Chapter 236: 221

Two years had passed since she was driven out of Neomia.

Everywhere she went, she was caught up in trouble. Whether it was a trial given by the gods or a trick of the devil, fate did not allow her to stay in the same place for long.

After traveling through four countries in two years, she gave up on the right continent.

She crossed the sea.

Voyages in ancient times were fraught with the danger of death. As a learned woman, she was well aware of this. So she made friends of other races and used sea routes not known to humans.

She set foot on the center continent at a speed that would be astonishing even today, and from there, her wanderings began anew.

Even though it was a different land, she still got caught up in troublesome situations.

There was not a single day of leisure or peace for her.

Without her realizing it, she had begun looking for a place where she could live in peace. She wasn't young anymore. It was only natural for her to seek some stability and peace of mind.

After wandering through villages and small countries, sometimes sleeping under the stars, she ended up in the largest country on the center continent.

The name of the country was Elysium.

It was a country with a connection to Neomia.

Needless to say, she was aware of its dark history. Its founding and the deceit of the Hemu race, the arrogance of the elves and dwarves, and the history of betrayal between beastkin and humans.

That said, she was not so foolish as to talk about it lightly. History was far too dangerous a bargaining chip for any individual.

She lived a quiet life, trying to stay away from the dark side of the country, trying not to get involved. It didn't work out that way, but the great country was a comfortable place for her.

More people meant more trouble. But her individual existence was lost and buried in the masses of people. Even if a rumor spread, it would be overshadowed by some other rumor and fade from people's memories.

All she really wanted was to be close to people.

That was enough to make her feel human.

However, she didn't betray her own feelings, accomplishing what needed to be accomplished, defeating what needed to be defeated, and living in a way that would allow her to live. She made efforts to make her life not too suffocating.

She didn't care for doing good deeds.

It was only a coincidence that she had helped the weak and brought about justice. She wasn't that arrogant.

But before she knew it, she found herself the leader of one of the inner-city slums. Naturally, she stood out, and once again, she found herself embroiled with royalty.

She could have just run away.

But she didn't want to have her comfort zone taken away from her. Besides, it was also a fact that she had a morbid curiosity about the royalty of the largest country.

The royalty she encountered turned out to be the royalty of all royalty, Lyridias.

Also known as St. Lyridias.

The wife of the great King of Man, Ra Guzuri Duin Oruosuouru, and the mother of the eight princes, she was the founding mother who led the country in place of the sickly king.

Speaking of first impressions, Lyridias was much younger than she had expected, and had interacted with her with the openness of a commoner.

She didn't look one bit like the most powerful person on the center continent.

「I heard that you came from the right continent, but is that true?」

「Yes, Your Holiness」

「Don't call me "Your Holiness". Lyridias is fine」

「Understood, Lyridias-sama」

The place where she was summoned to was the basement of the castle. Moreover, Lyridias only had one young knight as her guard.

It was a secret, unofficial summons.

What Lyridias wanted was unlikely to be anything good.

「How was the right continent?」

「It's a trivial land. The little ones are hectic. The beastkin are emotional. The magicians are incessantly stubborn. The nobles are so obsessed with their own power and position that they just keep getting fatter and fatter. A land like that will eventually fall into ruin」

「How dare you mock Her Holiness' homeland?!」

The knight stepped forward, ready to draw his sword.

「Huh? Homeland?」

That astonished her.

She had never imagined that the woman who was revered as a saint would have the same homeland as her.

「Ardi, stop that」

「But, Your Holiness, a creepy woman with evil eyes like her cannot be trusted」

「How many times do I have to tell you not to judge a woman by her looks? You’re going to fail in marriage unless you learn」

「Your Holiness, I'll thank you very much to stay out of my personal affairs」

They spoke to each other like siblings. They were a peculiar knight and queen.

For a while, she sat through their bickering. She was dealing with the head of the royal family and the knight who guarded her. There was no harm in acting subserviently

But the things they argued over were really irrelevant and silly.

Snitching food before meals,

Training in swordsmanship,

Staying up late,

The knight nearly being duped by a bad city girl,

Reminiscing about the good food they had eaten in the past and lamenting about how terrible the food was of late,

And when the conversation devolved into things that were way too inconsequential like how soft their pillows were……

「Umm, what did you want to see me about?」

……she just had to put a stop to it.

Lyridias apologized with a friendly smile that one wouldn't expect from a queen.

「I'm so sorry. The castle has been so suffocating lately that having a chance to have a relaxed conversation with Ardi has been――――――」

「Your Holiness, you're going on a tangent again」

Somehow, the knight managed to get her back on point.

「Right, I'm sorry. You're an influential figure in the slum, aren't you? I'm not wrong, am I?」

「You’re not wrong」

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On the face of things, she was the leader. In actuality, there was another behind the scenes.

That was a fact that had nothing to do with royalty though.

「You know that bread that's all the rage in the slum at the moment? The one that’s misshapen and thin, but soft and fluffy like a pillow?」

「Well, yes, I'm aware of that bread」

That bread was similar to the modern world's naan.

「I'd like to invite the chef who makes them to the castle. Preferably in secret」

「You're hoping to eat it fresh? That won't be easy」

「I was hoping they could teach our people how to make them」

「That's even more difficult. Because it's not a question of money」

「How dare you」

This time, it was the knight who was about to derail the conversation.

But the queen got the knight to back off easily with a stern word.

「What do you mean it's not a question of money?」

「Lyridias-sama, that bread is a reward for the prostitutes to enjoy when they retire to bed after a night's work. It's also alms for the children and parents they support. It also gives them a chance to sit down and share a meal with their regulars.

As the leader of the slum, I need to see the people's faces at the places where they gather. Nothing can be read from the flow of people. If those precious places are taken away, I won't be able to do my job as the leader. Besides, I can't let the person revered as St. Lyridias eat the same food as a lowly prostitute」

「I see, you do have a point. That’s true. Then let's do it this way. I'll eat it in secret, out of sight of anyone, so bring the chef to the castle」

「………………」

You’re missing the point, she thought ruefully in silence

「How much? In the end, it's all about money, right?」

To the knight's impertinent question, she responded quietly and angrily.

「No matter how much riches or treasures you offer, I'll never teach it to you」

She had no intention of giving that up, even if she were tortured.

It was merely a method of baking bread, but now that she had lost her leavening, to her, that bread was her child.

It wasn't something that she would sell off that easily.

「It seems that you don't appreciate that Her Holiness is trying to settle the matter amicably by inviting you here. You're just a cook, I'll make you―――――」

「Ardi, do not speak words that will dishonor the good name of the knights」

「………Yes, Your Holiness. I apologize」

The knight was stopped by Lyridias again.

Haaa, she let out a single sigh.

「You may call me a mere cook, but I'll never make it for money. The royalty, nobility, and knights are all the same in every country. They’re worthless and pointlessly arrogant. Who do you think makes the clothes you wear and the food you eat? You guys have never grown a single vegetable in your life, have you?」

She had only meant to criticize them nonchalantly, but……

「Oh, so you're the one making the bread then?」

「Yes, that’s right……」

That bread was made in a special kiln with a dough that had a certain detergent mixed in. Even if someone was able to reproduce the dough, they still wouldn't be able to make it without the kiln. The kiln was sealed with magic to ensure that only she could use it.

St. Lyridias clapped her hands together, making a "pan[1]" sound.

「Then let me welcome you into the royal palace. As my new handmaiden」

「Come again?」

That was so unexpected that she forgot she was dealing with a queen.

There was an absolute lack of good faith in those words, but before losing her temper, she collected herself. Quietly and clearly……

「No thank you」

……she refused.

When Lyridias gave her a beautiful smile, she returned it with a beautiful smile of her own.

But it wasn't going to end there.

A war broke out.

It was a war buried deep in the shadows of history,

But on that day, the queen known as St. Lyridias got into a serious brawl with the leader of a slum.

By the way, the knight who had tried to go to her aid was knocked out by a blow from the queen.

She was rather skilled, but St. Lyridias was no slouch either.

It was unknown who emerged victorious that day.

Not even in this dream was that recorded.

That must have been erased from memory because the fight was just too childish.

It would be uncouth to even speculate about it.

However, it was said that Lyridias gained a new handmaiden the next day.

She was a strange woman who had come to the castle carrying a large pot. But she was very much liked by the queen, and it seemed that they spent many a night together, locked up in her room and staring at the pot suspiciously.

And it was said that her room smelled of delicious bread for some reason.

[1] In case you forgot, bread in Japanese is pronounced “pan”. Yeah, it’s a silly pun. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

Well, with the appearance of more key people that allows us to better pinpoint where in the timeline this takes place in, have you perhaps guessed where this is going? Naturally, I’m talking about the appearance of Lyridias and Ardi after Garving had appeared previously…and the king’s name as well(I know the two names are long, complicated, and easy to gloss over, but that’s exactly why the author is leaving clues using them).

Has this chapter made you rethink whatever conclusions you may have drawn in the previous Forgotten One’s chapter? I laughed so hard when Ardi got BTFO’d though. Well, we’ll be going back to the main story next time! So, stay tuned!

And to make things easy for everyone, here are the relevant names as per the legends in Souya’s time:

King of Beasts：Ra・Guzuri・Duin・Oruosuouru

King of Hemu：Ra・Varuzu・Duin・Gargantua

＜God of Adventurers, Vindoobunikuru＞

Raging Rmir; Duin, the silent; Houma Garving; Ardi, the three-swords; Robbs, the resolute; Thrusuovu, the oblivion

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