Chapter 21
If there had been a mage familiar with the condition of the child nearby, they would not have recklessly brought her to such a crowded banquet hall.
Likewise, the Imperial Palace would not have allowed the child into the banquet hall of the Grand Chamber without any special examination, even if she was just a child.
However, something had been bothering him for a while.
The young mage, still cautiously observing his surroundings, stole a glance at his master and slowly inhaled.
For some reason, it felt entirely different from standing before the mana traces of others.
It had been that way since the moment he entered the chamber.
It was as if he were standing in a vast open field. A feeling of liberation, as though he could finally breathe.
Just standing there filled him with a sense of completeness.
He had once heard from his senior mage that standing before the remnants of mana left by someone capable of manifesting mana of the highest purity—someone like the Master of the Mage Tower—could evoke such a sensation.
Of course, the only example of “someone like the Master of the Mage Tower” was the Master herself.
Though faint, he thought he might be feeling something similar now.
At that moment, the elderly mage finally straightened up and turned to face the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, forgive me, but was the Master of the Mage Tower here?”
The young mage hadn’t expected his master to feel something similar, let alone bluntly pose such a question to the Emperor.
It was common knowledge that one should never expect favorable words from the Emperor when mentioning the “Master of the Mage Tower” in his presence.
“Are you mocking me right now?”
“Well, I couldn’t find definitive traces of mana as pure as the Master’s, but…”
The young mage realized that his master had been searching for other evidence all along, despite the obvious answer.
“My instincts as a mage… I mean, I definitely sense traces of advanced magic in this space. But it’s not something one encounters easily…”
Even the elderly mage seemed uncomfortable with his vague and rambling explanation before the Emperor.
“Do you think I summoned you here to listen to such nonsense?”
In the end, the mage’s ambiguous response only provoked the Emperor’s ire.
“I summoned you to clearly uncover the facts surrounding the magical activity that took place here!”
“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”
“Can’t you mages stop bringing up that cursed Master of the Mage Tower?”
The elderly mage immediately dropped to his knees.
The Emperor paced back and forth, his displeasure evident in his stride.
The young mage, sensing the atmosphere, quietly knelt as well.
“Your Majesty, it is my fault.”
“So, what exactly happened here?”
This time, the elderly mage calmly reported the situation without any embellishments.
“As the witnesses testified, it was a simple case of mana overflow. The chaotic mana traces make it unlikely that there was any intention behind it. It wasn’t sharp, either.”
“How dangerous was it?”
“The potential was significant, but the skill level was extremely low. In this case… It was almost miraculous that no one was injured during the overflow.”
The Emperor let out a low hum of discontent.
“While not common, young mages whose bodies are not fully developed are inherently more dangerous. Mana responds sensitively to the caster’s emotions, and in the case of children, their bodies—the vessels for mana—are fragile. The child was likely under severe emotional distress at the time of the overflow.”
“But it seemed as though the child stopped the overflow on her own.”
The elderly mage shook his head.
“It’s called an ‘overflow’ because it cannot be stopped voluntarily.”
A brief silence filled the chamber.
“Then what happened?”
“Once an overflow begins, it doesn’t stop until all the mana is depleted. Naturally, the body breaks down, and the surroundings are devastated before that happens. But this time…”
“This time?”
“This time, it simply ended when all the mana was depleted.”
The elderly mage muttered as though he had just learned that such an outcome was even possible.
“The body wasn’t damaged, the surroundings weren’t devastated—it just ended when all the mana was drained.”
“Is that even possible?”
“…Theoretically, yes. But I’ve never seen it happen.”
The Emperor recalled the elderly mage’s earlier question:
‘Was the Master of the Mage Tower here?’
Now, he understood why that question had been raised.
“…The Master of the Mage Tower wasn’t here. Whether she sank into the ground or flew into the sky, why would she have been in my palace at that time?”
But it wasn’t even worth considering.
Why would Kanis Riventi, of all people, be among children—unless it involved her own child?
The Emperor’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
The elderly mage, oblivious, nodded to himself and murmured.
“Perhaps it was the blessing of the World Tree.”
“…”
“Would it not be prudent for our faction to send someone to the Duke’s family? In a few years, the child will stabilize. Then the Imperial Family could take her in and make great use of her…”
“There was another child.”
“Pardon?”
“There was another child present.”
The elderly mage quickly understood and nodded.
“Ah, you mean Lady Kanna.”
“The Duke’s daughter was holding onto her the entire time. That child might have…”
The Emperor hesitated to voice his thoughts.
Could the overflow have subsided because of that child?
The Emperor wondered if he was overthinking due to the name “Kanis Riventi.”
After all, she was just a six-year-old child.
The Emperor decided not to voice his fleeting suspicion.
“…There won’t be any issues, will there?”
“If the one who caused the overflow is unharmed, Lady Kanna should be fine as well.”
The Emperor sighed and gestured for them to leave.
It was at that moment.
“You’re quite brave.”
The Emperor’s gaze fixed on the young mage, who had been quietly kneeling behind him.
“What did you say?”
“Oh, that is…”
The young man stammered, as though he hadn’t meant to say it aloud.
“Usually… people run away, don’t they? When something like that happens.”
The Emperor stood in silence for a while before turning away without a word.
***
“Miss Kanna, please warm yourself up over here.”
After finishing her bath, Kanna was guided to the reception room.
It seemed they were concerned that if she went out like this in the middle of winter, she might catch a cold.
Kanna climbed up onto the armchair near the blazing fireplace.
The servant of the Emperor’s Palace, who had reached out to assist her, withdrew with a faint smile.
The reception room of the Emperor’s Palace had an overall tranquil atmosphere.
The carefully maintained antique furniture seemed to radiate a warm glow.
Kanna gazed curiously at the tables and candlestick holders, which were in styles that had been popular about a hundred years ago.
In her life so far, she had never had a reason to enter this place, nor had she ever imagined a day like this would come.
After all, who could have imagined that she would suddenly become a child overnight and be indefinitely housed in the Crown Prince’s palace by someone claiming to be her biological father?
Unlike the always bustling and crowded Crown Prince’s Palace, this place was quiet, with only the occasional crackling of the firewood breaking the silence.
Kanna stared blankly at the flickering flames for a long time, waiting for her body to warm up.
Then, her gaze fell on a table placed under the tapestry beside the fireplace.
As she approached, she found a chessboard mid-game sitting on the table.
Kanna stared intently at the chessboard for quite a while.
And then, she picked up the black knight.
“It’s polite not to touch anything in someone else’s space.”
“Ah.”
Kanna turned her head.
At the entrance of the reception room stood the Emperor.
“It seems no one has taught you this, so I’m telling you now.”
With a gaunt face, the Emperor let out a cough-laden sigh and reclined into the armchair Kanna had just vacated.
“Put that back.”
“If I move this just once, the game will be over.”
“I know.”
Kanna returned the knight to its place and approached, sitting across from the Emperor.
“Do you know how to play chess?”
“A little. Grandmother…”
After a brief pause, Kanna corrected herself.
“Kanis learned chess from my grandmother.”
“A grandmother for the Master of the Mage Tower, huh.”
Wrinkles lined the Emperor’s brow.
“She must have had one, of course, but it’s hard to imagine. That person… doesn’t she seem like someone who was born alone in the world?”
Kanna didn’t have much to say to that.
“Well, no one is born alone, after all. Not even you.”
The Emperor looked directly at Kanna.
His gaze was softer than it had been earlier at the banquet.
“I knew you were acquainted with Nadia, but when did you two become so close?”
“Did it look like we were close?”
“Hmph. That child is so particular that she rarely lets anyone near her, but you…”
The Emperor’s gaze fell on the scar on Kanna’s forehead, and he frowned, falling silent.
An awkward silence followed.
Only the occasional crackling of the firewood could be heard, and Kanna began to wonder when her hair would finally dry.
How did I end up sitting face-to-face with the Emperor like this again?
Thinking of Princess Nadia, Kanna sighed inwardly.
She decided she should just leave first.
As Kanna swung her legs off the sofa, preparing to stand, it happened.