Chapter 1780: Preparation
Shara changed into a new dress. Earlier, she had been wearing a somewhat extravagant set of clothes, fitting for a person attempting to become the Emperor.
But now that she was going to have to fight, she had to change into something more appropriate for the occasion.
Mari helped her dress, and a few of the female soldiers that had come with them helped her wear light armors on her body.
She wasn’t a strong person who could wear heavy metal armors, so she had to go with the light ones. Besides, as a spear fighter, she needed flexibility anyway.
She wanted to take her golden spear, but instead, Ning gave her his black and red spear.
The golden spear had the ability to teleport back once thrown. However, with a Reaper, Ning feared that they could steal the connection between her and the spear, making it their own.
His spear, however, wasn’t an artifact. It was a different thing entirely, created by the system. It also had the ability to compound momentum the longer it was in motion, allowing for a strong attack. And it could heal the user a bit based on how much blood they drew from their opponent.
Ning could see this coming very handy in the battle, much more than the golden spear.
Shara stayed in the carriage after changing, waiting for the time to pass. She took a deep breath, as it all depended on this one thing.
She pulled out the dagger strapped to her ankle. "I don’t think I’ll need this, right?" she asked. "These powers don’t work on Reapers anyway."
Ning nodded. "They don’t," he said. "But keep it anyway. It’s just another weapon for you to use."
Shara thought for a moment and nodded, placing the dagger back on her ankle.
"You must be nervous," Mari said. "I can’t imagine how you’re feeling."
"I am," Shara said. "Of course I am. How could I not be?"
Ning looked down at her arms, holding down her leg from shaking. She was going to fight to the death against 3 Reapers who had grown in war. This was going to be a terrible battle for her.
And yet, she had to fight.
For the sake of the citizens of this country, she had to fight.
She began fidgeting and went over the weapons she had. The spear, the dagger, and...
She reached for the necklace against her chest. She pulled it out, the concealment talisman.
"What do I do with this?" she asked. "Do I wear it? I don’t think it will hide me when they are only searching for me."
"It will hide you," Ning said. "It will let the others fight each other first. You can deal with the remaining one in the end."
Shara nodded, keeping the talisman.
She fidgeted around for a bit before looking at Ning. "Are you really married?" she asked.
"I am," Ning said. "The scroll doesn’t lie."
Shara raised an eyebrow. "How come you never told me?" she asked. "I thought you were still only 18."
"You should know not to judge me by my looks by now," Ning said. "I’m much, much older than I look."
Shara had guessed as much. But him being married still caught her off guard.
"Do you really have a wife?" she asked.
"Yes," Ning said. "And a daughter too."
"What?" Shara’s eyes widened, and so did Mari and the other women in there. They could barely imagine Ning married, and now he said that he had a daughter as well.
"How old?" Shara asked.
Ning smiled. "I’ll let you figure that out on your own," he said. "Become the Empress and I’ll bring my daughter to meet you."
Shara looked down. "I hope I can become one."
Ning looked at her nervous attitude and wondered if he should say what he had in mind or not. He had thought it would be a good idea to keep the information with him for a long time, but it seemed he might have to do so now.
Ning turned toward Mari and the other women that were in the carriage with them. "Can you give us some privacy for a minute?"
Mari and the other women looked at Ning and nodded. They walked out.
"Is she dressed?" Matthew asked Mari as she walked out.
"Yes, she’s ready," Mari said. "Ning just wants to talk to her."
"About what?" Matthew asked.
Mari shrugged. "He’s probably trying to calm her down. I can’t imagine being in her spot right now. The weight of the world is on her shoulders right now."
Matthew nodded. "I’ve contacted a few of my superiors and have relayed the information of what is happening. They are looking forward to her becoming the Empress so all of this decades-long war can finally come to an end."
Mari sighed and nodded. The war had taken a lot from her as well. Her father and brother had been in the war, but they were killed just because her brother was a Reaper.
Her family was executed on the lie that her father and brother had defected, when in fact nothing of that sort had happened. She wanted revenge against that, against the empire that brought that to her.
And yet, the Emperor who had done such a heinous crime had died just 2 weeks ago.
’I wish I could see the look on his face as he died,’ she thought, but the chance was gone.
She took a deep breath, letting those thoughts stray away from her head. The carriage door opened just then, and she turned, hoping to see Shara who was much calmer now.
However, what she saw was different from what she expected.
Shara had stopped being nervous, but instead of being calm, she now seemed way too serious. Her face was far too rigid, as if trying to contain the hurricane of emotions going through inside of her.
Mari looked toward Ning who walked out. "What did you say to her?" she asked.
Ning sighed and simply replied, "The truth."