I Stayed Loyal When My Teacher Was Betrayed

44 – For Revenge 4

Rosetta suggested negotiating with the Demon Lord.

Upon hearing this, Queen Micaela pondered.

Should they allow the people to suffer under the influence of a mere piece of paper?

Or should they reach out to them, even if it means taking some risks, and discuss peace?

Personally, she had a desire to completely eradicate the threat called demons.

There was also a desire for revenge against those who died at their hands, but above all, leaving them as they were, possessing such immense power, felt like living with a sword hanging over their heads.

Queen Micaela always had thoughts about uprooting them through war as well.

However…

This was merely her personal opinion.

From the perspective of a ruler, the choice was naturally the latter.

After all, war inherently caused numerous sacrifices.

Given the bleakness left behind by the recent defeat of the coalition forces, she couldn’t help but feel the weight of it even more.

Countless people shed tears of blood and sorrow for the loss of their husbands and sons.

It went beyond the sadness of losing a family member and became directly linked to the survival and maintenance of each household, even to the issue of survival itself.

Regardless of their species, sturdy young men were the most important labor force in households, whether it was through farming or physical and mental labor such as working in government offices or as traders. They were like pillars ensuring the household’s livelihood.

The disappearance of such individuals brought about the collapse of families, and even in the kingdom, it was evident that both large and small towns and households were crumbling.

Ultimately, the war only brought harm to the country.

For her, sacrificing hundreds and thousands of lives just to relieve her own anxiety was not a viable option from Queen Micaela’s perspective.

And the result.

The queen, while excluding personal emotions as much as possible, only thought of this country and its people as she spoke.

“What should I do?”

The question from Micalle, accepting her words.

For her part, Rosetta showed a faint smile on her face, and then began to talk about what they should prioritize as the queen.

*

‘Nng…’

The situation unfolding before her eyes.

From Ranselot’s perspective, this was very annoying in many ways.

The Emperor, who was nodding eagerly at Rosetta’s story with bright eyes, and astonishingly, the content was about making friends with goblins.

‘That dog-like woman… daring to deceive the queen with such absurd talk!’

In Ranselot’s view, this was a revolting sight that could potentially even shake the foundation of the country. But forced to maintain silence by the queen’s command, Ranselot could do nothing but grind her teeth and stand still.

Of course, for now… that is.

‘Fine… talk as much as you want. Daring to deceive the queen with shallow knowledge. Soon you’ll pay the price for that!’

It had been similar in the past, and Ranselot had to spend vast amounts of money and resources to resolve it. Compared to that, this was very easy… Ranselot thought so.

Then…

“Well then, let’s finish here for today and meet again tomorrow.”

“Okay, thank you for your hard work. Let’s continue the rest tomorrow.”

With that, the conversation between the Queen and Rosetta finally came to an end. Immediately after, Ranselot, with bright eyes, made a courteous gesture to the queen, and then politely greeted Rosetta who stepped back.

“Thank you for your hard work. I was listening to the conversation from the side, and each one was truly impressive.”

“That’s nothing remarkable. I simply offered practical advice.”

“Haha… you’re too modest. I know better than anyone how difficult it is to capture the queen’s heart. That means your abilities are quite exceptional. Anyway, for that reason, could you spare some time to greet me properly?”

“…I’m sorry, but that would be difficult with the stable boy waiting outside.”

“Don’t be like that… even for a short time, please spare some time. I also have something I really want to talk to you about in relation to this matter.”

“Um…”

Rosetta showed some hesitation at the words.

And after a moment, she made a serious decision and responded in a solemn voice.

“I understand. If you permit, we shall talk for about thirty minutes.”

“Thank you very much. Please come this way, Rosetta.”

Satisfied with how easily the situation was resolved, Lancilot led Rosetta to the place he had prepared beforehand – a small garden located inside the palace walls, which he usually manages.

“Please sit here; I will bring some tea.”

“Thank you.”

Rosetta kept a calm expression while sitting in her chair.

Lancilot, expecting such a face to become severely distorted in a little while, spoke calmly.

“But, I have to say… Although I am impressed by your admiration, I don’t know if leaving is the right decision. Can you really negotiate with those demons? They are all monsters that are famished for blood. It seems unrealistic to expect good things from them, rather than to train wild animals.”

“I’m just stating reality. And it’s also a warning to show the threat posed by your reckless scheme.”

Lancilot seemed to be showing a firm determination not to shake hands with devils.

And suddenly, he stopped using honorifics while speaking.

Rosetta knew exactly what that meant.

“When you return to His Majesty next time, I hope you tell him that your idea was merely an illusion. Such a thing cannot happen. If you leave quietly after that, then I will be lenient with you.”

Lancilot declared firmly regarding the matter.

He was smiling secretly, telling her to leave and not interfere any longer.

And in response to his statement,

Rosetta gave her answer in an unwavering voice.

“…What if I refuse?”

“Huh! Well then, there is nothing else I can do! You’ll have to pay the price for ignoring my warning!”

As he finished speaking, Lancilot began applauding loudly.

At the same time, heavily armed knights and magicians began to appear all over the garden – a force consisting not only of mere humans but also skilled fighters.

They immediately pointed their weapons at Rosetta, who was sitting on a chair.

“… I gave you an opportunity despite your disregard for it, considering you’re a great adventurer. But you chose to ignore it. Sorry, but you have to die right here. You can tell his majesty that you went to a faraway place,” Lancelot said with a powerful voice.

Lancelot knew very well that this would cause significant problems later on. He would try to conceal it as much as possible. However, depending on the situation, there was a risk of unpleasant events between the adventurers’ guild and the kingdom due to conflict. Unlike when dealing with Rosemary before, it was not smooth processing. There was plenty of noise, and everything was quite urgent at the moment, but there was no other option. The situation was that four major adventure guilds that held the line disappeared due to an unknown reason in contrast to Mount Maknafu, where abnormalities occurred.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t afford to leave her alone. If he didn’t take care of the problem now, there wouldn’t be another opportunity later. Above all, if the queen passed away like this, it could lead to an irreversible situation. The guy who claimed peace with demons, who had been convinced that disaster would undoubtedly come to the kingdom just like he did in the past, and this disgusting, despicable bug that dared to capture the queen’s heart… They needed to cut them off right here.

“What are you doing? Kill her now!”

“Yes.”

The group began approaching her per Lancelot’s orders, and he also prepared for battle just in case of unexpected emergencies. However…

“Ha… hahaha… ahahahaha!!!”

“Huh?”

Rosetta started laughing suddenly.

Although Lancelot had some doubts about this, he ignored it and began to attack her.

However, then,

“This is… rather surprising, isn’t it? I wasn’t sure if it would be so easy to make an excuse. I guess you were quite impatient?” Rosetta said something ominous.

Feeling suspicious, Lancelot began sensing a sense of danger. Then, Rosetta shot an unimaginable amount of magic power with a cold look.

“What…what?”

“Finally… I caught you.”