In one of the grand castles at the heart of the imperial city, the capital of the number one nation on the continent, a middle-aged man sat in his study, buried under a mountain of documents. His desk was overflowing, yet his pen moved tirelessly across the pages.
A knock echoed through the room.
"In," the man commanded without looking up.
The heavy door creaked open, and a guard stepped inside, bowing slightly.
"Your Majesty..." the guard said respectfully.
The emperor finally looked up. "What is it?"
"There is a message from the 55th Shadow," the guard replied, handing over a sealed letter.
The emperor took the letter, broke the seal, and began reading. His lips curled into a smirk.
"Hou…" he muttered, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"HahahaHAHAHA!"
The guard remained still, his face expressionless despite his confusion. Whatever was in that letter had clearly delighted the emperor, but it wasn't his place to ask.
A moment later, the emperor's voice rang out once more.
"Hurry and summon that witch."
The guard flinched in surprise. Which witch...?
Before he could even ask, a sultry voice interrupted.
"No need to search. I'm already here."
Immediately, the guards around the room tensed, hands moving toward their weapons as they adopted a wary stance.
"Oh my, so cautious…" The seductive voice echoed through the room, followed by the appearance of a stunningly beautiful and enigmatic woman—a witch.
She stepped forward, her alluring figure wrapped in elegant, dark robes that shimmered faintly with magic. She locked eyes with the emperor and smirked.
"So… what's the occasion, my emperor?" she purred.
The emperor leaned back in his chair, tossing the letter toward her.
"I need one of the favors you promised me. The details are in there."
The witch caught the letter effortlessly and scanned its contents. A flicker of amusement crossed her face.
"Heh… interesting."
She looked back at the emperor. "Are you sure about this? He might end up receiving a very rare gift—something as powerful as 'Hero' or even more."
The emperor's expression remained indifferent.
"No. Just give it to him."
The witch's amusement deepened as she leaned in slightly. "Huh… what is this? You rarely care about your children, yet now you're willing to use one of my favors on a distant descendant?"
But the emperor barely reacted. He simply returned to his paperwork, his voice calm yet resolute.
"No... It's just that my intuition tells me—he will bring great change to this world. Even greater than me or all my predecessors. Right, witch?"
The witch chuckled, crossing her arms.
"It seems the emperor knows..."
Emperor:"Of course. Especially after reading that letter and realizing you were already here. Do you take me for a fool ?"
Witch:(smiled)"Yeah… stupid, right? Just like that incident four years ago during the celebration..."
The emperor cut her off immediately.
"Alright, stop. That's enough. Just go and grant it." He waved his hand dismissively, signaling her to leave.
With a sly grin, the witch turned on her heel, her silhouette fading into the surrounding darkness.
"As you command… my emperor."
And with that, she vanished.
The emperor watched until she disappeared completely, then turned to the guard.
"Go."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the guard responded, bowing before turning to leave the room.
Once again, silence returned to the emperor's study.