Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Like a born hero, a hope that God has given to all mankind in this doomed world.

But Villette didn't want that.

Heroes bear their due price, and heroes created by the times will eventually be submerged in the tides of the times.

If he could, he would prefer his daughter to be more ordinary.

Sylvia is so innocent and kind, she would be perfect to be an ordinary, understanding female judge. If she could marry a talented young man and live a simple and peaceful life... Shouldn't the troublesome task of saving the world be left to adults who are already quite troublesome?

Beside her, Navel made up her mind and turned to Karen earnestly, saying, "Master, Miss Sylvia is a hundred times stronger than me, and I admit that I am inferior. I heard that Sylvia has the support of the Holy Maiden and will also participate in the election. I have decided to fully support Sylvia in becoming queen."

Karen remained silent for a long time before raising her hand and placing it on Navel's shoulder: "You're so old now... You should decide this yourself."

"Yes! Thank you, Master!"

Navel was very happy, while Karen had mixed feelings, experiencing both highs and lows, and couldn't help but say sourly to Vilette:

"Congratulations on your daughter's right to become empress."

Villette smiled but did not reply.

“With the support of the Holy Kingdom, the army, and your influence and votes in the judicial system—unless that missing princess reappears, Sylvia is destined for the throne.” Karen downed her dragon blood wine. “A family with two legends. And two paths to legend… Vilette, what do you care about titles? You’re practically royalty now.”

Vilette remained silent for a long time, then looked earnestly at Sylvia: "This path is destined to be full of thorns... Have you made up your mind?"

“Yes, Father.” Sylvia nodded seriously. “I want to be queen. I have things I want to do.”

"You should know... about Source Matter, right?"

“I know,” Sylvia replied. “The Saintess mentioned it. She said there’s a way to reverse it, such as finding the ‘Hanged Man’ to invert the demon.”

“The inverted demon…it’s easier said than done.” Vilette sneered. “But the royal family has been searching for it for centuries—without ever finding anything.”

He paused: "But since it was the saint who said so—she must have 'foreseen' something."

Having said that, Vilette completely put aside her worries, picked up a bottle of dragon's blood wine, and poured it straight down her throat.

He wouldn't eat a single bite of food, just kept drinking, seemingly wanting to get completely drunk.

…………

After several rounds of drinks...

A large number of soldiers were drunk. Seeing that the time was right, Sylvia asked the two legends how the legendary ceremony should be held and what they should pay attention to after becoming a legend.

“A legendary ritual… I was troubled by this for a long time back then.” Karen put down her glass and tilted her head back. “The requirements for ‘Temperance’ are relatively simple, just difficult to endure—the ritual requires abstaining from sight, sound, and food for a full nine years.”

"Therefore, I sealed myself underground, gouged out my eyes, sewed up my mouth and nose, and deafened myself—"

“Dragons? Dragons are the symbol of emperors,” Vilette suddenly spoke up. “Karen, haven’t you been plotting to seize power all along?”

"Don't even try!"

Karen gritted her teeth, ignoring Villette's teasing, and retorted, "Your 'justice' is much simpler, isn't it?"

Villet nodded:

"With the right power, the rituals of justice are easy. With the support of the former queen, I promulgated a whole new constitution, abolished goblin and orc slavery, and established a new social system that emphasizes free competition."

"Once this set of laws is mature enough and gains nationwide recognition and understanding, the ceremony will be a success."

After he finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Although it was said lightly, the power struggles and undercurrents that occurred during the process are now just a thing of the past.

Now, as the Supreme Judge, he wields immense power, and his heart is filled only with pride and arrogance in enacting the laws.

“But a successful ritual and becoming a legend doesn’t mean you can unleash the full power of the Blasphemy Card,” Karen continued. “A successful ritual only means you’ve initially grasped the spark and elevated your status and essence to the level of a demigod. But to become even stronger, you need to ‘play’.”

"Playing a role?"

"It is by constantly aligning one's actions with the corresponding authority and concept according to the characteristics of the spark. Only by achieving unity of knowledge and action can its power be fully unleashed."

As Karen spoke, a card appeared out of thin air between her fingers. On the card was an angel pouring water, representing the soul and life, from one Holy Grail to another.

The second Holy Grail was filled with about forty percent of its contents.

"Like your father and me. After all, we are both new legends who have risen to prominence in the last hundred years, and we currently only control 40% of the power. The only ones who can fully control the power are probably the six millennium legends of the theocracy."

Villet head:

“Like me, I must ensure that every trial is without injustice and that every word and action is absolutely ‘just’.” He paused. “As for Karen—he gave all his fire to his subordinates, and for a hundred years he devoted himself to the study of swordsmanship, ‘restraining’ all desires.”

He looked at Karen, his gaze lingering on the wine glass:

"Only wine and women, I have never given up."

"If you give up everything, what's the point of living?"

Karen smiled, hid her glass behind her back, and then warned, "If you go against 'playing the part,' at best your progress in mastering the spark will slow down. At worst—it will stop. Or even regress."

Sylvia seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that becoming a legend isn't so easy... Once you become a legend, you'll inevitably walk on thin ice for the rest of your life.

So what are the requirements for playing "Death"?

She thought about a name for the spark.

grim Reaper.

The two words, each heavier than the last, convey a meaning that is...

Vilette and Karen realized this too, and hurriedly asked, "What is the Grim Reaper's ascension ritual?"

Sylvia told her the truth.

"This is difficult."

Villette rubbed his temples: "I'll contact the other legends later and think of a clever way."

After all, having another legend is a joyous occasion for all humanity in this world on the verge of collapse.

There is no such thing as a struggle for power or choosing the right path as choosing the right enemy among the legends. When such a situation arises, most people are willing to lend a helping hand.

“Oh, right,” Vilette suddenly remembered something, “Navel mentioned earlier that you have four Gold-rank companions. Besides Paul, why didn’t you bring the other three to meet them?”

Sylvia twitched the corner of her mouth:

"Ah, them... Li Xianyu went to collect the remains of the Jingguan Bodhisattva to refine the undead. The other two are not feeling well, so they went back to their rooms to rest."

After she finished speaking, she stuffed the sausage that had been sitting on the plate for half the night into her mouth.

The thought of Cheng Cheng and Freya spending time together, perhaps already eating sausages, without even including her, made her feel annoyed.

Freya, however, had a legitimate reason: even though she had a veil given to her by the Holy Maiden, what if she was still recognized?

I can't wait to open your box right now!

However, since it's different from the witch's trial, Cheng Cheng doesn't have a physical body. Even if he's alone in a room with Freya, there shouldn't be any problem, right?

She took a bite of the sausage, harder than ever before.

…………

"Freya, do you like this body?"

"Yes, I like it!"

Back in his room, Cheng Cheng decisively used the Thousand Star Odd-Even technique.

The soul body constructed by the soul is exactly the same as the physical body in reality, and even more compatible—after all, the kingdom already has the technology to change bodies, and Mu Yuan in reality has also conducted similar research. Perhaps one day, the body will be able to be changed as easily as clothes.

But the soul cannot.

The moment the soul body was constructed, Cheng Cheng had already separated from Freya's body and then picked her up in his arms!

Freya screamed, then immediately realized what was happening. With a coquettish laugh, she wrapped her arms around Cheng Cheng's neck, her little fingers gripping his collar tightly, and buried her face in his chest: "You... how could you bring your body into this world?"

"Freya, do you like it?"

"Yes, I like it!"

Although their souls remained together, their physical reunion was after many days. Naturally, the young couple felt a surge of passion and poured out their hearts to each other...

Cheng Cheng wasted no time. He picked up Freya, turned around, walked to the bedside, sat down, placed the petite girl on his lap, and hugged her tightly.

Freya's small feet, clad in white stockings, dangled off the edge of the bed and swayed gently. She kicked off her white leather shoes and rolled into the boy's arms.

They lingered there tenderly for a long time, neither of them saying a word.

As their heartbeats gradually slowed, Cheng Cheng stroked the girl's hair, rested his chin on the top of her head, and whispered, "I missed you."

"Yes, I miss you too."

Freya's voice muffled in his chest as she snuggled closer to him. The boy's heart pounded against his chest, a muffled beat, one after another.

She couldn't help but recall the three days she spent with Cheng Cheng during the witch's trial, the bold kiss she gave him under the moonlight, and Cheng Cheng's even bolder response...

Her face instantly turned bright red.

And then there's the unease of losing him in her own trials, and the madness of being all alone.

"Will you always be like this from now on?" Freya asked hopefully. "Then... will I be able to see you like this every day from now on?"

“No…” Cheng Cheng hesitated for a moment, “only one hour every three days.”

He is lying.

Actually, there's an hour every day, but anyone with a brain would know that Freya would definitely demand to occupy it all, not giving Sylvia any chance to see her.

Then you have to leave yourself some leeway.

Freya is great, and I really like her... but I didn't say I didn't like Sylvia either!

Is he fickle?

I don't think so.

Just like Ayaka, Flynn, Yoomiya, Neru, Columbia, and Alcott in Nutcracker... they are all his wives, and he has unforgettable memories with them. Should he have to choose between them?

Thinking this way, Cheng Cheng felt much less guilty.

"How about we do this every three days from now on? Secretly, behind Sylvia's back—just the two of us."

Freya spoke softly, tilting her head back to look up at Cheng Cheng with her pink eyes. From this angle, her eyes appeared even larger, her pupils filled with him.

See? I knew it would turn out like this!