TNCTR 07

Chapter 7

“Uh?”

“A letter arrived this morning.”

“I don’t want to go…”

“Too bad. They already left on their side. They want to meet at a midpoint… well, it’s not like we have a choice.”

I scowled deeply, but he patted my back and quickly urged me to sit down.

The chair was so plush that the seat sank the moment I sat on it.

“Would you like something to eat? I brought some snacks.”

“Okay.”

Kistchel asked me as he confirmed that all the knights were on horseback and the attendants had boarded the carriage. I nodded.

When Kistchel knocked on the carriage wall twice, the driver cracked the whip, and the horses neighed loudly.

‘I’m really going to the capital now.’

The large wheels began to turn without a sound.

Along with them, the scenery outside started to move.

I sank deep into the chair and blinked slowly.

The sky was perfectly clear today, not a single cloud in sight, and the bright sunlight made the weather not too cold.

It was the perfect day for a first outing.

How long had we been traveling?

I checked the time.

The short second hand on the pocket watch Kistchel gave me was ticking busily.

I snapped the lid shut and looked outside.

Of course, we still had a long way to go before leaving the duchy.

Should I read one of the books I brought? No, it felt like I should wait a bit before opening one.

There would be plenty to do during the trip to the Imperial Palace anyway.

There was one thing I had to do first…

Boom!

Just then, a deep, heavy sound like something collapsing rang out.

Kistchel and I turned our heads at the same time.

At the sudden explosion, screams erupted everywhere.

Kistchel flung the door open to check outside.

No sooner had he done that than the ground shook again, followed by another loud boom.

I instinctively covered my ears.

Boom!

“What the hell is going on…?”

The ground shook even harder, enough to make it difficult for an ordinary person to stay on their feet.

And we were inside the carriage—outside must be even worse.

Kistchel wrapped his arms around me and gripped the carriage door tightly.

Just as he was about to step out, another explosive sound rang out.

“Are you alright, milady?”

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“I’m okay too. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

I grabbed Kistchel’s arm.

He didn’t need to go check. I already knew exactly what this was. This event had been foretold.

It wasn’t for nothing that I insisted on leaving for the capital today.

It was about two months after I was falsely accused of murdering my mother.

Since that was still early in my time on the run, I remembered every small event vividly.

Including this urgent situation.

“The Mage Tower is collapsing.”

At my words, Kistchel froze.

He looked at me, then out the door, his face growing grim.

“The Mage Tower is collapsing?”

“Let’s go outside for a moment.”

Back then, the collapse of the Mage Tower caused the knights chasing me to disappear for a while, giving me more time to survive. How could I forget?

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

I stepped out of the carriage.

All the knights, attendants, and maids stared at me with wide eyes.

“Lady Inerea, it’s dangerous! Please go back inside!”

The lead knight shouted, but Kistchel, who stepped down after me, lightly brushed him aside and turned his head toward the tower.

“Is this an attack?”

He narrowed his eyes, scanning the area.

It was obvious now that the situation was more serious than expected.

Once the others realized the Mage Tower was exploding, they began to flee.

“It’s not an attack.”

Speaking as someone who already knew what was happening: this was all caused by a warding stone falling out of place.

In short, all we had to do was return the stone to where it belonged.

“If it’s not an attack, then what…?”

Back then, we failed to handle it, and as a result, not only did many lives perish, but we lost the entire Mage Tower.

“I think the barrier collapsed. We need to go restore it.”

Boom!

Another explosion echoed, followed by more screams.

“Ugh…”

The tower was collapsing rapidly, and I couldn’t help but frown.

“Kistchel, lower your head. If any debris flies this way, it’ll be bad.”

“I’m fine.”

His eyes narrowed.

He turned slightly, placing a hand at his waist as if searching for something.

“You were serious, weren’t you?”

Would I joke in a situation like this?

Ignoring it won’t solve anything.

I gripped Kistchel’s shoulder tightly.

He let out a long sigh, loud enough for me to hear, and finally surrendered.

Kistchel raised the white flag first.

He lifted me into his arms. People nearby murmured, but I ignored them all.

“Sigh. I give up.”

Now, where exactly was that warding stone?

Just then, a crack split the ground.

The Mage Tower, which stood tall enough to pierce the sky, was visible even from a great distance.

It was falling apart in mere minutes—there was no way the surrounding area would be left intact.

“If we leave it alone, this entire area will collapse. It’ll be a spectacle, and there’ll be countless casualties.”

Kistchel was already halfway turned.

“The whole world should know how much our lady loves this land. Well, except me. I already know.”

I swallowed nervously and nodded. Everyone would find out soon enough.

It wasn’t just to prevent a hassle—I had another reason to go.

The wind blew through the thick black hair characteristic of the House of Mertiel.

I recalled the rumors about the duke’s daughter.

‘So ugly she’s a shame to take outside the estate, a limping freak, a lunatic, a villainess…’

One by one, the labels I’d someday need to tear off passed through my mind.

Those rumors weren’t something I could simply ignore by covering my ears.

Especially if I wanted to reach my goals.

‘That’s why I need to improve my image—step by step!’

And this was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

“Let’s go.”

Even my father, who was supposedly capable of anything, failed to resolve this issue back then and was severely criticized.

It’s a shame I didn’t get to witness that scene myself.

A quiet laugh escaped me.

‘The Mage Tower is practically the brain of the duchy.’

Even as a fugitive, I could hear how much the people cursed it.

The heavy casualties only fueled the anger.

Kistchel pushed off the ground.

At the sound of someone trying to stop us, he glanced at me briefly, but soon, as if resolved, he held me tightly and dashed through the air toward the tower.

Debris flew past us from time to time.

Amid it all, Kistchel wrapped a robe around me.

As we got closer to the tower, thankfully, the explosions grew weaker.

I clutched Kistchel’s collar and asked him to slow down.

He gradually reduced his speed.

“I’ll get down here.”

“I might be worrying unnecessarily, but… still, be careful.”

At his muttered warning, I adjusted the robe around me and nodded silently.

I watched as the Mage Tower continued to collapse.

Taking a deep breath at the sound of screaming, I stepped down from his arms.

“Kistchel, evacuate the people. And call a priest.”

Slowly, I stepped into the chaos.

Sharp debris was scattered everywhere, and the base of the tower was buried in rubble—it was a horrifying sight.

After sending Kistchel off, I remained alone and looked up.

“Whew…”

The upper half of the tower, once high enough to pierce the clouds, had completely crumbled.

I could see people trapped under the wreckage struggling, while others stayed nearby, trying to help.

Some had stopped mid-escape, unable to flee.

‘I need to find the barrier quickly.’

Where is it?

Among the rubble, I spotted a short pillar about as tall as me.

A faint purple light was leaking from it.

“Ah.”

I recognized it immediately.

That was the remnant of the broken barrier.

As I approached, screams sharp enough to pierce the sky echoed in the wind.

“You there! If you’ve got nothing better to do, help out over here!”

“Waaah! Mom!”

“Please help! Someone, please!”

“Why is she going that way again? Someone stop her!”

The road beneath the tower had become treacherous as debris continued to fall.

It was a dangerous situation—anything could happen at any moment.

Knowing that, I still ran.

“Stop her!”

“You there! Are you insane?!”

Inside the Mage Tower, a small vortex had begun to form.