Chapter 165: An Embrace Beyond the World
“Your Majesty, it’s time to return to the material world.”
Roger shifted his gaze, not responding, but looking out the window at the perpetually clear, waveless deep sea.
This was the unchanging scenery of the Source Sea, making it seem even more monotonous than a normal ocean.
“Answer me directly!” the Empress of Eternal Night exclaimed, displeased, protesting his abrupt change of subject.
Even with her magic power almost depleted, she was confident in her combat prowess against this rude brother.
However, relying on her magic power, he was only a false strongman. If she ran out of magic, so would he, and they’d be reduced to a pathetic fight between amateurs.
Roger pointed to his head with a helpless gesture. “Your Majesty, please don’t rush. It’s not time to reveal the answer yet, because I’ve also forgotten.”
The Empress of Eternal Night frowned. “You sealed your own memory?”
Roger nodded. “Yes, because our enemies were too powerful. After making my arrangements, I completely forgot them.”
“But you were too cautious, not even telling me?” The Empress of Eternal Night’s curiosity grew increasingly piqued.
“I was too nervous at the time and forgot,” Roger apologized.
With the Empress of Eternal Night’s strength, they could have discussed it beforehand and deleted it together.
But at the time, he had praised his own brilliant idea, breaking down the preparatory steps into a series of projects, and then chose to forget them.
“Hmph, your accumulated vacation days are all gone!” the Empress of Eternal Night said, kicking his calf unhappily.
But she didn’t press further, as this kind of action from Roger was actually a necessary step in fighting gods.
Because their opponents were gods.
Although the Empress of Eternal Night disdained the path of deification through faith, considering them puppets locked on a fixed path.
But with divine power, divinity, and a divine position, true deities indeed possessed many powerful attributes.
For instance, immunity to most forms of time stop.
Many powerful deities also had peculiar senses for fate.
It wasn’t as simple as prophecy, but rather a type of interaction between the deity and the laws of this world. A thought conceived by a mortal about a deity might be received.
Especially thoughts that could genuinely threaten them, even if not yet acted upon, could be foreseen by the gods.
This sensing occurred probabilistically and often felt unfair: battles had not even begun, yet mortals had already lost.
Roger’s sealing of his memory surely meant he had devised a critical step that could have a significant impact on a god or gods.
But once this method was exposed, it would be useless.
So, Roger forgot it, ensuring that even when the final stage arrived, it wouldn’t be revealed.
And when the time was right, and the final layout was witnessed, those memories would naturally unseal, leaving the opponents no time to intervene.
The Empress of Eternal Night wasn’t unhappy about his actions, but rather about being excluded by Roger.
Even if it wasn’t intentional, such behavior indicated that, subconsciously, he didn’t fully trust her.
Facing the Empress of Eternal Night’s resentful “vacation days,” Roger was helpless and didn’t argue.
[Fortunately, the vacation days were taken recently, and the loss is within acceptable limits!]
The Empress of Eternal Night: ???
What kind of twisted logic is that? Shouldn’t you be coaxing me?
I’m easily coaxed!
Amidst a cold silence, the two left the Source Sea.
A rather uneventful expedition had concluded, with no particular memorable points.
After drifting in the void for a while, and once the Empress of Eternal Night had recovered some magic through meditation, they teleported back to the Sky Sea Tower.
Mages in uniforms rushed forward, expertly inspecting and maintaining the Source Sea Ark, reading the salvaged information, and recharging the vessel for its next journey.
“Your humble servant takes his leave,” Roger said, preparing to go home and rest.
Although it was a lackluster exploration, and they had even slacked off playing games, the psychological pressure of venturing into such a dangerous place had always been present.
They had to be wary of potential mutations from the Source Sea and conserve their energy. Any anomaly would have necessitated an immediate escape back to the material plane.
Returning from the Source Sea, fatigue was inevitable. Roger felt he needed a good night’s sleep to prepare for tomorrow’s work.
The Empress of Eternal Night interrupted his teleportation, her face still grim. “You are not permitted to leave.”
“???” This detestable Empress couldn’t still be holding a grudge, could she?
“Tomorrow is New Year’s Day. Come back to the palace with me to celebrate.”
She suddenly smiled, took Roger’s hand, and stroked his hair, which had stood on end from fear.
“I am still full of majesty!”
The man who once only wanted to lie down and be lazy had finally adopted a different form of “lying down,” calmly facing whatever fate threw at him, becoming a cog supporting the empire’s operation, and now valuing work and duty.
However, this “cog,” despite being deprived of extra vacation days earned through merit, was still entitled to the national holiday.
“It’s almost New Year’s?” Roger murmured, a sense of daze washing over him, with unidentifiable thoughts surfacing in his heart.
These days had indeed been busy; he hadn’t noticed the passage of time.
“Let’s return to the palace together.”
The Empress of Eternal Night pulled him into a newly opened spatial portal.
The scenery before them warped and swirled. The spatial passage, with its lights more brilliant and inscrutable than fireworks, seemed longer than ever, unlike the usual fleeting glimpses that brought them to their destination.
Roger, mesmerized by the sight, suddenly felt a soft, warm, delicate body lean against him.
“I’m a bit tired, can I borrow your shoulder?”
“…Mm.”
He responded stiffly.
This completely unexpected maneuver caused his body to instinctively register the Empress’s unreasonably impressive curves. The pressure of their bodies pressing together easily led to fantasies.
However, Roger had already become adept at controlling his physical reactions.
With more time spent alone, he had grown accustomed to the Empress of Eternal Night’s sudden teasing.
Like a cat playing with its prey, she was tireless and took pride in it, seizing upon any shyness or withdrawal to mock him.
But if he tried to counterattack and make the conversation more intimate, that cat would always turn into liquid, slipping through his fingers.
Not only could he not catch her, but she would also look at him with a contemptuous gaze:
“Rude brother, you blush at this level?”
Unbeknownst to him, the Empress of Eternal Night had mastered the fairy’s art of charming the heart.
Of course, this side of her was only shown to Roger.
To the outside world, she was the unpredictable empress on her throne, her thoughts as deep as the ocean.
Even with a smile, she rarely resorted to brutal massacres to suppress dissent, yet the number of officials daring to harbor ulterior motives beneath her was dwindling.
A direct and domineering empress inspired fear, but intelligent people could always find ways to cope because her sensitive points were clearly exposed, and the web of rules always revealed new loopholes.
But now, this empress concealed her true intentions, like a spider in the shadows. They couldn’t ascertain if those loopholes were opportunities or traps she had deliberately laid.
She had truly mastered the art of unfathomable imperial authority.
Unfortunately, even the most effective tactics lose their potency with overuse. After a few encounters, Roger had grasped the counter-technique of responding with unwavering calm.
Especially now, in a situation she had engineered, Roger cautiously awaited her next move, deciding to be a well-behaved coat rack with shoulders.
As long as I don’t let beauty cloud my judgment, I’ll have enough reaction time to decipher all her traps!
The “Mom Blood” thought she was on the second level, but I’m already on the fifth.
But strangely, the unpredictable fairy did not make any further moves.
She merely rested her head on his shoulder, her breathing growing soft and regular.
[Did she really fall asleep like this?]
A seed of doubt sprouted in Roger’s mind. He turned his head to look at the unimaginably beautiful face of the Empress of Eternal Night. Her eyes were lightly closed, like a lazy cat finding a comfortable nest, and he could sense her contentment and relaxation.
[Has the mischievous little one finally grown tired?]
[So, was I just engaging in a battle of wits with thin air just now?]
“Don’t talk, just hold me,” the Empress of Eternal Night reached out and pressed her hand against his lips, complaining softly with her eyes closed.
“…Alright.” Though he didn’t know why he was bothering her, Roger inexplicably agreed.
Facing an Empress of Eternal Night who was different from usual, he suppressed a hint of unease in his heart and hugged her slender waist.
As a social creature, humans instinctively draw warmth from their own kind.
Sometimes, it has nothing to do with love, but is a physical need. An embrace can provide more security than imagined.
Moreover, the two of them already shared an ambiguous emotional connection at this moment.
More than friends, less than lovers.
Sometimes, intimacy became natural, yet there was an uncrossable line. Whether intentionally or unintentionally ignored, neither of them pondered its implications.
Their current relationship was actually quite comfortable. Moving forward might lead to heaven or hell, the outcome unknown, and humans tend to resist unknown risks.
Because they cherished it too much, they couldn’t afford even the slightest possibility of failure.
Under the guise of friendship, secretly engaging in slightly overstepping actions, could that be the thrill for adults?
Some things might seem inexplicable to outsiders, but how could anyone else truly understand the sweet and sour feelings of those involved?
In this spatial passage, where time slowed down and no third person could possibly exist, the Empress of Eternal Night truly relaxed.
She shed her iron-willed, invincible facade and became a capricious young girl for a brief moment.
It had been an immensely long year, with too many events occurring, and she had changed a great deal along the way.
For better or worse, the road ahead was perilous.
But because of the person holding her tightly, she no longer felt so alone.
Existing beyond the mundane world, free from external interference or any extraneous voices, she truly wished this embrace could last forever.
Yet, even as she tried her best to slow down and cherish every romantic second, the current of time relentlessly flowed forward.
A massive clock projection appeared before them. The hour, minute, and second hands converged, all pointing to the largest number on the dial.
Simultaneously, it also represented the beginning, the smallest number: zero.
The Empress of Eternal Night stood on tiptoe and whispered into Roger’s ear, “Happy New Year. I’m truly happy you’re by my side!”
The warm breath near his ear carried a hint of the languid regret of a beautiful dream nearing its end. Roger instinctively knew this stolen time was about to conclude.
With a sense of reluctance, he held her tightly for a long moment before slowly releasing her. Bowing his head, he said earnestly, “For more happy New Years, let’s continue fighting side-by-side.”
Her gaze, once soft as water, firmed with resolve. Her peerless pride and sharpness returned. She turned to look towards the faintly discernible, magnificent palace and said softly,
“Indeed, let’s continue the fight… Happy New Year to my empire!”
The Empress of Eternal Night and Roger appeared side-by-side in a side hall of the Starlight Palace.
Angelina, Margaret, Rommel, Hull, Galilei, Frankenstein, Sophie, cabinet ministers, advisors from the Secret Magic Association, governors from various regions, and other high-ranking imperial officials were already attending a lively, albeit small, dance party.
This included rising stars like Aisari and Little Joey, who were shining in many fields.
This was a celebration for the most staunch royalists of the past, and a magnificent spectacle for the empire’s new builders.
Though it lacked the boisterous crowds of the previous victory celebration, the atmosphere was more relaxed and informal, as their Empress, along with them, looked back on the brilliant achievements of the past year.
The fourth year of the Eternal Night Calendar had arrived.
The long night enveloping this world had seen the rise of faint starlight, a fervent blaze calling for dawn, or would it be extinguished by an ancient, mighty force? The outcome was yet unknown.
But a battle between mortals and gods was now unstoppable, bound to ignite the most intense sparks, with no room for compromise.
Beneath the splendor lay a battle for the survival of the world.
“Long live the Empire, long live the Empress!”
These were the unified blessings within the magnificent palace.
…
…
Outside the Starlight Palace, a heavy snow had fallen upon the City of Mysteries.
A thick white blanket covered the entire city, making both sky and earth appear immaculately clean, absorbing all sound in the world.
Given the productivity of this world, this was a rare New Year where happiness and joy could extend to more commoners.
New Year in this continent always fell in the depths of winter, where hunger and cold were formidable disasters for ordinary people.
Barren land, noble exploitation, and years of conflict. If enough grain and firewood were not stored in the autumn, deaths were inevitable in winter.
The number of deaths, more or less, depended on the benevolence of the noble lords in the past year.
In most years in this world, the so-called New Year’s celebrations and expectations were merely a bourgeois romanticism for those with a certain level of quality of life.
The vast majority of the lowest strata, numb from repeated suffering, saw New Year as just another melancholic, difficult, and lingering point in the long, harsh winter.
Fortunately, for the people of the Empire this year, due to the widespread use of seeds improved by the Secret Magic Association on state-run farms, and the Magic Cores increasing soil fertility, they had achieved an unprecedented bumper harvest.
Angelina skillfully allocated resources, and with the absence of a certain corruptible tier, the cold remained, but 99% of the empire’s people were no longer at risk of starving to death.
Along with grain, a fuel called “honeycomb coal” was also distributed, significantly reducing the harm of the cold.
Even in remote rural areas, many families had the means to prepare a simple but happy New Year’s Eve dinner.
“I hope the Empire will be even better in the New Year!” Many farmers couldn’t help but sigh, feeling a long-lost anticipation for the future, with an inexhaustible supply of energy naturally surging within them.
This was the innate human yearning for goodness after a full stomach and warmth.
The Grand Library.
The lights here remained bright, burning through the night, yet few people were present.
Even the most conservative mages would be dragged away by family and friends for some relaxation on New Year’s Day.
In a corner of a reading room, Shana, with a heavy tome spread before her, mumbled while looking at the falling snow,
“Boring humans, creating these inexplicable festivals for time. I certainly don’t want to celebrate New Year!”
At this moment, seeing the empty tables, she felt loneliness for the first time in her life.
