Rushing to the Imperial Palace, I had to wait for quite some time outside the Empress’s bedroom.

This visit was only permitted thanks to my connections with the Crown Princess, the Saint, and Lynen’s status.

‘I can’t believe an actual accident happened!’

Originally, it was an accident where both the Crown Princess and the Empress would die.

But perhaps thanks to the defensive artifacts I had insisted they be given, Lucilia was completely uninjured. The Empress had survived too.

Though not in good condition.

“Didn’t they say it was an explosion…?”

The Empress was unconscious. That was probably for the best. Her entire body was covered with patches more hideous than black fungus, making her look grotesque.

Lucilia, her eyes red, answered my question.

“It wasn’t an ordinary explosion but one caused by magic. Mixed with corrupted mana.”

“What?”

At first, I thought Marcel had made a mistake despite my warnings.

But corrupted mana?

‘Could it be Henrik himself? But why suddenly target the imperial family?’

“They’re looking for a treatment method. But at this rate… Mother will…”

“Can’t sacred power help?”

I asked Allen, who had entered earlier to examine the Empress. He replied regretfully.

“There’s an unidentifiable energy mixed in. She’s been affected by a type of poison enhanced with corrupted mana, so sacred power purification has its limits.”

“What about the Vice Archmage?”

“He’s in prison.”

Lucilia answered through gritted teeth.

“The imperial family is holding Vice Archmage Marcel responsible for this catastrophe. He himself has admitted to it.”

“What!?”

A stubborn old mage who walks the righteous path of magic used corrupted mana?

“That’s impossible! The Vice Archmage has nothing to gain from targeting the Empress.”

“That doesn’t matter. What’s important is that it happened, and he confessed to it.”

Lucilia was furious but couldn’t quite meet my eyes.

“He’ll probably be executed. But if Mother dies, the Magic Tower will pay an even greater price.”

“…Price?”

“There’s talk of incorporating the Magic Tower into the imperial family’s Magic Department.”

“…!”

In that moment, I understood the purpose behind this incident.

‘No doubt about it. This is Henrik and Young Marquis Caiman’s doing.’

Caiman wants to become the head of House Offensa. Normally, one wouldn’t think he’d want to eliminate the Magic Tower.

‘But Marcel was the variable.’

Marcel had never been the Archmage, but in one specific matter, his authority overwhelmingly surpassed the Archmage’s.

The right to determine the next Archmage.

‘And Marcel believed Caiman’s magical abilities were insufficient to become Archmage.’

Evidence of this was how Caiman had, at some point, started involving himself only in family affairs rather than Magic Tower matters.

Additionally, if Marcel had acknowledged Caiman, he would have supported him becoming the family head long ago.

‘And he wouldn’t have put me forward at the last council meeting.’

Because of this, Caiman must have realized.

Even if he became the family head, Marcel and the Magic Tower would likely choose someone else to become Archmage.

‘That would have been problematic for him. Even the best weapon is useless if you can’t wield it yourself.’

To confirm my suspicions, I asked Lucilia one question.

“The Imperial Magic Department. Who’s being mentioned to head it?”

“…Young Marquis Caiman.”

Just what I thought.

He would be the most suitable candidate, being the heir apparent of a prestigious magic family.

Or there might be higher-ups working with him.

‘Anyway, this makes things clear.’

Caiman intends to eliminate the Magic Tower that won’t follow him and grasp new power.

With the Empress, Vice Archmage Marcel, and the Magic Tower all sacrificed.

‘If that happens, I’ll lose at the council meeting and likely won’t remain safe.’

When I turned to Lynen, he was already looking at me.

He voiced my thoughts.

“We need to meet the Vice Archmage.”

※※※

Marcel was imprisoned alone in the lowest level of the dungeon.

Haggard after just one day, he saw me and chuckled.

“Graham…? When did you lose so much weight?”

“…”

Thwack! Thwack!

“C-Calliphe! Please stop hitting me with your fan through the bars.”

“The Vice Archmage is insulting me!”

Well, he clearly seems brainwashed like the Marquis, so I’ll let it slide this once.

I decided to wake up his foggy mind to have a normal conversation with him.

“Lynen. I’ll be back shortly, like last time.”

I had previously explained about the blessing to Lynen when I visited the Marquis’s consciousness.

Lynen nodded and supported me to prevent me from falling.

I closed my eyes with peace of mind.

[The Fairy Mint’s blessing activates.]

I didn’t need to spend much time like with Marquis Offensa.

After entering Marcel’s consciousness, I dragged him away from where he was elegantly drinking tea with Marquis Offensa.

When Marcel resisted, even using magic, I plucked a nearby flower and beat him mercilessly with it.

The shock of that scene seemed to bring Marcel back to his senses.

Leaving him confused about what was happening, I told him “Let’s talk outside” and exited his consciousness first.

“Already finished?”

When I opened my eyes, Lynen, who was supporting me, asked with surprise.

“Fists are faster than words.”

“…I thought you respected the Vice Archmage at first.”

Ignoring his muttering, I poked the still dazed Vice Archmage’s nose bridge with my fan.

He startled and opened his eyes.

“C-Calliphe, miss? What was that scene just now…? I was clearly at the closing ceremony…”

He seemed to remember what he had done without needing further explanation.

“Vice Archmage. Did you thoroughly conduct the safety inspection I asked for?”

“Of course, miss! I swear.”

“No possibility of a mistake?”

“None at all. I put my heart and soul into it, being the Small Master’s first order.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, what Small Master? I looked at him, and Marcel became shy.

“A-actually, although I haven’t mentioned it yet, I’ve already decided to follow Miss Calliphe as my second master after Marquis Offensa.”

“…But I can’t use magic.”

“That’s why you’re the Small Master. I’ll work hard so I can serve you as the Big Master soon.”

“…”

Is this brainwashing too?

Lynen, who had been listening, steered the conversation back to its original direction.

“Vice Archmage. Did you really cause the accident at the closing ceremony?”

“…Ah. Yes… That’s right… I did it. I had to.”

Marcel’s focus, which had returned, became hazy again.

“What was your reason?”

“The reason… for the Magic Tower… Yes, that’s why I had to do it. I’ll take all responsibility.”

So this is what the Vice Archmage was brainwashed to believe.

I had awakened his mind, but I couldn’t remove the brainwashing. Like now.

But we could still get other clues.

“Vice Archmage, did you meet anyone else after seeing Lynen and me yesterday?”

“…Well, the safety inspection mages, and I also met Her Majesty the Empress… and… I saw a cleric last.”

“A cleric?”

“Yes. I needed sacred power to make the Fairy Mint bloom. I felt bad for calling him so late at night, so I offered him tea.”

Tea. Was that what was used for the brainwashing? Since the cleric seemed to be the only new person the Vice Archmage had met.

“What did this cleric look like?”

“His skin was somewhat dark, and he had intense eyes, a young man. Though he didn’t seem actually young in age, more like someone of mixed race or who had reached a certain level, like me. And he had a strange black tattoo on one cheek.”

“A tattoo, you say?”

Lynen asked, seemingly surprised by something. Marcel hesitated momentarily.

“Ah, yes. It was… well, I can’t be certain, but I think it was a spider and sword pattern. It was naturally engraved along his jawline.”

“…!”

Lynen frowned severely. Why is he reacting like that?

After finishing our conversation with Marcel, once we were alone, I asked:

“Why did you react that way earlier? You recognized something, didn’t you?”

“…That man.”

“Yes?”

“He sounds like the man I saw in the Mirror of Truth, the one who tried to kidnap you.”

“The one you called my enemy?”

I didn’t understand.

“I don’t know any such man at all. How could someone I’ve never met become my enemy?”

Lynen subtly avoided my question.

“…Anyway, what’s important now is that he’s a high-ranking member of the ‘Black Hand.’ The tattoo is proof of that.”

He said it was information he learned while investigating an illegal magical tool organization. Come to think of it, I might have seen it in “Marino” too.

“Wait, that means…”

“Yes.”

Lynen stated firmly.

“The Black Hand is helping the Young Marquis.”

“…!”

The Black Hand’s leader is one of Noah’s potential guardians, right? But they’ve sided with Young Marquis Caiman?

‘Has the original story diverged again?’

I need to figure out what’s going on.

But if the Black Hand is on the Young Marquis’s side, they’ll be wary of me. In that case.

‘I’ll disguise myself as a guest.’

Operation Spy Family.