Episode 52
“The Crown Prince?”
Miel was a little surprised by Jade’s sudden words. After all, it had only been a few days since she’d returned from a journey with Troy.
Since the search for the sacred treasures began, the Crown Prince had never once visited the Magic Tower first—making this all the more unusual.
“Yes. Let’s go quickly. It seems urgent.”
Even Jade’s tone when referring to the Crown Prince was unusually serious. That meant something significant must have happened.
“Yes, Master.”
Miel quickly left the room, leaving the small bird still asleep behind her.
‘What could this be about…?’
Miel followed Jade to the reception room.
“I heard a bit about it—it seems to be because of the miasma,” Jade said with a solemn expression.
That made Miel’s face tense. Miasma had caused monsters to appear even in Elfen, after all.
A short while later, they arrived at the reception room. As the door opened, Troy stood up immediately to greet them.
“Tower Master, Lady Miel. Thank you for coming.”
“Your Highness, what’s the matter?”
Troy’s expression didn’t look good. Miel noticed it right away and approached the sofa.
Troy sat down first, and Miel took the seat across from him. Jade sat in the highest seat.
“It seems this is about monsters. What happened?” Jade asked gravely.
Troy rubbed his temples once before answering.
There were clear signs of fatigue on his face. At first glance, he appeared neat and composed, but his eyes betrayed exhaustion.
“Your Highness, you don’t look well.”
“Ah, that’s from staying up all night in meetings. Thank you for your concern.”
Troy forced a small smile but soon returned to seriousness. Looking at the two, he began to explain.
“Just yesterday morning, we received reports from across the Empire’s borders. Monster activity is unusual.”
Miel and Jade listened intently. Troy continued.
“In the past, monsters occasionally appeared near the borders. I’ve personally participated in several monster subjugation missions myself.”
He let out a low sigh.
“There have always been areas where monsters frequently appeared. But now, their frequency is steadily rising—and still rising, even now.”
“How much have they increased?” Miel asked, concern in her voice.
Troy brushed back his hair and answered uneasily.
“On average, about 1.5 times more than usual.”
At his words, Jade and Miel’s expressions turned serious. A 1.5 times increase might not sound like much—but that changed when it came to monsters.
Each border area had troops stationed accordingly. There would also be additional forces prepared for emergencies.
But if the number of monsters increased that much in a short time, the reserve troops alone wouldn’t be enough.
And if the forces were overwhelmed at the height of the monster surge, the casualties would be substantial.
“What I want to ask is—does the Magic Tower have any information about this? This matter is top secret. Within the royal family, only His Majesty and I are aware of it.”
At Troy’s words, both Jade and Miel fell silent. Jade stroked his chin before answering slowly.
“We know some things about monsters, but we don’t have information on the reason behind the sudden increase. We do study monsters, but the frequency of their appearance is something different from our area of focus.”
Jade’s calm response made Troy’s shoulders slump slightly. He let out a deep sigh.
“I thought the Tower might know something… because of what happened in Elfen.”
Miel nodded faintly. His reasoning made sense. After all, they had heard talk of miasma and monsters in Elfen.
But just as Jade said, magicians often researched monsters themselves—but not the patterns of their appearance. Most Tower mages were more focused on tasks and crafting magical tools.
“Even so, I’d like to request the Tower’s assistance, Tower Master,” Troy said earnestly, gazing at Jade with pleading eyes.
Jade also responded seriously.
“What kind of assistance are you asking for?”
Even without a full explanation, Jade already had a good guess.
“There’s been considerable damage to our soldiers. If the Tower could dispatch magicians to the border zones, it would help a great deal.”
At this, Jade rubbed his chin again, his mind calculating rapidly. As the leader of the Tower, he had to remain composed at times like this.
“If that’s what you’re asking… what will the Empire offer us in return?”
At Jade’s cool question, Troy paused briefly—then answered.
“We’ll provide financial compensation, of course, as we always have. And if there’s anything else you need, we’ll do our best to meet those requests.”
Miel fidgeted with her fingers as she listened. The situation was urgent, so did they really need to discuss this kind of negotiation?
Still, he was her master—and the Tower Master—so she understood why he had to be thorough.
“Very well.”
Jade’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“Then let’s say the royal family owes the Tower a favor. Since we’ve journeyed together, I think that’s fair.”
“Y-You would really agree to that?”
“Of course, considering the Empire is already suffering, it wouldn’t be right to demand too large a reward.”
In the past, Jade might have squeezed the Empire for a large sum, regardless of their condition. But his time with Troy during their journey seemed to have softened him somewhat.
And when he saw the look of relief on Miel’s face, he felt more lenient than usual.
“Thank you, Tower Master.”
Troy looked visibly relieved. Jade smiled mischievously.
“Well, we’re human too, you know.”
He leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
“We’ll send magicians to the borders tomorrow. They’ll assess the situation and respond accordingly with their best judgment.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Which area is currently suffering the most damage?” Jade asked.
“Up north. The northern border is seeing the heaviest damage. Compared to other areas, the monster appearances are about 1.7 times higher there.”
“Then I’ll go there myself,” Jade said decisively.
Troy’s eyes widened slightly. A Grand Mage himself going to the front lines?
“If that’s the case, I’m relieved.”
“We can’t relax just yet. The sooner we resolve this, the sooner we can continue our search for the sacred treasures.”
Jade turned to Miel as he said that. Only then did Miel finally speak.
“Y-Yes. Let’s handle the monster issue first, then go search for the third treasure. Defending the borders comes first…”
“Thank you, Lady Miel.”
As their conversation reached its conclusion, Troy rose from his seat.
“I’ll head to the border now to inspect the situation. Tower Master, I’ll see you at the northern front tomorrow.”
“Take care.”
Jade, still seated, nodded politely. Without delay, Troy exited the reception room.
Only Jade and Miel remained.
Jade also stood up soon after. Without thinking, Miel followed him. He was heading toward the magical garden.
As they entered, Miel asked cautiously.
“Master, about the monsters… do you know why this is happening?”
She was genuinely curious whether even her master had any idea about the cause.
“No. I don’t know the exact reason. But we’ll begin our own investigation immediately.”
Jade strolled slowly through the garden, stopping to gaze at a crimson blossom.
“The thick miasma we saw in Elfen… and now this sudden surge in monsters at the border. I doubt it’s a coincidence.”
He gently stroked the red flower and muttered to himself:
“Perhaps… this could lead to war.”
