The Reborn Witch had a nice 'Tea Time' with the Dragon Queen today-Chapter 21: Trails Of Fire And Ice - Signs Of Disasters Behind Laughters (2)

The Kingdom of Alakarans, centred around the capital Oaergal, was known for its grandiose architecture and bustling markets. The castle, especially, was known for the grandiose marbles and gold that gleamed even at dawn, each written with a magic runes imprinted by the Great Hero Alice, a testament to the Hero's casual strength.

In the empty chamber of such a castle, a blonde, little girl in a robe kneeled down in front of a chessboard, as her brows furrowed with the hollowness of an impending defeat, defeat of which numbered in the thousands. In contrast, her opponent, the Majesty the Queen Elsara, only smirked with ease and lovingness, her eyes never left the board as the little girl's mind was racing faster than when she took a demon general's head in mach 15 speed.

Her fingernail scratched the royal carpet, the carpet now filled with marks of her frustration and helplessness, as she finally leaned back on her arms with a sigh, her gaze finally meeting the queen's knowing eyes.

"...now, the deal." The Queen's smiley tone was a knife's edge, as she leaned closer to the chessboard. "I won this game, so grant me the nakedness I desire, my-hero."

The little girl's eyes grew wide with horror, her cheeks redder than a dragon's flame, as she sputtered, "M-my majesty...this is unfair!"

Then she stomped her feet into standing up, her mana did well to be controlled within her turmoil, a patience instilled into her by her mentor. "You only competed with something you're good at! Try fighting! Or...sword-fighting! Isn't it more royal-like or something?"

"With a hero, that I must deny. Besides," a knowing glint spread across the queen's eyes as she admired the rare, flustered hero with her arrogance laid bare, "young Alice, do not forget it is you who proposed this to me first. It is natural to wish upon the same for a naughty heroine as one would a queen, is it not?"

A hitchy gasp stuck in the hero's throat. In the heat of moment, she forgot her pervertedness was also instilled into her by her mentor. "Well, I-I can't just—"

But their conversation was interrupted, as Alice felt a slight crack in the dimension, against the barrier of the room that was supposed to be shielded from the outside world. The chessboard rattled, the queen's eyes grew sharp as the mage's heart stilled.

Without hesitation, Alice summoned her gemmed staff, bloodlust oozing from her mana as the chessboard flipped over from the force. The queen's eyes hardened at Alice's cautiousness. A being able to break through the Dimensional lock in the throne room is no easy foe, and Alice's cautiousness amplified the uneasiness more.

And yet, a small portal was conjured that was opposed to their largely unnerved minds. Alice's eyes widened in shock, as a familiar peacock stumbled out of the portal, the blue mana unmistakably from her mentor.

"Pippy!" Alice ran to the peacock's aid, the bird's body remained unharmed, yet as a mage of legend, the bird's mana and her runed feathers suggested an urgency that was unbefitting of the flippant bird.

"What happened? What got you so hurried?" Alice kneeled down as she hugged the bird, the empty chamber of silence only drummed her heartbeats further into her ears, the thought of malice creeping into her mind as one, and only one that she was in complete denial for.

No, her master is strong. Pippy was merely in a hurry to deliver letters, as usual. Maybe a little too hurried, but...the bird has always been haughty and selfish, right? An elaborate excuse covered her blackened mind, one that would have perfectly hidden away her doubt, if not for the bursting mana that surrounded her, the carpets below her now frosty with her fear.

Yet alas, even that denial, that doubt surged out of her mind, with a single finality from the bird's cry.

"Help...master...danger..."

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

"..."

At first, the Queen gazed with worry, the back of the hero now seemed distant, as all forms of mana ceased around her, even the carpet below no longer was iced with frosts. The silence only grew heavier as the Queen reflected on the visit from the Dragon Elders, in this same chamber where all sounds were lost, all flows of air were stagnant, and the only sound was of the parrot's cry for help.

Tightening her hand into a fist, the Queen carefully, in as soothing of a voice as possible, stated to the unnerving hero, whose unknown fear had painted the room with coldness, "Alice, listen to me carefully."

"..."

No response, but better than an irrational yell with rage. The Queen gulped as she continued, recalling every bit of conversations with the Elders. "The details were vague, but the Dragon Elders have requested a meeting with me once, stating for peace that their Queen must reconcile with your master. A magic contract has been signed, and I have personally ensured that there was no trickery involved."

"..."

Alice didn't respond, as she put a fingertip on the parrot's cheek, the tiny bit of light comforting the parrot's fear, as she slowly but surely fell into sleep, unaware of the storm brewing inside the castle walls.

"The Queen...please trust her as she is your ally in the past, someone you've fought alongside with. She will be sincere in her words and actions, and she will not betray you or your master, let alone when she's your-"

"I peeked into Pippy's memory, and to ensure, I even 'took a glance' at my father's death. His mana...it disappeared without a trace."

Elsara froze, her heart shattering in hundred pieces, and her disbelief was only matched by the sudden chill in the room, but she gritted her teeth. The diplomatic consequence is unavoidable, and the Elders are no fool. The cunning politicians could not afford to anger the hero, and the Queen knew full well that this is something as undeniable as the peace the Dragon Queen offered.

"The death is not certain, Alice." The Queen spoke up with a calmness that was forced into existence, her eyes reflecting the seriousness of the situation. "The parrot may have only sensed something amiss, or perhaps it was just a trick of the mind. Or that...there is something after the 'death' you have ascertained. But I assure you, the diplomatic elders could not afford your wrath and the destruction you once promised them. They will not risk their peace treaties over a whim."

"Yet my father did die, didn't he?" Alice's voice was cold, as cold as the room had suddenly become. She didn't look at the Queen, her gaze was only for the unconscious parrot, her thoughts racing.

"Let's take a hundred steps back, and assume there is a ritual to resurrect someone after they die, is a life that could be resurrected not considered a life? For what reason, what audacity they have to treat my father's life like a game of poker?" A calm, neutral voice settled, no mana outbursts, no anger tantrum, just a solemn and quiet seething of an anger so deep it could freeze the entire throne room.

"Adrei...she did kill him, didn't she?" Alice lied down the parrot, her lingering gaze at her master's beloved pet. The usual annoyance from this spoiled pet now only seemed more tilting, as if a spill would flood the demon king's castle.

Alice took a deep, deep breath, a breath for puffing out the frustration, the rage, the sense of betrayal. When that didn't work, the hold on the staff grew tighter, as she slipped into her robe's pocket, taking out a pack of her master's beloved.

"My Queen. I must apologise for what I am about to do next." The Queen watched as Alice took in a lit cigarette in her lips, the blue eyes that gazed back at her was haunted full of sorrows and bloodlust, the smoke around her curling like a slaughtered village of demons she once threw a meteor for.

"If I do not come back in 3 days, tell every old farts in the royal court." Then, she walked away, leaving a trail of frosty air that even the Queen felt a shiver, not from the cold, but from the unspoken hatred that hung in the air.

"That they should dig a huge graveyard for the end of Dragons."