Book 11: Chapter 13
“Our scouts have reported that they have spotted active human soldiers outside the perimeter of the Imperial City.”
The Queen nodded, and then waved her hand. The local official below raised his head, but didn’t leave. Instead, he looked at the Queen and said, “Sorry, My Queen. Although I know that saying this now would be considered disloyal, you must understand that we, too, have our own family. As such, I must ask to quit my post, now.”
The Queen narrowed her eyes to look at him and asked, “Are you already no longer willing to stay by my side? Do you feel that the humans will kill you once they cross over? Do you think that they will kill everybody around me?”
The local official replied, “Yes. I am very sorry, My Queen. Loyalty is important, but I do not believe that what you have given me is enough for me to sacrifice my life. I only worked as a local official in order to feed my family. I hope you can understand my dilemma.”
The Queen looked at him and asked, “In other words, you want to live, correct?”
“Yes.”
She casually responded again, “You shouldn’t leave, then. If you want to survive, then staying by my side is the safest option. A ruler of a nation does not kill the ruler of another nation. The human commander must be aware of that. He won’t kill me, but I cannot guarantee that he will not kill others. However, based off of the fact that he exterminated the panthers, it would seem he really enjoys killing people.”
The local official looked at her with suspicion. The Queen stood up and continued, “The elder will be back very soon. I can only tell you this much. If you want to live, don’t leave my side.”
“I… insist on quitting.”