Chapter 135
Despite Alicia’s unease, the Royal Guard was summoned, and the Queen’s decision to personally lead an expedition to subjugate the monster was reported to both the Cabinet and the Lord Protector.
The Cabinet was skeptical about the Queen’s Awakening, and while the Lord Protector was surprised, he ultimately approved of the expedition.
“That bastard just wants me to fail and die along with the Royal Guard, doesn’t he!?”
[That’s correct.]
“I refuse! I want to turn back time! I want to go home! There’s no way I can take responsibility for the Royal Guard’s lives!”
It was obvious that he expected her to fail and die in the process.
When Alicia first saw the Lord Protector’s expression after announcing her expedition, she immediately understood that he wanted her to fail.
His eyes gleamed with mockery, as if ridiculing her for even trying.
So, when the expedition first began, Alicia’s expression was one of pure despair, looking as though she was already walking to her death.
However—
“Hah-ha! Monsters must be purged! Any filthy monsters that don’t flee shall be hunted down! And those that run? Burn them all!”
Once the actual battle started, Alicia was more focused than anyone on hunting.
She was enjoying it.
The terrifying monsters that had seemed so fearsome at first? The moment Alicia pointed her finger, they simply exploded into pieces.
How could she not find that fun?
In this Apocalypse, she had spent her entire life oppressed—unable to even properly awaken as an Awakener, locked away like a prisoner, constantly living under the Lord Protector’s persecution.
Now? All the repressed emotions inside her were erupting at once.
“Q-Queen Alicia is this strong…!?”
“Is this divine intervention?”
To the Royal Guard, it was nothing short of a miracle.
The Queen was strong.
Too strong.
The Royal Guard accompanying Alicia were all elite soldiers who had awakened to superhuman abilities after the Apocalypse, gaining experience on the frontlines and leveling up. They were among the best Awakeners in the world.
But even they couldn’t help but marvel at what they were seeing.
With just a gesture, Alicia’s fingertip radiated light, and in the next moment, the monsters were blown to pieces.
“Overwhelming…”
It would have been strange not to feel awe at such overwhelming power.
“Yunades Beam!—Oh, wait, no. I should use my name now! Aliciades Beam!”
Of course, Alicia was simply firing Yuna’s signature attack—the Yunades Beam—without much thought.
She wasn’t aiming.
She wasn’t holding back.
She was just firing nonstop, turning the Holy Magic attack into Aliciades Beam and using it to massacre monsters while rapidly leveling up.
In this Apocalypse, leveling up was political power.
No matter how much people saw her as a puppet queen, if she had a high level, no one would be able to ignore her.
“Hahaha! These monsters are trash! So this is the power of an Awakener? I’ve never felt like this before! This is amazing!”
But for Alicia, it wasn’t about leveling up.
She simply enjoyed watching monsters disintegrate like garbage under her magic.
Yes, it felt good.
For so long, she had lived in fear, wondering if the Lord Protector would kill her at any moment.
But now? She had the power to fight back.
A genuine smile spread across her face.
She felt elated by her newfound strength.
“This is… kind of scary.”
“Yeah… terrifying.”
Watching the spectacle unfold, the Royal Guard felt a different kind of fear.
It wasn’t just that the Queen was strong.
The sight of her in gleaming armor, gracefully pointing her finger to fire beams of destruction—it was both noble and majestic.
Had she simply stood in silence, she would have exuded dignity.
But instead?
She laughed like a child, giggling as she slaughtered monsters.
That sheer innocent enthusiasm was what made the Royal Guard uneasy.
“Still… in this Apocalypse, having a powerful ruler we can trust is reassuring, isn’t it?”
“That’s exactly why people follow the Lord Protector. They betrayed Alicia because they admired his strength.”
Some were frightened by what they saw.
But others?
They were impressed.
Some even felt an overwhelming sense of loyalty to Alicia.
If she was this strong, then she was worthy of being followed.
Even the Lord Protector had only gained control of the Royal Guard through sheer strength.
His raw power was why he had been able to retain control, even after his failed coup.
In this world, strength was political power.
And now?
Alicia was showing that she had strength as well.
“A sadistic young queen… wait, why does that sound… kind of appealing?”
Among the Royal Guard, some were even moved to tears, declaring that she was a true queen.
“…There’s always at least one fool.”
“Idiot.”
Naturally, their comrades quickly reported them, throwing disapproving glares at the strange individuals.
But what could they do?
Everyone had their own tastes.
Maybe it was just a joke to lighten the mood?
…It was a joke, right?
Right…?
“With this power, I can stand against the Lord Protector! What the hell!? Monster hunting is this easy!?”
“That’s because Your Majesty is strong. Normal monsters are no longer a threat to you.”
At this point, Alicia was convinced.
With her current power, she could oppose the Lord Protector.
She had always heard the British community and Parliament constantly complain about the monster crisis.
And yet, she had slaughtered them so easily.
Her strength was enough to awe the Royal Guard and cement her authority.
“Heh. I’d love to show this to the Lord Protector and his Cabinet. I bet their faces would be priceless.”
Alicia wanted to show this spectacle to the Lord Protector. She wanted to witness his frustration with her own eyes.
Of course, the moment the Lord Protector realized how strong Alicia had become, there was no telling what he would do.
So, she had no intention of directly revealing that she was capable of fighting.
Rather, for this matter…
[From the moment this was first proposed, he looked like he had caught a lucky break.]
It would be God Bahamut who took center stage.
During the recent conference, where the Lord Protector had been present, Bahamut pointed out that he had been hoping for this expedition to fail more than anyone else.
“His expression was like, ‘You think you can actually do this?’ That bastard! If he thought I was still the helpless Alicia from before, he’s dead wrong!”
“Well, before the contract, Your Majesty was not even a threat to the Lord Protector.”
“That truth hurts too much! No violence allowed!”
It was a fact—if this were the Alicia before the contract, the expedition would have definitely ended in failure.
After all, even he had failed before.
Even if she had awakened during the expedition, the mission itself would still have been a disaster, and the royal family’s prestige would have fallen even further.
Up until now, Alicia had only been able to keep her throne because of the former Queen’s legacy and the public’s sympathy for the tragic downfall of the royal family.
But if the royal family led an expedition and failed miserably, the people of London would completely lose any remaining faith or sympathy they had for the monarchy.
[By the way… I had heard about it, but I’m still surprised that so many Royal Guards remained loyal.]
“Are you?”
[Considering how much power rules this Apocalypse, I thought they would follow the Lord Protector rather than a powerless Queen.]
One surprising miscalculation had been the number of Royal Guards still loyal to Alicia.
She had been told that three regiments had sworn loyalty to her, but seeing it firsthand was something entirely different.
The Royal Guards who had answered her summons had no complaints about the harsh expedition.
Instead, they followed and protected their Queen without hesitation.
“That is all thanks to the former Queen. The loyalty that once belonged to her now rests with Your Majesty.”
[Indeed. The legacy of the former Queen…]
“I really owe a lot to Great-Grandmother. But after everything she endured, she couldn’t even rest in peace.”
It was essentially a legacy left behind by the former Queen.
As a nation’s ruler, it was impossible for Alicia to have nothing left.
The former Queen had passed down the loyalty of the Royal Guard, leaving Alicia with a priceless inheritance in this Apocalypse, where strength was everything.
“But anyway, what kind of monster did the Lord Protector fail to slay?”
“It is said to be enormous. The estimated size was well over 43.7 yards.”
“That’s… That’s as big as an apartment complex! That thing is huge!”
But their casual conversation was cut short.
When Alicia asked about the monster, Mary explained that it was a massive creature over 40 meters tall.
“Yes. It was easy to locate due to its size, and when the Lord Protector attempted to slay it…”
“He failed and ran away like a disgrace? Perfect. I’ll slay it!”
Before the expedition, Alicia had feared she wouldn’t be able to defeat it.
But after fighting so many monsters, she had gained confidence—she declared that she would be the one to slay the beast.
Right now, she had the perfect chance to accomplish something even the Lord Protector had failed to do.
She could prove herself to everyone.
She would make even the Lord Protector acknowledge her.
Determined, Alicia and her troops advanced toward the giant monster’s lair.
“Your Majesty, the ground is shaking. We are approaching the giant’s territory.”
“Alright, then I’ll— I’ll… I’ll…?”
But the moment they arrived and heard the rumbling of the beast, Alicia’s expression turned pale.
A colossal shadow loomed ahead.
“Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope!? That’s way bigger and scarier than I imagined! Something like me is just going to get crushed and eaten by those claws!”
“And yet, Your Majesty, that is exactly what you must defeat.”
“Why are you so calm about this, Mary!? There’s a giant bug right there! That’s disgusting!”
“It’s magnificent. Hercules beetles are amazing.”
“…What.”
It was massive.
With its countless legs skittering across the earth, the monster had huge, curved horns and razor-sharp forelimbs.
It resembled an enormous stag beetle, so large and imposing that it seemed to have no natural predators.
“You have a strange taste! Aren’t you even a little scared!? It’s huge!”
“Not at all. I believe in Your Majesty. And so do the Royal Guards.”
“E-Excuse me? They’re expecting something?”
Though Alicia was already terrified, the Royal Guards were looking at her with anticipation instead.
They hadn’t just blindly followed her orders to this place.
Mary had told them something that gave them faith in their Queen.
“I already informed them. That Your Majesty has formed a contract with a great being.”
“W-Wait, what!?”
That’s right.
Mary had already revealed to the Royal Guards that Alicia had contracted with God Bahamut.
Alicia looked flustered, glancing between the smiling maid and the expectant guards.
“Now, please demonstrate. Show everyone that the royal family still holds divine right to rule!”
They wanted proof that the Queen’s reign was far from over.
“Ugh… F-Fine! There’s no way out of this, huh!?”
Forced into a corner, Alicia reluctantly began to cast the summoning spell she had practiced before.
‘Stay calm. I practiced this beforehand. It’ll be fine.’
She had prepared for this moment.
As long as she followed the plan, there should be no issues—
‘Wait… what was the incantation again?’
Her mind went blank.
She had completely forgotten how to summon Bahamut.
No other choice.
‘Whatever! Just say something cool!’
Thinking on her feet, Alicia decided to improvise.
“By the sacred contract, heed my call! Ancient Dragon, descend! Lay waste to the titan before me, and carve a legend upon this land! Come forth, Bahamut!”
She shouted, praying that something would work.
‘Oh God, this is embarrassing! I just made that up on the spot!’
If nothing happened, she would want to disappear in shame.
But, luckily, it worked.
The sky cracked as a gigantic magic circle appeared above them.
A moment later, it shattered like glass, and from the rift, God Bahamut emerged—soaring toward the earth before suddenly halting, landing majestically.
‘That was so cool! This kid has great style!’
‘I want to go home. I hate bugs. If this is a dream, I want to wake up.’
As Alicia’s chant resonated, Bahamut smiled in satisfaction.
Her words had been improvised nonsense, but to him, it was praise.
For the first time, he had found a contractor who truly matched his style—and he was delighted.
—
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