Queen is still Queen (5)

“Sorry, I really hate revenge and hatred now. It was because of those things that I once became a demon. Compared to your impulsiveness back then, this is nothing.”

“It’s fine, but just now you really had a queen-like vibe. No wonder so many people call you Queen.”

“Sigh, let’s go to the supermarket now. I need to buy some things to make sandwiches.”

“You still remember how to make them?”

“Of course.”

“Your Majesty, what seasonings do sandwiches usually need?”

“Bread, ham, lettuce, mayonnaise, and miso. As for how to make it, just watch me tomorrow morning. After all, making a few things I know has never been a problem.”

“Mm.”

“Iya, after we buy everything at the supermarket, you can play games or watch TV at home. Rin and I will go to Mom’s place for lunch. Then we’ll come back by dinner.”

“Okay. But can I grab some snacks I like at the supermarket?”

“No problem. I’ll grab some noodles too.”

“You like noodles too?”

“Yes, the spicy kind. Rin likes them too, right?”

“Sort of, but I recommend having milk tea with spicy noodles. It’s better than cola—I prefer that combo.”

“Then let’s try it. Let’s go.”

Then they arrived at the supermarket. Celine bought some ingredients for sandwiches, while Iya grabbed a bunch of cookies and drinks.

“Celine, do you usually use magic to teleport home after buying a lot of stuff?”

“Depends on my mood. Usually, I like taking the bus.”

“A sports car or a super long limousine?”

“You’re overthinking. I take the bus or a taxi. Nobody in our house drives. Not sure about the new ones, but I doubt it…”

“Your Majesty.”

“Hm?”

“Rinion is telepathically asking me to get some burger meals, then put them in a stasis space so she can copy them infinitely whenever she wants. They’ll stay fresh and hot because time is frozen there.”

“That trick is in Little Maple’s magic book too, but I prefer going out to eat. Still, considering convenience, I think I’ll stock up some food too.”

“Understood.”

“But don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of snack shops I haven’t tried, and I want to taste them. Always eating the same stuff gets boring.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Then we should try every restaurant we haven’t been to, so we’ll have an idea.”

“But for cooked dishes, homemade is usually better. So I’ll leave that to Aileen and the others.”

“Same here. Let’s finish shopping and go.”

“Mm.”

♢

“Rinion, can you make some oyster sauce appear?”

“Sure.”

Rinion was in the kitchen with Bella watching two others cook.

“Shira, do you usually cook at home?”

“Mm. By the way, Aileen, did you eat any fancy meat dishes on other planets?”

“Dragon meat, but it’s basically like eating normal animals. I hunted them myself.”

“Dinosaurs?”

“Similar to Earth’s T-Rex. On that planet, buying a whole dinosaur would cost about the same as an egg here.”

“That cheap?”

“Yes. That planet was ten times bigger than Earth. Lots of creatures similar to Earth animals. Like 30-meter-long octopuses.”

“How big were the people?”

“Looked just like Earth humans, but around 2–3 meters tall. Luckily, I know Giant Form magic, so I can easily grow 2–3 meters taller.”

“What’s the biggest you can get?”

“With my current energy, about 168 meters. But growing bigger boosts battle energy. I can hold that for about an hour.”

“If you don’t use energy attacks and just fight physically, can you last longer?”

“Yes, but I rarely do that. Sometimes my pants would rip if I grew too big—shorts are fine, though.”

“One kick from you could flatten me.”

“Pretty much. I’ve seen 100-meter-long cattle on other planets too. Tastes just like Earth beef.”

“That would feed a lot of people. Wait, can you make that now?”

“Anytime. But watch your pan—don’t burn it.”

“Sorry.”

But Rinion smiled.

“Bella, did you remember the dishes we cooked earlier?”

“Of course. How much salt, how much sugar, every detail—I remember it perfectly. My memory is great.”

“That’s good. Better than my sister.”

“But Rin makes amazing curry.”

“That’s just some dishes. I know you want to cook full-course meals for everyone. That takes more effort than my sister puts in. Plus, she and the Queen sometimes prefer making food themselves instead of conjuring it.”

“I get it. But I heard humans had famine eras. If you can create food instantly, that should help everyone.”

“It doesn’t solve the root problem. Lack of food sources is key.”

“So how do you fix that completely?”

“Better distribution, storage, and production. For me, changing a desert planet into a fertile one is easy. But climate control depends on humans.”

“Maybe increase the breeding rate of animals or fish for supply? Spread them worldwide?”

“Something like that. I love crayfish, by the way. Little Maple’s world has them too. Even though a pile isn’t enough for me, I have a trick—one is enough.”

“A pile becomes one? I don’t get it.”

“Just enlarge it. Make it huge. How big depends on what I want. But too big and it won’t fit on the table.”

“Great idea. Can you teach me?”

“What do you want to enlarge?”

“Any small food. A little bigger so I’m full.”

“Speaking of full, if you become a full-sized dragon, even half a day’s food won’t satisfy you.”

“If I were my old self, I’d just eat humans. Now I’ll settle for human food—it tastes good anyway.”

“Because you want to understand the Queen. So you have to lean toward her…”

“Bella, Rinion—here.”

Aileen handed each of them a small bowl with a few pieces of braised pork.

“Try it.”

They ate with chopsticks. Bella was shocked at how good it tasted.

“This is amazing! All seasonings from Earth, right?”

“Yeah. The key to braised pork is heat control and meat quality. And the fat-to-lean ratio.”

“Wow.”

“Thanks to Shira for bringing top-quality meat.”

Shira smiled.

“Of course. In a bit, I’ll fry pork strips. Rinion, some flour please.”

“No problem. But Aileen, your braised pork is amazing. If you had special tools, it might be even better.”

“No need. My cooking skills are already high, and I want to improve on my own.”

“You sound like a friend of mine. Anyway, I’ll head back and play games.”

But just then, Rinion’s phone rang. She took it out—it was Rin.

“Hello.”

“Rinion, they ran out of chicken leg burgers. Should I get beef burgers instead?”

“Sure. But make the milk tea chocolate bubble tea. By the way, does sis eat pork strips?”

“She does! Also, tell the chefs to make fried pork cutlets.”

“Got it.”

She hung up.

“Shira, Aileen. Sis wants pork cutlets.”

“Okay.”

“Sure!”

Rinion went back to her room to play games. But then created a clone.

“Any orders, main body?”

“Go to the Demon Realm. I have a candidate for Dark Demon King. Deal with the previous one.”

“Easy. But who’s the candidate?”

“A vampire princess. Transplant my cells into her to boost her power.”

“But why bother? Even if you want to introduce her to sis, this seems a lot.”

“It’s not just an introduction. I want someone here to gain the Dark King’s power. That’ll unleash destructive force completely.”

“But isn’t that bad for us? Human customs might attract evil things.”

“Silly. My sister is the most evil being alive. You think curses or demons matter? With her here, nothing gets past.”

“I see. But can I get 100 billion days off? I want to eat, drink, and play.”

“No problem. One more thing—check on my No. 2 clone. I could use a crystal ball, but I haven’t looked in ages. It’s been, what, 3 million years?”

“Okay, I’m off.”

“Mm. Say hi for me.”

“…I see.”

But Rin was curious.

“What flavor is it?”

“It’s just a regular bubble milk tea flavor. But the ingredient used is Nether Grass from the underworld.”

“The underworld? Hila, where did you get this stuff from?”

“My friend bought it. As for how, I don’t know. But I’m not sure what effect Nether Grass has.”

Then Rin chugged it all down in one gulp.

“…Nether Grass is specifically used to make desserts. Many worlds’ underworlds have this plant. And it has an appetite-stimulating effect.”

“Could it be you’ve eaten these desserts before?”

“Yes. Too bad this plant only exists in the underworld. Well, let’s not talk too much now. Let’s eat.”

“Mm.”

Then a group of people gathered around a big table to eat. But Eleya and Rin were eating mapo tofu with rice.

“As expected, this is so delicious.”

“I think so too.”

Siryn also took a bite.

“Cough, cough…”

Then she took another sip of milk tea.

“It’s a bit too spicy for me.”

“Your Majesty, you should eat slower. If you eat this too fast, it’s uncomfortable when it chokes you.”

“It’s fine. After all, I haven’t eaten this in a long time. And the taste of the other dishes is pretty good too. Thank you, Hila and Aileen.”

Both: “It’s nothing.”

“Indeed, having a chef at home is really important. By the way, Rin, if I want to learn how to make hamburgers, is it hard?”

“It’s quite simple. The key is the frying time of the patty. Other than that, it’s just bread, lettuce, and cheese slices.”

“Then what kind of patty do you recommend?”

“Chicken, beef, or chicken thigh fillet. Bacon-cheese-egg burger is also pretty good.”

“Wow, then I’ll try it when I have some free time in a few days.”

(But a deep-sea cod fillet burger sounds good too. I just wonder if there’s such a thing as a lamb chop patty.)

Then by 8 PM, several people went home, but Siryn went alone to another world to see Kiana.

But Kiana was currently playing the computer game that had been gifted to her before, and Siryn noticed it had already reached the Herrscher of Ice chapter.

“Kiana.”

Kiana turned her head.

“I’ve read those books and played most of the games from earlier. I’ve learned a lot of things.”

“Good to know. But with this kind of game format, how do you feel?”

“I told Mr. Walter that if this were developed as an action game, it would probably do really well.”

“After all, I like action games too. By the way, what time do you usually sleep?”

“Around 11:30, because the midnight anime is so good, and it’s the newest episodes.”

“I like watching anime too. By the way, do you want to go to Changkong City tomorrow?”

“But that place is already in ruins.”

“But I have a way to restore it. For me now, it just takes a little magic power.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Well, I only recently mastered it, so I’m still unfamiliar with most of it. But at least I can handle this much.”

“So does that mean you can do a lot of things now?”

“You could say that. I can even create food out of thin air.”

“So does that mean midnight snacks will never be a problem again?”

“A day or two is fine, even three days, but if you eat it every day, you’ll get sick of it. Don’t tell me you want some now?”

“You could say that.”

Kiana made an adorable face.

“Then I’ll make some. Want to hear what I’ll make first? So you won’t waste it if you don’t eat it. I hate wasting food.”

“Okay!”

“Spicy chicken thigh burger, chicken nuggets, fries, milk tea, mashed potatoes, two skewers of tenderloin, two sausages, and one cheese-stuffed chicken cutlet.”

“Do you usually eat that much?”

“Don’t underestimate my appetite. I could even eat you whole and still be fine.”

“Then put the food on the table over there.”

“Mm.”

(Sure enough, Rinon and Xiaofeng’s tricks are really useful. Not only can I restore food, but I can also keep it hot.)

Then Siryn materialized all the food she mentioned onto the table. She also made a burger and milk tea for herself and started eating.

“Wow! These aren’t just hot; they taste amazing. And the milk tea is really good too.”

“Of course. After all, I can preserve and replicate food. Though before coming here, I asked a friend about a few abilities. And they seem pretty handy.”

“So that means no matter what food it is, as long as you have it, you can replicate it anytime, right?”

“That’s right. Plus, I’ll be heading to Agata soon, and in the world I created, I’ll also make some food for them.”

“Looks like you really take care of everyone.”

“Of course. And I never mistreat my own people. If someone betrays me, it depends on what they’re betraying. As long as it’s not that sort of thing, I don’t care.”

“What sort of thing?”

“Selling out teammates in life-or-death moments, or stabbing someone in the back. Plus, I don’t allow infighting among my own. Preventing internal conflict is a must.”

“You really think a lot about this. No wonder Bella calls you ‘Your Majesty.’”

“Just the ‘Queen of Honkai.’ Do you think I still look like the Queen of Honkai now? If most people insist on calling me that, I might consider being some other kind of queen. But being a queen is just for show—deep down, I still like being an ordinary person.”

“I like being an ordinary person too. By the way, why didn’t Rin come along?”

Siryn stretched and looked out the window.

“I sent everyone out shopping. We’re moving tomorrow.”

“So you came here mainly because you were bored?”

“Just taking a walk by myself. Honestly, I still haven’t completely gotten rid of my malice toward humans.”

“Is that still the shadow of Babylon Tower?”

“You could say that. But I kept a little of who I was back then. Especially when it comes to recruiting subordinates.”

“What’s the point of recruiting them now?”

“To run errands, play games with me, or maybe scrub my back in the bath.”

“Sounds nice. If only I could recruit someone like that too.”

“If it were you, you’d probably make them do your homework. But people with complete loyalty are super rare. Unlike our Bella and Agata.”

“True…”

“Anyway, I’ll head over to Bella now. Then I’ll restore the city.”

“Okay!”

Siryn then teleported to Bella’s place.

At that time, Bella and Agata were bored, just watching TV.

“You two…”

Both: “Your Majesty!”

“I came to check on you two, and also to share some of my memories from over there. Especially you, Bella—syncing them will help you understand my pace.”

Siryn walked up, placed her hand on their heads, and instantly synced their memories.

But Agata was curious.

“Your Majesty, about a lot of things—you deliberately didn’t tell Kiana, right?”

“I can tell her anytime. And I can share my memories with her too.”

“But if you do that, won’t all the secrets be exposed?”

“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, how’s life been these past few days?”

“Pretty good. And the food’s been great. But I still feel a bit scared of that person called Fu Hua.”

“Illusion-based techniques all depend on your mental strength. Fortunately, that Hua is a good person. Plus, your combat skills and reflexes are weak. You were picked up and kicked away by Li Xue.”

“Sorry, I’m really bad at fighting.”

“It’s fine. Anyway, I’ll make some food for you two.”

Then Siryn conjured up two sets of the earlier meal on the table and poured herself another cup of milk tea, sipping it.

Both: “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

“No problem. In a few days, I’ll take you out to eat too. And now that my abilities are fully upgraded, I can take you to any world with no problem. I’ll leave now.”

Siryn then used her Herrscher of the Void power to teleport to the ruined Changkong City, then extended her hand toward the city.

“Restore to its original state!”

The whole city began glowing, then instantly returned to how it was before it was destroyed.

But Siryn suddenly felt a bit tired because of the magic consumption.

“Huff… As expected, using this much magic still drains me. But it looks like I pulled it off…!? Who’s there?!”

Siryn suddenly felt someone and turned around—but no one was there.

“Weird. Could it be a rat or an animal? …Huh?!”

Suddenly, someone covered her eyes from behind.

“Little pufferfish… guess who I am?”

“Looking for a beating, huh? Idiot Rinon.”

Rinon let go, circled around to the front.

“Sorry. But Anya just texted—there’s a house like Xiaoliu’s about 2 km away from ours. Same size too.”

“That’s not too big, right? I remember from Liu’s memory it was about 2,650 square meters, with 50 square meters each for the front and back yards. The backyard is indoors, three floors total. The third floor has a swimming pool, and there’s also a basement warehouse.”

“No problem. We only have this many people for now, but some rooms can store things. Like I’ll write some special recipes and translated magic books. Plus…”

“Enough talk for now. Take it slow. Since you’re here, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“You should be able to enhance my physical fitness and energy capacity, right? Xiaofeng’s magic book has a way, but yours should be better.”

“So Your Majesty wants to get stronger?”

“You could say that. I don’t like being a burden.”

“What level of strength do you want? I can give you my level, though I’m not sure if you can control the power.”

“No need to go that far. Same level as Rin is fine. Also, give Bella and Rin all of Xiaofeng’s magic book knowledge. Teamwork is important sometimes.”

“I already gave it to them. Just never had a chance to use it.”

“That’s good then. Also, in the next few days, I might start speaking the way I used to.”

“Come play with Siryn then.”

Rinon said in Siryn’s voice.

“Not bad. I really miss the way I used to talk.”

“Didn’t you usually refer to yourself by name instead of saying ‘I’?”

“No, those who know me well understand.”

“Then let’s finish this up and head back?”

“No, I still want to check on my human friends. At least confirm they’re okay.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“Mm. If everyone’s still awake, make tonight’s dinner again. Treat everyone to a midnight snack.”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile, Rin and the others were at the department store picking out things they wanted. But Bella, Agata, Galina, and Afrola didn’t know what to buy because of their mindset.

But Lynn noticed Rin was in a good mood—probably because of something Rinon said earlier.

“Rin, what are you thinking about? You look happy.”

“Because Rinon added some recipe knowledge to my head. And also my favorite grilled wings—especially the kind Xiaoliu used to eat.”

“The old flavor?”

“Back then, Xiaoliu and I shared a body, so our taste buds were shared. One day we ate grilled wings from a certain shop, and I loved them. So did Xiaoliu.”

“What did they taste like exactly?”

“Words can’t describe it. Just take a bite when you try them later—you’ll know. The taste taken to the extreme.”

“How did she get that flavor?”

“No idea. Anyway, there’s a game store ahead. Let’s check it out together. Nokel, if you want to buy games, go ahead—it’s on me.”

“Thanks.”

“Can you buy me some too?”

Aileen asked.

“Of course. Since we’re living together, helping each other matters.”

“Thanks!”

“No problem. Since we’re moving tomorrow, I’ll ask Anya to get everyone a computer, plus PS5 and Switch consoles.”

“So that means lots of games to play?”

“Of course. I could just create a few consoles, but to support game developers, it’s better to buy them. If the devs benefit from sales, they might make better games.”

“Then I want to play some 18+ games from this planet. Including adult ones.”

“You like those?”

“I like all genres. What about you?”

“Same. Especially games with cute girls.”

“You really don’t seem like an evil entity—or maybe you’re just a yuri-loving girl.”

“But it depends on the person. Especially since I like Her Majesty the most. So I’ll protect her—and Bella too.”

“Saying stuff like that makes you seem even less like an evil being. Usually, evil beings are all negativity.”

“I am negativity. And I’m not without cruelty. On the battlefield, I’ll strike if I have to.”

“What about cute girls?”

“They can stay. But it still depends on their character. Some people will stab you in the back—I won’t take those. Observing behavior is important.”

“I see. We do seem alike in some ways.”

“Looks like you’re reasonable too. Maybe we can be good friends.”

“Definitely.”

Bella realized these were lines from the game where Kiana speaks.

But then, at Rin’s house, two girls who looked about 14 appeared. The black-haired one smiled.

“I’m here, my daughter.”