Chapter 23

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Trap is Sprung
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The servants who had been bustling about the garden vanished before the night dew could settle. In the chilling darkness, white cloths and the royal standard fluttered, breaking the silence.

And so, in the quietest depths of the royal palace.

Inside the audience chamber, where even the slightest hint of sound had vanished, a small yawn echoed.

“What time is it… I’m dead tired.”

Behind the audience chamber, Lucy, who had been dozing in front of a passage hidden by a curtain, yawned and rubbed her eyes. Beside her, Whees, who had been holding his breath, was startled and covered her mouth.

“Your Majesty…! We went to all this trouble to hide, how can you make such a noise?”

“Nothing’s happening anyway. No need to be so tense already.”

Whees gave her a disapproving look before pulling a pocket watch from his pocket.

The operation had started a long while ago, yet even now, at three in the morning, there was no word from the troops.

Unlike the restless Whees, Lucy seemed perfectly calm, staring into the air with half-closed eyes. Whees tapped his beak with an anxious hand.

Why is there no contact?

Is the plan really working? I’ve had a bad feeling ever since they said the Queen was the one who devised it. What if it’s all gone wrong?

“Whees. I told you not to be nervous.”

“Are you not nervous, Your Majesty?”

“Oh, well. A little, I guess.”

At her nonchalant demeanor, Whees let out a long, defeated sigh.

“To be perfectly honest, I’ve never heard of such a reckless strategy.”

“Ah. The Grand General said the same thing.”

“…Are they really coming?”

“We’ll know if we wait. It’s only three o’clock. Let’s be patient.”

Lucy said in a relaxed tone, her eyes crinkling as she smiled at Whees.

Lucy’s gaze, which had been on Whees, slowly drifted down and stopped at a single point. She stared at the blue necklace hanging on his chest and unconsciously reached for it.

Before her hand could touch it, Whees pulled back and said in an awkward voice,

“It would be troublesome if you touched it carelessly.”

“Ah… my apologies. It’s my first time seeing a refrigerant stone in person. Does it really freeze you if you touch it?”

Whees’s expression softened slightly. He cleared his throat and tapped his beak awkwardly.

“It’s not like that. It doesn’t drop below a certain body temperature, and since it’s a stone, it’s not that cold to the touch… but it would be very troublesome if I lost it.”

“What happens if you don’t have a refrigerant stone?”

“I’d collapse from heatstroke. What might be cool weather for a human is like a scorching heatwave for a Raphi.”

Raphi are sensitive to heat. Very, very sensitive to heat.

Because of this, Raphi cannot venture south of the northern regions except in winter. The only other way for a Raphi to live in the southern lands is with the blue stone that lowers the wearer’s body temperature—the refrigerant stone.

However, the method of extraction is extremely difficult, so only a small amount can be obtained, and even that must be purchased through the government of Antevasila. It was unavoidable, as Antevasila held a monopoly on mining refrigerant stones.

“If you’re truly curious, you may touch it once.”

Acting as if the military-issue item were his own, Whees puffed out his chest magnanimously.

Lucy wondered whether to say something or just laugh it off, ultimately choosing the latter and reaching for the necklace with a smile.

“It’s true. Not particularly cold… it just feels like a gemstone. Do all the Raphi soldiers have these refrigerant stones?”

“Yes.”

“I heard they’re so expensive that comparing them to diamonds would be an insult. It’s impressive you’re able to maintain a Raphi legion.”

“When you say Raphi, it’s just the twelve of us, including me and the members of our 8th Squad. We’re all scouts, not combat troops. And well, even with an abundance of refrigerant stones, it would be difficult to gather Raphi forces.”

“Why can’t you gather Raphi?”

“Why do you think that is?”

Whees scratched under his beak, putting on an air of superiority as if telling her to think about it.

Lucy pondered the answer, a slightly disdainful expression on her face as she thought of his smug attitude.

“Is it because Raphi don’t like leaving their homes? The Raphi I met in Pomnos were incredibly proud of their homeland.”

“Mm… that’s close to the right answer, but a little different.”

“Then what is the right answer?”

Whees plucked a stray feather and toyed with it carelessly.

“Even with refrigerant stones, there are few Raphi who want to come down from the north. Almost no Raphi wants to entrust their life to a single, bean-sized stone.”

While the Lycans band together due to their persecution, the Raphi, who have little history of being invaded, maintain a relatively loose social structure, save for those from the same hometown.

Perhaps it’s because they have wings that can take them anywhere. It is their nature to live as they please rather than conform to others.

For such Raphi to be in the army, living in a foreign land where they couldn’t survive without a refrigerant stone, all to protect humans—even to Lucy, it seemed quite out of place.

Lucy lifted the hem of her dress and sat cross-legged. Whees frowned at the action, which didn’t suit her elegant attire, but she paid him no mind and asked her question.

“Speaking of which, Whees, why did you come down to Parnas? As the son of the chieftain of Pomnos, you could have lived more luxuriously than most noble scions.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Whees tilted his head slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, he wore an ambiguous expression, something between a smile and a frown.

“Being the chieftain’s son doesn’t make much of a difference. Where we live, what we eat, it’s all more or less the same. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Raphi who pursues wealth and glory. And of course, I’m no different.”

“Then? Is there another reason you came all the way to the central region?”

“Um…”

Whees scratched at his collar, trying to hide his discomfort.

But Lucy stared at him relentlessly, her face a picture of dying curiosity. Under his sovereign’s eager gaze, Whees could only tap the tip of his beak in distress.

Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. The sound of rough footsteps echoed from within the passage.

The rumbling grew louder, and the curtain hiding the area behind the throne fluttered. Zen emerged from the secret passage, panting as he reached Lucy’s side.

“Your Majesty…! They’re coming, they’re coming now!”

They were here.

Duke Kill had fallen into the trap. Lucy’s expression changed as she asked,

“What’s the situation?”

“A large force is swarming in from the western docks of the capital. About four thousand enemy soldiers are heading for Central Command, and a similar number are coming to the royal palace.”

Four thousand to the palace, four thousand to Command.

Eight thousand in total.

Just as Lucy had predicted, it was a massive army, four times the estimated number. Without a hint of arrogance, Lucy spoke quickly.

“Is the path to the palace clear?”

“We’ve evacuated the civilians under the pretext of an emergency drill. Assuming they march straight for the palace, they’ll arrive in an hour and a half.”

Lucy stroked her chin, lost in thought.

Four thousand heading for Command, was it? A formidable force, but they could be suppressed one way or another.

The important thing was the timing of the counterattack against the forces invading the palace. Lucy pushed aside the curtain and walked toward the throne.

“The plan is as I’ve told you. Lure the enemy into the palace. Pretend to be outnumbered and draw in as many as you can, then return to the audience chamber. If you execute the plan well, we can win with almost no casualties.”

“Understood.”

“Zen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lucy stopped before the throne and straightened her clothes.

Each time her sleeves fluttered, her hair, let down her back, swayed gently. Looking at the Black Eagle relief on the audience chamber floor, Lucy asked in a probing tone,

“Everything has gone according to plan so far. Do you trust me?”

Zen looked at Lucy’s back and nodded.

“Just as the Grand General said in his message, I too trust in Your Majesty’s wisdom.”

Lucy turned around and lifted her head toward the ceiling.

Moonlight, whiter than her pure white dress, settled on its hem, casting a soft glow. A mischievous smile, unbefitting her saintly attire, slowly spread across her face.

“I admit Goedel Kill is a clever man, but he’s a long way from being my match. I am a genius, and we will not lose. So don’t worry, and go wild.”

Zen twisted one corner of his mouth into a smile.

Lucy’s confident expression and attitude were so bold and reckless that it was hard to believe they were on the brink of battle. Moreover, coming from a wet-behind-the-ears human, he would have normally rebuked her for spouting nonsense.

But Zen was now certain that she was in complete control of the situation.

When he first heard the plan, he had dismissed it as absurd, but everything had unfolded exactly as she had said. And it seemed it would continue to do so.

“I’m not worried. Leave the shepherding to me, and Your Majesty should get some sleep before we return!”

Zen rubbed his nose. Then, on all fours, he turned his back to the queen and dashed out of the audience chamber.

As he exited the doors, the Lycan soldiers who had been waiting fell in behind him, their beastly footsteps thudding on the ground.

When he reached the main gate, the Lycans waiting in the garden rose one by one and formed ranks.

Under the faint moonlight, their vertically slitted pupils flashed with a fierce light as they looked down upon their commander.

The gazes of some five hundred soldiers converged on a single point. Parting the flood of stares, Zen stood and let out a thunderous roar.

“Fight for your lives! For every enemy you take down, I’ll buy you a serving of lamb ribs!”

There were no cheers, no response. The soldiers ignored their commander and moved to their designated positions, readying their stances.

In the countless rows of yellow eyes, a desire for blood and a craving for lamb ribs swirled together into a vortex.