Chapter 1078: 65. The Beginning of War
“A wedding dress? Why is there a wedding dress here?”
Smoke drifted out from the ancient ring and formed into a graceful figure. Peles reached out a hand. Although she lacked a physical body, her soul power still allowed her to sense the wedding dress’s delicate fabric, smooth and soft as clouds themselves.
“Tsk tsk. This material, this design, these gemstones... hm? There’s even a weight-reduction spell engraved into the inner layers? Well, with this many jewels, it would’ve been unbearably heavy without magic. But carving such a complex formation onto such tiny magic-conductive material... whoever did this had to be at least a Truth-Rank Grand Mage.”
Peles examined it carefully. The more she examined it, the more astonished she became.
“Forget the additional value attached to it. Just the raw production cost of this wedding dress alone is probably tens of millions—maybe even over a hundred million Aimier. Who exactly is this extravagant? One wedding costs more than several years of our current material expenses combined... wouldn’t you agree, Ariel?”
“......”
“Ariel?”
After receiving no response for a long while, Peles turned her head in confusion and discovered Ariel staring fixedly at the wedding dress.
At some point, she seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of everything else in the world. Her eyes were dull, her lips continuously muttering something under her breath.
Peles assumed Ariel’s old habit of becoming unable to move whenever she saw something valuable had resurfaced again. With a sigh, she floated back beside her.
“I advise you to abandon any dangerous thoughts about stealing it. Yes, the wedding dress is incredibly precious, but this isn’t some black-market robbery. If it’s being kept inside the Imperial Palace, then it belongs to someone important. There’s no need to bring trouble onto yourself over this.”
“...Teacher is right.”
Only after another long daze did Ariel slowly nod, almost in slow motion.
“I really shouldn’t take it away. What’s the point of stealing it anyway? It’s not even my size...”
“Exactly. Besides, you’re not lacking money now. If you like wedding dresses that much, then later you can just ask—”
“I should destroy it instead!”
SHING!
The Heavenly Flame Greatsword was abruptly unsheathed. Bandages unraveled, golden runes blazed to life, and flames coiled around the blade as scorching heat exploded through the room.
“???”
Peles stared blankly, utterly confused by Ariel’s sudden insanity.
Even if Ariel had an obsession with valuable things, she shouldn’t have reached the point of destroying something just because she couldn’t have it!
That completely didn’t fit her personality...
Or perhaps this wedding dress had touched some particularly sensitive nerve?
Could it be...
“Ariel, calm down!”
Peles said seriously:
“You can’t possibly feel resentful just because the chest size of the wedding dress doesn’t suit you, right? Fine, yes, the size is a little too large for you, and maybe that feels insulting, but when we wear wedding dresses in the future... we can pad it!”
Peles admitted that most wedding dresses depended heavily on chest size and shape. Some strapless designs could even slip off entirely if there wasn’t enough support.
But for Ariel, appearance-related issues like that were hardly a problem.
After all...
“Isn’t this exactly your specialty? Isn’t this the perfect situation for the magical rubber you worked so hard to invent? There’s really no need for you to—”
“I-It’s not because of that!”
Ariel interrupted her in complete humiliation and fury, looking as though she wanted to stab her increasingly unreliable teacher to death on the spot.
“The reason I want to destroy this wedding dress is something else!”
“Something else?”
Peles blinked. This truly exceeded the limits of her knowledge.
After all, she had never worn a wedding dress herself.
“Teacher, haven’t you realized it yet?”
Ariel pointed outside the window and huffed angrily.
“The frantic activity outside, this wedding dress, Muen suddenly being called back to Belrand—these things are connected!”
“You mean...”
“Muen was called back here to get married!”
“T-That... can’t be possible.”
Peles was stunned.
“He only got recalled to Belrand yesterday. They’re already preparing a wedding today?”
“If not today, then tomorrow at the latest. Or the day after.”
Ariel’s mind raced at incredible speed. Her intelligence was being fully utilized at this moment. Every clue connected together, all pointing toward the most unacceptable conclusion possible...
A certain cheating cat that stole a head start was no longer satisfied with merely “cheating.”
She wanted to marry Muen outright and monopolize him completely!
And the shameless cat in question...
No, she should say the weasel trying to steal the entire chicken—
Was naturally the owner of this palace and this wedding dress...
The Imperial Empress, Celicia Leopold!
“Calling Muen back for a wedding was definitely premeditated. They prepared everything in advance so they could settle it quickly and publicly establish legitimacy. If I hadn’t accidentally stumbled into this place, I would’ve been completely fooled!”
Ariel ground her teeth furiously, while inwardly feeling a lingering sense of fear.
If her luck had been just a little worse...
If her vigilance had been even slightly weaker...
Then by the time she woke up one day, her beloved might already be someone’s husband.
How could she possibly accept that?
A little cheating here and there was one thing. She could tolerate it.
But monopolizing him forever and eating alone forever...
Absolutely not!
“T-This... isn’t that a bit much...”
Peles opened and closed her mouth helplessly.
When facing enemies, casting magic, or exploring ruins, she could analyze everything clearly and provide Ariel with the best guidance possible.
But in matters like this...
Her brain genuinely stopped functioning.
“How is it too much?”
Ariel stomped angrily.
“Teacher, don’t forget who she is. She’s the Imperial Empress!”
“And?”
“She’s the Imperial Empress! If Muen marries her, then he becomes the Empire’s Prince Consort, a royal prince! Do you think someone with that status could still run around freely everywhere?”
“...He couldn’t?”
“Have you ever seen the spouse of a ruler wandering around freely?”
“......”
Peles sucked in a cold breath.
When put that way...
It actually made terrifying sense.
The Empire’s Prince Consort, no matter what, represented the dignity of an entire nation. There was no way he could continue roaming around freely like before.
Even if Celicia personally allowed it, countless old conservative ministers would still swarm around Muen using excuses like “the dignity of the Empire,” “the Empire still lacks heirs,” or “His Highness must work harder for the royal bloodline,” until they practically chained him inside the palace as a merciless breeding machine for the Empress.
“Don’t think I don’t understand her. Back when I was planning to seduce her, I thoroughly researched her personality. A woman with that level of possessiveness and jealousy would absolutely keep Muen locked inside the palace, spoil him into uselessness, and forbid him from going anywhere! If we wanted to see him, we’d have to rely on her mercy for permission! How am I supposed to tolerate that?”
Ariel stared at the wedding dress again as flames flowed around her body.
“That’s why I absolutely have to stop her!”
“......”
Peles thought.
Thought seriously.
Thought very hard.
And then... gave up thinking entirely.
“All right. Handle this however you want. I won’t stop you anymore.”
Peles dissolved back into smoke and returned to the ring.
Young people’s problems were truly beyond the comprehension of an old relic like her.
But her experience and instincts had already told her one thing—
The upcoming story was going to become extremely exciting.
At times like this...
Better to just eat popcorn and watch.
“Don’t worry, Teacher.”
Once her teacher stopped blocking her, Ariel immediately regained confidence.
“I’m only destroying the wedding dress to stop the ceremony. Worst case scenario, I’ll spend the next few years eating black bread while repaying the costs afterward... but no matter what, trying to chain up my beloved Muen right in front of me...”
Her terrifying aura exploded outward.
Flames spiraled back around Ariel’s body, condensing around the Heavenly Flame Greatsword.
As the Empress’s wedding dress, it might appear to be nothing more than simple white silk and jewels, but it clearly possessed extraordinary defensive properties as well.
So once Ariel moved—
She showed absolutely no mercy.
Heavenly Flame—
Drawn!
BOOM!
The greatsword swept horizontally. Compressed firelight exploded outward into a crimson arc that crashed violently toward the wedding dress.
Under such a terrifying attack, let alone a thin wedding dress—even the entire room would be reduced to ruins.
But Ariel no longer cared.
As far as she was concerned, rescuing Muen could wait a little longer... after all, she already knew he wasn’t truly in danger. He was just being dragged off to get married.
But the wedding dress, as one of the most important parts of the ceremony—
Had to—
Ding.
A crisp metallic hum rang out with startling clarity even amidst the overwhelming destruction.
The flames born from Ariel’s Divine Favor rolled violently, releasing enough heat to melt and burn everything in existence.
Yet before that terrifying heat could even cause any real damage to the objects in the room, it suddenly began weakening.
Retreating.
A streak of icy blue abruptly split apart Ariel’s crimson flames and collided head-on with the greatsword.
Ariel felt a massive force rebound back at her—one not inferior to her own strength in the slightest, perhaps even slightly greater.
She staggered backward several steps.
Then she looked up in shock.
Between the separated flames, her eyes met a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.
“Honestly... I knew I couldn’t let my guard down.”
Standing between Ariel and the wedding dress was a silver-white figure.
Celicia sighed softly, carrying faint melancholy at meeting a familiar face again.
Yet what escaped her lips was only freezing frost.
Even her eyes were cold, like a thousand-year ice field. The chill within them felt capable of freezing the soul itself.
“I actually overlooked the existence of a little thief cat like you. And you almost succeeded too... Ariel Bugaard, you’re even more troublesome than I imagined.”
“...That’s my line.”
Flames reignited, breaking through the frozen pressure.
Two completely different powers collided violently within the room, nearly splitting the chamber in half. Yet no matter how fiercely the flames attacked, they could no longer advance even a single inch.
Nor could they touch the wedding dress standing so close behind Celicia.
Ariel’s expression darkened.
“Your Majesty the Empress, using underhanded tricks like this to steal a man... don’t you feel ashamed?”
“Underhanded?”
Celicia repeated the word thoughtfully before suddenly smiling.
“As Muen’s fiancée, the woman who is legally closest to him, I merely wish to complete our final ceremony and take the last step together. How exactly is that underhanded?”
“As for the rest of you... shamelessly coveting another woman’s future husband. Is that supposed to be something honorable? If we’re talking about ‘underhanded,’ shouldn’t that describe all of you instead?”
“Ghk...”
A choked sound escaped Ariel’s throat.
Indeed, in terms of legitimacy, none of them could compare to this woman—the fiancée who had been engaged to Muen since childhood.
Ariel couldn’t refute that.
Which was precisely why the others always united against Celicia.
After all, among all of them, Celicia was by far the greatest threat, whether in terms of status or power.
But—
“That only makes you his fiancée!”
Ariel snapped bitterly.
“There are countless engagements in this world that never end in marriage! Besides, didn’t you once consider canceling the engagement yourself?”
“That was the past. Now I only want to complete the ceremony with him and become the most perfectly matched couple in this world.”
Celicia’s expression turned proud.
The pure white wedding dress fluttered behind her like a battle flag.
“As for the rest of you... if you manage to amuse me, perhaps I’ll generously reward you with a few leftovers.”
Truthfully, the old Celicia wouldn’t have left even scraps for these seductive little foxes.
But as a good wife, shouldn’t she think a little more for her husband’s sake?
Without realizing it, she truly had changed quite a lot.
“But it seems you have no intention of accepting my mercy?”
Celicia lowered her eyes.
Even after all this, Ariel still showed no intention of retreating.
Instead, she took another step forward.
Knowing she was at a disadvantage, yet still daring to attack head-on?
“The same words apply to you.”
Ariel walked forward through the freezing pressure, the corner of her lips curling into a wild grin.
“When Muen and I get married someday, if you manage to please me, I might even reserve a special spot for you beneath the bed. That’s a premium seat, you know. The experience is wonderful.”
“Is that so?”
Celicia nodded calmly.
“Under the bed? I’ve learned something useful. Stripping all of you shameless women naked and stuffing you beneath the bed while you watch Muen and I deepen our love... that does sound rather enjoyable.”
Just imagining it already brought her pleasure.
BOOM!
Flames and frost collided once more!
Inside this seemingly spacious room—which had already become painfully cramped for two monsters of their level—world-destroying powers intertwined and clashed violently!
Ariel knew how terrifying Celicia was, so she attacked without holding back in the slightest.
Yet the Empress before her appeared even calmer than expected. While casually parrying the Heavenly Flame Greatsword with an ice-forged slender sword, she still had enough attention left to protect the wedding dress behind her.
This was not a difference in skill or technique.
It was a difference in realm.
“You... already broke through the Crowned rank?”
Ariel gritted her teeth.
No matter how desperately she attacked, she couldn’t break through that seemingly thin layer of defense. She remained completely suppressed.
“Does it matter whether I did or not?”
Rare emotion surfaced in Celicia’s expression as she sneered faintly.
“Don’t you think it’s ridiculous enough already that you’re opposing the supreme ruler of a nation inside the very core of her empire?”
Snap.
Celicia casually snapped her fingers.
Ariel—who had just been about to attack again—suddenly froze in an absurdly awkward position.
Panic flashed across her face.
Because she suddenly realized that all the battle aura and magic surging through her body had instantly gone silent.
Completely unusable.
As though some overwhelming invisible force had utterly suppressed everything.
Even the surrounding flames disappeared.
Her Divine Favor had been sealed as well.
“The forbidden spell?”
For the first time in battle, Ariel was the one gasping in shock instead of her opponent.
“You have decent insight.”
“How dare you activate it? Aren’t you afraid those people outside will literally work themselves to death without magic sustaining them?”
“Heh. You truly underestimate me.”
Celicia observed Ariel—the prey already trapped within her web—with meaningful coldness.
“The forbidden spell was disabled because too many people needed to work for the ceremony, and I couldn’t constantly watch over all of them personally.”
“But now that you’re standing directly before me, do you really think I can’t apply the suppression solely to you? For me, something that simple is no harder than lifting a finger.”
“......”
Ariel’s cheek twitched violently.
Damn it...
Why hadn’t Teacher mentioned something this important earlier?
This is a total setup!
“I think we can still negotiate.”
Sensing disaster, Ariel instantly withdrew her hostility and suddenly smiled sweetly.
“How about we both compromise? We marry Muen together. If the two of us join forces, no shameless fox will ever get within three meters of him!”
“......”
Celicia said nothing.
She merely stared at Ariel like she was an idiot.
She was the ruler of an empire.
The Emperor of the Empire.
And she was supposed to share her wedding with another woman in front of the entire continent?
What a ridiculous joke.
Besides...
Why would she ever need to do that?
The victor now was unquestionably—
Her.
Ariel appearing here had indeed surprised her. According to previous intelligence, this woman should’ve been off raiding ancient ruins.
But it didn’t matter.
Charging recklessly into this place was no different from throwing herself directly into Celicia’s trap.
Without battle aura, magic, or Divine Favor, what waves could she possibly stir?
“It’s over.”
Celicia no longer wished to waste words with Ariel. She directly reached out to seize her.
“Behave yourself. Relax. For Muen’s sake, I won’t do anything excessive to you. In fact, I’ll even reserve a wonderful seat specifically for you so you can personally witness the sacred ceremony between Muen and me.”
“Really? What an honor...”
Ariel grinned suddenly.
“But compared to being a side character watching from the audience...”
Her shout suddenly rang out:
“I’d much rather become the star at center stage!”
SHING!
Ariel swung her sword at Celicia once more!
“Hm?”
Celicia frowned in confusion.
Without battle aura, magic, or even Divine Favor, what use was a sword strike powered by pure physical strength alone?
No matter how well Ariel trained her body, without enhancement, how could she compare to Celicia’s current strength?
Allowing her to talk this long had already been an act of mercy!
“Looks like you prefer rough treatment instead.”
Celicia finally lost patience completely. She slapped the Heavenly Flame Greatsword aside effortlessly, sending the weapon flying exactly as expected.
Yet Ariel continued charging forward.
Throwing a punch.
A laughable attack.
Celicia casually grabbed Ariel’s fist and lightly shoved her away. Ariel immediately lost balance and flew backward.
But at the final moment before falling—
She suddenly puffed up her cheeks and spat flames directly from her mouth!
SSSS—
Frost instantly condensed, effortlessly blocking the fire. Steam exploded outward where the two forces collided.
The steam quickly dispersed.
Celicia looked again toward Ariel, who had fallen onto the floor.
“What exactly was the point of that?”
“Heh. Who knows?”
Ariel wiped her face with her sleeve and struggled back to her feet.
“You think that can defeat me?”
Celicia tilted her head slightly in confusion.
The gesture was unexpectedly cute.
“No. Even if I dragged Teacher out here too, we probably still wouldn’t [N O V E L I G H T] beat you in your current state.”
Ariel bounced lightly in place, stretching her aching joints.
“But when I’m fighting, my brain usually works pretty well. And just now, I remembered something.”
She grinned.
“Want to know what it was?”
“I don’t.”
Celicia’s instincts screamed at her not to let this woman continue talking.
So she immediately prepared to invoke imperial authority—
“The thing I remembered is this: although I currently hate Liya—that woman who’s good for nothing except being sexy and having huge breasts—I still have to admit we used to be really close.”
Ariel spoke rapidly.
“So close that she personally gave me plenty of gifts.”
“......”
Clatter.
A small object rolled out from somewhere within the room and stopped directly before Celicia.
It was merely an ordinary wooden object.
No magical aura.
No special power.
Which was exactly why even Celicia—who controlled this entire place—hadn’t noticed it immediately.
It was a hand-carved statue of the Goddess.
The Goddess’s hands were clasped together. Her expression was sorrowful and compassionate. The carving clearly reflected both skill and devotion.
But it was still merely a wooden statue.
Its eyes were hollow, left unfinished.
Yet at this moment—
Those empty eyes suddenly became alive.
The statue rapidly scanned the room before locking its gaze firmly onto—
The pure white wedding dress.
“Not good!”
Imperial authority descended instantly, crushing the tiny wooden statue into splinters.
Celicia was furious beyond measure.
She had never expected that at such a crucial moment, she would actually be tricked by this woman who had always seemed somewhat foolish.
“Heh. Turning defeat into victory is what I’m best at.”
Ariel sneered lightly.
“You—!”
Celicia raised her hand again as imperial authority crashed downward—
But the surrounding space distorted faster.
Faster than her.
Ariel was swallowed directly into warped space.
Moments later, the room stood empty once again.
Only Celicia remained, motionless like a statue.
“What happened? What happened?”
Royal Mage Corps Commander Phyllis finally arrived late after working overtime all day, panting heavily as she looked around.
“An intruder? Wow, who was bold enough to infiltrate this deeply into the palace? Wait... don’t tell me they escaped?”
“......”
Celicia remained silent for a long time.
“Phyllis.”
“...Yes!”
“Activate the Grand Barrier of Belrand. Place the entire city under martial lockdown. Simultaneously order the Royal Knights and the Royal Mage Corps into maximum combat readiness. Guard the wedding chapel at all costs and prepare to face the enemy at any moment.”
“Eh?”
Phyllis blinked blankly.
“Now?”
“Yes. Right now.”
Celicia turned and gazed toward the pure white wedding dress.
“The war... is about to begin.”