Frontline Empress

As the chants of "OPHELIA! OPHELIA!" shook the air, a swirl of red light appeared at the edge of the balcony. The light expanded into a portal, its edges shimmering with unstable energy, before closing as swiftly as it had appeared. From within stepped out Royal Attendant Stegertath, his robes slightly askew and his normally meticulous hair falling loosely over his forehead.

He paused just inside the balcony, taking in the roaring crowd and the smoldering remains of Jenna still flickering with blue flames. His dark eyes settled on Ophelia, standing tall and commanding at the balcony's edge, her presence as unshakable as the Empire she represented.

"You—" 

"I was getting worried she might have killed you," Ophelia murmured. "It seems I worried for nothing." 

"You set this up from the beginning. I read her memories, Ophelia. You were the one that freed her from my contract. You cannot hide anything," He snarled. 

"I cannot hide anything from you or the people on this balcony, but the mass?" She lightly smiled. "The body that makes up your empire now sees me as a hero. However, is that really a bad thing?" 

Ophelia turned sharply, her movements precise, as the weight of her presence shifted from the crowd below to the figures gathered on the balcony. Her piercing gaze fell on the Holy Knights assembled in formation, their postures rigid yet trembling under the suffocating pressure that still lingered in the air. 

Their heads bowed deeply, first toward the council members and Royal Attendant Stegertath, then to Ophelia herself. The metallic clinking of their armor betrayed the tension coursing through them, a fear they could not suppress despite their discipline.

Without a word, Ophelia began to stride forward. The knights instinctively parted, forming a path as she passed through their ranks. Her presence silenced even their breathing, and the faint swish of her dress filled the void as though marking each heartbeat of her dominion.

"I believe it is time we discuss my territory." 

Before entering the tunnel, she took one last fading glance up at where the Emperor was once standing.

'Poor thing,' She thought to herself.

… 

[You have rallied an entire Empire behind you]

[You have been granted the title of Duchess]

[A new section of your status has been unlocked]

[A new section of your status has been unlocked]

The throne room was vast and imposing. At its center stood a singular, elevated throne, where the Emperor sat, his posture straight, his expression unreadable. Beside him stood Royal Attendant Stegertath, his hands clasped neatly in front of him.

To the sides of the room, six council members were seated, their chairs arranged in two parallel lines of three on either side. The air was heavy, the silence thick with anticipation.

As Ophelia dismissed the panels in front of her with a flick of her fingers, she saw Archbishop Igmach get up from his seat and walk towards her. Upon arriving right in front of her, he clasped his hands together and began to pray in a language nobody in the room could understand… well, except for Ophelia. 

'As expected of an Archbishop,' Ophelia thought to herself. 'He is more fluent than me…'

As Archbishop Igmach's chant resonated softly in the silent throne room, a beam of light descended, piercing through the ceiling above. It struck Ophelia in the center of her forehead with precision. Her head tilted upward, her expression unreadable as the light enveloped her momentarily. The brilliance of the beam faded as quickly as it had come, leaving no mark but changing the room's atmosphere entirely.

Suddenly, the silence deepened. 

The weight in the air shifted. 

Everyone's heartbeat quickened, but this time, the source of the pressure was not Ophelia. It came from the Emperor. Rising from his throne, he looked at Ophelia—truly looked at her. For the first time since she had entered this chamber, his gaze carried an actual conscious, an actual ego, cutting through the distance between them.

As the Emperor stepped forward, a wave of crushing pressure radiated outward, enveloping the entire throne room. The force struck everyone in its path. Ophelia, who had always stood unyielding, felt her legs buckle. Despite her unbreakable mental defenses, her body betrayed her. She dropped to her knees, her hands gripping the cold stone floor. Around her, council members, attendants, even the steadfast Archbishop Igmach, all fell. The room reverberated with silence broken only by shallow, strained breaths.

Ophelia's mind fractured under the weight of the moment. Thoughts surged like a storm, erratic and uncontrollable.

'He is supposed to be unresponsive until twenty years from now. So, why now? The Emperor... he is not supposed to move. Why is he coming toward me? Did I miscalculate something? But I couldn't have foreseen this, right? Was it the Archbishop? Did he trigger this, or was it my response? Did the system activate something within me, or within him? What if it's not about me at all, but... no, it has to be me. He's looking directly at me. What does that mean? Does he know something I don't? Is this punishment? A test? A warning? But for what? For claiming my title? For inciting the masses? For being too ambitious? Too visible? No, it can't be. He was watching even before the chants.'

Her chest heaved as more questions flooded her in less than a second.

'What do I do if he speaks? Do I respond? Bow? Kneel lower? Stand? Standing isn't an option, not with this weight. What does he want? Does he want my loyalty? My resignation? My life? No, he wouldn't kill me here—not after the Empire has rallied behind me. Would he? He could, couldn't he? One gesture, one word, and I'd be erased. How do I stop that? Can I stop that? But why stop it? What if this is an opportunity? What if he's testing my resolve, my capacity to handle pressure, to lead under impossible circumstances? But what if he's testing my subservience? What if standing up is seen as defiance, but staying down is weakness?'

The thoughts collided, crashing over one another, spiraling further.

'Think, Ophelia, think! What happens next? If he speaks, I have to listen carefully. If he moves closer, I have to watch every step. Every movement matters. Every gesture. I can't miss anything. But if he doesn't speak, what do I do? Do I speak first? Would that be bold or foolish? Does he expect silence or submission? Submission might be safer. Or is it a trap? What if this entire moment is designed to test who I am, who I've become? No, that's just paranoia talking. Or is it exactly what's happening? What does the Empire expect of me now? They saw me as a hero moments ago. If I falter here, will they turn against me? Will they think I'm weak? Will I lose everything I've built in one moment of hesitation? Or worse, one moment of arrogance? What if he's waiting for me to challenge him? But that's suicide. Isn't it?'

For so long, plans outside of her plans didn't exist, however… Ophelia hadn't realized it yet, but her biggest enemy when it came to situations outside of something she had planned… was herself. 

"Congratulations," He gently smiled, his voice so raspy you would have thought he hadn't spoken a word his entire life.

"Huff… huff… huff…" Ophelia's chest rose and fell quickly as she choked on her own thoughts that clouded her mind even to this moment. However, she still managed to get something out. 

A single nod. 

[You have unlocked the Authority: Supreme Command]

The Emperor returned to his throne slowly, the crushing weight of his presence dissipating as he lowered himself into his seat. The instant he settled, his eyes became vacant, their piercing focus gone. He reclined as if he had never moved, his expression unreadable once more. 

The council members exchanged glances, their faces pale. Even Royal Attendant Stegertath, usually collected, seemed momentarily adrift. Archbishop Igmach clasped his trembling hands, his mouth moving in a silent prayer. 

No one dared to speak. However, the first person to collect their thoughts was Ophelia.

"If I may," she expressed while standing up, her legs still shaking, "may I ask you all something?"

Nobody really declined but nobody really accepted the condition either, so Ophelia proceeded.

"First, I must ask, what do you all think of the future of this Empire? In fact, what do you all think of the future of this world?" 

Ophelia felt as though she stood on the edge of a high cliff, staring down at a sea of diamonds shimmering below. She had a choice: take the leap, risking everything for the chance to grasp what lay beneath or turn back, staying safe but unchanged in her current state.

This mirrored her situation now. Speaking her mind carried the very real possibility of angering those around her—people with the power to end her life and erase any trace of the act. Yet, as she reflected on her past, the patterns of survival and calculated risks that had brought her this far, a deep conviction settled within her. The leap didn't feel like a reckless gamble anymore. Instead, it felt like a calculated step toward something greater, a future where the diamonds wouldn't crush her under their weight but would instead catch her, lifting her to new heights.

Ophelia looked around the room, her eyes first landing on the Archmage Medarda, Kachi von Medarda. 

"What do you think?" Ophelia asked. 

"I think…" Her eyes drifted to the Emperor and back to the crazed woman in front of her. "Hmmmm… Are you speaking in terms of the up-and-coming war?" 

"No. The future of this Empire or world and how you will fit into it." 

"Then… I don't know… I've never really thought about it." 

"Yes, you have." 

"Huh?" Kachi lifted an eyebrow, surprised by the woman's sudden back-talk. "You're just a Duchess. Know your place," She snarled, her intrigued manner immediately flipping into an agitated one. 

"Many people have been telling me that, but that just shows me your answer. Same with you all," Ophelia announced, her eyes sweeping across the others within the room who had the same glaring expression. 

"What are you talking about?" Archbishop Igmach furrowed his eyebrows. 

Ophelia sighed before spreading her arms wide. "The measure of a man is what he does with power. The measure of a woman is what she does with power. The measure of someone or something is what they do with power. Am I incorrect?" 

"What are you trying to say?" Stegertath rubbed his chin, his expression more eased than the others. 

"You all have power. You all stand at the pinnacle of your respective groups. Mages, Knights, Priestmen, Assassins… yet what have you all done?" General Agueric was about to speak up but was soon hushed by Ophelia who continued her speech. "You all will say, you have led the Empire to a brighter future. You have inspired hundreds upon thousands upon millions of people. You all have come together to unify an entire Empire. Incredible. Truly incredible… at least in the eyes of the common folk."

Everybody felt a chill shoot down their spines, all of them instinctually leaning forward as if their very souls were priming themselves for the incoming knowledge. 

"HOWEVER! TO ME! YOU ALL ARE ARROGANT! DO YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE REACHED THE PEAK WHEN CLOUDS STILL HANG ABOVE YOU? DO YOU TRULY THINK THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO STRIVE FOR?" Ophelia's fists clenched as she gestured broadly. "UTTER ARROGANCE TO THINK YOU HAVE REACHED THE PINNACLE WHEN YOU RULE BUT A FRACTION OF THIS CONTINENT! THERE IS MORE TO CONQUER! MORE LIVES TO TRANSFORM! MORE POWER TO GRASP! YOU THINK ME ARROGANT, BUT DO NOT LUMP ME IN WITH THE LIKES OF YOU! MY AMBITION TRANSCENDS YOUR COMPLACENCY! I SEEK TO DOMINATE THE CONTINENT—THE WORLD—WHILE EARNING THE RESPECT AND LOYALTY OF THOSE WHO STAND UNDER MY BANNER! YOU SIT CONTENT WITH YOUR TITLES AND YOUR STALE POSITIONS. DO YOU NOT ASPIRE TO RISE HIGHER? OR HAVE YOUR DREAMS WITHERED AWAY UPON REACHING YOUR SUPPOSED PEAK?"

Everybody began to sweat except the Emperor who remained motionless. However, the unresponsive ghostly woman clinging to him grinned ever so slightly. 

"People tell me I do not know my place, yet I know it very well. I know my place in this world and that is at its peak. I want to reach it without sacrifice. I want to reach it without a loss. I want to reach it at my very best," She looked at every single figure in the room before her eyes swept to the ceiling. "I understand why people will call this arrogance, perhaps even foolish behavior… BUT WHEN YOU ARE THE PEAK! WHEN YOU ARE WHAT PEOPLE WILL STRIVE FOR IN THE FUTURE! WHAT WILL THEY SAY THEN!?"