349. The Childhood Episode – Completed

The Opfontis Castle was unbelievably busy as it dealt with two major tasks at once. The officials were overwhelmed, and the royal guards looked weary with bloodshot eyes.

One of the tasks was the upcoming departure ceremony for Prince Vivian. The Belita Kingdom had already declared war, and skirmishes were occurring at the borders.

The House of Isadora was committing all its resources to this war, with the king even personally mobilizing the army.

If Prince Vivian couldn’t recover from the humiliation he faced upon his return, it would jeopardize his claim to the throne.

So, they used all forms of lobbying to ensure Vivian got the position of Commander-in-Chief, securing a vote in the imperial council. Now, all he had to do was go against the House of Tatalia and extract a commensurate response.

However, contrary to the preparations that seemed to carry the fate of the nation, another side of the palace was buzzing with wedding preparations.

The Kyrgis Duke family, dividing the power of the Aisel Kingdom, was essentially giving the House of Isadora a middle finger, inviting influential local figures and encouraging the nobles who were supposed to fight in the war to attend the wedding instead.

It was only natural that hearts would lean more towards a banquet than a battlefield, making it hard for the House of Isadora to secure soldiers and resources.

Leah couldn’t understand the situation at all. She tossed her cards aside and murmured.

“Is it really okay for them to do that? What if everything goes to hell?”

“What do you mean?”

“With the wedding and the war… Even aside from the fact that people’s lives would be ruined, what if they lose the war? Everyone is going down together.”

“Oh yeah! I’m taking this one! 4567. Thanks to Leah, I’ve got it, haha!”

“Oh! Nice. Then I’ll put 3 and 8 on the sides… Oh right, I should eat first. I wasted it.”

“… Thank you.”

“Ah! Damn. I should have tossed something else. Barin’s oddly good at picking up scraps.”

As their card game continued to bounce back and forth, it seemed like the only one paying attention to Leah’s words was Reb.

It was Reb’s turn next, and he drew a card from the pile, took a look at the board, and tossed a card away to finish his turn.

“Well, you know, a country doesn’t just collapse easily, you see. Plus, the Kyrgis Duke family is maintaining a bit of balance.”

“Balance? What balance is that? They’re just obstructing us.”

“Hmm… Leah, are you just mad because you think the royal family and the duke family are harassing the citizens? You have no problem enjoying a game of cards, huh?”

“… What does card playing have to do with this?”

“Just like card games, wars aren’t fought alone. I passed.”

“Discard a 7? You’re just full, huh.”

The royal knight, Neil, commented. Discarding a 7 was unusual since it could be played on its own.

But Leah raised her eyebrows, realizing Reb’s intentions.

In this card game, players picked one card from the pile each turn and had to discard a card they were holding, aiming to get rid of their cards faster than others.

Each turn they drew one and discarded one, so the number of cards stayed the same, meaning they’d have to lay down cards on the board to reduce their hand.

Of course, there were rules; three cards of the same number, say 666, could be laid down regardless of their suit.

Or, if you had three or more consecutive cards of the same suit like 234, you could also lay them down. But since discarding and drawing the same card continually was too boring, additional rules were added for smoother play.

For instance, just like Neil and Barin did a moment ago, a player could swiftly take the card discarded by someone else.

Holding the 4, 6, and 7, Neil took the 5 that Leah discarded and placed down 4567, while Barin graciously took another 5 discarded by Wendy to lay down 555.

This way, the speed of acquiring cards increased dramatically. Overall. Also, players had to think carefully about the cards they discarded since it became more fun. Meanwhile, Reb had discarded the 7, a rather special card.

The 7 was the only card that could be played alone.

You could also lay down three cards like 678 or 777, but purposely discarding a card that could be played on its own wasted a chance to reduce your hand.

Naturally, it was a loss. But Leah realized that this wasn’t a foolish move.

Just as Reb said, wars and card games aren’t fought alone… Leah glared at the 6 in her hand, feeling frustrated.

“Hey… if you discard that…”

The 6 Leah held immediately became a nuisance.

Apart from grouping three cards to lay down, another method to reduce cards in hand involved ‘attaching’ to discarded cards. Just like Wendy recently added her 3 and 8 to Neil’s laid down 4567.

You could discard your cards by attaching them to others’ laid down cards. But by discarding the 7, Leah lost her 6 of the same suit, leaving it stranded.

Moreover, since Barin laid down 555 and Neil placed down 4567, the 5s were completely gone. This meant the only chance for Leah’s 6 was to gather a 666, reducing her odds significantly.

Ultimately, Leah discarded her now useless 6 on her turn.

Then…

“Thank you.”

What the heck. Reb just picked up the remaining 66 like it was nothing!

He initially discarded the 7 to prevent others from attaching cards next to it while also luring out someone who might have that 6.

It could still be in the pile, but once it was known to be discarded, anyone could toss it away without hesitation… Reb rapidly laid down the cards in hand, clapping them down with flair.

“Hula!”

“Wow!”

Instead of putting down cards little by little, laying them down in one go allowed you to exclaim “Hula!”

With the doubled rewards based on the conditions, this card game was called “Hula.” It was a simple yet fun game Reb learned from Minseo.

Leah was annoyed but obediently handed over her money and asked. After all, that money was technically hers.

“The war isn’t fought alone. Spill the rest.”

As Reb shuffled the cards, he replied.

“The Kyrgis Dukes are strengthening ties with the Conrad Kingdom by marrying Prince Eric to Princess Elika. Although they also want to check the House of Isadora, this reaffirms the Conrad Kingdom as an ally of the Aisel Kingdom. For the Belita Kingdom, the Conrad Kingdom would be quite concerning, not to mention they’re bordered by more than one country.”

“… So will they ask for our help? Our kingdom has ties with the Conrad Kingdom… ah, sorry, knights. The Orun Kingdom doesn’t exactly get along with the Conrad Kingdom.”

“Our kingdom doesn’t have great relations with the Belita Kingdom either. Strictly speaking, we’re closer to the House of Yeriel. The Lognum and Yeriel houses, followed by the Acaian Empire’s second prince, and the Tatalia house following the first prince.”

The trashy prince brats from the Orun Kingdom still coveted the Conrad Kingdom.

But revealing their ambitions would be a matter for the distant future, and there was no way the Belita Kingdom was aware of it.

Therefore, how the Belita Kingdom would act was a toss-up.

They could either pull the Orun Kingdom in or threaten the Conrad Kingdom not to interfere. There were many possibilities, but any of that was not Reb’s concern.

‘Lean will handle it.’

Speaking of which, Lean mentioned he had a meeting with Marquis Tatian.

That was partly to trap Astroth, but perhaps he was considering more.

Reb clicked his tongue at Leah, who was still visibly dissatisfied. Amidst the bustle of the ceremonies, they continued their card game to pass the time.

“Are the royal guards leaving after Prince Eric’s wedding?”

“Mm~ mm. Yes. We are. Joen will stay by the prince’s side. I heard you’re heading to the battlefield, Reb?”

“Seems that way.”

“War… sounds fun. Best of luck. Oh, by the way, I think Lady Jenia Jaqueri intends to stay as well?”

“… Yes. I heard. She said she would resign from the knights order.”

“Oh my, she quit the knights order too? Why’s that?”

“Barin, you keep pulling tricks? It seems like you’re the only one getting the good cards.”

“She probably has something she wants to do here. I do too…”

Reb trailed off his words.

As the castle buzzed with energy, he stealthily slipped away from the curious knights lost in their card games.

*

“I’m going to dress Elika in this gown. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Indeed.”

“Right? Oh— our fashionable groom, Prince Eric de Yeriel, what color suits him, I wonder~ dark brown? Lady Angelica, what do you think?”

‘Dumb girl.’

“Sounds nice. You have a good eye.”

Angelica Lydia Kyrgis responded with social niceties. If this girl wasn’t a duke’s daughter, she wouldn’t have even acknowledged someone so dull who couldn’t distinguish between her own son and daughter.

However, there was a request from the Kyrgis Duke. To keep an eye on this girl.

Angelica felt the need to comply and stayed close, but honestly, it felt like a waste of time. She left the endlessly rummaging Aria Isadora and wandered outside.

‘Should I stop by the library?’

Thanks to her surprise at Aria’s foolishness, she found herself with some extra time. She decided to see how other magicians were progressing with their research after a long hiatus.

Using magic, she quickly arrived at the royal library and headed for the latest research paper archive at the Cornel Mage Tower. But whether it was bad luck or good luck, another magician was already there.

And it was someone entirely unexpected.

“Ristad?”

Angelica exclaimed in surprise, then immediately regretted it.

The coldly dressed magician in blue was Ristad Jegen Dorph. Despite us all being middle-aged now, his eyes were still sharp.

– Thud!

“It’s you.”

Ristad slammed down the research paper he was reading. Angelica felt her chest tighten.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

A moment of silence. She quickly continued.

“Heard the court magician of the Conrad Kingdom quit? Why, was the king asking for help?”

“You’re still the same.”

“… What do you mean?”

“What do you think?”

Angelica’s eyes shifted to the research paper. My research paper. She felt a little pleased.

“You were looking at mine? That’s about the receptors of embryos and their magical correlations…”

“Shut up.”

Ristad turned away as if repulsed. Angelica’s temper began to flare.

“Why are you always picking on me?”

“…”

“I’m not the only one. Other magicians do the same… You think your path of magic was any different?”

“You’ve gone too far. Just look at yourself.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

Seeing Angelica, who seemed utterly confused, Ristad sighed.

In the twenty years since they last met, she had become even stranger. She had grown tall, and her features had sharpened.

Where had her neat, innocent grin gone? Ristad just had to remark.

“Ripping apart the flesh and bone of others won’t make you better. It just makes you regress. Just like you are now.”

“Exactly. I think so too!”

“?”

“That’s why this research is important. I tried experimenting with pregnant women, and it needs to affect them in the early stages of development. I haven’t secured solid evidence yet, but I suspect there’s an affected entity. If you knew who it was, you’d be shocked…”

“Stop it, you crazy woman.”

Silence fell. Angelica could no longer hold back.

“… Hey. You’re funny. Haven’t you killed anyone? You’ve ground through countless slaves, so why act so high and mighty?”

“… At the very least, we of the Jegen faction try to minimize that. We strive not to do it as much as possible. I know it’s unavoidable. We need to explore how magic impacts the human body. But your Lydia faction… No, it’s not the others, it’s you. Your research topics have mostly crossed the line.”

“Hmph! You sure have a lot to say about others’ research topics. Nice meeting you! High-ranking magician. Now kindly get your ass off to the battlefield and check how well your magic cooks soldiers!”

Angelica threw her retort and turned away. But she didn’t feel entirely satisfied, given that she and Ristad once shared a close bond in the mage tower.

They had sworn together to become great magicians on par with Kornus, the father of magic who opened the horizons of mystical arts.

Of course, that was during a time when they knew nothing. The more he learned about magical paths, the greater Kornus appeared to be.

He created the foundational “Mana Road” of all magic and left behind immortal spells. The Golden Document of Kornus is one among many.

Back then, even the title of magician hadn’t been coined, he was revered as a “Grand Sorcerer,” only to posthumously gain the title of “Magician,” a name given by his disciples who wanted to distinguish themselves from mere folk sorcerers.

But to be someone who etches the path of magic?

That’s overly grand.

They could never dare to carry this title themselves. It was a distinction only fitting for Kornus, who invented the Mana Road.

Still, referring to their master as a magician gave the peers a clear designation.

They called themselves magicians (法, to model after and pursue) and established various branches of magic including “Magical Mathematics.” Reflecting on it made Angelica stomp her foot in anger.

‘Son of a bitch.’

What does my research topic even matter?

The Kornel Mage Tower didn’t have a mutually agreed-upon subject. Unlike the Kamihz Mage Tower of the Belita Kingdom focusing on elemental theory, the Bolinux Mage Tower of the Orun Kingdom on mana overlap theory, and Rigdo Tower of the Asran Kingdom on barrier magic, the Iber Mage Tower of the Conrad Kingdom prioritized large-scale spells; Kornel Tower, however, was free to explore any field after mastering the fundamental studies of magical mathematics.

I was simply delving into the areas that interest me.

The alteration of humanity.

This was the field that intrigued her the most. Naturally, due to this topic, she had to conduct numerous anatomical experiments.

But during her early days as a novice magician, having just graduated, she lacked funds to buy as many slaves as she liked.

In the end, Angelica made herself the research subject and began to clash with Ristad from then on. She eventually completely severed ties with him when she chose to be adopted by the Kyrgis Duke family to ensure a steady supply of slaves.

Two people walking entirely different paths politically and academically.

Ristad refused to be adopted by any family and left for the Conrad Kingdom, while Angelica’s research under the name of Lydia Kyrgis spiraled deeper into madness.

Cutting, stitching flesh.

Mixing, exchanging blood.

Connecting, severing bones.

It was during her exploration of all possible methods that her gaze reached the superior bloodlines and she began assembling the perfect royal offspring through various methods.

Angelica implanted that seed within herself. She gave birth to a daughter and son ten months apart.

The siblings were named Elika and Oscar.

With blonde hair and golden eyes, they were perfect royalty. Though there was a slight orange hue in their eyes, the siblings caught the attention of the Kyrgis Duke.

– “My daughter who entered the harem is indeed pregnant…”

The second child, Oscar, soon became a prince. When Aria gave birth to her second child the following year, the first child, Elika, entered the palace as a princess. While this was quite surprising, Angelica discovered something even more astonishing.

Oscar was born with magical talent. Angelica didn’t think this coincidence.

There were barely 200 magicians across the entire continent. The talent for magic was not hereditary, and it was extremely rare regardless of gender, making it almost impossible for her child to just happen to be a magician.

Finally, Angelica realized the true method of human alteration. While making royal children, what changes magic could trigger came clear, and the great revolution of magic that had stagnated since Kornus loomed before her.

Indeed. Every human could become a magician. The present humanity would be wiped away, and the magnificent world of magic… would unfold in my hands.

After exiting the library, Angelica felt a strange urge to walk. For security, she spread clouds around her and strolled leisurely, lost in thought.

Prince Eric de Yeriel.

That half-hearted royal had given me a charming proposal. He claims to have an interest in the throne and is willing to support me in any way… How could he have sweet-talked Elika into this?

Though, Oscar is a bit off, isn’t he? Should I use Oscar as a research subject and leave the throne contest to that ambitious prince~ or the other way around?

Just as Angelica continued her filled thoughts, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her foot right before she reached the Kyrgis Duke’s residence.

“Yah!”

A sword burst forth, piercing the ground and her foot. In the moment Angelica fell, a young knight with strikingly blue attire rushed out from the lowly housing of the commoners in Langharang.

“What the… Bluea…”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Angelica’s neck was effortlessly severed. But how? Did she know where she was within these clouds? And why…

– Lena, born in Rutina Castle… (skipped) … was engaged to Prince Vivian through a political marriage but lost her life to assassins sent by the great magician Angelica Lydia Kyrgis while on her way to the Aisel Kingdom.

Reb spat and kicked Angelica’s head that rolled away. Revenge was to be just once. But being the last of my turn feels satisfying enough.

‘I avenged Reriana. I gave the necklace to Prince Eric… I’m done here.’

Reb hurriedly hid in Langharang before the gray clouds dissipated.

He winked at a handmaiden named “Lora,” asking her not to record his visit, before heading to find the busy Prince Vivian de Isadora, preparing for departure.

After some consideration, he decided he would join the battlefield after all. “By the way, I did kill someone.”

When pressed for more, Reb simply answered.

“Just a rude girl who had a bad attitude towards Prince Eric.”

The next day, the departure ceremony was held, and Reb left Opfontis.

“This was a damn annoying place.” Leah muttered.