Chapter 128
As soon as we returned to the Grand Duke’s residence, we immediately convened a meeting.
It was a spacious conference room set up in an annex of the Rupellen Grand Ducal estate.
With a resolute expression, I met the eyes of everyone gathered there one by one.
“If Elarion is in Snowd, then naturally, we have to go to Snowd as well.”
Elliot, Knox’s aide, nodded his head vigorously as if in full agreement. Chef Norman, a former knight, showed a similar reaction.
“The longer we hesitate, the more time we give Elarion. Even now, life force must be steadily accumulating in the hourglass he secretly stole from the Kingdom of Arcanis.”
Gari couldn’t stay still, pacing back and forth from one end of the conference room to the other. Anxiety seemed to be creeping up on him.
The Tower Master and Arines, visible beyond the large screen, were also wearing worried expressions.
“If the hourglass fills up, he’ll fully regain his former power and try to rule this world with terror.”
From my father’s diary, I had seen clearly just how kind a king my father, Balamir, had been.
Even though my father’s kingdom had vanished from this world, I absolutely could not allow even his benevolent legacy to be severed.
Knox stepped forward and spoke.
“Of course we have to stop him.”
Snowd had already issued a final ultimatum to the Astria Empire a few days ago.
They were making the absurd demand that the empire pay for the evil price of exploiting them all this time.
When Emperor Eveline heard that, she apparently flew into a rage and tried to march on Snowd immediately, only to be barely restrained by Count Clayton, her aide.
“They say Snowd froze because of the world’s evil? No. That’s just a lie Elarion spread to bring Snowd’s mages under his control and manipulate them. In truth, Elarion himself is the one responsible for freezing that land.”
After reclaiming dragon power at my father’s grave, I had also gained the ability to glimpse the future, if only faintly.
It was a power my father had used during his lifetime. That made it feel all the more special.
“Elarion will definitely be defeated. But to force his surrender, we first need to meet a few conditions.”
—And what are those conditions?
At the Tower Master’s question, I spread out my hand and folded my fingers down one by one.
“First, we have to subdue him before the hourglass is full. We can’t even begin to guess how powerful Elarion will be once he’s fully restored. And second, I have to go to Snowd myself and face him directly. The only person—no, the only dragon—with power comparable to his is me, our father’s daughter.”
“…So in the end, you have to go to that dangerous place.”
The end of Knox’s sentence trembled slightly. Even guilt seeped from the deep sigh he let out.
“I swore to protect you, so of course I’ll go with you.”
“Me too, me too! The Creator and I are one body, so I’m going too!”
“You don’t even know what ‘one body’ means, you little brat…. Still, I suppose having one more dragon that knows how to attack isn’t such a bad thing.”
At Knox’s remark, delivered with a snort of laughter, my face flushed bright red, and the Tower Master cleared his throat on the other side of the screen.
Norman, who had been rooting for us from the very first day, laughed heartily, clearly delighted by the situation.
“I’m too old to get on a ship anyway, so I’ll stay here and prepare the victory celebration. You’ll definitely come back victorious.”
“As the Grand Duke’s aide, I’ll naturally be going along.”
—I’ll also bring all the mages affiliated with the Magic Tower to Snowd. That is the land of mages, after all, so I should be of help.
Because the Tower Master’s declaration of participation was so unexpected, I looked at him with some surprise.
When did that socially maladjusted man who only cared about research grow this much…? Is this the power of love, perhaps?
—I’ve only ever ridden boats floating on the lake around the Magic Tower, but well, I don’t think I get seasick.
—If Rio’s going, then I’m obviously going too. Giana, let’s meet in the sea in front of Snowd.
In an instant, the Snowd expedition force was assembled.
The vanguard commander, the hero and daughter of a dragon: me, Giana Hertin.
My aide, Knox Rupellen; Elliot Dustin, in charge of miscellaneous affairs; Rio Blair, in charge of magical power; Arines Tian, in charge of communications; and Norman Davis, in charge of the victory celebration.
And Gari, in charge of cuteness.
It was a perfect lineup. Add to that the Grand Duke’s knight order, including the three idiot brothers, and the Magic Tower’s mages, and we would become an overwhelmingly powerful force.
“I’ve heard that as the weather grows warmer, the ice encasing Snowd is starting to break off. They say the sea in front of Snowd is completely covered in ice. Since there’s no way to land in Snowd by ordinary means anyway, let’s not enter immediately. Let’s be sure to rendezvous at sea first, then enter together.”
—Don’t worry. We’ll follow the vanguard commander’s orders.
—I’ll keep in touch from time to time with a crystal orb. See you soon, Giana!
“May you all have a safe voyage!”
Everyone prayed with resolute expressions for the day we would meet again.
May this war end in victory, and may we see everyone gathered here again with smiles on our faces.
The next morning.
Knox and I decided to depart for the capital immediately using a teleportation magic circle.
It was to formally declare our expedition before the emperor.
Knox proudly shook a bundle of teleportation magic stones and spoke.
“I snagged a few from the emperor. Let’s use these to make a quick trip to the capital.”
“As expected, your thoroughness is impeccable.”
When I lightly kissed his cheek, he immediately tossed the magic stones aside, pulled me into his arms, and responded with a deeper kiss.
“…Mmm. If we stopped by the bedroom for just a moment before heading to the capital—”
“Obviously not, right?”
When I raised a finger and gently pushed his forehead back, Knox smacked his lips regretfully and picked the magic stones back up.
“We’re pressed for time, every second counts.”
“I’m pressed too.”
“Later tonight. Isn’t sealing the Magic Academy as soon as possible more important?”
Grabbing Knox’s hand, I pulled him toward the back garden of the annex, where the teleportation circle was installed, and continued speaking.
“If Snowd makes a move, the Academy will definitely move along with it. Before that happens, we need to suggest to His Majesty that the Magic Academy be sealed off.”
“It’d be more effective to shut it down entirely and arrest Headmistress Melina.”
“But will His Majesty really listen to us without solid evidence? The CEO of the Pen-Sing Factory had charges that were too obvious, but the Academy’s head has never directly revealed her true nature.”
“You and I are saying we’ll head straight to Snowd ourselves. The emperor would probably be willing to do even more than that.”
Well, Emperor Eveline did have a rather cunning side to her.
If we were personally leading the Grand Duke’s knight order and even the mages of the Kingdom of Tian to strike Snowd…
She might very well approve something like sealing the Magic Academy without hesitation.
Hand in hand, we stood atop the completed teleportation circle. Soon, the familiar sensation enveloped our bodies.
When we arrived at the entrance of the imperial palace, we immediately sensed that something was wrong.
“Wait, Knox. Something feels off…?”
As my vision slowly returned, the chaotic state of the capital gradually came into view.
Smoke rising everywhere, the scorching heat of flames, the despairing screams of people.
Nowhere could we find the lively 모습 the capital had once been known for.
“…We should see His Majesty as soon as possible.”
With a hardened expression, Knox tightly grasped my hand.
Passing through the main gate of the imperial palace was easy. The guards immediately recognized Knox and me.
When we sprinted straight to the audience chamber, Eveline—drowned in grief and confusion—was issuing orders to Count Clayton.
“Put out the fires first! Are you trying to burn the entire capital down? What, there’s no one to put out the fires? Then bring some ice magic stones and throw them!”
“That is… the magic stones aren’t working at full capacity.”
“What did you say?”
“Not just the magic stones—no magic at all is functioning anywhere in the capital. Magical communication, power, lighting—none of it works…”
Count Clayton was flustered and at a loss, but when he saw us, his face lit up.
“Ah, Your Grace! And Hero! What should we do about this situation?”
“What in the world happened?” Knox asked gravely.
Eveline answered.
“The capital is in chaos right now. The Magic Academy has risen in rebellion.”
