Chapter 90: Shall We Go To The 2nd Floor? (2)
Chapter 90: Shall We Go To The 2nd Floor? (2)
Shall We Go To The 2nd Floor? (2)
Queen.
The womans name was simply Queen.
It might be an alias, or she might have another real name, but everyone, including her companions, just called her Queen.
She looked exactly like a Queen.
With abundant red hair like blazing flames, a slightly tanned skin, her face was that of a fierce beauty.
Judas!
Her attire was a fur cloak and what could be called bikini armor, just barely clinging to her body, but the tattoos that seemed to belong in ruins shielded her highly exposed skin like a shield. (no clue what belonging in ruins mean here)
And by the way, when I described the tattoos as shielding, it wasnt just a metaphor.
Those tattoos each had their own magical effect, protecting the body of their owner.
Queen.
I spoke to the woman who was a warrior in the Demon Kings Castle Breakthrough party.
Wanderer Queen.
Slaughterer Queen.
Destroyer Queen.
Foreign Queen of the North.
The most beautiful woman in Northnorden Queen.
As I recalled her countless nicknames.
Thump
Queen, who set down a barrel mug of beer on the table, suddenly frowned.
Judas, how did you know I was here?
Her face was half-red, she seemed to be quite drunk.
Enkidus and Brigitte and the rest were all heavy drinkers, but it was at that moment I remembered none could keep up with Queen.
To her question, I too felt puzzled.
Following Cecilys words, I came to the tavern named The Last Cherry Blossom, and there was Queen.
It couldnt be just a coincidence.
Perhaps someone who sent Cecily to the past had intended for this meeting.
Bang
Queen slammed the table with her palm.
Now that weve met, lets talk! Sit down!
She yelled loud enough to echo through the tavern.
Some of the patrons drinking at the tavern glanced over, but no one complained or made a fuss.
Probably because of the two men embedded face-first through the wooden floor.
Was it Queens doing?
Planting people in the floor, theyre not dead, are they?
I asked, sitting down beside Queen.
Then Queen spat on the floor and muttered lightly.
Those guys, despite being weak, joked about going up to the second floor. I just gave them a light beating.
As expected, thats what happened.
Even at our party, Warrior, Queen was quite popular.
Warrior it invoked romance and hope for all ages.
Maybe its the high exposure of her clothes that makes her defense seem so vulnerable.
Of course, men who approached with impure intentions either got planted in the ground or folded in half twice.
Thanks to her, I learned that human bodies could be folded twice like paper.
Here you go. The booze.
Soon the old innkeeper pushed a mug of beer in front of me.
The froth bubbled over, looking like cheap beer, but it seemed quite refreshing.
Swish Swish
As I was skimming off the foam with a dagger from my sleeve, Queen said.
What? Skimming off the foam? Youre still not manly, Judas. Thats why youre always hiding like a girl, only good for thieving.
Hiding like a girl, only good for thieving-.
Only Queen could probably say such things to me.
So Judas, why are you here? It cant be just to drink with me.
She asked.
She mustve asked out of pure curiosity.
Shes someone whose inside matches her outside.
I decided to answer just as purely.
I dont know. Im about to figure out why Im here. Maybe its just to drink with you. Or maybe its to go up to the second floor together.
Taverns like this usually had an inn on the second floor.
So for the patrons, suggesting to go up to the second floorwas no different than saying Do you want to come over for ramen?
Or was it Do you want to come see my cat nowadays?
Thats old news too.
I need to be in the know of trends after falling into this Pangaea continent.
Anyway.
Queen laughed out loud at my story.
Judas, Im not interested in men who are not stronger than me. Didnt I tell you why I attended the Demon Kings party?
You did. Was it because you wanted to leave the boring north?
I remember Queen came from a city-state in the north called Northnorden.
Rumor has it she was the kings daughter.
Yes.
Unexpectedly, Queen was a princess.
She ran away because she didnt want to be involved in a political marriage.
Thanks to her tomboyish nature, Queens princess level was a whopping D-.
She was at a level where she can have a good match with little old Naru.
On the contrary, does this mean Naru could have grown into a troublemaker, as wild as Queen used to be?
Truly a terrible thing!
Anyway.
Queen disliked weak things.
I knew nothing about her ideal type, but she seemed to like strong people, similar to the barbarian-born Cariote.
So, to approach Queen, you need to be strong, whether man or woman.
Am I not strong enough?
I asked Queen.
My voice came out more sly than I expected, surprising even myself.
But trying to hide it, Queen chuckled and chewed on the jerky that was served as a side dish.
No, youre not enough. You. Have you had a proper fight since you defeated the Demon King? No training. I bet you didnt join any war either.
Well, thats
I heard you were looking for a marriage partner, showing up at matchmaking sessions? Got rejected by heaps of women, I heard? I laughed so hard when I heard.
Swoosh
Was the rumor so widespread that Queen had heard about it?
I felt awkward, and Queen held up five fingers.
Five. The number of high demons Ive defeated since the Demon King died. If I include their minions, its countless. Ive been rolling in the battlefield.
I see.
I vaguely sensed that Queen had become more refined and hardened than before.
The current Queen was stronger than when she broke through the Demon Kings castle.
Why hide it? My level is now 48, soon to hit 49. Honestly, I feel like I wont lose to anyone. Judas, you cant beat me.
Is that so.
It didnt seem like mere bravado.
Waaaaavee
Right then, the bird-shaped tattoo on Queens right shoulder glowed red.
Reflexively, I brought the fork I was holding in front of my face, and with a powerful shock, I felt my body lift off the ground.
Boom!
I felt like a half-filled water bottle thrown into a typhoon.
When I came to, I was smashed against the wall of the tavern.
Fu-.
a sudden attack?
But then again, Queen had teamed up with Tenebris.
Queen holding a giant double-edged axe.
She had already stood up and was looking down at me.
Stand and fight like a man, Judas. Dont hide or run away cowardly. I never liked your cowardly ways, even back then.
Thats regrettable. I quite liked you. Not as much as Brigitte, though.
My head was spinning from the impact, and I barely managed to stand up.
The impact was still buzzing in my body, stronger than any attack I had ever received. It wasnt bluster that she was close to level 49.
M-My tavern!
Run away!
People fled in the commotion.
Among them, Queen gripped an ax like a cleanup hitter.
Then, swelling her thigh muscles, she leaped at me again.
Boom!
This time, I drew a dagger to block somehow.
Knowing an attack was coming, it was easy to read the trajectory.
Queens attacks were straightforward, after all.
But reading the trajectory didnt exactly solve the problem.
I ended up half-buried on the wooden floor in the same posture I blocked the attack.
Crack-!!!
The ground was too flimsy to withstand Queens strength.
Tsk.
I stealthily hid and attached myself to the ceiling.
A brief respite to catch my breath.
Queen growled around like a dinosaur that missed its prey.
Tsk, hiding again. All you do is run and hide cowardly. You might have used your tricks to kill the Demon King, but that mindset of yours will end up killing you!
* * *
I think a head-on fight with Queen was a no-win scenario.
To beat her, I needed to make the most of my own advantages.
To defeat Queen
Did Cecily come back from the past to defeat Queen at this Last Cherry Blossom before she grew stronger?
As I thought this, Queen shouted.
Are you there!
Whooosh-!
Her giant double-bladed ax struck the inns wall.
Of course, I wasnt there.
Tsk!
Her instincts were as poor as ever.
But then there was a problem.
If you wont come out, Ill smash this inn to pieces!
Whooosh Boom! Boom!
Queens giant ax swung wildly, demolishing the inn like an excavator.
The inn was being smashed to pieces.
Ill kill you just like this, and those suspicious girls, your daughters or whatever, will all die too Judas!
It seemed I couldnt just stay hidden.
No choice then.
Pop
I gripped the dagger in reverse and leaped at Queen.
But that was the worst move.
Thud
Here you were.
Queen grasped the nape of my neck in her hand.
To keep up with my speed, Queens agility must have increased since before!
Like being bound in a noose, my breath tightened and in an instant, my vision turned yellow like pickled radish, then red.
Judas, your strength isnt just this. Are you planning to die in vain like this? Maybe its better to die here than be consumed than Nocturne or whatever youre dealing with.
Gurgle-.
If I stay like this, Im really going to die.
No choice then.
Bang!
Thats when a loud gunshot was heard.
Along with the acrid scent of iron, Queen let go of me.
Seizing the moment, I created distance, but Queen grimaced, looking at her wrist pierced by the bullet.
Judas, did you use a gun?
No. But this guy did.
Beside me stood a shadow, guns and daggers in both hands.
The classic armament of a robber.
Queen laughed at that sight.
Finally brought out your shadow. Ive seen this shadow before. Now the fight will be enjoyable. But will one be enough? To stop me, Queen, youd need at least an army!
Instead of responding to Queens confident taunt, I charged at her with the shadow. A melee erupted in an instant.
I had the advantage in numbers.
But Queen laughed with ease.
Those who break through the level 40 threshold receive blessings from the gods. In my case, its Omniscience. The more enemies I face, the stronger I become.
I know that.
Judas, you have it too. A skill gained by breaking through level 40. Bring it out. The talent that turns you into the king of thieves. You dont show it to the kids, do you?
Tsk, fighting comrades really isnt my thing. You all know too much about me.
I widened the gap again.
I wasnt sure if I was doing the right thing, but to take down Queen, Id have to exert my full strength after all.
Its your turn!
With my shout, a bunch of shadows rose.
The shape of a giant wielding a hammer.
There were easily more than ten.
Each shadow had strength above the Silver Tier.
But Queen was still overflowing with composure.
These guys, Ive seen them before. Dont tell me its the Hammer Squad from Mohamder? You think you can win against me with these? Half-strong ones are just sacrifices before my Omniscience!
Whoosh
As Queen swung her axe, the shadow Hammer Squad was sliced down like falling leaves.
Was it futile to buy time?
No choice then.
These guys are still not there yet.
Swoosh Swoosh
Two shadows rose at my feet.
One was the shadow of a highway robber, and the other was the shadow of a mage.
Queen raised her eyebrows at the sight.
New shadows? They look strong. They must be the ones youve recently killed.
Exactly.
Unable to answer, I just nodded.
It was because the shadow wielding a dagger had swung its blade toward my nape.
Slash!
The shadows blade narrowly missed my head, sending chills down my spine.
Tsk-.
As expected, Jacks shadow would not listen to me, it must be because it was stolen not too long ago.
Then, how about Mage Faust?
The mages shadow was busy looking at its own shape of a hand and moving its body around.
Though it had no expression, it was probably painting its face with a mixture of wonder and astonishment.
Go!
I shouted towards the shadows.
The ones that had been acting individually until now rushed toward Queen at my command.
Flash-. Queens tattoo emitted light.
A strong opponent, but sadly, not my match!
Whoosh Whoosh!
And with a single horizontal motion.
A great swing of the axe split the shadows torsos in half.
But that was good.
Queen now was full of openings.
Bullet time.
I maximized my agility of 20 and stopped time.
During that moment, I approached Queen and aimed my dagger at his nape.
Swoosh
Accelerated time.
Queen spoke as though surprised.
When exactly? Judas, youve gotten faster than before.
Yes.
But youve become duller than before. The you of the past would have killed me without hesitation. You wouldnt have done something like aiming a dagger at my throat.
Its not some soft camaraderie. You are just afraid. Are you afraid of becoming level 50 if you kill me? Thats what scares you, right?
Queen was right.
Queen was strong.
Killing her would definitively make me level 50.
At that, Queen chuckled-.
Didnt you say it when you brought down the Demon King? Power must be suppressed by greater power, right? Now youre afraid of becoming level 50 and being consumed by Nocturne? You coward.
What are you saying I should do?
Dont avoid the fight. Rather, run towards the center of it! Sometimes facing it directly is the only way.
Swish
Queen pushed away my dagger with her hand.
Pat Pat. Then she brushed off the dust on her body.
Watching her relaxed demeanor, I was momentarily lost in thought.
I felt like I understood why Cecily had sent me here.
To hear what she had to say.
To hear the words dont run away.
Good, Judas, lets go to the second floor.
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