Calian's eyes widened completely after hearing his mother's recent words. He had never imagined in his life, even when he was still in Yornvast Empire, that one day he would be appointed as an emperor to replace his mother in leading a giant empire.
But not for Wolvin. The Night Wolf teenager instead clenched his fists with sparkling eyes. He completely supported his mother-in-law's decision to promote Calian as the emperor in the future. For Wolvin, his husband was extremely worthy of sitting on that throne.
"Mother, why does it have to be me?" Calian refused firmly, his tone implying deep reluctance. He shook his head. "I do not want to be an emperor! I never imagined that I—"
Elara raised one of her hands, not allowing her son to finish his sentence of refusal.
"I am not asking you to become an emperor anytime soon, Calian!" Elara said in a soft yet firm tone, accepting no argument. "That will happen decades from now, when your mentality and maturity are truly ready to become an emperor... alongside Wolvin, who will be your empress."
Hearing the word empress bestowed upon him, Wolvin's tail wagged slowly, feeling greatly valued in his new family in the Erthland Empire.
"In this massive empire, there is no one else I can completely trust to take control other than my brother and the two of you!" Elara continued honestly, looking straight into her son's purple eyes. "I am certain that with your calmness and intelligence, you can become a truly great emperor in the future, Calian!"
And for the third time in the throne room that night, Calian let out another long sigh, surrendering to his mother's hopeful gaze.
"Alright, if that is indeed what you want, Mother." Calian answered resignedly. "But, before that time comes, I want to find a suitable job for the two of us in this empire. I do not want to just sit idly in the palace."
"Yes, of course!" Elara answered quickly, a relieved smile gracing her face. "Tomorrow morning, the two of you should go look around the capital and if possible, stop by the central adventurer guild. Who knows, you might find a clue there for an interesting job that suits you and your spouse."
Calian and Wolvin looked at each other for a moment, then nodded in agreement with their mother's suggestion. Becoming adventurers sounded far more enjoyable.
"Now, carry out your first duty as the future emperor candidate, Calian!" Elara ordered. Her face turned cold again as she pointed at Harold, who was still frozen. "An emperor must dare to make firm and precise decisions, especially regarding the pest of a spy watching this empire from within!"
After receiving the absolute command from his mother, Calian nodded slowly. He raised his hand forward, aiming his palm at Harold.
"Progression!"
In that majestic throne room, right before Emperor Rodaz's eyes, a horrifying magical phenomenon began to unfold.
Harold's body was still locked rigidly by the stasis magic, but the biological time on his physical form was now forced to accelerate insanely. Harold, who had previously looked handsome with an ideal, sturdy build, now began to change drastically within seconds. His blue hair began to fade, turning into a dull gray, then whitening completely until finally, the aged form of Harold was seen.
Realizing his youth was being drained away and death was right before his eyes, Harold's panic exploded. He finally found his voice, and what came out was a scream of despair.
"I beg you!" Harold screamed with a hoarse, heart-wrenching voice, his body beginning to tremble as his muscles weakened, consumed by age. "Please spare my life, Your Majesty! I swear, I promise I will not spy on this empire anymore! I will completely serve—"
"It is all too late!" Elara cut him off firmly, showing not a shred of mercy. "I will never trust the promises of a lapdog to the nobles of the Yornvast Empire!"
Meanwhile, Rodaz continued to stare at the drastic changes in the man who had accompanied his sleep for the past fifteen years. His heart throbbed with pain, but his common sense held his body back from stepping closer to his former spouse.
"Goodbye, Harold." Rodaz said softly, his voice trembling to hold back his sorrow over the tragic fate of his former spouse. "Thank you for accompanying me and being my pillar for over a decade. Believe me... I truly loved you."
"No! No! No! Rodaz, help me! I do not want to die here!" Harold cried out, growing more agonizing. Tears of fear and regret began to drip, wetting his cheeks which were now full of wrinkles and dark spots. "Please stop him, Rodaz! Free me, I am begging you..."
However, those heartbreaking pleas yielded no results. Emperor Rodaz just stood like a statue, lowering his gaze, unable to watch Harold's final seconds. Even Calian had no intention of stopping his magic, continuing to accelerate the man's aging until he died while still standing rigidly. Harold's last breath was exhaled without him being able to move a single finger.
Yet, the horrifying process did not just stop there. Harold, who had died from being consumed by hundreds of years of age in a matter of minutes, was now going through an incredibly fast process of biological decay. His flesh, organs, and clothing dried up and disintegrated. He shrank into mere bones, but his position remained frozen in the air as he was still held by Calian's stasis magic.
And uniquely, there was no stench of a rotting corpse smelled around them, even though the process was not in an open area. Everything happened so fast that the odor particles simply vanished.
Witnessing the entire process directly from a close distance, Emperor Rodaz almost forgot how to breathe. His eyes widened as he saw the true power of his nephew's blessing.
Terrifying! Rodaz said in his heart, his goosebumps rising fiercely as he felt the sheer horror of Calian's magic. He can truly control the life and death of someone so easily. This nephew of mine has evolved like the god of time himself.
Not long after, feeling that the process was complete and had left only clean bones, Calian snapped his fingers to release the magic.
Clack!
As soon as the time-restraining magic was released, the laws of nature took over once more. Due to the effect of gravity, Harold's skeleton, which had been standing stiffly in the air, instantly collapsed to the palace's ceramic floor, leaving a pile of white bones scattered before them.
Calian lowered his hand. "Mother, my task is done. Now it is your turn to move that skeleton."
"Good job, my son!" Elara praised softly, stepping closer to the pile of bones. "Alright, I will send this rotten skeleton to the middle of the forest near the capital of the Yornvast Empire over there, as a greeting from us!"
Elara extended her hand forward, aiming her palm at the floor.
"Iauna Teleport!"
And then, a golden magic circle with a complex pattern suddenly appeared and glowed brightly right beneath Harold's skeleton lying on the ceramic floor. A magical wind blew softly.
Zap!
In the blink of an eye, the golden light faded, and the skeleton disappeared without a trace from their sight, transported across the continent to enemy territory.
Seeing the high-level spatial transfer magic executed without long preparation, Emperor Rodaz could only let out a long sigh, trying to cast away the remnants of his sorrow.
"You really did it just like that, Sister." Rodaz said while shaking his head in disbelief. "Your [Supreme Archmage] blessing is truly incredible and highly practical!"
Elara turned her head, returning her brother's gaze with a faint smile.
"You do not need to praise me, Rodaz. Your blessing is no less terrifying and dangerous than mine." Elara replied, her tone containing an acknowledgment of her brother's power. "Isn't that right, the possessor of the [Harmony] blessing?"