Chapter 340

What the Hell? [Part 2]

Koumei licked the empty spot she had been staring at for a while.

And as she did so…

“Woah!”

With a *shoom* sound, a boy holding his cheeks in agony suddenly appeared in the previously empty space.

“ “Kya!” ”

“Who is it?”

“From where did he…?”

The young ladies who had been paying attention to Koumei’s movements all voiced their surprise.

“Ahh, Koumei-san, c’mon… I was being considerate and had been hiding myself so well…”

“Meow?”

The boy complained while raising both arms to appeal that he was not a suspicious person to the surprised young ladies.

Koumei meowed as if to say, “You were thinking of hiding with just that? You still need more practice, meow.

Compared to Hattori, you are way too lax.”

“Oh? It’s Hue-kun.”

Emma tilted her head at the boy who suddenly appeared and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The boy was Hue, the ninja apprentice who lived in the slums.

“Ah, Emma-samaaa, long time no see.”

The boy Hue greeted Emma with a broad smile.

“Huh? Didn’t Hue-kun say you would go to Port of Simmons to welcome Hattori-san?”

Emma recalled that the extracurricular lesson coincided with Imperial Japan’s ship’s estimated arrival, so Joshua could only see her off in tears.

Hue should have been helping Joshua with Momochi, the ninja stationed in the Kingdom, after hearing that his master, who was also the head of the ninjas, Hattori, was on board.

“Umm, there’s a bit of an emergency… Ah, right! Emma-sama, I have circled the area but didn’t find His Majesty the King anywhere. Do you know where he is?”

Of all people, for Hue, a person from the slums, who could also be said to be from the Kingdom’s lowest strata, to be searching for the king…

That pretty much speaks to how much of an emergency it was.

“Eh? His Majesty? His Majesty is currently…”

Emma glanced at the forest.

“Huh? Eh? The forest?! That place is close to the barrier and is often invaded by monsters, right? Eh? What is His Majesty doing at this sort of time?!”

Hue was greatly perplexed.

-Don’t approach the barrier. Don’t approach monsters.-

Even slum children knew that.

“Young lad, what business do you have with His Majesty?”

After checking the surroundings, Marion asked Hue while gesturing to keep his voice down with her finger on her lips. She reminded him politely because on the off-chance they were heard by others, they could be arrested for lese-majesty.

“Uhh… I was entrusted with a letter from Her Majesty the Queen… I have to deliver it directly to His Majesty.”

Realizing that his voice had grown louder because of his shock at the king’s unexpected behavior, Hue hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands and mumbled a reply.

“Eh?! The queen?”

“Hue, did something happen?”

Emma and Melsa were shocked to hear that the owner of the letter Hue brought was the queen. They couldn’t figure out what made the queen have Hue deliver a letter for her.

“Um, is this child perhaps lying?”

Francesca was already tired of being the only straight man here, but seeing that Emma and Melsa accepted the boy’s words without questioning as things went on, she couldn’t help but ask why they would believe him without a doubt.

“That’s rude of you, Young Lady! I might have pickpocketed before, but I utter no lies!”

Hue got mad at Francesca.

“Hue-kun, saying that will have the opposite effect… I think she will trust you even less now.”

Emma unusually inserted a retort.

“Ugh… Even though I must hurry… Ah, here, look at the letter’s sealing wax! It’s the Royal Family’s color, right?”

Hue took out the letter he was entrusted with from his pocket.

“Oh my! Hue, this…”

Melsa’s expression stiffened the moment she saw the sealing wax. There was one drop of red wax on the black sealing wax that was only allowed to be used by royals. Melsa knew this symbolized the most urgent letter among the reports sent to the king.

“This sealing wax… Isn’t this an emergency?!”

“Huh? I said that earlier, didn’t I?”

“We must deliver this to His Majesty as soon as possible…”

“C’monnn, I’ve told you that also, haven’t I?”

Hue puffed out his cheeks and complained for everyone to listen to what he was saying.