After struggling to lift the axe that was embedded deep in the floor, Lucas realized that now that the potion's effect had worn off, his regular strength wasn't enough to budge it.
"Ah... ah... ah, it's too heavy..." he gasped, his arms trembling. "This isn't going to work."
Resigned, he activated the Physical Enhancement spell. With a great effort, he managed to pry the weapon loose, just barely maintaining his balance as he hoisted it upright.
"Damn, I really drove that thing in deep..." he muttered, eyeing the furrow the axe had left in the floor. After returning it to its original place on the wall, he wiped the sweat from his brow and exited the room, thinking, 'I hope the potion's effect on Katerina has worn off, too.'
As he stepped into the main lab again, he saw Aislyra and Katerina waiting for him with Macro.
Aislyra's irises had returned to their usual icy blue, and she wore a very satisfied expression—completely opposite to the one she'd had before entering the laboratory.
Katerina, however, was staring down at the floor, her lynx-like ears drooping. Though her face was angled away, Lucas could swear she was blushing like a ripe tomato.
Macro was the first to notice the queen's return. "W-Welcome back, Your Majesty! D-Did you manage to test the potion's effects?" he asked, predictably stammering.
"Yes, Macro. It was a very interesting experience to feel the strength of a Minotaur. If you could make more of that white potion, I'd be very grateful," Lucas said with a warm smile.
"O-Of course! I'll get started as soon as I have time. I'll also m-make more of the r-red one for Lady Aislyra," Macro added, adjusting his glasses with a proud grin.
At the mention of the red potion, Aislyra—who had been calmly watching Lucas—suddenly shot a glare at Macro. The boy, too focused on the queen to notice, continued smiling innocently.
A mischievous smile curved Lucas's lips. "Oh, Aislyra... sounds like you really enjoyed breathing fire, huh?" he teased, happy to have finally found a way to fluster the usually unshakable elf.
"Of course not, big sister!" Aislyra replied quickly, her voice high-pitched and defensive. "You know I'm not good at fire magic, so I just thought... well... that kind of potion might be a decent substitute in case of emergency!"
"Of course, of course. I understand," Lucas replied in an overly sympathetic tone, the smirk never leaving his face.
Aislyra sighed. 'I'm starting to understand why the goddess chose Lucas... He and my sister are much more alike than I thought.'
Suddenly, Katerina dropped to her knees and shouted, "My deepest apologies for my earlier behavior, Your Majesty!"
Lucas blinked in surprise as the maid bowed until her forehead nearly touched the floor.
"Don't worry," Lucas said quickly. "It was the potion's fault—you weren't yourself. Besides... it was kind of interesting to see that side of you."
Katerina's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson, and she went completely silent.
Trying to ease the mood, Aislyra checked the clock on the wall and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's time to head back. You've been sweating, so you definitely need a bath. And it's almost dinner. I'm sure Katerina would like a chance to show she's not usually like... well, that."
"Yes! You're right, Lady Aislyra!" Katerina exclaimed with sudden intensity. "Come, Lady Alberia! I promise I'll wash you so thoroughly and quickly that it'll be like you've never sweated a day in your life!"
With eyes probably burning with renewed determination, Katerina grabbed Lucas's hand and began dragging him out of the lab. Aislyra followed behind, much more composed.
Just before leaving the room, Lucas turned back and said with a wave, "Thank you for showing me your inventions, Macro. It was really interesting."
The rest of the evening passed quickly. As Katerina had promised, it took her only a moment to thoroughly wash Lucas's body. Then, immediately after dinner, Lucas returned to his room to read the remaining half of the Basic Light Magic book Katerina had given him. Late that night, he finally drifted off to sleep.
The next two days were calm and uneventful. Lucas continued performing his royal duties while being trained by Sequoria, Katerina, and Aislyra. The Silent Gate did not reappear during that time, and the investigation into the chimera's corpse had yet to yield any meaningful results about its origins or creator.
Now, four days after the attack, Lucas and Sequoria were holding their regular meeting with the ministers. Macro was absent, still busy analyzing the chimera's remains, which had only arrived at his laboratory the night before.
Suddenly the large doors of the throne room creaked open, revealing a member of the Rangers. He stepped inside and spoke nervously, "May I come in? I bring a message for Her Majesty."
Clearly uneasy in the queen's presence, the ranger fidgeted slightly. Sensing the young man's discomfort, Lucas offered the kindest smile he could manage—but it was Sequoria who replied first.
"Don't worry, child. Come in," she said gently, wearing the kind of motherly smile that always seemed to put people at ease.
The ranger nodded and stepped forward, kneeling respectfully a few meters from the throne.
"A short while ago," he began, "while a colleague and I were on duty in the forest, we encountered the captain of the royal knights, Fortore, returning with his unit from their expedition. He asked me to deliver a message—he'll be arriving at the palace shortly and requests an audience in the throne room. He has an urgent report for Her Majesty."
"Oh, that idiot is finally back," Aislyra said with a grin that couldn't quite contain her excitement.
Fortore—the captain of the royal knights the kingdom's elite military unit—was, according to Sequoria, the strongest knight in the entire country, and possibly one of the most powerful on the continent. He also happened to be Aislyra's childhood friend and long-time rival.
Several weeks prior to Lucas's arrival in this world, Fortore had been dispatched to the border with the kingdom of Oscuora to monitor for suspicious activity. It seemed that now, his mission had come to an end.
Ever since Lucas had first heard about Fortore from Sequoria, he had been eager to meet him. But whenever he asked Aislyra about the renowned knight, she would make a strange expression and promptly change the subject.
"Thank you, young ranger, for informing us of the captain's return. You may rise and return to your duties," Lucas said in his most regal voice.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," the ranger replied before standing and respectfully exiting the hall.
A brief silence followed as everyone took a moment to consider the news. Then Sequoria addressed the room.
"Well, ministers, if there is nothing else to report to Her Majesty, you may return to your duties. However, Scuro, I ask that you remain. As Minister of Defense, you should hear whatever Fortore has to say—his report may concern developments in Oscuora."
"Of course," Scuro replied, his voice unwavering. "I had no intention of leaving."
Agratà, the Minister of Agriculture, and Heve, the Minister of Health, gave brief bows before departing.
Now, only Lucas, Aislyra, Katerina, Sequoria, Scuro, Lucrio, and Aurola remained in the throne room, along with the ever-watchful royal guards.
A few more minutes of silence passed, until the queen suddenly broke it with a question:
"Uncle Lucrio, Aurola—would you care to explain why you decided to stay as well?" Lucas asked with genuine curiosity.
With his usual confident grin, Lucrio replied, "Dear Alberia, I simply stayed to make sure the overly loyal little dog here, and the horny dog who's about to return, don't start biting each other."
Scuro immediately glared at Lucrio. "LUCRIO!! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?!" he snapped, already reaching for the hilt of his sword.
But Aurola intervened, calmly placing a hand on his arm. "I understand your frustration, Scuro, but now is neither the time nor the place to fight."
"You're right, Aurola," Scuro muttered through clenched teeth, slowly lowering his hand.
Lucrio's grin widened smugly, but it vanished the moment Aurola disappeared from his field of vision. A hard fist crashed down on his head, leaving a pronounced bump.
"And you, Lucrio," said Aurola, arms now crossed sternly, "should learn to be more sincere—and definitely less vulgar."
He then turned to Lucas and spoke in a respectful tone. "As you can see, Your Majesty, when these two are left alone, they always end up arguing. Add Fortore to the mix, and the three of them become borderline unmanageable. I thought I'd stay and help keep things under control. Besides, it's been a while since I last saw Fortore, and I wanted to greet him personally."
Lucas nodded in understanding.
By now, he had become accustomed to Lucrio's crude remarks and the constant bickering between the ministers. Unlike the first time he'd witnessed one of their quarrels, this didn't surprise him in the slightest. However, Lucrio's remark about Fortore being the "horny dog" did give him pause.
'I wonder what kind of person Fortore really is…' Lucas thought to himself.
Roughly an hour later, the great doors of the throne room opened once more. A group of no more than ten knights, clad in pristine white armor, entered the hall.
Leading them was an elf whose features would have been considered extraordinarily handsome by most women: short, snow-white hair, ocean-blue eyes, and a calm, charming expression. His armor, though also white, bore several elegant decorations in a lighter blue—subtly different from the standard set worn by his companions.
The rest of the knights remained near the entrance, while the knight in decorated armor strode forward, kneeling a few meters from the throne.
"Ah, Your Majesty," he said in a melodious, princely voice, "my heart is filled with joy at the sight of your divine and grand form."
His tone was courtly and elegant, the kind Lucas had heard countless times in fairy tales when princes spoke to princesses. But the illusion was immediately shattered.
All the eloquence in Fortore's words was lost on Lucas, whose attention had snapped to the fact that Fortore's gaze was locked—undeniably and unwaveringly—on his breasts. Not even for a moment did the man lift his eyes to make proper contact.
Lucas wasn't entirely unsympathetic. He knew the dress he wore left little to the imagination, and even he still found such things hard to ignore. After all, he was still a man at heart.
But there was a line of decency, and Fortore wasn't just crossing it—he was sprinting past it without shame. No other man, whether guard, servant, or minister, had stared so shamelessly or for so long. Even the most inexperienced had looked away out of respect. And Fortore? He'd seen them before and was still gawking.
Lucas repressed a grimace and answered with restrained civility.
"Thank you, Fortore. That was well said." He forced a regal tone. "A ranger arrived ahead of you and said you had something important to report. Would you care to share it with us now?"
"Certainly, Your Glorious Majesty!" Fortore replied with flourish, still not moving his eyes from the queen's chest. "On our return from the reconnaissance mission near the border with Oscuora, we encountered the new hero of the kingdom of Leore, along with his party. He informed us that in one week, he will be visiting our kingdom—specifically the capital—to participate in the Tournament of the Golden Trees."