351-360

<strong>–AN) Another chaptering coming in the next two hours!–</strong> 𝒊𝓷𝐧𝗿𝚎𝘢𝒅. Com

Everyone at my table turned and stared at the incoming knights before turning back and around and continuing our conversation. "Master, you need to eat more vegetables."

"Grace, I eat plenty of vegetables!" I whined as she piled more and more on my plate. It was not that I hated them. It was just that it was not meat….

"You!" A yell came at our side as I turned my head to see the wanna be prince standing there, pointing at us in disbelief.

"You what!?" I yelled back. "We are trying to have a nice breakfast here, and you are yelling at us and surrounding us with your soldiers. Let me tell you this now. If you touch even a hair on any one of us, I will consider it an act of war and annex your entire kingdom. And let me warn you now I am not bluffing when I say I will annex this entire kingdom. You and your father can not do anything to me, no matter what you say. So take your men and screw off. I will only be in the kingdom for two more weeks, and that is it."

"Humph! You have no choice but to come with us today! Your actions of stealing our kingdom's talents is already an act of war!" The stupid prince replied.

"Oh? Heh…." I smiled as I stood up. And took a step toward Prince Ugly. "Let me ask you a question. I asked for some assistance on a project. This is all I did. I am offering nothing but room and board in return. But those masters and other craftsmen were willing to help me. How am I stealing anything? I did not offer them riches or fame. I only asked them for help, and they agreed to my request. Now tell me in which way is this an act of war?"

The well dressed prince stared at me with his mouth open and closing as if he was trying to figure out what to say. I sneered and turned around, and sat back down in my seat. "Tell your king I will be going to the castle later to talk with him. I want to see what he thinks about all of this. If I see one more knight trying to arrest me or stop me from sightseeing, I will see it as an act of war."

"Brother, I suggest you do as she says. I have seen her easily take over many kingdoms without any effort, and our dwarven kingdom is no match for her alone, never mind those around her." Thurul added in a friendly warning. I watched as the stupid prince waved his hand, calling his knights back as he turned and left.

When they were gone, peace fell over the inn once more as I sat back in my seat. "We need to deal with this sooner rather than later. I want to meet this father of yours, Thurul. No king would act this impulsively."

"Mmm… I also want to know what is going on in that head of his." Thurul let out a sigh.

"We will finish eating and head to the castle. I want to settle things with the royal family here before they do something stupid." I was only doing this because it was Thurul's family. If it was anyone else, I would not go this far, but I could see the pain in Thurul's eyes when these things kept happening. He may be trying to hide it, but he can't hide it from me.

We ate in silence for the rest of the meal before we got up and headed toward the castle. We walked through the streets without issue, although I did notice a few knights tailing behind us, but I figured the prince would send someone to tail us.

When we got to the castle that was carved out of the bedrock of the mountain, it looked quite imposing from the outside. The knights who were guarding the gate did not stop us and let us through, which meant they were definitely expecting us.

Once we passed the gates, a man in what looked to be more of a blue scholar's robe stood in front of us and bowed his head. "Princess Cyrilia, this way, please, I will bring you to the throne room. The king is expecting you." I nodded and allowed the scholarly dwarf to lead the way.

When we arrived at the throne room, the king was sitting on his throne with the queen next to him. Which I had to say, I think was my first time seeing a female dwarf. She looked quite young and did not look like a male dwarf. But now that I think about it, I probably had seen them and wrote them off as humans. Standing to the right of the king was the stupid prince. "Princess Cyrilia."

"King of Dwarves. You should also be greeting Crown Princess Adel as well, should you not? I do believe I have said she was here as well." I was quite annoyed that everyone kept looking over Adel. She was a true princess, after all. My words made the king's brow twitch as he said: "Crown Princess Adel…."

"King of Dwarves," Adel replied flatly with no emotion at all. She was probably angry about everything that had happened thus far.

The king snorted before asking: "You said you were coming to speak with me?"

"Yes. You owe me an explanation on why your stupid son keeps harassing me with knights. Surrounding me many times in the past two days. King of Dwarves are you trying to get your kingdom annexed?"

"Impudent!" The one to yell out was not the king or the prince but the queen herself. I turned and looked at her and said: "Sit and shut up!"

The queen's mouth closed, and sat down without being able to control her own body. When the king saw this, he gripped his throne and stared daggers at me. "Control your queen," I said flatly as I released the spell. The queen looked at me with fear in her eyes and did not dare say another word. "I will say this now. I did not come to this kingdom to start any feuds, but many times I have been harassed by your stupid son. Now explain to me. Why are you doing this?"

The king narrowed his eyes as he looked at me and said: "Princess Cyrilia, Crown Princess Adel, you should know my dwarven kingdom runs on the craftsmen you are currently looking to poach. Are you trying to ruin my kingdom?"

"Ruin your kingdom?" I asked. "I did not come here to ruin a kingdom. You may survive off craftsmen, but I am not taking them all. And I am not forcing them to come with me. They are following me by choice. Second, your kingdom is already in a downward spiral. Have you not seen the homeless filling the streets? What king allows his people to suffer? You make millions to billions of gold per year, yet you still have homeless people begging for money. Why is this?"

"Hmmm? Homeless?" The king looked perplexed. But I do not understand how he would miss such a thing.

"Have you not taken a good look at your streets? Have your officials not talked to you about the problem you currently have with the homeless rate rising? How much money are you funneling back into the kingdom each year? Do you have systems in place to help build new industries? Do you have educational systems to teach new bright minds? All these things are important if you wish to keep your citizens happy and off the streets so that they can provide for themselves. I am not saying this is one hundred percent perfect, but it would keep you from having so many people living on the streets begging for change. I do not know your current crime rate either, but I am sure theft has risen in the past few years." I laid everything out for the king. I watched as he turned toward the stupid prince with a questioning gaze.

"Royal Father, do not listen to these lies. There is nothing wrong with our kingdom!" The stupid prince yelled out.

"Are you an idiot?" Thurul suddenly stepped forward and bowed. "Royal Father, I gave up my rights to the throne a long time ago and have also given up my family name in favor of joining under Princess Cyrilia's noble family name. But even still, even I hurt seeing the streets filled with fellow dwarves who are without ale and food. I have only been in the capital for a few days, and I can say this is not how our kingdom used to be!"

"Prince Thurul! Don't spout such lies!" The well dressed dwarf yelled out. He looked like he was in panic mode now, which was only making the man next to him to look at him strangely.

But sadly: "Thurul, your brother says nothing is wrong, so nothing is wrong. Why are you trying to slander him like this?"

I heard a loud sigh as Thurul stood up and turned to me, and bowed his head: "Lass, please save the Dwarven Kingdom. If my stupid brother and my ignorant father keep going like this, the kingdom is going to collapse."

I smiled and nodded my head: "So you made up your mind."

"I have." Thurul's eyes showed great determination. I nodded and turned to look at the king. I then took out an orb and held it out, letting it float up into the air. I then cast detection magic and channeled what was being seen into the orb. Video images began to appear in the room. Hundreds of them, most of just the capital but also the rest of the kingdom as well. "This is what you call lies?"

Seeing the images and the people of his kingdom suffering, the king's eyes turned red with anger as he stared at the well dressed dwarf. "Thordor! What the hell is the meaning of this!?"

"It's a trick! Royal Father, do not believe a word of this!" The stupid prince yelled out. I sneered as I waved my hand, canceling the images. "You will know if it is a trick if you actually leave this castle and take a good look. I do not know if you were turning a blind eye to this all before, but those in this kingdom who are suffering are greater than you think. Take a tour and see for yourself."

"No!" The well dressed dwarf yelled out. "Father, this is all trickery! She probably paid these people to act this way!"

"You idiot! I can't watch this anymore!" A voice came from the shadows causing me to frown. I looked to see a man suddenly appear. He looked human, but he had purple lines on his face. I immediately used appraisal on him.

[Teladeadja]

[Level 800]

"You!" I shouted as I stared at him with cold eyes and drew my sword. "You work with Azengrade!"

"Oh?" The man turned to me and smiled mockingly. "So you know General Azengrade, and you actually lived to be here today?"

"General?" I felt my heart tighten hearing this. If he was only a general, then that would mean many more of these powerful people are on this planet….

"Haha! Ignorant fools!" Teladeadja looked at us as he laughed. But when his eyes fell on Diablo and Iena, he seemed to frown and then looked at the well dressed dwarf. "Your stupidity has ruined everything for me. For that, I will take your soul as compensation."

Before anyone could react, not even myself, we watched as Teladeadja raised his hand and shot out a green light. The well dressed dwarf let out a horrific scream before his body shriveled up, and a blue light was pulled from his body and absorbed into Teladeadja's hand. He then turned and bowed to us and said: "Until another time."

"Diablo! Stop him!" I yelled once I came back to my senses.

Diablo disappeared and reappeared next to Teladeadja, but as he went to grab hold of Teladeadja, his arms passed right through him, and Teladeadja disappeared while laughing. A look of anger appeared on Diablo's face as he stood there, clenching his fists. "Diablo, it's fine… We were all shocked by his sudden appearance that we all failed to move in time." 𝒊𝒏nr𝐞𝘢𝐝. 𝒄𝒐𝗺

Diablo returned to my side, where I took his hand to calm him down. I then looked at the dwarven king and bowed my head as I said with sympathy: "I am sorry for your loss…."

"No…. I had no idea that someone was controlling my son from behind the scenes all this time." The dwarven king slumped down into his throne. Only after a few moments of quiet did he stand up and bowed to me and Adel: "Princess Cyrilia, Crown Princess Adel, I apologize for any inconveniences my kingdom has caused you."

"It's fine. You have a good kingdom. I wish all kingdoms were like this. But as king, please keep an eye on your people and look at things from their view and not from on top of the throne. The craftsmen that will be following me back are still your kingdom's people unless they decide to take up residence in Gravos. If you wish to make formal ties with the Gravos kingdom, I suggest you speak to the current King. So take this, if you wish to get in contact with him." I handed over an orb that would allow the dwarven king to contact one of the Gravos Kingdom's aides.

The dwarven king looked at the object in his hand and smiled. He never thought there would be a day he would actually want to form strong ties with another kingdom. His gaze fell on his only other son, and sighed. If he was only nicer, then maybe…..

"Royal Father." Thurul suddenly spoke up. "When the time comes that you can no longer rule the Dwarven Kingdom, may I suggest merging it into Gravos? As you know, the Crown Princess Adel is standing right here as well as her Princess Consort. Once the two get married, Crown Princess Adel and Princess Cyrilia will be the next rulers of the Gavos Kingdom. I think with the things these two do and creating a teleport that supports both kingdoms in trade and travel, the two will become a powerful existence."

"This…." The dwarven king looked at Thurul and then at me and fell into deep thought. Only after a few minutes did he say: "When that time comes, I will think about it."

"Then, your Majesty, we will take our leave." I gave a proper bow this time as I turned on my heel, with everyone else following behind me. Things didn't go as I expected, and new things began to crop up. Now that I know that Azengrade was only a general, I can only assume that whoever the leader is is even more powerful. This did not bode well for us, which means we need to begin forming a fighting force strong enough to defend against anything that may come.

"Thurul, you will need a system. And you will need to start diving into dungeons. As well as the other craftsmen. They will need to spend some time leveling up so they can upgrade their skills. As will I. We will do it in batches. When I begin my dungeon diving when I get back." I had wanted to check out small worlds that the academy had, but I will need to postpone that and focus strictly on leveling up.

"Alright, Lass, but you must protect this old man," Thurul replied with a chuckle.

"Haha, I will! For now, let's take some time to tour the city." I decided to try to put things off for the time being while we took a small break. I think everyone needed it.

In a blink of an eye, two weeks passed, and a total of just over five thousand craftsmen were willing to follow me back. The dwarven king also came to send us off. Since we were using a teleport, the trip back would be instant. This meant the airship and all would arrive quickly. Trade talks with the dwarven kingdom were still ongoing, and the king seemed to be very stressed out. Maybe because I keep putting more work on his plate, but what can I do? Things keep popping up wherever I go.

"So that is what happened," I said as I stood there in front of the king, who had a sour puss on his face.

"Faith, are you trying to work me into an early grave?" The king asked.

"Not at all! I can't help what happens when I am out and about, but you do not need to worry about it anymore. Once the dwarves are settled in I plan to make my way to the nearest dungeon with half the group and begin leveling up. We need to be at least in the level 1000s if we wish to really face off against this unknown threat. And it seems Azengrade and his men are all high level, at least this Teladeadja was level 800." I explained.

"Good… Please stay low for a while." The king let out a sigh of relief before continuing. "When do you plan to hold your wedding?"

"Ummm, after graduation. I want to settle things there first. Which means I will need to take the graduation exam." I said. I was still gunning to become a magic knight. While I really did not need the title since I was a princess already, I still wanted to achieve the goal I set for myself all those years ago.

"Very good. Then we will begin preparations for the wedding. But ummm… how many are you marrying?" The king looked at both Diablo and Iena, who were standing next to me as well as Grace.

"Adel and Sophie, as well as Iena and Diablo. But do not worry, Diablo is only allowed to sleep with me." I said with pursed lips causing the King to cough. Was that too much information? Please visit 𝓲𝗻𝚗𝑟𝑒𝓪𝑑. 𝘤𝚘𝚖

"Cough… Then I will settle things to host a grand wedding. But if I do this, I will be making you my first heir which will give you a new title. After all, only the ruler is allowed to have multiple spouses." The king looked at me with a firm gaze. I pursed my lips and looked at Adel, who looked the other way. So basically, in order to marry Adel and the rest, I was going to be forced yet again….

I sighed and shook my head. This old man was crafty. "Not like I have a choice. I love all four of them and will not allow any of them to be left out. So I will do as you say this time, you scheming old man…." I snorted the last part, but all I saw was a big smile on the king's face. Adel hugged me from behind, making me sigh even more. "But….. I have one condition."

"And that is?" The king looked at me. He was still all smiles, but he was not going to be happy for long. 𝓲n𝗻𝗿𝙚𝘢𝘥.＆nbsp;𝓬𝚘𝒎

"I want you to rule in my place while I run dungeons. After all, with the things happening in the world I can not be sitting on the throne and not gaining strength. We are at a turning point in this planet's history, and if I do not prepare with those I love, we will not make it far. I do not wish for my soon to be wives and husband to die because we were not ready. If you can promise me this, I will take the throne at any time." I meant it when I said I would take the throne. I do not mind, and it will make things easier when setting up city defenses and making decisions. But I needed someone with experience to rule in my stead if I was busy leveling up.

The king's expression turned sour once more, but he still nodded his head reluctantly. "Then we will do it this way. After you graduate and gain the title of magic knight, we will have your wedding with your wives and husband, then do a coronation ceremony. But when you are leveling up, it will not just be me who helps take over things in your absence but also Lance."

"That is fine." I nodded. After all, this spot was supposed to be Lance's in the first place and he worked hard to learn the way of being a king. So this worked out well. Or at least we thought….

"Sorry Father, but I will be going dungeon diving as well. I need to level up more and will not be able to help rule the kingdom at that time." Lance, who was standing next to the king said, causing a dark expression to form on the king's face.

"Fine! Just do as you all please!" The king yelled out. I bet he was planning to leave it all to Lance so he could go play but looks like he won't get that chance now.

"Alright, then we will head back home. I need to check on my family." With things set, I just wanted to go home and check on my mother.

As we walked out of the throne room, Adel hugged my arm and asked: "Are you sure about this? You have been so against it all this time."

"Like I will be able to escape my duties once you take the throne. It matters not who is crowned queen as long as we can keep this kingdom running. Plus, this is the only way I can marry you and the others. With the way us four girls are now, our relationship is something we can not break apart so easily. And I also have Diablo. So this is just something that was bound to happen. But are you okay? I am taking your spot." I asked back. The title of queen was supposed to go to Adel. So I do feel bad about this sudden turn of events.

"It's fine. I already knew this would happen, I just didn't tell you." Adel replied with a sly grin causing me to frown.

I let out a long sigh of defeat as I reached over and pinched her nose. "Let's head back home."

There were lots to do still, and I wanted to prepare for what was to come. But first, before any of that, I have been way too long and want to spend some quality time with my family. When reached the house, the first thing I saw was my mother rushing over to me with tears in her eyes as she hugged me tightly. She didn't even say anything as she held on to me, not wanting to let me go. My brother, who was now looking more like our father every day, stood there with a helpless smile on his face. And my nephew, who had grown so much, stared at me from the side.

"Mother, I am home," I said softly, but she did not say anything as she hugged me even tighter.

"When she heard you were coming back, she waited here the whole morning, not wanting to miss it when you arrived." My brother said as he walked over and rubbed my head.

"How has she been?" I asked.

"Her regression seems to have hit a stopping point. But she keeps having weird dreams. I am not sure what they are, but she keeps saying a bloody war is coming."Hearing my brother's answer, I frowned. Because a bloody war would not be too far off. I sighed and used appraisal on my mother.

[Lilith Cyrilia]

[Age: #$^%]

[Race: &@^#]

[Health: !&@#^/ !&@#^]

[Mana: !&@#^/ !&@#^]

Seeing the strange symbols, I frowned. It was never like this before. "Brother, take Mother and have her sit in the other room. There is something wrong with her beyond just regression and dreams."

"Diablo, Iena, come with me, please." I only had these two I could consult with on this. The strange symbols were blocking what should be readable.

I hurried to my bedroom and set up a soundproofing barrier as I sat with Diablo and Iena. Adel and Sophie were here as well. "Faith, what is wrong?"

"Look…." I said as I showed the stat window I had to everyone present using magic. "These are my mother's stats which should be readable, but now they are nothing but symbols."

"This is….." Diablo's eyes widened. "Faith, can you summon another Demon King? Amongst us is a scholar named Freidinia. She is highly intelligent and knows many ancient languages. I had once seen this language in her study. So she might be able to tell us more."

Chapter 355 Freidinia

--An) Another Chapter will be out later. Have an early docs appointment.--

"If it will give me some answers, then I see no reason not to." I wanted to know what was going on with my mother and why she was suddenly changing as she was. It made no sense to me. She was always strong and powerful in my eyes as I was growing up. Seeing her so weak now made my heart hurt for her.

I once again formed a summoning circle, and with Diablo's help, a woman in a white lab coat stood there with a set of black feathered wings and a black halo over here. She was glaring at both Diablo and me as if we had just committed a very big sin.

"Why did you summon me!? I was in the middle of an experiment! I bet my house blew up!" This was who Diablo called Freidinia. The demon world's top researcher and demon king of her own territory.

"I needed your help to assist my wife," Diablo stated firmly, causing Freidinia to stare at Diablo in disbelief.

"Did…. Did you just say, wife!? What has the world come to!? Now even Diablo, who is known for hating all contact with any living being, now has a wife!? Wait until the other kings hear of this. Anyway, I am busy, so I am off... Wait…. Why can't I go back!? What the hell is this!?" Freidinia yelled out. She turned and glared at me while pointing her finger at me: "You! Fix this now and send me back!" Freidinia was like a whirlwind changing topics one after another.

I shook my head as I answered: "This I can not do. I need your help with an issue that has been plaguing my mother. If you can help solve it, I will give you a lab filled with all the things you can ever want to do experiments with."𝓲𝚗𝑛r𝗲a𝒅. 𝓬𝗼ｍ

"What!? I was in the middle of a breakthrough experiment in a special drug that will make all men stand up for hours on end!" Freidinia yelled out, but after she yelled these words, her face turned red. I walked over and whispered into her ear and she quickly nodded her head: "Deal! You better not be lying to me!"

"Nope, she has a spell that, if you can replicate it, will do the things you want," I reassured. I can only apologize to Sei, her little secret is now out.

"Then deal!" Freidinia reached out and shook my hand to seal the deal. While we were both smiling, Diablo looked confused. At any rate, I had come to a deal with Freidinia, so I quickly showed her the image of my mother's stats window.

"This…. Ancient gods race? Why is there such a thing here?" Freidinia tilted her head to the side as she looked at the numbers. "I can say that there is nothing wrong with your mother other than her bloodline might be awakening, but I would need to see her to be sure and would draw some blood from her if that is fine. Luckily I always keep a spare equipment set in my space, or I wouldn't be able to help you. Can you give me a room to set up a lab?"

"Yes, follow me. I already have a medical wing set up with many of our kingdom's current medical equipment. But I am sure it is pretty crude to your standards." I had long set up a part of the house in case of emergencies where people who were sick or hurt could go to get some healing. Grace usually manned it since she was the only healer we had, but it still had everything one could ask for from any current medical facility.

When we arrived, I noticed Freidinia's face sink. "Such trash! Well not like I will be using your things anyways. Please move all of this stuff out of here. Later I will build an underground lab for safety reasons. Also, have your mother come see me. I want to examine her."

I followed Freidinia's instructions and had the whole room cleared out of anything Freidinia did not want there before she began setting up some really high tech looking equipment. I thought she was a scholar, but she seemed more of a scientist. I looked at Diablo with a questioning gaze. "Freidinia is the demon realm's top researcher. But she does research on many different ancient races. I knew I had seen the language in her office one day, so that is why I had you call her. It seems it was right for me to do so."

"Do you know anything about the ancient gods race?" I asked.

"No, I never read up on them," Diablo answered.

"They are a race of offspring that were birthed between other races and some god. But ever since the gods disappeared, the offspring disappeared as well. At least, this is what I have read. Where is your mother?" Freidinia asked.

"She is being brought over by my brother," I answered, and as if on cue, my mother was being helped over by my brother. She seemed frightened when she saw Freidinia but eased her expression when she saw me. She even ran over and hugged me tightly. I figured this would happen. I still do not understand her obsession with clinging on to me, but maybe we can find some answers somehow through Freidinia's examination.

"Let me take some blood first. This way, I can get an idea of where things are with her bloodline." Freidinia said as she walked over with a needle. My mother shook her head without saying a word and hid behind me, causing me to sigh as I gently pulled her back around me.

"Mother, she will only take a small sample of your blood. We need to do some tests. I will be with you the entire time, so do not worry, okay?" I spoke softly in hopes of comforting her. Luckily it seemed to work because she nodded and stretched her arm out.

Chapter 356 Graduation Part 1

My mother nodded as she cringed and turned her head away as Freidinia took blood from her. What I saw when the blood came out was not pure red blood that one would normally have but red and gold blood. "To think her bloodline would activate at such an age. She must have encountered a life threatening experience."

"She did, actually, but this regression has been going on for a while now…." I did not know what truly triggered this, but it did trigger somehow.

"There are many things that can trigger a bloodline awakening, it's just that this is the first time I have seen this kind of bloodline up close. So I will be keeping her under close observation from this day forward." Freidinia said as she put the blood sample aside. In the end, she drew three vials before she was done.

"Alright, then, I will leave my mother in your care." I nodded before pushing my mother back so I could see her face and said: "Mother, Freidinia will be keeping an eye on you. But I promise no matter what, you will get better, okay?"

"Faith doesn't want her Mother?" My mother's voice was soft and sounded sad, which caused me to immediately hug her as I answered: "I love you very much. But I will be busy for the next few days. But you will see me a lot, unlike before. You will see me graduate, you will see me get married, and you will see me become queen. Well, probably Empress with all the land we have now. I do not plan to go anywhere for an entire year before I begin dungeon diving again. And during this time, Freidinia will keep you company so you will not feel too lonely when I can't be at your side, okay?"

My mother looked up at me and smiled as she hugged me tightly. "My baby is getting married!" This seemed to have been my mother's biggest wish. And it made me feel glad that I came out of my no relationship loop. I can now rewind time so I can let everyone live forever if they so choose. But I will never force this upon anyone. They would get to decide if they wished to grow older or not. As for me, I think I might have reached my limit a few years ago. I did undergo a huge growth spurt when I reached fourteen that made me look older than I truly was, and now it has already caught up, and I look my proper age.

With my mother now in the care of Freidinia, I had some of the maids settle in Freidinia with a proper room near the medical wing. With this, I would not need to worry about Freidinia complaining about needing to walk too far to get to her lab.𝗶𝓃𝓷𝒓𝘦a𝐝. 𝗰𝒐𝗺

The next few days, I spent time with my mother while Freidinia did her thing. But now it was time for my graduation exam. One thing I did not realize, even though I was gone for four years, was that I seemed to have become even more popular at the academy. As soon as I walked through the gates, I had people running up to me, wishing me luck on my exam. I guess after everything, in the eyes of the people of the kingdom, a demi human was no longer such a bad thing. I also noticed that many demi humans were now in the academy as well and none of them were being looked down upon.

This feeling of seeing such a change in such a short time really made me happy. Annie had also done a lot, and now almost seventy five percent of the slums were now converted into proper housing and cleaned up. Jobs had also expanded to new business popping up in the new east side section that was making money for families outside my own companies, which seemed to have expanded into other fields without me knowing. But my bank account keeps rising, so I will not complain.

"Faith, you are here." The dean smiled at me as he walked over to meet me.

I nodded and asked: "So, what do I need to do for the test?"

"You will fight me." The dean replied with a smile. "The written test can be bypassed due to all the merits you have gained over the years. To be honest, if you did not get your title of princess, you would already have enough credits to become a titled princess. But I guess I will be calling you by a new title soon."

The dean gave me a knowing look, making me purse my lips. "It's the old man's fault for trapping me."

"Haha! Looks like he finally got his wish. But come. The students are all waiting for a battle between me and the only one to become a magic knight in many years. Even Prince Lance did not have the ability to become a magic knight."

I followed after the dean, who led me to a large coliseum that seemed to have been built a long, long time ago. When it was created, I do not know, but they did do a good job of keeping it in shape. The whole place was set up for a fair one on one duel without any obstacles.

"I will go to the other side. The king himself is here to be the announcer and overseer of this battle." The dean pointed to the high tower not too far away to see the king hopping through the air and standing above the area.

"Today, I have the honor of overseeing a legend in the making. Crown Princess Faith Cyrilia has made many contributions to the Kingdom of Gravos and has proven her abilities through actions and not words. It is my pleasure to be here to see the first magic knight in many, many years. Today's battle will be between the dean of the academy. She only needs to hold her own against him for twenty minutes. This will be actual combat, so no summoning magic or other pet type monsters are allowed on the battlefield. Please show us your natural skill. Once everyone is ready, the battle will begin."

Chapter 357 Graduation Part 2

The king looked at both of us and when we both nodded he yelled out: "Let the battle begin!"

I quickly shot forward as I waved my hand, casting Gates of Faithylon, creating thousands of flaming swords in the sky before drawing my own sword. I was not going to hold back because I knew the dean was very powerful.

I watched as he snorted and cast a spell similar to my own! His were made of water element and as I fired mine at him fired his at me. Luckily I put up a flaming spinning barrier. But he was not dumb either, copying my spell once more and casting a spinning water barrier to ward off my attack.

This kind of annoyed me since he was matching me in tit for tat. Whatever I cast, he would copy with the opposing element. And when I got close to attack, he would easily defend against it. "Are you not being a bit too much of a copycat?"

"Faith, your attacks are already too easy to read. You may be able to do a lot, but you have the same attack patterns, and I can easily tell which spell will come next. This is your biggest weakness, and any enemy will notice it. It will only need one exchange to see the similarities in your attack. You need to change this!" The dean shouted before suddenly firing thousands of earth spikes at me.

I snorted and decided it was truly time to change the way I fought. "Mass Dispel!" I canceled all magic in the area. He was not at a higher level than myself so dispelling his magic was simple.

Once his magic was canceled, I flew up into the air and created a massive black magic circle over the entire arena. "If you want something new, then I will give you something new. Try to cancel this! Gravity Field!"

*Boom!*

The entire arena sank into the ground, and I watched the Dean forced to his knees. But I did not stop there. Another red magic circle that filled the entire arena formed under foot. "Hell's Swimming Pool!"

The entire area turned into a swamp of magma, causing the arena to heat up. I saw the dean quickly using water magic and ice magic to ward off the magma underneath him. But he was still restrained by the gravity field, which made the next spell I was going to cast the finalizer. Trap your enemy in all directions and swiftly eliminate them. "God's Judgment…."

Thousands of lenses appeared in the sky and began to focus the light of the suns which all began to converge onto one spot. It fell into the magma below and began to cut a path through it, splitting the magma in two.

"I forfeit!" The dean suddenly yelled out. I saw him give a defeated smile as the spells all canceled and the arena returned to normal. "Girl, don't you know how to give some face to your elders!?"

"Haha! I see the next Queen of Gavos is truly strong. Winner Crown Princess Cyrilia!" I do wonder if this old man knows he is giving out news that should not be given out until tomorrow. But well, aw well. Not like it would make a difference. I landed on the ground and walked over to the dean, whose knees were charred due to the heat, and cast cosmic magic on him to reverse the wounds.

"I see now why you started off with the other spells and normally limit your own powers. But going easy on the enemy is not a way to progress whether you wish to train or not. If you have dispel, use it. If it fails, think of something else. No need to train in such a dangerous way. You will only be harming those around you. That last wave of attacks was perfect. I do not think many could survive such an attack." The dean gave me a small lecture with a smile on his face before ruffling the air on my head.

I swatted his hand away before letting out a sigh of relief. If I had not made a bunch of new spells during my trip, I would not have been able to pull this off. I had been slacking on my spell creation, but these past few years have allowed me to build up quite a few new ones.

"Now then. As of this day, the Gravos Kingdom now has a new Magic Knight entering its ranks. And as some of you may have heard and are probably confused about it. Faith Cyrilia is now the Crown Princess, as she will be marrying my daughter and will also be the new leader of the Kingdom in the foreseeable future. This change was due to many different things, but it is because I believe Faith's ability to look far ahead has helped this kingdom grow and bloom into a more prosperous nation. So under her rule, I believe we will flourish even more. Faith, come here and say a few things." The king waved me over, so I had no choice but to fly up toward him and stand in the air next to him.

I looked out at the thousands of people in the coliseum and took a deep breath. "Some may question why I am being promoted so quickly. Hell, even I question this fact. But I will say this. No matter what happens in the future, I will protect the kingdom with everything I have. I will do my best to make life easier for its citizens and allow for more innovation and progress as we build a kingdom that no one can look down upon. Beside me will be Princess Adel as well, as she is now my fiance, along with three others. We will all work hard for the kingdom and hope you will all support us."Please visit 𝒾𝐧𝚗𝙧𝙚𝐚d. 𝗰o𝓶

I bowed slightly, finishing my speech which gained a standing ovation. But I did not care about these things as I still had many other things to do. But I am glad I was able to properly graduate even with everything that was going on. I have learned much over the years even if I had to learn most of it aboard a flying ship. But even so I think I will have a better understanding of how to lead massive armies and how to use the experience I gain from everyday things as a means to make better decisions on the battlefield and come up with better strategies.

Chapter 358 Graduation Part 3

I now know that doing everything myself may be easier, but if I allow the people under me to think that I will finish everything for them, they will become lazy, and when a really powerful enemy emerges, we will be stuck in a tight spot. This I did not wish for. So I will no longer stand in the front but in the back unless the enemy is too powerful for such a thing.𝗶𝚗𝘯re𝐚d. 𝑐𝗼𝙢

"Faith!" Adel and the girls all jumped me at the same time, hugging me. Diablo placed his big hand on my head. "We will have a party tonight~!" Adel continued.

"Then let's have a party. We will invite all our friends to the estate." I actually hoped that Gesel and Fred were in town since I had not seen them in years.

"Don't worry. We already knew you would agree, so we sent out word, and people will be heading to the estate tonight. So let's go back and get ready!" Sophie replied as she wagged her tail back and forth. I couldn't wait. To be able to have a calm relaxing time together would be a very good change of pace.

When I got home, I was surprised to see so many people were already here. Grace and Annie were taking control of everything, and many grills were already lit up, cooking meat and other kinds of food. There were many colorful tents and streams all over the lawn, making it quite the colorful scene.

When I walked in, everyone who saw me began clapping and congratulating me on my graduation. But I only got two steps into the party when I felt danger. I quickly drew my sword and swung it behind me to have the ground under me, sink in. "Tch! You have gotten so much better!"

Hearing the familiar voice, I turned to see Gesel, in all her muscular glory, standing there with a big grin on her face. "Gesel!" I yelled out as I jumped on her and hugged her.

"Haha! Faith, long time no see!" Gesel smiled as she hugged me back. Fred stood at the side as quiet as always.

"So, how have you been?" I asked as she went to sit down at one of the tables.

"Fred and I have been working hard at leveling up in the dungeons. We are also doing our best to get skill stones. I have gained quite a few abilities that have allowed me to take on thousands of monsters at once." Gesel began telling me about her adventures in the dungeons and how she had almost died quite a few times. And that was when she hit me with a bombshell.

"Now, though, I need to take a break from adventuring," Gesel said with rosy cheeks. "I will be having a little Gesel soon."

"What!? Who's the father!?" I yelled out even though I already knew, causing Gesel to laugh. Poor Fred stood there speechless, unsure of how to react to my outburst. "I am just joking. Fred, Gesel, congratulations."

"Faith, when the child is born, I was hoping you could become he or she's godmother. Is this okay?" Gesel asked as she rubbed her belly. Now that I was looking, I did notice she was starting to put on some weight.

But how could I say no to my long time friend? "Of course! No matter what happens in the future, they can count on me if they need me."

"Knowing you will be willing to protect my baby in case anything happens to me puts me at ease," Gesel said as her normally stern eyes grew soft as she rubbed her belly. It made me wonder how I would feel in the future when I have a child of my own.

Just thinking of having a child of my own was still a scary thought. I mean, would I be a good mother? Would I be able to raise a child properly? Would they even like me? These kinds of questions were things I had no answers for at this time, nor did I wish to think about them too hard but knowing one of my good friends was with child made my own maternal instincts come out.

The graduation party went on well into the night. The whole estate was packed with people I had met throughout my life. The dwarves supplied alcohol which really got the party fired up as some people had mini bouts in the yard, causing people to cheer. There were even a few people who were dancing like fools on top of tables. It reminded me of the movies I have watched and the manga and novels I have read that depicted these kinds of scenes in them.

It was a very fun time. Even after the party, when people were passed out on the lawn, I could only smile as I sat with my fiancees and fiance under a tree, looking up at the stars. If only peaceful days like this could last forever. But I knew this would not be the case. I reached up with my hand wanting to grab those stars, but I guess, for now, this was far from my reach. Maybe one day in the future, we will achieve space flight and see the worlds beyond.

But I have a feeling interdimensional travel would come first. Although I think the dungeons are already considered a dimension of their own. But the thought of maybe one day taking a peek back at Earth would not be so bad. To see how the planet itself is doing. I no longer hold any more attachment to that world, but it would still be nice.

I had the girls using me as a pillow, so I leaned against Diablo to make him my pillow as I slowly closed my eyes. It was a busy day but a very eventful one. I do hope I will be able to live up to the expectations of everyone around me and become a queen… No Empress of the Gravos Empire. This would be my first order. Changing the name of the kingdom to Gravos Empire as it has already grown too large to be considered a kingdom any longer.

Chapter 359 A Sudden Elf Appeared

"Princess, we really need to get some elves here to help with the research." A dwarf came running up to me and asked. It had been a week since my graduation, and now we were currently preparing for another event. My wedding. However, this one was to be held in the center of the city. After talking with everyone, we decided to hold a grand wedding with all wives and husband at the same time. I was to wear a black wedding gown because I was to be the groom of this wedding. Everyone was marrying into my family which would give them all the last name Cyrilia.

"After my coronation ceremony, I will send word to the elven kingdom and see if I can speak with Runa. But right now I have too much going on to be leaving the kingdom. So it will take some time before…." My voice got caught in my throat when I heard a voice coming from behind me.

"Are you talking about me?" The familiar voice was something I had not heard in many, many years, so when I turned and saw an older, more beautiful Runa standing there with a smile on her face, I could help but be surprised.

"Runa!? Why are you here?" I yelled out. Runa, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks and started to complain.

"You know, Faith! You should have contacted me more! You sent me like one letter, and after that, I heard nothing from you. If I had not heard wind of all your achievements over the past few years, I would have thought that you were ignoring me! I, your true best friend, Runa! Ouch!" Runa yelled out as she turned her head and looked at Jen with an aggrieved look. "Ahh! the bookworm from the library! The cursed wit…. Ouch!"

"When did an elf like you get to yell so much?" Jen asked with a snort. I guess these two had a history that I did not know about.

"You two know each other?" I asked.

"Little long ears here used to run around the academy when she was bored. She would sneak in and then enter the library, taking books off the shelves reading three pages, and tossing them on the floor!" Jen complained with a snort.

"Ouch! Wait, why are you hitting me, Faith!?" Runa had tears in her eyes as she looked at me with an aggrieved expression.

"Don't mess with books!" I yelled.

"I was only seven at the time! Leave me alone!" Runa pouted her lower lip as she rubbed her head, causing me to chuckle.

"Alright. Now that that is solved, why are you here?" I asked, trying to get back on track.i𝒏𝒏𝐫𝑒𝐚d. c𝐨𝗺

"Oh, right! Why did you not send me a wedding invite? And you are also about to become queen! How can you leave out your number one best frie…. Ouch! Jen, you damned cursed witch, stop hitting me!"

"Who is Faith's number one best friend!? Hmmmm? Sorry, but I have known her much, much longer than you!" Jen snorted. I chuckled as I reached up and fixed Runa's hair and said: "Sorry, I figured it would be weird to suddenly get a message from someone who you haven't talked to in a long time. I'm sorry."

"Even if it has been a long time, we are still friends! Do not leave me out of the loop. But now that I am here, I will attend both ceremonies. Anyway, who is the lucky guy marrying you?" Runa asked with eyes sparking with curiosity.

"Ummm… Three girls, one guy." I said softly.

"Huh? Wait? Say that again. I do not think I heard it." Runa cupped her ear as she moved closer to me. I could hear Jen laughing, causing me to blush.

"Three girls and one man. Adel, Sophie, and Iena. And Diablo. Two are my summons, while the other two are my closest friends since I was young." I explained. I couldn't help but blush hearing my own words. After all, I, of all people, was getting married and to four people at that!

"I see…. So Faith has really grown up…. Way too much! Just casually marrying four people all at the same time while I am still looking for that perfect som…. Why, hello, handsome!" Runa suddenly ran by me, causing me to turn around, only for my face to turn black as Runa began hopping around Diablo.

"Runa…." I called out. But she did not seem to hear me as she began rambling.

"I like chilled grapes during the summer, and long walks through the forest. I also like big strong, handsome men like you. Hehe… Look at me blushing away. What's your name handso…. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! My ear, you are going to pull it off!" Runa cried out after I grabbed her ear and dragged her away from Diablo.

"That is my fiance!" I yelled, causing Runa to freeze and suddenly prostrate herself in front of me. "I am so sorry! I saw a handsome man and wanted to get to know him bett…." Runa suddenly paused as her eyes lit up, and she shot to her feet and grabbed my hands as she said: "Wait, I know! You can marry me too, then I can be with… Ouch!"

"Wishful thinking, you damn elf!" I yelled out.

"I was just kidding!" Runa pursed her lips. She then snuck a peek at Diablo before turning back to me and asking: "Does he have any brothers?"

"Pfft! Hahahahaha!" I couldn't hold my laughter in any longer as I laughed out loud. Runa was really all over the place.

"You have not changed at all since you were younger. Anyway, I came here to lead her to you. I need to head back to the academy." Jen cut in.

"Alright, Jen, thank you. Don't work too hard." I said with a smile.

"I never do!" Jen waved and smiled back as she headed off to the academy.

Chapter 360 Forming A Plan To Get Elves

"So why do you need elves?" Runa asked as she turned my attention back to the problem the dwarves had brought up.

"We are working on many projects, but we need people who are more knowledgeable about runic inscriptions. But I can't show you what it is unless you are willing to sign a blood seal contract to never disclose anything you see." Runa was considered a friend, but business was still business.

"Okay!" Runa answered without hesitation. She even looked very excited to see what I was working on.𝚒𝓃𝘯𝙧𝚎𝗮𝚍. 𝒄𝐨𝓂

I sighed and waved my hand, creating a blood seal contract, I have created so many now that I can do it with my eyes closed. In seconds Runa had signed the contract and hurried me to show her the projects.

It was not until she saw with her own eyes the massive production happening underground did her mouth drop to the floor. "This…. Faith, where did you kidnap so many dwarves!?"

"Haha! Lass, she did not kidnap us. We all willingly followed her. We wanted to work on the project, but we need the help of the elves and their knowledge in runic inscription to help with the magical arrays that will need to be created in order to make replicas of the technology here. After all, even our teleporters were all worked on in a combined effort between our two races." Thurul replied as he walked up. He looked slightly haggard from all his all nighters.

"Thurul, I keep telling you to get some sleep. You can't keep pushing on like this. Even if I heal you, the mental fatigue will be too much for you." I said with a sigh.

"I was just heading that way now that I was at a good stopping point. The airship is still a long way from being understood, but it is almost completely disassembled and organized in what needs to be pulled apart first." Thurul replied as he yawned. "I will leave you two lasses to do your thing. I need my shut eye."

"Okay. Have a good rest." I said as I waved goodbye to Thurul before turning to Runa. "So, as you heard, we need the help of the elven race to be able to complete a lot of our reengineering of these ships and vehicles. I had planned to make a visit to the elven kingdom at some point, but I felt a little off from contacting you to ask for a favor since we had not talked for a long time."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Runa punched my shoulder as she said: "I would definitely help my bestest friend! Anyway, let's do this. After your coronation, I will send a notice to my father to send a delegation here. We can then discuss the terms of an alliance between the two kingdoms. My father has been wanting to make firmer ties with your kingdom after everything that has happened. He is afraid of the demon queen of the battlefield. The one who says a single word to kill millions of soldiers."

"Hmmm? But I have to say two words…." I replied, correcting Runa as I tilted my head to the side. How did 'kill yourself' turn into one word?

"One word, two words, they are the same thing!" Runa pursed her lips as she continued: "So, let's do it like that. If we form an alliance with certain notations, the eleven kingdom will have a better chance of assisting you by lending you a few hundred magic researchers. The elven council is not like other kingdoms, and it runs like a parliament where things are discussed. If we were to send your request in now, it would only result in them ignoring it and moving on to other topics. But, if we form an alliance which can only be done by my father, the king…. Then we can push the topic in the parliament, and they will need to listen to my father's opinion on the matter.

"By doing this, we are sure to be able to gain approval of sending over some researchers, even if they have to sign a blood seal as a show of faith that we are abiding by the alliance. Just make sure the alliance is formed with the notations that we have to help in any research your kingdom is undergoing as long as it is not used to attack the elven kingdom." Runa made me very surprised at how knowledgeable she was.

"Faith, what is that dumb founded look that says, how can this elf who only has a one track mind know so much about her own governing system?" Runa questioned, bringing me out of my how does this elf who only has a one track mind know so much about her governing system, look.

"Because you are Runa…" I replied without much thought, causing Runa to yell out and stomp her feet.

"You! I am much smarter than you think!" Runa yelled in a huff.

I chuckled and apologized: "Sorry! Sorry! I was just surprised, is all. You make me feel like I might be a failure of a rule in the future as I have never undergone any training."

I had to admit I knew absolutely nothing about ruling a kingdom and only had some lofty goals and visions. Whether they worked out or not is another story. But I did know one thing, and that was I wanted to protect this kingdom no matter what.

"I think you will be a fine leader. After all the things I have heard about you over the years, I can tell you love the people of this kingdom to the point that you are not afraid to single handedly cut the head off another kingdom's king and claim the kingdom as your own. And then annex its vassal stats in the same way. So do not look down on yourself, Faith. You will do good." Runa replied, but it only made me frown a bit more.

"You just made me sound like a mad tyrant…."