"Thank you, Merlin. Thanks to you, I was finally able to make that decision."

In her study, Crystal bowed her head slightly toward Merlin, who was standing in front of her.

Merlin smiled faintly and shook his head. "It's okay, Your Majesty. Since it was your request, of course I had to do it. And besides, it didn't cause any negative consequences. So I don't mind helping you."

What happened in the throne room earlier was not solely Merlin's doing but happened with Crystal's approval.

The Seven Celestial Generals were a precious treasure belonging to the royal family.

Activating them required a lot of resources and, more importantly, the blood essence of the Tharot family.

One might wonder why Crystal didn't suggest it herself from the start.

Actually, it was related to the morale of the army and the ministers in the throne room.

Using the Seven Celestial Generals was a last resort—at least, that's what everyone believed.

Of course, if Crystal made that decision herself, it would make many people, including the ministers, think that the kingdom was on the verge of destruction.

With Merlin as the catalyst who proposed it, Crystal's decision didn't appear to be a completely desperate move.

Some would think that Crystal still had other options, when in reality she did not.

'Being a leader is exhausting,' Merlin muttered helplessly.

Fortunately, he never intended to be a leader.

In the future, the Clay family could be inherited by Catrine, while he stayed relaxed.

After all, whether it was him or Catrine, it made no difference.

They were a couple, and who became the leader was not important.

Crystal raised her head with a gentle smile.

Since her husband's death, she had worked hard to keep the kingdom stable, even though it was constantly under attack by Aldoria's forces.

If it weren't for her desire to preserve the kingdom, she would have long given up and handed over power to Gabriel Solayne.

But she knew that doing so would make her the most despicable leader remembered in history.

So she chose to fight until the end—even if it meant sacrificing her life.

"Oh, right," Crystal said, leaning back in her seat. "I want to ask for your help and your fiancée's help. I know this is rude, but the outcome of the war depends on it."

Merlin's expression turned serious. He nodded slowly and replied, "Speak, Your Majesty."

Crystal paused for a moment, slowly straightened her body, and looked deeply into his eyes.

"I want your fiancée to give a little of her blood essence to activate the Seven Celestial Generals. Is that… okay?"

"Luna's blood essence?" Merlin was slightly surprised.

"Yes." Crystal put on a helpless expression. "Activating the Seven Celestial Generals requires a lot of royal family blood essence. It just so happens that only my two sons and I are left."

"We do still have distant relatives, but their blood is no longer pure. Since your fiancée is a descendant of my son, Altarus, the Tharot family blood within her should still be well preserved."

Then she added confidently, "Don't worry, I don't need too much. And I will give compensation in return."

Merlin did not immediately accept it. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but this concerned Luna herself.

He and the girl were not truly in love. Their engagement was only based on an agreement between the two families.

Although their relationship had improved since entering the Grail, that didn't mean he could make decisions on a whim.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin looked at Crystal calmly and said, "That decision is not in my hands. But don't worry, I'll talk to Luna about it later. As for the outcome, you can only pray."

Crystal wasn't angry. She knew her request was unreasonable. She and Luna did have a family connection, but that was still far in the future.

Moreover, with all the changes Merlin and Luna had brought to her, she couldn't even guarantee whether Luna would actually be born in the future.

Crystal bowed her head and said, "Thank you."

***

Nighttime…

Luna lay on her bed, glancing at the window on the right side of her room.

The night sky looked much more beautiful than it did hundreds of years in the future.

'It's been almost three weeks since Merlin and I arrived in this era. Time really flies,' she muttered, pursing her lips.

At first, she had been very afraid and even thought they might not be able to return to their real world.

However, Merlin assured her that they could return if they helped the royal family of Avernia fight against the Kingdom of Aldoria.

What used to worry her so much now felt familiar, and she no longer felt afraid.

"But…" She buried her face in the blanket. "Because we were thrown into this world, Merlin and I have a much stronger bond than before."

When they first met, Merlin gave the impression of being relaxed, kind, and comfortable.

But when Merlin showed his cold side, that affection immediately disappeared.

Even so, Merlin was still a responsible person. When she was sick, he took care of her and nursed her back to health, though Luna often mocked or scolded him.

Slowly but surely, her resentment and hatred toward their engagement faded away little by little.

Until finally, after they were transferred to this world, their relationship grew closer, and Luna subconsciously began to have feelings for him.

"Ah! I'm so embarrassed! How could I have feelings for him?" Luna squirmed in embarrassment.

She wanted to deny these inexplicable feelings, but she knew it was impossible to lie to herself.

Every time she imagined that boy's handsome face, her heart raced.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she heard a knock on the door.

"Luna, it's me, Merlin. I have something important to talk about. Can I come in?"

Luna was startled. She quickly sat up and wrapped herself in the blanket.

"Come in, the door isn't locked."

The door slowly opened, and Merlin stepped inside. He saw Luna covering herself with a blanket and looked surprised.

"What happened to you?" he asked curiously.

Luna's face turned red, and she shook her head shyly.

"Nothing. Anyway, why are you looking for me?"

Merlin sat on the edge of the bed and replied, "It's about the war that's happening. Do you remember the Seven Celestial Generals I mentioned in the throne room this afternoon?"

"Yes, I remember." Luna nodded slightly. "Why are you suddenly bringing that up?"

The Seven Celestial Generals were precious artifacts belonging to the Tharot family. In the future, the artifacts were taken by the Royal Family of Aldoria and placed in their treasure room.

Since then, the Tharot family had lost those treasures, along with their Grail of Time and Royal Scepter.

"Actually…" Merlin began explaining the purpose of his visit.

Considering that his relationship with Luna had improved, he felt there was no need for pleasantries. He would let Luna decide for herself.

After hearing his explanation, Luna finally understood and nodded without hesitation.

"Is that all? Don't worry, I'll help, even if the Queen doesn't ask," Luna said confidently.

"Are you sure?" Merlin looked doubtful. "Though the Queen said she only needs a little from you, I can't guarantee she will keep her promise."

Luna was indeed Crystal's descendant, but compared to her two sons, Merlin was sure the Queen would value her children far more than Luna.

It wasn't impossible that Crystal might do something unexpected later.

It sounded excessive and suspicious, but that was just how Merlin was.

Crystal was still a stranger—at least to him. Since he didn't know her very well, he had to be careful.

"It's okay." Luna shook her head with a smile. "Blood is thicker than water, and I can feel the Queen's sincere affection. I'm sure she won't do that."

Merlin fell silent. Then he nodded and said, "All right, I understand. In that case, I'll inform Her Majesty about this."

Luna's smile widened. "Um! Thank you, Merlin."

"[Ding! The affection of the hero Luna Tharot has increased by 3 points! Current affection: 90 points (20)]"

...

Three days passed quickly. The war was nearing its end with the fall of various cities belonging to the Kingdom of Avernia.

All that remained was the last stronghold, located in the city of Dralmor.

The army led by Gabriel Solayne was heading toward the city to claim the ultimate victory.

Because of this news, the tension in the palace reached its peak. The ministers argued among themselves until they finally split into two sides.

Some asked for peace by surrendering to the forces of the Kingdom of Aldoria, while others chose to fight to the death.

They preferred to die rather than surrender. Faced with the conflict between the two camps, Crystal remained indifferent as usual.

Two days earlier, Merlin told her that many traitors had been placed in the palace by their enemies.

It was highly likely that there were spies from the Kingdom of Aldoria.

Therefore, she had conducted a large investigation over the past two days and found a lot of evidence pointing to several ministers.

Even so, she had no intention of attacking them.

The most important thing now was to maintain stability so she and her troops could do their best in facing the Aldorian Kingdom's attack later.

Two more days passed, and the Aldorian Kingdom's army, led by King Gabriel Solayne, finally arrived to begin the decisive battle.

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