Chapter 27

Ronée was immediately taken to the royal physician, who exclusively served the Imperial House of Iver, for treatment. She was escorted by Nabel and two knights from the inner castle.

“No trauma has been identified.”

Even Ruchel, the Imperial mage, was called upon for magical advice. There were eight bracelets hanging from his wrist.

“Perhaps she exhausted herself by using too much divine magic at once.”

That was the conclusion Ruchel and the royal physician reached after a long and thorough discussion.

There was nothing wrong with Ronée.

After a while, Nabel regained his original composure as he sat next to Ronée and monitored her condition.

‘Ah…’

The memory of her collapsing before him in slow motion continued to replay in his head.

Her exhausted face became pale the moment she lost all strength.

It was a sight he never wanted to see again.

“After a bit of rest, she will recover,” concluded Haas, the royal physician, after the examination.

His disciple, Domelo, didn’t dare examine Ronée.

Now that she was recognized as the Master of the Shinsu, and Nabel had announced his intentions to marry her, Ronée status was no less than a member of the imperial family.

Nabel peered out the window at the tower. The immense structure, which was visible from anywhere within the walls of the Imperial Castle, still stood upright.

The mages were busy carefully examining the outside of the tower.

When he heard shouts of excitement, the mages rushed into the tower. Due to the miracle, there seemed to be no sign of any damage to the structure.

The research the mages had devoted their entire lives to and their dignity were still intact.

It was as if the explosions had never happened.

They repeatedly bowed respectfully to the new Master of the Shinsu as she was taken away.

Of course, it was obvious that they should be thankful.

Nabel’s lips twisted into a sneer.

“Summon every single person who has entered the tower since the day the preparations for the trial began,”

It wasn’t enough that Ronée was safe. Before she woke up and began her duties as the Master of the Shinsu, Nabel had every intention of quickly locating and killing the culprit.

“Should I torture them first?”

His sister’s eyes would have widened in surprised at his words, but she didn’t understand the cruelty needed to survive against their enemies.

Nevertheless, Nabel could be cruel for her sake.

“Hurry up and find them. I want to send their heads flying before my sister awakens.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Nesha bowed briefly and left the room.

It wasn’t suppose to be like this.

After Ronée proved that she was the Master of the Shinsu, the Western Empire would have two things to celebrate. If Emperor Nabel Iver was to marry the Master of the Shinsu, there would have been no greater honor than that.

The Iver Imperial Family would once again have the protection of the Master of the Shinsu.

However…

The the landscape would be drenched in blood before any of that occurred.

After hearing Nabel’s order, Ruchel’s complexion lost all color. It didn’t take him long to realize the individuals who visited the Mages Tower included himself and the mages under his command.

Soon, the wind would carry the scent of carnage.

The Mages’ Tower was now a restricted space due to Nabel’s command.

‘Summon all those who entered the Mages’ Tower during the preparation for Trial of the Tower.’

As a result, all the mages with registered magic power patterns were confined to the tower.

The mages were convinced that something cruel would happen to them when they heard Nabel Iver, the new Western Empire’s Emperor, would be arriving soon. Most of the mages returned to the tower with fearful expressions on their faces.

But nothing happened in the tower.

“Please wait here.”

Since an order had been issued to gather at the tower, there was obviously a reason to be concerned.

However, the ¹0th Knights Order and ²1st Knights Order, who were under the direct control of the emperor, did nothing other than prevent the mages from leaving the tower.

The knights also did not mistreat or disregard the mages.

“Is it due to the Eastern Continent temple mages being present?”

The mages of the tower were slightly relieved by this thought.

“While there was an accident during the Trial of The Tower, the trial was successfully completed. His Majesty has several reasons to celebrate a joyous occasion, perhaps he’s setting aside time to thank us?”

Many of the mages nodded their heads in agreement.

“Then why have we been summoned here instead of the main palace?”

Of course, it was natural that they would have many questions. However, the knights of the 0th Order did not give a response.

On the first floor of the tower, two men wearing dark mage robes entered through the gap formed by the knights thoroughly guarding the entrance. They pulled up their hoods very briefly and showed their faces.

When the knights saw their faces, they bowed their heads to greet them, and naturally made a way for them.

Beneath the hood of one of the robes, a head full of ebony hair was illuminated by the small light fixtures in the tower.

“Hurry up,” Nabel said to Nesha, who followed behind him silently.

“Of course.”

Nabel gestured towards the knights guarding the entrance. It was an order to not let others in.

Thead, the general of the 1st Knight Order, who was in charge of guarding the outside the Mages’ Tower, bowed obediently.

“I was hit by some of the debris from the explosion!”

“That’s right, but why don’t you have any wounds?”

“Even your wounds were healed?”

The mages were busy discussing the trial when they caught sight of Nabel passing through the corridor on the 3rd floor.

Naturally, the corners of his lips drew into a smile as he passed by them.

He noticed most of the mages were starting to relax. The more relaxed they were, the better it was for him. His hands, without his usually white gloves, lightly brushed against the mage’s hands. No one was suspicious of his actions as there were many mages gathered in the hallway.

‘Are you really not going to do any research?’

With a touch of his hand, their thoughts were revealed.

“It’s only been 20 years since Pel died in an accident and now there’s a new miracle!”

Nabel usually despised touching other people, but so far, the mages’ thoughts were filled with their excitement for the appearance of the new Master of the Shinsu.

‘Ten, why are you in a higher rank when you have less magical power than me?’

“Ten, haven’t you been recognized for your divine magic since you were young?”

Nabel scoffed at the contradicting thoughts and words that came out of the mage.

Because of such people, he hated hearing the thoughts of others.

But this wasn’t an unusual occurrence. He had dealt with thoughts more repulsive and vile than the mages, all while smiling casually.

However, today was an exception. For today only, Nabel didn’t mind touching others, and reached out to as many people as he could. It didn’t matter if he became nauseous each time there was a disgusting thought.

In pursuit of the truth, he could endure it all.

When he remembered how Ronée collapsed in front of him, his resolve strengthened.

‘Shouldn’t I handle this my way to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again?’

Nabel headed to the fourth floor.

It wasn’t possible for him to touch all of the mages in the tower, so the next best thing was to investigate the scene of the crime.

A knight from the oth Order had already provided him with a report after investigating the interior of the tower.

“There was a magical reaction on the 5th floor. Upon searching the area, I found something that looked similar to a magic circle, but the shape wasn’t clear. Nevertheless, it does not appear to have been erased in the aftermath of the explosion.”

The Master of the Shinsu had accomplished an astonishing feat and that in itself was a blessing in disguise.

The tower had exploded and then was restored to its previous state.

To be more specific, the evidence was restored, leaving behind clues that would help identify the enemy.

“Thankfully, our research papers are safe.”

“I’ve never seen a magic ability that can turn back time.”

“Whatever the master of the Shinsu has done…”

The mages also praised Ronée.

“I mean, I just finished writing the report for that study yesterday! Imagine if it flew away! I would have thrown myself from the ninth floor!”

Nabel observed the mages with an indifferent gaze as he passed them by.

“But the report I wrote yesterday is still here! She must have turned back time to the day before the trial!”

‘Hail the Master of the Shinsu!’

The mage whose hand was touched by Nabel was praising Ronée.

But on the other hand…

‘She looked quite young for her age. If I somehow get the chance to play with her…’

Hearing the vulgar thoughts, Nabel narrowed his eyes and pulled back his hand.

“We will arrive at the scene of the explosion soon,” Nesha said quietly as he followed behind. Nabel nodded briefly, his expression hardening slightly.

The tower incident was nothing short than a declaration of war against the Western Empire.

Some of the neighboring countries had heard the news and were already sending gifts. On the surface, it was to celebrate the birth of a new master of the Shinsu while offering consolation for the accident that occurred in the trial of the tower. Of course, they also referenced the amazing ability of the master of the Shinsu that prevented a disaster.

[I don’t know if it will comfort you but…]

All the neighboring countries sent gifts with similar words to the Western Empire.

In short, they were denying any involvement in the trial incident.

Nabel was not interested in anything as insignificant as gifts when there were enemies aiming for Ronée.

But he knew the surrounding small countries couldn’t cause such a disturbance since he had already suppressed their ambitions during the early days of his reign.

Those who dared to invade the Western Empire were given a taste of the nation’s immense power. Even if the nation’s power was gnawed on by the Miltans, and the internal situation was complicated, it was not enough for them to be defeated by a small country.

Nabel’s eyes narrowed. Yes, the national power that the Miltans coveted.

There was only one force that would dare declare war like this.

The House of Miltan.

Most of the Miltans were beheaded as traitors after rebelling against the Imperial House of Iver.

But Nabel knew that wasn’t the end.

‘Why else would Duke Lloyd and Miltans have similar intentions?’

‘Perhaps there is still someone of the Miltans’ bloodline, who wishes to overthrow the Iver family and become emperor instead?’

Most of all, Nabel knew that like the Miltans, the Iver family was also beheaded. Every single one, except for him.

It was thanks to the last remaining loyalists of the imperial family that he managed to escape with his life. They were now known as the 0th Knights Order.

‘I will never run away again.’

[5th floor.]

Nabel’s gaze shifted to where the mages had gathered. They were feeling around the wall in wonder. This must have been the place where the explosion first occurred.

“Do you recognize this form of magic?”

“No, I have never seen it before. What does this triangle mean?”

“A triangle? Where do you see a triangle?”

The mages were burning with the urge to research the unknown magic. The magical shape drawn on the wall appeared differently to each individual.

But its true form was visible in Nabel’s eyes.

“That’s…” Nabel started to speak, but quickly closed his mouth.

While he wasn’t a mage, Nabel had a great deal of knowledge when it came to the different forms of magic.

As such, there were a few things that only he was privy to as a member of the royal family.

For example, before Archmage Pel’s death, the former master of the Shinsu left behind the knowledge of a defensive magic circle for the Iver family.

The magic circle was supposed to explode the moment an unauthorized person entered the magic circle’s field.

And that magic circle could only be used by the imperial family of the Western Empire.

However, the magic circle was clearly visible on the wall of the tower.

The Miltans were once an imperial family of the Western Empire and would have knowledge of it too.

In short, the only individuals who could draw the magic circle were members of the Miltan family and the Iver family.

“This makes it clear.” Nabel spat out briefly.

Members of the Miltan family were clearly alive.

And they were aiming for Ronée, the Master of the Shinsu.

¹previously the 1st Order of Imperial Knights

²previously the 1st Order of Guard Knights