Free Web NovelChapter 196: Royal Request
"?!"
Finally understanding what she just did, Ophelia hurriedly put her hands in front of her mouth. It was as if her head was smoking from her heated face.
"I-I..."
Albeit hesitatingly, Mika tried to talk.
However, there was no need for him to talk as Ophelia suddenly stormed away without saying anything.
"What have I done?!" she muttered embarrassedly as she ran around aimlessly.
She just wanted to get away from Mika.
"..."
Ophelia attempted to sort out her inner thoughts. She started with the reason why she was drinking.
After she previously parted from her students, she strolled around town until she happened to pass by a bar. And even though she was not a regular drinker, she felt the urge for a drink.
There, in solitude, she wanted to drink away her misplaced feelings as she lately felt weird in the presence of Mika. It was not like she was obsessed with him or deeply in love, however, even she had to realize that over the time the two had spent together as well as the things they had been through, they developed a special relationship, exceeding that of a normal student-and-teacher one.
She also did not view him as a simple friend. He was something more precious to her.
Still, considering their age gap and differences in status, Ophelia wanted to push her feelings aside.
But after she learned about Rachel confessing to Mika, her heart ached a bit. And it did even more after listening to Mika’s words. At that moment, she just wanted to show him that she would always be on his side. She wanted to be there for him, no matter how hard he tried to push others away from him.
Or maybe it was lust in combination with the alcohol that led her to kiss him.
"O-Ophelia, are you crazy...?!" she muttered to herself, remembering that kiss clearly.
It was only in the following days that the citizens would gossip about a crazy woman shouting and running at midnight.
"..."
Meanwhile, Mika walked in the other direction of Ophelia.
[You are pretty calm despite having two people confess to you in one night.]
"Don’t remind me of that..." Mika replied with a sigh.
He tried his best to remain calm but it was still impossible for him to hide the blush on his face.
[Are you perhaps rejecting all of them because of your estimated time of death?]
"Couldn’t you have worded it a bit friendlier...?"
[Why do you not indulge yourself in pleasure and happiness, knowing that your time will be up soon?]
"It already keeps me up at night when I think about my parents, who will have to experience the death of their child. I couldn’t bear to have someone love me and go through the pain of loss." he elaborated with a grim gaze.
[I see.]
Then, Tija appeared in his field of vision, waving her hands excitingly at him.
"What now...?" he wondered taken aback.
In all of his interactions with her, he did not really get a good impression of her.
"It hurts me if you look at me like that, you know~" she joked.
"Is there anything I can do for you this time as well...?" he asked.
Mika did not even have the energy anymore to force a smile.
"Well, technically, it’s my mother, who has business with you." Tija replied with a smile.
"T-the queen...?"
"That’s right! I was searching for you all the time!"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her to the palace.
"W-wait!"
"Hey, be grateful that I waited for you to be done with your little night meeting with Ophelia!" she teased him.
"Y-y-you saw that?!"
"Less talking, more walking!"
It did not take long until they arrived.
"Mika? What are you doing here at such a late hour?" Yarjak, who was hanging around with Sara at the palace’s entrance, wondered.
"I want to know it for myself, too..."
"Mother called for him." Tija explained to her siblings.
"Oh, really?"
Yarjak slightly raised his eyebrows. He wondered what his mother wanted to talk about with Mika alone.
"..."
Sara had the same thought as she stared absentmindedly at Mika and Tija, who headed to the throne room.
"I’ve brought him with me, Mother." Tija announced themselves uprightly.
She opened the door.
"Good evening. I apologize for calling you this late." Cylia apologized genuinely from her throne.
"N-no, it’s nothing to apologize about your Highness..." Mika replied nervously.
He was about to prostrate.
"Please, don’t bow down." Cylia stated with a smile and a hand that signaled him to stop.
"?"
It was an odd sight with Mika standing in front of the throne, while Tija was on her knee.
"Let me first praise your classmates for their splendid performance. Not only the participants but also those, who came to watch, have learned a lot from you." Cylia said kindly.
"I-I’m honored to hear your words..."
She chuckled lightly.
"You can drop the formalities with me." she suggested.
"B-but...!"
Then, she got up from her throne and slowly walked over to Mika.
"I have hopes that the match changed the students’ view on foreigners. However, that’s not what I wanted to talk about with you."
"!"
Mika’s eyes enlarged.
Cylia Tiam, the queen of Grat and the headmaster of the academy of Youra, was prostrating herself in front of Mika.
"My daughter Tija told me about you and I apologize for not realizing it sooner."
"Wh-what’s the meaning of this...?!"
[Ah.]
"You’re the promised person, right?"
"Promised person...?"
"I think it was about 20 years ago when I met a man, who was an angel." Cylia said.
"!"
"Neither could I believe my eyes nor my ears. However, soon I started to believe that man and the concept of angels existing."
"He told me that he was on a journey to find a successor. Someone, whom he called the promised person. The one, who will save humanity from the demons and monsters. At first, I thought he was joking. After all, I couldn’t believe that a single person could achieve that. But that man remained stern." she added.
She lifted her face and looked straight into Mika’s eyes. freēwēbnovel.com
"And today, I’m finally standing in front of the promised person, whose powers matched the man’s description."
"I still think you have the wrong p-"
[No, it is you.]
"..."
"Mika Elbar."
Cylia lowered her face once more.
"As the queen of Grat may I request your help?"
"W-what kind of help do you need from me...?"
"All the time, I rejected the North’s plea to form a special unit to take the monster down but with you in the picture, the operation could be successful."
"Are you talking about..."
Mika had a bad feeling.
"Yes. It’s about ’The Nightmare in the Sea’, Leviathan." Cylia stated with a drop of sweat rolling down her forehead.
He raised his eyebrows after hearing its real name for the first time.
"Once again I ask you. Is it possible for you to help us?"
Mika pondered for a moment.
From what he had heard and based on his gut feeling, it appeared like Leviathan was a lot more dangerous than Zaran, a top A-rank demon and was most likely at least on the same level as Shira, the king of the Great Jungle and a semi-transcendental being according to the system.
"I’m sorry... But you’re overestimating me..." Mika admitted softly.
"If I may voice out my opinion, I think that you’re a very strong individual. You were able to handle Payl and his companions, who were all strong individuals, effortlessly. To me, it seems like you are underestimating yourself." Tija stated.
"..."
Mika was rendered speechless.
"Then, how about this?"
Cylia got on her feet.
"!"
Instinctively, Mika jumped to the back.
"This will really make me look like Olivia..." Cylia sighed.
In her hand appeared the same sword Sara was wielding all the time.
"As it appears like you’re denying yourself, I, the queen, order you to fight me!" she announced vigorously as she pointed her sword at him.
"W-w-what?!"
Tija also distanced herself from her mother and happened to pass by Mika.
"Just for your information, Mother is extremely strong. It was only because she prioritized her work as this nation’s queen that she gave up her seat in the Grand Order." Tija whispered as she gave him a wink.
"Thanks for the information..." Mika responded gloomily.
His gaze wandered to her sword.
"It’s exactly the same..."
Like it was explained to him, Sara was only borrowing the relic, whereas her mother was the original wielder of it.
But Mika had no time to think. freёwebnovel.com
"!"
[2 minutes and 15 seconds left.]
In a hurry, Mika transformed and pulled out Excalibur in order to block Cylia’s attempt to slash him.
"Oh, would you look at that~"
"..."
Once he transformed, Mika felt calmer.
"Tija, please alert everyone in the palace to be on standby and to not enter the throne room." Cylia ordered.
A smirk formed on her face.
"I wonder if the throne room will withstand this battle..." she stated.
