Chapter 86

EP.86 Mad Dog and the Mad Maid (1)

Prince's court magician, Nekelt.

"......"

He narrowed his eyes. He closed the magic book he was reading and stretched out his arm, pulling the crystal ball from the corner of the desk.

The crystal ball, which should have reflected the appearance of the secondary palace, was dark. It was evidence that the circuit had been severed.

'...Was there any sign?'

There was no sign. No one was seen tampering with the circuit. It meant that the circuit was dismantled without giving the familiar a chance to react.

"That's strange."

"Is yours the same?"

The court magicians standing beside him added their comments. It wasn't just Nekelt's familiar. The connections between the familiars planted in the secondary palace were all severed.

"Was there any sign?"

"No, there wasn't."

"There was no reaction at all."

Hm, Nekelt exhaled and stroked his chin.

It takes about five seconds for a familiar to react. The fact that no one sensed any anomaly means that the circuit was destroyed within five seconds of being tampered with.

'That's impossible.'

Nekelt stated firmly.

It was a circuit engraved by court magicians.

'And it was a circuit hidden between the gaps of the main circuit, to dismantle it within five seconds?'

It was impossible.

It was a surveillance circuit mixed into the gaps of the protective circuit guarding the secondary palace. If it was tampered with, the protective circuit would also be destroyed.

Even for high-ranking magicians, dismantling only the surveillance circuit would be a difficult task.

'Unless the head of the Black Tower, who specializes in the engraving and dismantling of circuits, comes... it would be a difficult task.'

As far as Nekelt remembered, there had been no contact between the head of the Black Tower and the princess. The head of the Black Tower had never been seen entering the royal family.

Then, there was only one remaining possibility.

"Looks like they did some mana experiments in the secondary palace."

"It is the palace where the mad dog resides, after all. As expected, they did something bizarre again."

"It seems they conducted an Anti-mana experiment, a useless endeavor."

An Anti-mana experiment that destroys circuits.

It seems they conducted such an experiment, destroying both the protective circuit and the surveillance circuit guarding the secondary palace.

Why did they do such a thing?

The reason was not difficult to guess.

"Did they think that such a thing would peel off the spell consuming their body?"

"Only the surveillance circuit was destroyed."

Princess Leurel must have noticed as well.

She must have sensed that something was happening to her body and that it was related to some magical means.

'So, this is all the effort they put in?'

The court magicians couldn't suppress their laughter. They mocked the princess.

"It can be seen as a last desperate act before death. How many days are left until the circuit activates?"

"About four days. By now, it should be slowly consuming the princess's body. Since it was a circuit personally brought by the First Prince, its performance is certain."

It was a circuit whose origin was unknown.

However, its performance was proven.

'No magical traces are left, and it's impossible to destroy the circuit with any spell.'

That was the most terrifying aspect.

Once the circuit activates, the preparatory stage spell cannot be observed by any means.

An unobservable spell.

A spell that leaves no magical traces.

It slowly, very slowly, strangles the target's breath. It kills the target slowly but surely. There is no way to escape from it.

The court magicians sneered.

"She's probably dying slowly."

"It will be quite a sight to see the arrogant girl, who barked like a mad dog, die helplessly."

The court magicians knew well what kind of person their lord was.

The First Prince, Isaac.

He never tolerates those who show their fangs at him, even if they are his blood relatives.

'So, she should have lived like a mouse.'

The First Princess, Leurel, crossed a line that should not have been crossed. The price for hindering Isaac's plans is death alone.

"So, what will you do about the surveillance circuit? I'd like to see the arrogant princess gasping for breath and dying up close."

In response to the question, Nekelt shrugged and said,

"We can sneak in at night, engrave it roughly, and that's it."

To him, it wasn't a particularly difficult task.

2.

"Ah, it's a circuit from the ancient kingdom."

"What?"

"It's quite complicated. I can't handle it immediately... It seems the activation date is three days from now..."

The First Princess, Leurel, blinked.

What is the professor saying right now? She, who rarely panics, feels that she has been surprised a lot lately.

Leurel stared blankly at the professor.

The professor blinked and tilted his head.

'...What did I just hear?'

Her mind couldn't catch up with the situation.

Leurel slowly retraced the events of a moment ago. She closed her eyes and reviewed the conversation she had with the professor in her mind.

It started with the professor's question.

-Why four days?

Why is the protection period four days?

When the professor asked this, Leurel, who sensed it was time to explain, put down her quill. Then, she lifted her long hair to show the professor the back of her neck.

-Do you see this symbol?

The back of her neck, hidden by her platinum hair.

There is a black symbol engraved on it. The moment this symbol appeared, Leurel sensed her impending death.

'It was the symbol that appeared on my sisters.'

A week before the Second and Third Princesses died, this symbol appeared on their bodies. As the symbol deepened, they grew weaker.

Suffering, on the seventh day.

They met their deaths.

-I am the same. My strength is waning. Since the symbol appeared about four days ago, I estimate that I have about three to four days left.

During the deaths of the two princesses, no one could identify what the symbol was. Therefore, Leurel did not reveal that the symbol had appeared on her.

If she had, it would have caused a commotion and restricted her actions.

Leurel decided to seek an answer from the outside. The one she summoned was the professor in front of her. Leurel, showing the back of her neck, smiled bitterly.

'It's not something that can be easily answered.'

Thinking this, Leurel let go of her hair. Her hair swayed, covering the back of her neck.