Chapter 137
The event was nothing short of a grand victory parade.
The giant insect that had threatened Britain was slain by the Queen, and afterward, she continued to tour the rural cities, exterminating the monsters plaguing Britain’s lands.
Even monsters that were impossible for local cities to handle were no match for the Queen’s advancing Royal Guards, and as her campaigns continued to succeed, Alicia’s prestige and renown grew exponentially.
In that sense, this victory parade was only natural, considering the Queen’s recent achievements.
“Long live the Queen!”
“Your Majesty, you are truly amazing!”
The reason news of the Queen’s exploits had reached London so quickly was simple.
The emergence of monsters had physically severed connections between cities and towns, but the Queen and her Royal Guards had restored those roads, allowing travel once again.
Because of this, citizens from rural areas came to London to spread the news, while others from London traveled to rural towns to find their parents or relatives. This naturally caused the Queen’s victories to spread at an unprecedented speed.
Most importantly, because London was still intact, the modern era’s information network remained functional.
News and accurate updates could still reach citizens through social media and internet platforms.
“Was this… Mary’s doing?”
“Yes. I spread the news using connections that still exist within Parliament.”
On top of that, Alicia was still the Queen of England, and Mary was her closest attendant.
They still had connections within London’s Parliament and political circles, so spreading the news far and wide was a simple task.
Moreover, reclaiming cities increased public support for the royal family and Parliament, which was crucial in weakening the Lord Protector’s influence.
For London’s Parliament, the best option was to publicize the Queen’s achievements as much as possible.
“Your Majesty, how about addressing the citizens? They are all waiting to see you.”
“D-Do I have to say something?”
“Yes, to maximize the impact.”
Thus, due to various political reasons, a grand victory parade was held, and the Queen marched proudly alongside her Royal Guards, greeted by the cheers of the people.
The apocalyptic atmosphere that had darkened the nation, along with the recent coup attempt, had left the country in a state of unease.
This parade served to boost morale and restore hope.
And in an event where the Queen was the central figure, who else could take the stage but her?
Since it was already widely known that the Queen had led the expedition, ensuring her presence in the public’s mind was crucial.
“Citizens of Britain! I shall be the guardian of this nation! Let this moment stand as proof of my strength!”
“””God save the Queen!”””
With that declaration, the Queen pledged to protect the nation, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
After delivering her speech, Alicia quickly retreated to her car, collapsed into a seat, and let out a deep sigh.
“D-Did I do okay?”
“Yes. That was more than enough.”
She was still shaking, slightly overwhelmed by the expectant gazes of the citizens.
Meanwhile, Mary simply gave a gentle smile, as if proud of her Queen.
But while the Queen continued to earn the trust of the people, there were those who were completely caught off guard by her unexpected rise.
“To think… she actually succeeded in slaying it.”
“I thought she’d fail disgracefully.”
The Conservative Party and Liberal Party, the two major factions in London’s political landscape, couldn’t ignore the Queen’s rising influence.
Up until now, the Queen had been nothing but a puppet, an empty figurehead used to gather public opinion.
But now, she had stepped forward as a true player in London’s political battlefield.
And she had done so with undeniable achievements that neither party could refute.
The Queen had secured a level of power that even they could no longer control.
Their thoughts were clear:
“We didn’t expect her to interfere with Parliament directly.”
“We were too careless. She never even studied royal governance.”
Their biggest mistake had been underestimating her.
Alicia hadn’t even been properly educated as a royal heir.
She had suddenly inherited the throne due to tragic circumstances, so neither party had considered her a serious force.
She was also an ordinary human without any powers—they had simply planned to use her as a symbolic figurehead.
“A ten-year-old taking the political stage? Impossible.”
“Other than being royalty, she’s the same age as my daughter. No matter how you see it, that’s too much.”
“Honestly, I pitied her when she took the throne so young.”
They had assumed the Queen would remain irrelevant until she reached adulthood.
But now, she had shattered all their expectations.
While some felt proud of the young Queen’s growth, others had a different concern.
“There was always sympathy for the young Queen. But no one expected her to build a reputation on actual achievements.”
“And she commands a holy dragon? Normally, that would sound like propaganda, but her power level is off the charts.”
They couldn’t hide their discomfort at how rapidly the Queen’s influence had grown.
Because if the Queen was truly competent, she could stand against the Lord Protector.
That was precisely what Parliament wanted—to have the Queen serve as a counterbalance to the Lord Protector’s tyranny.
And with her current strength, she could indeed challenge his authority.
“But can we contain her?”
“I’m not sure. If this continues, the real power might shift from Parliament to the Queen.”
The truth was, they hadn’t wanted her political weight to become this significant.
If things continued as they were, the Queen would gain far more authority than Parliament itself.
“So that’s the infamous Bahamut…”
“Bahamut… that massive dragon that appeared in the Far East? There was a lot of doubt about its existence… but I suppose it’s real.”
London’s political circles had already been monitoring Bahamut’s reputation.
Since they prioritized connections with the U.S., they had been closely tracking American intelligence, including Asian affairs.
They had heard rumors of Bahamut’s existence, but they had never expected the dragon to form a contract with the Queen of England.
The fact that Bahamut had chosen Alicia, despite her having nothing at the time, was something they couldn’t comprehend.
“With this… the Royalist faction will rise again in London’s Parliament.”
“It may be an outdated Royalist faction, but if the Queen truly formed a contract with a Dragon, then at the very least, her capabilities are undeniable.”
However, there were those within London’s political scene who clearly benefited from the Queen’s unexpected success.
With a royal family, there would naturally be a Royalist faction, and their influence had grown significantly due to the Queen’s recent achievements.
In this post-apocalyptic world, the most important currency was military strength, and the Queen had proven hers beyond doubt.
“For the time being, Alicia’s name will dominate British politics.”
“It’s time to recalculate our strategies.”
“Indeed. The era of the Queen has returned.”
The greatest victory from this expedition was that Alicia’s name had been firmly engraved in the minds of London’s political elite.
No longer was she considered a mere puppet monarch—she had forged her own undeniable presence.
Furthermore, the sympathy she had previously received had now transformed into genuine trust, making this expedition an enormous success for her.
“God Save the Queen… I never thought I’d be saying those words again.”
She was no longer a powerless figurehead.
Now, she was a Queen who wielded real power.
‘This feels amazing! Those who once doubted me—I’ve finally proven myself to them!’
Of course, Alicia had no way of truly understanding the political capital she had gained from this expedition.
She was simply overjoyed that she was finally recognized by the people.
And naturally, while there were those who gained from this expedition, there were also those who suffered great losses.
“…To think she actually succeeded.”
Watching the Queen’s victory parade, the Lord Protector muttered in a voice full of rage.
His face twisted into a disgusted grimace, as he carefully observed the movements of London’s Parliament.
It was clear—the way they looked at the Queen had changed.
If she were to secure just one or two more major victories, then London’s political forces would rally behind her without hesitation, proudly declaring themselves Royalists.
“Things have deviated from the plan entirely.”
After the failed coup, the Lord Protector had been forced to concede politically, making numerous strategic compromises.
His deliberate sabotage of the international reconstruction talks and his collaboration with the Saint of Orleans—all of it had been part of his greater scheme to secure the throne by throwing Britain into chaos.
To the British people, it was a demonstration of his strength and a tactic to expose the Cabinet’s incompetence.
But now, the Queen’s resurgence, along with the rise of the Royalist faction, had completely disrupted his plans.
“To think there are still Royal Guards loyal to that puppet Queen!”
What frustrated him the most was that three entire battalions of Royal Guards had remained loyal to Alicia, and they had followed her without hesitation.
Even more frustratingly, their actions had begun influencing the other Royal Guards.
To prevent this domino effect, the Lord Protector had assured his followers that the Queen’s expedition would fail.
But now?
She had succeeded magnificently, and now she was marching through London in triumph.
“If I had just a little more time, I could have turned the rest of the Royal Guards to my side!”
The timing had been off.
If the Queen had delayed her expedition just a little longer, the Lord Protector could have used his influence from the international stage to persuade more of the Royal Guards to join his side.
But while he had been occupied with handling the political fallout of his actions, the Queen had seized the moment and flipped the situation in her favor.
It was infuriating.
“It was too soon… too fast. I was so close to claiming the throne.”
In truth, he had been careless.
From the moment he had publicly revealed his ambitions, it was only natural that the establishment would oppose him.
He had failed to consider the consequences before making his move.
Having never been involved in politics before the apocalypse, the Lord Protector had allowed his lust for the throne to blind him, leading him to stage a failed coup and tarnish his once-glorious reputation.
But his greatest flaw was his ego.
“What happened to the agent monitoring the Queen?”
“He’s been detained.”
“Kill him.”
The Lord Protector had always believed himself infallible, and now, even his most loyal subordinates were no longer exempt from his wrath.
Having made a single mistake, his agent was now deemed disposable.
Of course, his failure had cost the Lord Protector dearly, so a punishment was inevitable.
But even his closest aides had never expected execution to be the response.
“…Understood.”
Though the order was harsh, his lieutenant could only bow his head and obey.
While the punishment was severe, even his subordinates understood the extent of the damage done.
Satisfied, the Lord Protector moved on to more pressing matters.
“What other intelligence do we have?”
“The Queen has formed a contract with Bahamut from the Balhut Cult.”
“Bahamut… Ha. To think that accursed dragon would dare interfere in my country. Damn it. Damn it all.”
His men had done well to uncover the Queen’s contractor, learning that she had forged a pact with Bahamut of the Balhut Cult.
The realization that a faction he had completely ignored had now betrayed him filled him with rage.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
His entire strategy had relied on geographical distance to keep Asian factions from retaliating against him.
Now, he faced the same problem—the Balhut Cult was too far away for him to exact revenge.
In the past, Britain could have sanctioned them or used diplomatic pressure, but this was a different era.
The Lord Protector had already made too many enemies, and he had no leverage left.
‘If it were Europe, I could have left it to that scheming wench… but the Far East? Damn it. It’s completely outside my sphere of influence.’
But since his enemy had now openly challenged him, he could not afford to sit idle.
“Send a message to the Saint of Orleans. Tell her… we have a new obstacle to deal with in our plans to unify Europe.”
Even if he had lost this battle, he still had one final card to play.
The Lord Protector reached out to his new ally, the Saint of Orleans, as he prepared for the next phase of his grand scheme.
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