I Stayed Loyal When My Teacher Was Betrayed

43 – Revenge Part 3

Elton, the capital of the kingdom.

As an official capital of the kingdom, it has a fairly large scale, but it feels slightly smaller compared to the capitals of other countries.

Since we have been there a few times before, there was nothing special about it, but our feelings towards the place were considerably different from before as we arrived.

“We’re here. The royal palace is over there.”

“Oh yeah, and who’s that person over there?”

A man visible to us.

Standing with many knights of the royal court, we could recognize him immediately.

Rancellot Merlin, a person known as the greatest magician of Rocan Kingdom, with considerable interaction with the Matap in the past.

With a smile full of anger, he politely bowed his head towards us who had arrived in front of him.

“Please come in. Miss Rosetta. It is truly an honor to meet you like this. My name is Rancellot Merlin. I received a command from Her Majesty to serve you.”

“Nice to meet you for the first time. I am Rosetta and my familiar, Edmund.”

“…”

We exchanged greetings without speaking a word, bowing our heads slightly to my teacher’s introduction.

Actually, it wasn’t the first time I had met the person right in front of me, but there was no need to show it.

With those brief greetings, Rancelot spoke with a smile on her lips.

“Well then, please come inside. His Majesty is waiting.”

“Understood, then…”

As my teacher and I were about to enter with Rancelon’s guidance,

At that moment…

“!”

“… What are you doing?”

Suddenly, soldiers blocked my way.

In response, my teacher asked in a cold voice.

Rancelot smiled at this and said.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but even if it is Rosetta’s servant, we cannot allow demons to freely enter the palace. Regardless of His Majesty’s discomfort, please understand.”

“But still, Edmund is an officially recognized Master-level adventurer by the Adventurer Guild. Are you implying that you will disregard the guild’s endorsement in this situation?”

“Even so, demons are demons. If there is even the slightest possibility of endangering His Majesty’s safety, they must be excluded.”

“…”

Rancelot’s words were resolute.

Regarding this, I looked at my teacher and asked in a quiet voice.

“…Master?”

“Sigh…”

My teacher let out a small sigh.

Then she slowly lowered her head and said to me.

“Wait here.”

“Understood.”

With those words, I withdrew the released magic power and obediently stepped back.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Then, please go.”

“…”

My teacher entered the sanctuary without even responding to Rancelot’s words.

While observing that sight,

Silently, in my mind,

I began to count numbers.

“Witch Rosetta, greetings to Queen Michella.”

Rosetta bowed politely towards the queen sitting on the throne.

Seeing her, the queen rose from her seat and personally helped her up.

“Welcome, Rosetta. I am truly grateful that you have come all this way.”

“It is I who should be thankful, Your Majesty, for your gracious invitation to this humble woman.”

Both of them exchanged words filled with gratitude and formalities, thanking each other.

After this tedious process was over, Queen Michella sat back on her throne and looked down at Rosetta in front of her, speaking.

“I have heard of your fame, defeating Akrich and even stopping the Demon King’s invasion this time as a hero.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness. How could I dare to use such a name? It is all thanks to my excellent disciples and warhorses.”

“Warhorses… Speaking of which, I heard there is a demon warhorse among your entourage. Did they not come along?”

“Your Majesty, about that…”

The queen asked with doubt and disappointment.

This was the moment Rosetta was about to say something.

“Your Majesty, for the safety of Rosetta’s warhorse, I had them wait outside. As much as we can’t allow demons inside the royal court, it was an unavoidable decision. Please understand our loyalty.”

“Ah…”

Rancilot quickly poured out his words like a waterfall.

The queen sighed softly and spoke with a bitter smile.

“I apologize. It seems my subordinate has caused unnecessary trouble again. He’s always been quite restless, so please overlook it generously.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. How can I, with my loyalty towards you and Rancilot, dare to dictate anything?”

“…”

Even though it was a situation enough to express discomfort, Rosetta smiled and let it go.

Watching her, Rancilot slightly frowned but quickly erased that expression, focusing again on the conversation between the emperor and Rosetta.

“Rosetta, I’m sure you have already noticed, but I called you here not just for a simple request mentioned in the letter.”

“Of course. Even if it wasn’t us, there are enough individuals who can handle such tasks. Could you please tell me the exact reason why you, Your Highness, called for me?”

Quickly catching on to the intention here, Rosetta asked the question.

The emperor removed the smile from his lips and calmly spoke with his gentle voice.

“There are two reasons. One is to build friendship with the great adventurer like you. And the other is as a ruler leading this country, I want to seek some advice from you.”

“Advice?”

“Yes, as you know, currently our nation and other free races are in a great turmoil. The expedition we had high hopes for ended in significant losses and defeat. However, the demons extended their reach even to that stronghold. In this situation, what should we do and how should we proceed in the future?”

“Hmm…”

The common question that not only Queen Micella but also the elves, dwarves, and orc lords have in mind.

As the ones who hold the responsibility to govern and protect not just one nation…

No, as the ones who hold the obligation to govern and protect an entire race,

They couldn’t help but contemplate how they could overcome the current difficult situation.

And regarding this matter,

Rosetta opened her mouth with a calm voice after a moment of contemplation.

“There are countless methods if we were to search for them. There is only a question of whether we can execute them or not.”

“Are you saying there is a method? What… what is it?”

Queen Micella couldn’t hide her anticipation and curiosity at Rosetta’s words.

Even numerous sages and lords are troubled without any answers to this issue.

The fact that there is a solution to this brought hope itself, like a ray of light.

And Rosetta’s response to her expectations was…

“It has been proven that defeating the demons with force is not easy. So, the only thing we can do in this situation is to somehow avoid war.”

“Avoid war? But how…”

“It’s simple. We need to negotiate formally with the demons.”

“What…?”

“Ro… Rosetta! What nonsense are you uttering! Your Highness! No need to listen any further! It was a mistake to have someone who treats demons as laborers here. I will immediately drive them out!”

Lancelot expressed anger at Rosetta’s words.

However, Rosetta continued her speech without any wavering.

“It is a war where we cannot be certain of victory, and even if by some miracle we win, substantial losses are anticipated. In such a situation, it would be wise to extend our hand to the enemies rather than fight.”

“No, this person still!”

“Lancelot, cease your words.”

“Uh… Your Highness!”

“It is an order. If you continue to make noise in front of the guest, I will have you thrown out.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“…”

The Queen silenced Lancelot instead of Rosetta.

Lancelot, with a shocked expression, tried to speak hastily but was completely stopped by the Queen.

Then, Queen Micella looked at Rosetta’s face once again.

She asked with a sense of anxiety and slight anticipation.

“Is that possible? Are there chances that those demons would understand us?”

“Of course. They, too, have no choice but to accept it in this situation. To overcome the ongoing war where one of our brothers died and blood continues to be shed, we need communication.”

“Hmm…”

“Furthermore, it won’t be easy except for now. At the moment, they are barely maintaining their strength. But if they break this and start attacking again, then even if we want to negotiate, we won’t be able to. And as a result, one side will be wiped out from the map, while the other will be left mourning the dead in ruins, shedding tears.”

“…”

Rosetta’s story was painfully realistic.

Having broken the heavy silence for a moment, the queen asked in a more serious tone.

“…What should we do… about the burden?