Four days had passed since the end of that battle.
During this period, there hadn't been any more attacks from the Abyssal Court.
But this is not the end of the story, and Fuchi must be planning a much larger attack.
I'm sure the Queen is thinking the same thing.
But there's no need to worry, as long as I'm here, the Abyssal Court has no chance of winning, even if the Earth's Most High himself is involved.
Even if they know they can't beat me and call for support from the other gods, there's no need to worry too much.
In this universe, there are only those three gods who can fight against themselves, and there will only ever be those three. He would not personally intervene because of a minor dispute on a certain planet.
So now it was just a matter of continuing to stay here in peace.
At the very least──I can't leave here until I'm sure the Queen is safe.
With that, I set this goal in my mind.
I brought my attention back to reality from my thoughts.
The white ceiling with a crystal chandelier was immediately in front of my eyes.
I've been lying on my back on the bed for a long time. This was the room the Queen had prepared for me earlier.
Lifting up the quilt covering my body, I lazily sat up from the bed and looked out the window. Looking through the clear glass window at the sky colored red by the setting sun, I murmured in a low voice.
"Today is also a smooth day ah ..."
Just then, a few knocks suddenly sounded outside the door.
"Danley, you should be awake, right? Is it convenient for me to come in now?"
The Queen's voice came into the room from outside the door.
In that case, this should be the first time she took the initiative to come to me, right?
"Uhm ... Uh, awake."
Having been bored all day, I reluctantly picked myself up and responded to the Queen, but my words still revealed my current state.
As if sensing something, the Queen was silent for a while outside the door.
The Queen's sudden silence made me a little nervous, and I tentatively opened my mouth to ask.
"What's wrong ...?"
"No ... Nothing, wait for me."
Accompanied by the Queen's words, the strange sound of a spatial rift being opened resounded from outside the door, and the Queen appeared to have suddenly thought of something and temporarily turned back.
Not long after, the sound of a spatial rift being opened once again reached my ears, and the Queen returned to the door of the room.
"Then, I'll go in."
"Hmm."
With the sound of a creak as the door was opened, the Queen entered the room I was in.
The moment I turned my head to look at the Queen, and her silhouette was reflected in my eyes, I immediately shifted my eyes away from the Queen in a panic.
It couldn't be helped, because the image in front of me caused a huge impact on me who had already humanized my thoughts.
The Queen was currently wearing an attire that made me incredulous. Every time she took a step forward, her black suede heels clattered against the floor and made the air click, and covering her slender legs was a tight dress with lace trim. Her delicate hands and white insteps were visible, and the sleeveless black dress emphasized her beautiful figure. The Queen of Shadows, who was as cold as an iceberg, was now walking towards me with a sexy look. Although she didn't make any alluring movements or gestures, that look alone was enough to shock my heart.
Seeing the queen in this outfit, I was so flustered that I couldn't do anything decent, and could only continue to turn my head to the side.
Seeing my panicked appearance, the Queen sighed slightly, with a "I knew it." She looked like "I knew it.
"It's nothing, it's just a necessary perk. That'll cheer you up, won't it? What we're going to talk about next is crucial, and I'll be troubled if you don't get to participate seriously."
Even if the Queen expressed this, I couldn't look directly at her again, my insides were already deer in the headlights.
"Dang... Dang... Of course, of course I can get pumped up. Uh, right ..."
This sudden situation caught me so off guard that I couldn't even speak properly.
"Forget about that for now ... Come with me."
"Hey? Uhm ..."
Already red in the face, I slowly stood up, trying not to let my eyes meet the Queen's.
"Ugh... Too good an effect?"
Seeing me in this state where I had some difficulty even looking straight ahead, the Queen finally couldn't look on anymore. She quickly walked towards me and grabbed my wrist, which was in a state of confusion.
The panic in my body and mind was relieved by the Queen's warm hand, and shame began to grow inside me.
Ah──Why is this happening?
Why is my body and mind so agitated? Why is it so hard for me to look at her right now?
What's wrong with me?
Are these human emotions?
Just as I was about to fall into a whirlpool of confusing thoughts, there was a slight tug on my sleeve.
"Wake up, we're here."
I snapped back to my senses, only to realize that I had unknowingly arrived in what looked like a conference room.
The ornate décor aside, the interior was dominated by a huge circular conference table and several leather chairs surrounding it.
"I apologize ... The shock was just too much to ..."
I was going to go on about something, but thought better of it.
"Is it still too exciting for you ... Do you want me to change back to my original costume? Don't force it if you really can't stand it."
"No, no, no need to change, just continue like this ... Just like this ..."
It's definitely not because I'm enjoying this current look of hers, it's definitely not because any impure thoughts have arisen in my head, definitely not.
Rather, I didn't want to let the Queen's good intentions go to waste, and she was probably wearing this to cheer me up.
I pinched my cheeks to try and regain my composure, and when my emotions calmed down, I let out a long breath of relief.
Now I was finally able to look directly at the Queen without panicking.
... Let's put those questions aside for now, the next point is not about those things.
"Then let's get to the point."
The Queen pulled out a chair and sat down, folding her hands on the large circular table, her expression becoming quite serious.
From her attitude, it was clear that the next topic was quite important, probably to the extent that the future was at stake.
"I think you've also noticed that Fuchiai hasn't made any moves lately, so I guess they're preparing for a larger scale attack."
The Queen was really thinking the same thing.
I nodded as the Queen continued.
"It's only recently that I've been targeted for elimination by the Abyssal Court, and minus the time when they sent someone to persuade me to give up resistance fourteen days ago, the Abyssal Court has carried out two attacks so far. The first time was a tentative attack by sending some stragglers, and the second time was to have a powerful high-ranking angel lead an army of tens of thousands to attack this place, but--"
"They were all taken care of by me."
"That's right."
Danley picked up on the part the Queen had been slow to say because of her hesitation, and the Queen nodded at that.
"Now that they must have learned of your existence, they will surely send another stronger battle force to attack this place next."
No, because of the fact that I stole a bit of maneuvering during both battles, it's impossible for that side to perceive my presence.
But it's still delicate to keep this matter a secret, otherwise it would only make the Queen realize that I'm still hiding something from her, and that would only raise her suspicion of me once again.
"Yes ... But I'm not afraid of them, and there's no way I'm leaving you alone to face them, after all, it's all been arranged, so how can I back out?" "Won't leave me alone ... ?..."
The Queen seemed to have been touched somewhere inside by these words, and instantly revealed a hint of sadness.
I was a bit concerned about this, this was the first time the Queen had shown such an expression, previously she had always shown herself in a high and cool demeanor, not to be shaken by vulnerability due to some impulsive phenomena or words.
What is she thinking now? This became the thing I was most curious about now.
"Nothing, if that's the case, then it's the best."
The Queen pressed her forehead with her left hand by pushing aside her long straight bangs and sighed after closing her eyes.
I frowned, surprised by such a reaction from the Queen.
"What's wrong ...?"
I was puzzled and concerned about the Queen. The Queen replied after shaking her head as if for the sake of it.
"Nothing, just suddenly remembered something unimportant."
It's not really believable coming from a woman with sad eyes.
I wonder if she's letting her guard down too much? It's not right to be easily swayed by someone else's words, unless it's a fake act to induce the other party to misjudge her mental state, but she doesn't have the need to do that.
"Anyway, for now, let's formulate a plan to deal with it."
The Queen who barely managed to maintain her calm expression hurriedly brought up the key topic she was originally going to talk about.
"The other side is an Earth management force led by successive generations of Earth Supremes, and there are quite a few powerful angels under their command, and the high-ranking angel you defeated is probably considered to be at the top level. However, the long years of war with the Shadow Clan have also caused the Abyssal Court to lose many powerful combatants, so the
Abyssal Court's overall strength is actually much lower now."
"But it's incredibly tricky for us, who are thin on power ... "
"More than tricky, there's not even any hope of defeating it. Not to mention those angels, that Earth Supreme alone is an existence we can't defeat. As the owner of the Earth Division's power, successive generations of Earth Supremacy have been able to use all of Earth's natural and supernatural phenomena as their own abilities, which makes it difficult for him to use them.
abilities, which also makes it difficult for him to be defeated by the rest of the gods and beings on Earth."
"Hmmm ... All the phenomena of Earth? ..."
Faced with these complicated explanations, I scratched the back of my neck a few times and fell into deep thought, seemingly puzzled by the Queen's explanations.
No, I actually understand all of these things, but I still have to act like I don't, as the old saying goes, in order to keep the Queen from getting suspicious.
"The original Shadow Clan was able to fight against the Abyssal Court for a long time because there was always a strong person with the 'Shadow Division Ruler' in the clan who was able to fight against the Earth Supreme, and because the Shadow Clan itself had quite a few powerful warriors. However, during a battle, our Shadow Master was killed by the Earth Supreme, and with his death, the Shadow Clan lost the capital to fight against the Abyssal Court, and the Shadow Clan has been gradually eliminated by the Abyssal Court since then."
The Queen stated this expressionlessly. It was obvious that she didn't feel sorry at all for the near-total annihilation of the Shadow Clan.
But since she said that the Shadow Master at that time had died, then which lucky person would be the current Shadow Master?
According to the law laid down by the founding gods, the moment the Master himself is completely annihilated, the power of that thing will fall to the first being or deity that is judged to be the most suitable to inherit it, and the people of the Shadow Clan must be the favorites in the multiverse────────
Just as I thought of that──a small speculation appeared in my mind. Although it was extremely unlikely, and it was still worth asking.
"The Division is in charge ah... I seem to know that, by the way, do you know who the Shadow Mastery is in right now?"
Upon hearing that question, the Queen let out a long sigh──
".... In fact, it's currently in my body, but I'm not sure when I inherited it, and by the time I realized it, I had already left the Shadow Clan for more than ten years."
So the profound power that I've always felt in the Queen is the Shadow's Mastery ability?... Surely not a simple character.
It seems that she may have the qualifications to become a cosmic god.
A doubt that had been occupying his heart for a long time was finally solved, and he immediately felt a sense of clarity.
Just then, perhaps to prevent me from having a wrong perception of her strength? The Queen hurriedly added:.
"But I'm still not as strong as the Shadow Master at that time, so don't expect me to fight against the Earth Supreme."
"If you could fight the Earth Supreme, you wouldn't be here talking about these issues."
The Queen gazed at me, who was smiling slightly bitterly, and the atmosphere gradually became gloomy.
"So, Danley, are you willing to fight with the Abyssal Court until the last moment and sacrifice your life? Do you have that realization?"
Ah──that's a question that's too good for me to answer.
However, it's not because of any strong will that I'm willing to give up my life like this, although I care about the Queen, it's not to the extent that I'm quite serious about it.
Mostly because I had the power, I could make sure I could help her defeat her opponents, and the Queen currently held a certain amount of weight in my heart.
"That's for sure, after all, I've already made an alliance with you, so how can I not help until the end? Besides, death is not something I'm afraid of, it's the most important thing to live a meaningful life. And to be honest, I'm probably already considered a threat by the Abyssal Court, right? Even if I choose to run away for good, they definitely won't let me off easily."
"You're so stupid ... To choose to risk your life in order to help someone you haven't known for a long time fight a battle that you have no chance of winning. But this is good, at least I won't die alone."
"Yes... ..."
Don't be silly, how could I possibly let you die at their hands?
"That's it for now, you can go back to rest ."
The Queen smoothed her long hair with her hand and stood up, then snapped her fingers, and the familiar huge space rift appeared in front of my eyes once again.
"I'll take my leave then."
I walked straight into the rift, and then returned to my room in a flash.
I picked up the glass jug that seemed like it would shatter if I dropped it lightly, and poured the drink inside into a glass. As I sipped, I began to ponder.
I was surprised by the Queen's fragile behavior because of herself a few times today.
In the end, what exactly did she think of at that time.
The thing that made her show that kind of expression, was it some kind of sad memory, or ...
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
What should I do next, and what is the way to get out of this situation ...? To be honest, I don't have a clue.
I've thought about these issues before, but I'm as clueless as I am now.
There is no strong enough backer ヽno means to escape from Earth ヽno ability to fight against it.
The Earth Supreme was too powerful for his side, and although himself and Danli also possessed great strength, this degree was still far from enough to defeat the Earth Supreme.
To be honest, the strength of the two of them was probably still lower than some of the current Archangels of the Abyssal Court.
Although they knew that their side had no chance of winning, they were also unwilling to surrender to the Abyssal Court.
Not only was it not permissible in terms of self-respect, but such a choice would also be tantamount to betraying Danli's heart and realization, wasting all of his previous efforts and achievements.
It was better to fight to the end than to be slaughtered and killed by the enemy.
Like Danli, death is not scary for him, but rather a humiliating and undignified death.
To put it bluntly, he had decided to fight until he was annihilated.
However, if there was a way to avoid being wiped out, I would be happy to try it.
That's pretty much the conclusion, so it's useless to think about it any longer──
The Queen, who was lying on her side on the bed covered with a quilt, snapped back to reality, and her pupils, which had been relaxed and out of focus, refocused.
Perhaps because it was a bit late, her eyes grew heavy, and her beautiful snow-white face was gradually colored with a sense of sleep.
Putting all the worries behind her for the time being, she decided to rest first.
As the night dwindled, the icy beauty on the bed closed her eyes and temporarily fell into a deep sleep---
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
It was a gloomy morning.
The sun was covered by dark clouds, making it impossible for the sun to shine on the earth; the air became hot and humid, and the sky began to drizzle.
The Queen ushered in her morning in a gloomy atmosphere.
As she had just woken up, the queen was still sleepy. She put her hand over her yawn and pulled back the covers, and stood up beside the bed.
At that moment, a memory in her mind was reawakened, and there was something important she had to do today---
As if realizing something, the Queen suddenly flicked her eyes to the side.
There was someone in the corridor outside the room -- but it wasn't someone suspicious, it was a familiar man.
"What are you doing outside my room? Danley?"
"Hey ... What are you doing here?"
As Danley's voice rang out from outside the room, the Queen became even more certain that it was Danley himself outside the door.
Through her innate extraordinary sensory ability, the Queen was able to easily detect the entire interior of the castle, and this level was naturally no different.
"... I was just about to ask why you're here."
"Ah ... This ah ... I got lost."
There was no falsehood mixed in his words, the current Danley was indeed lost.
Out of long-accumulated boredom and curiosity about the entire castle, Danley had been exploring around the entire castle during the nighttime hours, the first time he had ever done so.
Now it looked like he had come to a place he shouldn't just approach at the worst possible time.
"This isn't a good time to talk, is it, you come in first."
"... Understood."
Wistfully, Danley opened the door to the room, now worrying if the Queen had increased her suspicion of him again.
Would he have to face her questioning as soon as he entered, or would he find himself transported to the same interrogation room he had been in in the first place as soon as he opened the door, these thoughts swept through Danley's mind.
He mentally prayed that this would not happen again.
Those bad things that Danley had feared in his mind didn't materialize as he walked into the room and came face to face with the Queen.
Instead, the Queen stood before him, her face still covered in a layer of sleep, but still unable to hide her stunning beauty.
Her long soft hair had not become messy due to the flopping of her body, and was swaying slightly with the wind. Dressed in a white cotton short-sleeved housecoat, the thin hemline of the shirt completely covered the short mini-pants. Even the queen who had just woken up was still as beautiful as usual.
Danli smiled. The Queen turned around with a skeptical expression, but she also couldn't tell from Danley's reaction that he was lying in any way.
"Since you came uninvited, it saves me from having to pro myself to find you, and I happen to have a place I want to go right now ... Will you accompany me on this trip?"
As soon as he heard this request from the Queen, Danli instantly recalled the light when he was brought to the interrogation by the Queen at that time, and many bad images immediately arose in his mind.
"Don't worry about it, it's not a strange place, I just want you to be an escort, so that you won't be attacked by angels."
The Queen seemed to have seen through Danli's worries and added an explanation.
Hearing this, Danley pressed his hand to his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it wasn't a haunted place, he hoped that there wouldn't be any enemies to disturb him.
"I won't come if I don't want to--"
"I'll go."
"Then come with me."
The Queen traced a beautiful trajectory in the air with her slender white arm, followed by a snow-white fissure that had never been seen before that was reflected in Danli's eyes.
It was as if there was a layer of pure white clouds surrounding it, and from time to time, it emitted a high and pure light.
It seemed that the appearance of the opening should have something to do with the destination, this was the first thought that came to Danli's mind after seeing it.
For some reason, it felt like there was a chill coming from inside, constantly brushing against Danley's uncovered cheeks.
But it didn't matter, this doubt couldn't change Danly's decision.
He had to go along, in order to protect the first existence that had a certain importance to him.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
Even though he had a feeling about it, he didn't expect that it would actually lead to the snowy ground──Danley walked on the snow-covered ground and sighed with emotion.
There wasn't anything strange along the way, just the cold wind and the snowflakes falling down to decorate the surrounding scenery.
Each footstep made a thick crunching sound as they walked towards an unknown destination.
"Actually, I have a question."
"?"
"Why don't you just teleport us to our destination? Wouldn't it be more convenient ... Or was it simply done for the sake of some sort of atmosphere or ritual?"
Danli told the Queen all the questions and answers he had been pondering in his heart for a long time, only to see the Queen reply without hesitation---"Both.
"Both."
"Uh ... Uh ..."
The blunt answer left Ponton Danley a bit dumbfounded, but he didn't mind for long as the next scene quickly drew his attention away.
As he passed through the chasm, Danly realized that her clothing in front of him had suddenly changed into a white dress, as if by magic, but it was probably a little trick to make the change easier, eye-catching but not really worth caring about. As for the dress, there was no highlights.
It was just an ordinary white dress.
Danli subconsciously thought that this might be a part of some kind of ceremony, what kind of ceremony would require her to dress like this?
Danley was interested, but didn't show it, just followed the queen normally.
After walking in the snow for almost ten minutes, they finally arrived at their final destination after crossing a large snowfield.
At this moment, Danley didn't know how far it was from the old castle, after all, his own perception ability had already been super drastically weakened by himself. He could only focus on the important companion to his left and the tombstone she was kneeling at.
It was a rectangular headstone made of stone. The monument stood on top of the snow, and it was obvious from its well-worn appearance that it was hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.
The queen clasped her hands together and prayed silently with a sad expression. The appearance as if in memory of a long gone important person, Danli vaguely saw a crystal clear tear drop from the queen's, he was not sure whether it was his mistake.
Danley didn't know what to say or what to do at this moment.
All he could do was stand silently and watch over her.
Danley looked around and made sure there was no sign of enemies before turning his attention back to the Queen.
At this time, the Queen's sympathy thoughts had also ended, relaxing her folded hands, she slowly stood up. Upon closer inspection, her snow-white cheeks did not have any tear marks.
Perhaps it was really a mistake just now.
But what kind of person's tombstone was this? Her best friend? Or a lover?
At this point, the queen had already sensed Danli's curiosity about her behavior, and after thinking that there was no harm in telling Danli, she began to state her past.
"This tombstone ... was erected by me in honor of my late mother, whose remains are buried beneath it."
My eyes widened as I continued to listen in amazement.
"... She was one of the few kind beings in the clan, and the only one I have ever trusted and loved so far. I told you, didn't I? Most of ShadowClan is evil by nature, but my mother is a rare exception. Since I was born, she has nurtured and raised me with proper values, taught me the skills of battle and the art of intellect."
The Queen pursed her lips through clenched teeth before saying in a slightly angry tone.
"But ... It was all ruined by that vicious father and the bad clansmen who killed mother ..."
The Queen's face turned heavier, the upper half of her face seemingly casting a shadow.
"That's all I can say, I'm sorry ..."
Sadness surged through the Queen's heart, which was also mixed with a strong sense of unwillingness and hatred, as if it would break out at any time.
The Queen forced herself to hold back her agitation and ended this confession.
"It's okay, it's me who shouldn't ask you such questions."
Danli knew deep down that the front was the taboo range that could not be touched, so he had no intention of pursuing the follow-up.
After heavily listening to all this, Danli couldn't help but feel a pang of heart boredom, at this moment the brain's thinking began to operate rapidly.
The usually cool and strong woman turned out to have a tragic past.
She had experienced a tragic tragedy in a place that was currently out of her reach.
Could he do something for her? Comfort her? Or would it be better to take the world back to the moment before the tragedy, so that she could change what had happened?
No, neither.
It's time to keep quiet and stay out of this.
As one of the three supreme gods in charge of the multiverse, how can one easily use this power for a tiny planetary being.
The Founding Gods didn't give us the title of Supreme God to control the Multiverse so that we could do something like this...
That's not true. The current Queen wasn't a small planetary being to me, but an important companion, a comrade-in-arms who would go forward together with me.
But even so, one shouldn't arbitrarily force this planet to go back in time just to change her misfortune, not even if she was an important companion────
Struggling inwardly, he was still unable to make a decision on what to do.
After a fierce struggle of thoughts, she could only choose to maintain the status quo for now, and decide later depending on the situation.
The Queen looked suspiciously at Danley, who had lowered his gaze, worried that the man who was her companion had been emotionally affected by his statement and reaction to what he had just gone through, which had indeed been the case.
"Are you alright?"
Unlike in the past where it had all been a cold, emotionless concern, this time there was a tone of obvious concern.
"It's fine, I was just temporarily thinking about something."
The broken reply couldn't be hidden from the Queen, she could already tell that Danley had become this depressed because of himself just now.
There was no longer the initial clever response, the present-day Danli's importance to the Queen was increasing with each passing day, and gradually began to dominate with emotion when facing issues related to the Queen.
"Anyway ... That's enough for today, go back."
In order to avoid the bad state of affairs from continuing, the Queen hurriedly proposed a return trip.
Danli nodded in agreement, after all, now that the main process of the ritual was over, talking here for too long would also disturb her mother's resting place.
Before she could take a step, a tiny sound reached Danley's ears.
"And ..."
"Huh?"
"... Thank you."
It was as raw as the first time she had ever thanked another person, and though brief, a thousand words were implied in it.
Hearing her softly thanking herself, Danley couldn't help but have the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile.
There was something lovely about her, Danley thought with all his heart.
"You're quite reasonable, I'm a bit surprised."
"Hm? Is that so ... Wait, doesn't that mean that the impression I left in your mind earlier was a cold one?"
"Yes."
"You... ..."
It was impossible to discern any dissatisfaction or anger from the Queen's reaction, instead it was more like a sparse conversation.
However, this was the first time that such a cozy atmosphere of interaction had appeared between the two, and both parties felt this subtle but not offensive shift.
Without further stopping, the two of them set off on their return journey, gradually moving away from the monument, which continued to be bathed in a rain of snowflakes.
The monument standing in the snow was like a witness to the warming of their relationship, silently watching them leave together.