Chapter 70

- Perspective of the Commander of the 1st Knight Regiment of the Empire of Empelus -

As I walk through the royal castle, I can see a hint of fear on people's faces.

It can't be helped.

For the past few centuries, the Empire of Empelus has never been attacked.

We strengthened the country's barrier by enhancing the power of the magic stone.

As a result, our country has the most robust barrier of any nation.

Even though the attack lasted only 1 or 2 minutes, it still happened.

Looking out the window, the sky is clear and cloudless.

There exists a being that can freely change even this clear sky.

"There you are."

I hear a friend's voice from behind.

Even without checking, I can tell the fatigue in his voice.

The king, it is said, spent the entire time near the magic stone, setting up multiple barriers to protect himself from the lightning attack that crossed the sky.

Nearby, mages were placed to ensure safety.

However, 20 days later, several balls of light appeared, dissolved the strong barriers, and attacked the magic stone.

The cracks in the magic stone have grown larger and now form a large vertical fissure.

Witnesses say that countless beams of light shot straight from the forest.

The light was visible to the citizens and caused them to panic.

The lightning aimed at the king missed, scorching the ground at his feet.

The knights thought the king's barrier had protected him, and I, too, thought so for a moment.

But upon calming down, one thing began to bother me.

Did it really miss?

The royal castle is quite far from the forest.

It takes about 10 days to reach the forest's entrance.

To reach the center of the forest would take several times longer.

From such a place, they targeted the king.

Probably because the king ordered the forest to be burned.

Does this mean that from the center of the forest, one can see the entire world?

And from that place, they knew exactly where to aim and when to attack.

Otherwise, the timing of the attack would not have been possible.

"What's wrong?"

"I feel like we're being tested."

"Tested? By who, for what?"

"The king of this world, for this country."

I can hear my friend's breath catch.

After much thought, I realized one thing I had misunderstood.

Yes, it's very strange.

The small crack in the magic stone, confirmed by the mages, was determined to be from an attack.

Yes, an attack.

I should have realized this at the time.

"The opponent can completely nullify the power of the magic stone."

"What do you mean?"

A barrier is what defends against attacks.

Typically, a barrier contains the power to nullify the magic it is attacked with.

Since our barrier is enhanced by the magic stone, its power is considerable.

"To damage something inside the barrier, it is absolutely necessary to break the barrier."

"Indeed, that's true."

"The barrier of this country has never been broken."

"..."

Yes, the barrier of the country has never been broken, yet the attack damaged something inside.

I should have noticed this abnormality from the start, that the attack occurred without the barrier being broken.

The mages are beginning to realize this.

They will struggle with how to inform the king of this fact.

Our country is protected and strengthened by the magic stone.

If the king changes his mind, perhaps.