Yggdrasil Year 1625, Month 1, Day 18, Kingdom of Scharlwarltz, Capital Town Ancardia
It would be two days before the scheduled due date where Luciana’s child will be born when Shina pays a visit to the Royal Palace of Ancardia. The first reason is to deliver a report regarding confirmation about the existence of the person in prophecy. The second is she wishes to access the Scharwarltz library to gain knowledge.
Heading to the meeting room, two other persons aside from Luciana are present. The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Scharlwarltz, Marietta Daitenshi, and the Commander of the Scharlwarltz Royal Guardsman, Randgris Flauvel. Marietta has long straight blonde hair down to the waist, wearing a white and blue noblewoman suit, but she has her white-gold helmet ornament equipped on her head. Randgris wears a white dress with open slits at the sides, pale silver armor with red stripes on a breastplate, gloves, shoulder pads, and low heel boots. Her hair is white-blonde which has length down to her chest, as it could reflect the brightness when she’s under the sun, as she wears a black-white Valkyrie helmet with five pairs of feathers on the side.
“It’s been a while, Shina. I start to wonder why you want access to the restricted section of the Scharlwarltz Royal Palace Library all of a sudden. Is something happen after you read my daughter’s prophecy?”
“Yes. Everything is inside this report.”
Luciana reads the report, and she is surprised that Shina has found someone she has been looking for a month ago.
“Lexington Family on the Kingdom of Arminia…. This is quite a surprising discovery.”
“Furthermore, when I assess their potential, it also surprises me.”
“Should we handle them before they grow up, Your Majesty?”
Randgris offers to have Reynes taken care of as soon as possible. For Shina, it also means the future could be changed when Randgris do her job. Marietta also joins the talk.
“Your Majesty. We don’t know how the prophecy would happen. I’m suggesting that we make a precaution for it.”
“I’m fine with the precaution. However, Lexington Family at Shills, I would rather leave them alone.”
Randgris somehow felt objected to Luciana’s decision.
“But, Your Majesty. They can be a threat to us in the future!”
“Randgris. Don’t say as they’ve become a threat immediately. We’re looking at the family who kept their legacy by conducting a journey. In fact, we have some of the copied books that the Lexington Family wrote. Because of their record and legacy, I would rather observe this family for a while rather than take immediate action.”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty. Please forgive my insolence.”
Luciana can feel her belly is moving around. She held it dearly as she was expecting her daughter to be born into this world soon. Looking at Shina, she made her decision.
“Shina. I would grant my permission to enter the Restricted and Forbidden section. In the Forbidden section, however, you can only access it when I would hire you to tutor my daughter.”
“P-pardon? Forbidden section? Isn’t that supposed to be accessed exclusively to the royals and Prime Minister Marietta?”
Shina looks surprised when Luciana offers her a reward to access the Forbidden section, where only the royal family and Prime Minister can access it. Marietta objects to her decision.
“I object, Your Majesty! We can’t let any outlander gain access to the Forbidden section of the library; even she’s one of the recipients of the phoenix blessing from here! We can’t let any of that information leak out to the public!”
“Marietta. As of right now, I won’t grant Shina access to the Forbidden section of the library. I’ve already planned to hire Shina as a tutor to teach my daughter, which I have her teach my daughter to understand the Forbidden section. Somehow I have to trust my instinct on this one.”
Luciana’s sense of instinct surpasses Shina as it could defy any prophecy that was told upon her from any fortune teller, including Shina. It made her become the Queen of Scharlwarltz thirty years ago. Luciana prepared for her ascension when she felt that she would become a Queen, and for the recent case, she wanted to prepare for everything. Since Valkyrie’s body age was stopped when they reached 22 years old, their actual age was unknown.
“Every day, I always think what would happen if your prophecy becomes a reality, Shina. I also wouldn’t want to underestimate the situation as it is now. As Lexington says, “The future can change anytime and always unexpected” is what intrigues me the most. It makes me did not want to rely on your prophecy constantly. I can guess that reason makes you ask the access to the Restricted Section of the library as a payment, correct?”
Luciana’s thought is sharp, and Shina can’t lie about it. Furthermore, Luciana can make a correct deduction with just a few pieces of information and Shina’s attitude once she delivered her report today. She found nothing but boredom when she read other people’s fortune before reading herself, and it was easy money for her. But once she saw the future of herself and found the one that she had been looking for, she decided to train once more.
“Shina. I would prepare a place for you to stay. Right now, you can get as much information as you can in a Restricted Section of the library. Think of it as a down payment as you may have to prepare a lot of materials when you began tutoring my daughter.”
“But, I’m a Fortune Teller.”
“And you’re good at reading, so you better get another variant skills related to reading. I have my faith in you, Shina.”
“Yes. Your Majesty.”
Shina leaves the palace as she returns to her mobile carriage to rest. Although she has a permit to stay inside Ancardia, she does not wish to stay in the palace, noble district, or commoner residential area. The mobile carriage is her home, and it features dimension distortion that features space expansion, allowing a carriage to be designed and furnished like a home.
Yggdrasil Year 1625, Month 1, Day 20, Afternoon
Luciana’s room is on lockdown. Only Shina and selected servants were allowed to enter. The officials that did not have their duty at the moment were anxious as Luciana’s labor began two hours after breakfast.
“Excuse me! I brought another set of blue and red gemstones!”
“Here’s more towel!”
Shina was inside Luciana’s room since Luciana hired her to conduct a magic reading. But, ever since Shina entered the restricted section two days ago, she had found several ways to do a fortune reading. She began to learn a new aspect of the Clairvoyance arts related to her fortune-telling abilities.
An hour later, they can hear the baby crying from Luciana’s room. The officials breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that cry. However, under Luciana’s decree, no one is allowed to host a lavish banquet. Ever since Luciana took the throne, there was a lack of a great banquet. Luciana would prefer to hold a banquet in a humble fashion, making Scharlwarltz more respected on Yggdrasil.
When Luciana takes the throne, the finances of Scharlwarltz have become more healthy than before. Because she only allowed the citizens of Scharlwarltz to hold a modest and humble banquet, there was less expenditure. To mitigate the complaint from those who were usually involved in a lavish banquet made by nobles, Luciana assigns them to open a business in Juno and the second border town, which transitioned from closed to open to the public ten years ago, Welheim. Welheim is a border town with a bridge linked to the town where it houses the Valkyries who were proficient in business, St. Meriata.
The St. Meriata Town is a commercial town with a fortified border inside the town, restricting any “outlander,” the name for those who were either not a Scharlwarltz citizen or a partner of Valkyrie, from entering the inner town, which led to the Ancardia. When both Welheim and St. Meriata began to flourish, it became one of the central trade for the Kingdom of Scharlwarltz, challenging Juno, who is also one of the central trade in the Kingdom of Scharlwarltz.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty! It’s a baby girl!”
Both Shina and the Court Magician immediately casts a spell to measure the newborn baby’s magic power. However, the crystal ball broke. When Shina catches a glimpse of her power, she realizes it would be challenging to handle her in the future.
“Mulminam… Why….?”
Mulminam, a Flame Phoenix that becomes one of the high servants of the Yggdrasil, grants blessing to the Queen of Scharlwarltz, which allows her to select several people to receive the “Blessings of the Phoenix,” or people call it as “Phoenix Preservation.” Shina is one of the recipients. According to the historian, those who received Phoenix’s blessing were considered immortal, and people yearned to earn it.
“Is there something wrong, Shina? Let me have the baby and hold it by myself to verify it.”
The midwife expresses her concern after witnessing the crystal ball is broken.
“B-but, Your Majesty. You saw what happened here.”
“Do I have to turn this into an edict when it comes to holding my own daughter?”
“Y-yes. I apologize.”
The nurse handed the baby girl to Luciana, and she began to nurse her. She closes her eyes once her daughter begins drinking, as she wishes to channel her magic power while nursing. She can sense some unstable magic on her daughter, and when the Princess finishes drinking, Luciana holds her tight but gentle.
“Dawn Rune Seraph Scharlwarltz. That would be your name. When the dawn rises, your wings will bring either blessings or destruction, and you will decide to whom you want to use that power.”
Looking at Shina and the Court Magician, Luciana can only hold Dawn as she’s sleeping after the meal.
“Her magic power is volatile. Shina, I will leave my daughter to you. Bring Marietta and Randgris here.”
She uses her hand gesture to ask the midwife, nurse, and Court Magician to exit her room. Marietta and Randgris enter her room once they’re allowed to come in.
“Shina. I will authorize you to enter the Forbidden Section of the Ancardia Palace Library from now on. Since the three of us were busy with handling our duties, and the Court Magician is entering retirement, I will leave how to handle my daughter to you.”
Both Marietta and Randgris were aware of this decision. But it’s years earlier than what they’ve thought. Before they can lodge in any protest, Luciana makes her statement.
“Marietta. Randgris. Since my daughter’s magic power is like a dam that can break at any time, I would like you to prepare the strongest defenses around the Kingdom of Scharlwarltz. The reason I’ve allowed Shina to access the Forbidden section earlier than planned is that she has to prepare teachings for my daughter in the future.”
“Yes. Your Majesty.”
Luciana looked out of the window and saw the sun begin to set. She’s worried about her daughter’s future, as Mulminam the Phoenix gives her more authority than what she has right now.
Knock Knock
“Yes?”
“I’ve brought an urgent report about Yggdrasil Tree.”
“Enter.”
A Valkyrie messenger enters the room with bruises and battered armor. Judging by the damage, it would seem that she’s having a tough time getting here. Reports regarding incidents on the Yggdrasil Tree will take precedence, as it was one of the most fortified places where Nidhogg, its underlings, and Valkyries were guarding it.
“Your Majesty. The Yggdrasil Tree began to emit some strange magic. It’s as they’re releasing a sign.”
“What kind of strange magic?”
“Unknown. But it’s something that draws the attention of the monsters. I’ve had a tough time breaking past through the Monsters stampede, although Nidhogg was present when that happens.”
“The defenses were supposed to be airtight.”
“That’s what we first thought, Ma’am. We have a hard time repelling them. They came in huge numbers, and most of them were at SS-Rank monsters.”
Hearing the report surprises Marietta, Randgris, and Shina. However, it makes Luciana thinks of something when she hears it. If the monsters began to attack en-masse on the Yggdrasil tree, which means there could be another huge war in the future.
“Prepare for the inevitable! I would reorganize the entire Scharlwarltz Military once I return to my post!”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
Tired, Luciana held Dawn as she prepared to rest. Shina, Marietta, and Randgris leave her room, letting Luciana rest with her daughter, Dawn.
The world began to make its move. Soon, the news of the monsters invading the Yggdrasil Tree alerted every country.
