# 366
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366
“Who are you?”
The crown prince’s eyes immediately became sharper. His hand went to the sword at his waist.
“I… as you can see, I’m a wizard.”
Xian showed his palms and waved both hands.
He didn’t look like an assassin or anything like that.
This is a good look to reassure someone who is anxious.
“He’s not the imperial wizard I know. Access to the Imperial Palace Library is difficult. “How are you here?”
Even during this time, the crown prince was raising reasonable doubts. Sian shrugged his shoulders.
“I think you need help. “Aren’t you being chased?”
No matter how free the crown prince was, it was strange for him to appear in the library at this hour without any attendant.
The fact that he was following the light as he bumped his body here and there, and that the barrier in the imperial palace library was lifted and he was able to use magic was a very unusual situation.
If the crown prince is here, anyone can see that they are targeting him. It was not the time for leisurely conversation.
The crown prince looked toward the entrance with his face frozen. The knight who entered together had to block the enemies who immediately followed.
While he was in charge, the crown prince ran into the library and locked the door. It was something that could not be helped. It is a knight’s job to protect the crown prince.
But he won’t be able to last long alone. I didn’t know if the enemy would attack at any moment.
Xian spoke quickly as if to reassure him.
“It was Archduke Farnese who gave me permission to come and go here. “Because I’m his son’s friend.”
Asuka’s friend. The crown prince understood right away. If it were an enemy anyway, they would have attacked as soon as they identified the crown prince.
Now we are in a situation where we have to lend a helping hand to cats. The crown prince frowned and said.
“Something has happened, so someone will come soon. “Please help me hide until then.”
“yes yes.”
Xian accepted the high-handed command without much consideration.
Thanks to Archduke Farnese, he also entered the imperial palace library. There was nothing he couldn’t do at least to help the crown prince.
There was a calculation that now that the ball was achieved, our safety would be secured separately from Asuka.
Xian quickly unleashed his magic. The spirit of light surrounded them, and the spirit of darkness covered them.
They ensured visibility in the darkness that fell in the imperial palace library, but hid their appearance.
The crown prince immediately realized what kind of magic Xian had unleashed.
“You are quite a skilled wizard. “Is this a spirit?”
Judging by the look in his eyes, it seems he has decided to keep this person as his subordinate. However, Sian’s future was mortgaged to Helmut. He answered with a grin.
“After all, I am a top graduate from Greta’s Faculty of Magic.”
The crown prince immediately raised his eyebrows.
“But who is the chief?”
“…It’s called Area.”
It was a sad second seat. Sian added awkwardly.
“Anyway, this barrier blocks sound and light. “Unless you are a stronger wizard than me, you will not be able to see through my magic.”
“Can we move like this?”
“of course.”
“Then move. “They will know that I came in here, so let’s move to a safe place.”
The crown prince took the lead. He quickly pictured a route from here to the hideout.
When you go up the stairs from inside the library and reach the second floor, there is an entrance to the hideout on the left inside the second floor. As soon as you step in there, you become safe.
Xian followed closely behind the crown prince.
Thanks to all the hard work he had done in the forest of Pahe, his walls had grown quite a bit. This unimaginable situation was even interesting.
“this.”
The crown prince, who was about to go up the stairs, stopped. There was someone on the stairs. In the pale light, a cool metallic reflection was visible.
A man with a sword. Definitely not an ally.
Xian grabbed the hem of the crown prince’s clothes and spoke in a low voice.
“are you okay. “If you don’t bump into it, you won’t notice.”
A chill ran down my spine. The crown prince gritted his teeth and walked away. For now, I have no choice but to trust this guy who is Asuka’s friend.
A black-clothed monster was coming down the stairs holding a small sphere of light. It wasn’t just that one thing.
Other gunmen lined up and followed him down. A shout rang out from the second floor.
“Search downstairs! “You must find it!”
The door on the first floor was securely locked and no sound of breaking was heard. In most cases, it is not a broken door.
However, the entrance to the library was not only on the first floor. The floors are connected even outside the library.
Those who went up directly from the first floor to the second floor stand, enter the second floor, look around, and then come down to the first floor.
It would form a siege network surrounding the entire library.
The librarian and several guards on duty were probably killed.
My heart was heavy, but nothing could compare to the crown prince’s life.
‘You came after me too fast. What happened to Asuka? Or were there others besides them?’
Could it be that they have already defeated the imperial knights fighting outside and entered?
The crown prince was her cousin and was slightly worried about Asuka.
He could make an assumption.
The assumption is that those fighting Asuka asked for help and others appeared again.
Normally magic could not be used inside the imperial palace due to the barrier, but the barrier seemed to have lost its effectiveness only in a certain area.
‘That means it could have come in through movement magic.’
This is something that would have been done by people who were familiar with the inner workings of the imperial palace. Even high-ranking nobles may have been involved.
Targeting the crown prince inside the imperial palace! Their spirit and recklessness in carrying out such a bold act were astounding and beyond surprising.
Who else but the temple would do something like this against the empire?
‘There is no evidence. But…’
Just the feeling was enough. The assailants passed by the crown prince’s side and entered the library on the first floor.
One person was standing in the middle of the stairs, as if he was guarding the stairs.
The long sword glowed coldly in his hand.
“I guess I should go up now.”
Now, they don’t know that the crown prince disappeared through magic, but if they can’t find him even after searching the first floor, they will think differently. I had to hurry.
“Be careful not to bump into it.”
Sian whispered. Fortunately, the stairs were quite wide. Unless the opponent suddenly changes direction, there will be no collision.
The two climbed the stairs as close to the edge as possible.
The crown prince’s back became damp with cold sweat. It was the moment when I had just passed by the gunman.
“hmm?”
He, who was considered one of the most skilled among masked people, felt a strange sensation. The movement of air was slightly annoying. Even though there is obviously nothing around.
“what?”
He instinctively lowered his sword quickly into the air. Whiing! There was nothing to catch on the sword.
But obviously they were there.
“Wow!”
Sian screamed. A sword with a bright blue edge had cut an exquisite line between him and the crown prince.
The barrier he struck does not exclude physical force. If I had made a mistake, I would have been cut straight away.
Fortunately, the sound did not leak out of the barrier.
Since the barrier is maintained by the spirits, the barrier did not break just because Xian was appalled.
“Maybe I was oversensitive.”
The gunman muttered and looked down at the first floor again. The crown prince and Xian moved slowly, holding their pounding hearts.
They got over the hurdle and finally reached the second floor.
“Wow, I survived.”
Sian wiped the sweat from his forehead. The crown prince shook his head.
“It’s still too early to say that. “I don’t know how much power they have.”
From the crown prince’s point of view, Greta, who was not the top student at the Faculty of Magic and who graduated second, was a bit untrustworthy.
Anyway, isn’t there a stronger wizard than him among his peers? The difference was only one rank, but it was a big difference.
“There is a hiding place on the second floor that only the royal family can open. Let’s go in there.”
“Can I go too?”
A glimmer of doubt dawned on Sian. A person who had followed such a place and died could have been muzzled for not saying anything.
The answer to this problem is to not get involved in the first place, but I completely failed.
The crown prince said as if to reassure him.
“He said he was Asuka’s friend. “I don’t treat people who help me that way.”
“Just in case, my name is Rodril.”
The words of those in power cannot be taken literally. Xian proudly revealed his identity.
The crown prince nodded as if he knew that would happen.
“As expected. “As a spirit mage, something came to mind.”
It seemed like he knew what a rod reel was. Xian, who had relaxed a little, obediently followed the crown prince.
Strangely enough, there was no one on the second floor. Maybe everyone was headed to the first floor, but I felt eerie.
They soon reached the hideout.
At the end of the hallway was a large portrait of a noble lady.
Behind it is the entrance to the hideout. If you go inside, you will be safe.
The moment the crown prince was about to approach there, Xian grabbed his shoulder.
“Wait a minute, something’s strange. “Let’s wait and see what happens.”
Xian pulled the crown prince and retreated to one side of the hallway. A moment later, someone ran quickly across the hallway.
The moment he reached the portrait, a masked person popped out from the curtain on the side and asked:
“Have you found the crown prince yet?”
“We are searching the first floor. “The library is so large that if you decide to hide, it will take time.”
“We have taken measures to prevent the imperial wizards from turning their attention to this place, but we don’t have much time. “We must hurry.”
“The crown prince will definitely see the opportunity and come here.”
“Yes, the hideout is not operational yet. “You should search this area again.”
“yes!”
Xian, who listened to the series of conversations, shook his head.
“I guess they know where the hiding place is.”
That means that he knows not only the internal geography of the Imperial Palace Library but also its blueprint.
I guessed it from the fact that they came down from the second floor without breaking down the first floor door, but it was something unusual.
If we survive here, we will definitely have to find him.
“What should we do now?”
Sian asked. If this continues, you will not be able to enter the hideout. In that case, it would have been better to leave the library and seek help.
It will be safe if you go to the Emperor’s Palace. That’s because it’s the place with the tightest security in the imperial palace.
However, just as the crown prince was about to open his mouth, an urgent cry rang out across the hallway.
“There was a wizard on the first floor! It looks like the crown prince has joined him!”
