Chapter 133
Of all times, it had to be a prophecy involving soldiers.
I wanted to ask more details, but it was also a sensitive topic even for the Magic Tower, and given the time, it was already time to move on to the main topic.
Arjen quietly rested his chin on his hand.
“Then… does this mean our cooperation regarding Yuna ends here?”
“Such a disappointing thing to say! Even if the Magic Tower doesn’t know, Angelina and I have been close to Ian for a long time.”
Arjen scratched his nose.
“…Wait. Then there was no need for Iza to come out on a matchmaking visit either…?”
A waiter appeared at just the right moment, bringing coffee to Arjen’s seat.
Priston ordered another cup of coffee from the waiter. Even in that state, he seemed to want to drink coffee. After all, he had spilled more than he had actually drunk.
He stared at the still surface of the coffee in his cup and stirred it once with his hand. A small, glass-like cracking sound followed.
With a low sigh, he lifted the coffee cup.
Arjen watched him in strange tension.
Suddenly, the coaster that had been sitting calmly flew toward his chin. Priston barely caught it with his hand, set it down, and leapt to his feet.
“Ah, I really can’t take this.”
He strode over to the adjacent table where a couple had been eating waffles earlier, grabbed the man’s hair, and with his other hand, cast a spell.
“Drink some coffee. Stop fooling around.”
“Ah! Don’t!”
The woman shrieked in surprise. Somehow, her voice sounded very familiar.
As soon as the spell finished, the man’s fake hairpiece came off completely along with his mask.
The woman screamed and tried to hold Priston back.
“Hey! How are you supposed to feed waffles while looking at Eugene’s bare face?!”
“Is that really the important thing right now?”
The fake face came off entirely, hair disheveled, revealing Eugene pouting.
Arjen stared at them, dumbfounded. Only then did he realize the woman’s voice was identical to Brisol’s.
“Why are you so interested in someone else’s relationship?”
“The hierarchy collapses when you don’t do the tasks the Magic Tower assigns and just go looking for matchmaking,” Eugene muttered, still trying to block her view with one hand to avoid being seen by Arjen.
“Yeah, go gather the data properly, you beggar,” Brisol added harshly.
Eugene widened his eyes, as if surprised by Brisol’s tone, not intending to say something that severe.
“Aren’t you reading today’s newspaper? Since the excuse is gone, this matter is over anyway, and all you want is to quietly drink coffee…”
Priston sighed.
“What does all this mean…? Wait, over?”
Arjen looked at the three of them in bewilderment.
Priston sighed again and showed her the front-page headline of the newspaper he had folded earlier.
“The Crown Prince’s New Fiancée… Chosen as Duna Beltrox, Eldest Daughter of the Marquis of Beltrox”
Having openly fought, it was only natural that they were kicked out of the restaurant.
Priston apologized and escorted Arjen Marsedes back to his mansion before taking a walk.
He followed the sight of flowers scattered along the pavement and lost himself in thought.
‘Unexpected. Beltrox?’
The one who tried to recruit Arjen just a week ago was the Emperor.
What had happened in between? Perhaps only the Duke of Duburis slapping the Crown Prince’s cheek?
‘The Crown Prince’s authority is collapsing completely, so he wouldn’t have the right to choose his own fiancée—it must have been the Emperor’s unilateral decision…’
How did Ian predict that things would turn out this way?
Right after the incident at the Admona villa, when Priston entered the Magic Tower office, Ian was already seated at his desk.
Without missing a beat, he went straight to the point.
“Send a marriage proposal to the Marsedes family.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t worry. It will fizzle out after a single meal anyway.”
“No, wait. How can you be so sure?”
Ian just smiled silently.
“Then don’t, if you don’t want to.”
“…I’ll do it.”
Scary. Better not to provoke him.
He hesitated whether to ask further, then added—after all, the old saying goes, when in doubt, ask.
“Should I report if it goes well?”
“…There’s no need. Don’t worry about unnecessary things.”
The reply was sharp, almost tense.
Priston tried to defend himself.
“No, still…”
“And act properly so it never happens,” Ian said.
Why is the blame coming back at me?
He wanted to ask more, but Ian’s smiling face had an unsettling aura, so he gave up.
Fortunately, Arjen Marsedes maintained a professional attitude throughout, as if here for a business meeting, showing emotion only when Ian was mentioned.
‘Good, he’s not meddling in unnecessary emotions.’
Even within the Magic Tower, things were chaotic due to the Master’s dreams. If Arjen got involved too, the aftermath would be worrisome.
‘Why did he have such a grim dream anyway?’
In the Master’s dream, the soldier betrays the Emperor.
‘Did she dream that he stabbed the Emperor in the back?’
The Master reported the dream to the Emperor immediately. Naturally, the Emperor panicked and summoned the soldier to the palace.
‘Even if capturing him changes the future, a prophecy isn’t that easy to alter.’
Priston tilted his head.
Honestly, he didn’t care much about the royal family’s future. They were just collaborators; if they switched ships before sinking, that’s all.
‘Ian is a good card for switching ships.’
He walked leisurely, thinking about how to report today’s matchmaking to Angelina.
Just then, her communication magic crystal rang, and he answered with a light heart.
“Ah, yes, Angelina. It just ended.”
“Hey, you bastard. Aren’t you coming back quickly?”
“…Yes?”
“The soldier assessed the situation and fled the capital! The Magic Tower is in chaos, so come back immediately!”
Priston’s expression stiffened.
The Emperor summoned the soldier that afternoon.
Knowing roughly what kind of conversation would unfold, she packed her things at the Duke of Duburis’ mansion.
Only those loyal to the royal family knew the Duke’s true identity.
Thus, the soldier knew the truth he didn’t particularly want to know.
He had a sense of how even a seemingly minor incident could snowball into something catastrophic.
Because it was urgent, the royal attendants could not hide their awkward expressions upon seeing her.
In a world run by magic, a living “Magic Interference Field” inevitably causes various problems.
Lights spanning multiple floors go out, so old candles and lamps need to be pre-set.
Food in the kitchen freezer must be moved elsewhere to prevent spoilage, and wood must be lit with matches to heat the pots.
Especially in the evening when the Emperor bathes—it must be avoided, as water and fire magic cannot be used, rendering the bathtub useless.
Although magic has advanced the world dramatically since the divine beasts gave it a thousand years ago, her world still lingers in the Western desert.
Wherever she goes, she leaves chaos behind.
The Emperor generously allowed her to use a deserted mansion in the capital and a few maid servants, but her mission frequently took her far from home.
Eventually, she had to settle meals and lodging in shabby inns, paying extra while receiving glances of disapproval.
“Let’s go up.”
She couldn’t use the main stairs of the palace, so she took a cargo lift installed at the back door. A servant pulled a rope from below, raising the lift she was in.
Whenever the old lift squeaked against the narrow passage walls, she closed her eyes and held her breath.
When the lift reached the Emperor’s office, he was sitting in a chair, gazing out the window with pale, misty eyes.
