I watched as Emilia disappeared from the hall with a complicated expression.
Actually, this result is much better than I expected. Even though the final result is a bit troublesome, it's a fact that Emilia took one step back.
Immortals are stubborn, and the older they are the most stubborn they become.
This kind of being doesn't change their minds easily unless they are beaten to death or they experience a disastrous failure.
And even then, sometimes that is not enough to make them change their minds.
Once they decide on something, they will resort to any means to achieve it.
Emilia is the same. As an Immortal who achieved Immortality just to accompany me through eternity, her only desire is that I answer her determination in the same way.
However, the problem is that I reset my memories every time I start a new life, leaving behind only information about the life I lived.
Thus, when Emilia finally appeared before me, I did not have any idea who she was.
To me, she was just an unknown Immortal that seemed to know me from somewhere.
Actually, if things would have continued like that, then perhaps we would have eventually gotten a happy ending together.
Unfortunately, when Emilia found me, I had already started a new life.
I had forgotten her, and I had gotten a new family.
To Emilia, who spent an unknown amount of time in a lonely and empty place to attain Immortality just to be beside me, it was a betrayal.
Then, tragedy struck.
Filled with anger, Emilia attacked. In her mind, the reason I forgot her was that I had gotten a new family, so she just needed to destroy it.
However, there was no way I could allow that.
Thus, we fought.
We fought fiercely, causing the destruction of several worlds until I finally understood the situation.
But by then, it was too late.
My battle against Emilia had destroyed the world where I had built my new family, and even though I understood Emilia's circumstances, I felt nothing but anger towards her.
Even so, I could not bring myself to kill her, so instead, I sealed her.
But when Emilia escaped the seal, the situation repeated.
I fought her several times, causing the deaths of my family in several lives, thus, I was unable to bring myself to accept her love.
I did not hate her, though. Every time I reincarnate, I forget the feelings I had towards the people of my previous life. However, I always keep my memories about Emilia.
But due to our bad start, it's very hard for me to accept her feelings.
This time, though, it is a great opportunity.
If I fuse my soul with Emilia, we will finally be able to reach an understanding.
However, even now, Emilia can't stand the fact that other women took her place beside me.
That is the reason why I'm surprised by her proposal this time. Because this time, Emilia decided to give the girls a chance.
If they manage to defeat her, then she will accept their place beside me.
I took a deep breath and calmed down my emotions. It looks like I will have to work hard for the next month.
"Claus, who is she? How do you know her?"
"Yeah, why does she call you dad, brother-in-law?"
Louise and Claire asked one after another.
I smiled wryly and explained to the girls the situation.
When they finished listening to my explanation, the girls were agape.
"Do you mean that she is an Immortal as well!? And she is the Blood Empress!? The one that unified the Beastkin Alliance!?" Dina asked surprised.
"It's her."
"So she is an Immortal, huh. Her aura was terrifying." Headmistress Evelyn said with a frown.
She and the other girls felt Emilia's power first-hand. Even if they had become stronger after I gave them a bit of my power, they were still too weak to face her.
Even Rave and Rose, the strongest among my women, were nothing but ants in front of Emilia.
Fortunately, they did not need to fight her.
"Don't worry. Emilia said that she won't participate in the war directly. If I'm not wrong, she will use this month to raise a group of powerful subordinates and use them to confront you."
"That is good." Headmistress Evelyn sighed in relief. She did not want to face that monster.
However, I did not agree with her.
"Don't underestimate Emilia's abilities. Even if she won't fight you personally, the group of subordinates that she raises will be extremely strong. If you are not careful, you could be defeated.
"Emilia won't care about the well-being of her subordinates, so she will resort to any means to increase their strength, even shortening their life span. One month later, she will have created a group of monsters whose only purpose is to defeat you."
The expressions of the girls became serious.
They could feel from my words that I was not completely confident in their victory. And in truth, I was not.
You must never underestimate an Immortal. If she managed to raise a subordinate to the level of a relatively strong Irregular, the girls' chances of victory will be very low.
If the girls are unlucky, then this battle will be over just after the first clash.
But when the girls saw the concern and seriousness in my face, their pride was stimulated.
"Claus, you don't think that we will lose to that girl, right?"
"Yeah, as your women, how can we let her make fun of us? Hmph, she is just a loser jealous because you love us more than her. Your Highness, trust us. We will defeat her."
"Don't worry, brother, we will win."
"Didn't you say that I'm the hero? Then I won't have trouble defeating the small fry that she sends to us!"
Hearing Dina, Daisy, Raven, and Rose's words, I chuckled softly.
"Then get ready. We have one month before the war starts. During this month, I'm going to turn you into powerful powerhouses.
"It's time to start the training."