I was sitting on my throne beside Sasha while Yuri and Luna flanked us from both sides like female guardians. I think my face had never looked so serious before, making all my ministers at their table nervous and agitated. They exchanged troubled glances every passing second but remained silent, afraid to open their mouths to voice their concerns. 

"Sorry, I hurried the moment I got the call!" Shouted Oleg, rushing in by almost breaking through the doors, breathing like he had just run a marathon to get here. Well, nearly, because he was at the castle with my parents and part of the army, dismantling and cutting up the behemoth's corpse, overseeing the biggest harvest we ever had, so I wasn't surprised he was late.

"It's fine." I nodded, pointing towards his seat. "Sit, take a breather, and when we are all settled, we can start." Was I enjoying the fact I have been freaking them out this much? No. I would rather not have this meeting, but we can do nothing about it. At least they will remember it for a long time.

"Um..." Merlin raised a hand, sitting next to Elena, but I shook my head as I knew there was no time for questions yet.

"The Empress is dead." I said, opening and dropping a bomb on them from the start.

"What!?" Elena yelled, standing up and almost knocking her chair over. She was the most surprised, as she was someone who grew up in the capital city, the most knowledgeable of how life is there amongst all of us. "S-sorry..." She murmured, falling back to her chair while everyone was looking at her weirdly.

"Duke Kustov has sent over a detailed report of what happened in the last months of winter, so we must also make sure we understand that our news is months old at this point. Oleg!"

"Yes!" He saluted, waiting for my order without questioning the situation.

"I have written a response and some directives for the Duke. I want Pion and Polo to get on their way at once! Just them so they won't draw any attention and deliver it directly to the hands of Kustov. Nobody else may touch the letter; make sure they understand that."

"Yes, My Sovereign!"

"Wait!" As he was ready to leave immediately, I added, "Do it after we are done with the meeting." I finished with a smile, making him sit back down and somewhat relaxing the room's atmosphere with his embarrassed mumblings. "We don't know all the details of what happened as it is being suppressed by the royal bloodline, but the dukes were notified to stay put and not interfere in the selection process of the next ruler. This was extended to the fact that no matter what offer they receive, they are commanded by the returned old Emperor that they are NOT to take up on it."

"Returned... Emperor?" Merlin asked, voicing the question many others had formed in their minds.

"I think I met him. An old man, as for how old... by what Kustov managed to uncover is that he sat on the throne some 200 years ago. While doing so, he was not a person of great deeds or famous for implementing some weird law. His reign was... average. Or at least as ordinary as an Ishillian Emperor could be! What was recorded multiple times is the fact that he was obsessed with the Emperor of Magic, mentioning his title in multiple of his speeches... And it seems he managed to live an unusually long life. As to how long for real or how we achieved that, we can't tell."

"It is hard to believe..." Elena mumbled. "If my memories hold and the date is correct, his official title was the Codex Emperor, as he spent most of his life in the palace library. He personally increased the collection of ancient texts twofold while he was in power. If it is the same person, then... That's incredible!"

"Your father made sure to emphasize that it is true." I continued, tapping on the armrest of my chair, "This news should not have left the chamber of the Dukes as he personally visited all of them, delivering the decree. He is trying to preserve the already weakened and butchered nobility within the Empire, thanks to the previous actions of our late Empress, so that is why nobody is allowed to take sides right now." I added with a sarcastic smile hanging on my face. "Sadly, we lost an invaluable ally with her incompetence gone..."

"Heh..." With the soft chuckle from Sasha, others finally relaxed even more as the faces of my ministers began smoothening out. Still, I also did not want them to take it as if the news meant nothing, so it was time for the second bombshell.

"We don't know how she died; it is not disclosed at all, but there is news spreading everywhere that the Empire has used a Master-level spell. Most likely, her death occurred when it was fired, killed by a backlash she couldn't handle. As for what else this means, we don't know. There are only rumors and no official information besides that they did use the spell."

"Um... what does that mean?" Kraus asked after he raised his hand, and I nodded that he could speak freely.

"It means," Sasha answered him, being the Archmage of Avalon, "that they wiped out the whole city, with 70,000 people inside, with one spell. Nothing remains there now but a death zone."

"..."

Well... that's it for smiling and laughing. The room turned surprisingly cold just like that while everyone tried processing the news and the number of lives lost in a flash. I don't think anyone, including myself, would have thought it could be possible. I don't know why... I knew of bombs from my previous life that could kill many, many more people. I saw monsters, tall as a highrise, breathing freezing beams... This was child's play, really. Of course, they had something like that! I think I just did not want to think about it because then I would have to think about Avalon having a similar end.

"There is more." I continued before questions started popping up. "The war did not stop just because it happened. Their army moved into the Kingdom of Scorc and is currently marching through their territory with little to no opposition. By the summer, they will conquer it all and begin integrating it into the Empire. This gives us time, but who knows how much? Less than a drawn-out war would have provided. Yes, Oleg?"

"What about the battles in the South?"

"That is the interesting part." I sighed a little, tilting my head. "Our eastern neighbors have stated they won't let Ishillia conquer them. Scorc, as the instigator, has been punished, but they are telling the Empire not to think they will allow it to overreach its 'boundaries.' Because there is a selection going on, Ishillia has not responded yet—not officially, that is."

"They let in envoys from the southern kingdoms..." Elena whispered, making me raise an eyebrow but nod at her. "Sorry!"

"Do continue."

"Thank you, Your Highness." She nodded, addressing me officially, "Even if there is no ruler present right now, the Old Emperor showed himself, yes? He can deal with it, so he will start the talks with the other parties, silently acknowledging the words of the other empires. Also, the fact that they let us, I mean, they are letting Ishillia conquer the whole of the Kingdom of Scorc means they know full well it won't be easy to keep it."

"True, if the people there are like my dear Yuri, then there will be unrest upon unrest from start to finish!" I laughed, making her roll her eyes but keep smiling.

"Also, if after using a Master-level spell, Ishillia agrees to not pursue the allied kingdoms, it means they lost more than just the Empress." Elena added, making everyone else think about its possible meaning.

"I thought of the same thing. Still, I want everyone to start preparing and know that our turn may be next; we can never know. The new ruler may be a trouble for us or a blessing, but it is best to start prepping for the first option."

"Could we... withstand something like that?" Oleg asked, whisperingly, not even realizing the words escaped his mouth.

"Not yet," I answered honestly but showed no fear, sitting there firmly, "But we will be. Sooner than you think, I am sure of it!"

...

....

......

Being so far away from the events that were making shockwaves in so many peoples' lives, ours did not really change at all. It simply did not reach this far up. It was also our luck that Kustov was now officially in charge of our little corner of the world, and there was too much going on for anybody else to notice the little nudges in our taxes and tithe. After the initial news and the few newspaper articles that were printed and distributed, people quickly forgot about it. They were enjoying the spring, celebrating the end of the longest winter, and hosting festivals throughout the first warm week once again instead of worrying about it. 

We were also discussing something else in the palace without including the ministers in the 'issue.' It was Yuri, Sasha, Luna, Mikan, and me, sitting in my office, going over the 'issue' for the past few days after Mikan announced she felt confident using her magic.

"You really want to do it?" Sasha asked, holding Yuri's hand and looking into her eyes. Her voice was gentle and caring, and she asked the same question multiple times, not because she disagreed with her decision but because it would be getting rid of things that were already part of her life. She didn't want Yuri to feel compelled to do anything just because of outside pressure.

"Yes, I have already decided." Yuri nodded back, looking at her, then at the rest of us. "I want this."

"I have no objections." I smiled, and Luna quickly repeated my words with an additional question.

"Will you also get bigger boobs?"

"Not a bad idea..." she grinned, licking her lips and making us roll our eyes.

"I don't think I can do that..." Mikan mumbled, playing with her hair and being a bit nervous. "That healing spell is... well, it is a kind of regeneration thingy. It can't alter the body but only return it to its original form. So, if it works, your injuries will be gone, and everything will return to how it was at the start! Or how it should be now if it weren't injured! When it was healthy!"

"Wait!" I laughed, glancing at Mikan, "Will it turn my wife into a loli?"

"Fuck you." Yuri countered with a giggle.

"I already fucked one." I shot back, nudging Luna, who was sticking her tongue out, following my lead.

"Khm... It should not... I think." Mikan replied, but she was surprisingly hesitant to give a proper answer.

"Wait, will I?" Yuri gawked, seeing her reaction.

"I don't think so!"

"That is still not a no!" She groaned, rubbing her head, "Whatever, it's fine! I would still do it, even if it turns me into a baby. Then I can suck on your tits and be lazy all day while you all take care of me."

"Heh, I will put you up for adoption, then!" I joked, making them laugh, not that any of us were genuinely nervous about the procedure.

Mikan had promised this to Yuri long ago, and I knew she wanted it deep down. Even after my reassurance that I don't mind her looks, taking care of our kids changed something in Yuri... and it was a good change. Now that Mikan was ready, it was time to make it a reality.

"You do realize that after it is done," I spoke up, drawing her eyes onto my crotch, "that getting pregnant is still not a guarantee. Look at Sasha or Luna. Especially the latter, she is still going around without any signs of being pregnant!"

"And I am perfectly fine with it!" Luna exclaimed, showing a V-sign, "Giving birth is a pain in the ass, literally!"

"I like pain." Yuri mumbled, making us fall silent as she smiled at me. I could see a young girl shine through her eyes, a side of her that may have been lost and disfigured throughout the years, but slowly, she was coming back to the surface here.

"Well, just as with everything, we can try, try, and try, no?" I clapped, nodding at Mikan. "Just tell Merlin what you need, and you can proceed."

"None of you need to worry!" Mikan reassured us, hugging Yuri close, "It will work out perfectly! I practiced!"

"How?" We asked, making her blush, pointing at herself.

"I was cutting myself and healing it up... see? You can't even tell!"

"..."

My dear Priestess... I wanted to sigh and scold her, but the way she was telling us, the proud, happy smile on her face... Even Yuri's eyes clouded over at that moment.