So I've come a long way from being just one more girl with some powers, uh? I have a huge responsibility now that I didn't really get to choose if I wanted to or not. To many, the thought of suddenly becoming a princess and having all this political power would sound like the culmination of their lives, but to me, it feels like a massive weight I can barely hold on to.

I suppose my hunger for power is a little lackluster, or maybe I'm not a natural leader. After all, whatever the case may be, the reality of things can't be changed now. The Queen's Crown has chosen me to be the next in line for the throne, and that obviously comes with a big stack of responsibilities.

For starters, I have got to get my footing right and also stop fucking around with my lack of commitment to controlling this power given to me. All this time, I've tried to take accountability for my actions, but I guess in the end, I always keep thinking it's all a big joke or a dream that has no meaning, but this is real.

If I am to become Queen one day, I must learn to wield power and also how to hold my ground like a professional would. So far, my tough guy act seems to do the trick, but what will happen when someone gives me some pushback? I've never had to deal with that, but it's bound to happen; what will I do then?

Unlike Julius, I don't find it satisfactory or like the idea of beating people up into submission; I want people to respect me for what I am, not because they're afraid I will beat the shit out of them for ridiculous reasons, like a delusional emperor.

I wish to be a good ruler who has the power to set boundaries while also not being entirely dependent on violence to resolve issues with my fellow leaders. I wish to be like those kings and leaders from books and legends, the legendary ones who know how to win people over and command so much respect that people are willing to die for them.

The level of commitment this will take from me is intense, and in so many ways, it sounds like pure hell, but it's what a good leader should be like. I mean, just look at Auri. The guy is clearly still hurt from the fight with me, but he still goes out there to the little towns to help in any way he can; no wonder his people would be willing to die in some sort of crusade.

Will I be able to command the same level of respect and loyalty from the witches I'm supposed to be the princess of? I do not know, but I will give them every reason to do so. If Auri truly means his words, I shall get to work once we return from the meeting to make a haven for witches here.

Something still bugs me, however, something about that gray man and that other crazy chick that showed up out of nowhere. How come they didn't show up when Julius was raiding our forest? Why didn't that guy who clearly could stand up to Julius do so back then?

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Could it be that they used to be friends? Or am I overthinking it too much? I don't know, but something feels a little odd in that part. One thing is pretty straightforward, however: whoever controls the actions of those guys is clearly someone uber-strong.

The Witch Queen was already in another league compared to me; I mean, she literally created another river with her single shot attack that missed Julius back then, and the blast at the end was so powerful it destroyed an entire mountain. I doubt I can even do that even at my current max, but the Queen did it with ease.

Yet at the end, Julius beat her up so badly it didn't matter how strong she was already, she couldn't even land a punch on the guy, and now me this last time, I got my ass whopped so severely I only lived because he wanted to keep me alive long enough to really punish me. If he wanted to, he could've killed me with a single strike, no doubt about it.

Still, I can't help but feel like I have a fair shot against him now that I have got this thing with me, as well as the knowledge of that darkness shrine encased underground in the Witch Forest as well as many other legends about other ports of power hidden within this world.

The dark power I've been using is but a minor amount of leaking power from all those sealed ports; if I get access to oven one of those wells, I doubt even Julius will be able to stop me. If it's at all possible, my goal should be to try and get access to the one near the Witch Kingdom since it's the one I have complete knowledge of right now.

According to the legend, this power is corrosive and corrupts every soul that ever comes into contact with, and I can atone for that since it has taken over me and desires nothing but pure chaos and destruction, but perhaps that is why I am supposed to be the fated one.

I have another source of power that also grows and has a huge amount of potential to counteract the corrosive nature of dark energy. I am talking about holy magic, of course. Holy magic granted me the skill to resist mind control, which counteracts the dark corrosion.

My only fear with this is that I still don't know if my holy power and skills will be enough to subdue an entire station of dark power. I mean, I have been basically running on fuel fumes. Yet holy power still struggles just with these little remnants. I really doubt my mind will survive going against that much dark power, which is why I can't just break into one and hope it will all go well.

Suppose I do something as dumb as that, I will for sure go berserk and start killing everything and everyone without discretion. At least I will go on a rampage until some god beats me up and erases me from existence, which would be a bad ending to my story if I wish to grow stronger, I must polish my holy magic skills first since that seems to be the key to controlling all that abyssal power.

Since I obtained two holy titles with ease, will I be able to gain the other five if I try hard enough? There is literally one way to find out. From today on, I shall refrain and keep calmer to check if I can get the virtue of patience. I shall also avoid rage outbursts and see if that does anything.