t understand what the queen was trying to say, but trying to force things would only have the opposite effect. Haruna knew painfully well what Hiroshi was like, but she was prepared to deal with any sort of rudeness from him. It was reassuring to hear how the queen felt, but in this case she was just complicating matters in Haruna’s eyes.

「I am thankful to hear such words from Your Majesty, but I will continue to communicate my feelings the same way I always have.」

「……Even if the load becomes too much？」

「If that happens then it happens. It’s my decision.」

「……Fine, then. I suppose I shall watch from afar to see whether the master gets a backbone or the songstress gets fed up with unrequited love and finds someone else.」

　Besides, commenting on someone else’s love affair was simply uncouth. She felt sorry for Haruna, but in general, as long as it did not connect to an international problem like with Dentlis or a crime, the queen was not the type to pry into personal matters. She definitely wanted to avoid becoming “food for the worms”.

「That being said, leaving aside the master, the magician seems quite interesting as well. For instance, his wife. How alluring must she be to attract the attention of such a man? I am curious.」

　Returning back to Tatsuya as a topic, the air in the room seemed to slightly loosen up. Originally somewhat of a scapegoat, Tatsuya still happily spoke of his wife Shiori until they reached the desert.

「So these are the depths of the earth……」

「Yes, there do seem to be quite a few rare-looking things here.」

「Please try not ta interfere in the process. There ain’t no traps that’ll injure ya greatly, but ye could still get hurt.」

「I know.」

　The queen and Aearis were getting a bit careless with their curiosity, so Hiroshi warned them before contacting the mole. He wanted to avoid any complications in these floors filled with traps and attractions, instead opting to use a secret, direct passageway.

「Oh yeah, Elle-chan.」

「Yes, what is it?」

「You remember the underworld god from before? I was wondering if Alfemina-sama had an answer about it yet.」

「She seems to know about what happened, but does not currently have the time to explain the details.」

「So she’s busy, yet still finds enough leisure to tell us these little things？」

「That’s because it’s easier to transfer small amounts of information to me.」

　Apparently Alfemina messaging Aearis was like a kind of breather. Then again, what in the world was she doing that made her so busy? Curious indeed.

「I contacted the other side, so let’s giddyup to the passageway, y’all.」

「Okay. It’s a shame we cannot see just what this “attraction” thing is, but  suppose there is not enough time for it.」

「Ah, about that. Ye can deploy several people per floor to check it out if yer interested.」

「Come to think of it, the residents of the land said they were starving for entertainment. In that case, I need only use the imperial guards for that.」

　The knights grew stiff as they heard that. They did want to complain that they did not become knights just to entertain the queen, but then again, they could not allow the queen to tarnish herself for the entertainment of others. Either way, they would be staying the night here, with hardly anything to do. They decided to split the platoon into three and deploy them to the various floors to try and break through. 

　As the knights swallowed their discontentment and resigned themselves to their task, the queen and her procession were already heading directly to the passageway where the moles were. Yes, this was how vertical relationships usually went, but it was still a little messed up.

「We thank you for providing entertainment.」

「Nay, we came over here without notice, so this much cooperation is to be expected.」

「You queens on the surface are quite agreeable people, I see.」

「Incidentally, would we be able to watch the guards as they exert themselves?」

「I will guide you to the monitor room. From there, before you leave, I will provide a digestive video for you to watch.」

「I am grateful for that. Depending on what is in there, I would be quite willing to present more offerings on a periodic basis.」

「You really are a reasonable queen. Are they really that needy of entertainment where you come from？」

　The queen grinned, nodding at the mole. Afterwards, they would be all rooted to the spot as they watched the guards struggle, pushing any important conversation to the next morning right before departure. Then Aearis would propose an attraction plan geared toward children, from which everyone would become absorbed in discussing and forget what they had even come here for in the first place.