Seventeen years ago.

A corner of the Royal Palace.

The new Emperor Dietford III covered his sleeping wife with a brocade quilt. Then, he angrily turned to the three people behind him - the imperial brother Prince Dietmar, and the court mage Friedrich? Fersta, son of the Duke of Engor and Sunflame City? Haywire.

"You promised me!" The emperor said angrily, "Giving birth will not be a burden to her!" But look at you! Look at the present! Lichenda ...... her"

"Calm down, Your Majesty," said the dwarf mage in a soft voice, "she will not be in danger. ”

"She's been like this for three days, Fred! You're lying to me again, aren't you? You said she'd be fine soon! But ......"

"Your Majesty, Fred's calculations are correct," Haywell said calmly, his father in the far north was also bedridden, and his wife was also pregnant, but he had to stay in the imperial capital to be loyal to the emperor, "The curse of the 'calamity' has indeed been properly handled." The reason why she turned against Lichenda was because she used the power of the secret ritual immediately after giving birth. She is there to protect the newborn child...... Protecting your flesh and bones is what it becomes. ”

The Emperor fell silent. Hywell was right. As long as Lichenda didn't use the power of the ritual, she could completely suppress the curse. However, it was the sudden attackers who interrupted all this. In order to protect her two newly-born children, Lichenda had to exert the power of "Calamity" to face the enemy in a moment of weakness after giving birth, and the enemy was completely destroyed and she fell into a coma.

"Has the mastermind found out, Dietmar?" In the middle of the night, the emperor opened his mouth to ask his younger brother. The assassins, composed of Blue Sea and Blue Sky Secret Ritual Warriors, no matter how well they are hidden, cannot be completely nameless.

"At least three Marquis are involved, Your Majesty," said the royal brother of Dittmar, "but a more specific list will be ...... later."

"Is the Fourth Duke of the North implicated?" Dietford III interrupted his brother.

"They are innocent, Your Majesty." Dietmar replied in a conclusive tone.

Emperor Dietford III breathed a sigh of relief. After the death of the Emperor in that ridiculous accident, it became extremely difficult to maintain the royal majesty. The great nobles all tried their best to oppose the emperor's marriage to this woman of unknown origin. Recently, Dietford publicly declared that Lichenda would be his only wife, and many people were secretly in turmoil. The seemingly peaceful empire has long been turbulent.

"We don't have enough strength to build," said the younger brother of Dietmar, quietly, "and we need more evidence to destroy those rebels in one fell swoop." ”

"The palace is no longer safe, and the two children must be protected, and I can't always be by their side," the emperor said, "Hywell, I don't care what means you use to bring them to Yangyan City. Dietmar, continue to block messages. When the children arrive in Sunny City, you release the news that they have died in the assassination. We have to make sure that nothing goes wrong. ”

"Yes." Hywell and Dietmar responded in unison.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," the dwarf mage Friedrich? "They'll be back in the capital one day!" Staying away from the imperial capital for a long time ...... the legitimacy of their inheritance"

"Dietmar, don't you still have a two-year-old son? My nephew, Dimi," said the Emperor anxiously, "right? It's a big deal that I will make him the emperor's nephew, or directly accept him as a righteous son! ”

Dietmar didn't dare to say anything. Maybe the elder brother thinks that the girl is not suitable to inherit the throne, but it is a major matter related to the orthodoxy of the empire, how can he decide so casually? But Emperor Dietmar understood that the angry brother could not be pulled back by a dragon, so he could only wait until the future to slowly advise.

"Now I have only one question left," Emperor Dietford III said, "Lichenda." When will she wake up. Even if it's ......"

The dwarf mage and the royal brother of Dietmar glanced at each other.

"There are two ways, Your Majesty." Dwarf mage Fred said.

"Say." The Emperor had long since adapted to Fred's secretive way of speaking.

"The first is that we solve it on our own," Fred said, "and first, we need a spellcaster who is beyond the limits of the blue ocean. Secondly, it is up to you to open the treasury of the Empire for him, where there are the legendary magic scrolls we need. I must warn you, Your Majesty, that even after a long period of accumulation, there are only two copies of the 'Great Magic' in that Imperial Treasury scroll that can save Licenta. ”

"The legendary magic that can heal Lichenda," the Emperor hesitated, "shouldn't it be divine magic?" ”

"That's our second option, to ask the church for help, and there must be a real cure for Licenta in the legendary arts," Fred said, "but I know you can't trust the church." And what they'll think of the cursed blade isn't certain. ”

"Then we'll have to choose the first option," said Dietford III, "and as far as I know, arcane can't be used for healing. In other words, the result of a treatment is similar to that of a treatment by means that are not curative. How sure are you? ”

"There is no risk, Your Majesty." Fred replied.

"Very well," the Emperor nodded, "I can open the vault and retrieve the legendary scroll at any time." But we must find a legendary mage we can trust to cast the spell. Fred, you are a high-level mage of the Blue Ocean, do you have any suitable candidates? I promise you that once things are settled, I will make you my prime minister. ”

"Then you can draw up your decree now, Your Majesty," Fred said with a heaval grin, "that legendary mage candidate is standing right before you." ”

"Fred?! That's impossible! You were ...... in the blue ocean a few months ago."

"Have you forgotten the 'key' from the Blue Ocean Advanced Breakthrough to the Legend, Your Majesty?"

The emperor was dumbfounded.

"You've come this far without a sound, Fred." After a moment, the emperor said sincerely, "The position of the prime minister of the empire now belongs to you. ”

"That's my pleasure." Fred didn't shirk either.

"It's just that I have one more question, Fred. What is that arcane that is not a cure but can awaken Lycenta? ”

……

Two days after this conversation, Empress Lichenda awoke. Emperor Dietford III ordered the whole country to mourn the death of the two little princesses.

Half a month later, news came out of the Duchy of Yangyan City, Fursta? Hywell's wife, Ms. Clemens, gave birth to "triplets" of one boy and two girls. It is said that the old duke, who was seriously ill, heard the news and jumped up from the sickbed with joy. Mr. and Mrs. Hywell kept it a secret and raised the two princesses as their own daughters from the bottom of their hearts.

Half a year later, the old duke died of illness, and Fursta? Haywell becomes the new Duke of Sunfire. In the same month, the old prime minister "said goodbye to his hometown", by His Majesty's close friend, the new legendary mage Friedrich? Ngor became Prime Minister of the Empire. The Marquis of Engor, the representative of the Engor family, tried unsuccessfully to get closer to this collateral line. At the same time, Empress Lichenda also reappeared in public for the first time, but since then it has become more and more invisible.

Two years later, the younger brother of Dietmar resigned from public service to concentrate on the education of his son, Dimiteo. At the end of the same year, Emperor Dietford III became a legendary esoteric warrior.

……

In January, thirteen years after the secret conversation (that is, four years ago), the royal brother of Dietmar passed away. Emperor Dietford III secretly summoned his son Dimitio to the palace and promised him the position of heir to the throne. The following month, Emperor Dietford III, Duke Hywell, and Chancellor Friedrich condemned the nobles who had assassinated the Empress. Some of their people fled to Okad. Considering the complicated situation, the two princesses were not sent back to the palace.

Three years ago, Duke Hywell's only son was killed in a scheming adventure. Coupled with the outbreak of the Battle of the Black Floating City, the emperor once again postponed his plan to reveal the identities of the two princesses. It wasn't until mid-last year, when Caterina followed in the footsteps of her sister Albina to become a secret warrior, that their identities were officially revealed. The expected succession dispute did not appear, and the prosperity of the empire seems to have reached its extreme......

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In her right hand, Lichenda holds the "Calamity Blade". In the left hand is the "Palm of the Underworld", in which only Linna's soul remains.

Secret ritual "Crossing of the River Styx". It was originally a technique of forcibly enforcing the souls of the dead to kill the enemy, but Ligenta could barely use it for the transfer of souls. The queen carefully protected her daughter's soul, for fear of being damaged in the transfer.

If you change to a professional magic caster, you don't have to be so cautious.

"Linna is going to pass, Victoria," said Lichenda, "and Linna may wake up in a while." You don't have to worry. ”

"Of course I'm not worried about your decision," the girl said with a wry smile, "Linna is my good friend, and ...... In short, I don't suffer. ”

Lichenda was slightly surprised. Is she aware of her identity? What a smart kid.

I hope Rina won't be tricked by her.

Lichenda let Linna's soul enter the girl's body.

……

And in Dimi's opinion, what happened over there was a different story entirely.

The unidentified legendary Mystic Warrior is trying to do something to Victoria. Through the strange green cage, his voice could not be heard from the other side, and he could not hear the sound outside.

"Bastard......!"

Dimi has never been so aware of his "weakness" as he is today. Indeed, he is already the strongest of his generation. However, this does not mean that the stronger ones will not take action against themselves. If you want to protect the people around you, it is not enough to rely on this level of strength.

If you hadn't made that choice in the past......