Led by the witch named Mimika, the two reached the dressing room. Thankfully, it was already vacated, courtesy of the other members of Rosaria's squad. No further "happenings" occurred.

It didn't take him five minutes before coming out of the dressing room.

After drying his clothes—done by placing them inside his inventory and then withdrawing them instantly—Axel was led down the wide hallways.

Similar to the pure white bathroom, the halls were also pristine.

They weren't white, at least, but not a single spot was dark, making him wonder if this place really was a witch's "castle."

Walking around took them another five minutes before arriving at a certain room—one that looked similar to Axel's throne room, but far more expensive-looking and well decorated. Just this room alone was enough to fit two houses inside.

Tall pillars, a high ceiling, thick decorated walls, and "soldiers" standing at the ready. At the far end, Queen Wisteria was already seated on her throne.

As soon as he approached close enough, and with Mimika bowing and moving away, she spoke.

"Sir Hexel, son, sorry about the earlier mishap." Without waiting for Axel to speak, she quickly apologized, bowing lightly. "It was an error on my part passing the scroll to you without double-checking its validity. Please forgive my people and me…"

Obvious shock ran through the crowd. After all, their queen just lowered her head!

Axel saw that many unfamiliar faces were present, so instead of using his usual persona back at the camp, he took a firmer attitude here.

"Please, it's not Queen Mother's fault, but rather Ria's. Please raise your head."

He nodded, smiling thinly.

"And it's not like I was hurt or inconvenienced. A few curses from a witch wouldn't even tickle me. So please, don't worry about it."

Just those short words were enough to stir the nest. Not only did he call their third princess by her pet name, but he even claimed that curses from Elite Witches didn't even tickle!

Not only did he touch their pride, but he also piqued their curiosity—especially with how the Queen addressed him.

"Hearing you say that, I feel at ease."

Wisteria softened her tone, the tension in her shoulders loosening.

Of course, doing so made a certain part of her body shake, attracting Axel's eyes like a magnet… They were big, after all. Hard to miss. 'So Ria's not an outlier. It runs in her genes…' he pondered.

"Son?"

"Ah! Y-Yes!"

"No, I was asking you: what do you plan to do with the ones who slighted you upon arrival? If you'd like, I can have them all punished for it."

Axel's expression tightened. Although it wasn't really their fault for being in the bath upon his mistaken landing, she was ready to punish them! Even the heartless side of him couldn't accept such unfair treatment.

"Then…" He pondered for a moment before answering.

"How about assigning them to protect me while I go around fixing the fortresses? They're elites, aren't they? I'm sure when it comes to work, they don't cut corners."

Axel wasn't proud of it, but he was quite weak.

A few zombies were one thing, but if he were dropped in the middle of a warzone, he was 100% sure he'd fall within minutes—not to mention needing to fix a fortress at the same time.

'But I do have Repair, so I can instantly fix what's broken. But who knows how much that'll cost me…'

Of course, if there was nothing to repair in the first place, that would be a different story. Building the fortress manually, the same way he built his castle, would take up to an hour at most.

"I understand. I'll arrange it as such." Queen Wisteria nodded. "Then, anything else?"

"Anything?" Axel stared at the queen for a moment before adding, "Then, please allow us to depart right now. I want to fix those fortresses as fast as possible."

Although he had left Teruria at the camp, he couldn't help but worry.

A clumsy "mistake" could end up costly for him. Like how she almost used up all his Colts one time when she kept buying recipes to manufacture and sell.

Of course, he recovered his balance after selling the downgraded potions, but it still made his blood run cold. Since then, he had forbidden her from using the system's shop unless necessary.

Thus, returning as soon as possible was the best option.

"Fufu, I see." Queen Wisteria chuckled, as if amused by his response. "Then, please give me a few minutes to prepare your personal guards. I'll have them ready in no time."

"I understand. Then, I'll prepare myself during that time too."

He was still wearing his suit, so he wasn't well geared for battle. Given the occasion, he planned to buy himself the same set of armor used by the Valkyrie Knight Order, along with equipping a few accessories to boost his strength.

"Of course, please. You can use the drawing room outside as you please."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Judging that the audience was over, Mimika stepped forward and led Axel away once more. "This way, Sir."

After leaving the throne room—

"Queen! What is with that man? He didn't even kneel before you!"

"That's right! He's rude! And he belittled our witches' abilities!"

"A brazen attitude, daring to negotiate with the Queen! He's got balls!"

"Rude, huh…"

Wisteria sighed, listening to her ministers' rants.

"In that, you're mistaken. He wasn't being rude or brazen; rather, he's acting as he should, fitting for his strength." She clarified. "And instead of anger, you should be thankful. If he wanted to, I'm sure he could kill all of us here and walk out the front gates humming, unscathed."

"No way…!"

Of course, nobody believed the queen's claim.

Even after recounting how he could make a river in a blink, or how he built a city spanning a full kilometer in just a few days, their doubts weren't cleared.

'Isn't the queen getting scammed?'

This became their unified thought.

And of course, Wisteria could tell what was on their minds. She could only smile wryly at their inflexibility.

"Just remember this…"

She decided to leave a warning in the end and call it a day.

"You can look down on Sir Axel internally, but don't be rude or pick fights. If you do, then to protect our Queendom's interests, I might have to execute you."

"...!"

A cold and ruthless decision. Delivered in a voice that contained sadness, but no mercy.

At this point, the witches finally felt the weight of the queen's words.

"Axel… huh?"

All but one.

"Teruria, you little troublemaker… what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

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