28. The Kingdom Invasion (Part 2)
The day when Marquis Bentley’s army departed from the Gudentale Empire, the archwizard, Rubaz, proudly passed through the castle gates of the Kingdom of Aisha as a messenger of the empire.
At first glance, Rubaz, clad in formal attire, looked like your average old man. Nevertheless, his sunken eyes, sagging cheeks, and thick, almost purple lips gave him an eerie aura.
However, the chamberlain, who was proficient at customer service, treated him just like any other envoys. After all, the only country that Aisha should respect was the Kingdom of Llahendia.
“Unfortunately, Queen Madelle and Crown Princess Eleonora are very busy. Please wait in this room.”
“Is this a joke!? Who do you think I am!? I’m Rubaz, the Archwizard of the Gudentale Empire!! How dare you make me wait!!”
Rubaz yelled, his face crimson. As a high-ranking magician, Rubaz had never been treated poorly. Wherever he went, he’d be treated as a special guest and receive the best treatment.
Despite how furious Rubaz was, the chamberlain was unperturbed. Anybody would, if their homeland was razed to the ground once.
“My apologies. If you like, I can show you the palace schedule—”
“—Enough of this nonsense! Get out of the way!”
Archwizard Rubaz used <Fireball>!!
Then, a fireball, about the size of his palm, was spewed out.
The chamberlain rolled his eyes, and Rubaz grinned.
“Hmph. If you don’t want to be burned, I advise you to stay quiet. Now, let us hurry and capture that cheeky brat named Eleonora!”
“Understood!!”
After ordering his men to tie up the surprised chamberlain, Rubaz began to roam around the palace as if it was his own. No, it was as if the Kingdom of Aisha was already his.
Rubaz would yell at the people of the palace, inquiring about Eleonora’s whereabouts. He’d hurl fireballs at his opponents and tie them up.
“You’ll regret ever going against me. I’ll take care of you later!! For now, our priority is Eleonora!!”
Blissfully unaware of the encroaching evil, Eleonora was taking a stroll around the palace. Since it was her hard-earned vacation, she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.
“Aah, how peaceful. It’s as if my jam-packed schedule from before is a lie! When you’re relaxed, you get bored and expect something to happen.”
“I agree. Well, for the most part. But unless there’s something special about it, I won’t be surprised.”
Luna spoke her mind. After all, Eleonora’s surroundings were full of abnormalities in many ways, so she had developed various immunities.
“Oh? What’s that supposed to be?”
Eleonora suddenly saw something.
At the end of the hallway, there was a lumpy object in a shiny costume marching along with a group of men all dressed in black.
“A giggle of jesters, it seems? Maybe someone called them to relieve Lady Eleonora’s boredom?”
“I see. How nice of them. All right, why don’t I take a closer look?”
“—Huh!? A woman is approaching!? Who might that be?”
When Eleonora rushed towards him, Rubaz was alarmed.
Based on the descriptions provided, “Eleonora”—Rubaz’s target—was supposed to be a kind-hearted and innocent maiden. Looking at her fiery red hair, fierce eyes, and sinister beauty, Rubaz couldn’t tell who it was. After all, the image he had of Eleonora was that of a subservient beauty.
“Now, show me what you got!! If you fail to entertain me, I won’t forgive you!”
Arrogant and wicked. Eleonora was basically a condensed version of the negative parts of aristocracy. She looked down on Rubaz and laughed boisterously, as if he was beneath her.
“W-what did you say!? Despite knowing that I’m Rubaz, the Archwizard of the Gudentale Empire, you still dare to mock me!? Just you wait, you cocky bitch! You’re going to be whipped a hundred times before getting thrown into jail!!”
Rubaz’s nose flared as his pupils dilated in anger. No woman had ever said such an uncouth thing to Rubaz!
Incidentally, Eleonora was also furious at his attitude.
Although she’d often pick a fight in the name of love, she’d never been insulted to that extent.
“Right back at you. So what if you’re an archwizard? I’m the crown princess of Llahendia! Whipping is too light of a punishment for you! I’ll stripe you black and blue with a cane!!”
Eleonora roared, much to the confusion of the archwizard.
“What…? You’re Eleonora? Who do you take me for? There’s no way a rude, arrogant, and snobbish woman like you is Eleonora! No, I’m not wasting my time with you. Take this, Fireball!”
Rubaz fired his palm-sized fireball at Eleonora.
However, Eleonora dodged it. That level of attack was nothing for her, who was sufficiently trained and had had many perilous escapades with Lydian.
“Not only were you unfazed at the sight of my fireball, you also dodged it! Grrr… Now that it has come to this, time for rapid fire! How’s this!? There’s no way you can dodge this!!”
Rubaz launched fireballs from various angles.
As expected, Eleonora became nervous. She had nowhere to run. As a villainess, it was her cue to use her maid as a shield.
But Eleonora didn’t do that, because that’d be akin to admitting defeat—the thing she hated the most.
“As if I’d sneak away from such a man!! Who do you think I am!?”
Instead of dodging, Eleonora charged towards Rubaz. In her right hand was her prized iron fan, which she’d tried to use many times before.
As a result, several fireballs hit Eleonora. But instead of slowing down, Eleonora, who was aggravated, sped up.
Of course, Rubaz didn’t expect any of that.
“HOW are you still fine!??” He exclaimed.
Despite being hit squarely by his fireballs, Eleonora was unscathed.
…Well, there was no way a mere fireball could harm her, when even Lydian’s magical power couldn’t.
“Oh, you are right. Well, the reason be damned, hold still and accept my anger! I’ll take my sweet time torturing you later!! Ohohohohoho!!”
Eleonora chuckled diabolically, before slamming her iron fan as hard as she could onto Rubaz’s chest. Eleonora’s strength, along with the weight of her iron fan, were enough to knock the wind out of him.
As Rubaz sunk into the floor, his subordinates watched in shock. Upon seeing Eleonora’s ruthless smile, they scattered like ants.
“Rubaz is defeateeeeeeeeeed—!! His fireballs didn’t work on her—!! There’s no way she’s human—!!”
“Hyiiiiiiieeeeeee!!! Save me!!!!”
They screamed at the top of their lungs.
…Of course, there was no way Eleonora would ignore that line.
“—What did you just say!? Unforgivable!!”
She chased after them.
After all, she hadn’t been able to use the iron fan properly until now. Even her torture devices were collecting dust.
Eleonora had no intention of letting her long-awaited prey escape.
A bunch of sobbing men were scrambling away, chased by a woman with a malicious laugh. Truly a scene out of a horror.
While Eleonora was engrossed in hunting, the report from the border guards finally reached Madelle, who was fulfilling her duties as a queen.
“What!? The armies of the Gudentale Empire are marching towards our kingdom!? But Lady Eleonora is still here! Quickly, assemble the troops and chase them away!! Also… Make sure that Lady Eleonora stays hidden!”
“Understood! I also received an offer of reinforcements from the Margrave of Druiz of the Kingdom of Llahendia! He said he was indebted to Lady Eleonora and offered to protect her!”
Touched by the soldier’s report, Madelle clasped her fan in front of her chest.
“Oh my, as expected of Lady Eleonora… I can’t believe His Majesty is sending reinforcements all the way to the South! It serves as a testament to Lady Eleonora’s virtue. I’m grateful for his offer, let’s accept it right away. Oh, let’s keep it a secret from Lady Eleonora. She’ll be shaken by the terrible news. We shall take care of this in secret so as to avoid burdening Lady Eleonora.”
It could be said that Madelle was even more of a fanatic towards Eleonora than Charmia.
On the outside, she looked the part of a queen, but on the inside, she was an Eleonora Supremacist.
When the Kingdom of Aisha was making preparations to protect Eleonora, reinforcements were dispatched by Margrave Druiz… As in, Valdo’s troops entered the Kingdom of Aisha at about the same time as Marquis Bentley. In just a few days, they’d encounter each other.
Valdo said, “I’m scared… But I have to keep Lady Eleonora safe!” While cowering in fear, he prioritized his mission and organized an army. Unlike his personality, his appearance and talent suited him as a general, boosting his army’s morale.
Valdo couldn’t help but cry, yet he persisted.
“I have to stay strong! Lady Eleonora is in an even scarier predicament than me! When I come to her aid, I can’t look like this in front of her? Lady Eleonora, please wait for me! I’ll definitely save you!”
The sturdy boy wielded his sword with quivering hands. He was also under the impression that Eleonora was a damsel in distress—who, instead of brandishing an iron fan, was trembling as she waited for help to arrive.
The Rubaz Gang was being chased by Eleonora for a while. Pathetically, they betrayed each other, used one another as stepping stones, and ran for their lives out of the castle gate. The walls that Lydian had torn down earlier saved their lives.
Near the castle gate, the rest of the Rubaz Gang, who were used as stepping stones, remained. Soon, they fell prey to Eleonora’s iron fan, tumbling like large trees after a storm. Despite being a proper noble lady, carrying an iron fan every day improved her strength.
“Haa… What a slippery bunch. Well, it’s fine. Let’s hang these scoundrels upside down and interrogate them.”
Eleonora ordered the chamberlain she brought from the duke’s house to restrain them and throw them into the dungeon. However, they didn’t have the same torture devices as they did back home. Well, it was something to look forward to when she returned to her parents’ home.
“Aah, the torture devices I’ve collected from all over the world are finally going to be useful. They’re probably covered in dust, so I need to clean them first.”
Eleonora was full of bliss. Originally, she had a ferocious expression, but her radiant smile made her seem even more beautiful.
As Luna refilled Eleonora’s teacup, she thought to herself.
‘What a shame. If Lady Eleonora had been normal, she’d be an extraordinary beauty.’ (Luna)
While Eleonora was looking forward to her future joys, Rubaz, who was beaten within an inch of his life, ran away and regrouped with Marquis Bentley’s army.
Rubaz spoke while shaking, his face a mess of sweat, tears, and fear.
“That woman named Eleonora is a witch!! Not only was she immune to my magic, she also attempted to massacre my men with her terrifying weapon… Blergh—!”
Rubaz was so horrified, he threw up on the spot.
After all, someone who was immune to magic was simply unheard-of. The rest of the men had similar expressions, shivering like those frozen in the dead of winter.
“W-what!? The so-called ‘Saint’ turned out to be a ‘Witch’!? Why would Llahendia make such a woman the crown princess!? How far have they fallen!?”
Marquis Bentley was trembling, and the rest of his men couldn’t hide their anxiety either.
“…Who would’ve thought that Rubaz would be defeated!”
“No way! How on earth did she withstand his fireball spell!?”
“Okay, all troops, retreat!! Let’s run away!!”
At Bentley’s command, the army immediately withdrew to the empire.
The emperor was furious, but—
“—Even Rubaz’s magic was rendered useless!! Also, the smile of that woman… It still haunts me to this day… To worship that woman as a saint, Llahendia is a satanic country!”
“Let’s stay clear of that country!!”
The emperor finally gave in to the heartbreaking cries of his subjects. The fact that Rubaz was completely emaciated, along with looking like a delinquent only convinced him further.
“I can’t make an enemy of someone who can easily defeat Rubaz! We must absolutely stay out of Llahendia’s way in the future!!”
“Understood!!!”
His subjects responded by kneeling to the emperor’s words.
Ever since then, the emperor put effort into political affairs. He was now a changed man. Until then, he thought that as long as he had power, he could do anything. Still, he was helpless in the face of overwhelming power.
At last, it dawned on him that despite being an emperor, he was nothing more than a frog in a well. Thus, he began to care for his people and cherish his country.
Furthermore, the emperor took it upon himself to plow the land and shared a meal with his people.
Little by little, they began to trade with the surrounding countries on an equal basis, but they stayed humble, especially towards Llahendia. They’d treat the commoners of Llahendia as if they were nobles.
The Gudentale Empire was the only country on the Continent of Isas who didn’t recognize Eleonora as a saint. At the same time, it was also a country who knew everything about Eleonora’s true nature.
Occasionally, Eleonora would visit the place on vacation to let loose, making the emperor cry.
In addition, Rubaz had completely changed and became a humble old man. Now, as the executive chef of the empire, he’d use <Fireball> to cook delicious meals with the precise level of heat.
Lastly, although Valdo led the army, everything was over by the time he arrived. Of course, everyone misunderstood him again.
“Since Prince Lydian can use teleportation, Prince Valdo must’ve strived to take care of everything to avoid casualties.”
In fact, in Llahendia, all of Eleonora’s feats were mistaken for Valdo’s.
Although Valdo desperately denied it, everyone praised him as a hero who chased away the army of the empire. Due to their preconceptions, Valdo’s attempts at resolving the misunderstandings were fruitless.
Eleonora was disappointed that she couldn’t torture anyone, but she brushed it off. “I wouldn’t want to be hailed as a hero, so this is good enough.” Having repeatedly experienced despair, she recovered rather quickly.
Translator’s Note:
woh eleonora op?
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