Chapter 15

15. Omen (3)

Not yet deserving the title of “The Continent’s Hegemon,” but undoubtedly ascending, there was an empire.

The capital of that empire, deep within it, was the Imperial Palace—the most noble, majestic, revered, and pristine place it should be.

The emperor, the master of this palace, works in an office called the study.

There, the emperor, whose white hair signified vitality rather than senility, sat reviewing paperwork while constantly keeping an eye on the affairs of state.

—Knock, knock.

“Your Majesty, Lord Cascata has arrived.”

“Ah, you’ve come. Enter.”

Setting aside the documents he had been reviewing, the emperor greeted his guest with a warm smile.

A neatly groomed man with jet-black hair and conspicuous lavender eyes entered in formal attire. Rising from his desk, the emperor gestured toward the sofa.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Please sit down, Lord Cascata.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The man called Lord Cascata took his seat on the sofa, and the emperor settled into the upper seat.

“There’s no special reason, but I’ve heard some news and thought we might share a pleasant chat, so I’ve summoned you.”

“Is that so? Is there some good news?”

With his gentle eyes filled with a friendly smile, Lord Cascata inquired.

To which the emperor replied, placing his clasped hands on his knee.

“It’s nothing else…I received a report that your nephew, namesake after you, has entered the Academy. He ranked second! Indeed, he lives up to the name Cascata, doesn’t he? You are one of the greatest pillars of this empire.”

Carlo Della Cascata—his nephew’s name.

Lord Cascata had already heard of this news. After all, less important reports to the emperor often passed through his hands.

“With the name Cascata, it is only natural that he should achieve such results, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Is that so? Still, it’s quite impressive at such a young age. Wasn’t he born around two years after you were appointed as the Court Mage?”

“Yes, it honors me that you remember, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…yes, that’s right. I also remember…”

The emperor recalled the infant’s loud cries, the piercing gaze… He immediately thought, upon seeing the child, that this was someone destined for greatness.

“To think that child has grown so much since he was just a baby! It’s astonishing, isn’t it? Not like that good-for-nothing Crown Prince who’s merely waiting for me to die. A very commendable young man who brings glory to your family.”

“Thank you so much for the kind words, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed, indeed… By the way, I didn’t summon you just for celebration.”

“Is there anything else?”

Lord Cascata looked at the emperor with a curious expression.

Could there be another matter? His sharp mind quickly analyzed the possibilities.

After all, discerning the emperor’s intentions swiftly was the duty of a loyal subject.

“Has it not been long since you went on leave? Word has it that this year’s Academy freshmen are an extraordinary group of talents. Thus, I’d like you to visit on leave. I’d love to go myself, but these days I can’t seem to find the time.”

“It seems like you’re quite busy, Your Majesty. Allow me to congratulate you on your behalf.”

“Do so, Lord Cascata. It’s been a while since you’ve visited home. Go see your nephew and Lord Cascata’s face. Lord Enrico treats you like a brother, does he not?”

“How could I rest when Your Majesty is so busy? I will simply visit the Academy. Sending a letter to the house should suffice.”

“Only you think of me like this, Lord Cascata. I deeply trust you. Ah, and…”

Knock, knock.

The emperor’s words were cut off before they ended.

Upon hearing the knock, the emperor called out for the visitor to enter, and a servant approached discreetly, whispering something into the emperor’s ear.

“Lord Cascata, in any case, I entrust the matter of congratulating the Academy to you. Please handle it well. I have other urgent business and must rise early, but I will rely on you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall see to it.”

Lord Cascata then left the study and walked down the hallway.

What was the emperor about to say? Such questions arose, but holding onto such doubts was not a good habit. There was no way to ask the emperor what he intended to say, so it would be wiser to forget.

Walking around the corridor, he looked around.

After confirming that no one was around, he entered a secluded corner beneath the staircase, performed a sound-blocking spell with a careful flick of his fingers.

He then pulled out a crystal orb smaller than his fist from his pocket, which grew to slightly larger than his face.

“What is it?”

“—, ——. —-. ——, ———-.”

The murmuring was akin to ventriloquism—words that were indecipherable.

Yet, Lord Cascata nodded as if he had understood every detail.

“I see. Leave it to me. Proceed as planned.”

“—. —…—. ——, —.”

“That I understand, but don’t touch my nephew. The Carlo lad with the same name as mine.”

*

“I refuse.”

The woman with the blood-red eyes looked into the crystal orb and replied firmly.

“That young Cascata deserved a real hit to teach him a lesson, if you ask me.”

“Stop your nonsense. Absolutely no troublemaking.”

“Oops, the signal’s acting funny. Must be magical interference, eh? Hello? Hello? A—”

“Venere, Venere!”

Venere, the red-eyed woman, gestured with her hand, and the crystal orb, which had been the size of her face, shrank down to smaller than a fist.

She slipped it into her bosom and leaned against a tree, looking up at the sky.

“Hurry up if you’re going to move, Mercurio.”

Mercurio—this one-eyed man was imprisoned in the Academy’s criminal research facility.

His teeth were all gone due to an explosion, and due to an ‘unfortunate accident,’ both his wrists and ankles were broken, bound by chains.

Trapped in a solitary cell with seemingly no ability to do anything on his own, a strange grinding sound suddenly echoed.

When the guard on duty rushed to the solitary confinement room upon hearing the odd noise, Mercurio was gnawing on the gag in his mouth with his gums.

“Hey, what are you trying to do? Does that material look like something you can break with just your gums? Stop the foolishness and behave yourself!”

Ignoring the guard’s shouts, Mercurio continued gnawing on the gag in his mouth with bare gums.

The tough fabric of the gag quickly became soaked in blood, but Mercurio paid no heed to the intense pain, persistently gnawing on it.

At that moment, the noon bell rang out across the Academy.

With the echo of the noon bell, the gag finally snapped—just as the guard was about to open the iron cell door to re-gag Mercurio.

“Uuaaaaah!!!!!”

Mercurio began to emit a powerful roar, unleashing all the residual magic power he had concealed within his body and spread throughout his body in minute traces. The magic-filled roar was unleashed, and the guard, covering his ears in agony, collapsed, shaking convulsively.

Around that time, Albina, leading the students through the fog towards the Academy’s main building, paused and looked around.

Through her heightened senses, she could hear a suspicious roar in the distance.

Accompanying it was an unsettling wave of magical energy.

‘Something’s wrong. Something’s amiss…!’

Realizing the situation was unusual, Albina urged the students to hurry.

She instructed them to hold onto each other’s hands so they wouldn’t get separated while she thought.

‘Perhaps this… is an attempt to disable magical detection.’

Suddenly filled with an uneasy possibility, Albina shook her head.

No, that couldn’t be—Academy’s magical detection was thorough…

“Sharp intuition, instructor.”

Albina turned around in surprise at the unexpected voice.

The five students who should have been following her had all transformed into the same face—that of a white-haired, red-eyed woman.

“Hmm, perhaps this disguise isn’t sufficient, but…”

Smirking, Venere suddenly exploded in a massive burst.

“Huff?!”

Even though sudden, Albina was a seasoned mage and former battle officer.

Summoning a slime coat in that brief instant, she blocked the explosion’s aftermath and gazed around, flustered.

“This is troublesome…”

The first testing ground they had used appeared.

Moreover, the signals from the detection devices she had given to the students had grown faint.

“If everyone’s been scattered into pocket dimensions…”

This was serious. To manipulate space magic to this extent, it wasn’t just some ordinary rogue.

Space magic was a difficult art to master, even if one had the appropriate magical circuit.

At the very least, one would need the skill level of a brigade commander to wield it—a dangerous foe not to be underestimated.

Having concluded this, Albina drew a magic circle using not her fingers, but her entire arm.

Soon, a massive summoning circle appeared above her head, and a colossal dragon materialized.

A Dimensional Dragon, capable of tearing through the fabric of space. Though lacking in direct combat power, it possessed the unique ability to traverse dimensions—a creature summoned by Albina.

—Roaaaaaaarrr…

The Dimensional Dragon lifted its head and let out a thunderous roar.