Wizard: I crush legends with martial arts.

I waited for quite a while.

Queen Junoun's image was then revealed on the crystal ball.

Although her beautiful face still carried a somewhat languid expression and showed signs of fatigue, she looked to be in good spirits. Her loose, fiery red curly hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a sapphire-encrusted hair ring. Two strands of curly hair still hung down on either side of her pretty face. She had also unusually applied light eyeshadow, and judging from her lip color, it seemed she had also applied lip gloss, which was exceptionally pink and added a touch of charm.

She seemed to have dressed up and applied light makeup, which was quite stunning and even caught Alphonse's eye.

Little did they know that Queen Junoen had specially ordered her maids to dress and groom Alphonse Alphonse, as she had learned that Alphonse had returned safely to the Frostwind Territory and wanted to communicate with him magically. This was why she was delayed.

Queen Junoen couldn't understand why she kept thinking about Alphonse, and why her heart would beat faster whenever her image appeared.

If she weren't so busy, she would have liked to take an airship and go to the northern border again for a patrol.

Seeing Alphonse's slightly surprised widening of his eyes made her feel that putting on light makeup and meeting him again was worthwhile.

Normally, she would never do something like this.

"Good day, Your Majesty. How have you been lately? You seem to be doing well. What brings you here?" Alphonse asked with a smile, as if making small talk.

Having met a few times in the capital and spent some time together, Alphonse understood perfectly well that Queen Junon did not like people who were overly respectful and obsequious to her; a more casual and polite approach was far better.

After all, he had saved her life, and she would always remember that kindness.

"I heard you were assassinated and disappeared without a trace, leaving the position of Lord of Coldwind Territory vacant. As the king, you should always be concerned when your subjects are in trouble," Queen Junon said calmly. Her face was still tense, but her heart was beating even faster. She could even clearly hear her own heart pounding.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Alphonse smiled again.

"It's not entirely out of concern. You're a talented person, and I hope you're safe and sound. It's also so that you can better utilize your talents under my command. You've truly brought me so many surprises! Master Camille has already reported to me that it was you who proposed the idea of ​​the Magic Train. You have outstanding wisdom and foresight. The Magic Train's realization is an outstanding contribution to the kingdom, and you deserve to be rewarded!" Queen Junon suppressed her emotions and said seemingly casually.

Alphonse paused for a moment. The Queen's subtext seemed to be that because one was capable, one should work hard for her and be completely drained of all value.

But a reward is given, which doesn't sound too bad.

"I wonder what Your Majesty intends to bestow upon me?"

"Hasn't my decree already been issued? It's just that you hadn't returned yet, so Mia didn't dare to make the decision for you on her own. As long as you agree, you will become the master of the Five-Colored Flower Fortress and lead that legion," Queen Junon said.

Alphonse was stunned. This was hardly a reward; it was clearly a trap!

"I beg Your Majesty to rescind your order. I have already exhausted myself governing Coldwind Territory. I really cannot lead that legion any longer. I have no ambition; I just want to live a peaceful life in Coldwind Territory."

Seeing Alphonse's radiant smile, Queen Junon was furious. This damned fellow seemed to have no interest in honor or standing out from the crowd; all he cared about was eating, drinking, and having fun. Despite his immense strength, he was content to remain a minor lord.

If he hadn't issued the decree that elevated Coldwind Territory to a count's territory, he probably would have just wanted to be a lowly baron.

"As far as I know, the administration of Coldwind Territory is entirely managed by your aide Simon; you don't need to expend any effort at all!"

Seeing Queen Junon's displeasure, Alphonse quickly interrupted her, "The troops stationed in the Five-Colored Flower Fortress are all soldiers separated from the Northern Legion, which means they are essentially Duke Kablev's men. Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for me."

"Those soldiers are from the Northern Legion, but the officers are elites dispatched from the capital. They are capable enough to manage their troops. You only need to go and be nominally in charge. The border adjacent to Berzak does indeed need a strong person to guard it. Previously, many tribes in the Berzak Kingdom were scattered and separated by mountains, so there was no invasion of Bastian, which made me somewhat negligent. However, I do not want a disaster like the beast tide to happen again." Queen Junon said seriously with a cold face.

Hearing Queen Junon's words, Alphonse sensed something was amiss and immediately changed the subject, "Your Majesty, didn't you want to consolidate power in the hands of the various nobles? But you also granted the Mujik family's territory to Duke Kablev's second son. Isn't this tantamount to boosting the Kablev family's power? Is it all just to divert such a small number of soldiers from the Northern Legion?"

"It's not that simple. I'm currently implementing new reforms, granting the Golden Sands Territory to Duke Kabrev's second son in exchange for his support to ensure the implementation of the new policies," Queen Junon said. "Duke Kabrev is a wise man; he clearly understands how to gain more benefits from the new social order, and he has made the right choice."

Alphonse then understood what was going on, scratched his head, and said, "I really have a lot of important things to do lately, and I don't have time to manage a legion. As I told Your Majesty before, the sorcery I know was taught to me by a bard named Edson. He is currently in Coldwind Territory and needs my help. I won't be staying for long this time. I will probably go with him to the Kingdom of Izmir tomorrow."

"You're abandoning your post and going to the Kingdom of Izmir?" Queen Junon's expression changed slightly. "What exactly happened?"

"It's a long story, like a bolt of cloth," Alphonse pondered, wondering where to begin and what he couldn't tell Queen Junon.

"Let's start with your assassination attempt. What happened to you that caused you to leave Coldwind Territory for more than half a year?" Queen Junon was also eager to know what had happened to Alphonse.

He's also a little cunning; it's good to be able to chat with him a little longer.

"I was attacked by the demon sage Suguna and was teleported to the land of Fantalia, the land of the forsaken gods, by him using banishment magic. Then some things happened, which is why it took so long to return to Coldwind Territory."

"Explain in more detail."

Upon hearing that Alphonse had been assassinated by a demon sage, Queen Junon's expression changed drastically.

Previously, according to Mia's report, they had only discovered that a strangely shaped monster had appeared in the castle of Coldwind Territory and then hurriedly fled.

Thankfully, he's still perfectly fine on the other side of the crystal ball. (End of Chapter)