Blackthorn City, the heart and metropolis of the Kingdom of Black Rose, was home to more than two million residents and spanned over ten thousand square miles of land.
It was by far the largest city in the entire Kingdom of Black Rose, making all other settlements in the kingdom look like backwater villages.
From a distance, the metropolis looked like a great forest of black thorns due to its countless black spire witch towers standing tall and towering over the land. Their tips drew in the pure mana from the atmosphere like vacuums, forming a whirlpool of the mana that looked like flower petals.
Nevertheless, none of the black spire witch towers could compare to the one in the center of the metropolis, standing thrice as tall and possessing over a hundred and fifty floors.
The grand building seemingly piercing into the clouds was called the Blackthorn Tower, owned by the ruler of the land, the Transcendent Witch of Black Rose, Henrietta Rosegarden.
Numerous platforms extended out of the Blackthorn Tower like thorny branches. At the same time, many magic airships of varying designs could be seen docked on them.
Ember Killian’s magic airship descended and docked onto one of the empty platforms on the higher floors after it reached Blackthorn City.
Shortly after, Astoria Braveheart and everyone disembarked with their captives.
At the same time, a group of Peak-stage True Witches came forward to inspect the magic airship and perform maintenance.
…
Meanwhile, on Blackthorn Tower’s top floor, a seemingly young lady of peerless beauty stood by the edge of the balcony of her room, staring into the distant north.
She had long, soft, and silky black hair that fluttered in the wind, deep black eyes like the starry skies, a turned-up nose, and a fair complexion. While her body was petite, she wore a loose black silk dress that revealed much of her flawless and smooth back without a single blemish.
Although she had a small figure, her presence was overwhelming—No, transcendental. No one would underestimate her simply because she looked younger than others. After all, she had lived over three hundred years.
She was the Transcendent Witch of Black Rose and the Black Rose Kingdom’s ruler, Henrietta Rosegarden.
Since the opening of the Gehenna Realm, which blessed the world with mana and awakened witches, Henrietta had retained the appearance of a sixteen-year-old girl.
Nevertheless, the moment Ember Killian’s magic airship entered the domain of the black metal city, Henrietta’s deep black eyes flickered, having detected their arrival in that instance.
“Astoria is back again?” Henrietta softly muttered.
Shortly after staring into the distant north for a bit longer, she waved her hand.
In that instance, black mana seeped out and weaved around her body, forming black pieces of armor that fused with her black satin silk dress and became a black battle dress that protected all of her vitals.
She left the room right after, heading to the Great Hall to receive her visitor.
…
Inside the Blackthorn Tower’s Great Hall, Astoria Braveheart patiently waited for the ruler of the witch kingdom to arrive, knowing the person was already aware of her arrival.
On the other hand, Ember Killian had separated from her. She had left to rally troops for the upcoming punitive expedition in Red Goblin Mountains.
Nevertheless, Astoria didn’t need to wait long.
However, That only lasted until Henrietta suddenly pounced on Astoria and sunk her face into her soft chest while embracing her intimately.
“Why have you come back, Astoria?” Henrietta asked with a smile, treating Astoria as one of her closest sisters.
“I got something to give you, Your Majesty,” Astoria stated before taking out the Book of Solomon Raphna and handing it over. “I hope you can approve this publication and grant Vaan Raphna the title of Solomon.”
Once Henrietta saw the name, her happy expression immediately turned solemn, affecting the mood in the hall. As a transcendent being, her every emotion could even affect her surroundings.
“Solomon Raphna…” Henrietta frowned and firmly said, “You rarely ask me for anything, but I cannot approve of this.”
“Solomon represents the highest academic authority. It’s not something that can be used lightly, even if it’s just a name for a book. As for granting Vaan Raphna the Solomon title, that is even more out of the question.”
“Unless that person’s research is groundbreaking to the point that it could alter the tide of war against the demons, none of the other Transcendent Witches will approve it,” Henrietta added.
“I knew you would say. Just give it a read, and you will understand, Your Majesty,” Astoria insisted.
Henrietta fell silent for a moment, noticing how much importance Astoria placed on the book—No, the person?
Solomon was too much of an exaggeration, but this Vaan Raphna witch must be very impressive!
‘Fine. Since it’s coming from you, this book must have some value,’ Henrietta stated.
Shortly after, she flipped the book open and started with a casual look as if she was only going to skim it. But alas, she fell right for the book’s charms.
Her gaze turned serious, completely absorbed in reading. Her long eyelashes fluttered with insights from time to time, and her reading pace increased drastically.
Sometime later, Henrietta closed the book with a sigh after reaching the end.
“I can understand why you are so insistent, Astoria. This is indeed a very impressive collection of research,” Henrietta admitted.
“However, it’s still not enough to sway the other Transcendent Witches into approving the title grant. At most, I can approve this person for the title of Venerable Sage and allow for the mass publication of this book to be generalized as the standard of education for every academy in the kingdom.”
“That being said, you still need to get the approval of six other High Witches holding the headmaster position. Otherwise, Vaan Raphna’s status as a Venerable Sage won’t be official, Astoria,” Henrietta reminded shortly after.
“I understand, Your Majesty. Just getting your acknowledgment and permission is enough,” Astoria replied before adding, “I firmly believe that the other headmasters will also approve once they give the book a read.”
“Probably,” Henrietta smiled before clapping her hands.
“Alright, now that the serious talk is out, why don’t you tell me more about Vaan Raphna? Where have you been hiding this talented witch all this time, Astoria? This isn’t a small accomplishment that could have been achieved within a short time.”
“Is she your secret successor? Did you add your research in hopes of helping her get a strong headstart in life?” Henrietta speculated.
“Vaan Raphna… isn’t a witch, Your Majesty. He’s… a man,” Astoria corrected after some thought.
Henrietta’s mind quickly went blank for several moments, thinking she may have heard wrong before she asked, “Can you say that again?”
“Vaan Raphna is a man, Your Majesty,” Astoria repeated.
“This… What is going on here?” Henrietta furrowed her small brows with confusion before demanding, “Explain everything to me, Astoria.”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” Astoria complied.
Shortly after, she recounted everything she knew about Vaan Raphna to Henrietta, including the involvement of Istana Gleriath and the Assembly of Silent Night.