Edward walked into a room where all the members of Blue Ravenclaw sat at a rectangle table.
"Captain," said all the members as they stood up. Edward waved to them so that they could sit down.
"Captain, you seem different from usual? Did you break the curse?"
"I'm getting there but not quite yet."
The fact that Edward was cursed is common knowledge amongst many people of the Clover Kingdom. The reason for that is in the battlefield, as long as the enemy can rush out of the borders, Edward could not chase after them.
Additionally, when he attacked some people with the intent to kill, chains would appear all over his body to restrict him. As such, people have figured out some of the limitations of his curse.
And some nobles even tried to use this fact to their advantage. To deal with these people, Edward has his squad secretly beat them with an inch of their lives while he cleans up the trace.
As long as he does not kill these key figures, beating them up is alright.
"So, what is the situation?" asked Edward.
"The Wizard King is severely injured and has no chance of surviving," replied Vice-Captain Bernard.
"Well, that's expected. I told him not to pursue the Spade Kingdom since they might have allied with the Diamond Kingdom, but he didn't want to listen."
The other squad members sighed as they could understand the Wizard King's thinking. With the presence of their captains, the Clover Kingdom had entered a time of peace and prosperity unlike anything seen since the kingdom's creation.
The economy was booming because of trade with the Heart Kingdom, the safety of all citizens across all three realms was at an all-time high, and agriculture flourished with new magical tools designed to increase annual yield.
The booming of the fishing industry also helps to reduce the hunger problem along with many other benefits. The issue of class inequality has radically been reduced as the captain creates more opportunities for commoners.
Additionally, the people's daily lives have now been enhanced since they no longer have to worry about food and shelter. In addition to the newspaper, magic television has now become widespread throughout the kingdom.
More than 95% of commoners can afford it, and even in the Forsaken Realm, where the poorest and weakest individuals live, 1 in 50 households can afford a magic TV.
A new raid occurred on the borders a few days ago, and the Wizard King rushed there. Furious by what he saw, he decided to follow these people and deal a severe blow to them–despite Edward's warning.
And now, it appeared that it was a trap and someone attacked and almost killed him.
"So, what happened next?" asked Edward. Everyone became quiet for a moment before Bernard answered:
"The debate of the next Wizard King has begun, and the Magic Parliament is very adamant in opposing your election. Luckily, we still have the support of the Vermillion and Silva family."
"Who are they supporting?" asked Edward calmly. "No, let me guess, it's Julius, isn't it?"
"That's correct."
Edward nodded as he tapped his finger on the table, quieting everyone.
"Send an invitation to Julius. We will have a battle that is broadcasted live to the people. The winner gets to sit on the throne."
"Yes, captain."
Edward then discussed a few more things with his squad before supervising Yami and Vengeance's training. He still has to play his role to remove the curse altogether and be free to do his things.
Once that was done, Edward flew to the Capital. He had to use Transformation Magic to hide his appearance; otherwise, if he walked in the streets, countless people would recognize him and flood toward him like they were paparazzi.
Soon, he found himself in front of a tombstone with the engraving: In memory of Acier Silva, a loving mother and mighty warrior.
'It's been two years, hasn't it?'
He hunched down to clean the tombs before a flower appeared in his hand: they were peonies, her favorite flowers.
His other identity did not have all his experience, so he was very lonely. And that was because of his power. Many people revered him for his power, but they also feared him because of it.
As such, most people will respect him and keep a certain distance from him. That goes to all the members of his squad. There are only two people who were the exception: Acier and Yami.
Yami respected him for what Edward did for him, but he did not treat him with alienation. On the contrary, he was pretty cheeky in their interactions; he never minded his power or position.
As for Acier, she was the first person to do the same. He only met Yami a few months ago. He saw him as a friend and treated him the same.
As Edward looked at the tombstone, he could not help but remember his conversation with her a few years ago.
During the past 14 years, he sometimes unlocked his memories for short periods. Sometimes for only a few hours, a few days, and one time, he lasted two weeks. So, he used this time to analyze the curse better and find a way to free himself from the Universe Will's restrain.
And right now, he remembered a conversation he had with Acier.
Edward looked at Acier on a large bed holding a small child in her hands. He looked at the baby.
"Is that your second child? What an ugly baby."
"Edward!" she grunted.
"I'm just telling the truth. Plus, what kind of name is Nebra?"
"How do you know her name?"
"I know everything."
Acier ignored her friend as she knew he sometimes liked to boast about his greatness.
"She is about to pee herself," he said, however, Acier ignored him. Not long afterward, Nebra did pee on herself.
"How did you know?"
"I speak the baby language."
"Nonsense," she replied while changing her.
Meanwhile, Edward shrugged his shoulder; he was telling the truth. He then looked around before sighing in disappointment.
"I can't believe you choose Henry over me."
"Here were go again."
"No, this is a valid concern. I'm more handsome than him, more powerful than him, more affluent than him, more famous than him. And I can say I would treat you better than him.
"So, why not choose me?"
Acier sighed: "Do you really want to know the reason?"
"I do."
She looked at her baby while feeding her a bottle. "I can accept your womanizing ways. I can accept all the secrets you keep. I can accept the cruel and callous sides that you some time. displayed.
"I can even accept the fact that I will not be the only woman in your life. But I cannot accept that you do not want children; you do not want a family. That's my bottom line.
"That's why I chose Henry over you."
Edward looked out the window in deep thought. He once planned to have children once the Empire was stabilized and more powerful. However, after hearing about the upcoming war, he removed that idea from his mind.
He did not want to bring his children into this world, knowing that one day, he might either watch them die or die and leave them alone.
Edward sighed aloud, saying: "Anyway, sooner or later, you will be mine."
"Cocky, I see. I really want to know how?"
"Henry will be dead, so, of course, you will be mine."
"What!" said Acier in a loud voice, startling the baby and making her cry even more. So, she gently calmed her down.
"What do you mean he will be dead? Did you kill him?" she asked while staring furiously at him.
"Hey, I'm not that cruel. All I know is that he will die in a few years."
"How can this be? Can't you save him? I'm begging you."
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"You can't, or you won't."
"I can't," Edward replied, looking her in the eyes. "Not just him, even you will die in a few years."
Acier got up from the bed as she looked at him incredulously; her body trembled but she kept herself together to prevent baby Nebra from crying.
"It's true. I should barely be able to revive you, but only after many decades if not more."
Edward was telling the truth. The [Correction of Fate] is powerful in this world, and his ability to not be affected by it seems to be nulled in this universe–or at the very least, drastically reduced.
Nozel and Noelle Silva are two essential characters of this world. And the death of their mothers is necessary for their characters' growth and motivation.
And his hands are tied until Edward completely removes the curse on him.
Acier took a while to calm herself down.
"Is there anything I can do to prevent this?"
"You can try to become more powerful when the day comes, and maybe, if you fake your death, you could survive. But nothing is guaranteed."
Acier did not know how to respond to this news. She just learned that not only will her husband die, but she will also die.
"What about my children? Will they be alright?" she hurriedly asked.
"All four of them will be fine."
"Four?"
"Yes, four," replied Edward with his lisp twitching.
"Can you tell me about them?" she asked, smiling at Nebra.
"The second and third ones are mediocre in terms of magical capability. And their personality is even shittier. I consider them complete failures."
Acier glared at him, but Edward ignored her as he continued:
"Nozel is very capable. However, how he treated the youngest is also terrible–albeit he had a solid reason. Nevertheless, I still don't like him.
"The only impressive one is the last one. She will inherit your beauty, bravery, kindness, and even your magic. However, the first 16 years of her life will not be a great one because of her siblings."
Acier was both happy and sad at the same time after hearing this. She decided to teach his children better to prevent this tragedy from occurring. Nevertheless, she still asked:
"Can't you look after them for me?"
"Unfortunately, they are on the list of people I cannot even approach with the curse. However, I can try to find a way to reduce the impact."
Acier looked at the window, "Can you really revive me?"
"I will try my best."
"What about Henry?"
Edward did not say anything, his answer obvious. After chatting for a while, he left. And as expected, things went according to the script. Not long after Noelle was conceived, Henry died.
And right after giving birth to Noelle, Acier died at the hands of Megicula. Even though she was more powerful because of Edward's training, Vanica Zangratis–the human host of Megicula–somehow managed to draw more power from the devil and killed her in the end.
As for Edward, chains appeared on his body to prevent him from rushing in time and save her. Luckily, he secretly placed a spell to preserve her soul and did the same for her body.
As he looked at the tombstone, Edward muttered:
"Wait for this curse to be lifted. Megicula, you will be the first one to feel my wrath." He never felt so aggrieved, but he understood the concept of forbearance. As such, he will wait.
Edward then left to prepare for the battle against Julius.