The Witch (3)
Camilla, shrouded in pitch-black mana, clearly radiated hostility. The knights kept their tension high, watching her every gesture.
"You've always been like that, Baltasar."
Camilla's fury was unmistakably directed at the emperor.
"Once you decide someone's an enemy, you cut their throat without mercy. You haven't changed since the first time I saw you twenty years ago."
"Is there any reason to show mercy to enemies?"
"Is that enemy your enemy, or the Empire's?"
"I am the Empire."
"Am I, your wife, an enemy too?"
"There is no leniency for black mages."
The emperor replied flatly, his emotions thoroughly suppressed.
"I've realized your goal. You urged me to infuse the Empire with magic, planning to slip black magic in through the cracks."
Unlike mages who hoard their achievements for themselves, black mages seek to spread destruction and terror far and wide. The emperor knew this stark difference all too well from experience.
"When I rejected magic, you tried to make Asella, who would carry out your will, the next emperor. When that failed, you latched onto Georg of the Earth Palace, but he was exiled. Now, as a last resort, you planned to harm the crown prince Kwunter, assassinate me, plunge the Empire into chaos, and infiltrate it?"
Camilla fell silent, struck at the core.
All this time, she had yielded a step to noble houses like the Gotbergs or to Georg in the Earth Palace—for the sake of gaining greater power for her grander ambition. Solely to spread black magic.
The emperor's voice dripped with icy rage.
"Vile witch."
At that word, Camilla's eyebrow twitched.
"...It was you who brought me to the Empire."
"Indeed. My mistake."
"In the country where I was born, 'witch' didn't refer to women who used magic. It was a term for anyone—regardless of gender—who wielded black magic."
Camilla suppressed her rising anger from resurfaced memories and continued.
"I declared myself a witch from the start. I never lied."
"You twist your tongue slyly."
"I owe you a debt of gratitude. Knowing you despised black magic, I tried to aid the Empire with regular magic instead. That's why I devoted everything to create her."
Camilla pointed at Asella.
Asella swallowed nervously, tensing up.
"But right after that, what did you do? You halted the war, declared magic dangerous, and treated me like dirt. You never acknowledged my devotion."
Camilla raised her voice, sounding wronged.
"What was I supposed to do? All of this was just me struggling to survive. Whether borrowing the power of noble houses or the imperial family—I just wanted to live!"
Camilla pleaded toward the emperor.
"Do you know how much anxiety I've lived with my whole life, hiding that I'm a black mage? How much...!"
Bam! A massive ice spear crashed down at her feet, forcing Camilla to stop.
"Enough."
Multiple layers of magic circles formed at the tip of Asella's staff. Naturally, they were aimed at Camilla.
"Quit your yammering. What's so pitiful? In the end, you tried to harm the Empire and assassinate His Majesty."
"Asella...! You...!"
"Your Majesty, it's all lies. Camilla is someone who deceives even herself for her goals. I know her well."
"Hm."
It was Asella's testimony, the one who had spent the most time with Camilla. She had seen through Camilla's lies long ago. That was enough for the emperor to trust.
"It makes far more sense that all her actions so far were for the sake of spreading black magic in the Empire. I don't see the need for further conversation."
"Quite right. I've given her too many chances to speak already."
The emperor agreed with Asella. For a moment, he'd nearly been swayed by Camilla's rhetoric.
"Asella...! You ungrateful wretch!!"
Asella coldly stared down at the hysterical Camilla.
"How dare you look at me like that?!"
At first, Asella had felt a flicker of sympathy or lingering affection—emotions she almost never allowed for others. But now that she realized Camilla was pure evil, she felt indignant about all the time she'd endured.
Anger boiled up.
The emperor raised his arm.
"Subdue her."
At the command, the knights charged at Camilla in unison.
"Hmph!"
Camilla's eyes blazed as she swung her arm. Her fallen disciples turned to ash and vanished.
—Whoooosh!
A ritual circle formed from the blood of the sacrificed, and grotesque tentacles crawled up from hell itself.
Splat! Camilla whipped them like extensions of her own arms.
"Gaaah!"
"Danger! Don't touch them!"
One knight's arm, grazed by a tentacle, burst into soul-devouring flames and instantly converted to Camilla's mana.
In the imperial palace—the safest place in the Empire—the most horrific battle imaginable began.
And the moment I spotted the tentacles, I bolted toward Asella.
This is dangerous. Hell Tentacles—a 6th Hierarchy black magic spell that requires a contract with a demon.
Camilla was far more dangerous than I'd thought. A mage who'd reached the 5th Hierarchy as a side gig—naturally, her main profession of black magic would be on a whole other level. It felt like finding out your perennial middle manager at work was secretly a stock market billionaire raking in hundreds of millions.
I must've poked the bear wrong back then.
Luckily, I'd held back because she was scheming to devour our family. Otherwise, I'd have stirred up a hornet's nest.
Hm. So even Camilla couldn't survive the curse Asella carries. What the hell does she have?
Whatever—later for that.
No. 101: Mana Rampage 11% → 42%
Oh, great. Bad ending probability skyrocketing too.
It meant Asella was included in Camilla's targets.
She was definitely too emotional for her skill level. Couldn't control her rage and was lashing out wildly.
—Boom!
Her swung black magic shattered the ground and flung knights aside.
"Hah!"
Tanya wrapped her sword aura around her blade and severed a tentacle. But two more sprouted from the cut end, shooting back threateningly.
Unless you destroy the ritual circle at once, these tentacles multiply forever. Tricky attack.
"Princess!"
I reached Asella and shielded her.
"Ras?!"
"You need to fall back. Camilla's more dangerous than she seems. Your Majesty too, please."
"Gotberg."
The emperor clearly knew the danger here, yet he boldly drew his sword instead.
"I won't flee. Even deposed from empress, Camilla is still my wife."
"Your Majesty."
Asella pushed me away with both arms. She looked up, meeting my eyes.
"I'm not running either. I'll end Mother with my own hands."
"You can't. You'll regret it later."
"Who do you think I am? This is nothing, just—"
Her words rang strong, but the arm gripping her staff trembled. All bravado.
"Of course we'll take her down. We can't let her turn the palace into a demon den."
I subtly pressed her shoulder, making her relax.
"Hoo."
Asella exhaled, loosening up and taking deep breaths. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them.
"Anyway, I have to face her. Only I can cast a spell to break through black magic like that."
Asella's judgment sounded spot-on.
Let's see.
Camilla's black magic was offensive. It ran on contracts with demons using her life force as payment, powered by pre-stocked sacrificial mana.
On the magic side, she uses clone magic.
Seymour had mentioned it. Just as Asella had talent in spatial magic, Camilla was the sole user of clone magic.
Though she hadn't used it in about ten years.
"Seymour."
A breakthrough hit me. I remembered the final gift he'd given me before leaving the palace.
I pulled out the small box I'd tucked carefully inside my robe.
"Young master, that's—"
Asella recognized it.
"You got one too?"
She rummaged in her pocket and produced her own box. The ones in our hands looked like perfect puzzle pieces.
"If ever we need high-level magic, it's now, right?"
"Yeah."
Asella nodded. We held our boxes facing each other.
Click. Both lids opened simultaneously, flashing with light.
I recognized it immediately and let out a hollow chuckle.
"Magic storage orb and mana storage orb."
Both legendary artifacts. Far too valuable for mere farewell gifts.
Asella realized it too and smirked.
—KABOOM!!
"Asella!!"
Camilla leaped at us through the air, using tentacles as legs, in a momentum that scattered all the knights.
—Ssssk!
Asella's ice grazed her cheek. Red blood trickled.
Camilla's face twisted into a demon's.
"Asella, how dare you look at me like that. You ungrateful trash who forgets the grace of a lifetime raising you!!"
"Young master, give it here."
Asella stepped forward. She thrust her staff at Camilla.
The massive mana Seymour had stored flowed into her.
The emperor readied his drawn sword.
Thud, thud. Camilla charged at Asella with even fiercer momentum.
No. 101: Mana Rampage 42% → 96%
"Princess, I'll handle this."
In the split second before collision, I jumped in.
I snatched Asella's staff and artifact, dashing at Camilla.
"Wha— Ras!!"
I ignored Asella's urgent cry.
No matter how tough she acted, Asella was hesitating to kill Camilla. Her birth mother—what could you do?
That final hesitation would get her killed in reverse.
With death probability that high, I couldn't just watch. And even if she succeeded, she'd rationalize it and turn villainous.
This role suited a scoundrel like me perfectly.
"Gotberg?!"
Camilla furrowed her brow, not expecting me to step up.
I swung the staff, activating the artifact.
—Fwoosh!
Seymour's stored magic absorbed the mana and instantly formed a ritual circle, transitioning to casting.
Seven circles. 7th Hierarchy magic—the realm of sages whose names echoed through history.
I wasn't big on magic, but this seemed kinda cool.
I greeted Camilla with a smile.
"Farewell, mother-in-law."
"You—!!"
"Great Spirit Summon."
—KABOOOOOM!!
A pillar of fire pierced the earth, engulfing the black tentacles in a blink.