"We just wanted to help Brother Rassim eliminate a rival..." Alexander Frederick, a curly-haired young wizard about fifteen or sixteen, was too young to resist Murphy's Imperius Curse.
"Why me?" Murphy asked.
These past few days, there must have been more than just him entering the city as suitors. These two didn't seem to bother the Frenchman.
"Because your name was personally added to the list by the Empress," George Frederick explained.
"Choosing the Empress's fiancé is usually the duty of the master of ceremonies. The Empress had not interfered before, but recently, Lady Yaga personally added a name to the list. Everyone knows Lady Yaga only listens to the Empress, so it must have been the Empress's will."
"So, you see me as a threat?"
Murphy frowned. Why would Sofia leave such a big loophole? Why not instruct Lady Yaga to add seventy or eighty people to the list?
This made him quite conspicuous.
But on second thought, it seemed rather inconsequential. The task he was executing wasn't exactly an "assassination," and even if his identity was exposed, it wouldn't be a big problem.
He was here to assassinate Ivan, but the Empress needed him not for his secrecy, but because he was strong enough to defeat the Great Shaman.
Killing Ivan's biggest obstacle wasn't his caution but the two powerful wizards by his side.
The Empress didn't intend for him to secretly kill Ivan — even Vitali Pizhigood, whom he had encountered before, had things like decoy dolls, so Ivan surely had something more effective.
To kill him, relying on an unrepeatable assassination wasn't enough. Against such a foe with resurrection coins, only brute strength would suffice.
Murphy had already performed Legilimency on the two young men and was fairly certain they knew nothing of his mission.
What to do with these two?
Leaving them alive was troublesome, but killing them meant he had to act against Ivan immediately.
He hadn't communicated with the Empress yet, and Lady Yaga hadn't lured away the "Song of Earth" yet. Facing two fighters as strong as Alexei, he might be overturned.
After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Do you two want to live or die?"
"We want to live, please spare us..." they begged desperately.
"Then from now on, you'll listen to me."
...
Half a minute later, when Lady Yaga appeared in the alley, the two young wizards and their followers had already left.
"Young man, I heard there was an attack here, but you seem to be in good health," Lady Yaga remarked.
Lady Yaga was very old, hunched over. If Murphy hadn't heard about her from Little Batty, he wouldn't believe this frail old lady was a powerful witch comparable to the Great Shaman.
"It's a wonderful thing to be healthy, but unfortunately, some people just don't appreciate it," Murphy sighed. "But I think they've learned their lesson and won't repeat it."
Lady Yaga looked up, her half-closed eyes lifting slightly as she glanced at him. "You're a fine young man; I wasn't wrong about you. However, will this affect your next steps? If needed, I can make other arrangements."
"No, please proceed as planned," Murphy replied.
"Very well," she nodded slightly. "Then let's prepare to meet Her Majesty. By the way, what gift have you prepared for the Empress?"
"Uh, I came in a hurry and only brought some specialties, anti-aging potions, magic vision potions, and such...though they should all be quite rare..."
Lady Yaga glanced at him and shook her head. "Young man, you should put more effort into courting a girl."
Murphy was speechless. He wasn't here for romance. This was about seizing power. Couldn't she be more serious?
...
That afternoon, Murphy, along with envoys from over a dozen countries or regions, was received by the Queen.
Many of them were indeed princes of magical lords, and they all held some noble title. It was then that Murphy realized that not all magical governments in Europe were like the British Ministry of Magic.
Some were small kingdoms, unaffected by muggle society's transformations, while others were autonomous tribes without a government.
The ceremony was very formal. The envoys presented their gifts and introduced themselves. Watching them offer ancestral treasures, Murphy discreetly pocketed his potions.
When his turn came, Murphy stepped forward and bowed to the young girl on the throne, saying:
"Respected Empress. I am the Emperor of Mandalorians, Kree, Daxamites, Namekians, Saiyans, Kryptonians, and the Ancients. Ruler of seven kingdoms, Guardian of the M78 Nebula, Pioneer of the Great Voyage, Prince of Avalon, Unburnt, Father of Dragons, Messiah, Godfather, Black-haired Emperor – Born of the Storm, Murphy Darkholme."
The entire hall gasped.
Such a long title!
Who is this man?
Seems to be an emperor of some country?
But why haven't we heard of him?
And what are Mandalorians, Saiyans? Do such peoples exist?
On the throne, Sofia was also stunned for a moment, staring at Murphy's serious face.
How can he lie so blatantly without laughing?!
Then Murphy took out a palm-sized gold nugget. "I offer a small piece of gold to the Empress..."
The other princes and dukes were stunned.
Is that all?
But then Murphy said, "This gold, the Magic Gold guarded by three nymphs at the bottom of the Rhine River, was divided into three by the god-king Wotan at the dawn of time. One piece was forged into a ring, the Nibelung Ring."
"Later, it fell into Middle-earth, obtained by a demon named Sauron, sparking world turmoil."
"The second piece was acquired by a ranger and forged into an omnipotent artifact, the Golden Finger."
"It later fell to the mortal world, where everyone who owned it achieved legend."
"And this last piece is here."
"This is the Rhine Gold, an object of wish fulfillment. I offer it to Her Majesty, hoping all her wishes come true."
As for the Rhine Gold, who knows what it is? I say it is, who can say otherwise?
Watching the commotion in the hall, Sofia suddenly felt a headache...
Why did I choose this man for an assassination? Am I crazy?
...
After Murphy presented his "significant" gift, the other envoys felt awkward presenting theirs.
Following Murphy's example, they were either too plain or exaggerated. Eventually, they simply skipped introducing their gifts, only giving their names before retreating.
Thus, the audience ended quickly.
The court shaman Azir created a fire and performed a shamanic dance, then plucked a few hairs and took a few drops of blood from each suitor, scattering them into the fire for the ancestors to judge any unsuitable bloodlines. Apparently, the ancestors had no objections.
After the culturally rich ancestral inquiry ceremony, the maids led the envoys to their respective guest houses.
As the maid showing Murphy the way left, she slipped a note into his hand.
He opened it to read, "Tonight's the night. Ps
: Borrowing your words, I hope we both get what we wish for."
Murphy crumbled the note into fine ash.
Just as he was about to sleep, there was a knock on the door.
"Mr. Darkholme, Duke Ivan invites all envoys to a banquet at the Duke's residence."
___________________
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