Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

As her hand touched its surface, the pearl glowed faintly to answer her call.

The Mermaid Princess then took three steps back and looked at the pearl, as if waiting for something.

Half a minute later, the image of a beautiful lady with deep blue hair and eyes appeared on the pearl.

"Illumina, have you made preparations for your people to evacuate your Kingdom?" Princess Wilhelmina asked.

"I did," Illumina replied. "Those who wished to leave were granted permission to do so. They will be escorted by a fifth of our Kingdom\'s Army tomorrow."

"How about you?" Princess Wilhelmina inquired. "Why don\'t you evacuate with them as well? As long as you and your older brother survive, the Kingdom of Saphirus will live on."

Princess Illumina shook her head. "I can\'t leave. The moment I do, the evacuees will be targeted by the watchers and the spies who were tasked to monitor my movements. My family also plans to make a stand."

"You already know that you can\'t defeat King Oceanus, don\'t you?" Princess Wilhelmina frowned. "So why are you still being stubborn? They plan to catch you alive and humiliate you by making you become that bastard Baltic\'s bed warmer.

"I\'m sure they will also capture your family and take them as hostages to make sure that you won\'t defy them in the future."

"Thank you, Wilhelmina," Illumina said with a smile. "You are a true friend. Unfortunately, I can\'t abandon my duty as the Protector of Saphirus."

A long, deep sigh escaped Princess Wilhelmina\'s lips before shaking her head helplessly.

"You know that I can\'t defy them," Princess Wilhelmina stated. "This means that the next time we meet, we will be enemies."

"I know," Illumina replied. "Just remember this, Wilhelmina. Regardless of what happens, you are still a friend of mine."

"Don\'t die, okay?" Princess Wilhelmina glared. "If you do, I will steal your Promised One. I know where to find him."

"That won\'t happen." Illumina smiled with confidence. "He\'s the man I chose. That\'s my territory. You\'re not allowed to touch him. Also, since we\'re friends, I will tell you this. Even if you specialize in defense, Ethan can penetrate you without fail."

Princess Wilhelmina blinked once then twice before tilting her head.

For some reason, she felt that there was something wrong with her friend\'s statement.

"… He can penetrate my defenses?" Princess Wilhelmina asked.

"Yes," Illumina answered. "He can penetrate you."

"Why do you make it sound so dirty?"

"That\'s just you being green-minded."

Princess Wilhelmina scoffed. "The last time I checked, my hair wasn\'t color green."

"That\'s right." Illumina smirked. "Only that b*tch Ariel has green-colored hair."

"So what you\'re saying is that she will be penetrated by your man?" Princess Wilhelmina chuckled.

Since her friend was messing with her earlier, she decided to return the favor.

Illumina sneered. "She\'s not worthy."

The two exchanged a knowing glance with each other before giggling at the same time.

Right now, they talked to each other like friends. But in less than twelve days, the two of them would face each other on the battlefield, and neither of them would be laughing.

***

A sigh escaped Illumina\'s lips after her talk with Princess Wilhelmina ended.

She then walked toward her balcony, observing the kingdom that served as her home for the past hundreds of years.

Mermen and mermaids busied themselves either in preparation for war or to prepare for their evacuation.

A third of the Kingdom\'s population decided to evacuate, yet Illumina was happy to see them go.

She understood that once the armies of the other Ocean Races arrived in their Kingdom, a blood bath would ensue. If it could be helped she didn\'t want her people to be part of it.

Illumina had already prepared herself for the worst case scenario.

She would not allow herself to be humiliated.

Although she found it regretful, she would not hesitate to burn her life force, and detonate herself to bring down the leaders of the Great Plan.

Suddenly, the image of a handsome teenage boy, with long blue hair and blue eyes, appeared in her mind.

Her face softened a bit at the thought of her Promised One, whom she had met hundreds of years ago.

She had been waiting to reunite with him for a very long time. Unfortunately, it seemed that fate had other plans for her.

"If only I knew that this would happen in the future, I would have been bolder back then," Illumina muttered. "Maybe, things would have ended differently…"

After reminiscing those wonderful memories of their time together in the Lands of Alastor, Illumina felt something warm spread inside her chest.

Back then, if she was only a little more courageous, they would have probably joined as one, consummating the promise of hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, there were no if\'s in the world.

It had already happened, and she couldn\'t return to the past to change things.

"Lord Arariel, Lady Celestia, Lord Lleu—if you can hear me, please tell Ethan that I love him," Illumina knelt as she prayed. "Also, please protect my people who have chosen to leave the Kingdom of Saphirus. As long as they are alive, our kingdom will live on inside their hearts."

After finishing her prayer, Illumina returned to her room and opened the chest where her Battle Regalia was stored.

Hundreds of years had passed since she had last gone to the battlefield and fought on the side of the Ocean Races.

But now, she was about to fight against them.

The irony made her smile bitterly.

However, she knew that there were things that people held sacred.

People who were worth dying for.

The Kingdom of Saphirus had stood for hundreds of years, and she would not allow it to fall in her generation.

"Bring it on, Oceanus," Illumina said as her eyes glowed faintly with power. "Let\'s see if you can act arrogant after this battle ends."