CH 24

A heavy silence fell inside the circular hall.

The heads of the 19 families who responded to Licht’s summons looked at each other with skeptical eyes.

The first to break the silence was the Marquis of Scottish.

“Did everyone hear the news? The Chief Priest, who is believed to have leaked the prophecy, was found dead.”

“How was it that a person whose last traces were cut off from the continent was found dead on the border of the Persian territories?”

“They said he was found by guards patrolling the perimeter.”

“Isn’t that the reason His Majesty has summoned us today?”

Except when the Messiah in the prophecy was revealed, this was the first time Licht had issued a summons.

They groaned as they recalled the same memory at the same time.

“Someone among us is really a traitorㅡ”

Clatter.

A tea cup that was put down resounded with a particularly loud sound. Everyone’s eyes turned to the Duke of Siam, who had been drinking tea without a word.

Duke Siam, who wiped his lips with his handkerchief, said with a smile.

“If anyone dares to betray the clan and rebel against the royal family, they should be severely punished.”

“That’s right, Duke Siam.”

The elders, who had their faces hardened at the sudden interruption of the voice, rose from their seats at once.

“I’m greeting the one and only noble owner of the Myo World.”

Licht leaned against the entrance without entering the conference hall.

He lowered his head to scan the faces of the respectful elders one by one, and the corners of his lips rose sharply.

“You must already know why I called you.”

“…”

“What do you think it means that the Chief Priest who ran away to the continent and hid himself for a long time came back dead?”

The elders looked at each other without answering anything.

The Duchess of Avicinian, who was escorting Licht, and the Duke of Siam, who chaired the Senate, were the only ones who showed a calm face.

“In my personal opinion, it seems to be a provocation towards His Majesty.”

In response to the direct answer from the Duke of Siam, the temperature inside the conference hall dropped even colder.

“It’s a provocation.”

“Otherwise, the corpse wouldn’t have been openly abandoned at the border of the Persian Territories four years later.”

“So what does the Duke think of this childish provocation?”

“I think we need to release a larger number of troops as soon as possible to find out the odd traitors who are hiding inside the Myo World.”

“Do you think that a simple search can find clues to the traitor whom the heads haven’t found for more than three years now?”

Licht, coldly smirking, passed the elders and walked to his seat.

After that, Mir, the commander, and the Duchess of Abyssinian, who was the only one with a sword, followed.

“As Your Majesty said, we searched the entire tomb with half of the Persian Knights’ manpower, but didn’t find any abnormalities.”

“So?”

“…How about using a bait that the traitor who is hiding in the Myo World can never refuse, even at this moment?”

Licht’s hand, which had been beating the table with a constant beat, stopped.

His voice suddenly lowered in a flash.

“…Bait?”

“They have a history of trying to steal the Messiah in the prophecy from the cradle of Merni Kingdom four years ago.”

In the end, it meant they should use Yernian as bait to hunt down traitors.

Licht’s hand, which was slowly tapping the table with the tip of his fingernail, stopped.

The Duke of Siam, who didn’t notice the subtle change in his mood, spoke with a firm voice.

“Even if there are traitors in this place, it will be an irresistible trap.”

He was reciting the plan that Licht had made in his heart four years ago when he brought Yernian to the Myo World.

If they could lead Yernian, who has grown up to a certain extent, to let her guard down, then they could carefully strategize and proceed with the plan.

As the Duke of Siam said, the traitors would have no choice but to be caught even though they knew it was a trap.

But why does it feel…

“Dirty.”

“…Yes?”

“If something goes wrong with the Messiah during the plan’s process.”

Licht slowly looked back at the Duke of Siam with his darkened eyes.

“That very moment, it wouldn’t end with just giving up the Duke’s head.”

His face hardened at Licht’s soft words.

A faintly pinkish silver energy circled the Duke of Siam menacingly.

“…My thoughts were short, Your Majesty.”

The Duke of Siam, who quietly turned his eyes, withdrew his remarks.

At that time, Licht withdrew his cold gaze towards the Duke of Siam.

“If proper measures aren’t taken by the next meeting, we should watch the every move of the heads in the scope of the investigation.”

Mir, who was guarding Licht’s back, burst into admiration inside.

‘Because he’s already doing that.’

The faces of the elders who didn’t know the truth turned white.

“Your Majesty, that is…!”

“I hope the brains of the heads aren’t just decorations.”

Licht, who left a chilling ridicule, got up from his seat and left the meeting room.

Due to the longer-than-expected meeting, the sun was already setting outside.

Licht, who was silently looking at the dusk that invaded the corridor, asked with a tired voice.

“What about Yernian.”

“She’s still sleeping.”

Licht’s shadow, which nodded, disappeared from the spot.

The two beastmen, who had already become accustomed to the way Licht appeared, looked at each other, bowed lightly, and went their own way.

‘How long has it been since I left work on time?’

It was time for Mir, who was in a good mood, to hasten his steps.

Before long, the bells that only ring in case of rebellion rang loudly throughout the main palace.

***

Ughh, my head.

My head felt like it was going to break. I couldn’t stand the musty smell that stung my nose from earlier.

‘Where am I?’

Beyond the blurry vision, there was so much darkness that I couldn’t even tell what was on an inch ahead.

I remembered the unfamiliar presence that had invaded the bedroom belatedly and the feel of the damp cloth on my nose.

‘…Turns out I’ve been kidnapped, me.’

Is this those guys’ doing?

My fingertips, unnaturally tied behind my back, trembled.

‘What was the escort doing?’

Hopefully it didn’t happen as it was. I barely suppressed the urge to bite my lips.

I don’t know how they broke through the strict security of the main palace, but I felt like I was being transported somewhere in a carriage.

My body that was swaying along the rattling carriage collided with what was believed to be a box.

‘I’m scared.’

Will I be locked up in a cramped laboratory again?

My eyes clouded over with fear as a seizure crawled up my back.

Hearing this, I repeated the same thing to myself.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay. Yernian.’

You’re no longer a helpless, weak child.

Closing my eyes as if I was escaping from the darkness in front of me, I began to focus on other thoughts to catch the reason that kept running away.

‘The formula to make a fireball…’

As I desperately cling to the magic formula I learned a while ago, my body, which had been shaking like crazy, seemed to calm down a little.

‘How did I get here?’

I can’t repeat the hell of the past like this.

After much effort, I managed to hit the floor with my tied fingers.

‘Gather mana at the tip of your finger.’

I drew a magic circle as if I was painting on the floor.

Since I had to draw in an invisible state based purely on my senses, I had to waste my mana several times.

‘Is it done?’

Fortunately, my mouth was free, so I was able to cast the spells needed to complete the formula right away.

“Fireball.”

After several failures, a small fireball finally appeared around it.

It was about the size of a child’s fist compared to what Licht had embodied, but as the darkness that had overwhelmed me was pushed aside a little, a strong sense of relief flooded in.

‘If I come home safely, I must learn some kind of magic.’

Will there ever come a day when I will be able to freely use magic like Licht without using formulas?

In order not to be engulfed in the fear that shakes me even if I’m a little negligent, I deliberately focused on other thoughts and operated my magic.

‘Make the shape of the mana like a blade and cut off the rope.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult to operate the mana within my body, as it was something I had been practicing consistently for the past hour.

The pale pink magic that escaped from my fingertips severed the rope that was holding my wrist tightly.

“Haa.”

For an instant, there was a strong vertigo that distorted my vision.

‘It’s something sloppy to be done by those guys.’

The ‘Doctor’, who was presumed to be the head of the humans who studied me, was never a great person to proceed with this sloppy work.

I cut off the ropes that bound my ankles one after another, turning my numb wrists lightly and staring at the front.

It was then that the messy scenery inside the carriage, presumed to be a luggage compartment, caught my eye.

‘I can do it.’

Swallowing dry saliva, I put my ear close to the shaking wall.

The sound of branches scratching the walls of the carriage could be heard intermittently.

‘I probably haven’t left the Myo World yet.’

It is said that the gate to the continent is opened once a day under Licht’s direction.

It is also said that for smooth trade with the continent, it’s a gate that is opened only to the authorized top.

‘The gate opening hours have already passed.’

When the sun goes down, the gate closes automatically.

But what if their destination isn’t the continent?

Without slowing down, I prepared the next magic.

It’s a bit ignorant, but I was planning to use the Rock Arrow to completely shatter the ceiling of the luggage compartment.

‘And let’s run away with Fly Magic.’

For the first time, I was grateful that I had a vast amount of mana within me.

Even if the magic fails, as long as I follow my stamina, I will be able to try as many times as you want.

I prepared to draw the next magic circle on the floor of the carriage with my bare fingertips.

As I closed my eyes and focused, the mana that had been accumulating within me flowed down my fingertips.

This time, I was about to cast a spell after completing the magic circle without a single mistake.

Craaaash!!!!!

The whole carriage shook with a great roar.

***

Licht had no idea that Yernian had been kidnapped until he found the bed empty.

But the moment he found the fainted maid in the room next to him, he realized he had been overly complacent.

“…Ah.”

Licht, who had roughly swept his face, got his eyes burned with a dazzling light.

‘It was a trap from the beginning.’

Yernian disappeared as soon as the body of the Chief Priest who leaked the prophecy after four years was discovered.

Crunch.

Back to his office, blue veins spouted from Licht’s neck.

With the corpse of the Chief Priest, he and the elders were distracted, and Yernian was taken away.

If he hadn’t heard a careful knocking sound, all the furniture in the office might have been smashed.

“Your Majesty.”

Unlike usual, Mir with a firm expression entered the room.

“The whereabouts of Viscount Ragdoll’s second son, who entered the main palace two years ago, are unknown.”

Mir, who strengthened the boundary of the main palace to level 1, was busy moving as soon as he learned of Yernian’s disappearance.

This was because Licht had ordered to convene all the new palace guests within the last four years.

The number of nobles who can access the main palace is extremely limited. Therefore, the scope of the suspect was naturally reduced.

Licht, who had been squeezing his lips as usual, raised one corner of his lips.

“The second son of Viscount Ragdoll. What about the Duchess of Avicinian?”

“Currently, she’s blocking the Persian Territories by mobilizing all the knights. It is said that no suspicious carriages have yet been found.”

“The gate must have been closed, so there’s no way they’ve already left the Myo World.”

Mir’s neck trembled unsteadily.

“Maybe those who attacked the Merni Kingdom four years agoㅡ”

“Mir.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Mir, who reflexively stiffened his shoulders, waited for Licht’s command. The face of the master, who had completely erased his boredom, seemed unfamiliar to him today.

“Bring Viscount Ragdoll. He must be punished for raising his son wrong.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

Licht closed his eyes and buried his body in the back of his chair. The sound of the door closing echoed through the silent office.