Seeker 298

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Chapter 298. The Queen And The Warrior

The girl captured in the opposite cell turned out to be the queen of this country.

Strictly speaking, she seemed to be the former queen.

Why was this former queen held captive in such an underground dungeon?

I recalled the drunken ramblings I overheard at the tavern.

"Usman's damn lies! He claims Queen Lulu killed King Fahad, but that's definitely a lie! He's the one who killed his brother!"

Usman was that lecherous king in town who ordered our capture and imprisonment.

King Fahad was the previous king.

So, the lecherous king, after killing the previous king himself to usurp the throne, pinned the blame for regicide on Queen Lulu—is that it?

Thinking along those lines, it somewhat made sense why the Queen got imprisoned.

But would such lies go unnoticed by the people?

No, they said you'd get arrested for speaking ill or criticizing the king.

Even if people thought the king was lying, they might not dare to voice it.

Thinking like that, it really pissed me off.

People should protect their freedom of speech.

This is why backward worlds are like this.

No, even in our world, if someone got accused of murder without solid evidence, they could get sued for defamation or something.

"But why is the Queen in jail? 'Were you also imprisoned for a false crime?' You said that, right? Is the Queen also falsely accused?"

Yuzuki asked a blunt question.

Considering the question's content, Yuzuki might have arrived at the same conclusion as me before seeking confirmation.

"That's... I'm not sure if you'll believe me..."

The girl claiming to be Queen Lulu began to explain hesitantly.

Her story mostly corroborated my thoughts.

It began when Queen Lulu, also an Awakened One, went with palace warriors to defeat monsters.

In the desert where they went to battle monsters, Queen Lulu got attacked from behind and lost consciousness.

When she woke up next, she was in her father's bedroom, King Fahad.

The king lay bloodied on the floor, and Queen Lulu's favorite scimitar lay on the floor, its blade stained with blood.

Queen Lulu managed to hold onto the barely conscious king, and eventually, as the king breathed his last, maids and palace warriors burst into the room.

Then, the current king, Usman, who was the king's brother at the time, arrived and arrested and imprisoned Queen Lulu as the perpetrator of regicide.

In this country, regicide has always been a grave crime, and royal family members who commit this crime lose their right to the throne and get executed.

Thus, Queen Lulu, who was the first in line to the throne, was dethroned, and Usman, a collateral blood relative, ascended to the throne.

"And he... Uncle Usman came to this cell and said to me, 'If you become my consort, spend the night with me, and further declare in front of the nation that you will accompany me for life, then I won't execute you.'"

"""Ugh..."""

That lecherous king is beyond despicable.

Isn't incest like that prohibited?

Well, even if we don't talk about age differences or preferences, his methods are just too wicked.

Well, that's assuming Usman was indeed the perpetrator of the previous king's murder.

Kazane glanced at me.

"Daichi-kun, I don't want to leave this matter unresolved and leave this place."

"I understand that. I do, but what can we do..."

Although this is a country classified as a small nation even in this world, it's a conspiracy surrounding a nation's sovereignty.

It's not something we can handle──

At that moment, we heard footsteps approaching.

It was the warrior who brought us to this cell, descending the stairs at the exit of the underground dungeon.

"Oh, it seems like the unjustly imprisoned are getting along well. Quite amusing, quite amusing."

The warrior looked at us and Queen Lulu, making light-hearted remarks.

He had a bunch of keys hanging from his waist, probably belonging to this cell.

"Nasser, if you think this is an unjust confinement, then release me! I have something I must do!"

Queen Lulu snapped at the warrior from behind the iron bars.

The warrior called Nasser slightly changed his expression.

"That's news to me, Queen Lulu. If I release you from this cell, do you have a plan?"

"Th-That's..."

Queen Lulu faltered.

She seemed unsure whether to say something or not.

"Nasser, can I trust you?"

Queen Lulu asked the warrior.

In response, Nasser shook his head.

"Queen Lulu, you know how shallow a man I am. I prioritize my own safety above all else."

"Nasser, I don't see you as such a person. The real you is sincere and kind."

"I wonder where you see that in me. But if Queen Lulu believes so, denying it would be pointless."

"Well, then, Nasser, I'm asking you. 'Can I trust you?' If I hear that answer from you, I'll believe it."

"...I give up. Queen Lulu, you're much wiser than I thought."

The warrior tapped the floor with his foot.

He seemed to be contemplating something.

The conversation took an unexpected turn, but it seemed interesting, so I decided to watch it a little longer.

After a while, Nasser let out a sigh.

"Queen Lulu, may I ask you something as well?"

"Yes. If I can answer, anything."

"If I were to place all my chips on the table here... Queen Lulu, do you think you can win this game?"

"I'm not sure..."

Queen Lulu looked down.

Her expression seemed to convey frustration.

She might have something that could change the situation, but it might not be certain.

Nasser spoke again.

"I'll change the question. Queen Lulu, do you have the will to win this game at all costs?"

"Nasser, I don't understand what you're worried about."

"Then, I'll say it clearly. In other words, do you have the will to overthrow the current king, Usman, and become the real Queen yourself?"

"──!"

The conversation took a tremendous turn.

I'll continue to be a spectator for a little longer.

Queen Lulu showed signs of hesitation for a moment.

But after a while, she looked decisively at the warrior and said clearly.

"I'll show you. Now that my father is gone, I can't afford to hesitate. If I let Uncle Usman do as he pleases, this country will be ruined."

"There are means for that as well."

"I can't promise that... but there is hope."

"Fine. Regarding the answer to the question earlier, Queen Lulu, you can believe in me. I've just decided to stake everything on you."

The warrior used the keys on his waist to open the door of the room where Queen Lulu was confined.

Then he looked at us and asked.

"So, what will you do, boys? Will you wait here in the cell, or..."

"Do you really need to ask that? ──Hmph!"

I exerted force and tore the rope that bound me.

Not effortlessly, but I managed to escape from the state of captivity.

""Huh...?""

Queen Lulu and Warrior Nasser looked surprised.

I freed Yuzuki's rope and then Kazane's.

Kazane had already freed herself from the ropes.

"Phew, finally free. My shoulders are stiff."

"Yeah, really. I'd rather not get arrested for a while longer."

"Um... you, the girl in black over there, I could tell I tampered with you... but didn't you forcibly tear the adventurer restraint rope just now...?"

"Yeah. But rather than that, let's get out of here quickly."

"Oh, right. Let's do that."

While Warrior Nasser was removing the keys from our room, he kept tilting his head.

During this time, a special mission had popped up as usual.

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Special Mission: Help Queen Lulu reclaim the throne!

Experience Points Earned upon Mission Completion... 80,000 Points

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I don't know what will happen next, but let's follow Queen Lulu.