Chapter 3-50 : The Queen’s Order (part 2)

「Alright, let’s get down to business. We don’t have much time.」(Kushana)

「Umm, do you still have something else to talk about? I thought you called me to see my Rocket Magic.」(Mylia)

「Indeed. But not only that.」(Kushana)

Mylia asked the queen with an expression as if she wanted to get out of the audience room as soon as possible.

Chloe, who noticed that, looked worriedly at Mylia and the queen alternately.

However, the queen didn’t mind and continued talking.

「Mylia, you are a baron but you don’t have a territory to govern.」(Kushana)

「I don’t… So, umm…」(Mylia)

「Then you know what I’m going to say, right?」(Kushana)

「C, Could it be…」(Mylia)

「Be joyful, Mylia. I’ve found a territory for you to govern.」(Kushana)

（Seriously!? Ugh… I don’t think someone like me will be able to manage a territory…）

「Th, Thank you very much, Your Majesty.」(Mylia)

Mylia thought that governing a territory was a troublesome job but she had no choice but to nod to the queen.

「By the way, we moved on with our conversation as if we were done talking about Robin, the landmine woman, but actually, there’s more I want to say about her.」(Kushana)

（She still wants to talk about that woman?）

Mylia and Chloe looked at each other with somewhat worried faces.

「In response to the recent uproar caused by Robin de la Atwood, the second daughter of Aaron de la Atwood, I decided to revoke their title of nobility. The Atwood Family will no longer be a knight family.」(Kushana)

「「Eh!?」」(Mylia & Chloe)

Mylia and Chloe were shocked by the queen’s sudden statement.

On the other hand, Leaf was yawning, feeling bored by the conversation she didn’t understand.

（Hold on! So… She is going to remove the Atwood Family’s nobility? Well, the Atwood Family is too poor to be called a noble family, but…）

「Robin de la Atwood caused a big scandal when she cheated on her husband on their wedding day. It was a shame for the Kingdom of Adrashelm, but I averted my eyes, pretending it had never happened. However, this time, she appeared in this city and caused trouble for many nobles, especially bachelors, and many store owners. Mylia, I heard that you paid for all the goods she ‘stole’ from those stores.」(Kushana)

「I did. I would feel bad for the store owners if I didn’t.」(Mylia)

「That’s very noble of you.」(Kushana)

「Thank you, but… Your Majesty, are you sure about this revocation of nobility?」(Mylia)

「It has been decided and I have already dispatched a heraldic officer to the Atwood’s mansion. They should arrive in about two months.」(Kushana)

「A heraldic officer…?」(Chloe)

Hearing what the queen said, Chloe muttered to herself.

One of the heraldic officers’ jobs is to record everything about the noble houses that exist in the Kingdom of Adrashelm.

Sometimes, they are appointed by the queen to revoke someone’s noble title.

Before a heraldic officer does that, they will visit that person’s house and check their family tree and their family’s achievements. Depending on their achievements and contributions to the kingdom, the heraldic officer might cancel the revocation. However, it rarely happens.

It’s almost certain that you would lose your noble title if a heraldic officer visited your house.

Mylia swallowed her saliva as she imagined how Aaron would react when he saw a heraldic officer standing in front of the entrance of his mansion.

（Ahh… He will surely be very shocked…）

「After Aaron de la Atwood loses his nobility, Mylia, you will be the next landlord of the Atwood Territory.」(Kushana)

「Eh…? So… The territory I will govern is… The Atwood Territory…?」(Mylia)

「That’s right. You know Baron Hansen who governs the Southern City of Hamanulle, don’t you? I will give you the authority to use him as you like to help you govern the Atwood Territory. Of course, I will support you as well. You can ask me anything if you need my help.」(Kushana)

Mylia made a blank expression out of shock. She wanted to decline but she couldn’t after seeing the queen’s sharp eyes that were staring at her.

She knew that the queen was serious about it.

（No way… Anywhere but that place! I don’t want to be the landlord of the most remote region in this kingdom!）

「Umm, do you have any other territories for me to govern? A small land is fine. Anywhere but that place.」(Mylia)

「No. The Atwood Territory is the perfect place for you to govern. Your goal is to have a yakiniku party with your friends, right? The Atwood Territory is a remote region but it’s a large land. You should be able to cultivate that land to make fields and farms where you can grow fruits and vegetables and raise livestock. I believe a talented magician like you will be able to develop the Atwood Territory and make it prosperous.」(Kushana)

「Understood!」(Mylia)

Mylia was unwilling at first but after hearing the word “yakiniku”, she replied without hesitation.

「But, Your Majesty… My familyー I mean, the Atwood Family lives there. To put it bluntly, I don’t want to see them, especially that muscle-brain.」(Mylia)

「Muscle-brain? Do you mean Aaron? In that case, you can send them somewhere else like another village or town.」(Kushana)

（Seems like she won’t change her decision no matter what…）

Mylia glanced at Chloe who was standing next to her.

Chloe was staring at the floor with a serious face. She seemed to be calculating something in her mind.

（Onee-chan… I wonder what she is thinking…）

Mylia didn’t know what Chloe was thinking but she started to think that if she had the authority to freely use the land in the Atwood Territory, governing that remote territory might not be so bad.

As the queen said, she would be able to cultivate the land to produce the ingredients she needed for her dream yakiniku party. Moreover, she could use magic, so the development would progress quickly.

According to Chloe, the population of the kingdom keeps increasing. There’s the possibility that people will run out of food in the near future.

As the queen, Kushana wanted the remote, vast lands in the westernmost part of the kingdom to be inhabited by more people. That’s why she thought of replacing the incompetent lord, Aaron, with Mylia.

After glancing at Chloe for a few seconds, Mylia returned her gaze to the queen.

「Your Majesty, I understand why you want me to govern the Atwood Territory, but I will need some time to prepare myself.」(Mylia)

「Of course. For the time being, you can study at school like usual until my heraldic officer returns.」(Kushana)

「Thank you very much.」(Mylia)

「By the way, Mylia, I heard that Aaron is a very persistent person just like his daughter, Robin. Even though you told him that you, Chloe, and Jasmine are no longer his daughters, I don’t think he will accept that easily. If he ever tries to trouble you again, don’t hesitate to teach him a lesson and use that opportunity to convince him that you’re no longer a daughter who he can order around. You can use magic. You don’t need to be afraid of him. However, if you don’t want to interact with him directly, you can always tell me. I will punish him in your stead.」(Kushana)

Queen Kushana’s voice sounded gentle when she spoke to Mylia as if she was talking with her child.

「…Thank you, Your Majesty.」(Mylia)

Mylia replied to the queen with a smile.

After smiling back at Mylia, the queen turned her gaze to Chloe.

「Chloe.」(Kushana)

「Your Majesty.」(Chloe)

Chloe, who had been thinking while staring at the floor, raised her face and looked at the queen.

「You know what to do, right?」(Kushana)

「I do. You want me to help Mylia.」(Chloe)

「Are you dissatisfied with becoming your little sister’s subordinate?」(Kushana)

「Of course not. I will always gladly help my precious little sister. Mylia, you can always rely on me.」(Chloe)

「Onee-chan… Un! I know!」(Mylia)

「What lovely sisters… Then, Chloe, as a baronet, you will assist Mylia in governing the Atwood Territory. In exchange, I will cooperate with you to realize your project of transforming Griffons into a method of transportation.」(Kushana)

「It will be my pleasure, Your Majesty.」(Chloe)

Chloe bowed gracefully to the queen.

「I will send my most capable civil officer to work for you. You can rely on them. Mylia.」(Kushana)

「Yes, Your Majesty?」(Mylia)

「Remember. You can always rely on me if you have any problems, especially when it comes to the Atwood Family.」(Kushana)

「Understood. Thank you, Your Majesty.」(Mylia)

「Governing a territory is not easy, but I believe you can do it if you work together. I wish both of you good luck.」(Kushana)

After saying that, Queen Kushana stood up from her throne and smiled at the three ladies in front of her.

「Mylia, Chloe, and Miss Dryad, it was a pleasure to meet all of you today. I’m looking forward to seeing you again next time. You may leave now.」(Kushana)

The two knights, who were standing outside the room, heard what the queen said and opened the door of the audience room for the three.

Mylia and Chloe bowed to the queen while Leaf was just looking at the queen with her sleepy eyes.

They then turned around and left the audience room.

（I’m not dreaming, right…? That muscle-brain will lose his noble title and I’ll be the next landlord of the Atwood Territory… Ugh… I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried, but I have Chloe onee-chan with me, so I think everything is going to be fine… I hope…）

As soon as she got out of the audience chamber, Mylia stared at the sky through the window in the hallway with a faraway look.