Chapter 1

※I will post up to Chapter 7 of the prologue today and tomorrow.

It was the seventeenth birthday of Princess Jill.

A day that should have been filled with blessings began with a sigh from her mother, Queen Bazalde.

"It's been a month, Jill."

"Yes, Mother, you look well."

Princess Jill, who felt like she wanted to shed tears and sobs, not just a sigh, stood there.

Jill, who shared her mother's fiery red-orange hair and statue-like beauty, had a completely different demeanor and aura. While Bazalde had fierce and haughty eyes, Jill was timid and often looked down. To an outsider, they would rarely be seen as mother and daughter.

"Do I look beautiful?"

Whether she knew it or not, Bazalde spoke with a sarcastic tone, as if addressing a stranger.

The place where Jill was summoned was the audience chamber of the Dylane Magic Kingdom's royal castle. On the throne sat her father, King Alan, with Queen Bazalde beside him.

This was not a warm room to welcome a daughter. The words of the king and queen here were not private. They were recorded, and the king's words were carried out by his aides. This was a place for politics, not a place for banquets. It was a place to decide fates, not to entertain guests.

"Have your magic skills improved?"

"No, I haven't been negligent in my training, but—"

"I heard you learned a new spell."

"It's an extension of the 'Heat' spell. I named it 'Drying.'"

A giggle escaped someone in the room.

No one in the solemn audience chamber tried to stop it.

This was Jill's position.

The one who was mocked, the one who brought shame to the royal family.

"Jill, how do you intend to use it?"

Bazalde asked.

Everyone fell silent at the sharpness of her voice.

A heavy silence, as if even breathing had stopped, descended on the room.

"Answer me."

Jill had no answer.

She didn't understand why her mother was pursuing this, and she couldn't grasp her intent.

Usually, such trivial matters would be dismissed as unimportant.

"…I thought it might be convenient for various things."

Jill's desperate answer displeased Bazalde.

"Making daily life convenient is not what a mage should do. Even a commoner would not waste magic on such trivial matters, let alone someone of royal blood in this country."

"…Yes."

Jill's strengths were sewing and cooking.

But to Bazalde, these were insignificant and even unpleasant. Jill had tried to combine her skills with magic, but it had been counterproductive.

"Why do you use magic for such trivial things?"

"To be of some use, however small."

"Useful? You misunderstand."

Bazalde's staff hit the floor with a thud.

Everyone except the king trembled.

Touching Bazalde's anger would not go unpunished.

"Those of Dylane royal blood do not use magic to be useful. They use magic to rule and make others kneel… no, to dominate magic."

"…Yes."

"Jill."

Bazalde rang a bell.

In response, a large suit of armor was brought in.

"I taught you my strongest magic, 'Blazing Light.' Show me your progress."

The Blazing Witch.

That was Queen Bazalde's nickname.

Or the Demon of the Nation.

Both names came from the same source.

She was so terrifying that no other description could capture it.

"…Blazing Light."

Jill cast the spell her mother was most skilled at.

A thin beam of light, finer than a thread, shone from Jill's outstretched finger, illuminating the armor.

It only illuminated it.

The spot it hit glowed and became warm, but nothing more.

It was hard to call this the work of the daughter of the strongest witch.

Despite her efforts, her magic was no better than that of a commoner who had only dabbled in it.

"Fool! This is Blazing Light!"

Bazalde released a beam of light from her finger with a voice of anger.

In an instant, the beam pierced the armor and the wall behind it.

The armor split in two, and a hole appeared in the wall.

A soldier who failed to dodge lost his left arm.

The heat was so intense that even blood did not flow.

The wound had turned to charcoal.

Everyone in the room trembled at Bazalde's magic.

"Bazalde, calm down. …[Restoration]."

At the king's command, the soldier's arm reattached to his body, and the wound healed instantly.

King Alan had unparalleled skill in healing and defense.

"I apologize, Your Majesty."

Bazalde apologized to King Alan and then looked at Jill with a cold gaze.

"Jill… was it too difficult for you?"

Yes.

I can't do it.

I can't kill people, and I can't master magic that kills.

I don't have the resolve or the ability.

Jill couldn't voice these thoughts.

On the other hand, Bazalde had both.

Stronger and more terrifying than anyone. To her, Jill must seem utterly inadequate and insignificant—Jill often felt this sense of inferiority and sadness.

"…Well, that's enough."

"Your Majesty, but—"

"This child cannot use magic. It's like asking a fish to breathe on land or a dog or cat to fly. It's enough, isn't it?"

"…Well…"

Bazalde showed a look of sorrow.

But it was an act.

She couldn't fool the surroundings, but she couldn't fool Jill.

Jill understood that this was the reason her mother spoke to her as if testing her.

"The heir… should be your niece, Elinna. She has strong royal blood. There should be no problem."

This statement caused a stir in the audience chamber.

Bazalde and Alan had no sons. By rights of succession and bloodline, Jill should have been the heir. But in the current Dylane Magic Kingdom, it wasn't just a matter of who was born first.

It was a matter of magical power.

Bazalde's magic was unparalleled. Whether it was a hero or a legendary dragon, she burned them all without distinction. Alan's magic could heal any wound or disease, earning him the absolute trust of his soldiers, making even inexperienced new recruits fight like seasoned warriors. The Dylane Magic Kingdom held dominion over all of Algenes thanks to the fearsome magic of these two.

Thirty years ago, it was not such a large country, but a small, humble nation that loved intelligence and peace. But the previous king adopted a militaristic policy, and the climate changed. They entered a state of war with many countries.

Alan won and dominated many neighboring countries. The Dylane Magic Kingdom, once considered weak and decadent, became a feared power in just two generations. It was no longer possible to place someone without the power to maintain dominance on the throne.

"Then, what about Jill's marriage?"

"The Orkus Astrology Kingdom will offer anyone as a match for the next king. Let's arrange a marriage for Elinna."

The Orkus Astrology Kingdom was the closest vassal state to Dylane.

A land with a long history of peace, betrayal, and war, and where the blood of both royal families now flowed. Marrying into the Orkus royal family also meant strengthening the bloodline of one's own royal family.

"…Well…"

Bazalde secretly smiled.

This was her wish.

She loved her bloodline, especially the talented ones, more than her inadequate daughter.

Elinna, in particular, was her favorite family member and disciple.

"Jill, you are no longer a princess. You may leave."

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