Chapter 19: The Former Chief Court Magician
The intelligence concerning the Dragon God Cult had already reached the House of Levian by way of swift couriers.
At present, Duke Danz Levian sat before his desk, unable to find his composure, his gaze fixed on the spread-out map before him. His eyes traced its markings again and again, yet no answer presented itself.
A bead of cold sweat slipped from his chin and fell onto the parchment, seeping into the edge of the map like an ominous stain.
“Somewhere beneath this city lies their base. No—at this point, the base itself is irrelevant. The real problem is… the Ancient Dragon.”
An Ancient Dragon was a legendary monster said to stand just beneath true dragons themselves.
If it had already hatched and achieved even a modest degree of growth, it would not be difficult to imagine it bursting through a district of the city and erupting onto the surface.
—When that happened, just how many innocent lives would be lost?
Under normal circumstances, this was a crisis that demanded national mobilization. And yet, according to the report, only two court magicians and a single royal guard knight were being dispatched.
It was undeniably a meager force—but the Sacred Flame Emperor was not acting out of malice toward Duke Levian.
If the Dragon God Cult’s objective was the overthrow of the state itself, then the bulk of the empire’s military strength had to remain stationed in the Imperial Capital.
Even if the Duchy of Levian were to fall, the nation would endure.
…but if the Imperial Capital were destroyed, this country would almost certainly perish. That reality alone dictated the Emperor’s judgment.
“At least the reinforcements are Seles, Al-kun, and Estella-sama—the court magician I trust second only to myself. That is our sole saving grace. The moment the three of them arrive, we must begin the strategy meeting at once.”
Afterward, the duke issued meticulous instructions to his intelligence agents and sent them back out to continue their investigation.
◇◇◇
At long last, the three arrived at the House of Levian.
The past three days had felt unbearably long, each hour dragging by with merciless slowness.
No sooner had they passed through the estate gates than the duke himself came out to greet them.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the pure white armor worn by his beloved daughter.
“I would like to congratulate you on joining the Royal Guard… but that will have to wait until after this matter is resolved. Right now, the extermination of that organization takes priority.”
“Of course. Honestly, I’m just relieved to see that you’re looking healthier than I imagined, Father.”
“To tell the truth, I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I’m forcing my body into shape with potions as we speak, just to stay conscious.”
“That’s understandable. This is that serious of an incident.”
Looking more closely, faint dark circles lingered beneath the duke’s eyes.
Such was the inevitable burden borne by a lord who truly cared for his people.
Next, his gaze shifted to his son-in-law.
“Al-kun… this makes the third time we’ve met, does it not?”
“Yes. Somehow, you became my father-in-law before I knew it. I’d really rather you hadn’t.”
“You may call me ‘Father’ if you like, you know?”
“I’d rather not.”
“Hah hah hah!!”
In the duke’s mind, memories of the previous two meetings with Al surfaced with striking clarity.
(I can never seem to get the upper hand with that boy… no matter when or where.)
And then there was the one who would be their greatest pillar of support this time—Estella.
“Court Magician of the Grass Attribute. I’m counting on you.”
“Kakaka. Even if you hadn’t said so, I’d know. More importantly… my, my—haven’t you grown, boy? You used to be such a tiny little thing. Time truly does fly.”
Estella muttered this with a note of deep nostalgia.
Al immediately latched onto her comment.
“When Estella calls someone short, it’s kind of funny.”
“Silence!! You fool!!”
“There, there—here, have a candy.”
“Nuoooo!! Sweets for the first time since yesterday!!”
As she desperately rolled the candy around in her mouth, Seles tilted her head and asked,
“By the way, Estella-sama, did you already know my father?”
“Indeed. It was decades ago, but this one once got lost in the castle and came crying to my chambers. After I played with him once, he’d come by my room every time he visited the castle. Well, he doesn’t do that anymore, of course! Kakaka!”
“Oh? So Father had a cute phase like that too~”
The duke turned his face away and cleared his throat, coughing lightly in embarrassment.
At the same time, the warmth shared among the three before him seemed to loosen the tension that had frozen his body solid.
(I see… perhaps I was leaning too far forward. If I, the lord, lose my composure, that unease will naturally spread downward. In times like this, I must remain calm and assess the situation from a broader view.)
The duke’s expression returned to its usual dignified firmness.
“Very well. Let us begin the strategy meeting. All three of you, follow me.”
The three nodded and fell in behind the duke.
◇◇◇
—At the same moment, within the audience chamber of the Imperial Castle.
The Sacred Flame Emperor, too, was visibly worn down by unrelenting strain. The lines that already marked his face had deepened further, giving him the sudden appearance of having aged several years.
He was, after all, only human—he could not constantly cloak himself in the overwhelming presence of an emperor.
He murmured toward the Chancellor.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve faced an incident of this magnitude.”
“Yes… just as you say, Your Majesty.”
“Speaking of great incidents—how goes the search for him?”
Though the Emperor did not speak the name aloud, the depth of the crease between his brows told the Chancellor exactly whom he meant.
“…You are referring to the state-level special wanted criminal, are you not?”
“Yes. The defective… magician who drove my son to the brink of death.”
The Emperor clenched the armrest of his throne tightly.
“Regrettably, ever since that incident, we have been unable to track him at all. He wields movement magic on par with teleportation. To be frank… even if we were to find him, bringing him to justice would be exceedingly difficult.”
Several years ago, an unprecedented calamity had occurred.
—the Crown Prince, hailed as the future of the empire, had suffered grievous injuries.
The culprit had been the Head Court Magician of the time.
Known to all as—the Court Magician of the Dark Attribute.
He had loved the Luxion Empire more than anyone. When he was appointed as a court magician, he wept tears of joy for three days and nights. He devoted himself to his duties more diligently than any other, standing at the forefront of the nation’s defenses for years, until at last he ascended to the position of Head Court Magician.
…And yet, he harbored a fatal defect in his sensibilities.
He felt nothing for the suffering of others.
In pursuit of strengthening the nation’s military, he abducted foreign civilians and repeatedly conducted illegal human experiments upon them. The anguished screams of others were nothing more than meaningless noise to him.
When the truth came to light, the scene was awash with bloodstains, and piles of human bones lay heaped together without care.
The Emperor immediately stripped him of his title and moved to pass judgment.
…but the man could not understand why.
“Your Majesty! I conducted those experiments for the sake of the Empire!! In a few years, I could have created an immortal army!! And yet—why, why must I be condemned for this?! I only used foreign nationals as subjects…!!”
“We cannot allow a twisted being such as you to remain within these walls. Ordinarily, this would warrant execution. However, there are many battles we won thanks to you. Therefore, if you leave this country at once, I will spare your life.”
“!!!!!!!!!!”
To him, exile was a fate more unbearable than death itself.
Believing he had been betrayed by the nation he loved, he lashed out in a frenzy, assaulting the Crown Prince—the very hope of the empire—before vanishing into the shadows.
Though the Crown Prince survived, he had yet to regain consciousness. Thanks to Estella’s medicines, his condition was said to be stabilizing, but there was still no sign of him awakening.
As a result, the struggle for imperial succession had grown increasingly fierce.
For causing such an unprecedented catastrophe, he was branded that very day as a state-level special wanted criminal.
Officially, his retirement was announced to preserve appearances—but that was a blatant lie. This was the hidden truth behind it all.
That man—
The former Head Court Magician of the Dark Attribute.
“Former Head Court Magician—Crow. You alone… you alone will never be forgiven. The unforgivable sin of driving my son to the brink of death—I will remember it even in death.”
◇◇◇
—At the same time, within the underground base of the Dragon God Cult beneath Levian’s First City.
“Crow-sama. The Ancient Dragon’s egg has begun to beat. The Ancient Dragon, dormant for thousands of years, appears to have resumed vital activity.”
“I see. How much time remains?”
“I cannot say for certain, but at this rate… cracks should appear in the egg within an hour.”
“…At last, the moment has come. The time to end the Empire that betrayed me—with my own hands…!!”
A high-ranking officer of the Dragon God Cult—the Dark-Attribute Court Magician, Crow—removed his mask and fixed his gaze upon the Ancient Dragon’s egg, pulsing with blue light, staring at it intently with unblinking eyes.