Chapter 124. Ambitions

Ellen quickly assessed the situation.

This man has kidnapped me.

With Navaroa standing in front of her and her hands and feet bound, it was obvious.

“Hello, Grand Duchess of Bayern. May I call you Ellenore? How are you feeling? I apologize for bringing you here so roughly. Please forgive me.”

“……”

Navaroa bombarded her with questions, but Ellen ignored him and surveyed her surroundings. She needed to figure out where she was.

‘Is this still the forest of Rheinfelden…? No, the terrain looks different.’

There is a small mountain called Vitir at the border between Ceres and Rheinfelden. That mountain connects to the forest where the hunting competition was held. Although not certain, this place seemed to be in that mountain. The familiar landscape of the forest below confirmed it.

‘In other words, they couldn’t have moved me far after kidnapping me from the forest…’

It seemed Navaroa possessed magic that could traverse space instantly. But there appeared to be a limit to the distance he could travel with that magic. Or perhaps there was a limit to the number of times he could use it.

‘It could be both… Anyway, it seems he couldn’t immediately transport me to Atreos after kidnapping me.’

After drawing her conclusions, Ellen instinctively turned her head to the left and was shocked. Laila was tied to a tree trunk a short distance away.

“By the way, Pyrene, why did you kidnap that maid too?”

Noticing Ellen’s gaze on Laila, Navaroa asked the platinum-haired woman named Pyrene. The woman frowned slightly and answered nonchalantly.

“Didn’t you notice? That maid is a mage. The trap I set only activates for mages. It was fortunate that the Grand Duchess of Bayern was caught, but the maid got caught in it too.”

“Ah…?”

Navaroa let out a surprised sound as if it were truly unexpected. His eyes, now filled with a peculiar light, stared at Laila.

“I never imagined you’d have a mage maid, Ellenore… So, what kind of magic does that maid possess?”

The added question wasn’t directed at Ellen. Navaroa looked at Pyrene as he asked. Pyrene answered diligently.

“It’s a mental magic that puts the target to sleep upon hearing the caster’s voice. It’s quite troublesome. Fortunately, she’s unconscious.”

“Really? Should I cut her vocal cords then? Or just kill her?”

Before Ellen could protest, Pyrene scolded Navaroa, saying there was no need to go that far.

“Just gag her. Meaningless sounds like groans or screams are ineffective. It has to be the caster’s intentional words.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Navaroa pondered for a moment, then pulled out a long bandage-like cloth from his cape’s inner pocket and tightly gagged Laila. He shrugged and muttered to himself.

“I brought this in case I needed to stop bleeding… It’s useful in unexpected ways. Anyway…”

His gaze returned to Ellen. The moment their eyes met, Ellen instinctively tensed up.

Navaroa approached her with a smile that seemed thoughtful and kind.

“So, Ellenore, shall we have a serious talk? I’d love to take you to Atreos right away, but it’s not possible yet. I’m truly sorry to have to keep someone as precious as you tied up in a place like this.”

“……”

Ellen glared at him and finally spoke.

“Tell me why you kidnapped me.”

Is it for ransom? Or to use my life to pressure Enoch?

Whatever it was, Ellen had no intention of letting Navaroa use her. She had less than a year to live anyway.

Rather than being a hostage and causing harm to Enoch and Freuden, she would rather bite her tongue and die. Ellen genuinely thought so. Her blue eyes shone with defiance and determination as she stared at her kidnapper.

“Ah, as expected…”

Navaroa, who had been quietly observing Ellen, let out a hollow laugh and spoke softly.

“You’re truly fascinating, Ellenore. I think I wanted to see this look in your eyes again…”

He reached out and gently caressed her cheek. Ellen gritted her teeth and turned her head sharply to shake off his touch.

Navaroa sighed regretfully and, unlike a kidnapper, spoke respectfully.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not here to torment you. I’m genuinely interested in you.”

“Ridiculous.”

When Ellen scoffed, Pyrene frowned. She didn’t like Ellen’s insolent attitude. Crossing her arms, Pyrene warned in a haughty voice.

“Listen, Grand Duchess of Bayern. You’d better understand your situation. You’re our hostage, and no one can find this place because of the ‘Maze Magic’ I set up around here. So, don’t expect anyone to come to your rescue. And it’s best to show proper respect to me and my brother.”

“……”

Seeing that they were staying relatively close to the forest where the hunting competition was held, Ellen had thought they had something up their sleeves. It turned out they had set up some cunning magic like ‘Maze Magic.’

Ellen smirked cynically. She had no intention of showing them ‘proper respect,’ not even a grain of sand’s worth.

Navaroa, who had stepped back a bit, spoke with a regretful expression.

“I’m sorry for using such a drastic method to meet you, Ellenore. But this was the only way. You know, Freuden and Atreos have been enemies for a long time.”

“That’s because Atreos constantly threatens and invades Freuden and its neighboring countries.”

When Ellen retorted sharply, Pyrene tried to step forward again, but Navaroa stopped her with a raised hand. Then, with a gentle and melting voice, he whispered.

“When I become king… No, when I achieve my ambition, things will change. I guarantee it.”

“……”

Ellen frowned and glared at him. She couldn’t understand why this man was holding her and saying such things.

“Ellenore, as you might have guessed, Pyrene can see through other people’s magic. While you were unconscious, Pyrene examined your magic. You have… truly remarkable magic.”

“……!”

Ellen’s face turned pale in an instant. As if all the blood drained from her body, she blinked in confusion, and Navaroa, tilting his head, spoke again.

“Foresight magic.”

“……”

“I thought it was strange. How did you know my meeting place with Victor Lopez… How did the Grand Duke of Bayern prepare so perfectly for our attack on Erinter as though he was anticipating it?”

“……”

“It was all possible because of you, Ellenore. You’re truly impressive.”

His voice was filled with admiration. Although Ellen was deeply shocked, she tried to remain calm.

“And the other magic… was it love magic? That’s Circe’s magic. Specifically, the magic bestowed by Hecate to Circe.”

‘Circe…?’

Who is that? What is he talking about?

‘I think I’ve seen the name Hecate in the scriptures of the Monotheistic Church…’

“Don’t you know Hecate and Circe? Well… I suppose. You people reject the Monotheistic Church. Let me explain. In ancient times, before humans made of clay could even make — Prometheus descended from the heavens and gave magic to humanity.”

“……”

“The first human to awaken to magic was the great witch Hecate. Circe was her disciple.”

After finishing his explanation, Navaroa stepped closer with a pleasant smile and grabbed a handful of Ellen’s hair. He kissed it as if handling something noble and sacred, solemnly.

“And you are a distant descendant of Circe, Ellenore.”

“……!”

Navaroa released Ellen’s hair and smiled. Ellen, blinking in confusion, naturally thought of the Raman family. It was said that the family had continued for over a thousand years…

So, the distant ancestor of the Raman family was an ancient witch named Circe?

“The sacred flame of the divine furnace turned white. That only happens when touched by Circe herself or her bloodline. And the love magic and foresight magic you possess are powerful magics that only ancient mages could wield.”

“……”

“As you know, in modern times, there are many restrictions on using magic. Even I have five magics, but one is useless and empty, and the other four come with limitations and require a change of personality. But ancient mages could use magic freely. Imagine how incredible that would be! Like gods!”

“……”

“I want to return the lost ancient power to humanity. To do that, we need to excavate the ruins created by ancient mages who migrated from Europia to Almaira. But Freuden has tightly blocked Atreos from interacting with Katar. Erinter and Asir are also in cahoots. So, what choice did I have? War was a stepping stone to realize my grand dream. And think about it, unifying Europia would make it easier to usher in a second golden age of magic.”

“……”

“Now, do you understand why I need you? I need your foresight and the symbolic significance of your bloodline. Atreos will revere you as a saint. You’ll enjoy wealth and glory incomparable to being the Grand Duchess of Freuden. So, join me…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Ellen laughed out loud, mocking him. She really couldn’t help but laugh.

She glared at the frozen Navaroa and coldly muttered.

“Crazy bastard.”