-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Her Majesty's Expectations
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The world seemed to spin around me, leaving me dizzy.
"Kyaa!"
"...Be careful."
Was this what it felt like to pass through a dimensional gate?
If General Paul hadn't caught me, I might have fallen flat.
"Thank you, Gener—"
"Erika Bauman. Her Majesty summons you."
"Oh."
Before I could properly thank General Paul, a maid wearing the golden dragon badge that marked her as one of the Emperor's personal attendants approached and whispered in my ear.
"Yes. I'll go right away."
I'd been expecting this.
Father's letter had mentioned the order to use Phlegethon, along with some updates on Her Majesty's recent activities.
The intelligence gathering on Viktor was still ongoing, and the light in Her Majesty's bedroom had been burning late for several nights now, hadn't it?
She seemed to have high hopes for him.
I'd suspected as much ever since she'd brought him up specifically during the kingdom's ceasefire proposal, but staying up nights like this was unusual even for Her Majesty, who often pulled all-nighters anyway.
Father knew that about her, so if he'd bothered to mention it, things must be particularly intense.
I bowed my head once each to General Paul and Viktor before leaving the room.
"How is Her Majesty?"
"Oh, well... She seems to have high expectations."
"...? Understood."
The maid's somewhat cowed response felt a bit odd, but I wasn't too worried.
The very fact that she'd summoned me personally meant Viktor was already on the shortlist for employment.
As I walked down the corridor, I mentally organized what I would say to Her Majesty.
If possible, I wanted to work with Viktor, so I planned to present everything as positively as I could without distorting the facts.
It wasn't just that he wasn't a kingdom-born prisoner anymore—I was curious what kind of performance an imperial Viktor might give.
Could he become a hero in the Empire too, just like he had in Ruth Kingdom?
I occasionally checked the notebook I'd prepared for my report, rehearsing my words to Her Majesty, and before I knew it, I'd arrived.
She usually took my reports in one of the many audience chambers, but today it was her private lounge.
I'd never been inside before—not even attempted it—so my tension was higher than usual.
*Knock, knock.*
"Your Majesty. Miss Erika Bauman is..."
"You may enter."
Her Majesty's voice came from within before the maid could finish.
It carried her usual dignified tone, but it felt a little excited somehow.
The maid opened the door, and I took a deep breath before stepping into the lounge.
The interior was incredibly lavish.
The furniture glittered red with ruby inlays, and the carpet on the floor and the wallpaper were far more luxurious than in the audience chambers.
Her Majesty sat in a chair with her legs crossed comfortably, a tea service laid out on the table before her.
"I greet Your Majesty."
The moment I entered and closed the door, I dropped to my knees to pay my respects, but
"Rise, and lift your head."
"Understood."
She commanded me to stand before my knees even touched the floor.
"Keep your answers short and to the point. Will this take long?"
"Yes."
Her Majesty's lips curved noticeably upward at my response.
Then, unlike usual,
"Come and sit."
She said.
Come and sit?
The only other chair in the room was directly across from hers.
"...Yes."
It felt intensely burdensome, but I couldn't refuse.
Following her gesture, I pulled out the chair with slightly trembling hands and sat across from her.
Up close, Her Majesty's beauty was even more devastating.
I'd steeled myself, but meeting those half-lidded red eyes made my words catch in my throat.
"So, how was he?"
As I froze in my seat, she naturally extended her right hand toward me.
My usual reports were submitted in writing.
Standing before her always made me shrink, so verbal briefings were difficult for me.
I'd heard others preferred written reports too.
Here, I mustered my courage.
"May I... report directly?"
"Oh ho."
"...Hic."
The instant I said I'd speak directly, she let out an exclamation, and for a split second, her eyes seemed to open fully.
Meeting that unusual gaze filled me with an inexplicable fear, and I hurriedly looked away.
"Haha. I won't eat you, so lift your head."
"...My apologies."
"No need to apologize."
When I cautiously raised my head, she had a faint smile on her lips and her eyes half-closed like before.
Had I imagined it?
Her eyes had seemed strange for a moment.
"Saying you'll speak directly means writing wasn't enough, right?"
I racked my brain for an answer to her question, with no time to dwell on what I'd glimpsed earlier.
"Y-Yes."
This was only the second time I'd made a request of Her Majesty, after asking to be sent to the negotiations.
It was frightening, but I wanted to convey Viktor's impression with my own words.
She drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully.
A moment later.
"Very well. Speak. Take as long as you need—leave nothing out."
"...Yes!"
I'd secured the chance to report in person.
"First, as for the negotiation progress..."
"Did it go as planned?"
"Yes."
"Then skip to when you first saw Viktor."
Clearly, Her Majesty cared more about him than the negotiations.
I gained a bit of confidence.
"Yes. I first saw him in the kingdom's main palace hall, the negotiation chamber. He appeared wearing his uniform, opening the massive doors with his own two hands."
"Hm, hm."
I started slowly from the beginning.
I tried to describe everything I'd seen in as much detail as possible, so she could feel like she was witnessing the scenes herself.
No need for exaggeration.
Even the plain facts made Viktor impressive enough.
Her Majesty was sensitive to hyperbole anyway.
"...Some of the kingdom's nobles even wet themselves right there..."
"Hahaha! Delightful!"
I'd worried my lengthy account might bore her, but fortunately, she listened with occasional interjections and reactions, clearly enjoying it.
She laughed loudly at the palace incident,
"...When I mentioned the Battle of Angelgorod, he quietly recited their names. The thirteen from his 100-man unit who died in that battle."
"Is that so?"
She showed interest even in the carriage conversation.
I told her everything after that—how Paul had taken his side, and even our somewhat personal nighttime talk.
"...That's everything."
"Hmm... Erika."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What do you think of him?"
After hearing it all, she questioned me.
"In my eyes, he's... a rare talent, one you seldom see twice."
"A talent, hm."
"It was almost regrettable to meet him as a prisoner."
"You sound quite taken with him. Even if I asked him to praise himself, I doubt he'd say that much."
"...Yes."
...From the way she said that, I'd been careful, but my personal bias must have slipped in.
"That was entertaining. You're dismissed."
"Yes."
"Will you hand over your notebook too? Your explanation was thorough, but I'm curious about the contents."
"Here it is."
I placed the negotiation contract copy and my notebook—tucked tightly in my bosom—on the table and left the lounge.
*Thud.*
"Haa..."
I closed the door and sank to the floor.
It had been such a nerve-wracking ordeal.
I could barely remember what I'd said from the middle onward.
Still, I hoped Viktor could work in the Empire.
I'd spoken earnestly, so maybe Her Majesty would consider it positively?
---
Many had questioned sending Erika Bauman to such an important negotiation.
She was still inexperienced, too young, they said.
By my standards, humans all seemed young anyway, so age or experience didn't matter much.
National prestige or whatever—I didn't really care.
There was her request too, but among the many, I chose Erika specifically because her reports were the most concise, without any fluff.
Especially if there was even a hint of a personality flaw, she never missed it.
Her previous reports showed no personal bias at all, which I'd valued for their objectivity.
"Hmm..."
But this latest one was missing something crucial.
Wondering if it was in the notebook, I picked it up from the desk and flipped through it.
"...Nothing."
I read it several times, but it wasn't there.
They hadn't talked much to begin with, so the content was sparse anyway.
That wasn't the point.
"No flaws at all."
Everything was written from a neutral or favorable viewpoint.
Like the records of so-called heroes, which hid their blemishes.
A human should have some shortcomings, but none were listed.
After being badly disappointed by several hyped-up humans,
I'd emphasized multiple times: when reporting on new ones, include every flaw without fail.
That's why I'd trusted Erika on that front.
If this report was entirely accurate, it meant Viktor was a flawless human.
Proven skill, integrity, loyalty, even that rare humanity soldiers often lack.
"A perfect talent with both ability and character..."
It was supposed to be a report, but reading it felt like enjoying a well-crafted story.
"As if."
I cross-checked it against the intelligence I'd gathered separately and inspected the notebook for any editing marks, but found nothing.
Suspicious.
Even a dragon who toys with the world wouldn't dare claim perfection.
...Could he not be human after all?
"Unlikely, but..."
A human like this appearing out of nowhere was odd, and a nation throwing him straight into enemy hands made no sense.
It was more believable that sending him to the Empire was the kingdom's actual strategy.
Grown-ups always said it:
If something looks good to me, it'll look good to others, and if it's given without a price, it's a scam.
"...I'll see for myself soon enough."
Or maybe he'd just fooled Erika well.
They'd only been together a few days, and if he'd set the mood right from the start, deceiving her would've been easy enough.
In my experience, people like this often disappointed upon meeting.
Usually, they were just good at masks or friends with the reporter—none fooled my eyes, exposing their shallow tricks.
I'd know once I met him.
Whether a near-perfect talent had luckily fallen into our lap, or if Erika had simply been duped by an empty fraud.
I hoped for the former.
That's the kind of person I'd been searching for.
If he could even fool me, I'd be willing to play along.
Acting or bravado that deceives my 'eyes' could be useful in plenty of places.
But if he was nothing special?
*Grind.*
I'd have to make him pay for crushing my expectations.
The nobles seemed to hate him plenty, so tossing him their way might not be bad.
>