Chapter 267: He Would Return Like Lightning
The top floor of the United Hospital, the corridor outside the ward.
Ophelia stood quietly by the side of the corridor, gazing through the observation window into the ward, silently waiting for her Big Sister.
The soundproofing of the ward was excellent, the whole world seemed utterly silent… Ophelia could even hear the clear and distinct beating of her own heart.
For some reason, that faint heartbeat sounded in her ears with a strange sense of urgency and panic.
“Sure enough…”
“No matter how many times I see it, the moment I witness this scene again, my heart can’t help but ache.”
Ophelia kept her eyes fixed on the sight within the ward—Shiltina and the slumbering youth—while that indescribable bitterness rippled endlessly in her chest.
Two years ago, this was a feeling she had never experienced.
Yet now, it surged over her like a tide, drowning her spirit.
She, who had prided herself on absolute calm, the imperial princess whom the great nobles of the Imperial Capital called a “witch who toyed with hearts”…
Rationally speaking, Ophelia knew well that this was something that would affect her judgment, a stray thought that had to be discarded.
But no matter how hard she tried, this emotion could never be erased.
Cut but never severed, tangled beyond reason.
Again and again it washed over Ophelia’s heart, leaving her so pained she could hardly breathe.
“At times like this, if only that snow ferret were here, I could vent on it and shift my attention elsewhere.”
Ophelia let out a self-deprecating smile.
Just then, the sound of the ward door opening echoed softly down the silent corridor.
She forced herself to rein in the turmoil within, so that not a trace of it would show on her face, lest her elder sister notice.
“Let’s go, Ophelia.”
Radiant chestnut hair flowed down, catching the dim glow of dusk within the space, blazing like fire.
The ward door quietly closed behind Shiltina.
She was utterly different from the girl Ophelia had glimpsed just moments ago within the ward, who had shown faint traces of confusion and longing.
Now, Shiltina carried a majesty that soared above the masses.
She had once more become the unparalleled knight who had, in Deep Blue Port, alone cut down the surging tide of thousands of Iron Cross soldiers.
…
The black sedan glided away from United Hospital, moving along the road toward the Imperial Capital’s Inner Districts.
The hospital, jointly established by Starfall University and the Empire, stood in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital. The Coronation Ceremony, however, would be held in the very heart of the Inner Districts, within the royal palace complex…
Given the vastness of the Imperial Capital, it would take roughly half an hour to travel from the suburbs to the Inner Districts.
This was all the time Shiltina had left before ascending the throne.
Scarlet rays spilled across the western horizon, painting Shiltina’s eyes in shades of dusky starlight.
At her side, Ophelia held a magnificent ribbon, using the rearview mirror to help Shiltina with her final preparations.
Her pale fingers moved deftly, gathering Shiltina’s flowing chestnut hair.
Moments later—
Snap—
The ribbon let out a crisp sound as the waterfall of chestnut hair was tied into a single ponytail, revealing Shiltina’s swanlike, snow-white neck.
Ophelia studied her sister’s reflection in the mirror. “For a coronation ceremony, this attire might be a little too plain.”
“I recall the royal household has attendants and dressers who specialize in noble etiquette.”
“Since it’s such an important occasion, why didn’t you let them handle it, Sister…”
“No need.”
Shiltina drew her gaze back from the window, fixing it on her own reflection.
Then she smiled slightly and shook her head.
“After all, this is only a temporary arrangement. There’s no need to make it too elaborate—it’ll be in disarray before long anyway.”
“When those hidden in the shadows emerge and the battle begins, who will have time to worry about such things?”
“Sister…”
Ophelia looked at her Big Sister, hesitant to speak.
“The intel I reported to you earlier, and that figure within the royal family…”
“Are you really not planning to act in advance, to eliminate those unstable factors completely?”
“If you simply follow their pace, you’ll be walking right into their trap… by then, you could be at a severe disadvantage.”
“I understand. But it doesn’t matter.”
Despite Ophelia’s worried tone, Shiltina only shook her head again.
“Ophelia, your task is only to deal with the Cult Group, to ensure the Evil God’s Descent never reaches the citizens of the Imperial Capital.”
“Senior Akxia contacted me not long ago. She said she would be joining this battle as well… with you and Dean Silver present, the collateral damage should remain within a controllable range.”
“As for the battlefield on my side, don’t worry. Just safeguard the Imperial Capital—that will be the greatest help you can give me.”
“But…”
After a pause, Ophelia spoke again: “I know you have great confidence in your own strength, but the opponent is an old relic who has survived since the Age of Gods.”
“Your cards and strength are already laid bare, but who knows how much heritage and how many contingencies they still hold? Handed down from the Age of Gods, they are bound to possess multiple sacred relics capable of interfering with even a Legend—or an Angel.”
“To you, this will not be a fair fight.”
“In this world, how many things are truly fair?”
Shiltina smiled again and shook her head slightly.
She lifted her gaze to the horizon, where the dusk had set the sky aflame.
“Those Evil Gods upon the Threshold of Seraphim, and the Gravekeepers… all of them see today as the chance to strike me down at the Coronation Ritual, to hunt me before I can fully grow.”
“But little do they know, I too have taken today as a trial before I become king.”
Her words carried far.
“If all I wished for was to become a cautious, rule-abiding sovereign king—ordinary, unremarkable, yet without fault—then of course I wouldn’t need to do this.”
“In the domain of ruling a nation, Father already did exceedingly well. If I were to achieve even fifty or sixty percent of what he did, it would already be enough to make me a qualified Empress.”
“But what I seek… is not merely to be like Father, to become only a qualified, even flawless monarch.”
Shiltina stretched out her hand into the glow of dusk.
Her fingers gently brushed the hilt of the azure rapier at her waist.
It was three years ago, before embarking on that Nightworld expedition of no return, that her dearest friend—a girl named Flan—had entrusted this gift to her.
Crest Equipment, “Sword of the Night Sky.”
It could also be called the relic left behind by that departed girl.
After Shiltina’s original rapier, “Shimmering Morning Star,” was shattered, she had relied on this relic from her friend for a long time.
To this day, with Shiltina’s growth—having reached the rank of Legend, her position already brushing close to that of an Angel… and after being named heir to the throne, having already been acknowledged early by the Holy Sword—
In front of that Holy Sword forged by the planet itself, radiant with endless brilliance, the “Sword of the Night Sky,” as a mere Crest Equipment, could no longer keep pace. In battles at the Legendary rank, Crest Equipment was easily broken upon impact.
Or rather, as the soon-to-be Empress of the Empire… weapons of such a level were things she could obtain at will.
And yet, Shiltina always kept this rapier by her side.
Every time her hand touched the hilt, she would recall that bloody battle within the mists of Frozenwater Town, all her memories with Flan—
And the tranquil days at Starfall University with Rast.
“Father was, without doubt, a qualified king, even an impeccable one.”
“But he was never a qualified husband… for the sake of his duties as king, he would cast aside everything.”
“Be it personal bonds or even family—everything, in Father’s eyes, was something that could be completely sacrificed.”
Her voice faltered slightly. “I do not mean to condemn him. I never thought such choices were wrong.”
“On the contrary, sacrificing the self for the higher cause of one’s nation and people… from any perspective, it is unquestionably the correct choice.”
“But such correctness is nothing more than correctness. I do not need it.”
“I am different from Father. I am greedy. I refuse to sacrifice anything.”
“Whether it is my duty as imperial princess, my responsibility as Empress… or the ideals of the Forester inherited from Mother… or my future as Rast’s fiancée, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, facing a beautiful tomorrow together.”
“All of these are treasures in my heart. Not a single one will I ever abandon.”
Shiltina spoke softly.
“Of course, to be so insatiable, so unrealistic as to demand everything…”
“The obstacles I face… will no doubt be far more dangerous than the simpler path of choosing the lesser evil.”
“After all, the principle of ‘Equivalent Exchange’ is the law of this world—many times, to gain one thing, one must give up another.”
“But since I have chosen this greedy path of wanting everything, I already know the difficulties and perils it holds…”
“I will continue walking it without regret.”
Outside the window, the broad suburban landscape gave way abruptly to a bustling scene. On both sides of the road, people were gathering, streaming toward the city center.
“If it were Father, he would naturally use such intelligence to close the net early, snuffing out the traitor’s schemes in the cradle—clean, efficient, and effortless.”
“But I cannot.”
“Having chosen this greedy path of wanting all, the dangers, enemies, and hardships I must face will be far greater than those Father ever did.”
“If I cannot even overcome these present dangers—these enemies from the Gravekeepers and the Cult Group—by my own strength…”
“Then how could I call myself Empress of the Empire?”
“How could I be the woman standing by Rast’s side…”
Her voice was carried away on the evening wind, faint, faint—
Yet in Ophelia’s ears, it was unshakably resolute, like tempered steel.
“This is a trial for me, for Shiltina Ingrit.”
“Either I surpass myself and overcome this trial… or I die here upon the testing ground, falling on the path of pursuing my ideals, without regret.”
“For me, there will be no third option.”
Hearing this, Ophelia could only put away her words of persuasion.
She knew her Big Sister—once she decided upon something, nothing could sway her. Even if she crashed into a wall, she would never turn back.
Since that was so, all Ophelia could do was silently bless her from afar, praying her Big Sister would return triumphant.
That was all.
But then, Ophelia heard her elder sister’s voice once again.
“Besides—”
“Our reunion after so many years apart.”
“If it were not a triumphant return, if I could not show him my most perfect self—”
“Then how could I leave another deep and indelible mark in his heart?”
“How could I—”
Her voice paused. “—compete with that Little Ai whom he still cannot forget?”
At these words, Ophelia was taken aback, but quickly recovered.
She spoke stiffly. “Big Sister… you knew Rast’s consciousness had already awakened?”
Her contact with Rast in the Nightworld had been a secret guarded between her and Dean Silver.
She had not expected Shiltina to have already guessed Rast would return today.
“I don’t know. It’s only intuition.”
“I believe mere soul collapse, mere fatal wounds leading to silence—none of that could defeat that heart of iron, forged in hell.”
She shook her head lightly.
“And knowing his nature, on a day like this, I am certain he would not be absent.”
“In his own words—‘returning like lightning.’”
The car slowly entered the Inner Districts.
At the corner of Shiltina’s lips appeared a sly smile.
That was why, back in the ward, she had taken advantage of the youth’s slumber to steal a little benefit.
After all, once he truly awakened, such opportunities would be gone.