My Milf System-Chapter 349. The Royal council

It was only after Asher finished three plates of food that he finally snapped back to reality. A huge smile spread across his face, his stomach full like a stuffed duck.

"Oh, forgive my manners. How are—OH MY GOD...!"

His eyes suddenly snapped to the queen sitting at the far end of the table.

"What a strikingly beautiful...wait, are you a dude?"

A noble slammed his fist onto the table. "What utter disrespect is this? Mind your tongue in the presence of the Queen!"

A female minister snarled, her expression darkening. "A mere man ogling our sovereign? How utterly revolting!"

Asher felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Oh... right.

Their reactions reminded him of the time he had sat at a long table like this with the Queen of the Zephandria Kingdom and her royal council.

Despite almost everyone being furious with him, the Queen herself burst into laughter. The sound was so bright and genuine that the council fell into an uneasy silence.

"You’re an interesting one, aren’t you?" she asked, her chuckles deepening.

The council stared at her in disbelief.

The Queen’s personal attendant nudged her shoulder and whispered loudly, "Your personality is leaking again, my Queen."

"Oh, right. Ahem." The Queen cleared her throat, her face shifting instantly into a mask of professional grace. She placed a hand over her heart. "I am Anastasia II, Queen of the Shangani Kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet you, Son of the Gods."

"Son of the Gods?" Asher muttered, his face cringing. "I’m not really the religious ty—"

Joyce elbowed him hard.

She bowed quickly, grabbing the back of his head and forcing him down as well.

"Thank you for receiving us, Your Majesty."

When they raised their heads again, Asher looked at the Queen more carefully.

She really didn’t look very queenly.

If anything, she gave off strong tomboy vibes despite wearing royal robes.

She had short, neat black hair, sharp eyes, and a long neck.

Wait... she was actually pretty tall.

Even while sitting, she seemed taller than most people in the room—except him.

With that, she began her speech, thanking Asher for stopping Genzai, who had turned against civilians and sacrificed them for power without remorse.

A pang of guilt stabbed into Asher’s chest.

He suddenly stood up.

"Excuse me..."

The royal council nearly lost their minds. Many of them took his action as blatant disrespect toward the Queen.

Before they could explode, however, Asher spoke, his head lowered.

"Tanaka Genzai was a good man."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"He killed civilians right in front of our eyes!"

"You fought him yourself! You know better than anyone what kind of monster he was!"

"That wasn’t him," Asher replied, clenching his fist. "That was Moriel."

"Huh? What is this snot-nosed brat talking about?"

Anastasia raised her hand.

The entire room fell silent.

"Please... let him speak."

Asher continued. "Moriel, a fallen god, was behind everything. He’s the one who started the lie that black cat folks are omens of misfortune. There’s a long, bloody history there that I don’t have the patience to explain, but you need to know one thing...."

His voice hardened.

"That fallen god was a complete piece of shit."

A collective gasp swept across the palace.

One noble nearly choked on her wine.

Another dropped her spoon.

A bishop slowly rose from his seat.

His hand trembled against the table before he slapped it hard!

BANG!!

"I knew it!!" His voice echoed through the hall. "You’re nothing but a HERETIC!!"

He pointed accusingly at Asher.

"How dare you insult Moriel, the God of Reincarnation!!"

"Former God of Reincarnation," Asher corrected calmly.

"You may not believe me." Asher continued,"but Moriel was cast out of the heavens by the Goddess of Grace for his transgressions. And now could possess people and force them to do his bidding. And he always targets influential men."

He glanced around the room.

"In Eldoria, he possessed a Duke and caused a zombie apocalypse that nearly wiped out the entire kingdom."

"Are you saying this fallen god possessed Genzai?" Anastasia asked.

Asher nodded.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t know any other way to obliterate Moriel without killing his vessel."

"That explains it..." Anastasia murmured, lowering her gaze.

"So that’s why the cheerful and kind Genzai suddenly became such a monster."

The bishop turned toward the Queen in outrage.

"You’re saying... you actually believe this heretic?!"

The Queen nodded calmly.

"Outrageous!! God Moriel would never be an evil god! Impossible! He’s the god I believe in the most!"

Suddenly, Asher pulled his chair back and dropped to his knees, bowing so deeply that his forehead touched the floor.

"A god never truly dies as long as people believe in him," he said quietly.

"So please... Queen Anastasia; believe what I just told you. And make sure no one worships Moriel ever again."

He raised his head and stared directly at the bishop.

"Starting with him."

The bishop shrieked in rage.

"I see what this is! You’re testing my faith, you son of a devil!"

Asher sighed.

Realizing how stubborn the old man was, he slowly unsheathed his sword.

"I really don’t want to deal with that piece-of-shit fallen god ever again..."

His voice turned ice-cold.

"So if idiots like you keep believing in him... I won’t hesitate to slice your throats in two."

Royal guards rushed forward instantly, swords pointed at Asher.

Joyce stood quickly, raising both hands.

"Everyone, calm down! This is just a misunderstanding!"

Asher glared at the bishop with murderous intent.

The old man suddenly felt his knees go weak.

Then Anastasia stood up.

She really was tall.

"All weapons down. Now."

Suddenly, Asher felt his hand trembling as it forced his sword back into its scabbard.

Even though he resisted, his body moved on its own.

The same thing happened to the guards.

Asher’s eyes widened. Was that the Queen’s power?

Some kind of cursed speech ability?

Anastasia looked around the hall.

"Moriel is a god long forgotten in most religions, with only a few believers remaining."

She paused. "My instincts tell me we should enforce a new law. Anyone caught praying to or praising Moriel will be severely punished."

The council quickly agreed as if affected by her cursed speech.

With the Shangani Kingdom being the center of religion in the world, the rule would soon spread to other kingdoms.

That finally put Asher’s heart at ease.

"Well..." Anastasia continued. "Now we move to your reward. It only makes sense the winner of the Ascension Tournament receives the Ascension Key."

A servant approached carrying a red velvet tray.

Joyce nudged Asher, whispering into his ear. "Go kneel before the Queen."

Asher stepped forward and knelt.

The Queen handed him the key.

He took out the two keys he had stored in his item box—already attached as a necklace—and connected the new piece.

A soft golden glow appeared.

The fragments merged into a three-quarter moon necklace.

Anastasia smiled.

"It just so happens that Genzai had already gathered the final piece from the Frostia Kingdom—the land of snow."

Asher’s eyes widened.

The servant presented the last fragment. "And we decided to give it to you as a thank you token for the water."

She handed him the piece. Asher’s hands trembled as he accepted it.

He stared at it in disbelief. The last piece to the key of ascension!! It was finally in his hands!

He attached it to the necklace and a massive golden light burst outward, filling the entire hall and streaming through the palace windows.

The council members basked in its warmth.

"The holy radiance... it’s warm and healing," someone whispered.

Holy radiance, huh...

Asher could feel it too.

The glow slowly faded.

The necklace had become a perfect full moon now. He slipped it around his neck.

Anastasia smiled.

"So... would you like to use the Heavenly Gate right now and Ascend the Heavens to meet the Goddess to receive your wish? We have one in our church—"

"No, thank you!" Asher replied with a grin."I’ll do it in Eldoria."

He turned and walked away, leaving the entire room stunned.

Joyce quickly said her farewells to the Queen and the council too and ran after him.

Anastasia suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha! He just turned down the Queen without even a hint of fear! What an interesting fellow!"

She planted her hands on her hips.

"One day I’ll spend more time with him... maybe we can even play football together!"

Her servant leaned close and whispered again.

"Your personality is showing, Your Majesty."

Anastasia coughed awkwardly and sat down.

"Ah... excuse me. I got carried away."

To be continued.