Chapter 148: |
“I’m begging you to be reasonable, Senior.”
“What? Why are you criticizing me for not noticing anything?”
“If you put it that way, I have nothing to say about it, but it almost made my soul jump out.”
“Boy, did it frighten you.”
“But what brings you here?”
“What’s the matter? I’ve come to see if things are going well between him and that young lady, Hahaha. It’s always fun to see the young ones in love.”
In other words, the foolish senior came to snoop.
“Why are you not in a relationship?”
“Hmm?”
“Romantic relationships!?”
Kairos exclaimed.
“All I ever did was work tirelessly for the peace and well-being of this continent, who has time for the opposite sex!”
“Well. Yes. I see.”
Camille didn’t bother to prod at Kairos’ sore spot.
After all, how could he possibly say that by pining for a flower snake, he missed out on the opportunity to meet other members of the opposite sex?
“So you’re not interested in having one in this life?”
“I’m not really interested in a relationship. But why don’t you? After all, you’re in the prime of your life, and while you’re not as handsome as he is, you’re just as good-looking, and I’m sure women will be chasing after you.”
“I’m not thinking of it yet.”
“Then you’ll miss all the good times. In my experience, you have to be in many relationships before you find the right one….”
Kairos gave Camille a 30-minute lecture about relationships.
‘…Old man.’
After listening to Kairos’ tirade, Camille had had enough.
As much as he wanted to cut him off, he didn’t want to hurt the old man’s feelings.
Then a thought occurred to him, and he stopped and asked Kairos.
“Senior.”
“Hmm?”
“But who is Ariel?”
[Ariel] was the name of an elven maiden often mentioned by the subordinates of Kairos.
Even if she was an elf, there’s a very good chance she’d already be dead after 450 years….
“Eh, Eeh?!”
Kairos sputtered, uncharacteristically startled.
*Shudder!*
He must have been frightened, because his body was vibrating like an aspen tree.
“What is it?”
“D-Don’t say her name! Please!”
“Huh?”
“In front of me, Ariel… Huff! Whatever, don’t even say the “A” in her name!”
“…..”
“She’s… the devil! A Demon!”
Camille wondered how an elf, a forest race and symbol of gentleness, could possibly be called a “demon,” but chose not to probe further.
He was curious, but based on Kairos’s reaction, it was unlikely he would be able of hearing it.
‘The girl he’s in love with is a flower snake. The other is a demon. What a terrible pity that he doesn’t have any other options.’
Inwardly, Camille clicked his tongue and pitied Kairos’s wretched life.
‘Please don’t drink yourself into oblivion in this life, and I wish you good fortune….’
At that moment.
“Ahhh! the little bastard’s already gone!”
Kairos pointed to Otto and Elise in the distance.
Turning his head, he saw Otto and Elise’s faces getting closer together.
“…..!”
“…..!”
Camille and Kairos’ eyes widened.
‘Heh’
A proud grin appeared on their faces.
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In the same time frame.
“There’s something stuck to you.”
“Thanks.”
Otto was brushing a speck of dust off Elise’s other cheek.
“When should we do the Homework Inspection?”
“I’ll let it pass this time. You’ve had quite enough already.”
“Thank you.”
“Still, don’t neglect your training.”
“Of course.”
The conversation between Otto and Elise was extremely healthy and positive.
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Otto was still a gentleman and escorted Elise to her quarters.
“Have a comfortable night!”
“You sleep well too.”
On the way back to his lodging.
“How are things going?”
Camille asked as he approached Otto from a distance.
“What?”
“Aren’t you and the lady in the stage of gingerly getting to know each other?”
“Eh.”
Otto threw up his hands as if he didn’t know what that meant.
“No, it’s not like we’re getting to know each other or anything. It’s not like that.”
“Wasn’t it going well?”
“What.”
“But earlier….”
“Earlier what?”
“Weren’t you kissing?”
“Oh, you were spying on me again. Ugh.”
Otto glared at Camille.
“How dare you spy on the King while he’s spending time with his fiancée, eh? You ought to have turned your head!”
According to the court etiquette of this world, when the king and queen were engaged in a love affair, the courtiers, servants, and maids were supposed to turn their heads away.
“I’m not a courtier, nor am I a servant.”
“Then you can be a maid.”
“…..”
“Hmm.”
Otto narrowed his eyes, lifting his gaze a little to let his imagination run wild.
“Don’t you think that’s a good idea?”
“What do you mean?”
“Putting on heels and a dress. Like a strict muscle lady? Hehehe.”
“Are you saying… you’re going to make me cross-dress?”
“Why not, I’m the king, and if I want to dress up, I can.”
Otto grinned evilly.
“If you don’t listen to me, I’ll make you cross-dress, Hehehe.”
“If you’re going to do it, do it.”
Camille’s eyes flashed with murder.
“One joke and you’re gonna kill me over it. Ugh. Knights are so scary, you ought to knock it out, you know. What kind of king am I if I can’t even get a knight to cross-dress?”
“Please don’t say such nonsense.”
“Nye~ Nye~”
“So nothing really happened?”
“I said nothing. You must have mistaken it for something else, I just wiped something off her face.”
“Oh?”
“What about dating?”
Otto shook his head.
“Your Majesty is….”
Camille turned to Otto.
“Is it because you don’t like Lady Elise?”
“What’s there to like about her?”
“Eh?”
“How dare you meddle with the King?”
“What do you mean, are you going to do something self-deprecating….?”
“Nothing like that.”
Otto drew a line in the sand.
“I’m saying that I’m not good enough, that she’s too good for me, that I dared to love her, that it’s not some stupid sentiment, it’s a crime, that kind of thing.”
“Then what is it?”
“Elise is a woman of good character, noble, beautiful, and good-hearted. I admire her, but I also pity her. I am a man, too, and I find myself drawn to her, perhaps even attracted to her.”
“But why are you hesitating?”
“It’s not like that. It’s just that the relationship between me and Elise is not just a simple one between a man and a woman.”
“What…?”
“It’s just complicated, beyond words.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll find out eventually, and when you do, you’ll know without me telling you. So don’t ask me now. My head is aching.”
Otto smiled a wistful smile, and continued on his way.
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“I’ll be a little late next time. I’ll be coming to visit you in two months.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
After sending Elise on her way, Otto was forced to stay in the Gurling Archipelago for a while.
It wasn’t easy to gain “complete” control of the Gurling Archipelago.
It was a breeding ground for pirates, and the civilian population was mostly criminals and their families.
There were a lot of people who needed to be eliminated, public sentiment needed to be taken care of, and new laws needed to be enacted and enforced.
This kept Otto busy from early morning until late at night with administrative duties.
If it were in the mainland Lota Kingdom, he would have left it to Archduke Wazir and the civil officials….
So Otto, Camille, the magic swordsmen, and the mages had to sit on their collective asses, glued to their desks, while poring over various documents.
If the Black Wyvern had been big enough to fly, he would have had Kassim fetch the officials from the Kingdom of Iota….
“What do we do with all those captured pirates, do we execute them all?”
“Are you crazy?”
Otto growled, his eyes flaring at Drake’s question.
“What do you mean, crazy? Most of the ones we’ve captured have been the most heinous….”
“I mean, are you crazy?”
“Not really, but….”
“No, fuck this. I think you’re crazy.”
“I’m not crazy, I’m just asking for Your Majesty’s opinion.”
Drake gave him an indignant look.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Otto shook his head.
“You’re such a pirate that all you can think about is turning away and executing them, aren’t you?”
“Yeah…?”
“What if we execute them ourselves? Who cares about public sentiment? Surely even the most heinous criminals have family, acquaintances, and friends?”
“Of course….”
“Then where do all those families, acquaintances, and friends live?”
“Most of them live here… ah!”
Drake gasped, finally understanding Otto’s meaning.
Public Sentiment.
Right now, Otto was thinking of the citizens inhabiting the Gurling Archipelago.
“Kill them, but don’t kill them ourselves. There’s no point in getting blood on our hands. Examine them thoroughly, and let those worth saving be rehabilitated.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And the ones who can’t, the ones who aren’t fully human, turn them over to the neighboring navy. That way, we won’t have blood on our hands, and we’ll also make money.”
“Money… What do you mean?”
“If we turn them over to the navy, they give us a bounty, bounty!”
For a moment, Drake thought he saw gold coins in Otto’s eyes.
*Sparkle!*
They weren’t really turning into gold coins, but Otto’s eyes were sparkling with the desire for money.
‘So that’s why you said I was crazy.’
Drake realized why Otto had taken offense at his suggestion of executing the pirates.
“If we turn them over to the navy, they’ll pay us money! Money! They’ll even execute them for us! We’ll make money without getting blood on our hands!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“If you kill a pirate because you don’t like them, where will you get the bounty? Be careful in the future. Do you understand?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Oh, and.”
Drake stumbled to his feet, thinking he was done ranting, but he straightened up at Otto’s addition.
“Pay the families of the criminals a modest sum of money and get them to leave. That will minimize the backlash in the archipelago, and settle things somewhat.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I’m not saying we won’t get any resentment, but it would be nice to at least show some sincerity. Don’t make a big deal out of it, and don’t call them the families of the criminals. You get it, don’t make them victims like you.”
“Ah.”
Drake knew what Otto was talking about.
After all, Drake had once tried to join the Navy and been denied enlistment because his father was a pirate….
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Get out of here.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Otto dismissed Drake and continued to sift through his papers, continuing his administrative duties.
‘I didn’t realize he was so competent.’
Camille, who was sorting through the papers at the desk next to Otto’s, was greatly surprised to see that Otto’s administrative skills were many times greater than he’d expected.
He hadn’t been able to appreciate it when he was in the Lota Kingdom, but now that he’s here in the Gurling Archipelago, Otto’s administrative abilities are truly excellent.
Then….
‘I guess he’s been avoiding work on purpose because it’s troublesome.’
Camille concluded.
And it was true.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”
“Guic, Gwuik!”
While he was in the middle of his work, Qasim came running in with Peng and whispered something in Otto’s ear.
Qasim was on a mission to hunt down rogue criminals and confiscate their property as they circled the Gurling Archipelago.
About three seconds later.
*Bang!*
Otto slammed his hand down on his desk and jumped to his feet.
“Smuggling? Hehehe!”
Otto’s mouth split open, almost touching his ear.