Chapter 21

The red sky and the lightning striking down. The black tower that appeared, tearing through the sky, shattered and burned white. Everyone who witnessed the overwhelming disaster vanish in an instant was busy recounting the story. Since the tower's appearance, people had been enthralled by the existence of the 'wizard' who dramatically transformed a desperate moment. They cheered, admired, and even venerated the wizards. Some extremists even thought of them as divine agents. Whenever a wizard in a robe appeared, people would rush out, bow their heads, and express their gratitude. It was truly the age of the wizards. The presence of knights, who once dominated an era, had become very small after the wizards emerged. Meanwhile, the nobles, who were close to power, were having a different conversation.

"Her Majesty the Empress destroyed the tower alone?"

"Goodness. So Her Majesty was a wizard? They say she flew up into the sky and destroyed the tower herself. What on earth does that mean?"

"Indeed. Was it possible to destroy the tower before it touched the ground? Anyway, if she destroyed the tower, she must be a striker rather than a keeper, right?"

"Hmm. Duke Despoina is trying to recruit Her Majesty. To destroy the tower alone! Could she be even higher in rank than Renoux Poitiers?"

"That's also strange. If Her Majesty accepts Duke Despoina's offer, she will be part of the same group as Renoux Poitiers, the older brother of Dian Poitiers. How will the relationships play out?"

"What relationships? It's just a mess."

"Watch your words. Who knows who might be listening?"

The noble, embarrassed, cleared his throat and tilted his head.

"Still, why did the kingdom of Gotrop send a princess who is also a wizard to Echmont? And alone, at that?"

At his question, the others nodded.

"Indeed. I heard she is the legitimate princess."

"The real power in Gotrop is the Empress Dowager, so it seems the mother and daughter had a bad relationship. It's like they sent her to die, isn't it? In the face of power, how important is blood?"

"Be careful with such talk!"

"Cough."

* * *

The late summer wind, chasing the tail of summer, brought a hint of autumn that settled on the leaves. Lionel swept his bangs, which were covering his eyes, to the back.

The sky was clear and blue. The red sky from a moment ago seemed like a lie, making him feel almost defeated. At a time when the joy of narrowly escaping disaster was rippling through the people, feeling defeated seemed like an odd emotion. But he couldn't replace this feeling with anything else. Just a few hours ago, he had been intensely pondering how long he could survive in hell. Then, the Empress, looking up at the black disaster, said in a light voice, devoid of any seriousness:

"A 4th-grade tower, almost 5th-grade, no need to wait."

Her words were etched in his mind, vividly resurfacing. He hastily grabbed her as she was about to be lifted away. The shoulder he felt through his palm was surprisingly slender and delicate, but the powerful magic that pushed his rough, calloused hands away was strong. Lionel looked down at his palm. The intense feeling of magic still tingled in his hand. In Echmont, wizards were unknown entities, even to the Minister of Defense. Wizards monopolized information and moved secretly. This was the first time he had truly felt magic. Lionel replayed this scene over and over. Running out to catch the falling Empress, spreading his arms, was not a rational decision. The burning tower, seen from below, looked like a large cylinder. The Empress, descending through the crumbling tower, approached more overwhelmingly than the great disaster. The brilliant flames, and her golden eyes, more intense than the flames. Her black hair, cascading like a waterfall.

"Anyway, I appreciate your kindness. And for yesterday, too."

Her soft voice, tinged with a smile, tickled his ear, and Lionel shook his head slightly.

"Master!"

At the butler's call, Lionel finally snapped out of his thoughts. While lost in thought, he had already arrived at the entrance of the Baldur mansion.

"Is my brother inside?"

"Yes, he's waiting for you."

Handing over the reins to the stable boy, Lionel hurried to Theseus's office. * * *

Meanwhile, Duke Despoina burst into the headquarters of the Wizard Corps with hurried steps.

"Renoux!!!"

At the Duke's voice, Renoux Poitiers quickly ran out.

"Your Grace!"

Leading Renoux into the Chief's office and closing the door roughly, Duke Despoina turned around quickly and asked in a hushed, urgent voice.

"The Empress is a wizard?"

His face revealed unhidden anxiety, unease, and displeasure at an unexpected event. Renoux nodded.

"Yes."

"Is it true that she destroyed the tower alone, without the help of other wizards?"

"...Yes, that's true."

Duke Despoina frowned and took a step back. He then sat in a comfortable sofa, folded his hands, and remained silent for a while, as if calculating something intensely. How long did he sit like that? Tilting his head and frowning, the Duke let out a "Hmm" and looked up.

"The Empress is a wizard?"

The slow, rising tone made Renoux turn his gaze and sigh inwardly. The black disaster that crossed the red sky, the 4th-grade tower almost 5th-grade, was nothing to him. He had planned to show up splendidly after the arrogant knights had fallen and destroy it. Wearing a flowing robe, he was heading to the rose garden, his stage, feeling very good. But before he arrived, someone started destroying the tower. Seeing the flames enveloping the tower, Renoux froze as if struck by a cold wind. It was the Empress.

"...The Empress?!"

He hadn't expected the Empress to destroy it. The Empress, who had been sent to Echmont like an exile from a distant country, was a wizard, and a striker at that?! Even the Emperor wouldn't have expected it.

"Indeed... a remarkable talent. The Empress Dowager of Gotrop must have forgotten to mention something important."

Duke Despoina, running his fingers through his long platinum hair, muttered darkly. The subtle tone sent a chill and a cold sweat down Renoux's spine, making him feel cold all over. He had a bad feeling. * * *

As soon as the Duke left, Renoux rushed to the Ivory Palace. The Ivory Palace, where the dismissed staff were returning, was in chaos. As soon as he entered, Renoux grabbed a maid and demanded.

"Where is the Palace Master?"

"She's in the office."

Without waiting for the maid to finish, Renoux strode up to the second floor where the office was. Despite his casual demeanor, no one in the Ivory Palace dared to stop him. Bang! Without knocking, Renoux rudely opened the door. Dian, sitting at the desk, opened her mouth irritably.

"Please, just..."

"Get out."

Before she could finish, Renoux ordered Lorraine, who was waiting. Lorraine blinked at Dian, who sighed and nodded. As Lorraine left the office, Renoux approached Dian and stared at her belly.

"You still haven't gotten pregnant, have you?"

At his words, Dian reacted violently.

"Please, stop it! Getting pregnant isn't something I can just decide, you know?!!"

"What are you going to do now?!"

"What am I supposed to do!!!"

"The Empress is a wizard."

"..."

Dian's eyes widened in shock as Renoux approached her, growling as if blaming her for everything.

"The Empress is a damn striker."

"...The Empress is a striker?"

"Yes."

Her light blue eyes trembled. Renoux's intense unease seemed to spread to her. Dian roughly shook her head, turned away, and looked out the window, trying to calm her breathing.

"So... the one who destroyed the tower..."

"The Empress."

Dian closed her eyes tightly at the immediate answer. It was an unexpected and frustrating situation. She just wanted a living doll, a puppet to breathe and hold her place. A damn wizard, of all things!! Her mind was a mess.

"Duke Despoina said she's a remarkable talent! What if he thinks I'm useless?"

At her brother's anxious words, Dian sneered.

"If you were useless, he wouldn't have brought us here."

"Stop that and look at me."

The siblings were enveloped in an uneasy silence as they stared at each other. Dian looked into her brother's eyes and felt a chill. She needed to stay calm. She tightened her stomach.

"The Empress is a wizard?"

"Yes."

"So what?"

"What?"

"So what?"

"...Are you crazy?"

"You're distracted. Stop whining. Whining won't change anything. Stop it."

Dian shook her head, looking tired, and walked past Renoux to the sofa. Sitting down, she said as Renoux stared blankly.

"You're a wizard, aren't you? The strongest striker in Echmont."

"Yes."

"So pull yourself together. Keep your eyes open and guard the Wizard Corps. I'll take care of the Emperor. Nothing will change. There are wizards in Echmont, and people will be surprised, but that's all. Don't waver. Understand?"

"..."

Dian's expression had calmed. Her confident words began to ease Renoux's unease.

"Yes, that's right. Even if you can't get pregnant, the Emperor is still under your skirt, isn't he?"

"Stop it, please!!! If you can't get pregnant, shut up!"

"Alright, alright. I'll be careful, I have to be careful."

Dian stared at her brother, who continued to question her, and slowly nodded. The siblings, with eyes like the cold winter sky, not the warm spring, hot summer, or clear autumn, had survived by relying on each other's warmth.

"Anyway, the owner of this empire is the Emperor. The Empress will just guard the Empress Palace. Where else would she go?"

"Yes, that's right! What can she do alone?"

"After all we've been through, will we fall apart over something like this?"

Renoux's eyes darkened.

'For those who have, more will be given, and for those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.'

The two of them had shattered this harshest of truths in the world. And they were still shattering it with their whole bodies and hearts.

"This damn world. Those who have more just keep getting more and take it for granted. But what does it matter if they were born with it? Don't you think so?"

A faint madness crept into Renoux's face. And Dian, easily grabbing the reins of her mad brother, whispered in his ear like a spell.

"Yes, brother. Whether the Empress is a wizard or not doesn't matter. In the end, we will be the ones laughing."

* * *

Adele defined the act of destroying the tower alone without any assistance as follows:

'Foolhardiness.'

When the tower, the core of magic, disappeared, the magic that had been surging out suddenly drained away. After acting foolhardily, Adele, feeling as heavy as a water-soaked sponge, desperately ran to her room in the palace and buried herself in bed, falling into a deep sleep. Her body ached as if she had been beaten, and she groaned without realizing it. Someone seemed to be taking off her clothes and shoes, but she didn't care.

"Ugh. Huh."

Lady Giggs looked worriedly at the Empress, who kept making strange sounds and moving her body. Feeling her forehead, she found no fever and left the room, concerned. Soon, Lady Giggs learned what the Empress had done. It was impossible not to know. The palace was in chaos.

"Her Majesty the Empress destroyed the tower!"

"Alone?"

"Yes! She destroyed it alone. The Royal Guard Knights are in a frenzy."

"What about the other wizards?"

"They arrived late. They say the Empress had already destroyed it."

"If it weren't for Her Majesty, the Royal Guard Knights would have suffered great losses."

People gathered and gossiped, putting their heads together. The former Chief Steward, with her experience, understood the situation shrewdly. Her wrinkled eyes sparkled. She secretly called someone and handed over a letter.

"Deliver this letter to His Highness the Grand Duke immediately."

"Yes, Lady."

"Be quick."

Her messenger slipped out of the palace without incident, taking advantage of the confusion. * * *

At the same time, the Emperor was lost in thought. The red sky, the black tower. The palace had suddenly become chaotic, but he remained calm, knowing that a tower of that level could be removed. Even so, he had to consider the right moment to remove the tower since it was inside the palace. Just as he was thinking this, he felt a very strange sensation. The wind, which had been blowing strongly, weakened, and the blood-red sky seemed to lighten. He got up from his seat and opened the window. And he saw it. The tower, burning white, crumbling. The Wizard Corps must have destroyed it. But the news that followed was completely different from his expectations.

"Who destroyed the tower?"

"Her Majesty the Empress destroyed it alone."

The Emperor was momentarily speechless and unconsciously looked down at his hand. The electric shock he felt when he touched the Empress's shoulder seemed to come alive again. It seemed that the Empress Dowager of Gotrop had only sent accurate information about her daughter's gender and name. For the first time, he had this thought: Perhaps the Empress Dowager of Gotrop had sent her daughter to Echmont because she couldn't control her at all. After finishing his thoughts, Karl summoned the shadow who handled his secret affairs.

"Go to Gotrop and investigate the movements of Princess Adelaide."

* * *

The next morning, Empress Adelaide, the center of attention, got out of bed and issued an order that would once again stir the still unsettled capital.

"I will announce a recruitment for an advisor. The eligibility criteria are unmarried men over twenty years old. Those who are engaged will be excluded. I will select through interviews, and the number of selections is undecided. The selection criteria are."

"What are the selection criteria?"

"Only my heart."

Lady Giggs, bowing respectfully to the Empress, who smiled enchantingly, diligently carried out her orders. The wave caused by Empress Adelaide hit the Echmont social scene head-on within three hours of the order being issued.