The Princess and the Personal Physician (1)
“Asella.”
A cold voice lingered in Asella's ear as she walked from the waiting room toward the arena. Her escort knights and maids stepped back a pace. Click, clack. Camilla approached with the sharp sound of her heels striking the floor. Asella looked at her without responding.
“Not even a greeting now? What kind of manners did you learn? You think you can just run wild like this?”
“I'm about to appear before His Majesty. Please don't interfere.”
“Ha! With that attitude! You think you can impress His Majesty with magic you practiced without me? My disciples have already finished their demonstrations! They showed off 4th Hierarchy spells!”
Reaching the 4th Hierarchy was already a grand achievement for any mage. Camilla's skill was unquestionable, enough to take such talents as her disciples. Mages who couldn't enter the Mage Tower sought training under her instead. Of course, few could endure her harsh temperament for long.
Only three mages had participated in today's competition from Moonlight Palace. The imperial palace already had a sage among them. In reality, they couldn't make much of a dent in Moonlight Palace's faction. But on a special day like today, it was different. Camilla had handed over the mages who could have supported Asella's starring role entirely to Georg.
Asella couldn't help but feel disappointed. Camilla didn't trust her as a daughter. She was merely a tool to seize the imperial family's power. Until now, she'd been the best option because she was easy to handle—but if not, then Georg was the fallback.
To Camilla, that's all Asella amounted to.
“Mother, may I ask one thing?”
“You think you have the right to question me?”
“Why does Mother need to become emperor? You already wield power as the third empress.”
Camilla snorted at Asella's question.
“A brat like you couldn't possibly understand! Only with the emperor's authority can I finally realize my noble ideals.”
The current emperor was old, but his judgment remained sharp. He'd taken Camilla as empress solely to forge Asella as a weapon, then essentially abandoned her to the minor Moonlight Palace. Did Mother think she could become the real power behind the throne once Asella ascended? Asella could only find that simplistic mindset absurd.
“Georg is useful. Ambitious, talented for succession, and his arrogance means he won't preemptively eliminate anyone who benefits him.”
Camilla argued forcefully.
“Asella, I've raised you as a mother all this time. Isn't becoming the next emperor your dream too? What has blinded you to act so recklessly!”
As Camilla shouted, Asella blinked. Her grip tightened instinctively on her staff—a reflexive response from her special training.
…The dream of becoming emperor.
It was only to fulfill your dream.
“…Hoo.”
Asella steadied her breathing. She recalled her personal physician's words. Breath control was key. It regulated the heartbeat and eased tension.
…Indeed, even in Camilla's presence, she felt a bit more stable. Opening her eyes, Asella masked her emotions behind a blank expression and delivered her notice.
“Watch my magic, Mother.”
Leaving the fuming Camilla behind, Asella strode out into the corridor.
“Next up, a magic demonstration from Moonlight Palace! Her Highness Asella, the third princess of our great emperor, will perform personally!”
After the announcer's call, Asella took center stage in the arena. The terrain from the team battle had vanished, leaving a clean platform. She visualized the magic circle Seymour had taught her, raising her staff high.
—Fwoosh!
The spell activated. The formula in Asella's mind took smooth shape through the staff. Her golden mana sparkled brilliantly, tracing a perfect circle without a single flaw.
“Ho, quite clean.”
“Didn't the sage teach Princess Asella?”
The emperor's siblings murmured their impressions as they watched the magic.
Asella completed the circle and moved to invocation. As mana fully flowed into the three rings, they spun with a fierce hum, intersecting to form a pyramidal space. Light particles gathered between them, shaping into form.
A statue of the emperor in a majestic pose.
“Bringer—a teleportation spell.”
“Convenient for fetching distant objects. 3rd Hierarchy, so fairly advanced.”
“Heh, Princess Asella must have learned much from the sage. Isn't that right, brother?”
The Heavenly King praised, but the emperor remained silent, slowly stroking his chin. Asella's magic was undeniably prodigious for her age.
“But not unique.”
Sage Seymour had reached the 4th Hierarchy at ten. With such a once-in-two-centuries genius as the benchmark, the emperor withheld admiration as if it were only natural.
Just as he'd only sneered at Georg's knights in the team battle, his standards were clear.
“If that's all, it's disappointing.”
The emperor propped his chin indifferently. Asella was the imperial family's magical weapon, forged even while embracing the witch Camilla. With two magical talents, no less. He expected something more impressive.
“Haha, a mere 3rd Hierarchy spell? Even the court mages preparing the team arena used Bringer freely.”
Georg clenched his fist, sensing victory within reach.
“For teleportation, she should've shown Teleport instead—pathetic!”
Rauga scolded the excited Georg.
“Teleport's a 5th Hierarchy large-scale spell. Needs tons of materials and multiple mages. Be realistic.”
“Let mages play with magic. Rulers don't have time for such trivia, Rauga.”
“Ugh, young know-it-all.”
Rauga waved him off like he stank. Georg crossed his arms, hiding his anger.
As if oblivious to the lukewarm audience reaction, Asella didn't pause, activating the next incantation immediately.
“Still going?”
Georg frowned, focusing intently. This time, four circles formed. A 4th Hierarchy spell.
“Whoa, how'd she construct that so fast?”
Even Rauga, watching closely, missed the moment and tilted her head. Asella's circles overlapped in bizarre ways, forming an incomprehensible geometric structure.
“What spell is that?”
“No idea. Never seen that form or formula…”
The Heavenly King and princesses were baffled.
And then—whoosh.
Asella drew one more circle, threading it through the center.
“5th Hierarchy?!”
“No, not directly connected. Upper 4th Hierarchy if we classify… How did she devise that construct?”
“Wait, don't tell me.”
One Heavenly King versed in magic nodded tensely.
“A new spell. Princess Asella developed her own magic.”
The emperor's eyebrow twitched upward. Asella chanted lowly, her breathing still calm.
“Recall.”
—Kakakakang!!
The golden mana spun violently. Particles surged from the tesseract-like magic formation. Similar effect to teleportation. As the cast completed, something absent before appeared there.
A spell to fetch what wasn't present.
But what Asella fetched was…
“A hatchling?!”
“What?!”
A dragon hatchling. The palm-sized red lizard, seeing humans for the first time, looked around curiously. It flapped its tiny wings, perching on the emperor statue's shoulder. Burp—it belched mana, flames sputtering out.
“My god, did Princess Asella just teleport a living creature?!”
“Not Teleport?!”
“Teleport moves the caster or opens gates! No spell exists to move other living beings!”
The stands erupted in chaos. Asella felt confidence swell from her success, her lips curving faintly. Seymour had said she had talent for spatial magics like Bringer, Teleport, Summon. Broadly, spacetime. A unique perception of the world.
Recall was her own spell, developed for today's competition. Surely the emperor would praise creating magic unprecedented in the world.
So she thought.
But…
“Your Majesty, we must silence everyone who witnessed that spell here.”
“Indeed. If word leaks, chaos is certain.”
The Heavenly King and princesses clamored. The emperor glared at Asella with grave intensity, his cold eyes weighing her value against peril.
Why?
Asella struggled to comprehend. Most knights, servants, and spectators applauded. Only the high elites, those versed in magic, looked grave.
…Ah.
Then she realized her mistake.
The emperor nodded.
“Indeed, that's dangerous magic.”
“Why the reaction?”
Lucy, the head maid, asked worriedly. I was watching Asella's demonstration from the successor viewing area.
“I can guess the reasons.”
Asella's display proved her competence amply. Too competently, in fact.
“Haha, Asella. Arrogant like her mother—I knew she'd pull something. Know your place, you little speck eyeing succession?”
Georg laughed mockingly at Asella. Honestly, that pissed me off a bit. I knew how diligently she trained with Seymour. Effort shouldn't be wrong.
No. 012: Empire's Fall
52% → 92%
After nailing a spell she prepared so hard, this reaction would make anyone want to flip the table. I stepped forward.
“Teacher?”
I left the head maid behind.
“Your Highness Prince Georg, I have something to say.”
“What?”
Georg turned, frowning at me. Playing the imperial brat, huh? Back home, I was infamous for that too.