It's so hard being a hero!

"Alright, stop making that face."

The old emperor waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual relaxed and casual manner.

"In my life, I have done what I should have done and done a lot of things I shouldn't have done, but I have no regrets and nothing to be ashamed of."

If I really have to say something I regret...

He thought for a moment, then smiled.

"It's probably because I didn't force Sofia onto you back then..."

Upon hearing this, Sophia's lips twitched involuntarily.

"Your Majesty, could you please say something else? Sister Sophia is already someone else's empress."

"Haha? Ah! You're right."

Chapter 109 The Final Farewell

Upon seeing Sophia's reaction, the old emperor immediately burst into laughter, his expression like that of a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore."

The smile on his face slowly faded.

"To be honest, seeing you come back, even if you are not the same as before, has finally put my mind at ease."

He looked up at the sky and began to reminisce again.

"Over the years, I have often had dreams in which you are still that young boy, standing in front of me, telling me grand principles, such as which direction the empire should go, and what the future of the continent should be like."

As he said this, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.

“But every time I wake up, I sit by the bed and look at the empty palace. I feel empty inside, as if something is missing.”

Sophia didn't interrupt, because this was the old emperor's summary of his life, and she had to listen to him finish speaking.

"But after seeing you today, I can finally wake up from this dream."

The old emperor withdrew his gaze and looked at Sophia again.

Although his eyes were still very bright, Sophia could see that something was gradually dimming beneath that light.

The flame of his life began to die out.

The old emperor seemed to sense it himself, so he immediately said to Sophia, "Alright, my time is almost up, you should go."

Sophia's heart tightened immediately, and she instinctively stood up.

"Your Majesty, you?"

But the old emperor interrupted her.

"Don't make that face, and don't say anything to comfort me. Everyone has to die eventually. I've lived this long life, enjoyed all the blessings I was meant to have, and suffered all the hardships I was meant to suffer. I have no regrets. Let the successor do what I haven't finished."

At this point, the old emperor gave Sophia a big smile.

"To be honest, I owe half of my success to you. If it weren't for you helping me stabilize this mess back then, I probably would have been dethroned long ago."

Sophia looked at the old emperor's smile and was speechless.

"Let's go back."

The old emperor waved his hand at her, his tone carrying an unquestionable air.

"I'm fine here. I don't want you to see me close my eyes. I'm afraid I'll die with my eyes open and it will affect the living."

At this moment, Sofia felt extremely distressed.

But she still had to show respect to this old comrade-in-arms who had fought for his ideals and country his whole life.

"Then, Your Majesty, farewell."

Sophia said helplessly.

When the old emperor heard the word "goodbye," he paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

"Goodbye? Do you think I'll be able to climb out of my coffin again?"

"Oh, that's right. If you can come back, maybe I can too. Of course, by then, I probably won't be myself anymore."

"Go."

Sophia turned and left with heavy steps.

She never looked back.

The old emperor kept watching the direction where Sophia disappeared until she was out of sight, and then he sat back down in his chair.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze returning to the gradually yellowing sky, a faint smile still playing on his lips.

When Sophia walked out of the palace gate, Frey was leaning against the wall by the side door, waiting for her.

When she saw Sophia come out, her gaze lingered on Sophia's face for a moment, and she immediately read something from her expression, but she didn't ask any further questions.

"Come on, I'll take you back."

Sophia nodded and followed behind her.

Then, Frey raised her hand and tore open a spatial rift, and a ghostly blue light spread out.

Sophia walked to the crack, glanced back at the magnificent palace behind her, and then stepped inside.

The spatial fluctuations dissipated, the cracks closed, and the courtyard returned to tranquility.

That very night, the old emperor peacefully closed his eyes in his bedchamber.

The priests of the Vatican and the royal physicians arrived at the scene immediately, but it was too late.

The old emperor passed away without any pain, and even had a faint smile on his face.

Three days later, Leo ascended the throne and was officially crowned as the eighth emperor of the Delos Empire.

The funerals of the two emperors were extremely grand, with representatives from almost every country on the continent coming to pay their respects.

The coffin was personally escorted by the Royal Knights, departing from the palace and passing through the main streets of the capital, lined with people who had come to pay their respects.

The people were very sad, because in their eyes, this old emperor was definitely a great ruler.

As for Sofia, she did not attend the funeral because it was unnecessary; she had already seen the old emperor off on his final journey.

But that afternoon, Frey still sent her a message.

"The old man has already been buried. The ceremony was presided over by the Vatican and was of a very high standard. Don't worry."

After reading the message, Sophia murmured to herself.

"Take a good rest, but my mission has not yet begun."

Life goes on; one cannot remain stagnant forever.

About half a month after the old emperor's death, another piece of news came from the capital.

That was when Vic, along with his princess wife, quietly left the capital one morning in an ordinary carriage.

He didn't say goodbye to anyone.

No, he did greet Sophia, but he didn't greet the rest of the Empire.

Sophia received the message while she was preparing medicine in the pharmacy lab.

After listening to Vic's message, she remained silent for a moment, then smiled.

She picked up her communication magic item and replied.

"Okay, then have fun."

Vic replied quickly.

"Don't worry, but you, don't actually turn into a woman completely, or I'll have a hard time talking to you next time we meet."

Sophia laughed and cursed, then turned off the communication.

The Delos Empire thus entered the era of Emperor Leo.

Meanwhile, in the distant Abyss of Desire, the atmosphere in the purple palace floating in the void was rather tense.

Lilith lay reclining on the large bed, her long purple hair scattered around the pillow, one hand supporting her chin, the other casually playing with the strands of hair hanging down to her chest.

A giant mirror floated in the void before her.

She looked at it for a while, then raised her hand and gently brushed it away. The image in the mirror scattered into specks of light and disappeared into the air.

Her gaze fell on the woman kneeling in front of the bed.

Flora, the master of the Temple of Desire.

"It failed."

Lilith's voice remained languid, but beneath that languidness lay something that sent chills down one's spine.

"A plan that had been in preparation for more than 20 years was completely ruined overnight."

Flora lowered her head, her voice calm and respectful.

"It is my dereliction of duty, please punish me, Master."

Lilith looked at her calm and composed demeanor and suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter echoed in the empty hall, carrying an indescribable meaning.

"Punishment?"

She tilted her head.

"What's the point of punishing you? What's done is done, and punishing you won't restart the mission."

And so the days went by.

Sophia buried her sadness deep inside and focused all her attention back on pharmacology.

For the rest of the time, she attended classes during the day and spent her evenings in the lab.

Her potion-making skills improved rapidly. Under Evelyn's guidance, she was able to make level three potions in less than six months, and she immediately began trying to reach level four.

Evelyn remained as kind to her as ever, but maintained just the right distance.