Elizabeth slowly put down the report in her hand.

"Over there in the New Imperial Alliance...... Still won't let go?"

The palace hall was bright and spacious, and she sat on the throne, sighed, handed the report to the attendant beside her, and said so.

Below the hall, a bright red carpet was spread all the way, and there were several respectful figures standing on it, who did not look young. Dressed in the standard uniforms of officials, these men raised their heads with expressions of helplessness or anger.

One of them stepped forward and said, "We even sent someone to communicate privately with Fredon and Carretus, and their attitudes are exactly the same, and there is almost no possibility of separation." ”

Suddenly, Elizabeth felt a headache, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples.

Things are getting trickier.

Fredon, Ikol, Carretus...... Since the establishment of the New Imperial Alliance, the ties between these three countries have become closer and closer, united fronts, and even have a tendency to rebuild the empire. But Elizabeth knew that once the empire was rebuilt, the pressure on her side would increase dramatically.

- Majik is still a new country, and its roots are not stable, so it is difficult to compete with them.

It's not that the two sides have to be hostile, at least since the founding of the country, they have had a good relationship with the New Imperial Alliance, establishing trade relations with each other and sharing magical technology. In fact, if it weren't for the discovery of the Saran Islands, they might still be like a family now.

But...... The Saran Islands are again a resource that is difficult for them to give up.

"Why are they so arrogant?" said one of the generals below, "Our fleet discovered the archipelago first, and that place should belong to us, and they shouldn't rob us." ”

"What's the solution, we only landed fifteen minutes ahead of them. The official on the side sighed, shook his head, and said, "Besides...... There are a lot of important resources found on the island, and they will certainly not agree with this reason alone. ”

"So you just gave them the archipelago?" the general immediately asked.

Others chimed in: "Yes, have you forgotten how much we sacrificed at sea to finally find the Saran Islands?"

For a while, several people in the hall had their own ideas and couldn't help but argue. Seeing this, Elizabeth was even more tired, waved her hand, stopped them, and said slowly: "Okay, you guys go down, and ...... Bring the director of the Academy of Magic for me. ”

Hearing this, everyone had to keep their mouths shut, and after saluting, they turned to leave. Immediately afterwards, the waiters on the side were also sent away, and only Elizabeth was left in the huge palace hall. The crystal chandelier rotated slowly, illuminating her shadow a little lonely.

About ten minutes later, a figure flew in through the door of the palace hall.

"See Her Majesty. ”

"No need to be polite. Elizabeth quickly got up from the throne and walked down the steps, "Lord Wallis, I'm sorry. The College is about to open and we are very grateful for you to take time out of your busy schedule. ”

Hearing this, Wallis waved his hand: "Your Majesty is polite, how to belong to Saran Island is far more important than the start of school." ”

Elizabeth was not surprised: "It seems...... You've heard about it, too. ”

Wallis nodded.

"In fact, to tell you the truth, the New Imperial Alliance has already contacted us yesterday. They want the Academy of Magic to be on the side of the Alliance and help them fight for ownership of the Saran Islands. ”

"That'...... What is the attitude of the Academy?"

"We don't take sides. Wallis put his hands behind his back and smiled, "This is the principle set by the previous dean from the beginning, the mission of the academy is to delve into magic for the benefit of mankind, and it will not become a tool for political struggle." Even if at present, our main scientific research forces are concentrated in the branch of the royal capital, we will not favor you because of this. ”

Elizabeth heard this and nodded.

"I understand that if this matter is not handled well, it may even lead to war. She stared into Wallis's eyes and said word by word, "War, that's something the Academy of Magic doesn't want to see, right?"

Wallis still kept his face unchanged and smiled, "I'm sorry, we can't be on your side. ”

When Elizabeth heard this, she shook her head in disappointment, turned around, and returned to the throne.

However, to her surprise, Wallis did not leave.

"Your Majesty, although we cannot be on your side, we can help you build a bridge of negotiation. He continued, "No one wants to see the outcome of war, and if it triggers a large-scale elemental disaster, this continent will be destroyed. Therefore, we hope that the Kingdom of Majik and the New Imperial Alliance can resolve the issue of the ownership of the Saran Islands through peaceful negotiations. ”

Elizabeth frowned.

"Then if the negotiation fails, no one will back down?"

"In any case, the Academy of Magic will try to avoid war as much as possible. ”

Elizabeth sat on the throne, holding her head, looking tired, fading the aura of the superior. After a long silence, she suddenly sighed and said, "What if...... If that person was still there, the situation would definitely not be the way it is now. ”

Wallis shook his head when he heard this, looking helpless.

"Dean...... He's been gone for ten years, and you can't put your hopes in him. ”

Elizabeth nodded as well.

After being silent for a while, she said, "What about the current dean?"

"It's not the same as it used to be. Suddenly, Wallis smiled wryly and said, "I have never been in charge of the disappearance of the two heads in three days...... After the disappearance of the former acting dean, she was left with only one immediate family member, and we had no choice at that time. Moreover, she used to be a powerful legendary mage, and she was capable of serving as the dean. It's just that none of us thought that the people of the Reeser family would ...... It's really more personality than the other. ”

When Elizabeth heard this, she smiled helplessly.

Suddenly, a waiter hurried in and interrupted their conversation. He saluted Elizabeth first, then turned his head and said, "Director Wallis, that ...... There seems to be something going on at the academy, so I'm asking you to go back. ”

Wallis was a little surprised, but nodded anyway.

"Your Majesty, the start of school is about to start, and there are still things to be busy at the academy. He bowed to Elizabeth and returned to his official appearance, "I'm sorry, I have to go first, Your Majesty's affairs will be like this first, and we will discuss it in a few days." ”

Seeing this, Elizabeth could only wave her hand.

"Adults go get busy. ”

So, Wallis turned around and hurried out through the gate. And the waiter was sent out of the palace hall by Elizabeth after this.

She was the only one left in the hall.

She looked up at the empty halls of the palace and sighed.

Unconsciously ...... It's been ten years.

The walls and gates of the four sides are still faintly visible, but after years of reconstruction, the decoration is completely different from that of the former Kingdom of Hori. Suddenly, she felt physically and mentally exhausted, and a few strands of her long hair fell from her forehead. She tried to smooth out the hair, but in the end it became even more messy, and she had no choice but to give up, feeling that she must not be what a queen should be.

Maybe...... Perhaps Benjamin was right.

She didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't help but recall the conversation in her heart.

At the beginning, she was determined to ascend the throne for the sake of her father's last wish and the will of the Silent Academy, but she didn't expect that the throne would mean such a heavy responsibility. Ten years have passed, and according to the academy's newly promulgated evaluation standards, her magic level has stopped at four stars, and she has not improved for ten years.

She doesn't even remember the last time she meditated.

The complicated government affairs almost made her forget that she was also a mage. In other words, the moment she became queen, the country no longer needed her to meditate, but to devote her whole life to the report that stood tall on her right.

Elizabeth looked at the pile of reports, and a physiological boredom welled up in her heart.

Therefore, she stepped down from the throne again and slowly walked to the center of the hall. She looked out along the bright red carpet, and the spring sun and breeze greeted her, making her feel a little better, but also making her a little dazed.

The color of this rug...... It's familiar, it's the same day as I remember it.

She can't forget the scene.

It was in this palace hall, on the bright red carpet, that Benjamin argued with her for the last time about the throne before disappearing completely. At that time, the country was still called the Kingdom of Hori, the elemental lamp and the rune energy car had not yet been invented, the church had just been eradicated, and the people were immersed in anticipation and anxiety, not knowing where it would go in the future.

In fact, Benjamin's attitude at the time was not very resolute. Elizabeth remembered that the man only had a somewhat disappointed expression when he heard her reply.

"Do you really want to sit on this throne, for the sake of Duke Colin, for the sake of those dead mages of the Silent Academy...... What about yourself? sit on the throne, and you will lose your life from now on, and the mage is not fit to be the ruler of a country. ”

"Yes, I think. ”

"Is this your own will?"

"It's my own will. ”

So, Benjamin didn't object again.

Elizabeth remembers very well that Benjamin bowed his head, was silent for a moment, and then suddenly bent down to make a gesture of invitation. The sunlight shone in through the gate, and as it is today, it outlined his outline very clearly.

"Beautiful lady, please forgive me for my faux pas, can you please dance with me?"

At the time, Elizabeth was stunned.

Benjamin smiled when he saw this, put away his posture, turned around, and disappeared into the dazzling sunlight outside the door......

He was never seen again.

Ten years later, Elizabeth was a little confused. The color and style of the carpet are very similar to those of that day, and it always inexplicably gives her the illusion that those things happened yesterday, as if she is still full of energy, and has not been deeply tired by the time of the past ten years.

She looked out of the door, stunned for a moment, like ten years ago...... She thought Benjamin would be back soon.

Then, someone walked in through the door.

“...... Your Majesty?"

Elizabeth awoke from a dream, and looked ahead again, and there was her maid.

"Your Majesty, General Rick asks to see you. ”

At that moment, bright elemental lights fell, waking Elizabeth from her memory. Finally, reality came to her and overwhelmed her again. A cold and hard look slowly crept up the corners of her eyebrows, and she realized that some things could not be changed.

It was her choice, besides...... She's done pretty well in the past ten years.

The kingdom of Majik needs her.

So, as if some instinct had been awakened, she tied up the hair scattered between her forehead, and her whole body was meticulously tense. Elizabeth then sat back on the throne, wearing a glittering crown and nodding expressionlessly to the maid.

"Call him in. ”

She spoke, her majestic tone was very familiar, faintly revealing the kingly bearing accumulated for ten years.

But she heard it herself...... There is a hint of strangeness.