(16)
"Trash!"
Her Majesty, the most magnificent Empress Meryl's Zoldyck, was in a foul mood today. All those attending her had retreated, leaving only Prince Illumi kneeling to report.
The Empress removed a gauntlet and flung it at Prince Illumi's face. The enchanted glove left a large bruise on his cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Prince Illumi's expedition to Meteor Country had failed. Not only that, but the most elite knight order of Bartochia Country had suffered heavy losses. The Knight Commander Bisky and Vice-Commander Gung were both seriously injured. Count Kite lost an arm, and Baron Hishito died in battle.
With its vital forces depleted, Bartochia Country could not launch another war for some time and had to urgently switch to a defensive posture.
However, Meteor Country's most elite Phantom Troupe also paid a price. Their proudest fighter, Marshal Uvogin, was injured and unable to move freely for the time being. His longest-serving personal adjutant, Nobunaga, was killed, which was akin to severing Marshal Uvogin's limbs. Meteor Country would not be able to launch a strong counterattack for some time.
In short, it was a mutual defeat.
After leaving the battlefield, Prince Illumi had rushed back to the royal palace to report. He had only managed to wipe the dust and blood from his face, and the hastily treated wounds on his body had reopened, staining his military uniform once again.
"Your Majesty, this expedition yielded very important intelligence," Prince Illumi said, his voice hoarse from not having drunk any water on the way. "Meteor Country has finally revealed its trump card – they possess a national strategic-level light magician."
Normal light magicians, like Sister Machi of Bartochia Country, only possessed healing magic and consumed considerable magical power, unable to heal multiple people at once. Therefore, to ensure that precious resources could be deployed immediately when needed, Sister Machi was forbidden by regulations from healing anyone outside the royal family. Even if a royal was injured, if it was a minor injury, Sister Machi would not be easily dispatched.
If ordinary light magicians were this precious, a national strategic-level light magician was said to appear perhaps once in a century, and it was a trump card that a country would not easily reveal.
Every animal could be the Empress's informant within her territory. However, the Empress could not personally witness battles outside her domain.
Despite this, the Empress was not overly surprised. "As expected..."
[Light and darkness, as shadows follow form]
This was one of the prophecies left by Neon Nostrade, the saintess of Putuo Country. Although the saintess died young, many of her prophecies had come true, making her remaining prophecies world-famous.
The Empress possessed dark magic far exceeding the normal specifications. In contrast, there should exist another person in the world who possessed light magic of the same specifications.
"What is the opponent's ability?" the Empress asked.
"Likely 'Blessing'."
The war initiated by Bartochia Country had been planned for a long time. Initially, the Phantom Troupe of Meteor Country had indeed suffered, gaining the upper hand. However, after retreating to the city gates, their combat power suddenly surged, as if they had been replaced by an entirely new army, catching the knight order off guard.
The cause of this anomaly should be the advanced light magic recorded in ancient texts – Blessing. It could eliminate all fatigue and greatly boost morale and combat power.
"Is it just a support type?" the Empress mused, propping her chin with one hand.
It was indeed a useful ability, but not particularly powerful enough to pose a fatal threat to the Empress.
"Uninteresting." The Empress removed her other gauntlet and threw it at Prince Illumi's feet. "Rest for a while. We will probe them again when we are ready."
"Yes, my lord." Prince Illumi picked up the gauntlet the Empress had thrown and bowed, kissing the back of her hand.
(17)
Hururu Square in Bartochia Country was always a lively place, and today it was exceptionally so.
Crowds formed circles, three layers deep and three layers wide, all looking at a blonde woman dancing in the center of the square.
A veil covered the lower half of the woman's face, her expression calm and mysterious, even a little cold. Her dance steps, however, were passionately unrestrained, betraying her youthful vitality. Bells on her slender ankles chimed, and metal pendants on her light, vibrant dance costume glinted silver in the sunlight, making her appear as beautiful as dancing stars.
As the dance ended, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.
The boy who accompanied the blonde woman with music circled the crowd, holding out his hat, which was nearly overflowing with the money he received.
"That dance, that costume, it looks like it's from the Kurta clan, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it's true, the dances performed by Kurta women are indeed the most beautiful."
"Beautiful, yes, but don't forget the Kurta people are naturally cunning. Be careful not to be tricked out of all your money!"
"So what if I get tricked? If that girl dances for me all night, I'd gladly give her all the money I have!"
"Stop boasting. With your meager funds, what woman would even look at you?"
"Hahahahahahahaha."
The dancing blonde woman and the accompanying boy bowed their thanks to the crowd again, gathered their belongings, donned cloaks that covered their entire bodies, and left the square.
More than a decade ago, in this very Hururu Square, the most respected fortune-teller of the Kurta clan, Grandmother Gingka, was burned alive by the arrogant and cruel royalty of Bartochia Country.
During that incident, not only was Grandmother Gingka falsely accused of "intentionally predicting misfortune, sensationalizing, and creating panic to extort money," but the reputation of the Kurta clan was also severely tarnished.
The royal family of Bartochia Country claimed that the Kurta clan was "naturally cunning and unsettled, making them prone to crime," which deepened the discrimination and prejudice against them among the common people.
Whenever a theft occurred, people's first reaction was that the Kurta clan was responsible.
The blonde woman clenched her fist, a flash of crimson appearing in her tea-colored pupils.
"I'm tired," the boy beside her complained.
"Just a little longer."
They returned to their inn room. The boy's cloak immediately sagged, and a sparrow flew out from the fabric, finally settling in the center of the pillow and complaining again, "So tired."
Like Her Majesty, the most magnificent Empress Meryl's Zoldyck, the blonde woman had also successfully signed a contract with a demon, a demon in the form of a sparrow.
Demons could transform into various appearances, such as the boy who accompanied the blonde woman.
However, demons preferred to operate in human form, which was likely a restriction.
Demons had many restrictions when operating in the human world and could not influence humans at will, so people knew very little about them.
The blonde woman sat down and began to remove her makeup.
After taking off her dance costume, her chest, no longer covered by fabric, was remarkably flat.
Oh dear, the blonde woman was actually a handsome young man.
Kurapika, a blonde youth from the Kurta clan, had lost his parents in childhood. Under the command of the Kurta clan elders, he was tasked with avenging those who had persecuted the Kurta clan.
His target for revenge was the royal family of Bartochia Country.
The former king Shai, who had ordered Grandmother Gingka's burning, was dead. The target for assassination remained "the cursed princess," who was now the Empress of Bartochia Country, Meryl's Zoldyck. Grandmother Gingka had been persecuted precisely because she had predicted the Empress's future crimes.
"Was the former king wrong? He just wanted to protect his daughter," said the sparrow demon.
"Was Grandmother Gingka wrong? Was the Kurta clan wrong?" Kurapika's anger flared again. "Why should we be sacrificed!"
"I'm so tired," the sparrow demon complained for the third time. "I'm so hungry. When will I get more offerings?"
Demons could not freely exert their power in the human world. To use their power, they had to receive offerings willingly given by humans, such as the person Kurapika had killed during his last revenge mission. That man had intentionally framed a Kurta woman, then used it as leverage to forcibly possess her, and finally abused her to death.
The souls of evil people were delicious. The souls of good people were delicious. The souls of ordinary people were not delicious.
The Empress's soul should be delicious.
The sparrow demon was filled with anticipation.
(18)
Chirp chirp.
The red-eyed sparrow demon, disguised as an ordinary sparrow, chirped incessantly on the windowsill.
The Empress had heard of the dance in Hururu Square and sent an envoy to invite Kurapika to perform at the palace.
Kurapika was delighted, and the sparrow demon was also delighted.
Chirp chirp. Chirp chirp.
The sparrow demon was hungry and could not transform into its human form to accompany Kurapika to the palace. This was of no consequence, as the palace had more professional musicians to accompany Kurapika. Her Majesty the Empress, who had witnessed many song and dance performances, was very picky about the quality of performances.
Chirp chirp. Chirp chirp.
The sparrow demon flew to a branch in the palace and watched through the window as Kurapika danced, received the Empress's rewards, removed his veil, and was invited to be a distinguished guest by Her Majesty.
Behind a curtain, Her Majesty became intimate with Kurapika. Little did she know that Kurapika had hidden poison in his earring. A certain noble had met his end due to this poison.
The poison had just been added to the wine. As soon as Her Majesty took a sip of the wine, she would die.
What was happening? What was happening?
Her Majesty drank the wine, but she did not die.
Kurapika was also subdued by Her Majesty. The sparrow demon jumped anxiously on the branch.
Chirp chirp. Chirp chirp.
Kurapika was gone without a trace.
What a terrifying Empress!
(19)
The black rabbit demon and the sparrow demon were chatting.
"So it was you?"
"So it was you."
"You actually found a contractor."
"You actually found a contractor!"
Kurapika threw the cup in his hand and questioned the sparrow demon why it had concealed the matter of the black rabbit demon.
"I was too weak to notice," the sparrow demon said. "Look how black and plump Her Majesty has kept this dead rabbit! While I am thin and small, delicate and weak, unable to use any of my abilities."
The Kurta elders had warned Kurapika: do not believe the words of demons.
Demons never meant well; they only sought more offerings.
Her Majesty was a demonic woman. Her killings were to supply demons, and she had sold her soul to a demon.
"You say I sold my soul to a demon," Her Majesty said, pinning Kurapika's hands and laughing above him. "Then when did you get the illusion that my body was still human?"
As long as her magic was not depleted, Her Majesty could not die. She had long been accustomed to assassins and knew Kurapika's intentions from the beginning.
"I am very benevolent; I will not force anyone."
"I will give you a 'choose one of two' option."
"Kurapika, do you want to become a Black Goat, or continue to be human?"
(20)
Meteor Country had revealed its trump card of a "national strategic-level light magician."
Therefore, Her Majesty also had to reveal her strength.
She used dark magic to transform civilians and the deceased into "Ghouls," a type of humanoid monster that walked upright on two legs, with dog-like faces and hooved feet. Their hands were sharp, elongated claws. Their skin was tough, and the gas they exhaled was poisonous. Their cries sounded like human weeping, striking terror into the hearts of onlookers.
Another type of monster under her command was the "Black Goat." They had goat-like heads, slender bodies resembling gender-ambiguous human forms, and all black fingernails. They could use magic, and their total number did not exceed ten.
The advantages and disadvantages of the two types of monsters were clear: Ghouls excelled in numbers, while Black Goats excelled in quality.
Her Majesty's public use of forbidden dark magic, and its immense power, shocked the world as soon as the news spread.
People speculated that the most bizarre Black Goats were monsters born from the Empress's union with a demon.
"..."
Considering that she could not completely antagonize the nobles who were national assets, it was better not to reveal the truth that "Black Goats were created from deceased nobles (such as Baron Hishito)."
Allowing people to focus their attention on trivial matters helped divert their attention.
For example, the fact that Her Majesty had sacrificed another city to create this batch of Ghouls and Black Goats.
These monsters had low intelligence and could only serve as vanguard troops, or "elite cannon fodder."
After depleting some of the enemy's strength, Prince Illumi would still need to lead the knight order in an attack.
With danger looming, Meteor Country had to go all out.
Perhaps due to the heavy losses sustained last time, Bartochia Country, skilled in lightning warfare, wanted to preserve its strength and did not attempt to achieve a swift victory this time.
The war situation between the two countries gradually became a stalemate, turning into a war of attrition.
Sporadic battles continued for half a year.
One day, Prince Illumi suddenly swung his sword and severed the head of the handsome youth beside the Empress.
"!!!" The Empress was furious.
"Sister, you no longer need such cheap substitutes." Prince Illumi's gentle expression was like that of a brother doting on his sister.
He had not called Her Majesty "Sister" for a long time.
But today, an exception could be made.
"..." The Empress frowned, believing that the magic of the master-servant contract might have encountered some issues.
"Sister," Prince Illumi knelt and kissed the back of the Empress's hand, his voice filled with genuine joy. "Meteor Country has requested an alliance and peace. They hope that Her Majesty Empress Meryl's Zoldyck will enter into a marriage alliance with Prince Kuroro Lucilfer of Meteor Country."