Chapter 140
The day after meeting Narshi at night, she summoned me early in the morning. It seemed she had already gone through all the materials I had given her.
I thought the verification would take until around lunchtime at the earliest—but then again, she was an imperial princess.
So I headed once more to the mansion where Narshi was staying.
She welcomed me calmly, sipping tea.
“You’ve come, Van Astreia.”
Unlike yesterday, Narshi was accompanied by two guards. She seemed wary after what had happened the night before.
Though her face was covered with makeup, she looked slightly worn.
Had she had others analyze it for her… or had she done it herself?
When I greeted her, she gestured to the seat across from her.
As soon as I sat down, Narshi handed me a stack of documents.
“I reviewed the documents you gave me. They’re impressive.”
I was startled for a moment but hid it, pretending to read the papers with a puzzled look.
This was a test. Someone suspicious had shown up right after I left and told her to follow my plan—her suspicion was reasonable.
I set the papers down and said,
“These aren’t the documents I gave you. I only handed over two or three pages, but this is clearly over twenty. Or did Your Highness investigate this yourself?”
“So you’re playing dumb. Must I draw my blade before you reveal your true colors?”
“I don’t understand what you mean. If I’ve offended you in any way, I sincerely apologize.”
At that, Narshi drew a guard’s rapier and thrust it toward me. At a glance, she didn’t look like she intended to stop.
I quickly drew my sword and deflected the rapier.
Clang.
Grabbing the rapier, I spoke.
“Please explain first. I’ll clarify anything.”
“……”
Narshi glared at me, still trying to move the rapier. I was holding it, so it only shook slightly—but she truly intended to attack me.
What was this? Had I really been exposed? But how?
There hadn’t been any pursuers. I’d deliberately taken a route around the outskirts of Rehelring and used a stealth skill to return to my lodging.
Before leaving, I’d placed a replica of myself—made with earth magic—in the room. When I came back, it was exactly as I’d left it. It was created using Mana Combination, so recreating it identically was impossible.
It felt excessive just to test someone like this, but I had no choice. It had to be a test. Otherwise, I’d be executed or imprisoned for attacking royalty.
And if she were certain I’d infiltrated her estate, she wouldn’t have attacked me personally.
So I maintained my look of injustice to the end. Only then did Narshi release the rapier and speak.
“My apologies. An intruder appeared yesterday, so I was on edge.”
“An intruder? What do you mean? Some rogue dared to threaten Your Highness—!”
“Even after nearly being attacked, you worry about me?”
“Your safety comes first. Besides, I’m not so weak as to be struck down by a blade swung by a mage.”
“Hah. Are you saying my swordsmanship is poor?”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“Enough. I was joking, so don’t take it seriously. And it’s not entirely wrong, either.”
Narshi let out a brief laugh and sat down on the sofa. I returned the sword to the guard and took my seat.
“You really are different from the rumors. You still behave like a scoundrel, but calling you incompetent is clearly slander.”
“Thank you. But I still have much to improve.”
“If you’re lacking, then most of the academy students are below standard.”
“I’m just barely avoiding failure.”
“Is that so? Seren sang your praises nonstop, calling you an exceptional prospect. Seems she exaggerated.”
“My sister dotes on me and sees me too kindly.”
Seren—what on earth have you been saying about me?!
I appreciate the unintended help with my image, but raising expectations only makes things harder for me!
I was deliberately acting weak so Seren wouldn’t notice anything strange, yet she was out there enthusiastically overpraising me. It felt oddly uncomfortable.
In any case, the suspicion had passed. Now I needed to steer the conversation naturally toward the subjugation of Beryl.
“Are these documents related to yesterday’s intruder?”
“Yes. A magic swordsman dressed in black, using voice-altering magic. Does anyone come to mind?”
“It’s likely someone named Kim Sehyun.”
“Kim Sehyun? Who is that?”
“He frequently appeared when Reina was attacked. I can’t be sure it’s the same person without seeing him directly, but he’s the only one who comes to mind.”
I only relayed what others had already uncovered. Ideally, I wanted to hide my movements, but concealing it now could complicate things later.
The important thing was that no one realized Kim Sehyun and I were the same person.
Narshi thought for a moment before speaking.
“In any case, he suddenly appeared and suggested I follow your plan. In return, he handed over evidence that could decisively corner Beryl Dout.”
“I see.”
“So tell me. What plan have you prepared to capture Beryl Dout?”
I handed her the document outlining the plan. She read it carefully, then chuckled.
“It’s extremely simple and crude. I’m not even sure it deserves to be called a plan.”
“But isn’t the preparation process quite complex?”
“Yes. You shoulder the risk, and I handle the troublesome parts.”
“And all the glory will belong to Your Highness.”
Narshi smiled faintly and took an elegant sip of tea.
“So in the end, the key is for me to secure a summary judgment.”
At the Royal Court—a direct imperial institution—summary judgment can be issued by imperial decree based on investigative results.
Anyone, including the heads of the Four Great Powers, can be subject to it. However, because a mistake would undermine the emperor’s authority, only members of the imperial family can propose it.
With the evidence I’d prepared, a ruling would likely be issued within a week.
“With only the materials you gave me yesterday, it wouldn’t have been possible. But now, it’s worth attempting.”
“I’m grateful that you’re willing to try at all.”
“This debt will be expensive. If things go wrong, I’ll no longer be able to vie for the throne.”
“I’m deeply thankful for your boundless generosity. And what you fear will not come to pass.”
Depending on her resolve, this could turn into a massive loss for her—but there was no other choice.
Only with her help could the chances of successfully subjugating Beryl be greatly increased.
Then Narshi asked,
“But why come to me directly? Going through Seren would have been enough—no, it would’ve been more advantageous.”
“That’s… wouldn’t it be discourteous? And I don’t want to rely on my sister. If she knew how desperate I am, she might do something drastic.”
“Haha. True enough. Seren might indeed do that.”
In truth, I was afraid she’d notice something was off.
“If the plan leaks, Beryl will immediately go into hiding. Or he might strike first in a way I can’t anticipate. That’s why I told you yesterday that you wouldn’t need private soldiers.”
“So that’s why you’re refusing support from your family as well.”
“Yes. So if possible, please don’t tell my sister.”
“I’ll try. But if Seren digs into it herself, I won’t go out of my way to hide it.”
“That’s more than enough.”
Then Narshi asked with a meaningful smile,
“But now I’m curious. Why are you pushing so aggressively to bring Beryl down?”
“Of course, for the sake of removing the empire’s cancer—”
“Spare me the excuse of ‘for the empire.’ Do you think anyone would believe that the empire’s greatest scoundrel actually cherishes it?”
Fair enough. It really did sound ridiculous.
But that didn’t mean I could honestly explain my true motivation. She wouldn’t believe it anyway.
Then Narshi asked,
“Do you love Reina Serenia?”
“It’s not love, but I do care for her deeply.”
“Haha. How bashful. So pure. Willingly leaping into danger for the sake of affection.”
She hadn’t intended to listen to my answer in the first place.
She was clearly misunderstanding, but no explanation would’ve mattered.
After securing Narshi’s support, time passed quickly.
Returning to the academy, I shared the plan with those who would join the subjugation of Beryl. Each of us prepared in our own way for the coming day.
In the academy’s eastern artificial environment—the forest zone.
I was training there with Drener.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull sound of wooden swords echoed. Only Drener was wielding a wooden sword.
Drener had coated his wooden blade with aura, while I simply struck it with a real sword. Eventually, Drener’s sword shattered.
“Gah.”
“Still lacking, but your sustain time is increasing little by little.”
“Damn it. How am I supposed to use something like this?”
“I use it just fine, you know.”
Right now, Drener was learning how to properly use Mana Compression.
At first glance, it might seem pointless since he already used aura—but that was a misconception.
Mana, aura, and divine power are merely different branches stemming from the same root. By mastering Mana Compression, he could increase the density of his aura and unleash powerful strikes even with limited energy.
In other words, it expanded his strategic options.
I’d been training him regularly since the tournament. Drener could now use Mana Compression, but maintaining it in real combat was still difficult.
Even as his sustain time gradually increased, its power was still comparable to—or weaker than—his normal aura.
At this point, he could’ve given up and focused on refining his swordsmanship instead. But Drener pulled another wooden sword from his spatial pouch and said,
“Again. This time, I’ll definitely last over a minute.”
An unyielding will that refused to give up. He truly was a protagonist.
A training room in the Trihik Hall.
Ridipin was there alone, honing his archery. But he wasn’t simply shooting arrows—he was fighting illusory magical beasts as he did so.
Arrows pierced through the beasts with ferocious force, and each time, the creatures scattered like dust.
The beast illusions created in Trihik Hall possessed durability similar to real magical beasts.
For them to burst apart meant an enormous amount of power was packed into each arrow.
His attack power had long since surpassed the level of a student, yet Ridipin was still dissatisfied.
No, this isn’t it. I need something even more intense…
Slowly retracing his memories, Ridipin continued to fire.
The multicolored aura sometimes erupted into pure white flashes of light.
Meanwhile, in Ceres’s room in the Iris Hall.
Her room was filled with countless books, and she was adjusting a magic circle laid out among them.
I can’t collapse like I did in the tournament. Even if it increases mana consumption, I have to focus on follow-up control…
Among students, almost no one even considered modifying magic circles. It was simply too advanced; at best, students could only distort a structure during actual casting.
But Ceres was different.
With her magic eye, she could perceive magical structures and read the flow of mana. On top of that, she possessed a natural talent for handling magic circles.
That was why she could modify spatial magic—magic normally unusable by students—specifically, a seventh-circle spell.
After completing the modifications, Ceres activated the spell. It was more refined and delicate than before, now so complex that ordinary mages couldn’t possibly use it.
Again.
She made over fifty meticulous adjustments in a single day, yet she didn’t stop. It still fell short of her expectations.
