Chapter 123
“Prepare to fire.”
Click, clack! Clink-clunk!
This was the inner courtyard of the Royal Palace in the capital, Magenta.
In the grand training grounds there, a commanding officer’s voice rang out.
Following that voice, fifty crossbowmen turned the windlasses to load their weapons.
They set lethal bolts onto the strings.
The sharp bolt tips gleamed with a cold light.
At that moment, the officer gave a solemn order.
“Fire!”
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
Fifty lethal bolts were released simultaneously.
Each carried a draw weight of 1,250 pounds, rushing toward their target.
That target was none other than Queen Alicia Termina Magentano.
“……”
Alicia’s eyes flashed coldly.
Fifty crossbowmen surrounded her from all sides.
They held positions above her, which meant every bolt was fired diagonally downward.
In an instant, she felt, heard, and memorized the trajectory of all fifty bolts with her skin, her ears, and her senses.
Her reaction was immediate.
Clang, shing!
The moment her sword was drawn—
Streams of silver aura bared their fangs.
Slash! Slice!
In the blink of an eye, twelve sword strikes were unleashed.
She cut, struck, lifted, swept aside, scattered, twisted to sever, struck again, stabbed down, and then cleaved diagonally.
Twelve streams of aura roared.
They whirled around her like a raging typhoon—then turned into a gentle breeze as quickly as they had come.
Thud-thud-thud…
Fifty bolts, each cleanly cut into two equal halves at identical angles, fell at her feet.
Not a single one was an exception.
Yet there was no change in Queen Alicia’s expression.
This was nothing more than a warm-up.
“Again. This time, fire in random sequence.”
Her dry command fell.
The officer, who had been swallowing nervously, turned to the crossbowmen.
“Prepare to fire, load!”
Click, clack!
Once again, fifty crossbowmen busied themselves with loading.
Beside each of them was a stack of hundreds of bolts.
They were lethal projectiles capable of piercing even heavy armor in an instant.
But even in such a deadly scene, Queen Alicia stood calmly, catching her breath.
It was only natural.
To most, this might seem terrifying, but to her, it was just an ordinary, everyday training routine.
‘Still, this isn’t enough.’
She had to grow stronger.
She had to hone her sword even further.
Becoming a Sword Master was no reason to become complacent.
If she did, she would taste the same humiliation as in the past.
‘I never want to experience that again.’
That day came to mind.
The day the capital’s suspension bridge was completed.
The day of the banquet, when she drank poisoned wine and was attacked by Sir Cherny.
Even now, recalling it made her burn with shame and rage.
‘I had to rely on so much help.’
Javier, who had been just an unknown knight, subdued the Sword Master Sir Cherny.
And Lloyd—who she had thought was just a pampered young master—what about him?
He displayed techniques she had never seen before.
He absorbed the surrounding Mana indiscriminately.
With a single strike, he blasted a massive hole through the banquet hall roof—
Using nothing more than a dining knife.
‘And I… did nothing.’
It was humiliating.
She had been complacent, despite being a Sword Master, and that made her ashamed.
Ever since recovering from the aftereffects of the poisoning, she had devoted herself to training like this every day.
‘And there are plenty of headaches from other matters as well.’
She had gotten nothing out of Sir Cherny.
The Sword Master’s formidable mental barrier—
They had used all manner of drugs and confession magic to break it.
It was like trying to dig through dozens of layers of steel walls with a spoon.
But she hadn’t given up.
Dozens of mages worked at it for nearly a month.
Finally, they dismantled Sir Cherny’s mental barrier completely.
And what they found inside was shocking.
‘Sir Cherny… was empty. He knew nothing.’
More precisely, part of his memory had been completely erased by powerful brainwashing.
His motive for attempting regicide.
The mastermind who had ordered it.
All forgotten.
All that remained was one purpose, seared into his mind: “Kill Queen Alicia in accordance with His will.”
‘There’s definitely something.’
Who could have brainwashed a Sword Master like that?
And for what purpose?
Even after countless investigations, she still had no answer.
Meanwhile, the situation in the east had grown chaotic.
‘Lloyd Frontera. His prediction was dead-on.’
The monster domino effect triggered by the eastern Sultanate—
It was far larger in scale than expected.
The damage was devastating.
Seventeen territories in the Eastern Mountains region had been completely devastated.
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
Lost in thought, she still reacted, slicing through fifty randomly fired bolts, her mind continuing to turn.
‘When I heard his counsel, I thought it was just a potential disaster. Even if it did happen, I assumed the territories could handle it to some extent. I never imagined it would cause such large-scale tragedy… This is clearly my mistake.’
She had underestimated the situation.
Slash! Slice!
If only this crisis could be cut through as easily as these bolts.
Then—
“Your Majesty, a reply has arrived from the Frontera Estate in the east regarding your edict.”
A clear voice called from one side of the training ground.
She turned to see a palace staff member bowing.
Queen Alicia lowered her sword and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“A reply?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It just arrived via carrier pigeon.”
“Bring it here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
She received the reply.
She opened it.
[Your Majesty’s loyal servant, Lloyd Frontera, humbly reports.]
The handwriting, a bit rushed, was unmistakably Lloyd’s.
Alicia’s brows twitched slightly.
‘Loyal? I doubt that.’
There was no way he truly felt that way.
She read on cautiously.
[Today, I solemnly read aloud the edict bestowed by Your Majesty and have sworn to uphold its intent with utmost sincerity. However, I lack the funds to do so.]
“……”
What did I just read?
Her eyes continued to move.
[The refugees flooding in are in a truly pitiful state. The children are so starved they are nothing but skin and bones, and the elderly collapse, relying only on the support of their children. I wish to feed and clothe them well, in accordance with Your Majesty’s noble will. However, I lack the funds to do so.]
“Tsk.”
The intent was becoming clear.
She continued reading.
[I sincerely wish to overcome this disaster wisely. However, to do so, I lack the funds. I wish to uphold Your Majesty’s will with loyalty. But again, I lack the funds. I have no food. I have no clothing. I have no daily necessities. The only thing I have is my aching, fervent loyalty toward Your Majesty, so I can only stare into the void and call Your name day and night.]
“……”
Don’t. Just don’t.
She wanted to stop him right there.
But Lloyd’s artful whining glued her eyes to the page.
[Therefore, I have painted Your Majesty’s august visage on a grand canvas and hung it on one wall so that we may all face this sorrowful disaster together. Just last night, we starving refugees gazed at Your portrait for a long time. And lo, the refugees forgot their hunger, filled with aching loyalty toward Your Majesty!]
“……”
[The same was true for the pain of displacement. This morning, together with the refugees, I formed an organization named ‘King-God-sia’ after Your Majesty’s name. Yes, a fan club of those who seek to forget their suffering through loyalty and affection toward you.]
“……”
Wait. What?
Is he serious?
[When hunger comes, we look at Your portrait. When pain comes, we sing songs in your honor. When cold comes, we count the days until your next birthday, morning and night. And thus, hunger, pain, and cold are all forgotten, and everyone smiles happily.]
“……”
That would get old fast.
[Of course, it never gets old. Every moment is delightful. Every time feels new. Now that I’ve said all this, I realize I never knew how much happiness and meaning could come from having no money. We are happy to be hungry. We are joyful to be in pain. We are thrilled to be cold.]
“……”
Stop it, you lunatic.
[What does it matter if we have no money? We hold only loyalty toward Your Majesty! With that alone, we will endure hunger, pain, and cold. And when a beautiful spring blooms far in the future, we will lovingly carve Your Majesty’s beautiful name into our skulls before we pass. Ah, Your Majesty. Ahhhh, Yooouuur Maaaajestyyy!]
“……”
She was speechless.
She looked at the end of the letter.
[P.S. – Your Majesty surely knows, as I do, that few territories in the Cremona Region remain besides ours. Therefore, if you still remember the warmth of my loyal back from when I carried you, please… send money… And if possible, send Master Blacksmith Cogidus from the Royal Forge to our estate as well… I humbly beg this of you.]
“Ha… haha.”
After finishing the letter, Queen Alicia let out a hollow laugh.
She was beyond exasperated.
‘I’ve made another mistake.’
She should never have sent an edict to the Frontera Estate.
She had given Lloyd an excuse to whine openly to her.
‘Tsk. If I hadn’t sent that edict, I could’ve just ignored this whining.’
She never imagined he would respond like this—clinging to her metaphorical trouser leg and begging.
‘I’ll have to increase the support beyond what I originally planned.’
Otherwise, he would whine again.
Worse, he’d whine even more than this.
She had no desire to dirty her eyes with another letter like that.
Since she was going to help anyway, she might as well help generously.
‘Perhaps I should make the Frontera Estate the center of Cremona Region’s reconstruction.’
She recalled the intelligence reports on the Frontera Estate.
Two large-scale monster attacks—both repelled.
A massive monster from the Eastern Mountains brought under their control.
An orc tribe relocated to the mountains.
‘That would make the Frontera Estate the safest place from the monster domino effect. With Lloyd’s abilities and generous support, reconstruction could be well within reach.’
Beyond reconstruction—
They could even become the region’s second city.
If she supported their growth,
‘Lloyd Frontera could become my eastern shield.’
With the refugee population swelling,
If they could settle them safely,
The Frontera Estate could grow rapidly—
Becoming a full-fledged city.
‘That would be no loss to me or the crown.’
If the gains were certain and sustainable,
And if the man gaining power was someone loyal to her—
Her royal authority would strengthen.
And he could also serve as a shield against the Sultanate to the east.
It was an investment with little downside.
Having done the calculations, Queen Alicia lifted her head.
“Hear my decree. Summon the Minister of the Interior at once and convene a committee to deliberate on elevating the Frontera Estate to the status of a Special City under a Count’s jurisdiction.”
Her solemn order fell.
♣
“So this isn’t an order, just a request.”
Meanwhile, in the bright early winter sun—
Far east of the palace, in an empty lot in the Frontera Estate, Lloyd spoke.
“Hey, have you ever run on a wheel?”
“Ppodong?”
In his palm, Ppodong tilted his round head in puzzlement.
Lloyd smiled warmly.
“So you haven’t?”
“Ppodong!”
“I knew it. Then how about I make you one?”
“Ppodo-dong?”
“A wheel about twenty meters in diameter. So you can run to your heart’s content. How about it?”
“Ppodong!”
A running wheel, just for fun.
He hadn’t expected such a surprise gift—
Ppodong’s plump cheeks lit up with joy.
His chubby rump swayed proudly from side to side.
Lloyd, watching him, also smiled in satisfaction.
Because he was happy to give Ppodong a wheel?
Of course not.
‘Heh-heh-heh. This’ll work for apartment construction equipment too.’
If Ppodong ran excitedly on the wheel—
The connected machinery would spin right along.
‘That way, the cement won’t set!’
Thus, in the bright early winter sun of the Frontera Estate—
The first special equipment for constructing an apartment complex in the history of the Lorasian Continent was being invented.
Its true form: a twenty-meter-diameter running wheel powered by a giant hamster.