novelraw Chapter 244 : Two Years Later, She and He
Chapter 244 : Two Years Later, She and He
Chapter 244: Two Years Later, She and He
“……Lastly, fellow students, welcome to this academy blessed by dawn and starlight.”
“I hope that in the next four years, you will experience magnificent landscapes of towering grandeur, encounter companions worthy of entrusting your back to, and spend a time that will be unforgettable for a lifetime.”
“In addition, I wish all of you great fortune in martial endeavors.”
“Let us all live on strongly—”
“And then, together, witness with our own eyes the moment when the Final Nightworld is conquered.”
“I believe that day is not too far away.”
With these words, Shiltina performed a standard knight’s salute toward the audience before stepping down from the rostrum.
Below the high platform, in the plaza where Starfall University was holding the opening ceremony for the new academic year, a burst of enthusiastic applause immediately followed.
Countless freshmen who had just joined Starfall University looked at that resolute back walking down from the stage and erupted in a wave of cheers.
It was unavoidable—the renown of Shiltina was simply too great.
The First Princess of the Empire.
The first Holy Sword Wielder in a thousand years to be acknowledged by that long-sealed Holy Sword.
The heir to the imperial throne, the future Empress.
The youngest Legendary ever recorded in the history of the Western Continent—
Many even speculated that, with the Liberation of the Holy Sword’s True Name, Shiltina’s rank might already surpass Legendary, granting her the qualification to step into the Divine Realm, rivaling true angels.
Ever since two years ago, after that wedding ceremony that was never completed, Shiltina had frequently appeared in various meetings and diplomatic events in the capacity of Imperial Princess.
Her figure, with long chestnut hair flowing behind her, had already become the symbol of the Granwell Empire and Starfall University.
No one knew how many people had been inspired by her, setting their sights on becoming Transcendents.
Nor did anyone know how many had come from all over the Western Continent to Starfall University because of Shiltina, following in her footsteps to become members of the Night Travelers.
The sharp increase in freshmen numbers over the past two years had not only made the once-leisurely professors of the academy busy, but even Dean Silver, that ultimate recluse, was forced to halt her hibernation and shoulder many tasks.
Recently, the administration even began discussing reinstating Professor Barbalossa, having him step down from his post as the Watcher of the Arcane Tower and return to teaching at the academy.
In this age where even a reclusive ferret could become a dean, who was to say Professor Barbalossa, despite his gorilla-like appearance, could not give lectures to students?
Although Professor Barbalossa had already surpassed a hundred years of age and had been retired for quite some time, was not several hundred years precisely the age for striving?
……
“What an awe-inspiring speech.”
“Elder Sister, you truly are more and more like the Empress of the Empire now.”
When Shiltina exited through the backstage passage, leaving behind the clamor of the plaza, Ophelia came up with a cheerful smile.
Two years had passed, and Ophelia had grown a lot.
From the doll-like little girl of before, she had blossomed into a tall and graceful young maiden of fifteen or sixteen.
She wore a pure white dress, her light brown hair cascading over her shoulders.
Compared to two years ago, when her scarlet eyes had seemed lifeless and her porcelain-doll face made her look more like an inanimate puppet than a living girl… at this moment, Ophelia’s gaze and expression were vivid and lively, brimming with the vitality unique to a girl in her mid-teens.
“Elder Sister, you don’t know how rattled those great nobles in the Imperial Capital have been recently.”
Ophelia naturally followed behind Shiltina.
“Clearly, they hate us so much that their teeth itch, but they cannot say a word. In the end, they can only gnash their teeth and cede their benefits, returning all the power they secretly occupied over the years to the royal family.”
At these words, a faint smile curved at Shiltina’s lips.
Two years ago, perhaps it was because she had declared that unyielding vow of greed—never to give up, whether the ideals of the Forester, the duties and mission of the royal house, or the beloved one in her heart, she wanted them all.
Or perhaps it was because Allen had been moved after personally witnessing Rast’s radiance when he slew the Gravekeeper Quasi-Angel.
Whatever the reason, after that incident, the relationship between Allen and his daughter, Shiltina, had eased significantly.
Allen no longer insisted that Shiltina abandon her so-called childish dream as a “Forester.”
And Shiltina, as both the Master of the Holy Sword and the heir to the throne, began voluntarily taking on the responsibilities of an Imperial Princess.
Naturally, this also triggered a chain reaction.
In the past, the great nobles of the Imperial Capital had always been suppressed under Allen’s silent political maneuvering and Ophelia’s control, unable to voice their grievances.
Now, with Shiltina officially established as the First Princess and heir to the throne, Allen gradually retreated from the stage, leaving many duties of rulership to Shiltina herself.
The great nobles thought they had finally gotten their chance. After all, Shiltina had not grown up in the royal household, nor had she received the elite education befitting an heir. She should know nothing of politics, strategies of alliances, or the games of power.
Compared to the shrewd Allen and the politically astute Ophelia, who had been trained since childhood, Shiltina would surely be easier to deal with.
Moreover, since Ophelia had always been groomed as the heir, the sudden appearance of a new successor would naturally create conflict between the two princesses. In such a struggle for succession, the nobles could exploit both sides to reap benefits.
But very soon, the nobles realized they were utterly mistaken.
It was true that, at first, Shiltina was somewhat inexperienced when she began fulfilling her role as First Princess. Her methods and judgment were not yet mature.
Yet by accepting that identity and shouldering such a heavy mission, Shiltina was like a sprouting seed, rapidly absorbing nourishment and growing at an astonishing pace.
The offensives from the nobles, along with her initial setbacks and failures, never defeated her—not even shaken her the slightest. Instead, every failure became nourishment for her growth.
In an incredibly short time, Shiltina matured into a flawless future Empress, whether in political acumen or wisdom.
And the conflict the nobles had anticipated between the two princesses never came to pass.
Even though she lost her right of succession, Ophelia bore no resentment. On the contrary, she actively assisted her elder sister in handling military affairs.
So obedient and sensible, appearing like her sister’s most capable aide, Ophelia left nobles who had once witnessed her true mischievous self utterly stunned, unable to reconcile this diligent girl with the little devil they once feared.
What truly broke the nobles’ will to resist, however, was the news that within less than a year, Shiltina once again achieved a breakthrough and ascended to the Legendary throne.
Shiltina herself had already become Legendary, and with her perfect compatibility with the Holy Sword—its seals fully released—and the Sovereign Domain sequence within the Holy Sword… what heights could she not reach?
Faced with the Liberation of the Holy Sword’s True Name, even an unequal treaty that stripped them of all benefits they had stolen from the Empire over the years left them no choice—
The Holy Sword was before them. Would they dare refuse to sign?
……
Shiltina and Ophelia stopped at the end of the street. A plain-looking carriage, marked with the Black Eagle Insignia, was waiting for them.
Once they sat in the back seat, the driver started the car, and the black vehicle carried them down the road.
“This is the audit report from the Supervision Bureau… I already marked some anomalous data for you, Elder Sister. The last commissioner was caught for corruption just a year ago, and now this one is already crooked again. I think we should consider abolishing the department.”
“This is the military intelligence summary. All cult groups within the borders linked to the Gravekeepers were eradicated last week. The detailed list is on the second page.”
“This is a letter from the ambassador of the Holy Kingdom of Fran…”
In the back seat, Ophelia took out a stack of prepared state and military documents, handing them one by one to Shiltina for review.
Although these affairs of state across the Empire had already been filtered by Ophelia, discarding much of the trivial content, the Granwell Empire was still the largest human nation on the Western Continent—what remained still piled like a mountain.
By the time Shiltina finished reviewing all the documents, the sun outside had already passed its zenith and was slowly sinking westward.
The scenery beyond the window was no longer the golden plains surrounding Starfall University.
Instead, they had reached the city outskirts, hills off the main road.
Shiltina gently closed her eyes, letting the tide of exhaustion wash over her body and heart.
The road of being an Imperial Princess, a future Empress—was thorny and arduous.
For her, it still felt more natural to be a Night Traveler, fighting in blood and fire on the frontlines of the Nightworld.
For in battle, no matter what enemy appeared, all she had to do was cut them down with a sword. No need for schemes or negotiations with smiling nobles and politicians.
But this was the road Shiltina had chosen herself.
Whether as Imperial Princess and future Empress;
Or the ideal of the “Forester” she inherited from her mother;
Or the boy who occupied a special place in her heart—the one she was willing to spend her whole life protecting, never allowing him to be harmed in the slightest—
So that she would never regret abandoning any of them in the future, Shiltina had vowed, “I want them all.”
A vow both greedy and fearless—yet exalted.
She chose to tread such a path of thorns.
No matter what awaited her, even inevitable ruin and solitude ahead did not matter.
Hardship and obstacles were foreseen from the start.
Thus, she would never regret. She would simply shoulder everything and press forward.
When Shiltina opened her eyes again, the barren hills had vanished outside the window.
Instead, a grove of ginkgo trees greeted her, their golden leaves scattered across the ground.
The carriage followed the winding path through the ginkgo grove before slowing to a stop before a massive building.
It was a grand structure exuding a sense of futuristic technology. On the stone tablet at its entrance were engraved both the crest of Starfall University and the Black Eagle Insignia of the Granwell Empire.
Shiltina set down her pen and documents, gazing at the immense building.
From deep within her heart, a hope stirred—dispersing the fatigue, clear and undeniable.
Similar to the Arcane Tower in form, this was a hospital jointly built by the royal family and Starfall University, housing the finest medical facilities on the Western Continent, representing the pinnacle of Seventh Era civilization.
The proposal had been raised ten years ago, but only last year was it finally carried out and completed.
Normally, Shiltina was busy, but not to the point of today, where she even had to use car rides and lunch breaks to review documents.
She had deliberately crammed all duties into the morning, leaving the afternoon free—so she could visit this hospital.
This was the time she looked forward to the most in the past two years.
Indeed, it was also the greatest motivation that supported her through countless exhausting tasks, state affairs, and endless diplomacy with nobles and envoys.
Yes—the boy who, two years ago, was betrothed to her, the one Shiltina vowed to protect for a lifetime—
At this very moment, he lay quietly sleeping in the top ward of this hospital.