Chapter . 76
There were a total of five towers in the Imperial Palace. Four towers surrounded the main palace to the east, west, south, and north, and the tallest tower stood in the center.
“Those four towers are the Mages' Towers. The four towers in the east, west, south, and north each bear the colors of the four elental magics.”
When Nanette spoke proudly and looked up at
with expectant eyes, I patted her head, and she grinned bashfully.
East was the gold of earth, West the white of wind, South the red of fire, and North the blue of water.
Mages lived in the towers with their families. They were mostly the Emperor's mages, but there were also mages belonging to other royal family mbers.
Mages who were always present at the royals' residences stood guard in shifts like sentries. Vincent practically lived at Desmond's residence because he was deed more trustworthy due to the .
“Yes, Nanette. And that tower is the Dragon's Tower.”
The tallest black tower in the center. The place where Michelon and I spent our last monts before the regression.
Although a dragon resided in the Dragon's Tower, it was actually a prison. Father used to release Ilaves into his private garden and spend ti together, but such occasions were very rare.
As the use of the Throne Magic Circle beca infrequent, the communion between the Emperor and the dragon also gradually disappeared.
“Then do we move from the Mages' Tower using the magic circle?”
“No. Only mages enter the Mages' Towers.”
Actually, if people insisted on entering, the mages couldn't stop them. Especially if their masters did so. However, no one wanted to go to the towers swarming with mages, and so the mages took a breather away from the public eye.
There were bad rumors that sothing terrible would happen if non-mages entered, but Yolande said it was half true and half false. While all sorts of things happen by the orders of royals, mages also deliberately spread such rumors to prevent people from entering.
I had never been to the Magic Towers either, but the Brand I suffered was devised in that tower by the Empress's order.
“I want to go there once. At Duke Grimiati's mansion, everyone only talked about the Magic Tower. Saying they wanted to live there soday.”
At the words of Nanette, who had been an apprentice mage, Yolande frowned.
“You dream because you haven't lived there. If you live there, it's not particularly better than the Duke's mansion.”
Nanette looked even more curious, but Yolande didn't say more and just hastened her steps. It was the exact sa reaction as when I asked inquisitively about the Mages' Towers before the regression.
We arrived at the Black Tower. It was truly a magnificent sight when the golden dragon sat atop the Black Tower. The day will co when I see it again soday.
The teleportation magic circle was in the Black Tower. In preparation for moving the dragon quickly to the battlefield. But since moving a dragon consud too much mana, it usually flew.
“Prince Leontes!”
When I entered with the others, the mage guarding the magic circle widened his eyes. He was even more surprised to see Yolande and Vincent following .
“It is Prince Leontes's order. Activate the magic circle. The destination is Montova.”
When Yolande spoke, the mage's face turned pale.
“…Since you are a precious person, I will inspect it for a mont for safety. Please wait a little.”
Then he disappeared in a hurry.
“Surely, he went to tattle?”
“Well, if Prince Leontes tries to go on an outing using the magic circle, he might have been told to make an excuse and delay it.”
Yolande, answering Michelon's words, raised her staff.
“There is no need for Your Highness to wait. I will activate the magic circle imdiately.”
“But where is the magic circle?”
Nanette asked, looking around.
There was nothing in this vast space. Except for the floor mosaic depicting the map of Armatia.
When Yolande pointed to the na Armatia written on the map and chanted a spell, the na slowly began to glow. But she soon shook her head.
“A cipher has been placed on the magic circle. Those letters should move, but they aren't moving.”
“What cipher? Prevention of son's runaway?”
Michelon snorted.
“I don't know the cipher, but if there is no key, one can just break the lock.”
Yolande said so and lit a fire at the tip of her staff. The staff turned into a burning poker, and she raised it high to smash the letters with it. Master had a fiery temper even when she was young!
“Wait!”
Before the regression, Desmond and Rhiannon used to cover my eyes whenever they moved
after I beca Emperor.
So this was my first ti seeing the magic circle of the Black Tower too, and it felt wasteful to smash it like that when it wasn't even that bastard brother's head. The magic circle was not at fault.
“Since Father might have set the cipher, I will try to guess it. In a way that only the Armatia royal family understands.”
I knelt on one knee and placed my hand on the letters. It tickled as Tess squird under my palm.
“Prince, can you know the cipher by touching the letters like that?”
Nanette asked brightly. While I was at a loss for an answer, Sir Rolf answered seriously.
“I also stroke my sword handle when I concentrate.”
“I also stroke my staff.”
“It is a very good thod for concentration.”
While Yolande and Vincent chid in and Michelon, the only unhelpful one, giggled, I concentrated.
Tess detected the letters folded and divided by vowels and syllables under my hand.
Combining all those letters would produce every word in the Armatian language. An enormous number of possibilities.
‘Theoretically, it can never be figured out.’
But Tess detected traces of cipher magic. How the staff of the mage who wrote this magic circle moved and combined the letters, which letters were used how much, a type different from teleportation magic.
Narrowing it down like that, it was reduced to a few options. It took longer than expected. Because the cipher was long. But once I figured out the first two words, the rest was surprisingly predictable.
The result was―
“Are you still at it? It would be better for Yolande to just smash it and go.”
Michelon, who was grumbling, looked out the window and said.
“The mage from earlier is coming back with other mages?”
I quietly whispered the cipher to Yolande. Michelon's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“What is it? Why can't you say it when you figured out the cipher?”
“For so ciphers, the thod of use is also important. If you violate the condition of using it without speaking, it gets blocked.”
“You told her.”
“It's safe because I did it below the detectable volu.”
Thus, Yolande hid the aning of the cipher I discovered.
…Where else would there be such a killjoy cipher. Shouldn't a normal cipher be more aningful? It's practically just writing down the Imperial order as is.
With such an Imperial order, even if I openly violated it, Father couldn't say anything. It wasn't like Father stamped the Imperial Seal here, and what could he do if I said I violated it thinking such words must be the Empress's plot.
Right now, I kept my mouth shut because I was embarrassed in front of my friend, but if Father said anything, I would just blurt it all out to people.
It was an absurd result, but decoding the cipher itself was fun. I recorded this matter in Tess as a cipher-solving process and solution.
So that Tess, which analyzed various possibilities starting from detecting the most frequently used words fastest through mana flow and traces, could produce it as a single formula.
‘A formula is essentially a spell.’
If I saved that formula as a single word , I could use it later as an automatic manifestation of the spell just by saying that word. It was fulfilling to accumulate formulas one by one like this.
When Yolande's staff was swung again, other letters appeared beneath the Armatian letters and began to form the cipher.
“Why can't I see it?”
“It's originally like that!”
Michelon, who didn't need to know since we already got it right, grumbled, but the loyal subject Yolande, who covered the letters with an opaque film so they wouldn't be seen, inserted Montova's na and activated the spell.
Then the map of Armatia changed into the map of Montova, and the initially small map grew larger and larger, beginning to fill this vast space.
“Now! Everyone get inside!”
I held Nanette's hand, Sir Rolf stood behind , and Michelon stood beside . When Yolande, having finished the spell, agilely stepped into the magic circle, Vincent, who was waiting, imdiately held his wife's hand.
“Ah, Prince! Your Highness!”
“You cannot, Your Highness!”
At that mont, the mage who returned with others ran towards us in horror.
But the map of Montova was already growing larger. Expanding based on a single point to the extent that other places disappeared.
When the building that was that single point grew large enough to contain us within it, a dazzling light shone. Thus, the teleportation finally began.
Ti passed, and when the light cleared, we were standing in a different magic circle. Outwardly, it looked exactly the sa as the Imperial Palace's magic circle we had traveled from.
“Aaaah!”
Nanette shouted inadvertently while clinging to my hand. Surprised, I asked.
“Does it hurt?”
“N, no, Prince.”
“She must have gotten motion sickness since it is her first magic circle travel.”
Vincent said, hugging Nanette tightly. It was true. Michelon wouldn't have such issues, but even I would have felt dizzy if I hadn't done it before the regression.
Feeling my magical field and the magic circle simultaneously put a bit more load on her, but Nanette also had the aspect of offsetting it with her anti-magic. Still, since she was young and it was her first ti, it was understandable she felt motion sickness.
While Vincent took care of Nanette, Yolande swung her staff, casting anti-scrying magic first, then stepped out of the magic circle and examined this and that.
“This magic circle has restricted movent unlike the Imperial Palace's magic circle. The Imperial Palace, Her Majesty the Empress, Prince Desmond, and the Lauderdale estate are all.”
“Even though it's not a strategic point, defense preparations for military purposes are already in place.”
Yolande agreed with Sir Rolf's words.
“Indeed, usually such places don't restrict the use of magic circles even for comrcial developnt. Since receiving usage fees brings in considerable money.”
“But even though we appeared suddenly, why isn't anyone coming to et us? What if those who suddenly appeared in the magic circle were intruders?”
Michelon was right.
“We should go out and check.”
Rhiannon did not want to hand over this estate. Although it was remote being near Petrafis, it was still an old estate with a castle and a considerable population. The castellan appointed by Rhiannon was her cousin's husband.
An Empress with many brothers and many cousins. In fact, I had more cousins, from my brother's knights to Roncer's maternal cousins. It's just that none of them were helpful.
“Everyone be careful.”
It was possible the Empress plotted sothing as soon as she handed this land over to . It was harder to believe she didn't.
“I will open the door.”
Since a protective barrier spell had to be deployed if enemies were lurking behind the door, Yolande stepped forward. Standing beside her, Sir Rolf nodded. I, the strongest one, could not step forward. Aside from hiding the fact that I was a mage, it was because it would look like the escort knight and mage were not fulfilling their duties.
Yolande opened the door with a silent spell of considerable difficulty. Wide open at once so the guys behind the door wouldn't even think of an ambush.
“Prince Leontes, welco!”
When the door opened, a young count wearing a purple surcoat embroidered with a green laurel wreath over his armor stood before our eyes. Behind him stood an elderly noblewoman who appeared to be his mother, her maids, the steward and servants, and other knights.
Additionally, there was a baby held by a nanny. I heard his wife, who was Rhiannon's cousin, died after giving birth, but to bring even an unweaned baby.
“New Lord of Montova!”
People knelt in unison. Even the white-haired noblewoman supported by maids.
Scared, Nanette and Vincent held hands and hid behind . Michelon grinned, but Sir Rolf and Yolande imdiately stepped back from the front and stood on either side of .
“Rise, people of Montova. Your welco is pleasing.”
When I spoke, the people stood up.
“Count of Montova, Giuliano della Montova.”
The blond Count knelt on one knee again and kissed the ring on my hand. The sapphire ring Michelon personally chose.
“My mother, Countess Leticia della Montova.”
Originally, the Count's wife is the Countess, but this was a case where the title returned to her after the daughter-in-law died.
I tried to kiss the Countess's hand. Since one can do so to noblewon who are mothers or wives of the castle one visits as a guest.
“It is an honor to et Prince Leontes with my son and grandson.”
But the old lady knelt firmly before
supported by maids and kissed my hand. Both n and won can kiss a monarch's hand, and I was in such a position to them now.
One of the lady's maids took the baby from the nanny and showed him to . When I stroked the baby's soft cheek, the baby giggled. The baby's father and grandmother, of course, as well as the maids and knights, all clapped enthusiastically. I felt like I had beco the baby's godfather. Even though the actual godfather was Rhiannon's brother, the Duke of Lauderdale.
While the baby smiled brightly at , the desire to change the baby's godfather burned in the adults' eyes.
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