Inside Castle Reinhard, there was a few people in one of the lounges. A dark ominous air was hung, and no one said a thing. Queen Bethnal was sat in a chair with a heavy expression. Her features seemed to advance through the ages again, revealing just how old this woman was. In her youth, she reigned as queen, commanding this vast kingdom against the empire in the First Great Kingdom War. She pioneered the legalization of Arcania and formation of the Zino Kingdom, both highly controversial topics even now. Then, as she retired, she watched the kingdom fall as her son, King Harth, was killed. Now, when she started laying the groundwork for Elizabeth, this happened. This woman, no… This elderly woman, who lived through many decades, felt it: The weight on her shoulders was truly tremendous!
According to her plan, she hoped for Elizabeth to transform into a suitable heir in one year. Although it was an extremely tight deadline, this would both allow the Etuvel Reindel Royal Family to continue ruling and establish a sense of stability in these chaotic times. The situation in the Xingyuu Empire was rapidly deteriorating. It was the perfect chance to widen the gap between the two and finally break the long stalemate! That was Queen Bethnal's hopes, as well as the rest of the Royal Family. Every day, week, and month was meticulously arranged by her and the kingdom's top scholars. They would drill every bit of knowledge into Elizabeth's brain, forcefully molding her into an ideal ruler! There was not the slightest leeway in it!
However, what happened now? Algard and Corasen took massive damage, both to the cities and people, from a mysterious attack. No one understood its origins, and even the supposed culprit, the Lannisail Household, was nearly annihilated. Besides Lord Archibon and a few others, the Lannisail Household was as good as finished! The rest of the Grand Nobility did not go unscathed either. The explosion took place in the heart of the Grand Nobility district, meaning a significant portion of them were caught up in it as well. The death toll continued to rise every second… And the worst part? Elizabeth's situation was unknown! Found at the center of that crater, unconscious and near dead, Queen Bethnal immediately sealed off any news from leaking. It was too great a shock! If Elizabeth was really beyond that explosion, then the Royal Family was finished. There was no alternative!
The doors opened, letting two people enter. One was the Hundred Lives Doctor, the most famous physician in the kingdom. The other was the White Healer, the foremost expert in magical injuries. Combined, who could imagine their capabilities? Adding into the mix, the full support of the Royal Family and the Alzar Kingdom, and there was likely no condition they could not solve. Even a dead man might have a chance to revive! Queen Bethnal was expecting great things from them and yet all she saw was bitterness. Seeing this, the queen had a bad feeling rise.
"I am very sorry, Your Majesty, but…" the Hundred Lives Doctor started but paused.
"Speak," the queen ordered melancholically.
"We're unable to cure Princess Elizabeth's condition. Until she awakens naturally, we cannot do anything to force it. Otherwise, she will likely…" The rest did not need to be said. Against an issue of the mind, he was helpless.
The queen's face grew blank. "I see. Does the White Healer share that opinion?"
Ten Dawn Iris pulled a taut face and bowed, "Her Highness's Channels and Core are too damaged. I cannot perform any intensive operations while her situation is this precarious. Unfortunately, I am unable to do anything either."
The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees as Queen Bethnal grew disappointed. "I understand. Thank you for reporting the situation to me. You can leave now." The two took a deep breath and bowed once more before leaving. The queen turned to look at her son, Prince Dannark, and asked, "How have the investigations progressed?" She was hoping that he would have any good news; however, she was destined to be disappointed again.
The man gave a long sigh and reported, "The first investigation against the Lannisail Household is still underway. To be honest, we're not confident we can figure anything out. Any evidence or trace of the Whispering Shadow was blown away and reduced to dust. We can't even find the Second Hand's bodies, much less Lord Wenmord."
"So, we don't have definitive proof that the Lannisail Household is behind this?"
"It looks that way. We cannot rule out the possibility that they are innocent. Lord Archibon and the other survivors know nothing either."
The queen nodded. "Continue the investigation and increase the surveillance on the other Grand Nobility Households."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
"Then, what about the second investigation?"
Prince Dannark smiled wryly. "We have no leads on the source of that explosion. We can safely rule out an earthquake or volcanic eruption, so it is unlikely to be of natural origin. At the very least, we have no recorded instances of such a thing happening. As for the possibility that this was manmade… we cannot rule this out either. However, the scholars agree that the quantity of explosives required would be an outrageous amount."
Queen Bethnal nodded. "Even if the Lannisail Household did have the means, there's no way that we wouldn't learn of it. That possibility can be safely excluded. There should be one more possibility, right?"
"As you say, there's a chance that this may be Arcania."
Arcania, an emerging field of study, with infinite possibilities. Certainly, this should fit in the realm of magic but… "Neither the Ten Dawns nor the Conquestian possess enough power to do this," the woman said. "Furthermore, we have constant updates on their locations at all times. It is… unlikely that the Zino Kingdom is involved."
But it was not ruled out. The implications were obvious to anyone. The fact that the First Sage was not present in this meeting was telling enough. Prince Dannark gave a knowing nod and said nothing. If the Zino Kingdom were truly involved in someway, the situation would grow a hundred times more complex. Queen Bethnal was fully aware of the Zino Kingdom's ambition. They were growing stronger every day, and sooner or later, they would grow dissatisfied with living in the Alzar Kingdom's shadow. When that time came, they would clash. To prevent that, Queen Bethnal had many plans in play, but it was merely delaying the inevitable! If this was their move, then it might be a checkmate!
"Should we recall Princess Samanthie back to the capital?" Princess Samanthie was another of Queen Bethnal's children, tasked with handling affairs in the Zino Kingdom. Officially, she was the royal ambassador.
"No, that is too hasty. If our worries turn out to be misguided, then our relations with the Zino Kingdom will drop heavily. For now, act as normal."
"As you wish," the man bowed.
Queen Bethnal closed her eyes and massaged her temple. She had been doing this a lot tonight. Elizabeth's situation… was too depressing. If she stayed unconscious for too long, then people would question it. Furthermore, if they had to push back the one-year deadline because of it, then it would be too embarrassing. Even if Elizabeth became the queen, this would forever become a black stain in her career. Honestly, everything looked terrible and there was not a single silver lining in sight. It was no wonder that Queen Bethnal looked so tired.
In Elizabeth's quarters, the girl was quietly sleeping. Her body was so bandaged up that she looked more like a corpse than a living person. The physicians predicted that she would take more than a month or two to heal naturally. This was why Queen Bethnal hoped that Ten Dawn Iris could help. With her magic, although it was far from recovering lost limbs, she could still hasten the body's natural recover rate! If eight weeks of recovery shrunk down to four, the benefits would be immense. This was why Queen Bethnal took the risk in inviting her to help. It was too attractive of an idea. Sadly, that failed. And as for waking up, no one had any ideas. A never-ending coma… Was that Elizabeth's future? No one knew. All they could do was pray and hope for the best.
All the sudden, Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked around, but what greeted her eyes was not the familiar room. Instead, it was a dark and gloomy sky. Or was it the ground? It was hard to tell. There was no sense of direction. No suns, no moon, no clouds, no stars, no trees, no grass, no earth, no people… There was absolutely nothing at all. Blank. That one word encapsulated everything! Or perhaps nothing? Strangely enough, there were also cracks in the sky and ground. Like glass, the fissures stretched from horizon to horizon. It seemed like the world itself was fracturing and… there were fragments disappearing slowly into nothingness. Crack! Another enormous fissure appeared, sending cracks across the firmament. Elizabeth could feel that this world was on the verge of collapse!
Elizabeth was about to speak when her head started aching uncontrollably. She screamed in pain. It felt like her limbs were being torn to shreds, and her mind was collapsing. Pain! Pain! Extreme pain! It was so unbelievably vivid that her memories flooded back in full. That was right. Back then, Lord Wenmord was about to kill her. She might have lost consciousness before it activated, but the pain woke her up. She could feel her body was disintegrating under the unimaginable power of the spell. Even now, that trauma was deeply embedded in her. That feeling of her body, mind, and soul being vaporized beyond recognition… It was hard to describe how terrifying it was! The earth tore apart again, as the entire shell of a world continued disintegrating. The last thought that flashed through her mind was… she would die here!