179 – Wind and Sand #4
"I am Theo Gospel, the court secretary and gardener of Angmar, the court entertainment officer, the pet care-taker and the inspector, as well as the assistant and aide of Queen Aira."
"Theo Gospel? Boy, you mean that Theo Gospel? I have heard that he is a monster with two pairs of arms, possessing a thick beard and big eyes."
"… I am aware of such rumors pertaining to my identity. However, the truth may be somewhat different from the stories Empress Serazade-nim heard."
"Sure enough. Demon Monk and the Queen's secret lover, Theo Gospel. A boy so young that he hasn't even grown his nose hair. Are you not ashamed of yourself, usurper?"
Serazade's arrow was directed back to Aira.
"To harass an immature young boy into your lover—!"
Only then did I realize that Serazade was misunderstanding something. She must have thought that I was a little boy with the way I looked.
「You have calmly judged the situation!
You have gained experience points through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
In order to restore the honor and tarnished reputation of Aira, and for the sake of her mental well-being, I decided to clarify the misunderstanding.
"Serazade-nim, it seems there might be a misunderstanding. I have been of legal age for some time now."
"What? Are you claiming to be an adult?"
"Well, that's because I'm a Half-Fairy."
"Half-Fairy, Half-Fairy, the blood of an Elf, no, a Nymph! Oh-ho, how fascinating! A Half-Fairy! Indeed, now that I look closely, your ears are pointed!"
"By the way, Serazade-nim, by any chance, do you also have Nymph's blood? Perhaps your mother was a Nymph…."
Although Serazade had made a fuss about me being a young boy, in reality, she wasn't much different from me in terms of looks. However, since she was Kasim's older sister, she was probably in her mid to late twenties.
But when I asked to shift the focus of the conversation away from Aira, and also to just satisfy my curiosity, Serazade replied in an icy tone.
Chills ran down my spine, as if spiders were crawling on my neck. Serazade's voice was so cold and emotionless.
As someone who had spent a lot of time with Aira, I recognized in a heartbeat that this was a kind of trigger or some kind of sensitive topic.
At that moment, the voices of actor Theo, and casanova Theo whispered in my head. So, I recited it just as it came to me.
"Well, it was because of Her Highness' innocent, impeccable, and nobly beautiful charm~. It made me think of a Nymph fairy!"
"… Aren't you insulting this Highness, the Empress of Tureuki and the mother of all citizens, by likening this one to a child?"
"Absolutely not! How could I dare to insult an Empress in front of her presence? In fact, among fairies and nymphs, this is a compliment of the highest order, more delightful than honey candies…" ṛäＮօ𝐛Ęᶊ
Serazade's silver eyes narrowed. She then snorted before turning around.
"My interest has waned… It's just a busybody. Consider yourself lucky. And you, good-for-nothing Kasim, you better not cause any trouble!"
With that, Serazade walked away with brisk steps, and guards seemingly emerging from somewhere gathered around her, forming a cluster as they returned the way she came.
Aira chuckled after everyone left with a loud noise.
"As expected of Theo, to openly insult that arrogant and unfortunate woman in front of her face."
"Yes. Serazade is unmatched in arrogance and impropriety. But she's as sly as a snake and cunning as a crow, simply unpleasant."
It was amusing to hear such gossip from Aira. Nevertheless, I didn't show any reaction and simply listened to her words.
In summary, it went :
Empress Serazade was a skilled and capable woman in many ways. However, oddly, she hadn't grown since a certain age, which bothered her.
Because of this complex, it was said that no one dared to bring up topics relating to her body or appearance in front of her. Hearing the topic of Nymphs just now probably triggered her.
I… actually didn't know.
While I had some knowledge about Kasim, I hadn't heard anything about Serazade before today. It was also my first time learning about the relationship between her and Aira.
And that probably meant that Serazade was adept at manipulating and hiding her information.
If I, who paid attention to neighboring countries' affairs and border defense in the royal palace, hadn't heard about her, it spoke volumes about her concealment skills. She was a person of considerable significance.
"To think I'd see that unpleasant face in Ark. I'm starting to miss the royal palace. There's nothing to learn here anyway, I'm getting tired. Perhaps I should go back to the palace?"
Her words sent a chill down my spine. If Aira decided to return to the palace now, all my plans would go up in smoke!
However, Kasim said as if he was reassuring us.
"My sister won't stay here for long. That aside, your wind magic was impressive. As promised, I'll help you craft the tail wand."
With Kasim's words, I held out the tail wand I was holding to him. Soon, Kasim casted a simple spell, and attached a gem and gold leaf that he had with him to my tail wand.
Thanks to this, the rather raw, unprocessed tail now looked quite like a proper wand.
「Angmar Tail Wand: A high-quality item crafted from the tail of an Imp with high mana conductivity, infused with the secrets of the Tanak Family's craftsmanship and adorned with a gemstone. While slightly reducing the magic power, it significantly decreases mana consumption and enhances precision.」
Oh, it was now like a magic item in itself.
Episode 179.2 Episode 179.1