Chapter 116: Prince Felix
“Make way! Prince Meredith is arriving!”
“So that’s the dome the intruder locked himself in?”
“To act so boldly inside His Majesty’s own castle… what nerve.”
“Wait. Chancellor Corbens strictly ordered that we are not to touch it until noon tomorrow—an agreement with the intruder.”
“Silence! Who is your master, the chancellor or Prince Meredith?”
“Who is it you serve?”
“You’ll soon see the strength of the elite magic unit.”
“Surround the dome and be ready to shoot him if he tries to escape.”
“Magic Corps Commander—summon those men.”
At the commander’s signal, several black-clad, masked men stepped forward and knelt before Prince Meredith.
“I have a special task for you. Accomplish it, and I’ll make you nobles.”
“Yes, meet His Highness’s expectations and your reward will be anything you desire.”
“Show me the fruits of your training.”
“Yes, we will surely stop the intruder’s breathing.”
One man rose, drew a longsword of magisteel, and approached the dome.
Another circled left with twin shortswords.
The last took a longer shortsword and moved to the opposite side, placing a hand on the dome’s surface.
Their eerie presence and strange garb made the surrounding soldiers tense.
Then—one after another—their figures vanished.
“Heh… no matter how freely he flies, once he hides inside something like this, he’s finished.”
“Indeed, Your Highness’s strategy is brilliant.”
“His Majesty will surely be relieved.”
* * * * * * *
They leapt inside the dome from different sides—but froze when they saw the dim light from the small opening above illuminate… something unexpected.
Still, years of training kept them from voicing doubts. Confirming one another’s positions by instinct, they gathered silently.
“What is this?”
“Looks like a hut… but the target must be inside.”
“In a space this size, he could be anywhere—and depending on where we came in—”
“There must be an entrance. We will proceed one at a time.”
They circled the hut quietly, feeling for an entrance, then pressed their ears to the door.
“Only one person inside. On the right. I’ll go first—follow me.”
He placed a hand on the door, chanted under his breath, and vanished.
The others teleported in after him, appearing at his sides with weapons poised.
But when the last man entered, something changed.
Soft, colored lights glowed around the sleeping man on the bed—flickering gently.
“What is that?”
“What’s going on?”
“You might not want to enter someone’s bedroom uninvited.”
Killing intent surged. One man moved to thrust his blade toward the bed—
but with a sharp crack, his sword flew from his hand and he collapsed.
The second man let out a short gasp and dropped forward as well.
“What is this!?”
“You’re noisy. Sneaking into a man’s bedroom… creepy, you know. At least be quiet.”
“You knew we were coming!?”
“You poured killing intent everywhere—of course I’d wake up. And honestly, you’re underestimating adventurers. Who ordered you?”
“Tch—!”
Before he could swing his twin blades, a small fireball snapped loudly near his face, launching him backward.
One of the bright flickering lights floated before him, then vanished.
“Move carelessly and you’ll die. The chancellor is supposed to come tomorrow at noon—did the king order this?”
A flame hovered before the man, and red spirits gathered to shield it.
Checking the two who had fallen, the intruder sighed and shoved them into his magic bag.
The spirits had protected him—and even obeyed his request not to kill.
They’d healed him before, too. If one could truly connect with spirits, they could do far more than expected.
The surviving man glanced between the flame and the intruder, clearly hoping to escape.
Outside the dome were many people—archers surrounding the area, and a small group close by.
Likely the ones who had ordered his death.
The man muttered a spell—quiet, but easily heard.
His figure disappeared.
Using his senses, the intruder felt him appear just outside the hut—so the man’s teleportation was only enough to slip through a wall.
His presence vanished again and reappeared outside the dome.
“He’s back.”
“Well? Did you do it?”
“And the other two?”
“Say something—what happened to your face?”
“Report!”
“It’s impossible! He was waiting for us. No one could beat someone like that.”
I could tell them they’re loud enough to hear from inside… but instead I made a small peephole to look outside.
Finely dressed men stood there with the kneeling survivor in black.
As expected, an arrogant noble and his sycophants scolded the shaken assassin.
I wrapped the man who saw the spirits in a Whirlwind! and spun him, then threw a dome around all of them at once.
“Huh—?”
One noticed, and then panic spread.
“Something’s wrong!”
“What happened to that man!?”
“Your Highness, this seems dangerous—we should withdraw!”
“What is this!?”
“What—why can’t I move forward!?”
“It’s like we’re surrounded by a wall!”
“Is this that man’s magic!?”
So that was the one who ordered my death.
I added more mana to tighten the dome around them, shrinking it so even a teleport user couldn’t slip out.
The distant soldiers—archers, judging by their stance—noticed something was off, but wouldn’t move without orders.
Same as during the border conflict: they obeyed hierarchy blindly.
An army that rigid could never win against someone watching from the sky.
I’d deal with these fools tomorrow.
For now, I thanked the spirits and lay down.
* * * * * * *
“Open this!”
“But Prince Meredith ordered—”
“And it is because of him that the castle is in this state! I must see His Majesty—stand aside!”
The knights Corbens brought pointed their swords, forcing the guards to obey.
To think soldiers loyal to Prince Meredith would defy me, the chancellor… disgraceful.
His Majesty’s weak-willed nature had emboldened Meredith and his cronies.
And I, unable to stop it, had grown old indeed.
“Prince Felix, I have a request.”
“Corbens? It sounds like quite the commotion out there.”
“Yes. Prince Meredith insisted on war, which ended in complete defeat. We lost Madras and Emilia. And because he ordered an attack on the envoy who came for ceasefire negotiations, the royal castle is now half destroyed.”
“Half destroyed? I heard explosions… the battle reached the castle?”
“No. The envoy retaliated because Meredith attacked him. His actions are reckless and shallow, and his followers act out of vanity. Everything has backfired.
I will arrange an audience with His Majesty—please, stop him before the kingdom collapses.”
“Will His Majesty allow it?”
“He has locked himself in the underground treasury, terrified of the envoy’s retaliation. Right now, he will listen to you. If not, the castle will fall into ruin, and the neighboring nations will mock us—and likely invade. And surely the envoy is already reporting all this to his homeland.”
“One envoy did all this?”
“He flies through the air, wields an invincible barrier, and has nearly destroyed the castle.”
“That serious…?”
“He blocks the entire Kingdom Magic Corps with his barrier, and drops boulders from the sky—like a flying siege engine.”
* * * * * * *
“This is terrible.”
“Yes. A single massive boulder dropped from above caused this devastation. He even invaded the castle.”
“A boulder alone wouldn’t do this.”
“He uses wind magic. A raging storm filled the castle halls—no one could even get close.
I attempted negotiations, and he agreed to meet His Majesty tomorrow at noon.”
“I see. Then get me to His Majesty.”
“Chancellor! Ah, and Prince Felix as well—good.”
“What is it?”
“Prince Meredith attacked the intruder’s dome with some men he brought.”
“Again! How many times must he try before learning it won’t work?”
“One of them appeared to be a teleportation user. He vanished, returned alone, then spun around wildly and collapsed. After that, His Highness and the others were trapped inside a barrier—unable to move. We were ordered to summon the chancellor.”
Corbens glanced at Felix, who muttered with disgust.
“Still charging in without thinking.”
“When there are many flatterers, their lies start sounding like truth. He mistakes that for his own ability—and thinks he can act that way even toward foreign adventurers.”
“Hopeless. What of your own men?”
“Most have long been frustrated, but this time… even they’ve had enough.”
“You’ve come to bring me?”
“We will give you our full support.”
“Then before I meet His Majesty, I’d like to meet this envoy myself.”
“I’ll take you to him.”