Episode 309
“The 2nd Prince appeared at an official event.”
“hmm?”
Logan tilted his head at Damian’s unexpected report.
The guy who went missing?
“…What is the imperial family’s reaction?”
“Well… they didn’t admit to the disappearance from the beginning…”
“Oh, that’s right. Then, wasn’t there any mention of those wizards?”
“Yes. Nothing at all.”
How did this happen?
Aren’t those black snakes hostile to the Empire?
Or did the 2nd prince have the ability to escape from their clutches?
Or, as expected, was it the imperial family who saved it?
“I guess we can assume that the 2nd prince went missing and came back, right? Is the fight between those magicians and the Royal Guard true?”
“Yes. Aserian’s devastation is still being recovered. There is no reason for the Empire to act like that.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
So it’s even more confusing.
“Is there any information you have about those black snakes?”
“Sorry, nothing has been figured out yet.”
“I see…”
Talk. Talk.
Logan’s complexion was complex as he pounded the armrest.
“But there is an unfortunate incident.”
“hmm?”
“At the time the second prince appeared, one of the four kings moved.”
“what?”
The kings of the four directions of the empire never leave the royal palace.
Given the weight of their position as part of the emperor’s authority, the only time they could officially move was when there was an order from the emperor.
“On the day that King Dongyik visited the imperial capital Aserian, the 2nd prince reappeared, and from that day on, the 2nd prince and King Dongyik began moving to Dongwangbu together.”
“…It’s suspicious.”
“yes.”
Even though there was a lack of information, it was too insufficient.
Since the wizards with the black snake symbol did not know the internal circumstances of the imperial family, there was bound to be a limit to inferring the situation based on the suspicions revealed on the surface.
“I have a headache.”
Logan sighed deeply and held his head, but suddenly he saw Damian’s face, which was even more frozen than his own.
“…Do you have any guesses?”
Damian hesitated at that question and spoke carefully.
“There is no clear basis, so I will just assume it is imagination.”
“Imagination?”
“As Your Majesty said, if the Empire is planning a war and has intentionally created chaos in the kingdom as part of that plan, then the 2nd Prince, who is suspected of being behind Cleo Lieberman, is either the executor or the planner of that plan. These assumptions are all true. If so…”
“It’s all true.”
If he wasn’t behind it, he wouldn’t have been able to show up with Cleo’s head, which had disappeared so quickly.
As Logan frowned recalling past memories, Damian also spoke with a more determined expression.
“…Yes. If that is true, I can only believe that it was intended to add King Dongyik’s power to the 2nd prince’s work.”
“Hmm…”
That made sense.
Since they’ve already sent an assassin, there’s no way they won’t do something similar again.
But there was a big blind spot in that idea.
“It may be an all-out war, but you’re working behind the scenes again? Are there any weaknesses in our kingdom that could lead to chaos?”
The current Kingdom of McLane is where all power in the kingdom is virtually in Logan’s hands.
The forces that could oppose have already been rooted out, and the only ones left are those with a blood alliance or a firm trust relationship.
In that case, wouldn’t war be easier than trying to create internal chaos?
That was Logan’s idea.
however.
“…I apologize, but there is an issue that could cause a major rift within Your Majesty’s kingdom.”
“what?”
“Currently, only good things are happening under Your Majesty’s reign. So, it is not a problem that is immediately apparent, but…” As
Damian continued, Logan let out a sigh of despair without realizing it. It was only then that he realized that a completely unexpected bomb existed inside the kingdom.
“If it weren’t for you, I would have been staring straight ahead without even noticing that the ground beneath my feet was collapsing.”
Damian received the king’s admiring gaze with a stiff smile. Because the issue being mentioned was too heavy to be intoxicated with praise.
“The easiest thing I can think of is an assassination mission like before. But if that’s not the case, I think they’ll target that.”
“…It makes sense. No, even if I were an enemy, I would aim for that. Huh, I am reminded that my brain is not that good. Thank you, Damian.”
Indeed, Damian Nadal was worthy of being called the viper of the Grandia Liberation Front.
In the past, when I was in the position of a horse being handled, there were many times when I felt scared even though he was a fellow ally. As he was a ruthless tactician who had no hesitation in sacrificing some for the sake of the whole, the anxious days he spent not knowing when he too would be sacrificed increased his aversion to him.
however.
“Oh no, Your Majesty. You didn’t think about it because the construction was so busy. I’m always collecting internal and external information…” Looking at
Damian waving his hand, Logan once again felt that the world had changed.
‘Was this guy this shy?’
Perhaps the poisonous snake he encountered in his past life was the result of Damian changing as he experienced the destruction of his country.
‘So now I will make sure you don’t have to go through those ups and downs.’
Logan patted Damian’s shoulder while making a promise to himself.
“There is no need to be humble about something like this. You have to be aware of your shortcomings to think about making up for them. If something like this happens in the future, please tell me without hesitation. I need a wise person like you.”
Damian lowered his head even deeper.
A king who acknowledges his own shortcomings and instead elevates his subjects. Isn’t being able to serve a king like this the best gift for a subject?
“…I will be happy to do so.”
Damian responded to the king’s will with a small smile.
“Then about that…”
“If the weak point to be attacked is clear, it is easy to prepare a countermeasure in advance. Leave it to me. If the enemy makes a move, I will sort out the entire problem right then.”
“Yes. I believe it.”
“yes!”
To what extent did the conversation with Damian relieve the anxiety in my heart?
Logan’s steps toward the building of the former royal magic tower of the magic corps where Clayton was located were light.
Preparations for internal problems are underway under Damian’s leadership, so now is the time to find a way to make up for the lack of power compared to the Empire. Fortunately, Clayton was finding a clue that could be an alternative.
“Chung chung!”
“See you, Your Majesty!”
“I meet the Lord of McLane.”
The knights and soldiers standing guard in front of the tower quickly knelt down as they saw Logan approaching.
“How could you have come without any message, Your Majesty?”
Even though it is a tower inside the palace, it is definitely the king’s procession. The knights could not help but be frightened when they saw Logan appear alone, without any message and even without a bodyguard.
Of course, the person concerned didn’t care at all.
“What about Lord Clayton?”
“Oh, he’s inside. Shall I send you a message?”
“No, I’m going in. I can’t disturb someone who is researching something important.”
“Yes? Oh yes! I will guide you.”
Following the knight who turned around in a hurry, Logan slowly climbed the tower.
A magic tower that has existed in this land along with the dynasty throughout Grandia’s thousand-year history. The center of the class wizards, called the Grandia Royal Magic Tower instead of its real name, the Wizard School, was full of antique murals as if to prove its long history.
As dragons, giants, forest fairies, and earth fairies crisscrossed the continent with overwhelming power, murals engraved with the history of humans fighting monsters and fighting foreign races against the high walls of the city.
‘A thousand years ago…’
It was a mural carved by wizards who created the ‘hope of the human race’ in the eastern part of the continent called the Kingdom of Grandia, or more specifically the fortress city of Gran. Historical scenes that continued the human race even at the time when different races were rampant were engraved from the first floor of the tower.
It was a record of history that was the pride of the former Wizard School and the pride of the thousand-year kingdom of Grandia. And it was also the basis of the supplementary plan that Clayton and Logan are trying to recreate.
‘fortress. To be exact, a great magic circle that can be engraved on a castle and maintained.’
In modern times, where there are many knights who can overcome even a castle wall as high as 230 meters with just a few leaps, the castle wall has become nothing more than a time-consuming defense.
However, it is different if it is a castle fortress with a great magic circle engraved on it.
‘According to history, the troops who fought inside Grand gained endless vitality and an untiring fighting spirit.’
Although their fallen descendants failed to produce a single mage, let alone an archmage, their traces were engraved throughout the Mage Tower. However, the problem was that since Grand was a city as old as its history, the traces of its great magic circle had now faded away.
– …The other great magic circles barely leave even a faint trace. The only remaining protection magic of the castle wall has now reached its limit of renewal. I suspect it will stop working within a few years.
– What about recovery? Is it impossible?
– It is impossible with the current level of magicology. sorry.
The words of Chasen Riverfield, the former lord of the royal magic tower and one of the vice-lords of the current magic corps, evidenced the difficulty of what they were trying to do now.
It remained a bitter memory that I had unintentionally discovered why Grand from his previous life had been destroyed so easily.
‘The Aserian magic circles react just fine.’
Of course, the history of the Ares Empire is half that of Grandia. Considering that such an empire could barely maintain the great magic formations of Aserian or other large cities, let alone apply them, what Logan was trying to do now might have been a reckless challenge.
But Clayton said it was likely not reckless.
It all started when his student Victoria found some clues in the research journal that is now believed to belong to the black snakes and the artifact Ignis of Tria’s 6th class national treasure.
– We have something in common. The school that created this research journal and the school that created Ignis are probably the same school.
– A magic formula that does not exist in modern times. If you have the ability to see mana, you can restore the magic circle by comparing Ignis and the journal. Furthermore, its application.
What started with the expectation that the quality of mass-produced artifacts could be improved ended up giving an unexpected clue.
– Half a year. It only takes half a year. Please leave it to us.
It’s already been four months since Clayton made that assurance and started research with Victoria.
‘I guess the results are coming out now, right?’
Logan’s steps naturally became faster due to his nervousness and anticipation.
“This is it, Your Majesty.”
Were those expectations greater than expected?
The moment the driver said that and pointed to the door, Logan opened the door without knocking.
The first thing that caught my eye was the sight of a bunch of strange glass bottles filled with various liquids. Logan, a little embarrassed by the sight, shouted loudly to find the person he wanted.
“Lord Clayton! How about research…!”
As a powerful voice echoed through the space, screams erupted from inside a space filled with glass bottles.
“Whoa!? Who are you? At this important time!”
“Aaaah! Master! Don’t look away! Concentrate! Oh no! Mana…!!”
“Damn it!!”
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ofg.
Logan’s complexion hardened in the unusual atmosphere.
Gwaaaaaaaaaa!
With a loud explosion, the entire 6th floor of the royal magic tower exploded.
