Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 263 The Protector Shaman

To marry the Empress?

Murphy glanced at the white-haired girl on the throne and frowned.

In the past, he might have thought, "Is this for real?"

But at this moment, he felt a bit troubled.

Pretty girls are everywhere, but this one, though beautiful, is actually quite prickly.

She carries the fate of tens of thousands of wizards in Alkaim on her shoulders, and her position is naturally different from Murphy's.

What she wanted was Al-Kaim's safety, while Murphy simply wanted to use Al-Kaim as his shield and javelin. Even after forming an alliance and having many common goals, their fundamental differences in stance would inevitably lead to disagreements sooner or later.

If there were no other relationship, Murphy could do whatever he wanted without any worries. But if they became husband and wife or lovers, dealing with such differences would inevitably involve a lot of constraints and compromises, making things much more complicated.

On the other side, Sofia was also taken aback by Mrs. Jaga's suggestion.

She looked at Mrs. Jaga, not quite understanding what the old lady meant.

The latter gave her a reassuring look, and Her Majesty swallowed her doubts, then glanced at Murphy again.

Huh? Why is this guy frowning?

Is it so hard for you to accept marrying me?

"Her Majesty is still young," Murphy said. "This is probably not appropriate."

"His Majesty is about to come of age. You can establish the marriage agreement first, and then marry him later," said Lady Yaga.

Murphy pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Sophia, "What is Your Majesty's own opinion?"

Sofia was looking at him, and when their eyes met, she panicked for a moment.

Murphy was indeed a very charming person, and very attractive to her, but... she felt that she couldn't control him at all.

The confidence she once had that she could win him over simply by using her charm had dwindled after a few encounters. She felt that no matter what, the other person was always better able to take the initiative than she was.

Besides, he already looked disgusted, so why should I stick to him?

Sophia became serious. "As Mr. Darkholm said, I am still young and know nothing about marriage. But as the Queen, with the fate of countless wizards in Alkaim in my hands, it would be too frivolous to make such a decision rashly."

As she spoke, she glanced at Mrs. Jaga and said, "I'm not ready to talk about marriage right now."

Murphy nodded, letting out a slight sigh of relief. He hadn't even finished his career when he was suddenly given a wife. The question of which one to marry would inevitably distract him, so this was for the best.

Mrs. Jaga sighed, "In that case, I'm afraid we cannot take such a risk for outsiders."

Murphy thought for a moment and said, "How about we become sworn siblings?"

……

Murphy left. When he left the Spring Palace, he was already Queen Sophia's sworn brother and "Guardian Shaman".

The Queen granted his request and agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the British Ministry of Magic, thus Murphy had achieved all his objectives for the trip.

After Murphy left the hall, Sophia looked at Lady Yaga with some confusion, "Why did you insist on making that request just now?"

The old woman slowly walked up to the Queen. "Your Majesty, how old do you think I am?"

Sofia was stunned for a moment. Lady Yaga looked like this when she was just born, and she had also heard Ivan say that Lady Yaga looked like this when Ivan was a child.

No one really knows how old she is.

"When I was born, this century hadn't even begun; now, it's almost over."

The old woman said, “I have served in this palace for generations, and they all trust me very much because when I was young, I was Nicholas II’s bodyguard. Your great-grandmother was someone I saved.”

Sofia nodded; she knew about it.

In her eyes, Mrs. Jaga was no different from her own grandmother, and that was why she was qualified to make that suggestion.

"But I am getting old after all," said Lady Jaga. "I already felt my strength failing me in the battle with Felipe Carlos, and I even suffered his dying curse. Perhaps I can only stay with you for another year or two at most before I have to return to the side of our ancestors."

"you……"

Mrs. Jaga shook her head, interrupting Sophia's words of comfort, "I know my own situation. You are still too young, and there will always be people who want to test your authority. After I leave, you will lack a strong person by your side who can suppress those people's thoughts."

"Murphy Darkholm would be a good candidate."

"He is ultimately a foreigner and it is difficult for him to usurp the throne. He needs your help to achieve his ambitions, and he is capable enough to govern Al-Kaim well for you."

"Besides, you like him quite a bit, don't you?"

"But aren't you worried that he might lead Alkaim into danger? Even Azir says he's a terrible man," the Queen said.

"Azir... what a pity," Lady Yaga shook her head, "worrying is useless. From the moment you made contact with him, there was no turning back. No, perhaps even earlier, from the moment he set his sights on the Soviet Union, he was destined to have an impact on Alkaim."

"He said the tide was about to rise, but in fact he was the one stirring up the storm. Unless we kill him, such a person will always cause bloodshed."

"It's good that you don't want to marry him. We don't have to be completely tied to him. If he fails, we'll still have a chance to get out."

Sophia frowned; she hadn't considered this possibility.

It seems that, as an empress, I still have a lot to learn.

……

The news that Grand Duke Ivan had plotted a rebellion and was killed by his son spread throughout Arkaim the next day. Some people believed it, and some did not, but in any case, Grand Duke Ivan was dead. His second son, George, inherited the title, but because of his crimes, he was demoted from Duke to Earl.

The great shaman Felipe is said to have left his ancestral tombs and gone on a journey to practice asceticism around the world, but not many ordinary shamans care about this.

Besides that, the thing that the wizards of Alkaim talked about the most was the "Guardian Shaman". It is said that he was a wizard from the British magical world who came to propose marriage to the Queen. It was he who discovered the signs of Grand Duke Ivan's rebellion during the banquet and helped Earl George kill Ivan.

To recognize his achievements, the Empress swore brotherhood with him and bestowed upon him the title of "Guardian Shaman," a rank equivalent to that of a duke.

There are also rumors that the Queen has chosen this guardian shaman as her husband to rule the holy city together, but due to the busy affairs of state and the Queen's young age, the marriage is not yet finalized.

There is a set of ceremonies for both sworn brotherhood and the bestowal of titles, which is why Murphy had to stay in Al-Kaim for a period of time.

He hadn't been idle these past few days. First, he rescued the werewolf mercenaries and wizards who had been captured from Ivan's mansion and sent them back to the laboratory to recuperate. Then, he sent more than a dozen wizards to the Muggles in the Kingdom of Su. Anyway, with the Queen's approval, he no longer needed to be secretive and was ready to start pushing forward his plans for the Kingdom of Su in a big way.

By the time all the ceremonies were completed, it was already June, and Murphy was preparing to return to Hogwarts.

He had been planning the Philosopher's Stone project for a whole year, and it was almost time to wrap it up. He had to go back and keep an eye on it.

Before leaving, Murphy gave Mrs. Jaga a bottle of anti-aging potion, but she refused it, much to Murphy's regret.

"Aging and death are natural processes," said Mrs. Jaga, who seemed to take it all in stride. "Besides, after I die I will return to my ancestors and continue to protect this place in another world. It is a journey that is much broader and longer than that of the living, and I have been looking forward to it for a long time."

It seems that Dumbledore in the original book said something similar.

But Murphy couldn't understand it.

Unlike these elderly people who have lived for hundreds of years, he hasn't lived enough yet. He wants to continue living, to live forever, preferably until the end of time.

(End of this chapter)