Night World Players

Chapter 269 Perhaps, I'll still be alive enough to attend your wedding.
It was the evening of September 30th, 996 in the Xia Hua calendar.

The inner city of Granville Empire, the palace, and the throne room.

"This day... has finally come, Hiltina."

Aaron sat on the throne, watching the girl with long chestnut hair, dressed in a red and white knight's uniform, slowly walk towards him.

This is Aaron's daughter with his first wife, Cecilia, and also his sole heir to the imperial throne.

“I remember when you were twelve, you left a note at home and ran away from home to live outside the capital.”

“At the time, Carol was worried sick about you, thinking that you were too young to take care of yourself and couldn’t live alone… She insisted that I find you and bring you home.”

“But I know that with your personality, even if I forcibly bring you back, you will definitely find another opportunity to run away from home—so in the end I persuaded Carol, and apart from arranging a few bodyguards, I never interfered in your life again.”

"That being said—the Shadow Guards may be able to protect your safety within the Empire, but once you join Star University and become a Night Traveler, they won't be able to accompany you into the Night World."

Aaron gazed at his daughter, a hint of relief in his slightly aged eyes.

"In this respect, you and your mother are exactly alike... Once you've made up your mind about something, nothing can change it. You're both quite stubborn and obstinate."

"I can't believe that ten years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"Ten years have passed, and you have grown from that stubborn little girl into a supreme powerhouse who can look down upon the world."

"The moment you pushed the door open, I almost thought I was seeing your mother again."

Such a look of relief and deep emotion flashed across Aaron's face only briefly.

Soon, his expression returned to solemnity and reverence.

For Aaron, the king of a country, this was his usual demeanor; his previous display of genuine emotion was a rare exception.

"Then, Hiltina."

He looked at his daughter and uttered his final question.

"Are you ready, prepared to bear the weight of the crown and the destiny of the entire empire?"

"of course."

Aaron was answered by the girl's clear, melodious voice, without the slightest hesitation.

"I will inherit everything of the empire."

"Not only for your wishes, but also for my mother, for Raste..."

"For everyone."

……

"Then, according to the covenant between the crimson blood and the pure white sword..."

"You, wearing a double-headed eagle crown, are hereby appointed as the new emperor."

Inside the throne room, Aaron held his own crown in his hands.

Under the pure glow of the lamps, the silvery-white double-headed eagle crown shone brightly.

Then, he placed the eagle crown on Hiltina's head.

at the same time.

"In accordance with the name of Fresberg and the ancient covenant—"

"Moreover, for the peace and tranquility of the Western Continent and the people of the Empire."

"I swear to rule this throne."

Hiltina's solemn vows echoed between the thrones.

"With this, the succession to the throne is complete..."

Aaron looked at Hiltina, who was wearing a crown and had completed her transformation from princess to empress.

"From this day forward, you will be the ruler of the empire, and all the highest decisions of the empire will be under your sole control."

“Hiltina…”

"Next, you should go to the square outside the palace and announce your formal ascension to the throne to the people of the entire empire who are eagerly awaiting your arrival, and to the whole world."

After the ceremony concluded, Aaron's words became slightly more relaxed and relieved.

However, he then discovered that his daughter, the new Empress Hiltina of the Empire, did not immediately leave the palace as originally planned, but went to the high platform in the central square of the inner city to announce her coronation to all the people of the capital.

The girl with long chestnut hair remained in the throne room, quietly watching herself.

"Father……"

Hiltina asked softly, "What do you plan to do after you abdicate?"

"What happens after I abdicate?"

The old man was stunned.

Given that high-level superhumans often live for hundreds of years, Aaron's actual age is less than a hundred years old, far from being old or nearing the end of his life.

However, in the past two years, he has aged considerably, bearing an undeniable air of vicissitude.

Especially after completing the ceremony of succession to the throne and removing the heavy crown he had worn for decades, Aaron no longer needed to hide his old age and fatigue from the people of the empire, and could now show it without any restraint.

This is because Aaron used the Holy Sword to forcibly enhance his power over the past few decades.

While the Holy Sword, as a relic, possesses unparalleled power, it adheres to the "equivalent exchange" principle of the extraordinary world. This means that every time the Holy Sword's power is used, a corresponding price must be paid, which will bring great backlash to the host.

This is a trauma that cannot be cured by conventional methods.

Under normal circumstances, the wounds caused by the release of the Holy Sword can be slowly healed by the sword's scabbard—the distant utopia of Avalon.

The empire's ruler, who simultaneously wields the Holy Sword and its scabbard Avalon, can heal these wounds under the nourishment of the scabbard, leaving no lasting damage, as long as the Holy Sword is not used too frequently.

However, Aaron did not keep the scabbard Avalon himself. Instead, he buried Avalon inside Hiltina's body when she was very young.

This was the only time he, as the ruler of the empire, had acted impulsively—the path that Hiltina pursued, known as the "Forest Ranger," was far too dangerous.

The sword sheath Avalon, capable of soothing pain and healing wounds, was a gift from Aaron to Hiltina, a father's blessing that his daughter could grow up safely.

The price of doing so is that every time Aaron uses the Holy Sword, the backlash and trauma to his soul cannot be healed, but can only accumulate until it becomes incurable.

But he had no choice.

When Aaron ascended to the throne, it was precisely during the most turbulent and chaotic period of the empire, when the previous emperor died in a conspiracy and the empire was beset by internal and external troubles.

However, Aaron quelled the chaos of the empire in less than twenty years, allowing this ancient kingdom of knights to be revived and once again rise to the top of the Western Continent.

With the covetous eyes of the restless gravediggers, cults, and other forces, both overt and covert... Aaron overexerted himself by unleashing the power of the Holy Sword, subjecting himself to repeated trials by the river of time. Only in this way could he quickly acquire angelic-level combat power and gain the qualification to intimidate other hidden forces.

"After abdicating, I should return to Autumn Leaf Territory... return to your mother's hometown, and stay there to guard the old house that Cecilia and I once lived in until the very end."

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I couldn’t because of my status as a king. Now I can finally do it.” Aaron smiled.

“Hiltina, I am well aware of my physical condition. This body has long been ravaged and broken by the backlash of the Holy Sword.”

"In other words, I don't have much time left."

"It's just that all along... I've been using the power of the Holy Sword to barely maintain my status as the ruler of a country."

The aging middle-aged man coughed and said, "Now that I have relinquished the throne, I no longer need to force myself."

"I am, after all, a legendary-level superhuman. If I stop taking action from now on and only accept the most conservative treatment plan... living for a few more years or even more than ten years should not be a problem."

He smiled: "Perhaps long enough for that person to wake up and attend your wedding with him."

After a decade-long Cold War, the father and daughter finally reconciled.

Aaron was finally able to speak to his daughter not as a king, but as an elderly father.

"If I could see the moment you officially get married, I could die without regrets and be able to face your mother with a clear conscience."

"Go and face her judgment on me, this heartless and unfaithful man who abandoned his wife and daughter for the sake of national interests..."

"Is it--"

Hiltina listened quietly, then suddenly spoke softly.

"But in my memory, until the very end, my mother never held any resentment towards you."

Even at the very end, she never regretted meeting you.

“I think that if my mother is watching over us from heaven, she would not want you to go and join her so soon... but would rather you live a good life in this world.”

"Besides, Father, while your thoughts may be sentimental, they are far too irresponsible towards my stepmother Carol and Ophelia."

She gently touched her chest with her hand.

The next moment, a dazzling brilliance bloomed in the void.

It was something like a sheath, seemingly drawn from thousands of pure, radiant lines.

“This is something I borrowed from you, Father.”

Hiltina calmly gazed at the dazzling, dreamlike scabbard in her hand, a paradise far removed from all else.

After the Holy Sword fully recognized her as its master, Hiltina can now easily separate the sacred relic that was buried within her body and had accompanied her throughout her life.

"I think it's time to return it to its rightful owner."

“Hiltina…”

Aaron paused for a moment again.

He never imagined that Hiltina would do such a thing at this moment.

With Aaron's intelligence network under his control, he had naturally long ago discovered the movements of the gravediggers and those cults in the shadows.

Aaron knew very well that, given Hiltina's personality, once she decided to face the situation head-on, she would never waver. Therefore, he was willing to respect his daughter's choice... He did not take action based on prior intelligence, but let Hiltina handle everything herself.

After all, at this moment, Hiltina is the Empress who rules the Empire.

However, Hiltina has now separated her sword from its sheath.

This means that before the upcoming great battle, Hiltina deliberately cut off her own arm.

She abandoned Avalon, the scabbard that she had possessed since becoming a superhuman, which could quickly heal her wounds and grant her immortality.

Without Avalon's protection, Hiltina might have perished in the battles of the Night World long ago, and would never have made it this far.

“Once you are injured, you cannot recover... If you are killed, you will die, that is only natural.”

"As you said, this scabbard has been protecting me as I fight and grow over the past decade... For a long time, I have become too reliant on this scabbard."

"Even though I successfully overcame this trial by relying on the power of this sword sheath... I was still just relying on an external thing."

"If one day I lose the relics and the protection of these external forces, then Hiltina will only be a flawed and fragile defective product."

“But I am greedy and unwilling to give up anything… In that case, Hiltina cannot have any flaws, but must always do her best.”

"Only by truly surpassing myself can I be qualified to desire everything at the same time—whether it is the ideal of a ranger, the responsibility of an empress, or the love affair with Rast, I want it all."

As if she could read her father's mind, Hiltina smiled again.

"So, Father, this is my choice."

"Now that I am here, I no longer need to rely on the protection of this scabbard."

"Now, it's time to return this scabbard."

"Let it carry my mother's longing and protect you, Father, once again..."

The girl's clear, unwavering words still echoed between the thrones.

Meanwhile, Hiltina had already left the throne room and spoke softly to the old man who was respectfully waiting outside.

"Teacher Tucker, lead the way."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The old man named Tak respectfully responded and led Hiltina towards the passageway outside the palace that led to the square where all the people gathered.

He is a member of the Granville Empire's royal family, a distant relative of Hiltina and Aaron, and a legendary guardian of the imperial family for generations.

Back then, twenty years ago, when the twilight calamity broke out in Qiuye Territory.

Tucker then served as a protector, following Aaron, who was then a prince... Later, following Aaron's orders, he used his abilities to project remotely and personally show Hiltina the last scene of her mother's death.

Similarly, Tucker was also Hiltina's swordsmanship instructor in the royal family when she was a child.

Hiltina's rapier skills were largely taught by Tucker; he was, in a sense, her mentor who guided her onto her extraordinary path.

Hiltina and Tucker walked further and further away until even their footsteps disappeared.

Only Aaron remained in the empty throne room, gazing at the radiant, dreamlike scabbard in his hand, in a long silence.

After a long while, he chuckled softly.

Then, he gently pressed the scabbard into his chest.

In the flowing, pure light, the "sheath" named Avalon quietly disappeared, merging with Aaron.

His battered and broken body began to repair and heal little by little.

"Cecilia."

“Our daughter… has really grown up.”

(End of this chapter)