Magic Tower (1)
Three days. During the period the banquet lasted, the empire reaped tremendous gains. First and foremost.
"Everyone knows the empire is in decline."
"...."
"But even so, was it really necessary to gossip about it loud enough to hear from the carriages?"
He now had a crystal-clear picture of how the leaders of various nations viewed the empire. In truth, he'd had some inkling since the incident with the Sendra Kingdom. Normally, before he stepped in, those eager to cozy up to the empire would have come forward on their own.
But until I made my move, they all just sat back and watched.
Not one soul had acted until the crown prince himself took the initiative. From that moment, he'd actively deployed Lumi Nix, Arbeda, and the spirit drones—spirit drones, magic drones, mystery drones. These three types had spread throughout the imperial palace, surveilling every nation's delegates comprehensively.
High affinity for spirits? What about magic? Strong in magic? Then how about mystery? No one mastered all three perfectly, so none of the leaders could evade the empire's watch. Thanks to that, he'd overheard a wealth of secrets, gaining sharp clarity on his next moves.
Conquering them all outright might be the fastest path.
Why hadn't the empire waged wars of conquest, despite such overwhelming power? Fear of losing soldiers? No need— he had no intention of waging traditional wars.
To snag one head, no point dragging an army along.
With five bio-nuclear weapons at his disposal, why bother mobilizing troops? Just like with the north, a repeat performance would suffice. Though deploying all five might risk total annihilation for the targets, so one to two at most should do.
And I've gleaned plenty from Mirne too.
The intel he'd extracted immediately concerned dragon legends—undoubtedly tied to Arbeda's true name—and even pinpointed their locations.
Plus, digging a bit more unearthed curses as well.
Right up to that point. Time constraints prevented deeper probing, but it was more than enough.
"We should concentrate intelligence units on Mirne's faction."
From here, things could proceed on their own. If all fated encounters converged in the Maserin Kingdom, ransacking it thoroughly was the play.
"Shall we ignore the other kingdoms?"
"They're doomed anyway—pointless."
"Understood."
The rest? Erase them from the map. They were banding together, blustering about striking the north or east, but the empire already held ample justification. Best they polish their necks clean.
"I want an eternal empire."
"Yes, sire!"
The knights and nobles widened their eyes in awe, bowing deeply.
Because if the empire falls, I die.
No one knew his true thoughts—that the empire's fall meant his death. Muttering inwardly,
"What of the matter I mentioned before?"
"Ah, the education system, Your Highness. It's progressing swiftly. The academies as well..."
"Good. Speak up immediately if you need anything—full support."
"Thank you."
Reviewing the Empire Status Window, he gauged the realm's health. Little had changed overall: treasury still meager, military power abysmal. But now, upward arrows flanked military and corruption stats—a highly positive sign.
Confirming imperial affairs one by one,
"But... does the empire even have a Magic Tower?"
He broached the burning question. The status window had shown no mention before.
I didn't know, and even the nobles never brought it up.
Like a plot device dropped from the sky, the Magic Tower suddenly asserted its presence with the line "exists within the empire." Yet no one could find it. Despite rumors of the east, his last stroll there yielded no tower whatsoever.
"It... undoubtedly exists."
The prime minister resolved the doubt.
"It?"
"Yes. The Magic Tower floats in the empire's airspace."
"In the sky?"
"Nominally, they guard the empire from above and provide mages in support."
"...Support?"
Such pure benevolence in the empire? How had it stayed hidden?
"In exchange, the empire funnels them vast research funds."
"How could I not know? No reports?"
Questions flew.
"They..."
The prime minister visibly hesitated.
What answer warranted such reluctance? Just then,
"Because they stand above imperial law."
Grand General Akam Bellos continued.
"They take 'support fees' as cash grabs, providing scant mages. Your Highness, even with the Imperial Guard... doesn't it strike you as odd that no grand mages reside in the palace?"
"Hahaha!"
Bellon burst into laughter— not mockery, but admiration for the empire's resilience. How had it survived this long? Parasitic mages hovering stealthily overhead, flouting law and draining coffers—yet limping on for five more years?
Now I get why the treasury showed no improvement.
A money-devouring behemoth floated above, unlogged in ledgers. The Magic Tower devoured imperial wealth, then "supported" with mages. Instinct screamed a Mirne-backing male lead lurked inside. The artifact the second prince used for communication screamed rarity.
If someone's mass-producing those? Dating foreign princesses on imperial dime... above the law... tch.
Revulsion surged; it had to go. But doubts lingered.
"How did we miss this? With the empire's history—no exchanges?"
Amid normalization, how?
"Recent events moved too fast; they stayed deathly quiet."
"Quiet during the purges?"
Absurd. Or scripted that way. The plot demanded the empire's fall, so safeguards like this were planted.
Two grand dukes, one second prince ruined—then a silent parasite overhead?
Now the north's mage scarcity made sense; imperial mages were few because most were outsourced. Knights? Swordmasters aplenty. Mages? Needle in a haystack.
And I only learned because other kingdoms trashed us.
Without that, ignorance till the end—or till coffers ran dry, Magic Tower fleeing to Maserin.
"Do you know its location?"
"...No."
"Why such a raw deal? Obvious loss."
"Tradition... His Majesty managed it personally."
Mid-conversation, the emperor surfaced.
"No final words from His Majesty?"
"...Apologies, Your Highness."
Nothing.
Managed at emperor level; his vanishing left it adrift?
Prime minister withholding made sense—too soon post-disappearance, implying no return and recognizing Bellon risked backlash.
With the crown prince dancing on knife's edge, one slip and heads roll.
Hypotheses swirled, but priorities held.
"Time to inform the Magic Tower: the empire has changed."
They wouldn't come if summoned. He'd go himself.
***
Thud. A lofty tower afloat via high and unique magic. The Magic Tower Lord lounged at the pinnacle, gazing down.
"From this height, they all look like ants."
The empire—grand or not—crawled earthbound. Skies were mages' domain. Knights gawked upward like dogs chasing chickens.
"Support's thinning lately."
New nest time? Empire coin funded idle research blissfully. Now, son's whims might force Maserin relocation. Poor, but initial free aid could secure comfort.
"Hmm... not thrilled, tsk."
He scowled, loathing work. Then,
"Hm?"
Something rocketed straight at him.
"...What?"
Impossible. Location secret, unique barrier bypassed unaware passersby. Yet someone approached aware?
"No worry."
Assuming passage-through,
Clank.
Eerie sword-draw chilled the air. Simultaneously,
"Eh?"
Monstrous flames erupted. He knew them: Sol Bellos's power.
"W-wait!"
Boom!
It slammed the tower.
"Crown Prince! This lady has perfectly fulfilled the mission!"
"Well done, Arbeda. Made finding this place a breeze."
"This lady wishes praise from the Crown Prince later!"
"Naturally."
The belated exchange was icing.