Chapter 610: The Start of the Battle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 610: The Start of the Battle
"To think our thirty years of friendship would end with nothing but this cup of bitter wine."
In the courtyard of the Royal Mage Corps headquarters within the Imperial Palace.
The golden irises were in full bloom, swaying in the wind like a cluster of elegant, resting butterflies.
It was clear the grounds were meticulously maintained. Each small flowerbed was arranged with rhythmic precision; though it lacked the grand scale of the Royal Gardens, its exquisite beauty still spoke to the refined taste of its owner.
But from now on, there might be no one left to tend to it.
Phyllis sighed softly, pouring a cup of wine along the base of a small, raised mound of earth. She murmured to herself as if speaking to an old friend:
"With my lazy temperament, there’s no way I’m going to look after this garden for you. I’ll just let it fade into the depths of time along with you."
The wine seeped into the soil. The simple little grave didn't even have a name. Phyllis knew that even though he was her deputy, he was still a rebel who had betrayed the Imperial family. Being allowed a peaceful burial was the only mercy she, as the Corps Commander, could secure for him.
"Goodbye."
Draining the rest of the bitter wine in one gulp, Phyllis stood up and walked toward the exit of the courtyard.
The overall situation had just stabilized, but there were still many loose ends to tie up. She couldn't afford to relax yet.
After all, as the Royal Mage Corps—the very organization meant to protect the Imperial family—they had accidentally lost the most important Forbidden Spell Core. If she didn't do something to make amends, the budget for the next few years might only be enough for the Corps to live on scraps.
"Sigh, more overtime ahead."
Phyllis looked up at the sky and let out a miserable groan.
Thinking back, ever since she took over as the head of the Royal Mage Corps from that old geezer—who knew where he’d run off to—she had basically spent every day in an endless cycle of overtime.
Her heart was full of bitterness. If time could flow backward, she really wanted to give her past, overjoyed self a good slap.
Why did you have to promote so fast? If you’d just stalled for another two months, this pile of crap wouldn't have fallen on your head.
Irritated, Phyllis plucked an iris and twirled it between her fingertips.
Her movements were sometimes slow, sometimes rhythmic, but often, just as she seemed to relax, she would suddenly apply pressure without warning, making the entire flower quiver. Before long, the crystal-clear dew on the petals began to flow in all directions with the flower's tremors. The stem and leaves seemed to have been subjected to intense stimulation, curling up in a way that looked particularly pitiable.
After playing with it for a while, Phyllis still felt unsatisfied. She suddenly pressed her finger deep into the tender stamen, crushing the entire flower under her touch bit by bit. From the outer edges of the petals to the most mysterious depths of the core, she ground it down meticulously, leaving no part untouched.
Normally, this flower wouldn't even fear the sudden chill of early spring, but it was no match for Phyllis’s bullying. Soon, the fragrant juices of the flower splashed everywhere. The entire bloom turned soft and limp, as if the stem supporting it had been drained of all strength, hanging powerlessly beneath Phyllis’s fingers. The dew clinging to the petals, however, appeared even more crystalline.
If flowers could speak, it likely would have been begging for mercy by now.
"What am I doing, bullying a flower?"
Phyllis shook her head self-deprecatingly and casually stuck the flower back into the mud.
"Hmm?"
Just as she lowered her head, a drop of water suddenly fell.
Though it was faint, Phyllis, with the powerful senses of a Truth-Tier mage, could clearly hear the sound of raindrops falling from the sky and hitting the dust beside her.
"Is it raining?"
She straightened up and looked at the Black Curtain still covering the sky. Suddenly, her eyebrows shot up as if she’d realized something. Her lips curled into a smirk, and her previous gloom vanished, replaced by a sense of excitement.
"Heh, I see. I was wondering... even though the Sky Curtain is still up... as expected of a young man, he certainly plays a bold game."
Regardless, she hoped this "rain" would lead to a good ending.
After all, if I had been as aggressive as Her Majesty decades ago, would that seductive vixen from the Angus family have ever stood a chance?
But there was no point in saying that now. The past was the past. With Her Majesty’s ability, subduing the son of that dead blonde bastard should be a walk in the park.
She waved her hand, opened an umbrella, and walked into the rainless rain.
*
High above the Sky Curtain, the fierce battle had reached its conclusion.
Taking advantage of Celicia’s drunken distraction, Muen had finally been able to fulfill his long-held wish: pinning the new Emperor of the Empire beneath him and bullying her mercilessly.
At this moment, Celicia was clinging to him like an octopus. Her once-cold face was flushed with a dazed delirium, and her watery eyes reflected Muen’s sweat-streaked face, looking as if she wanted to drown him completely.
"Nn... I'm going..."
Finally, accompanied by a violent tremor and spasm, Celicia’s small feet—her black stockings already half-stripped—suddenly straightened. Her long, tight legs kicked high, and her head tilted back, her neck slender and noble like a white swan, covered in a rosy flush.
Muen let out a low growl, delivering the final ripples to Celicia.
"Phew..." Muen exhaled a long breath.
First came the continuous, terrifying "punishments," followed by the heart-pounding battle. Even with his "Unyielding Golden Spear" trait, he was exhausted. He stopped moving and simply held the girl in his arms, stroking her smooth, fair fullness while savoring the beautiful warmth of the moment.
...
...
...
As they lingered in that warmth, Muen suddenly sneezed.
"Haha, must be an illusion."
He rubbed his nose with a smile. "With the sun shining like this, how could I possibly feel cold?"
...
...
"Um."
Muen’s expression turned solemn as he spoke sincerely, "If I apologize in advance, can I be granted amnesty?"
"...What do you think?"
Suddenly, the world inverted.
Before Muen could react, the piercing sunlight flooded his vision without mercy.
He squinted, struggling to adjust to the glare. But then, a cold, beautiful face—far more terrifying than the sun’s light—instantly froze Muen’s heart to absolute zero.
Celicia propped up her upper body, sitting atop him.
She was still completely unclad, her slender waist seemingly inviting one to wrap their arms around it. Her firm, rounded breasts seemed entirely unaffected by gravity; even a glimpse from the corner of his eye made Muen naturally recall the incredible touch and elasticity from moments ago.
Despite the lingering intimacy of their nakedness, her aura was now entirely different. If the drunken her had been like a tender girl pretending to be mature, the aura she exuded now was that of a naturally born, high-cold sovereign.
Her silver hair cascaded down, and with every blink of her frost-like eyelashes, she displayed the peerless grace of an Empress.
Unfortunately for the current Muen, this coldness felt like a sharp blade pressed against his vitals.
"Tell me, how do you want to die?"
Celicia slowly leaned down, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She watched Muen’s eyes with a half-smile that didn't reach her gaze.
The mood had shifted entirely. This coldness was chilling, but not bone-deep.
"I..."
Muen thought about it seriously and replied, "Can I die of pleasure? Like those 'punishments' you were giving me just now..."
Celicia’s face instantly turned icy. Her two slender hands swept across Muen’s firm chest and moved up to his neck. Her voice began to crystallize with frost:
"Have you been getting bolder lately?"
"Not at all. I just don't want to die."
"And why don't you want to die?"
"Because..."
Muen reached up and caught Celicia’s hands. "I’m afraid you’d be sad."
"..."
For a moment, Celicia looked disgusted, but then that disgust turned into helplessness.
She broke free from Muen’s wandering hands, stood up, and sneered, "Your skill at sweet-talking girls has certainly improved. How many innocent girls did you have to practice on to gain this much experience?"
"Heaven be my witness, this isn't sweet-talking. These are my true feelings!"
Muen held up four fingers. "If a single word I said is a lie, let my teacher—"
"Fine, I don't want to hear your excuses."
Celicia gave Muen a cold glare, unwilling to bicker further. She stepped over him and walked to the other side to pick up her scattered clothes.
She sifted through the pile, eventually sighed, and took out a fresh set of robes. One by one, she began to cover her perfect, delicate body again.
Muen chuckled, lying on his side to admire Celicia’s every move. He watched as the clothing traced the curves of her alluring figure.
"Speaking of which, that scene just now felt a bit like déjà vu."
"Déjà vu?"
"The part where you were sitting on me, looking like you wanted to strangle me."
"I should have strangled you back then. It would have saved a lot of girls from being ruined by you."
"Nonsense. I was saving those girls... How can saving girls be called 'ruining' them?"
Muen grumbled to himself, then couldn't help but smile.
"Actually, I didn't expect you to fall into the same trap twice, Celicia. After the last time you got drunk, I thought you’d never give me the chance to see you drunk again... wait..."
As he spoke, Muen’s smile gradually faded.
Wait.
Yeah.
With Celicia’s intelligence, could she really have failed to guess that there was something wrong with that potion?
If he could figure it out through Pink Bear, how could Celicia not have realized?
But why... did she still drink it?
"What are you trying to say?"
Celicia’s back was to Muen as she put on a shawl. She paused slightly upon hearing his words.
"I want to say..."
Muen suddenly covered his mouth. "No, I don't want to say anything!"
"If you have nothing to say, then get your ass up."
Celicia raised an eyebrow and barked, "There’s so much work to be done. How long do you plan on slacking off?"
"Yes! I’m getting up right now, Your Majesty!"
Celicia’s gaze shifted slightly. She watched Muen scramble to get dressed, then suddenly turned around, looking through the Black Curtain toward a distant point.
...
...
"We’re finally almost at Belland!"
After cresting a hill, the silhouette of the great city became visible. Jin Ze couldn't help but shout happily.
He had been exhausted from dealing with the Evil God incidents lately. Now that he could finally return to Belland, he was naturally thrilled.
"Huh? What’s that?"
At that moment, Jin Ze finally noticed the Sky Curtain covering the entirety of Belland and let out a cry of surprise.
"It looks like the aftermath of some kind of battle."
The carriage curtain was pulled back, revealing a seductive, beautiful face. Her moon-like eyes looked up, her gaze also falling upon the Sky Curtain.
"Aftermath of a battle?"
Jin Ze frowned. "Does that mean we’re too late?"
"No, we shouldn't be late."
Anna rested her chin on her hand, a silver-white figure reflected in her pupils. She murmured with a faint, knowing smile:
"It looks like the real battle is only just beginning."