From Trash to Villain Master of Card: With Harem of Evil women-Chapter 51: Maybe I do want to be a queen

North Gate of Aschenfall — Dawn

The expedition was ready before dawn.

Thirty soldiers in formation. Ten engineers with measuring equipment. Eight miners with specialized tools. Two cooks, one medic.

And at the front of them all, Naporia.

With her sword on her shoulder and the expression of someone finally allowed out of a cell.

Kaito inspected her with a critical eye.

"Remember. This isn’t a combat mission."

Naporia looked at him.

"I know."

"First you secure the mines, then..."

"I know, mon général."

"And if there are local inhabitants..."

"I know."

"Naporia."

"I. Know."

Kaito studied her for a moment.

"Do you really know?"

Naporia sighed with dramatic exasperation.

"Secure mines. Talk to locals if there are any. Don’t kill anyone who doesn’t deserve it. Send a messenger if I need confirmation."

She repeated each point in a school recitation tone.

"Satisfied?"

Kaito smiled faintly.

"Impressive."

Naporia snorted, but something in her expression softened a millimeter.

"I’ll return in two weeks. With iron."

She turned to her troops.

"Let’s go! Slow marches are for cowards!"

The soldiers advanced at double pace.

Kaito watched them leave.

Aria appeared beside him.

"Do you think she’ll do well?"

Kaito considered.

"I think she’ll learn things she didn’t expect to learn."

---

Mountain Path — First Day

The eastern mountains were beautiful in a brutal way.

Gray peaks. Constant wind. Narrow trails that forced single-file marching.

Naporia led from the front, as was fitting.

Her second-in-command, a veteran named Bram, marched beside her when the path allowed.

He was an older man, with a gray beard and a vertical scar on his chin. He had served under three commanders before Naporia.

"First non-combat expedition, Commander."

It wasn’t a question.

Naporia didn’t look at him.

"Is that a problem?"

"No. Just an observation."

They marched in silence for several minutes.

Naporia finally spoke.

"How different are they?"

"The expeditions?"

"Yes."

Bram considered.

"In combat, you know exactly what to do. The enemy is clear. The objective too."

He pointed ahead.

"In this... the enemy can be the terrain, the weather, the distrust of locals, the mistakes of your own engineers."

"All at the same time."

Naporia frowned.

"Sounds complicated."

"It is."

"Why did Kaito choose me for this?"

Bram looked at her.

"Probably because you needed to get out and do something. And because he trusts you can handle the unexpected."

Naporia processed that.

"I’m not sure he’s right."

"Neither am I," Bram said. "But I suppose we’ll find out."

Naporia looked at the mountains.

"Useful."

---

Abandoned Mines — Third Day

They found them at noon on the third day.

Main entrance half-collapsed, overgrown with weeds. Rusted tools scattered as if the workers had run out and never returned. Rotted wood on the visible supports.

The chief engineer, a thin man named Ferrus, examined everything with a professional expression.

Naporia waited five minutes before losing patience.

"Well?"

Ferrus looked up.

"Good veins. Quality ore. Enough to equip an army of three hundred if we extract it all."

Naporia nodded, satisfied.

"Good. When do we start?"

"The veins are forty meters deep. We’ll need to repair supports, clear partial collapses, establish a ventilation system."

He consulted his notes.

"I’d estimate... three months for full operation."

Naporia stared at him.

"Months?"

"At least two. Perhaps..."

"Unacceptable."

Ferrus blinked.

"Commander, the structure requires..."

"What do you need to make it faster?"

"More workers, mainly. And for the supports not to be rotten."

"I’ll clear the supports myself."

Ferrus looked at her with the expression of someone who doesn’t know how to respond politely to something absurd.

"Commander... the supports are wooden structures in specific positions that distribute the weight of the ceiling."

"Yes."

"That if moved or damaged incorrectly..."

"The ceiling collapses. I know."

"Then you understand they can’t be..."

Naporia had already entered the mine.

Ferrus ran after her.

"Commander!"

---

Inside the Mine

The darkness was almost total.

Naporia raised the torch she had taken.

The tunnels were low. Narrow. They smelled of damp earth and metal.

A central support was completely bent, blocking the main passage.

Naporia evaluated it.

"This is the problem."

Ferrus arrived breathless.

"Yes. That support and the two deeper ones. If we remove them without..."

Naporia punched the support.

The sound echoed in the tunnels.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Ferrus froze.

Naporia punched again, harder.

More dust. A small stone.

"COMMANDER, STOP!"

Naporia stopped.

Looked at Ferrus.

Then looked at the ceiling.

Where a crack that hadn’t been there ten seconds ago now stretched half a meter.

One second of absolute silence.

Then they ran.

They exited the mine exactly when an interior section collapsed with a dull roar.

Dust billowed from the entrance like a monster’s exhalation.

The soldiers outside scattered.

Naporia and Ferrus ended up on their knees, coughing.

Ferrus looked at her.

Saying nothing.

Just looked at her.

Naporia wiped dust from her face.

"Well," she said. "Point taken."

Ferrus closed his eyes.

"Thank you, Commander."

"I won’t touch the supports again."

"I’m enormously grateful."

---

Outside the Mine — Afternoon

While the engineers assessed the additional damage, Bram approached Naporia.

"Okay?"

"Yes."

"Learn anything?"

Naporia looked toward the mine entrance, now more collapsed than before.

"That there are things you can’t solve with force."

Bram nodded.

"And?"

"That if you force them anyway, they can get worse."

"And?"

"That I need to listen to people who know more than me about their specific areas."

Bram smiled.

"Good summary."

Naporia snorted.

"Don’t repeat it."

"Of course not, Commander."

Ferrus approached with a new report, careful to maintain a prudent distance.

"Updated assessment: the additional collapse actually removed the main blockage. Paradoxically, we advanced."

Naporia looked at him.

"The collapse helped?"

"Accidentally, yes."

Naporia considered this for a moment.

"See? Brute force."

Ferrus opened his mouth.

Closed it.

"...I’m going to check the secondary supports."

---

Village of Grimbach — Next Day

The scouts found the village two kilometers from the mines.

Twenty stone houses. Pens with sheep. A central well.

And twenty adults who disappeared inside their houses the moment they saw the soldiers.

Naporia stopped at the entrance.

Her soldiers too.

The silence was complete except for the wind.

"Commander," Naporia said, "what...?"

She stopped.

Realized she had asked in first person.

Looked at Bram.

"How do you handle this?"

Bram spoke quietly.

"They’ve had bad experiences with soldiers. They need to see we’re different."

Naporia nodded.

"How?"

"We don’t enter until invited. We don’t touch anything. We don’t threaten."

"And if they don’t come out?"

"We wait."

Naporia looked at the closed houses.

Instinct told her to advance. Negotiate from a position of strength.

But she remembered Kaito’s voice in her head.

"They’re not enemies. They’re scared people."

She approached the center of the village.

Alone.

Sword sheathed.

"I’m Naporia!" she announced. "Commander of Neudämmerung. We haven’t come to take anything from you."

Silence.

"We’ve come to talk about the mines."

More silence.

Naporia waited thirty seconds that felt like thirty minutes.

Then she spoke again.

"I promise no one here will be hurt or forced into anything."

Another pause.

"And if I’m lying, I’ll kill you all."

Bram covered his face with his hand.

But the door of the largest house opened.

An old man came out. Completely white hair. Wooden cane. Eyes that had seen too much.

He looked at Naporia for a long time.

"What kind of promise includes a death threat at the end?"

Naporia looked at him.

"An honest one."

The old man considered this.

And for some reason Naporia didn’t fully understand, he nodded.

"That... has a certain logic."

---

Leader’s House — Interior

The old man was named Gregor.

He had been a blacksmith before Vargun arrived.

Now he was leader of the twenty-two survivors who hadn’t been able to escape far enough.

Naporia sat before him.

No beating around the bush.

"Vargun used the mines."

It wasn’t a question.

Gregor nodded.

"He forced us to work them. No pay. No proper rest."

He showed his hands.

He had missing fingers.

"When Vargun fell, we ran. We didn’t know who would come next."

"Why didn’t you return?"

Gregor looked at her.

"To the mines? We spent years working them against our will."

He paused.

"Would you return?"

Naporia genuinely considered that.

"No."

Gregor nodded.

"Exactly."

Naporia drummed her fingers on the table.

"Neudämmerung needs those mines. And needs workers who know how to use them."

"I imagine so."

"But we won’t force you."

Gregor studied her with eyes searching for lies.

"Why not? You have soldiers. You have weapons."

"Because my king said Neudämmerung has no slaves."

The word "slaves" came out with particular hardness.

As if the concept repulsed her.

Gregor was silent.

"And what do you offer in exchange for voluntary work?"

Naporia hadn’t prepared an answer for this.

She opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Looked at Bram who stood by the door.

Bram discreetly shrugged.

I’m not helping you with this.

Naporia looked at the ceiling searching for inspiration.

"Fair wages," she finally said. "And Neudämmerung’s protection for your village."

Gregor waited.

Naporia understood she needed more.

"Part of the production... ten percent for the village."

Gregor raised an eyebrow.

"Fifteen?"

Naporia frowned.

"Twelve."

"Fourteen."

"Thirteen and that’s final!"

Gregor almost smiled.

"Thirteen percent of production. Agreed wages. Military protection."

"And freedom to leave the work if conditions don’t meet what was promised."

Naporia extended her hand.

"Deal."

Gregor shook it.

His hand with missing fingers against Naporia’s covered in battle scars.

"Curious queen," he murmured.

Naporia looked at him.

"I’m not queen yet."

"But you could be?"

Naporia withdrew her hand.

"Maybe."

---

Messenger to Aschenfall

That afternoon, Naporia drafted a message.

The writing was clumsy, direct, with several spelling errors.

Mon général.

Found village. People who worked mines with Vargun. Scared but reasonable.

Offered: wages, 13% production, protection.

Can I promise it? Need confirmation fast.

— N

P.S.: Almost collapsed the mine. It was a productive accident.

The messenger galloped off.

Bram read the draft before sending it.

"Productive accident."

"Problem?"

"None. It’s exactly the right phrase."

---

Aschenfall — Same Night

Kaito read the message twice.

Then looked at Gorman.

"She negotiated terms with local inhabitants without killing them?"

Gorman took the message.

"Apparently."

"And the terms are reasonable?"

"Thirteen percent is generous but not excessive. Yes."

Kaito took a pen.

Naporia.

Terms approved. Well done.

About the "productive accident"... I prefer not to know.

— K

The return messenger left ten minutes later.

---

Village of Grimbach — Following Night

The attack came without warning.

Thirty men from the forest.

Dirty clothes, assorted weapons, movements of people accustomed to operating in shadows.

The Shadow Guild symbol stitched on patches on their clothes.

Or what remained of it.

Remnants. Survivors of the massacre Naporia had executed weeks ago.

Revenge.

The villagers ran to their houses.

Neudämmerung soldiers began forming a defensive position.

And Naporia...

Naporia smiled.

Not the calculated smile she used in politics.

The genuine one. The dangerous one. The one that meant she finally had before her something she completely understood.

"Finally."

Her sword slid from its sheath with a clean whisper.

The bandits saw who was at the front of the soldiers.

Some recognized the dark blue imperial uniform.

One whispered: "The Empress. It’s the Empress—"

"Good evening," Naporia said.

And she attacked.

What followed lasted four minutes.

Four minutes of speed, precision, and completely one-sided violence. Naporia moved among the attackers like water through stones, disarming some, incapacitating others, eliminating those who offered serious resistance.

Her soldiers fought too, but honestly, most just watched.

When it ended, twenty-two bandits were on the ground.

Eight had fled.

Naporia cleaned her sword.

Breathing normally.

No wounds.

She looked at her soldiers.

"Anyone on our side wounded?"

"Soldier Petersen has a cut on his arm, Commander."

"Have him treated."

She looked at the village.

The villagers had come out of their houses.

They watched the battlefield.

They watched Naporia.

Their expressions were a mix of terror and something else.

Gregor came out last.

He studied Naporia for a long time.

"Is it usually like this?"

Naporia considered the question.

"Usually faster."

Gregor looked at the bandits on the ground.

"Many carry old symbols. We knew them. They used to steal provisions."

"You feared them?"

"Yes. You?"

Naporia sheathed her sword.

"No."

Gregor nodded slowly.

"Then... I think the deal is good."

A young woman came out from behind Gregor.

She looked at Naporia with enormous eyes.

"You fight like that... and you also negotiated for us?"

Naporia looked at her.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Naporia thought about the honest answer.

"Because my king said there’s a difference between protecting and conquering."

She paused.

"I’m still learning the difference."

The woman processed that.

And then offered her a bowl of hot soup.

Naporia took it without fully knowing what to do with the gesture.

She drank.

It was good.

---

Night — Outside the Camp

Naporia sat on a rock, looking at the sky.

Bram sat beside her with his own cup of soup.

"Today was good."

Naporia didn’t respond immediately.

"I killed twenty-two people."

"You protected twenty-two people," Bram corrected. "And thirty soldiers. And secured the deal with the village."

Naporia looked at her hands.

"I’m not good with words. Only with this."

She touched her sword hilt.

Bram followed her gaze.

"But today you used more than the sword."

Naporia looked at him.

"I improvised contract terms. Barely."

"Yes. And it worked."

"I almost made every possible mistake."

"But you didn’t. Or you corrected them when you did."

Naporia looked at the stars.

"In battle I know exactly what to do. Every move has a correct response."

She paused.

"This... doesn’t."

"No," Bram agreed.

"It’s harder than fighting."

"It always is."

Naporia drank her soup.

Gregor had added spices she didn’t recognize.

They were good.

"Bram."

"Commander?"

"Do you think I can be Queen?"

Bram considered the question with the seriousness Naporia appreciated.

"I think today you were more queen than warrior. Without realizing it."

Naporia processed that.

"I don’t know if that’s good or bad."

Bram smiled.

"Probably both."

---

Aschenfall — Two Weeks Later

Naporia entered through the kingdom’s gates with her soldiers behind her.

Tired but with good posture.

Mission accomplished.

Kaito waited for her in the courtyard.

"Report."

Naporia straightened.

"Mines secured. Engineers started repairs. Agreement established with the village of Grimbach. Full operation in six weeks."

"Problems?"

"Attack by Guild remnants. Resolved."

"Casualties?"

"One lightly wounded. On our side."

"Bandits?"

"Twenty-two casualties."

Kaito studied her.

"How did you negotiate?"

Naporia hesitated.

"Clumsily. But it worked."

"Anything you’d improve?"

"Prepare terms better before sitting down to negotiate."

Kaito nodded and gently patted her head with a smile.

"Well done. I knew you could lead, not just destroy."

Naporia opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Felt warmth in her cheeks that was definitely not the afternoon sun.

"It was... the minimum expected."

Kaito smiled.

"For you, yes. And you exceeded it. I’m happy for you."

Naporia looked away before Kaito could see the color in her face.

"The iron will arrive in six weeks. The engineers confirm the veins."

"Perfect. Rest."

Naporia nodded and walked away.

But as she walked, her hand touched the spot Kaito had patted, a thought crossed her mind that she would have immediately rejected three weeks ago.

Maybe being Queen requires more than combat.

Maybe...

It wouldn’t be so terrible to learn.

She sheathed that idea along with her sword.

For now.