Emma Watson

Emma Watson was originally a noble lady. Compared to nobles like Kerry, she was in a completely different league.

She was a noble of the Fagran Empire, the country with the largest land area, the most people, and the strongest army on the continent. Her father was a powerful Marquis, and his influence placed him in the third tier of the Empire's power structure.

She was a true noble, and her ancestral estate was larger than that of the Grand Dukes of many small kingdoms. She also commanded a powerful Cuirassier Knight Order.

Originally, Emma's life was like a fairy tale, waiting for a tall, handsome prince to marry her and make her a princess, or perhaps a prince would marry her to make her a royal consort. From then on, she would live a happy life without worries about food or clothing.

But fate is unpredictable. One afternoon, a large number of elite imperial guards stormed the powerful Marquis's mansion, surrounding it completely. They arrested everyone without reason, sparing no one – not the elderly, children, or women. All were taken away.

Her father was an 8th-level Sky Knight, and many of his subordinates were also Sky Knights. They had planned to escape by air, but it was clear the enemy had planned this meticulously.

A large number of Griffon Knights and many Sky Knights of level 5 and above filled the sky above the Marquis's mansion. Despite her father's fierce resistance, he was eventually captured.

Emma was shopping with her stepmother (the Marquis's third concubine) at the time. Her stepmother had some sense of crisis and, seeing the imperial Griffon Knights in the sky above their home, immediately took Emma and fled towards the outskirts of the city.

She knew a wandering mage who lived outside the city. She owed him a favor from a past chance encounter. Although she didn't know what had happened at home, it was better to be cautious. Fortunately, the city gates hadn't been closed yet, though she saw large numbers of soldiers rushing towards them. She estimated the city would be under martial law if they were any later.

The journey was relatively smooth. The first time Emma met Gandalf, he was sunbathing in his small courtyard. Gandalf was very weak; the great battle six months prior had significantly diminished his strength, and he was already planning to find a place to live out his remaining years in peace.

However, Emma's stepmother clearly disrupted his plans. It's hard to repay favors from powerful individuals. Upon learning the reason for Emma and her stepmother's visit, he quickly agreed to shelter them and wait for news from the city to understand the situation before making further plans.

What followed was the beginning of Emma's suffering. After half a month of anxiety, various rumors spread through the city. Some said Marquis Watson had colluded with enemy countries, others claimed he was guilty of corruption and bribery, and some even said he had been discovered having an affair with the Empress, leading the Emperor to confiscate his property and exterminate his clan.

However, according to more reliable information gathered by her stepmother, the Empire's foremost Grand Duke and Chancellor feared the Marquis's growing influence. To prevent Marquis Watson from disrupting the existing power of the other dukes, he colluded with several dukes who had economic or territorial disputes with Marquis Watson, taking preemptive action to eliminate his power and then dividing the spoils among themselves.

Emma's stepmother, Marquis Watson's third concubine, was not with Emma's father for money. She was also the daughter of a minor noble family; their union was purely out of love. The third concubine entrusted Emma to Gandalf and decided to sneak back into the city to lodge a complaint with the Emperor.

Before leaving, she cautioned that if she didn't return, Gandalf should take Emma and flee, as far as possible. The Emperor had not yet officially convicted Marquis Watson, which meant there was still a chance. If little Emma could become a great mage in the future, she might be able to save her family.

Emma attended the Empire's Royal Magic Martial Academy, but she wasn't diligent in her studies and was only a level 2 mage so far. If she had to flee the Fagran Empire this time, Gandalf could teach her magic.

Three days later, a light rain fell from the sky, occasionally mixed with sleet. Gandalf decided to set off to escape the Fagran Empire today, taking little Emma to Ionia. The magical atmosphere there was stronger, which would benefit her development. Moreover, he had many old acquaintances there and wanted to visit them.

Three days had passed, and her stepmother had not returned. Even though Emma was young, she guessed that the Emperor of Faglan might be involved in this affair. The only good news now was that there was still no news about her father's charges, but Emma had already resolved to become strong and return as a great mage to save her family.

She set off for Ionia with her newly recognized teacher, Gandalf. They could take an airship from the capital, as there were many airship routes to Ionia.

They could take a magic train to the imperial border, then cross the border and transfer to another train or a ship. There was also the option of taking a ship. Faglan's capital, Baron, was the largest port city on the continent, and there were quite a few cruise ships going directly to Ionia.

Unfortunately, according to Gandalf, while few people knew about the favor Emma's stepmother had done for him, many did. They had been staying on the outskirts of Baron, waiting for news, and three days was the limit. Someone might come to arrest them soon.

It was impossible for them to enter the city to take an airship, nor could they go to the port to take a ship. It was also best not to take the magic train located in the suburbs, as there were likely many guards waiting there to capture them.

In the end, the two could only travel by land to the nearest port city to see if they could find a ship to Ionia.

However, what they didn't know was that when the third concubine was arrested by the King, she had revealed the whereabouts of the escaped little princess, Emma, to ensure the safety of the people in the Marquis's mansion. She had stated that Emma had already embarked on her journey to Ionia to study magic.

The Emperor had not handled this matter cleanly. If Marquis Watson's family were to be convicted and executed now, Emma would undoubtedly become a powerful mage who would trouble the Empire and seek revenge in the future.

The Emperor certainly wasn't afraid of a mage seeking revenge on his empire. If he worried about such things, this country wouldn't even qualify as a duchy.

However, the Emperor had other concerns here. As the third concubine had said, this matter was not handled cleanly. They had finally managed to act when the important figures of the Marquis's mansion were all present, yet there was still a fish that slipped through the net. If this fish were an ordinary small fry, it would be fine. The Emperor could deal with the Marquis Watson family now. But this small fish had been taken to Ionia by a renowned old mage.

Therefore, this small fish had the potential to become a great white shark. Of course, the Empire was not afraid of great white sharks either. The problem was that if such a great creature exposed matters concerning Faglan, the entire world would listen. If he feared his subordinates becoming too powerful and preemptively suppressed the nobility, how would the thousands of nobles in the Empire think?

If they developed well, they would be suppressed; if they developed poorly, they would decline. Then who would remain a noble in Faglan? What would happen if all capable individuals fled to Ionia?

Ultimately, the Emperor of Faglan made a difficult decision: Marquis Watson would be dealt with quietly, and his assets would be confiscated.

If the escaped little princess became a great white shark, they would return her. After all, they had already seized the assets, and they wouldn't dare to return them. If she didn't become a great white shark, she would be imprisoned for life. Their objective had been achieved anyway, and they didn't lack the money for her meals.

This chapter contains a lot of background information that must be explained. If you don't like it, you can skip it.