Chapter 75

The genius mage Sererassie disliked the saying that ignorance is bliss.

Even during the times when she lost all glory, rights, and opportunities, living in a red-light district, consumed by drugs and alcohol, she never once wished she had not known magic or the Ivory Tower.

Knowledge was power.

However, she could never grow accustomed to the helplessness of being unable to do anything before the foretold destruction.

She checked the sheet filled with complex formulas and magical symbols, so complicated that an ordinary person would become mentally contaminated just by reading it, once more.

“Let’s talk as we go down.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I will lead the way.”

The valiant knight with red hair adjusted his helmet and stepped forward.

Sererassie, in the middle, diligently moved her feet and opened her mouth.

“I’ll try to summarize as much as I can, so listen well.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“I have reversed the waves emitted from the Magical Realms. Originally, a core should have formed and overflowed long ago, but for some reason, the energy has continually weakened. It’s probably because those beings have been dying continuously. So, the ancient ones who opened that Magical Realm have tried several times to forcibly inject energy to create a core.”

The Magical Realm is a kind of basin designed to mix this world with the world of the ancient ones, allowing them to cross over comfortably.

As the water in the basin keeps draining, they attempt to come over by pouring several times before it all drains away.

“But the cycle is getting shorter and shorter. Moreover, when I analyzed the waves, the total amount of force being pushed in has also increased. Each attempt has increased by over 50%.”

Tenitia, not understanding, asked.

“So when is a strong being likely to emerge today?”

“I said it’s not just some being! The ancient ones will directly come over! It’s an invasion of the ancient ones due to the overflow of the Magical Realm!”

“!”

Tenitia nearly tripped down the stairs, her feet momentarily tangled.

The last invasion of the ancient ones occurred seven years ago in a southern kingdom.

With the Church’s power, they managed to repel it somehow, but the recorded death toll was 780,000.

It was virtually annihilation.

That place was becoming a paradise for criminals and infiltrator priests from all over the continent.

There was a reason why it had to be closed during the Magical Realm.

“His Majesty and Lord Valen…”

Rudi trailed off.

Sererassie contorted her delicate face and said,

“The best case would be for the two of them to break the core the moment it is created and close the Magical Realm, while flying down from the sky to save us. The worst case is that they would die there, and we would die at the hands of the Duke. Did the Duke send assassins?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad you don’t seem to know that I also studied astrology. You’re lucky to be alive… Did the assassins escape?”

“No.”

Tenitia asked.

“Then?”

“We killed them all.”

A moment of silence passed among the three.

Soon, Tenitia and Sererassie spoke simultaneously.

“Well done.”

“Good job.”

While diligently descending the stairs, Sererassie asked in a breathless voice.

“Lady Tenitia. So, where do you plan to go?”

“I plan to go to Wyvernfit for now. If we try to meet the Duke to confirm the situation, we might all die. Our priority should be to secure our wyverns.”

“Still, shouldn’t you tell the Duke about the Magical Realm?”

“He’s likely already aware of it through some means.”

Sererassie felt a strange sense of panic at the confident response.

Because the Tenitia she knew was better with a sword than with logic.

“How do you know?”

“It’s a knight’s instinct.”

“That’s something I’ll ignore…”

“If the lord is genuinely panicking, not knowing when a core will form and the Magical Realm will open, he wouldn’t treat Sererassie like this. He couldn’t just sit still.”

“?”

“If he were a selfish lord, he would have prepared to move his assets and flee. If he were a benevolent lord, he would have evacuated the residents and cooperated with the Church. But Duke Sigheim has done neither.”

“!”

“That could either be his delusion or not, but in any case, he believes he can control the Magical Realm. I cannot stake Sererassie’s life or freedom on the hope that that belief can be broken.”

“Lady Tenitia, you’re not yourself today?”

It was certainly an attitude uncharacteristic of a knight who risked his life for justice and glory.

Tenitia spoke with a voice that seemed to twist her face behind her helmet.

“A knight has various virtues. It’s endless if one goes into details, but serving the lord, protecting the weak, and contributing to the light—these three cannot be neglected. Yes. If the Duke’s belief is wrong, and His Majesty the Emperor fails, at least this city will become a hell.”

However, she began with “but” and continued.

“If Your Highness dies here, the entire Empire will become hell. That hell will not be caused by the ancient ones but by humans.”

“What do you mean?”

“If His Majesty the Emperor or Lord Valen does not return, the next throne will be Your Highness’s.”

Rudi and Sererassie widened their eyes at the fact they had briefly forgotten.

Was that why the Duke kept inviting Sererassie to dinners with his children?

“If you were to pass away, then all the great lords of the Empire will wage a great war over the throne, using the royal family that was sneaked away on the Emperor’s coronation day. Therefore, Your Highness must survive and return.”

Tenitia muttered one more thing.

“Perhaps Lord Valen has foreseen all of this.”

Sererassie let out a deep sigh as if the ground were crumbling.

Though she could read the principles of the heavens and the energy of the stars to know when the Magical Realm might open, she could never understand the hearts of people.

“If the Emperor fails and the Duke is wrong, this city will become hell.”

“And if the Emperor fails and the Duke is right, Your Highness will probably become either the Duke’s wife or a Countess.”

“Politics and governance have become an unbearable task.”

Sererassie spat out irritably and glanced toward Wyvernfit.

“Let’s go. However, if it seems the Duke is wrong, could you at least give some time to signal people to flee with sound amplification or light magic at the end?”

Tenitia nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

That was how a knight compromised with the world.

The three of them, now off the tower, moved cautiously toward Wyvernfit.

At that moment, several masked assassins rushed openly toward the main gate.

Sererassie shouted in disbelief.

“Shouldn’t you at least show some manners by coming over the window?!”

“Duck!”

Tenitia broke into a run, and Rudi’s magic gun roared to life.

* * *

In the office, the old steward bowed respectfully to the Duke sitting across the desk.

“Don’t worry, Your Excellency. Soon, everyone will be tied up and presented before you.”

The man, with a hawkish stubborn expression, Sigmain, shook his head.

“There’s no need to present everyone. Just the Duke Sererassie will suffice. However, make sure she isn’t harmed. She will need to be my wife or daughter-in-law.”

Then, in the next generation, an Emperor will be born with the blood of the Purioaito family.

Duke Sigmain chuckled with satisfaction and gestured to the steward, the captain of the knights, Roberos, and the court mage, Herein.

“Who knows, you might also join the fray. It won’t be easy to catch a 4th circle mage.”

The three bowed their heads and left the office.

Moments later, another door opened beside them, and a figure dressed in a thick gray robe stepped out.

His hood, unlike a typical hood, had its ends raised high, and the crown part was flat, making it appear as if he were wearing a square helmet instead of a hood.

Though his face was obscured, he was so tall he seemed to touch the ceiling, and the fingers protruding from beneath the wide sleeves were a darker gray than the robe.

Duke Sigheim spoke to him.

“Everything has gone according to your word.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

His voice resonated in the room like a mental wave.

“Jeilliris will die, and my son and I will become emperors.”

“And the deceased Miss Sigmarin will return.”

The Duke murmured.

“…A complete resurrection of the soul. How much memory remains?”

“According to our precedents, if summoned within three years, over 80% of memory has been retained.”

“80%.”

Sigheim pondered for a moment.

Thinking of his sister, who had become the Empress.

It had been a typical noble arranged marriage.

However, the relationship between the Emperor and his sister was good.

She had given birth to several children, and even the young consort she occasionally met was accepted.

She continued to refine her swordsmanship as a hobby and was happy to mingle with ladies of similar standing.

He had often exchanged letters with his sister, and the Emperor had also met her several times.

The reason he had gone to the capital a year and a half ago was not to pick sides between the Crown Prince and First Prince, but out of fear that his sister might get caught up in their conflict.

And he had witnessed it.

His sister, wielding a sword to protect the Emperor, and Jeilliris stepping forth with intent to strike his sister and move toward the Emperor.

‘Sister!’

Sigheim shook his head to dispel the horrific recollection and resumed gazing at the man before him.

“I didn’t expect you to set the condition of killing Jeilliris. Even if you told me not to, you would have done it. Is there nothing more you want? I feel sorry for taking too much.”

“It is a pleasure when our goals align.”

“Then may I ask why you are targeting Jeilliris?”

The Duke already had some inkling of their identity.

It was not a new occurrence for the ancient ones to grant powers and knowledge to their followers to form a cult.

Any ancient ones that understood this world would no longer create Magical Realms and send beings randomly, but would seek to utilize human society.

The man before him was also someone who had “trained” the power of the ancient ones for a long time.

He lacked the talent of a mage or knight, and like a Sword Expert, he worked hard to earn the power of a Sword Expert, fitting that mold.

Though rare, he had heard of such cases before.

However, the man in the square hood shook his head as if to tell the Duke not to speculate about them.

“We simply follow the prophecy.”

“Is that so? I understand.”

Seeing Sigmain react indifferently, he didn’t pry any further.

He had fulfilled the contract and would soon receive his settlement.

There was no need for him to display anxiety to them, who were in the right.

‘By now, Jeilliris should have already died.’

No matter how strong, a human could not defeat a dragon in the dragon vein.

If the tyrant Jeilliris had something more hidden, in the end, he was just a dragon’s ash.

The Emperor was dead.

The remaining Magical Realm would soon be resolved.

No matter how ancient they were, they wouldn’t pour energy into a bottomless pit.

If the dragon managed to fend off the overflow a couple more times, it would likely disperse the Magical Realm by itself.

The dragon’s fury?

That dragon already knew.

The fact that as soon as it emerges, all the great lords of the empire, filled with desire, would send a conquest troop.

Soon he would become either the Emperor or the Emperor’s father.

His sister would return soon.

Then this thirst and obsession would disappear.

“It’s taking longer than I expected.”

He looked out the window.

“Huh?!”

An unexpected skirmish was occurring on the road to Wyvernfit.

* * *

Once, armor had completely fallen out of favor on the battlefield.

When a sword user wielded a mace and a Sword Expert drew a mana blade, even plate armor would shatter like cookies.

Plate armor typically cost 100 gold coins as a base, and well-made ones exceeded 300 gold coins.

No knight would be foolish enough to spend that money on armor that could break in a single hit.

It was far better to buy more mana potions and train with that money.

Then one day, the Ivory Tower developed a technology for semi-permanent enchantments through magical circuits.

Magic tools began to be mass-produced, and armor made a flamboyant comeback.

Reinforcement, lightweight design, magical reflection, heat insulation, electrical insulation, toxin blocking, underwater breathing, and all kinds of spells were inscribed.

It had the strength to withstand mana blades that could break rocks.

Regular soldiers could do nothing to pierce that armor.

The saying that only knights could defeat knights became common sense.

That statement applied among knights as well.

Unless there was a significant disparity in skill, the only one who could defeat a knight in good armor was another knight in even better armor.

And Tenitia was a knight who possessed both the best armor and excellent skills.