"Yes! Your Majesty!"
Surrounded by Delilah and Victor, Sophia slowly walked back to that luxurious and shock-absorbing carriage.
The wind and snow swirled behind her cape. Her aloof and solitary back, set against the lead-grey skylight, exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.
It wasn't until the heavy carriage door clicked shut that the solidified air within the camp seemed to have a hole torn open in it, releasing a long-suppressed howling.
The three corpses on the snowy ground were still emitting faint heat. The bright red blood was rapidly freezing into dark red ice slag, a shocking sight.
The refugees originally lined up at the porridge stall were now not just kneeling on both knees, but were prostrating their entire bodies in the freezing muddy water.
That trembling originating from the depths of their souls even overshadowed the hunger in their bellies.
The thought that 'death isn't scary, starving to death is scary' vanished completely, leaving only a thirst for life.
"Did you see that?"
A man who originally harbored resentment and planned to run away after getting porridge now had a pale face, his teeth chattering violently.
"That wasn't a musket, that was Divine Punishment.
Rumors said Mason's weapons take a long time to load, but Her Majesty just now... she didn't even blink, and the thunder sounded three times in succession."
"That is Mason's Will."
An old farmer trembled as he held a chipped wooden bowl, his turbid eyes full of fanaticism.
"She bestowed upon us warm porridge, and also bestowed cold iron upon the rebels.
Your Majesty... she is a True God walking in the wind and snow."
In the minds of the refugees, Sophia's lazy wrist-rubbing motion just now was interpreted as a lack of interest in mortals daring to provoke Divine Authority. Her cold departure was seen as a final judgment on the fate of ants.
At this moment, not a single refugee dared to harbor crooked thoughts anymore.
In their eyes, Mason's border line was no longer a simple wooden fence and stone wall, but a Divine domain interwoven with thunder and Holy Light, insurmountable by mortals.
The gaze of the garrison commander standing on the City wall looking at the carriage was almost burning up.
"Did you see how steady Her Majesty's hand was?" the commander lowered his voice and said to the adjutant, his tone full of pride.
"Three shots, all hitting vital points.
Even the most elite Musketeers might not be this calm in that kind of sudden situation.
Your Majesty not only strategizes for a thousand miles within the Palace, but her martial power... has probably exceeded our imagination."
The adjutant nodded heavily: "That is the 'Queen's Special Edition' weapon provided specially for Her Majesty by Miss Irene.
But without Her Majesty's bearing of remaining unchanged even if Mount Tai collapsed before her, even the best weapon would just be scrap iron.
Furthermore, Her Majesty protecting Saint Daphne like that shows she values everyone under her command very highly.
Following such a monarch, why worry that Mason won't prosper?"
The soldiers straightened their spines, gripping the long spears in their hands tighter.
They even felt that standing guard in this bone-piercing cold wind was a supreme glory.
Because behind them stood a ruler who could decide life and death in an instant.
On the high platform, Daphne retreated to the rear, farther away from the queue, under the protection of the guards.
Her position no longer directly contacted every refugee; instead, she was separated by a sturdy raw iron railing.
This sense of distance made her feel a trace of loneliness, but when she looked at those three corpses, that saintly heart within her was replaced by an unprecedented sobriety.
"I was too stupid, really too stupid."
Daphne clenched her fingers, her knuckles turning white from the force.
"Your Majesty braved the severe cold to come personally to the border, not just to see the refugees, but to act as a shield for me, this disappointing Magical Girl.
If she weren't here today, my blood would have gone cold in this mud, and Mason's spring would have withered along with it."
Daphne looked at the carriage in the distance. The pure admiration in her emerald eyes had evolved into a firm sense of following.
"Your Majesty doesn't need a Saint who only knows how to cry; what Mason needs is a powerhouse who can stand side by side with the Queen.
From today on, my healing arts will no longer be cheap charity, but an extension of Her Majesty's will."
She took a deep breath and raised her staff again.
The emerald light remained holy, but within it, there was faintly a trace of biting prestige.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage worshipped by the whole army and revered by the myriad subjects...
"Hiss— it hurts, hurts, hurts!"
Sophia collapsed without any image onto the thick cushion Willow had prepared before departure.
While rubbing her shoulder which was aching from the recoil, she worriedly looked at that exquisite Black Rose short gun.
Irene, that pit! She added too much gunpowder!
Although the power is great and the rate of fire is fast, this recoil is simply going to shake my small frame apart.
Sophia lifted the curtain, looking at the refugees kneeling like a tide outside, their eyes written full of worship for a God, and sighed helplessly.
Forget it, just consider the Tyrant persona stabilized by another step.
"Your Majesty."
Victor's voice came through the curtain, low and full of respect.
"The interrogation has already begun.
Those assassins are not stragglers; they carry the dark seal of the Royal House of Orr.
It seems that His Majesty the King next door is truly anxious."
Sophia's eyes turned slightly cold, restoring that high-cold and lazy appearance.
"Anxious is good.
Once a person is anxious, they reveal more flaws.
Tell Delilah to bring the usable strong labor force among these refugees back as soon as possible.
Mason's infrastructure needs this breath of life."
"What about those spies?" Victor asked.
Sophia lowered her head to look at her fingernails, somewhat red from the cold, and said indifferently: "Dispose of them."
It wasn't that she didn't want to keep their lives.
It was that there was no way to keep them.
Since they were Orr's people, coming to participate in this kind of espionage activity meant they had the resolve to die.
Such people, either the Kingdom of Orr had shown them grace, or their family members were in the hands of the King of Orr.
Regardless of which one it was, they were not easily bought over.
Such people were not even as useful as those little bandits under One-Eyed Dragon.
Inside the border City wall, a stone room originally used for stationing troops was temporarily set up as the second-round interrogation room.
Compared to the porridge station outside where wind and snow mixed, this place appeared unusually solemn.
Because the corner was piled with newly transported wood, the stove fire crackled, even emitting a dry heat.
"Your Majesty, the wind is strong outside; it's quite warm here in the interrogation room."
Delilah lifted the carriage curtain. Her pale red eyes held a delicate care that only appeared when facing Sophia.
"Victor is already presiding over the review. If you are bored, why not go sit over there?
There is plenty of charcoal fire, and freshly boiled hot tea."
Sophia originally wanted to refuse.
Interrogation and such sounded very brain-draining; I still want to sprawl in the carriage.
But she looked down at her finger joints, stiff from the cold, then looked at the heavy accumulated snow outside, and finally sighed.
Even with many warming items in the carriage, it was still inferior to a fire brazier.
"Fine, can't hide in the carriage forever.
Lead the way."
The moment Sophia stepped into the interrogation room, the soldiers and civil officials responsible for recording, who were still conversing in low voices, seemed to have their mute buttons pressed.
"Welcome, Your Majesty! Mason Immortal!"
Everyone knelt on one knee in unison. The sound of armor clashing echoed in the narrow space, shaking dust down.
The officer in charge of the main interrogation almost rolled and crawled to vacate the highest mahogany chair, and even thoughtfully padded it with a thick piece of sheepskin.
Sophia sat down expressionlessly, her feet extremely naturally moving close to the newly moved small stove.
This temperature is what you call life.
She gathered her cloak. Her pale golden pupils were half-open and half-closed, seemingly scrutinizing the front coldly, but in reality, she was just enjoying the tingling comfort of the charcoal fire baking her knees.
But in the eyes of others, this posture was simply a superior selecting prey with a scrutinizing gaze.
The second wave of screening began.
The refugees who entered were mostly those who seemed relatively innocent in the first round of impressions.
At least in Daphne's eyes, these people didn't seem to have bad intentions; they were somewhat different from those spies and could withstand some investigation.
They lowered their heads, stepping tremblingly on the flat but cold Cement floor. Due to being overly nervous, many people's teeth were chattering.
After passing the facial reading audit, next came these people's backgrounds.
Victor presided personally, flipping through the original registries and specialties they reported.
After querying that there were no issues with their registries and their bodies were fine, Daphne stood on one side of the high seat to continue the review.
Daphne was responsible for checking if these people had any major diseases or impure thoughts.
Although she was deliberately keeping her distance now, the green light occasionally flashing in those emerald eyes scanned everyone's emotional fluctuations like a detector.
"Next," Victor ordered without lifting his head.
A skinny man was brought in.
When he raised his head and saw the Girl Queen sitting on the high seat, wearing black fox fur with eyes indifferent as a God, his knees went soft, and he knelt directly with a thud.
"Your... Your Majesty, spare my life!
I just want to beg for a mouthful of food, I'm really not a spy!"
Sophia did not speak.
She merely narrowed her eyes slightly because the charcoal fire was too vigorous, and incidentally adjusted her sitting posture.
The refugee saw the Tyrant's expression remain unchanged, only her eyes narrowing slightly, and his heart panicked even more.
She narrowed her eyes! Did she see through my lies?
No, I didn't lie. Does she think I'm too weak and unworthy of entering her Kingdom?
Victor was also surprised by this person's action.
Your Majesty's tiny movement is hinting to me that this person's background investigation isn't deep enough.
That patience of hers to control the overall situation is truly the benchmark this old minister pursues all his life.
Thus, Victor picked up the file he had originally set aside and checked it again, word for word.
After confirming there were no problems, only then did he let that person walk before Daphne.
Daphne gazed at the person before her with a solemn expression, using magic to begin the inspection.
Your Majesty must be sensing the malice deep in this person's soul... I must also do my best and not let a single bad person slip in!
However, Sophia was staring at the charcoal fire at this moment, various thoughts crossing her mind:
These people look truly miserable. However, that one just now who reported he could repair fishing nets can be sent to the river beach over by Kree Village.
The Kingdom of Mason isn't coastal and has few rivers, so there's almost no chance to eat fish.
Also that one who said he could strike iron, package him up and send him directly to Irene; estimate Irene will go crazy with joy.
Mn... this one said he has great strength, so he can be taken to Qubi to move ore later.
During these three days, Daphne almost overdrew all her magic power to sense the soul fluctuations of every refugee.
And Sophia truly witnessed what Daphne had said earlier: after overdrawing magic power, one is more able to eat.
Daphne had to eat five breads and three bowls of stewed beans almost every meal.
Fortunately, she wasn't picky about food, and eating these every day wasn't too unbearable.
Occasionally, Sophia would share her own meat jerky and sausages with Daphne, and she ate them all with tears of gratitude.
Delilah's longsword resolved six tough characters in the dark who attempted to fish in troubled waters.
In the end, 289 refugees with clean backgrounds and possessing a skill were permitted to step into the pass.
They were not sent to the warm inner city but were assigned to a temporary camp guarded by soldiers.
Every day, a bowl of steaming hot concentrated stewed beans paired with a piece of hard-as-rock Black Bread.
The price was sweeping the accumulated snow covering the Cement avenue daily, as well as going deep into the dense forest to chop the firewood needed for winter.
For these people who had walked a lap on the edge of life and death, this heavy labor and cold camp were simply heaven.
When Sophia's convoy stopped in front of the Palace gates again, it was already late at night.
The wind and snow roared outside the Cement walls, but inside the heavy Palace gates, the warm fireplace and the familiar oil lamp light made the exhausted-to-the-extreme Sophia let out a long sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, the hot water is ready. Please rest early after drinking the medicinal liquid."
Willow took the cloak considerately, her heart aching as she looked at Your Majesty's slightly pale small face.
Sophia soaked in the bath almost with her eyes closed. She didn't even have the strength to eat dinner before sinking her whole person into that down bed in the Bedchamber, which had been thickened by three layers and still carried the residual warmth of sunlight.
"Finally, I'm alive again.
Whatever King of Orr, whatever refugees, don't even think about dragging This Queen out of the blankets on this winter night..."
Just as Sophia's consciousness was gradually blurring and she was about to sink into dreamland, a slight and sneaky lock-picking sound came from the door crack.
"Your Majesty!
Your Majesty! I know you haven't fallen asleep yet!"
Irene, like a lithe pink kitten, tiptoed and pushed open a slit, holding a small bundle wrapped tightly in thick linen cloth in her hands.
The air was instantly filled with a kind of slightly burnt fragrance, a scent unique to starch.
Sophia revealed a pair of confused eyes from the blankets:
"Irene? In the middle of the night, did you blow up the laboratory again?"
"I did not! This is a treasure I saved for you!"
Irene ran excitedly to the bedside, kneeling directly without any image on that expensive Persian wool carpet.
She carefully opened the cloth bundle. Inside lay quietly two small potatoes, about the size of small eggs, with slightly charred skins.
"Just in the two days you went to the border, I went to inspect the greenhouses and found the soil of the potato seedlings had been arched open a bit.
I couldn't help pulling them out to look. These two were the fastest to ripen. Although they are still too small, I couldn't bear to throw them back."
Irene peeled one open; the steaming white smoke emitted a rich aroma.
She handed that tiny bit of golden potato flesh to Sophia's lips.
"Quick, taste it!
This is the first bite of anti-season Divine Miracle in Mason's history; I kept it waiting for you to come back."
Sophia subconsciously opened her mouth and bit off a little. Soft, glutinous, sweet, carrying the simplicity of soil and the smoky scent of Irene's hand-roasting.
"Mn, very delicious.
Hard work, Irene."
Sophia narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. The shoulder injured by the recoil seemed to hurt less under this warmth.
Seeing Your Majesty eating happily, Irene's azure eyes shone brightly.
But because the heating in the hall weakened late at night, the cold aura made her, who had just run out from the steaming hot laboratory, shiver.
"Your Majesty, that... I already washed up just now!"
Seeing Sophia didn't chase her away, Irene's guts grew fatter. She muttered while scooting toward the bedside.
"I even used the first batch of high-grade soap we trial-produced. From hair strands to toe tips, I'm fragrant, without a bit of limestone powder. I'm very clean!"
Before Sophia had time to roast her, she felt a corner of the bedding beside her being lifted.
"Oh my, it's really too cold outside. The windows of the West Tower still leak wind.
Your Majesty, seeing as I brought you such delicious food, just let me warm up a bit too..."
Irene was originally just kneeling on the carpet, but now she had extremely impudently and naturally drilled into Sophia's blanket.
She was like a piece of slightly cool but soft jade, unconsciously sticking toward Sophia, this heat source emitting body temperature.
"Irene, you are more and more like that little piglet in the rear greenhouses now."
Pink, and thick-skinned.
Although Sophia expressed disdain verbally, she didn't push her away. Instead, she moved to the side, making space for this pink trouble magnet.
"Hehe, sleeping beside Your Majesty is much more reassuring than counting stones in the laboratory."
Irene hugged Sophia's waist with satisfaction, burying her small face in the soft pillow, her voice muffled.
"Your Majesty, after the roads are repaired in the spring, I want to build a bigger stove next to the greenhouses. We'll eat roasted potatoes every day then.
Potatoes are tastier than bread, right? I knew Your Majesty would like eating them.
Your Majesty has always been a picky eater; your expression shows a bit of disdain when eating unpalatable things. Others can't tell, but I can!
I want to get more delicious things for Your Majesty; I want to make Your Majesty happy.
Also, also, that chili has also borne small fruits. Although only a tiny bit, they will grow up soon.
Chili can also make many delicacies; it is a very powerful condiment.
It's just a bit spicy... wu, eating it makes the mouth hurt, but I guess Your Majesty will also like that feeling.
When the chickens, ducks, and geese grow up and can lay eggs, we can eat eggs, and also use eggs to hatch new small animals, so we can have more.
After the little pigs grow up and give birth to piglets, we will eat pork belly, then use chili to make some seasoning, paired with Daphne's magic fruit juice..."
Sophia was also a bit sleepy. That faint essential oil fragrance lingering at her nose was indeed a hundred times better smelling than the smell of that musket.
"Mn... we'll have it all."
Outside the window, the wind and snow remained crazy.
Inside the window, the two young girls on the large bed snuggled together. Amidst the residual warmth of the charcoal fire and the lingering fragrance of the last bit of roasted potato, they thoroughly sank into deep sleep.
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