Chapter 30: The Advent of Victoria

Her steps echoed no sound as if she stepped not on land but the clouds. The swirling trees and grasses stopped swooning, giving way to the threading goddess who wore the flowing heavenly dark filaments like a crown. All stood waiting as she slowly and gracefully stepped down from the carriage.

The insects and animals’ usual crackles and chirps turned mute. All as if a monstrous existence had forced them silent. Not one tune seemed to exist before the mysterious beauty who was coming down from the luxurious carriage.

She demanded, no, commanded respect with nothing but her mere presence. Nature had followed her will. The advent of a goddess. All of the stars in the night sky had coalesced into her two bright eyes. Each one contained a galaxy of shimmering stars. No mortal eyes were like hers.

Not yet enough. The whispers of the wind stood still. Not allowing even a speck of leaf to stagger under their watch. The mysterious silence had filled everything leaving all the unexpected guests dumbfounded. Each one of them stood rooted on the spot, their gazes focusing on the smiling lady’s visage.

Honestly, I, Victoria, had almost jumped off the train, losing the path of my prepared character. The effects were nothing short of incredible. The bewildering silence had even pushed the hairs on my arms to attention. Even I, myself, had been felled by the mystifying atmosphere. I slowly felt sinking into the atmosphere not as an actress but as a spectator. I almost made a big mistake.

It’s all thanks to the cheering wind spirits partying in the background that I managed to wake up from my reverie. I took a deep breath and started acting up my part. I hid my right hand behind my back and lifted a thumbs up.

The old mage staggered, stepping backward. I heard his whispers. “T-those eyes. I-Impossible.”

Now, now, it's time to introduce myself.

I held the rims of my hunting attire, lifting it a little before showing a tiny gesture of greetings to the two hateful guests. And I was right. The two guests, one a muscular adult and another a shaking elder. Two out of the three butlers had graced me with their not-so-needed presence. I sighed in relief, realizing that the extremely ordinary man was not among them.

“How are you, good sirs?” I threw my first card - the power of a high-level etiquette. A perfect smile plus a respectful tune to ease them down a little. Ah, my pronunciation was nothing short of perfect. Endearing and innocent. The duo might have been too shocked by the Hollywood-worthy magical production that I crafted so this was a must.

Negotiation 101: Rule 1. Act friendly and ease their caution to the minimum. Of course, do it as I do. Just add the perfect amount of chili, so that the taster won’t feel overwhelmed. It’s one of the common mistakes I tried correcting in the marketing department. Don’t appear forceful to your prospective clients lest they run away. Keep distance and be respectful. I called it ‘guided flow’.

“Ah, I’m sorry about my manners. Please call me Ardem. Ardem Hofheim.” The old man quivered, chuckling as soon as he reclaimed his lost senses. As expected of a powerful mage, his mental strength was right up in the alley. He snapped his fingers and a bouquet of colorful flowers appeared in his hands. What a sleek old man! He tried to walk towards me but stopped his steps for some unknown reason.

Then, he threw the flower away and pulled out a bracelet. The accessory boasted a great collection of magical gems. He appeared conflicted somehow but soon got over it. He didn’t come forward but left the luxurious bracelet on the grass. Smiling like a grandpa, he uttered softly, “My humble gift.”

I didn’t refuse and nodded at him. Nevertheless, I had not labored myself to pick it up. I giggled and asked little Maggie and Alistair to do their thing. Alistair helped me levitate the bracelet while Maggie had sent my small thanks to the old magus cum butler.

The old man’s shudder had assured me that he received my simple but explicit gesture of gratitude. He gazed left and right. A large old staff like that of the great old wizard in that movie appeared in his hand. His face turned ghost-white. Hah, if only he wasn’t a bald oldie but got a lot of white hair. He’ll be nothing but Gandalf the Second.

The old butler gazed at the twirling grasses in disbelief, his mouth opening, and closing. “It was not magic. I did not detect any mana. How? How?”

He peeked at me a little.

And I gave him a deep meaningful smile, letting him grapple with the limits of his imagination. From that moment, the old man simply lowered his head, refusing to meet my eyes. He just stood there sweating and frozen.

Wondering what I had told him through [Wind Whisper]? Well, I said, ‘Thanks for the anti-magic bracelet.”

What a cute old... slithering snake. Pui! You’re still too unskilled to play this lady aunt as a fool. All thanks to my [Appraise] skill, I had foiled his insidious plans to its core. This aunt doesn’t use mana like the way mages do it. I use the spirits as a medium to do my bidding.

I gazed at the magic bracelet and grinned inside my heart.

Name: Chains of Horus the Antimagus

Type: Magical Bracelet

Ability: Anti-magic - makes the wearer unable to use magic.

After kicking the tricky old man a notch, I turned and glanced at the beast, I mean, ripped butler. The tall muscular man was not wearing his butler attire anymore. Instead, his hulking body wore a gaudy armor. A gigantic sword resting on his back. After looking at him carefully, I had one perfect description of him - a beast living in human skin. I almost took a step back fearing he’ll turn into the green man I knew in those great movies.

Until now, he was still gazing straight at me. I had not cast one spell but I knew what that horny look was. He was spellbound. His thoughts drifted wildly to the unknown world. Everything had turned blank as soon as he saw me. I smiled at him, waving my hands, testing if he was still conscious.

And he was. A wide smile slowly drifted into his lips after seeing me waving at him. All of a sudden, he bowed down on the ground. And just how the old man refused to go near me, the muscular butler had chosen to do the same.

Nevertheless, what came out of his lips made me a bit shy, “Ah, Goddess, where have you been all my life. Forgive me, my lady, please call me Darius.”

Ah, what a sweet tongue. Unlike the old man, the armored man had expressed it from the bottom of his heart. Call it a lady’s instinct. Unfortunately, I had to shatter and flatten his dreams to the roots while it's still early. When I was about to pour a cold bucket on his thoughts, he did an absurd thing. He pulled a ring out of nowhere, and with one knee on the ground, he asked from afar, “Will you become my empress?”

Cough. Cough. The old man stood dumbfounded as well as the craziness by the things he just heard. However, instead of mocking the armored man, he instead threw a gaze of admiration.

I won’t lie. I was stunned! The sleeping old spinster had awoken from its deep slumber. My soul quaked, almost breaking the Richter scale. Calm down, Victoria. Take a deep breath. I almost said yes, damn it! Victoria! How fickle could you be? Muhehe.

I closed my eyes for a moment and took a look at the praying mage to distract myself from the rising wild thoughts coming from my heart, not my brain. There was a massive catfight happening inside me.

Eyad had watched the whole drama with his mouth agape. His face was worthy of a meme. If I was still in my old world, his reaction would surely strike gold, possibly catching the attention of earth’s meme lovers. His reactions would tremble like thunder once it's uploaded to the social media platforms.

Wait, empress? Is he the Emperor of Langarde? No, the Endramion’s history books told me that their emperors weren’t someone who could travel on a whim. Why would he even need to personally come here if he could just send a massive army?

Then, one thing comes to mind. I acted on instinct and continued to trust my deductions. Though I’m a bit tempted, this aunt shall not fall from mere honeyed tongues. I asked little Maggie to help me once again. ‘I appreciate the thought, but I’m sorry Langarde’s prince.’

The burly Knight called Darius, just like the old man, looked left and right. His sharp gaze skittering around in caution. Then, he glanced at me. I gave a slight nod, another [Wind Whisper] entered his ear. “It was I.”

His eyes grew three sizes before returning to normal. For some reason, this man was making me cautious. As if I was gazing at a deadly untamed predator that I should be wary of. He was still on his knees, refusing to bulge. He lowered his head, acting like a sulking child. “Won’t you reconsider?”

This time, I steeled my heart as I gazed at the possibly fabled Black Prince of Langarde. After all, the empire only had one crown prince. The rest were already sleeping in their tightly lidded coffins after the bloody purge cause by the man before me. Still using little Maggie as a messenger, I spoke with conviction and succinctness. “No.”

The man stood up from the ground, returning the ring to his armor. His soft and gentle visage suddenly vanished in the face of Endramion. His sharp brows rose, a freezing stare he wore. “It’s such a shame. But no worries, I’ll bring you home whether you want it...or not.”

I shuddered at his words. Don’t show it on your face. Don’t show anything. I recited a mantra in my head, simply gazing at the crazy bull, maintaining the poise and grace that I embraced.

Hey madman, is it possible for me to open up your brain and check if it’s still working?

Anyway, until now, I had never heard any of the two asking for my name. No, it's not that they can’t. But rather, I discerned signs of caution on the part of the old mage. But for the armored prince, I could not see anything.

All of a sudden, the armored prince turned to the old mage and uttered something incomprehensible. “Help me bring the goddess to my empire. As long as you help me, I’ll make sure you’ll be satisfied with the price.”

The old mage’s mouth dropped, rubbing his ears, asking himself if heard the damn right words. He stared at the prince, and just like me, his eyes asked if the prince was still in his right mind.

The old mage eyed the prince and turned to me. His snaky eyes flickered as he let out a thin smile. “It’s not that I could not help you but…”

“Shut up!” A crimson aura splintered from the armored prince’s body. Crimson sparks skittered around the prince. The land where he was standing turned black. A heavy scent of smoke entered my nostrils. “Give me your price.”

I almost staggered but was protected by my contracted wind spirits, Alistair and Maggie.

“Give me the mountain area where the dwarves mine and forged their weapons.” The old mage grinned. A powerful aura not worse than the armored prince appeared. “Oh another one, could I also do some experiment on her once you're done. It’s not a bad deal, right?”

The prince thought for a moment, staring at the sneaky old man. “Fine. I’ll make her pregnant to carry the next heir and be done with it. Then, she's yours.”

What the hell? Am I some cabbage that you could pick anywhere? And by the way, I am here! No one had ever asked me if I agreed or not. I almost threw a [Wind Arrow] at the dumb mutts. I felt fed up. I closed my eyes for a moment controlling my expression. I had a good impression of the prince but now… I just want to smash him dead along with the old viper.

A sighed and for the first time since we met. I spoke the first words from my lips. “F*ck, I mean, Is this the path which you prefer?”

Hearing me utter a mighty curse, the two trembled at their feet. I shook my head, adding a flavor of sadness in my words. “You both disappoint me.”

The duo stared at me. Their guards were up, wary of my next step. The black prince pulled out his gigantic sword, aiming it straight at the one whom he just asked to be his empress. While the old mage’s lips continued to flutter, weird words clanking out of his dirty mouth as he aimed his staff at me.

The named wind spirits turned serious. The cute green balls scowled as if they understood what the duo had talked about. I sensed a great wrath welling up from all the fiber of their beings. But what was more shocking was the wrath coming from the one whose title was ‘Tempest.’ I felt like I was in the middle of a tornado with nothing but clothes on. Like a ticking bomb, anytime, he would blow up.

Honestly, I felt touched about the two green balls. After all, they were angry because of the slight that I had experienced.

Though I initially wanted to reach a harmonious ending. It wasn’t possible anymore. It shifted into a fleeting dream as fate decided to play a more interesting tune. Fine, I had already expected this. Time for Plan B. I turned at my coachman with a smile and said, “Mr. Coachman, please do enter the carriage.” And he did.

I lifted my hand and touched the two green blobs whom I now trust more than my old boyfriend. I bit my tongue, gritting my teeth as I opened my mana pool to their mercy. Nevertheless, the cute blobs had not found it enjoyable as they stared at their prey.

I stared at two hideous human creatures before me. Then, I uttered something I should have not taken lightly, “Blow up.”

The next events turned fuzzy...and ugly.