episode_0038

In the dark forest, Beatrice chased after the fireflies and stepped on the ground.

The traces of the fireflies disappeared in front of the abandoned cabin.

Is this… where the Fluttering is?

Beatrice spread her mana widely. She faintly felt the presence of a person inside.

There is definitely someone inside. Probably the Fluttering.

She hesitated for a moment, holding the door handle.

‘How should I greet them?’

Greetings should contain respect for the other person. Etiquette varied depending on the other person’s status and position.

If it was the Fluttering who had helped the kingdom and possessed the ability to shake the continent, a normal greeting would be close to an insult.

As a queen. As a queen, it was necessary to show dignity with proper respect.

Showing that she recognized the other person’s status would prevent any offense.

She smoothed her voice and slowly opened the door.

Then she asked towards where she felt the presence.

“…May I ask, are you the Fluttering of the Gallery?”

She waited for a response.

With an arrogant voice. Yes, I am the Fluttering. Or who are you? Even if he asked like that, she could understand.

If he was a huge being like the Fluttering, he would be arrogant and full of himself.

“….”

But only an awkward silence lingered.

A silence so deep that even the sound of breathing could be heard.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the figure became clear to Beatrice.

He was ordinary.

With eyes and mouth that showed no distinctive features, he couldn’t be called handsome.

He wasn’t ugly, but that was all.

He had a face that could be seen anywhere.

And.

His eyes were filled with caution.

Hiding in the corner like a frightened raccoon, his posture exuded vulnerability.

In his hands, an unfamiliar object was held.

Was it a machine or… a magical artifact?

He held the weapon with both hands, showing a bewildered expression.

Although he had an ordinary body with no mana… Beatrice realized that he was the Fluttering.

Despite his fear, his unwavering gaze contained a strong determination.

It was a calm response that was too composed to be called the reaction of a criminal.

And his unintentional actions seemed to hit the mark.

His gaze kept drifting towards Beatrice’s chest.

Even to the point of liking her chest…

He was definitely the Fluttering.

Beatrice cautiously gathered her hands, showing that she was not a threatening person.

She waited for his response.

“…Yes. I am the Fluttering.”

A strained answer came back in a hoarse voice.

He looked very exhausted. Dark circles under his eyes showed signs of fatigue.

“So, who are you?”

“Nice to meet you. I am Beatrice Osen, the Queen of Osen Kingdom.”

She also introduced herself, bowing her head.

“The Queen of Osen Kingdom…? How did you end up here?”

“I used the last remaining wish of the kingdom. The wish led me here.”

If it wasn’t for the wish, she wouldn’t have been able to find the Fluttering’s location.

“No, really?”

“We are indebted to the Fluttering, although you may not know. So I wanted to meet you. And you seemed to be in danger.”

“Excuse me?”

She calmly conveyed the information she had discovered.

“Because of the news of your injury… and the fact that the number of posts and comments has decreased by about 20%… I noticed something strange.”

“…”

And she finally brought up what she wanted to say.

“If it’s not too presumptuous… I would like to protect you. Would you be willing to come to Osen Kingdom?”

She had come to take the Fluttering, to protect and treat him.

“To the kingdom?”

“Yes. To the kingdom. You will be welcomed in the palace. Is there anything else you would like to know?”

“….”

Ju-ddak lowered his weapon and relaxed slightly.

“…No, I think that’s enough. I’ll follow along. So… are we going now?”

“We’ll depart after the sun rises tomorrow. Towards the capital of the Osan Kingdom.”

There were still a few hours left until sunrise.

So there was time before they needed to depart.

She drew a magic circle with her hand and burned a scroll she took out of her pocket.

In an instant, the surroundings fell silent.

“I’ve secured the area with traps and mazes to prevent anyone from intruding into the cabin.”

With that, there was no one left to disturb the cabin.

“It’s okay to relax, Ju-ddak.”

“…Phew.”

He dropped the weapon he was holding.

Seeing him tired and struggling, Beatrice was overcome with a strange emotion.

Poor Ju-ddak.

She felt the urge to take care of him and protect him.

It was a strange feeling. A feeling of flames rising in a corner of her heart.

‘These thoughts… are not good.’

Ju-ddak was not to be treated lightly.

As the queen of the Osan Kingdom, she had to take care of him and maintain her dignity.

Even though he looked pitiful and weak, his true identity was Ju-ddak, who shook the continent.

Wasn’t everyone looking for the elusive gallery Ju-ddak?

But… seeing him tired, she couldn’t bear it.

Yes. This was not to fulfill personal desires, but to repay the kingdom’s grace.

She cautiously sat down next to Ju-ddak.

“Excuse me, Ju-ddak.”

“Hm?”

“There are still a few hours before we depart. You look tired. How about taking a nap? I’ll stand guard for you, Ju-ddak.”

Beatrice tapped his thigh.

When she suggested using a knee pillow, Ju-ddak’s eyes shook vigorously.

A knee pillow that was beyond comparison… thighs…!

Unable to resist the temptation, Ju-ddak rested his head on her thigh.

He was a man, after all.

***

When the door opened, Ju-ddak thought the Grim Reaper had come.

Last time, it was a crazy man with OCD, but this time, it was a beautiful woman.

In academia, it was a common belief that if someone had a pretty face, they were an assassin.

But she was dressed in a way that was far from an assassin.

From the uncomfortable coat to the gloves that seemed unsuitable for handling weapons.

She introduced herself as the queen of the Osan Kingdom, Beatrice.

It was too confident to call it a lie.

The nobility exuding from her was not that of an ordinary person.

Equal to or even greater than the nobility…!

It was surprising that such a person had come to understand the crisis and even make a wish.

‘Isn’t there only one wish left in the kingdom?’

According to the information gathered through gossiping.

There was indeed only one wish left in the kingdom.

If her words were true and there was no lie in them….

It meant she had come to meet with that much value.

There was no hint of lying in her eyes or gestures.

Ju-ddak’s experience of running away countless times in offline meetings proved that.

She was not a suspicious person. Goodness overflowed from her…!

Although it was a bit chilling to know that she had been monitoring the gallery’s posts and comments, that was a different matter.

In the end, Ju-ddak lowered his gun.

‘And she looks kind-hearted.’

A symbol of maternal love proudly displayed. A person with such excellence couldn’t be bad.

Since she wanted to treat him well, he had no choice but to follow along.

Ju-ddak revised his plans.

Meeting the Dark Elf Serendia in Ardel was put on hold.

He decided to accompany the beautiful and kind-hearted Beatrice who had come here first.

In a moment, his compass changed direction as his heart desired.

Let’s go to the Osan Kingdom.

To the land flowing with milk and honey.

Let’s secure safety there.

Such thoughts were fleeting.

“Well then, if you’ll excuse me. Jjutak.”

Thanks to the presence of Beatrice sitting next to him, Jjutak’s mind was twisted.

An S-class beauty queen from the kingdom sat shoulder to shoulder with him.

Jjutak faced the biggest crisis of his life.

A lifelong bachelor. No experience in contacting women.

The last time he had any physical contact with a woman was holding hands with Minji from the sunflower class in kindergarten.

Being this close to a woman was nothing short of a powerful mental attack.

His eyes, which had remained unwavering even when faced with a knife, now trembled.

“How about closing your eyes for a moment, Jjutak.”

Even a seductive gesture, tapping his thigh.

Jjutak easily fell for the temptation.

Reject the request of a beauty? Not easy.

Resting his head on her thigh, a wave of fatigue washed over him.

It felt like he closed his eyes for a moment. But it felt like hours had passed.

Feeling the sunlight coming in from outside… and the hand stroking his head.

Jjutak’s consciousness awakened.

“…?”

What is this situation right now?

Beatrice offering her thigh and even stroking his head while her guards stood by.

Such behavior towards a stranger…

‘Could this be… my chance?’

Although he had no experience with women, Jjutak had accumulated a history through the internet.

Preparatory videos and various anecdotes he had seen online!

His mind was filled with advice from a gorilla smoking a cigarette.

(Hey rookie. Yasgak is still alive.)

Is this really Yasgak?

A pleasant scent… and it keeps coming to mind.

It feels like a part of his body is getting bigger.

But he quickly regained his senses.

“Get a hold of yourself!”

What nonsense is he thinking!

Even if her thigh is soft and her chest is thumping and a pleasant scent is in the air.

It is not the right thing for a person to think like that!

And to drink kimchi soup as a sign of gratitude is already proven by numerous data!

A woman’s kindness only comes out when assigning group projects or recommending a cult.

Even now, it’s just a gesture to help him sleep comfortably.

‘There’s no way.’

A sudden open-hearted S-class beauty does not exist in this world.

Yasgak doesn’t come out easily!

The gorillas in Jjutak’s mind left disappointed.

(Let’s get out of here lol)

(Oh lol, it was Yasgak, what a waste~)

Of course, there is no Yasgak.

How could he harbor such thoughts?

If a person has any sense of shame, they shouldn’t think like that.

Clearing his mind calmly.

Jjutak pretended to wake up from his sleep and enjoy the situation for a moment.

“Ah… I’m sorry, Jjutak. Did I wake you up?”

“No, I woke up because I slept too much. But I’m sure your thigh must have been sore because of me…”

“It’s not a problem. In fact… no, since you’re awake, I’ll get ready to leave.”

While Beatrice was releasing the magic she had cast, Jjutak stretched and loosened his stiff body.

The magic that had covered the cabin disappeared.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

As they stepped outside, the pouring rain had stopped.

“It’s this way.”

Following Beatrice’s direction, Jjutak moved along.

If they had come this way using magic, wouldn’t it be possible to return the same way?

Such thoughts crossed his mind briefly, but her chosen method was simple.

They moved along the main road and headed towards the capital.

Walking aimlessly, they called for a carriage that appeared, and she confidently presented the royal seal.

The poor merchant, recognizing the royal seal, bowed his head.

“I promise to provide you with sufficient compensation. I will make sure that we ride in your carriage and you drive us to the capital.”

“Uh… Yes, Your Highness. Understood.”

He twisted the direction of the carriage with his power!

It seemed like they were in the middle of moving livestock, as the quacking sounds of ducks could be heard from inside.

The two of them took their seats at the front of the cargo compartment, in an empty corner.

“Jooddak, I apologize. I would like to fly to the capital with magic, but my mana is not sufficient.”

“That’s okay.”

“If you want to take a break, feel free to do so anytime.”

She tapped his thigh lightly.

Jooddak found himself lying down without even realizing it.

The thigh of temptation…!

The process of lying down disappeared, leaving only the result of a knee pillow.

With the mountain breeze… and even a pleasant scent….

This must be paradise.

Beatrice’s voice, allowing the knee pillow, could be heard from above.

“Jooddak.”

“You can call me casually.”

“Then… Jooddak. I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What are your plans for the future? Are you thinking of leaving the kingdom?”

“Hmm.”

If he didn’t become a nuisance… he wanted to stay in the kingdom.

Until a reason to leave arises?

If there is no reason to leave, it seemed fine to spend time in the Osen Kingdom.

“Unless something special happens, I think I’ll stay here. I need to gather information.”

“I see.”

He would probably make an effort to obtain information from the guy he stabbed with a knife.

In other words, he was saying that he would just stay in the palace and mess around.

“There are forces trying to disrupt the gallery.”

The voice of the guy who spoke clearly while being stabbed by a knife was evidence of that.

Someone wants to get rid of the gallery.

Could that guy also be responsible for the gap in the gallery?

As he organized his thoughts and closed his eyes slightly, several hours passed quickly.

The Queen’s knee pillow… terrifying…!

The messed up human manufacturing machine…!

When Jooddak raised his head, Beatrice pointed outside.

“Jooddak. We have arrived at the capital of the Osen Kingdom, Freya.”

“Oh.”

The castle was so large that it couldn’t be compared to the Hessen Viscountcy.

It was large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.

If this was the capital of the Osen Kingdom, how big would the capital of the Teseur Empire be?

The carriage continued to move inward and arrived in front of the palace.

“Stop!”

As the palace guards shouted, the carriage came to a halt.

At the same time, Beatrice jumped out of the carriage.

“Your Majesty…?”

The soldiers who faced Beatrice saluted her with respectful gestures.

The Queen’s arrival was accompanied by her guards, the captain of the knights, and the knights rushing out to greet her.

Of course, their expressions were not pleasant.

“Your Majesty! Where have you been!”

“I said I was going for a walk.”

“If you disappear after saying you’re going for a walk… that’s not a walk!”

A walk is supposed to be going out and coming back for a brief period of time….

But if the Queen says she’s going for a walk, even going out becomes a walk.

“It’s a walk.”

“…We were worried while you were out for a walk….”

“I see. But there is something more important than that.”

As Jooddak got off the carriage, Beatrice’s gaze turned towards him.

“My guest has arrived, so treat him with the utmost respect.”

“A guest…?”

Was this man the guest?

If he was the Queen’s guest, he should be treated with the utmost respect.

At her command, the chamberlain immediately followed behind Jooddak.

The captain of the knights also surrounded Jooddak as his guards.

It was a perfect guard position.

Despite this, Beatrice looked apologetic as she glanced at Jooddak.

“I’m sorry. It’s nothing important, but it got noisy.”

“No, it’s okay. It happens.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Shall we go inside? You must be tired from riding the carriage.”

Following Beatrice’s guidance, Jooddak also moved into the palace.

The room was prepared for the guest and to explain the grand structure.

As she entered the palace with Judak, the maids and knights who were watching her caused a commotion.

“A male guest for the queen…?”

“The queen has found a lover…!”

“Goodness, is this finally the continuation of the royal line…!”

“Look at that fortune-teller gentleman! Could that man just become the king!”

Rumors began to spread within the palace.

The rumor that a man had appeared for the queen, who had shown no interest in men before.