As Cheion darted his eyes around, trying to wriggle out of the situation, Luca cut him off and calmly recited the exact time he had reported it.
“......”
“......”
Aseraian’s gaze sharpened by the second, while Cheion did everything he could to avoid him.
Crown Prince Aseraian stroked the hilt of the sword at his waist and asked in a gentle tone.
“Didn’t you say you were developing a device to detect the Black Forest’s appearance?”
Recently, the Black Forest has surged out more frequently. What was worse, it no longer formed only in remote corners of the Empire, but has started emerging in densely populated areas.
Not long ago, one even appeared near the capital, pushing public fear to its limits.
“I’m working on it...”
“I suppose you need to crawl on the floor to make it. Or does it only work better the more dramatic you are?”
At Aseraian’s sigh, Cheion’s expression crumpled like he might cry again.
“If someone would just find my Blue Stone, I might actually feel motivated to work faster...”
“Luca is already looking into it, so it should turn up soon.”
“When exactly is ‘soon’? Even now, my Blue Stone is out there desperately looking for me!”
“......”
As the conversation threatened to go in circles again, Aseraian lightly shook his head.
“Just make sure you attend the meeting in fifteen days.”
“Fifteen days? What meeting?”
“...You didn’t hear?”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it...”
“I informed you two days ago at 12:50 that you’re required to attend the Imperial Council in fifteen days.”
At Luca’s words, Aseraian’s eyes narrowed further. Cheion quietly edged back toward the corner, trying to slip out of sight.
“Don’t even think about skipping this one.”
“Why are you only picking on me? That frozen northerner skips it every time too!”
“Then you should shut your Magic Tower for 300 years and stay out of the world. Only then will people say it’s acceptable for you to miss a meeting.”
“......”
Watching Cheion pout in protest, Aseraian clicked his tongue softly.
“I do hope he attends this time.”
“You think he will? Don’t get your hopes up over nothing.”
“It seemed Father intends to summon him this time no matter what.”
“And you think that will work?”
At Cheion’s blunt warning not to expect too much, another long sigh slipped from Aseraian’s lips.
.
.
.
Chapter 6: The Imperial Council
Knock. Knock.
At the northernmost edge of the Devrica Empire was the Principality of Persia, a land where snow fell all year round. Once part of the Empire, it had long since been granted autonomy and now stood as its own domain.
Knock. Knock.
The Grand Duke’s residence lay buried beneath pristine snow.
The aide, Del, sighed when the presence beyond the door remained as silent as a grave.
“I’m coming in.”
In the end, he opened the door without waiting for permission and stepped inside.
A sharp gust of wind swept in the moment the door opened. The reason quickly became clear.
Someone stood by the wide open window, leaning against it as if the raging blizzard outside meant nothing at all. With his snow white hair whipped in the wind, the sight of him facing the storm suited him almost too well.
“Your Excellency.”
Even at Del’s call, the man didn’t react. His gaze remained fixed beyond the window, his body still as if frozen in place.
Haa...
Del sighed again to himself. The Grand Duke had never been much of a talker to begin with, but...
He’s been even worse since that day.
That day, something hidden deep within the most secret part of the estate had crumbled away like dust and vanished.
Why did the body suddenly...?
Long ago, there was Grace Ellesia, once revered as a saint.
Her body had been kept within the Grand Duke of Persia’s estate. Even after three hundred years, it had remained untouched by decay, as though it defied time itself.
That miracle was sustained by the power of ice, wielded only by the head of the Persia family, a power capable of freezing anything in the world. It was Kainel Persia who had preserved her body for centuries.
But then...
Not long ago, that magic shattered.
When the Grand Duke visited the chamber as always, the power of ice broke apart before his eyes like it was a lie. The body crumbled rapidly before it disappeared like smoke.
Because it happened in an instant, neither the Grand Duke nor Del himself could take any action. They could only watch with bewildered eyes.
And ever since that day...
His isolation from the world only deepened.
For three hundred years, Kainel had kept the principality closed off from the outside world, yet even so, he never neglected his duties.
But now?
As though everything had lost its meaning, he did nothing at all.
Ha...
Kainel was someone who had lived alone for three hundred years. How could someone like Del, an ordinary man, ever hope to understand him?
With such a long life behind him, people had come up with countless names for the man.
The Guardian of the North. A monster without blood or tears. A man untouched by time.
I think the Tower Master called him a frozen human.
Grand Duke Kainel Persia was a man surrounded by countless rumors. But to Del, who had served him since childhood alongside his father, he seemed like someone with something missing, as though a part of him had long since been hollowed out.
Perhaps because of that, he always returned to the place where Lady Grace had rested several times a day.
But now, that habit only made him seem even more hollow.
“Your Excellency.”
Del called out to him once more and continued without pause.
“A message has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
Only then did his gaze, which had been fixed beyond the window, slowly turn back. His cold silver eyes looked especially empty today.
Forcing down another sigh, Del handed him the documents he had brought.
“It’s a request for your attendance at an upcoming council. With the recent increase in Black Forest occurrences near the capital, they’re calling for major changes to security.”
If there was one place on the continent where the Black Forest appeared most frequently, it was here, the Principality of Persia.
That fact also played a significant role in the Empire recognizing its independence. It was simply too much for the Imperial family to bear full responsibility for the North.
“His Majesty has sent this.”
What Del carefully placed before him was a golden plaque. A lion symbolizing the Devrica Imperial family was engraved on its surface.
It was known as the Golden Plaque, or the Emperor’s Token. Though small enough to fit in one’s palm, the weight of its meaning was immense.
Whoever received it was bound to obey the Emperor’s command, no matter what it might be. Refusal, regardless of the reason, was treated as a declaration of enmity against the Empire.
However, even the Emperor couldn’t use it lightly. It was a privilege granted only once during an Emperor’s reign.
But now, the current Emperor had used that Golden Plaque to summon the Grand Duke. Even considering the Grand Duke had remained secluded for three hundred years, this was unprecedented. Not a single Emperor before him had ever made such a forceful demand of the Grand Duke.
That means the situation is more serious than expected.
Del was also already aware through external sources that Black Forest occurrences had been increasing.
“What would you like to do?”
If it were a normal request like other times, he would have refused. But a decree accompanied by the Golden Plaque was a different matter. Ignoring it could give the Empire grounds to escalate the situation into war.
Of course, even if that happened, he wouldn’t care at all.
Del knew all too well that his master wasn’t someone who would be swayed by such threats. His sigh deepened.
“When is it?”
“...Pardon?”
At that moment, a low voice broke the silence. Del looked at the Grand Duke, wondering if he just misheard.
Did he really just ask when the Imperial Council will be held?
“I’ll attend.”
“—!”
At those brief words, Del could only stare with his mouth slightly open.
After three hundred years of shutting himself away from the world, his master finally decided to step outside.
***
“The Magic Tower...”
Ceres stared at the mana stone on the table, her eyes clouded with hesitation.
“It would be best to sell it there.”
Just like the woman at the magic shop had said, if she took the stone there, she’d be able to get a proper price.
“Didn’t she also say you can name your price there?”
It would be simple, no need for her to go from shop to shop. However, she couldn’t bring herself to head there.
A prickling unease lingered at the back of her mind. It’s like something was quietly holding her back.
“If it ends up in Artia’s hands without me knowing...”
Kainel’s words when he gave her the stone kept nagging at her.
Of course, if someone asked what the difference was between selling it to a magic shop or the Magic Tower, she wouldn’t really have an answer.
“Still, the Magic Tower is a bit...”
To take the mana stone that Artia had wanted so much to the place where he had once been the Tower Master didn’t seem right.
It’s not proper toward both Kai and Arti.
Well, she’s not exactly someone who cares much about manners, but isn’t this a bit much?
In the end, Ceres put the mana stone back into her subspace. Though she needed money, it seemed better to look into things more before selling.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, the door opened, and someone stepped inside. He was an elderly man in his early sixties with a calm impression.
“Lady Ceres.”
It was Colin, the butler who was forced to leave by Agne. Not long ago, Ceres and Antonian had gone in person to bring him back.
I thought he would refuse.