Mage Manual-Chapter 612 - 493 Empress Yisu_2

Very well.

Nona and Yvalin exchanged a glance, ready to spread the flames of battle to the other servants.

But just then, a steady and clear sound of footsteps entered the hall.

Both of them suddenly found their bodies stiffen, the active Technique Spirits in their souls huddled together, trembling, as the air grew heavy as lead, completely crushing their spines.

Cute children dressed in exquisite outfits filed in from the doors on both sides; they were momentarily confused by the disarray in the banquet hall, and then two Secret Guards in fully-covered black armor drew back the curtains, revealing a graceful figure veiled and clad in a purple embroidered long dress to the eyes of the guests.

The hall instantly fell silent, the haughty masters of great families, top figures of conglomerates, Holy Sanctuary Mages, all knelt on one knee, bowing their prestigious heads, greeting the Saint’s arrival with awe-filled silence.

Though it was their first encounter, and although they had long contemplated rebellion against Empress Yisu and seizing the throne, when she actually appeared before them, they found they lacked the courage to even look her directly in the eyes, their soaring ambitions crashing to the ground.

Souls? Miracle? Technique Spirits? They racked their brains, trying to pinpoint the root of their submission, attempting to find something special, to argue that her strength contained elements of exaggeration, but all thoughts ultimately pointed to a chilling possibility: that person had done nothing.

Does a cat need to do something to make the mice run away? Does the sun need to do something to be revered by humans? Does Hell need to do something to make the living fear?

Although she looked human and moved as one, everyone clearly realized that the entity sitting at the head of the hall was not human.

The difference between her and them was simply that she coincidentally wore a human skin.

And that was precisely the most terrifying aspect: they knew she wasn’t human, but they had no idea what she truly was. This ambiguous unknown was the most adept at provoking primal shudders.

"Rise."

Only then did everyone raise their heads, seeing her back lightly pressed against the throne, her hands placed firmly on her thighs, a purple veil hiding most of her face, revealing only a pair of eyes as brilliant as emeralds. The two Secret Guards stood at her sides, but everyone knew they were mere decorations.

The Empress needed no protection.

"There is less than an hour left until the birth of the new sovereign," she began, delivering news that tightened many hearts, "During this time of transition, the new sovereign will need much time to take control of the Gospel, too preoccupied to attend to your needs. So, if you have any legitimate requests, make them now, and Zephyr will address them immediately."

Zephyr was the self-addressed moniker of the Empress, but it wasn’t her True Name—the Empress’s True Name was never disclosed. This tradition originated from the unique mechanism of the Gospel List: when announcing the First Gospel, the Gospel List wouldn’t directly reveal the Resonator’s name but would take a character from the name and add the suffix ’phyr.’

This was not a deliberate concealment by the Gospel, but rather a way the Gospel expressed affection, much as one would give a pet a nickname instead of calling it by its generic name.

Additionally, since empresses of past generations had been listed with their faces veiled, no one in the past seven hundred years of the Yisu Dynasty had seen the face or known the name of any Empress. Empress Yisu was not the title of a particular empress but a designation shared by all empresses over those seven hundred years.

Senheiser and Belladett had initially planned to stir trouble when the Empress inquired about their mischief, but now the Empress completely ignored the chaos in the hall, and they weren’t daring to provoke her.

Suddenly, a little girl stepped on a squashed orange and thumped onto the carpet. She wasn’t hurt, but it claimed a fraction of the Empress’s attention.

The Empress said nothing; a Secret Guard at her side opened the Gospel Book, and all the dirt, food remnants, trash, and broken tables autonomously lifted into midair. The servants promptly cleaned up and exited the hall, the children hired to liven up the banquet atmosphere filed out as well, and more servants brought in chairs, transforming the banquet into a meeting in a moment.

"Take a seat," the Empress said, "We don’t have much time."

Qinna watched the servants leave the hall and slowly took a seat. She had just mustered the courage to raise her hand when an urgent voice rang out behind her, "Your Majesty, may I inquire as to the whereabouts of my uncle, Mr. Bophis?"

The speaker was from the Mercury family, a member of the Holy Sanctuary, and the Bophis he mentioned was someone Qinna had met long ago—back then, she was a Two-winged Mage, while he was already a figure of the Shadow Legend.

Bophis’s most astonishing feat involved enveloping a juvenile Shadow Evil Dragon in shadows, bringing it into reality, and successfully enslaving it—now everyone knew that the Mercury family possessed a tremendously powerful Shadow Evil Dragon, and it seemed the family had also learned some secrets to aid Void Realm Exploration from the beast, having seen a surge in the number of Two-winged Mages over the past three decades.

"He is studying the Path of Truth in the Imperial Palace," the Empress replied.

"Then why hasn’t he come to see me?" Mercury pressed, "The last time he returned to the family, he gave me a Shadow Mark, assuring that if I activated it, he would find me no matter where he was. Now here I am in Nabistin, having activated the mark, so why hasn’t he appeared?"

"Because he no longer cares about the family, nor about you," the Empress said calmly, "This is the Path of Truth chosen by all Nabistin Mages—to find their own Truth before the end of their Life, they must set off light, casting aside burdens."

Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l