Morning sunlight reflected through the palace windows, lighting up the long marble corridors of the Imperial Palace.
After making sure Frena was safely hidden in his room, Theon made his way toward the Emperor’s study.
Imperial guards standing outside the large doors bowed respectfully as he approached.
"Your Highness." Theon gave a small nod before knocking gently.
Knock. Knock.
"Enter." A calm voice came from inside.
Theon pushed the heavy door open and stepped into the study. As always, the room was neat and quiet.
Tall bookshelves lined the walls, filled with countless books and scrolls. A large window behind the desk overlooked the snow-covered capital of the Glaciara Empire.
Seated behind the desk was Emperor Ragnar Nivaris.
Without looking up from the document in his hand, he spoke.
"You’re late."
Theon scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Sorry, Father."
"I accidentally messed up my clothes while getting dressed."
"So I had to fix them before coming."
The Emperor finally raised his eyes from the papers.
He studied his youngest son for a moment before giving a small nod.
"I see."
"Sit."
"Yes, Father." Theon walked over and sat quietly in the chair opposite the desk. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The Emperor placed the document aside and folded his hands.
"There is something important I need to tell you." Theon straightened his back.
"I’m listening." The Emperor’s expression remained calm.
"Three months from now..."
"You will begin your studies at the Imperial Academy." Theon blinked.
"The Imperial Academy?" The Emperor nodded.
"It is the greatest academy in the empire."
"The sons and daughters of noble families from every province come there to study."
"It is where future knights, mages, generals, scholars, and government officials receive their education."
"You are a prince of House Nivaris."
"You will study there alongside them." Theon listened quietly.
Inside, however, he was already groaning.
"More studying...?"
"Seriously?"
"Does this world ever stop giving homework?" He let out a quiet sigh.
"I was hoping I’d get a little more free time..." The Emperor couldn’t help but smile.
"Being born into the Imperial Family comes with responsibilities."
"There is no escaping them." Theon rested his chin on one hand.
"...I figured." The Emperor continued.
"Until then, continue your swordsmanship lessons."
"Continue your magic studies."
"And most importantly..." He looked directly into Theon’s eyes.
"Do not bring shame upon House Nivaris."
"You represent not only yourself, but this entire family." Theon’s playful expression faded as he nodded seriously.
"I understand, Father.".
"Good."
"You may leave." Theon stood and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Father."
As he reached the door, the Emperor called out once more.
"Theon." He stopped and turned around.
"Yes?" The Emperor looked out the window toward the snowy capital.
"The Imperial Academy is unlike the palace."
"Not everyone there who treats you kindly means well for you; some just want to take advantage of you being a prince."
"Remember that." Theon nodded.
"I will." With those words, he quietly left the study.
As the door closed behind him, he let out a long breath.
"...First etiquette."
"Then sword training."
"Then magic lessons."
"And now an academy."
He shook his head with a helpless smile.
"This world really doesn’t want me to rest."
Still muttering to himself, Theon began walking back toward his chamber. Upon getting to his chamber. He slowly pushed open the door to his room. The moment he stepped inside, he saw Frena sitting beside the window.
She had already changed back into the simple clothes she had worn the night before. The morning sunlight shone through the glass, making her silver-green hair sparkle faintly. Hearing the door open, she turned toward him.
"You’re back." Theon smiled and closed the door behind him.
"I am." He walked over and sat opposite her.
"So... what did the Emperor want?" Theon let out a tired sigh.
"In three months, I’m going to the Imperial Academy."
Frena blinked.
"The Imperial Academy?"
"The biggest academy in the empire?" Theon nodded.
"Apparently." She smiled.
"That’s a good thing."
"It means you’ll meet talented people from all over the empire."
Theon rested his head on the table.
"All I heard was..."
"’More studying.’" Frena couldn’t help laughing.
"You really hate studying, don’t you?"
"I’ve never liked it."
"In my previous..." He stopped himself.
"In my younger years, I always preferred training over sitting in class."
Frena smiled knowingly.
"I can tell."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Then her smile slowly disappeared.
Her expression became serious.
"Theon..."
"I need to tell you something."
Seeing the change in her face, Theon immediately sat up.
"What is it?" Frena looked toward the closed window before lowering her voice.
"Last night..."
"While we were in this room..."
"I felt someone watching us." Theon hardened his expression.
"Watching us?" She nodded.
"I couldn’t see anyone."
"I couldn’t sense their mana either."
"But..."
"I know that feeling."
"It was as if a pair of eyes was staring directly at us from the darkness." Theon remained silent.
He immediately remembered the strange feeling from the previous night.
"So..."
"You felt it too." Frena looked at him in surprise.
"You noticed it?" Theon nodded slowly.
"I thought it was just my imagination."
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Finally, Frena took a deep breath.
"I don’t think whoever discovered it was me."
"They were probably just observing." Theon folded his arms.
"That doesn’t make me feel any better."
"It means someone is keeping watch over the palace." Frena nodded.
"Which is why we can’t waste any more time." She reached into the small pouch hanging from her waist and carefully unfolded a rough map. It had been drawn by hand. Several locations were marked with charcoal. She pointed to one of them.
"I found this yesterday." Theon leaned closer.
"What is it?"
"The kidnappers’ hideout." His eyes narrowed.
"You found it?" Frena nodded.
"It’s hidden deep inside Frostfang Forest."
"Near an abandoned mining cave."
"I’ve been secretly investigating it for several days."
She traced her finger across the map.
"I counted at least twenty guards."
"They patrol in shifts."
"There are also lookouts hidden in the trees." Theon’s face became serious.
"So they’ve turned it into a fortress." Frena nodded.
"And if we wait any longer..."
"They might move the children somewhere else." The room became silent.
Theon looked at the map for a long time before finally lifting his head.
"When do we move?" Frena answered without hesitation.
"Tonight."
"After sunset."
"We rescue every child and destroy the hideout before they have a chance to escape." Theon looked her in the eye.
"...I’m in." A faint smile appeared on Frena’s face.
"I knew you’d say that." She carefully rolled up the map.
"Then let’s start planning." Theon nodded. If they were going to save those children. They couldn’t afford to make a single mistake.
. The room fell silent as Frena spread the map across the table once again. Theon leaned forward to study every mark carefully.
The hideout was located deep inside Frostfang Forest, surrounded by thick trees and rocky cliffs. One narrow path led into the cave.
"There are only two entrances," Frena said, pointing at the map.
"The main entrance..."
"And a small escape tunnel at the back."
Theon nodded.
"If things go wrong, they’ll probably use the escape tunnel."
"Exactly." Frena looked at him.
"So we have to end the fight quickly." Theon thought for a moment before asking,
"How many children are inside?"
"I’m not completely sure."
"But from what I’ve seen..."
"At least fifteen."
Theon’s expression darkened.
"So many..." Frena clenched her fists.
"They’re all young."
"The oldest looks about twelve."
"The youngest..." She paused.
"Can’t be older than five." Silence gloomed over again as Theon slowly lowered his head.
"They’re just children..." Frena nodded.
"They don’t deserve this." After a while, Theon finally spoke.
"Let’s divide the work." Frena looked up. "I’m listening."
"You know the forest better than I do."
"You’ll lead the way." She nodded.
"Agreed."
"I’ll deal with anyone guarding the entrance."
"While I’m distracting them..."
"You sneak inside and free the children." Frena frowned slightly.
"There will be guards inside too."
"I know." Theon smiled.
"I’ll catch up." She looked at him for several seconds.
"You really plan on fighting all of them yourself?"
"I’ll manage." Frena sighed.
"You’re unbelievably reckless."
"So I’ve been told." A small smile escaped her lips.
"If we encounter someone stronger than expected".
"We retreat."
"No arguments." Theon nodded.
"Fair enough."
"But if the children are already in danger..."
"I’m not leaving them behind."
Frena knew arguing wouldn’t change his mind.
"...I expected that answer." She rolled up the map and tucked it back into her pouch.
"We leave after midnight."
"The guards around the palace will be changing shifts."
"It’ll be easier to leave unnoticed." Theon nodded.
"What about getting close to the hideout?"
"I have concealment magic."
"It can hide our mana, scent, and presence for a short time."
"It isn’t perfect."
"So we still have to be careful."
"How long does it last?"
"About twenty minutes." Theon smiled.
"That should be enough." Frena stood up.
"Until then."
"You should rest."
"We’ll need all our strength tonight." Theon looked out the window. The sun was still high in the sky. There were still several hours before nightfall.
"I don’t think I can sleep." Frena tilted her head.
"Then what are you going to do?" Theon smiled.
"I need to get a little stronger before tonight." Frena looked at him curiously.
"You already train every day."
"A little more won’t hurt." She shrugged.
"Just don’t overdo it."
"I won’t." After saying that, Theon stood up and picked up the practice sword resting against the wall.
As he walked toward the door, one thought kept repeating itself in his mind.
"The enemies we’ll face tonight won’t be ordinary bandits."
"If I want to protect everyone..."
"I’ll need something stronger than the magic I have now."
Without another word, he quietly left the room, already thinking about the ancient spell he planned to learn before the rescue mission began.
Theon quietly left his room and made his way through the palace corridors. The palace was unusually peaceful.
Most of the royal family were busy with their own duties, while the knights continued their daily training outside.
He walked into the palace garden and headed toward a quiet corner hidden behind several tall pine trees.
It was one of the few places where no one would disturb him. After making sure nobody was nearby, he closed his eyes.
A blue interface appeared before him
WORLD ARCHIVE
Awaiting command..
Theon took a slow breath.
"Show me an ancient attack spell." The screen flickered.
Several lines of text appeared one after another.
Searching...
Searching...
Selecting compatible spells...
Selection complete.
Ancient Ice Spell Detected.
Ice Javelin
Difficulty: Low
Required Mana Control: High
Recommended Output: Below 1%
Theon smiled.
"This should do."
Another screen appeared.
Synchronizing knowledge...
Synchronization complete.
At once, countless ancient magic flowed through his mind.
He understood how the spell worked almost instinctively.
Unlike modern magic, ancient magic didn’t rely on long chants. It depended entirely on precise mana control.
Theon slowly raised his right hand.
"I’ll keep the mana output low."
"I don’t want another giant ice wall."
The World Archive responded immediately.
Mana Output Restriction Activated.
Current Output: 0.5%
Theon nodded.
"Perfect."
He took a deep breath and focused his mana.
A pale blue icy magic circle slowly appeared in front of him.
Ancient runes rotated around its edge, glowing softly. Cold air spread through the garden. Tiny snowflakes drifted around him. Theon kept his breathing steady. Then he spoke.
"Ice Javelin."
The magic circle flashed.
A long spear of crystal-clear ice slowly formed before him.
It was nearly twice his height. Its surface shimmered under the sunlight, and its sharp tip reflected a pale blue light.
Theon stared at it in amazement. With a gentle wave of his hand, the spear shot forward. Whoosh! It crossed the garden in an instant.
Boom!
The ice spear struck a large boulder in the distance.
The entire rock exploded into countless pieces.
Ice spread across the ground where the spear had landed.
Theon blinked.
"That was only half a percent?" He looked at the shattered boulder.
"If I used my full mana output.." He stopped himself.
"Let’s not find out." A message appeared before him.
WORLD ARCHIVE
Spell Mastery Progress
Ice Javelin: 27%
Continue practicing for greater control.
Theon smiled.
"Only twenty-seven percent?"
"I guess I still have a long way to go." He practiced again.
And again. Each attempt became smoother than the last.
His control improved little by little, while his mana reserve never ended or reduced due to his blessing.
After nearly an hour of training, he finally lowered his hand.
A light layer of frost covered the grass around him.
The World Archive appeared one last time.
Ice Javelin Mastery: 51%
Current Evaluation:
Beginner Level Achieved. Theon let out a satisfied breath.
"That should be enough for now." He looked toward the western sky.
The sun was slowly beginning to set.
Night was approaching.
The rescue mission would begin soon.
Without wasting another moment, Theon quietly turned and made his way back toward the palace. Tonight.
He and Frena would enter Frostfang Forest once again.