Chapter 3

“Why is everyone so desperate to capture Kanis Riventi when she hasn’t done anything wrong? Can’t they just leave her alone? Does the Imperial Family really have to go this far?”

“I don’t understand what you mean. It’s simply because we can’t leave a child alone in such a dangerous place. It’s our duty as respectable adults.”

He had just called me a “hostage” moments ago, yet now he shamelessly spouted nonsense without missing a beat.

As expected from the Imperial Family!

Jehel, the aide who had been observing from the side, clicked her tongue and muttered under her breath.

“Now you’re going to end up being hated by her child as well…”

Under Michael’s sharp glare, Jehel quickly retreated into the room.

“Well then, young lady of the Master of the Mage Tower, I’ll go pack your things.”

“Hey, I never said I was going to the Imperial Palace.”

Michael cut her off flatly, as though it were absurd to even suggest otherwise.

“Regardless of anything else, we can’t leave a child alone in such an unhygienic and unsafe place for long. We’ve already confirmed there’s been no guardian since last night.”

“…”

To be fair, Kanis had been planning to find a representative to act on her behalf once she woke up.

Someone who wouldn’t think it strange that she was a child, and who could competently carry out her instructions…

Her gaze slowly drifted toward Michael.

Though she wasn’t pleased, perhaps she had found someone suitable in a pinch?

“Besides, the Master of the Mage Tower hasn’t returned since last night, so something may have happened…”

Jehel suddenly clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.

“Didn’t you say earlier that her mother was dead? …Didn’t you say she died?”

“That was a lie.”

Before Kanis could say anything, Michael dismissed it outright.

Kanis looked up at Michael.

“It’s a lie.”

He repeated himself without even glancing at her.

Kanis shrugged at Jehel, who was looking at her.

Well, let them think whatever they want.

Jehel, who had been glancing around, picked up the hooded cloak Kanis had left at the head of the bed and cheerfully announced, 

“Then, shall we head to the Imperial Palace?”

“Before that.”

Michael placed a hand on Kanis’s head and asked, 

“What’s your name?”

“Kan…”

Kanis nearly bit her tongue. Michael and Jehel were both looking at her.

“Ka… Kan… na.”

“Kakan-na? Kanna?”

“…Kanna.”

Michael let out a low sigh, then extended his hand toward Kanis.

“Alright, Kanna. Let’s get along until the Master of the Mage Tower shows up.”

Kanis, who had been staring at his outstretched hand with a sullen expression, suddenly smirked mischievously.

“I just thought of another way to prove something.”

“…”

“Kanis Riventi dislikes Crown Prince Michael.”

She had said it to irritate him, but—

“I know.”

Michael replied calmly, pressing down on Kanis’s head with the hand he had extended before walking past her.

His reaction was far more composed than she had expected.

It seemed that his confessions of love and proposals had never been genuine.

Somehow, that left Kanis feeling annoyed. She followed Michael down the stairs, fixing her disheveled hair along the way.

***

It was the early hours of the morning.

The chamberlain rushed across the main palace and entered the Emperor’s bedchamber in a hurry.

“Your Majesty.”

“…”

“Your Majesty, please wake up.”

The chamberlain, who had unexpectedly been tasked with waking the Emperor from a deep sleep, looked pale. However, the resolute set of his mouth betrayed his determination.

He was certain that failing to wake the Emperor now would lead to even greater trouble later!

Clenching his eyes shut, the chamberlain raised his voice.

“Your Majesty! Are you awake?”

“…Huh?”

The Emperor woke up, somewhat lacking in dignity.

“Is there a war? What’s with the commotion?”

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has sent an urgent letter.”

“Did he succeed in his proposal?”

If not, the Emperor had no idea why he would be woken at such an ungodly hour.

The chamberlain bowed deeply, carefully choosing his words.

“Kanis Riventi, the Master of the Mage Tower… has passed away, having answered the call of the World Tree.”

“…What?”

The elderly Emperor, whose hearing had worsened with age, appeared to have misheard.

But the chamberlain knew better. The Emperor had heard him perfectly well.

He was merely pretending not to have heard.

The chamberlain prostrated himself on the floor, lowering his head.

“Your Majesty… Kanis Riventi is no longer with us…”

“We can’t just take his word for it.”

The Emperor gasped for breath as he sat up in bed. The chamberlain hurried to support him.

“I will go to the Master of the Mage Tower myself. Prepare for my departure at once!”

“Your Majesty, please calm—”

“The Crown Prince! Has he returned to the palace?”

“No, Your Majesty. According to the letter, he will not be returning for some time…”

“And yet, he sends such an important message by letter? Where on earth is that boy?!”

At that moment, the doors burst open, and a royal guard rushed in, looking flustered.

“Your Majesty!”

The Emperor, already pale from the news, looked like he might faint before hearing the guard’s report.

The chamberlain wiped the sweat from his brow and asked sternly, 

“What is it now?”

“Your Majesty, the magic circle… The protective barrier placed by the Master of the Mage Tower…”

“Report properly!”

The guard knelt on the floor.

“Your Majesty! The barrier is disappearing!”

The Emperor’s pale face began to turn purple.

“All the Imperial Mages are working on it, but we cannot stop it! The barrier, which has stood for 300 years as a symbol of the Empire’s greatness, is… disappearing!”

The guard shouted as though coughing up blood, and the Emperor staggered to the window. He yanked the curtains aside.

The dome-shaped barrier that had covered the entire capital was fading from the sky.

The protective barrier, a symbol of the Empire’s safety under the mercy of the World Tree and the Master of the Mage Tower, Kanis Riventi, was losing its power, cracking, and vanishing.

Why? Why now, of all times, during my reign…?

The Emperor felt a strong wave of dizziness.

“How long until the barrier is completely gone?”

“At most, by the end of the day. Perhaps as soon as five hours…”

“…”

In the end, the Emperor fainted.

“There’s no way… The Master of the Mage Tower couldn’t have died…”

That was the last thing he muttered before losing consciousness.

***

About seven hours later, at noon.

“Stop. Halt the carriage.”

Michael suddenly ordered the carriage to stop.

“Your Highness, we’re nearing the capital gates. Why stop now?”

Ignoring Jehel’s question, Michael stepped out of the carriage without explanation.

“What’s going on?”

Kanis, who had been groaning from motion sickness and had practically merged with the sofa, didn’t care whether Michael left or not.

But Jehel parted the curtains and looked outside.

“What’s happening… Oh?”

Jehel’s mouth fell open.

Even Kanis, who had no intention of moving, felt a strange unease.

She sluggishly sat up, her tiny hand clenching slowly.

This feeling…

A large-scale magic spell had just been undone.

Barrier magic, which constantly consumed mana to maintain itself, had been released because Kanis’s mana was sealed and no longer available.

What kind of barrier was it? It wasn’t a major one…

As Kanis pondered, Jehel placed both hands on her shoulders.

“Kanna, stay here.”

Jehel’s expression was unusually serious.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I’m not sure yet. Just don’t come out, alright?”

Even Jehel left the carriage.

Kanis climbed onto the sofa and peered out the window.

“Oh.”

And through the window, she realized what large-scale magic had just been undone.

The protective barrier over the entire capital had vanished without a trace.

Kanis stepped out of the carriage.

In the distance, she saw Michael and Jehel standing together.

It was an old spell she had cast at the request of a timid Emperor. The barrier’s disappearance wouldn’t immediately cause any major issues…

As Kanis approached absentmindedly, her steps faltered.

Michael was wearing an expression she had never seen before.

He stood silently, staring out at the capital as though he were at a loss for words.

“Your Highness, could something really have happened to the Master of the Mage Tower? Could that letter have been…”

As Jehel trailed off, Michael’s face became utterly expressionless.

It was clear he was suppressing something. Michael turned back abruptly.

“Let’s head to the capital.”

He took a few steps before stopping again.

He had locked eyes with Kanis, who had stepped out of the carriage.

A faint crack appeared in his expressionless face.

“Kanna, the Master of the Mage Tower…”

Michael stopped mid-sentence and turned his head away sharply.

“Never mind. I won’t ask. Get back in the carriage. It’s cold.”

Kanis was slightly taken aback.

What’s with this atmosphere?

I mean, the barrier disappearing isn’t that big of a deal, is it?

“…”

Kanis silently watched Michael’s retreating figure as he climbed back into the carriage.

Truly, the Imperial Family worries too much.

Upon entering the capital, Kanis realized she would have to revise her thoughts.

It wasn’t just the Imperial Family—everyone in the capital was overly concerned.