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"That is Her Imperial Majesty's suggestion?" Maximus asks, surprised that she has suggested disciplinary action.
Viscount Isaac nods. "Certainly, sire. The Empress thought that this was to inform them that..." Isaac recited the words Empress Urduja told him about they must not misbehave, especially the captain of Garnet Songs Knights, for she bears the elite knight's crest. He recited it word for word. No more, no less.
Maximus nips his chin, considering Her Imperial Majesty's suggestion. "Indeed, Empress Urduja is right." Her reasoning is valid as well, enough for him to get shivered. It feels like he is facing a different empress right now, realizing that not even once Empress Urduja hasn't suggested any disciplinary action to him. But for him, this is kind of refreshing. Of course, he must inform Emperor Alistair later about this. He knows that even though he will tell this to him, the emperor will not be interested in their empress. But still, he is informing Emperor Alistair about her remarkable actions. "Very well. I shall execute it. Her Imperial Majesty's suggestion is not a bad idea at all. Thank you for informing me, Viscount Isaac." He bows his head before him.
Isaac nods before he turns to leave. He watches him sauntering the hallway as he follows Empress Urduja's suggestion. For he hasn't thought what disciplinary action he shall implement for Alysone and Azarius, so taking the empress's suggestion shall not hurt them at all.
He keeps on nodding his head, smiling. "Not bad... Not bad..."
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"Gertrude..." Urduja calls her one of her ladies-in-waiting after Camila serves her a cup of licorice root tea. They say that it is suitable for digestion.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?" Gertrude asks and turns her head to see the position of Empress Urduja.
Urduja's head is dunking downward on her table after she just ate her evening meal. An awkward smile stretches on Gertrude's lips, waiting for the next word of Her Imperial Majesty.
Frowning, Urduja slowly sides her head to see Gertrude. She sniffs the licorice root tea before she returns her gaze to Gertrude. "I have encountered the name of a knight squad that I haven't met yet."
Gertrude tilts her head. "What is the name of the squad, Your Imperial Majesty?"
"Diamond Moon Knights."
They are silent upon learning the name of that knight squad. That takes Urduja's interest as what she sees in their reaction.
"Seems like you four know them," she utters. She can't help herself to say it as it slowly eats her curiosity. She rested her jaw to her palm, her elbow is on the table, darting her eyes to the window where the starry sky was visible, unlike when she was Corinne, where she barely saw stars in the night sky as she was living in the city. All she could see was the city lights blinding the night sky. Sometimes the sky was cloudy. Sometimes it was just completely blank.
'Maybe they do have fireflies here...' she wonders. The last time she saw fireflies was when she was little.
"Diamond Moon Knights..."
Urduja turns her head to Gertrude when she starts speaking. "Yeah?" She waits. She almost forgets that she is asking about the unfamiliar knight squad by thinking of fireflies here in the palace.
"They were exiled from the elite knights just before they were exchanged to a different knight squad named Garnet Songs Knights, Your Imperial Majesty."
"What? Really?" Her interest suddenly piques her. She is surprised upon knowing that the Diamond Moon Knights were once from elite knights. "Like what happened to them? How did it happen that they were not on the list of Imperial Knights?"
Urduja wants to search for more of them, but she refuses to do so because she is cautious around Viscount Isaac for some reason. So, she did not get a chance to know about the Diamond Moon Knights.
Gertrude clears her throat as soon as she sees the sparkling eyes of Empress Urduja. The empress's curiosity is kicking off. That is why Gertrude needs to explain it carefully.
'If only she remembers it, she is the reason why the Diamond Moon Knights are still here in the palace,' Gertrude says in her mind.
"His Imperial Majesty punished them for acting on their own accord and defying his orders two years ago, Your Imperial Majesty. They were almost banished in the Imperial Knights as well if only you did not beg and intervene to His Imperial Majesty."
Her jaw drops from what she heard. "Well, that's intriguing... Tell me more." She urges and ushers Gertrude. "How are they given a pardon then?"
'But it's weird that if they are almost banished, what did the real Urduja do to make them stay here in the palace?' she wonders.
"Uh..." Gertrude glances at her fellow ladies-in-waiting: Camila, Polly, and Ingrid. They nod at her, ushering her to tell their empress the truth since Empress Urduja has no memories of the past. She nods back before she turns her head to Empress Urduja, who waits for her to speak up. "Emperor Alistair commenced the 28th expedition in a deserted island two years ago. His Imperial Majesty called it Enclave Isle," she started. "As what the hearsays spread around before, the islanders of Enclave Isle have vigorous, truculent defiance when His Imperial Majesty and his troops have arrived for an expedition. So his Imperial Majesty ordered not to assault any islanders. But the captain of Diamond Moon Knights, Azarius Henerozo, defied his orders for some reason and assaulted one of the islanders there. That was why their knight squad was removed from one of the elite knight squads."
"Then I intervened and begged not to banish them in the palace, correct?" Urduja asks for confirmation, repeating Gertrude's words earlier. Even though that was the real Urduja's doing, she pretends she did that in the past.
Gertrude nods. "Yes, indeed. Good thing Emperor Alistair approved it. Though they are still in the Imperial Knights, His Imperial Majesty ordered not to recognize Diamond Moon Knights as part of the Imperial Knights. It is why they are considered as the underdogs of the knight squads."
"I see, I see." Urduja keeps on nodding her head as she starts sipping on her tea. "But why do I feel like something wasn't right?" she paused, a little perplexed, looking at nowhere.
"What do you mean, Your Imperial Majesty?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure..." But something was bothering her. 'Why do I feel like something was wrong with it?' she wonders quietly.
Gertrude blinks as she watches Empress Urduja making strange reactions. It is as if she is finding a loophole in it.
"We were sharing the same fate, huh... They, too, weren't favored by the emperor," she states. "Not that I care about it any way that I am no longer favored." She shrugs.
'I don't freaking need a man in my life just to be favored. I am not going to please that Emperor Asshole. No fucking way!' she exclaims mentally.
The four ladies stay silent and exchange glances at the empress's words. They are a bit worried since it is visible that even though her memories are not back, the empress's grudge is something they cannot still use.
Urduja's absurd remarks are... Hmm... What can they even think of as a term?
It is something out of this world. It is so unlikely of her to say things like this. They wonder that the empress's behavior right now after her memories were lost is her behavior before meeting their emperor.
They are mistaken for this one. They did not know Urduja—or Corinne's behavior is on a whole different level with Urduja.
Urduja is a soft-spoken person, while Corinne is a straightforward person. It is why no one wanted to befriend her when she was still studying Criminology, and other students are scared of her even though she has accomplishments.
"Oh, well. Um... Ladies, I have been wondering something."
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?" they all say in unison, perplexed.
Urduja leans in her seat after she finishes her tea. She gazes up to the ceiling, slightly twitching her lips. "I was wondering if you have some magic item that can conceal me practicing how to control my mana. Like no one will feel that I am even casting my aura element. I wish I can use my training ground for training my mana."
She sighs as she remembers she can only practice casting her magic armament in her chamber.
Since only a few are taking strides to the East Side of the Clair de Lune Palace, where she is residing, she can confidently use her lightning. But she is not at ease and not satisfied with that. She wants her training ground. That is why she renovated it because she wants to train herself there.
"Hmm... I think my brother has what you need, Your Imperial Majesty." It is Camila who just spoke.
"Really? There is?" Urduja gasps, clasping her hands in excitement.
'Whoa... I was just making speculation if they have that magic item. I didn't know it would be true. I envy that we don't have magic in my world,' Corinne says in her mind.
Camila smiles. "I will speak with my brother tomorrow if you want, Your Imperial Majesty," she says politely. "I will borrow his magic item if he will allow me."
"Yes, please!" Urduja claps her hands. 'This is gonna be so exciting!' She can finally use her training ground so she can freely control her lightning. But she will not neglect training in the obstacle course even though she will practice her element as soon as she has the magic item. "Oh, by the way, when you all leave, can you not let other people make their route here in the East Side?" she asks in her sweetened tone.
"As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty." They curtsy before her.
"I wish to retire now if possible." Urduja glances at them meaningfully.
They already know what must happen tonight. As always, Empress Urduja will try to practice controlling her lightning element again.
"Of course, Your Imperial Majesty," Gertrude states with a curtsy. "Ladies," she calls her fellow ladies-in-waiting.
"We will take our leave, Your Imperial Majesty."
She smiles at them when they smile at her. They already support her in her endeavors. They wonder what her magic armament is. They want to see that one day, Her Imperial Majesty can unleash her magic armament.
Urduja waits for them to leave her chamber. She glances at her door. "Are they already gone?" she murmurs.
She listens quietly if she can hear some footsteps. She even checks if someone is outside of her door. When she makes sure that no one is around, she giggles and carefully closes the door.
"Alrighty! Time to do some magic tricks!" She rubs her hands, smiling wickedly, acting like a mad scientist who wants to try some dangerous experiments.
She immediately takes the ten emptied milk bottles she asked from her ladies-in-waiting and places them on the table. She always hides them under her bed. Then, she steps backward, a little far away from it, as she opens her palm, positioning where the bottles are displayed.
"Relax, Corinne. You can do this," she murmurs, taking a deep breath. "Think like you are Pikachu!" she chants.
She concentrates her eyes on the bottles and imagines the electric current coming out from her hand. She goes deeply to herself and ignites something in it. A lightning bolt magically comes out from her hand as she strokes it to the emptied bottles.
She smiles widely as soon as she spots the bottles falling on the carpeted floor. No shattered glasses smear on it. Satisfied, she glares at her hand.
"Guess I'm improving, huh." She turns her head to the mirror, seeing Urduja's triumphant smile reflecting in the mirror. But she pretends that her real body is right in front of the mirror, reflecting the same smile she just plastered right now.
She can execute a bolt of lightning in a short period now. What a significant improvement for her. Unlike those times, she was having a hard time releasing an electric discharge from her hand. Good thing she materialized the idea of thinking about this particular anime TV series, Pokémon.
"Now, when I thought about it," she pauses. "It is worth thinking like Pikachu. Since Pikachu is an electric-type Pokémon, my lightning element is not that inferior to its element type." Urduja grins, nodding her head. "Thanks, childhood memories!" She even claps her hands.
She used to watch that show when she was little. She will never forget Ash Ketchum and his pal, Pikachu. 'Technology is the best at its finest,' she says mentally.
Urduja starts pacing back and forth. She is thinking about the attack moves from the electric-type Pokémon she knew.
"Thunderbolt... Thunder... Volt tackle... Thunder wave... Charge beam... Electro ball... Thunder wave... Electro web... Thunder shock..." She mentions the attack moves an electric-type Pokémon can do.
She plans to practice those kinds of electric attack moves in the training ground as much as possible. However, since her ladies-in-waiting told her that it is hard to find a lightning mentor because of its rare element, she has to do something to enhance her lightning.
"What else am I missing here?" She hums, nipping her chin. "Think, Corinne! Think!" She huffs and halts. She places her hands on her waist, twitching her lips. "I am hoping I can manage to unleash my magic armament..."
Sighing, she recalls the red book entitled The Combination of Mana and Magic Armament she read before. She immediately approaches the bookshelf and takes the book out of its shelf. Then she flips the pages to the part on how to unleash one's magic armament.
As to what she learns, a person must have the same wavelength of the person's body and soul and its mana to unleash their magic armament. If a person has an unstable wavelength of both the person's body, soul, and mana, they will have a hard time unleashing it.
"This isn't my fucking body, though... I'm in a different body and transported into a different dimension for Pete's sake!" she exclaims. "I don't even know where the real Urduja's soul was," she states. Surrendering, she closes the book. "How am I supposed to have the same wavelength of body and soul?" She sighs in distress, massaging her temple.
'How am I supposed to do this again?' she wonders and looks at her hands. She badly wants to have her magic armament. Now, she understands the frustration of the real Urduja. But their difference is the real Urduja has low mana, so she has no chance to execute her magic armament. Now, Corinne feels helpless.
Sighing, she clenches her hands when she tries to release an electric discharge from them.
'Would it possible if my soul and my mana have the same wavelength? Then skip the part for the wavelength of the real Urduja's body?'
She closes her eyes, feeling her mana inside her. Then she tries to reach for it. She opens her clenched palms, trying to grasp that struggling magic inside of her. Urduja thinks that she is in the grasp of having her magic armament in an arrogant attitude, but what happens next didn't expect her to happen.
The magic she released exploded right in front of her, causing her to slam back to the wall. Then she slides down as the cheeks of her bottom hit the floor.
"Shit... My back and ass hurt!" she grunts, wiping her closed eyes. She slowly peels her eyes open and sees her hands covered with coal. She huffs, feeling annoyed. "Looks like soul and mana's matching wavelength isn't really an excellent choice..."
She sighs in defeat, carefully standing up. This is the tenth time she had done this, and she never learned her lesson.
Shoulders slumped after she washes her face, she returns to her bed quietly. Her body is in pain because of what happened earlier. She is hoping there are no bruises on her when tomorrow strikes. She looks up at the ceiling disappointedly. Then she shakes her head afterward.
"I must stop pushing the wavelength of soul and mana only." She takes a deep breath after contemplating so hard. "Don't give up, Corinne! You're a bad bitch, remember?" she whispers to herself, encouraging herself. "Work hard! We will have our magic armament soon!"
She yawns and slowly closes her eyes, still thinking how she will work on Urduja's body to match the wavelength of her soul and her mana. That is on her mind right now until she drifts off to sleep.
What Corinne did not know, the moment she and Urduja died at the same time on that particular day, a soul and body spell had already activated from Urduja's body when their souls met. Thus, Corinne's soul and Urduja's body already have the same wavelength from that spell.
They are now bound as one.
Corinne just needs to figure it out and work the three elements: body, soul, and mana properly.