Chapter 15
The next morning, I was happily watering the flowers on the balcony when a raven suddenly dived down and slapped a letter onto my face.
Uwaah—! Again! Does this bird have a grudge against me?
I broke the royal wax seal. It was an invitation from Tristina for me and Lian Qi to go to Champs Castle. Wait—and Qifeng?
I decided to give Tristina a big surprise… so I urged Lian Qi to go in her girl’s clothes.
In the palace, the Queen of the Holy Flame Kingdom, Tristina, sat on her throne, the picture of elegance, dignity, and perfection.
Usually, when I come to the palace, I just chat with her over tea in the royal garden. It’s rare to have such a formal occasion.
“Fei’er, and… um… did the transmigrator from another dimension not come?”
“Just how bad is your Queen’s eyesight?” Lian Qi grumbled quietly next to me.
I smiled and pointed at Lian Qi. “She is the transmigrator.”
Tristina, who usually shows no emotion in the throne room, revealed a trace of surprise.
She sized up Lian Qi, who was in her school uniform, and couldn’t help but press a hand to her chest, as if she were terrified, having seen something… indescribable.
“Excuse me… is… dressing as a girl also part of the plan to defeat the Demon King?”
If I had been drinking tea, I definitely would have spat it out.
“I was always a girl, okay!?” Lian Qi said, annoyed, patting her chest.
“Ah? How can the transmigrator be a girl?”
Tristina continued to look terrified. I knew it was only her status as Queen that was keeping her from leaping off the throne.
“Your Majesty… the Holy Light never prophesied that the transmigrator would be a boy,” I reminded her weakly.
“Ah? Is that so?” She showed a trace of embarrassment. “So I was mistaken? But… when you first arrived, you were wearing boy’s clothes.”
“That was my world’s school uniform! Boys and girls wear the same thing! You can’t just assume I’m a boy because I have short hair!”
“My apologies. How should I put this…”
Tristina hesitated, then continued.
“When my father was alive, he proclaimed to the world that whoever could defeat the Demon King would have my hand in marriage. Since you are the one prophesied by Holy Light to defeat the Demon King, I just… had the preconceived notion that you were a boy…”
…in the end, she finally couldn’t hold it in…1
Lian Qi looked at me in surprise. “That’s a thing?”
I gave a weak laugh. “It… it is.”
When the late King was alive, he loved to meddle in Tristina’s marriage. She ran away from home several times to avoid blind dates. So, it’s perfectly normal that he would make that kind of promise.
But… if Lian Qi had been a boy, I have no idea if Tristina would still honor that promise…
“Fei’er. You… waited until now to tell me the transmigrator is a girl,” Tristina gave me a very “kind” smile.
Uwaah—! A little scary.
“What—? The transmigrator from another dimension is a girl?”
—A resonant voice suddenly sounded from behind.
This voice… It’s familiar, and it makes me a little scared.
It can’t be… Isn’t she leading the 500,000-strong army, guarding the North?
I looked back and saw a slender figure in a military uniform. Crimson-red hair fell to her waist, and her crimson-red eyes were as bright as fire.
It’s… one of the “Twin Walls of the Kingdom,” the Great General “Crimson Flame,” Sister Phylicia—!
“It’s been… over a year since we last met, hasn’t it? Little sister Kefei’er.”
She walked over and gave me a domineering hug. Uwaah! Sister Phylicia, Sister Aijieliya… all of them… they squeeze me so hard I can’t breathe!
Lian Qi froze at this scene, probably wondering why I have another “sister.”
The next second, Sister Phylicia released me, walked straight to the throne, and knelt on one knee. “I have returned, Your Majesty.”
“…Great General Crimson Flame. You’ve returned. I can rest easy.”
After paying her respects, Sister Phylicia turned to Lian Qi, her gaze as sharp as a hawk’s.
“You are the transmigrator?”
“Yes.” Lian Qi cautiously met her gaze.
“The burden of defeating the Demon King… is too heavy for a girl like you. Are you not… afraid?”
“I don’t know if I can really defeat the Demon King. But I promised Fei’er I would try,” Lian Qi answered.
Hearing this, Sister Phylicia smiled faintly, turned to Tristina on the throne, and said, “If Your Majesty is willing to entrust the transmigrator to me… for a little ‘training’… nothing would be better.”
“Eh, eh, eh??”
“Training?”
Lian Qi, Qifeng, and I were all shocked.
Actually… when I was very young, Sister Phylicia saw that I had a talent for manipulating Holy Light. So she… wanted to train me to fight… She even… wanted to take me on campaigns— But I hate that stuff! That’s why I’ve always been a little afraid of her. And now… it’s Lian Qi’s turn to be “trained”?
“To clear out the rebel assassins lurking in the Royal Capital, I am in dire need of manpower. Why don’t you all… join my command?” Sister Phylicia said.
“The Captain of the Royal Capital Guard… was killed last night, correct?”
“Mhm. We were there,” Qifeng nodded.
“That was the work of ‘Seven-Leaf Tree,’2 an assassination group sent by the rebels. The organization’s leader is named ‘Death’s Blade,’ Yelijia. I have a spy among the rebel ranks. I came back to the capital specifically because I obtained their assassination list.”
“Assassination list—?”
“Yes. They’ve selected ‘tainted’ royals, nobles, and ministers, and are assassinating them in the name of ‘executing justice.’ That’s how the Captain of the Imperial Guard died.”
“The people on the list… they’re all people who have done bad things, right?” Lian Qi asked.
“I understand what you’re getting at, Transmigrator. But… do you think Queen Tristina has done anything ‘bad’?”
“Fei’er’s ‘sister’ shouldn’t be a bad person,” Lian Qi answered.
I was shocked. “Sister Phylicia, are you saying… Tristina is on the assassination list, too?”
“Yes,” Sister Phylicia said grimly. “Her Majesty the Queen is one of the S-Rank targets on that list.”
“That’s why the Great General Crimson Flame came back… to protect me,” Tristina said weakly. “Fei’er, I only inherited the throne six months ago, and I’m already being accused of ‘inaction,’ of ‘letting corrupt officials harm the people.’ I’m at my wit’s end.”
My best sister… is an assassination target!? An S-Rank target!? I was silent, my heart unable to calm down for a long time.
I heard Sister Phylicia say, “So, don’t think for a second they are some ‘righteous’ organization. Their ultimate goal is to clear obstacles for the rebels, and work from the inside to overthrow Queen Tristina’s rule.”
Footnotes
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The original text
忍不住养传了(yǎngchuánle) is a clear typo. Based on the context of Tristina’s embarrassment, the most likely intended phrase is忍不住笑场了(rěn bu zhù xiàochǎngle), meaning she “couldn’t help but burst out laughing.” ↩ -
七叶树 (Qīyèshù) - This literally means “Seven-Leaf Tree,” which is the Chinese name for the Horse Chestnut or Buckeye tree. ↩