Against the World II: Transgression
Special Story: Threat from the East, part 6
...—22nd May, D204—...
For an ocean transport, the medium-sized ship with a two-level deck was traveling at an astonishing speed. The ship was able to cut a distance of 55 kilometers in just one hour. Although the speed is too small when compared to the average speed of a flying dragon, but for a minimalist [whichever] transportation, it is already quite amazing.
Unlike the larger ships that sailed behind the medium-sized ship, the ship did not have many people on it. At first glance, only the technicians and captains of the ship were seen. Carefully, several soldiers were seen standing in several locations with observational views. Despite acting as the ship that leads everything, the ship was arguably lacking protection.
However, given who the one sitting on the throne was the only one in the ship's grandest room, the lack of protection really wouldn't be a problem for them. In fact, the medium-sized ship was far more threatening than the ships behind it. It is certain that there will be no enemy survivors if they dare to provoke a ship that is not equipped with any of these weapons.
The door to the ship's grandest room suddenly opened slowly, carrying a pair of feet entering it with gentle steps. Arriving a few meters in front of the beautiful throne, the owner of the leg dropped his knee and bowed his head. With complete submission he reports:
“Paduka, we have entered the waters of Medea. In half an hour the ship will arrive on the southern coast of the continent. However, the captain of the ship decided to stop the ship ten minutes to come in order to avoid a confrontation with the dragons.”
The pair of open eyelids opened slowly, revealing a pair of obsidian-like black irises that fell to the bottom of the darkness. Unfortunately, the owner of the two legs that were bent did not see it—the sight of the soldier looked down at the floor.
“...Back in ten minutes.”
The four words spoken in a monotonous tone were the response the soldier received, and the pair of pitch black irises was again hidden by the eyelids with pliable feathers— the owner clearly did not want to linger showing the beauty of a pair of beautiful obsidian beads.
“As your wish, Your Majesty.”
The soldier once again lowered his head reverently, then took a step back and then stood up and turned around, leaving the empress who was just sitting quietly on the throne with both eyes closed.
She was Jiang Yue Yin, the first female emperor in the history of Jiangzou Empire.
Although her physique was no different from a girl who had just turned two dozen, her original age was already over two centuries. This long silver-haired girl had stopped growing when she was twelve. It will never age. Physical eternal.
The door of the grandest room was again closed when the soldier came out of the room, once again hiding the eternal beauty that will not fade it ‒ a woman whose existence must bring fertility even to the dead land though.
...* * * * *
...
...[25th March, C997 | Imperial Palace, Shinzou, Jiangzou Empire]...
The late-night Jiang Yue Yin was about to turn twelve years old looking silently with interest at the leaf that the wind was flying with complete freedom. A question flashed through the mind of the only ruler of Jiangzou Empire's daughter:
Where will the leaf fall?
It really piqued the princess' curiosity. If he could, he wanted to fly and go stalk the leaf from behind. Unfortunately, it could only be done by those magicians who had [Wind Magic], [Wind Manipulation Magic], [Flight Magic], and other magic-magics that there might be many. That wish cannot be realized for a person who cannot even use his [where] at all, unless it uses a magic artifact that can fly.
Of the many people who were untalented in magic, Yue Yin was one of them. Even with her brain's intelligence, the princess was unable to deceive fate into giving her a clean talent. In fact, both of his parents were a renowned Magic Master and Magic Caster. However, himself….
Therefore, the princess was very interested to know the fate of the leaf.
For they are both powerless against the wind that leads them away. Both have no choice in the swift flow of life. They drifted about, going where the wind took them. They are weak, helpless, and not noticed at all.
“Mr Princess, it's time you came in. Imperial political and economic teachers will arrive in an hour. You should be ready to start your lesson before he arrives. You should always show the ethics of a princess. You should always look perfect.”
To be honest, Yue Yin hated studying so much. He wants to protest. He wanted to say that he wanted to listen to the orchestra. Yue Yin wanted to say that she wanted to read the beautiful stories in the library. There's a lot he wants to say....
However, Yue Yin held back. It is a failed product in the eyes of people. An imperial heir with no clean talents…. It was the greatest humiliation in the history of their empire. It is.failure, so the whispers that vibrate through the air say.
Hence, Yue Yin had never protested. He followed everything that was scheduled for him. No matter how exhausting it is, no matter how painful it is, no matter how mumbling the head is, no matter if it brings depression…. Yue Yin did everything without protest.
Even today.Yue Yin will not protest.
“Yes, Xiela.” The monotonous flat voice that was spoken with an expression that was no less flat it ended Yue Yin's observation of the leaves that had been far away.
With no reluctance the princess turned around, walking in steps full of elegance that made the servant named Xiela smile with satisfaction, leaving the main balcony of the palace and all its silence.
“Ah, Princess, I will ask the head cook to prepare a special dinner for you. Therefore, please the Princess return to her own room. I'll be soon after finish.”
Yue Yin's lips curved into a smile that undoubtedly melted the eyes of the people. However, if carefully considered, anyone would be able to see the falsehood, precisely the absence of emotions there.
“Yes, Xiela.”
After Xiela left, Yue Yin returned her flat expression, continuing her steps towards her room.
“Report, Prime Minister. It's about unbelievable things: His Majesty Emperor and Empress are gone.”
Yue Yin reflex footsteps fell silent at the sound that invaded her auditory system.
“They were killed on the battlefield. Although both of them managed to defeat the enemy leader, but their injuries were too fatal. Both died without being healed.”
Yue Yin reflexively tightened her body against the wall, her ears she opened wide as she tried to remain silent.
“...Oh, they finally die?”
“Pe-Prime Minister, you..!”.
“Calm down, I don't mean to rejoice at their deaths. I'm just too upset. I told the two of them not to advance into battle, but they were too stubborn and staunch to leave. Though I have done various ways to yell at them, but both of them still go even though they know they will most likely die. Tskkk! Basic stubborn!”
“...So, yes...”.
“Haaa, if only they had listened to me…. By the way, Wei Huan, when did their corpses get to the palace?”
“We avoid the use of teleportation as a form of respect for knights who died on the battlefield. Therefore, we estimate the bodies of both will arrive in one to two days.”
“Good. If so, we can focus on preparing for the funeral ceremony and determining who should succeed the emperor to the throne.”
“...What do you mean by determining who will occupy the throne, Prime Minister? Didn't it legitimately belong to Princess Yue Yin? He was the only heir to the emperor; no one had the right to the throne other than himself.”
“I want to agree with you, Wei Huan. But, did you forget that Princess Yue Yin does not have the ability to use [where]? Did you forget that he's not a fighter? Did you forget that he's just a regular guy?”
“Of course not, it's just..”.
“We have no other choice; it has become a fateful suratan The Princess was born without magic talent. Marry him to a famous man and we believe his loyalty is the only solution.”
“Bedding it?! But, she's still—”
Yue Yin was no longer interested in hearing the conversation, her legs had already stepped away. He heard enough. He does not need to know the continuation of that conversation.
However, to her surprise, Yue Yin did not feel sad, depressed, or desperate when she heard that her parents were dead. In fact, a small part of him was happy about their death, and it made him feel good about himself. Despite feeling that way, Yue Yin knew why a small part of her was happy.
That one word might already be enough to represent everything, it was enough to explain those happy feelings.
Unlike her, both her parents were born with high magic talents. His father was even more talented than the previous emperor. Although his mother's parents were both non-fighters and were not good at using [mana], his mother's talent in cleanliness made him one of the strongest Magic Casters in the empire.
Meanwhile, he who was born from the union of two individuals of their caliber.how could he not inherit even the slightest bit of talent? It was like they had conspired not to inherit magic.
A small part of Yue Yin hated her parents, but a larger part of her hated her who dared to hate her mother and father.
Repugn. So sickening to the point that Yue Yin wanted to cry. But the tears never came down. Such sickening sadness.., Yue Yin had forgotten about it for a long time. Nevertheless, if it could turn back the clock, at least Yue Yin wanted to apologize to her mother's father for putting a little bit of hatred on them.
However, at this time it is not the case of the death of his parents that most seized the attention of the princess, but the fact that the prime minister—whose incident is his uncle—want to marry him to someone, he said, even though he was so young for it.
Yue Yin Yang always obeyed their every command, this time he would not accept. They must have thought he would heed their wishes, as usual. Unfortunately, Yue Yin would have dashed those hopes. It is better for him to die than to be married to someone he does not even know, especially if he is a dozen years old on it. It will deflect.
However, it would only be a futile effort without support. And given how low the value of the princess before them was, clearly no one would be willing to support her. Who wants to have a leader as weak as him?
If he wanted to be completely defiant, first of all he had to be strong. If not, that support will not exist. If there is no support, the only solution left is to die. However, Yue Yin did not want to truly feel dead. The choice is currently only two: to be strong, or to die. Therefore, being strong is a must.
With the determination of being strong filling his mind, Yue Yin spurted her legs faster, and before long she reached her room.
Directly the princess approached the storage cabinet of books that she collected from every opportunity there—especially books about being strong without [where].
Yue Yin ignored the three upper shelves that all the books there had already read. The princess' attention focused on the bottom shelf, on thick and ancient books. He deliberately kept it because he had given up after failing to find useful things in the books on it. However, right now also Yue Yin was determined to read those books, and spend them all if she could.
The princess's hand moved towards the rightmost book, but it suddenly came to a halt as Yue Yin's iris saw a black book that was narrowed between thick books.
“. Did I forget..?”
Shoving his shoulders, Yue Yin decided to take the book first. It was a plain black-coated book with a very soft cover quality. There was no word on the cover, completely plain black.
“Six Crests of Hope,” muttered Yue Yin read the first words her eyes saw when she opened the cover. “Written by Edenia, for hope seekers ‒ is dedicated to those who want to reach the throne of the god.”
At a time, this book he was holding was the first one that managed to make Yue Yin very curious. The Six Crests of Hope? He never heard anything about it. Edenia's? Yue Yin did not find the name in the Veria history books, but for some reason she had heard of it when discussing Islan.
Wanting to alleviate his curiosity, the princess quickly turned the page:
The Tree of Magic. A tree of life producing [whichever] is very abundant. Six Crests of Hope. A tree whose leaves are the manifestation of every magic contained in the Throne of Heaven that controls the universe system. A tree that makes the land around it fertile like the land of heaven. A divine tree hidden from the dirty watches of mortal beings.
Tree of Magic stores [Ruler of Heaven], one of the ten magic of the god ‒ a magic that becomes mother to all other magic. Whoever possesses this magic, he has had one part of the ten parts of deification. Anyone who has [Ruler of Heaven], the throne of the god—Throne of Heaven— is open to him.
The Tree of Magic, a small tree of one-highest height, stands beautifully in one of the two untouched filthy hands of mortal beings, between two abysses that do not meet but intersect, and, on top of a black obsidian stone.
Yue Yin continued to read the book quickly, wanting to finish it as quickly as possible before Xiela returned. However, as soon as Yue Yin was about to open the other courtyard, suddenly footsteps sounded so clear. Yue Yin reacted quickly and tucked the book in its original place. He will continue to read it after his mandatory activities are completed.
“Mr Princess, ap—ah, you're not ready yet? What can I do, I will help you dress.”
“Xiela, have you heard of ‘Edenia’?” yue Yin asked as Xiela walked over to the storage of her clothes, and the sudden question made the servant pause for a moment in a thoughtful pose.
“If not wrong, Edenia is a god worshiped by the people of Iceland. He was associated with the famous Deus Lake. Those people believe that the lake is Edenia's blessing upon them.”
That reply suddenly made Yue Yin's gaze move towards the book in question.
However, the black-coated book that he believed he had placed in the place where he took it. It made Yue Yin's eyes blink quickly, and she immediately checked the bottom shelf.
However, even after he checked back and forth the books, he could not find the book he had read at all. The book disappeared without a trace.
At that moment Yue Yin believed it. If what Xiela said about Edenia was indeed true, it was likely that the Tree of Magic was real. He must get the tree. It was the only way he could be strong. [Ruler of Heaven], Yue Yin had to obtain that magic.
“Mr Princess...?”
“Nothing, Xiela. I just feel like I kept a book about Edenia here, but I didn't find it. Do you think I read it somewhere else? Ah, forget it, just focus on choosing clothes for me, Xiela.”
Yue Yin stepped to the edge of her bed, sitting there looking at the working Xiela. However, the mind of the princess was not there at all. He was focused on thinking of a way to get to the place where the tree was hidden. Yue Yin was thinking about how to get the Tree of Magic.
...* * * * *...
“Your Majesty, it's time.”
Yue Yin's eyelids instantly opened just a second after the voice invaded her sense of hearing, making the pair of pitch-black irises reappear to the world and its contents.
Down, the Empress watched as the soldier kneeled with his head bowed. He was the same soldier who had reported ten minutes ago. He was in charge of this ship along with the captain of the ship.
Without saying anything, Yue Yin got up from her throne. His feet stepped past the soldier, continuously stepping past the open doorway. The Empress heard the footsteps of the soldier who followed her, but she ignored him. Yue Yin continued walking and climbed up the stairs until she reached the upper deck of the ship.
“Tell the captain of the ship, continue sailing towards Islan at one fourth of his speed. It will make the ships led by Gadra catch up with you before you reach Islan.”
Yue Yin then made herself soar upwards, and along with the response of the warrior she flew to the Medea Continent with a flat expression on her face.
Exactly ten seconds after she had flown at high speed leaving the ship, the princess arrived at the southern shore of the Medea Continent. He could feel the many dragons there. And among those dragons, Yue Yin could sense an existence that was stronger than the strong.
Not wanting to linger, the Empress then continued flying.
He stopped exactly one kilometer in the central sky of the Medea Continent, and quickly he dropped his body freely and—
—buuuam!
The rough landing that Yue Yin did gave off quite a large debuman sound and created a hole one meter deep with a radius of three meters.
As soon as the steaming dust disappeared by the shock of the wind that he threw, Yue Yin's retina then found dozens of adult dragon tails had surrounded her from all directions.
They roared, then asked what the arrival of such mortal beings meant to their holy land. However, Yue Yin ignored the question. Using [Time Magic] to stop their time, Yue Yin then passed the dragon blocking her and stepped slowly towards the place of the Dragon Lord.
However, only a few tens of steps had he moved from the siege of the dragons, four large feet had landed before him with great elegance.
“...What do lowly humans like you do in my holy land?”
Yue Yin turned her face up, looking intensely at the huge dragon that had stopped its steps. He had never met the Dragon Lord in person, but he already knew what he looked like. And unmistakably, this dragon before him was definitely the Dragon Lord.
“Dragon Lord Arshvateth, I want you to help me attack Islan.”