Chapter : 15
The long banquet was nearing its end.
“Thank you for coming here.”
Princess Aria was personally greeting the attending nobles.
It wasn’t something royalty normally did, but since she lacked a solid political foundation, it seemed she was using this opportunity to build connections.
At that moment, one of the nobles she was speaking with suddenly reached inside his jacket and lunged toward Aria as if to attack.
‘…So there were collaborators among the nobles too!’
If not just servants but even knights or nobles belonged to the rebel faction, the situation was far more serious.
That meant the rebellion had already infiltrated high society.
They moved in perfect coordination, as if they had been waiting for this very moment of complacency.
Or rather—tried to move.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Light always has its shadow.
‘And shadows belong to me.’
From beneath their feet, shadows rose like roots, twisting around their ankles and holding them fast.
The darkness that had earlier filled the entire hall hadn’t disappeared—it had merely hidden itself behind the light, as it always did, waiting for its moment.
“What are you doing! Arrest those who tried to assassinate His Majesty and Her Highness immediately!”
At the knight commander’s order, the knights—who had been frozen at the sight of the shadow-bound assailants—snapped into motion.
They quickly moved to escort the Emperor and Princess to safety and restrain the captured intruders.
Then, one of the attackers closest to the Emperor shouted out.
“Everyone! Remember, we came here to fulfill our purpose! Do not falter!”
His roar was so fierce that the veins in his neck bulged like steel cords.
“Yes, sir!”
Something felt off.
‘Why do they sound so confident when they’re completely restrained?’
Their unwavering voices bothered me.
Even though their plan had been completely foiled, why were they still shouting so triumphantly?
‘Did I miss something?’
A sudden sense of dread seized me.
“Let light return to the Empire!”
“Let there be light!”
The moment they chanted in unison—
BOOM!
Just like on the day I first got caught in that terror incident, an explosion erupted.
“Kyaaaaah!”
The intruders bound by shadows detonated their own bodies.
The knights nearby were caught in the blast, thrown back and injured.
Screams filled the hall as blood and flesh scattered everywhere.
That’s when I realized—
‘They didn’t care if they were captured or not.’
Their goal from the start had been mutual destruction.
That’s why they had tried to rush straight toward the Emperor and Princess.
‘I have to stop it.’
My body moved faster than my thoughts.
In an instant, I expanded the shadows that had bound them.
Like a pouch being opened wide, the darkness swelled and swallowed the explosions whole.
‘Please—listen to me this once!’
Barely managing to block the explosion near the Emperor and Aria, I broke into a sweat trying to suppress the rampaging darkness.
A magician’s power has a will of its own—that’s why magicians are divided by elemental affinity.
[I love this!]
Among them, darkness is the most willful and difficult to control.
Perhaps that’s why dark magicians are so rare.
‘Stay still, will you!’
[But this is the first time you’ve used me properly! You ignored me all this time!]
But the darkness, thrilled to finally be unleashed, refused to listen.
Panting as I focused all my concentration, I suddenly lost control—
—and at that instant, one last intruder seized the opening and lunged at the Emperor.
Then, another explosion—
“Your Majesty!”
—it was heading straight for him.
“No!”
I sprinted toward the Emperor, shouting desperately—
“Haah—!”
Realizing the blast was right before him, the Emperor closed his eyes, certain it was the end.
“Did you really think you’d be assassinated while I’m here? How absurd.”
Before I could even process my teacher’s voice, I fainted.
A very fortunate thing—
Had the Emperor heard that comment, he surely would have started a fight.
In the end, the Emperor was completely safe.
The explosion disintegrated before it could even touch him, scattered into light and vanished without a trace.
“Your Majesty!”
The knights guarding him caught the Emperor as he collapsed backward.
“Quickly! Get His Majesty to safety!”
Moments later, he was carried away, surrounded by attendants and guards.
“Ah…”
My teacher wasn’t the only one who rushed toward the throne.
“Are you all right?”
At some point, both Everett and Princess Aria had come to stand beside me.
“Ah…”
But Aria looked troubled.
With the Emperor gone, it was up to her to restore order, yet she seemed too overwhelmed to act.
“Your Highness, please return to the princess’s palace. I’ll summon a physician immediately.”
Her attendants spoke gently, worried that she hadn’t moved yet.
But Aria hesitated, unable to leave.
‘Where’s the knight commander?’
Scanning the hall, I spotted him standing before the Emperor’s stretcher.
“I have committed an unforgivable sin, Your Majesty… Forgive me for merely watching instead of protecting you…”
The middle-aged commander was bowing repeatedly, desperate and pale.
Failing to guard the Emperor was an unpardonable crime—
He must have feared for both his life and his family’s downfall.
“When can we leave?”
“Let us out already!”
He wasn’t the only one consumed by fear.
The nobles, still reeling from the explosion, crowded around the knight commander, clamoring to leave the palace.
Driven by terror, they had completely lost their composure.
‘In that state, the commander won’t be able to look after Aria.’
The imperial palace—supposedly the safest place—had become total chaos.
At this rate, the princess would be left unattended.
“Excuse me.”
I gathered my courage and poked a nearby knight’s back with my staff.
“Yes, Magician!”
Recognizing me, the knight quickly bowed his head.
“Do you have any orders?”
“Please escort Her Highness to a safe place. She just went through something awful and needs to be examined.”
“Ah, yes! Right away! Please wait a moment.”
The knight hurried to get the commander’s permission, then returned with four others.
“I can only thank you, Themis.”
Aria, watching the scene unfold, whispered apologetically to me.
“It’s still a dangerous time for you, Your Highness. And if you truly wish to thank me…”
Feeling the gazes of both my teacher and Everett behind me, I leaned close to Aria’s ear so they couldn’t hear.
“…Please take good care of my teacher.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, then she burst out laughing.
“Should I call you a devoted disciple? Very well. I’ll remember your request.”
Nodding with a knowing smile, she turned and walked away.
Though the incident had been chaotic, I had at least succeeded in leaving a strong impression on her.
As I watched Princess Aria’s figure recede, my teacher strode toward me.
Clicking his tongue, he glanced disdainfully at the Emperor being carried away.
“For the ruler of an empire, he’s quite the coward. You’re better, Themis.”
Even though the hall was still an inferno of chaos and fire, he didn’t so much as blink.
“…Me? Hardly.”
Despite my embarrassment, I couldn’t help feeling happy.
My teacher’s praise was rare—
He wasn’t the type to offer flattery or meaningless words.
Really, who could possibly make him say something he didn’t mean?
Still, I knew I had much to improve.
Just looking at the radiant sun-emblazoned staff shining behind my master’s back made that obvious.
‘If not for him, this would never have ended without casualties.’
While I’d been struggling to contain the darkness, I’d only later realized—
My teacher had neutralized the remaining blast completely and shielded everyone with a barrier of light.
