Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Lightning Mage (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Prime Minister recalled Prince Ragna's quiet admonition.
'Prepare for Baron Caron's false surrender.'
But judging by his attitude and the situation, it didn't seem like a ruse.
Once the loyalty oath video was released, the petty and narrow-minded Emperor would inevitably move to crush Caron anyway.
'Baron Caron must be planning a genuine defection for that very reason.'
The Prime Minister pondered deeply, then let out a smirk.
"From the nationwide holy site tour to this, Your Highness is firmly tightening the reins of the kingdom before the coronation."
The Prime Minister quietly summoned the Royal Guard Captain, Marquis Marcken.
"Captain, we need to prepare an operation to rescue Baron Caron's family..."
On the returning airship.
I huddled with Canelian and Object to discuss our plans.
"We need to prepare for the possibility that Caron might try to kidnap me."
Both nodded vigorously in agreement.
"If a Swordmaster is determined to abduct Your Highness, it would be hard to stop him."
"A Swordmaster has to be countered by another Swordmaster. Duchess Canelian, how about sharing my bedroom starting tonight?"
"Eek?!"
Canelian jumped in surprise.
Was that such an overreaction?
It was still confidential, but she was my fiancée, after all.
"I'm not suggesting we share a bed. I'll have another one brought in."
"But then my sister's position..."
Canelian glanced at Object.
Object believed her own older sister, Ceres, was my fiancée, so that must have been bothering her.
"She can just sneak in secretly at night. It's to guard against Caron's schemes. A Swordmaster's ambush has to be met with a Swordmaster."
"..."
As Canelian bit her lip in thought.
Object suddenly raised her hand.
"I'll share Your Highness's bed and provide protection with defensive automated magic circles. Please allow it."
"Oh, really?"
"N-No, I can't allow that! Hey, as the fiancée's... little sister!"
She started to say "fiancée" but caught Object's eye and hurriedly changed her words.
Object tilted her head, then spoke calmly.
"Protecting Your Highness is more important than anything."
"P-Professor, you don't need to do that. I'll share the bed with the Prince and protect him. A Swordmaster should be countered by a Swordmaster, not a mage."
"A mage can't beat an equal knight in direct combat, but for close protection against surprise kidnappings, a mage is superior."
A dispute over who would guard me...
How heartwarming.
But there was no rule saying I had to choose just one.
"Then let's have two extra beds brought in."
"...Pardon?"
"Your Highness?"
"Wouldn't it be even safer with both of you protecting me? Canelian buys time, and Pro... Professor Silvret guards me with shields and Blink."
The two women's gazes intertwined.
A moment later, Object closed her eyes, then opened them and nodded.
"An excellent idea. Then starting tonight, I'll perform guard duty for Your Highness."
"Thank you, Professor."
"The special eyes Your Highness possesses are a treasure for magical civilization. I'll protect them no matter what."
"...As the Duchess of Elryad Duchy and a knight, protecting the duchy's son-in-law is only natural."
"Then as soon as we get back, I need to order those beds brought in."
It's great that my bedroom is spacious enough for a volleyball game.
Canelian hesitated, then spoke up.
"Your Highness, please don't."
"Hm? What do you mean? You don't plan to sleep on the floor, do you?"
"...If we bring in new beds, anyone who sees will know we're providing close protection. The enemy won't let their guard down."
Object agreed.
"A valid point. Our protection should remain a secret among the three of us."
"Got it. Thank you. I appreciate you enduring a hard floor for my sake."
"Your Highness, it's a bit embarrassing for a lady to say this, but isn't the bed big enough?"
"You mean share my bed?"
"...Were you seriously planning to make us sleep on the floor?"
Object said softly, her gaze lowered.
"Floor or sofa, it doesn't matter to me. As long as I can protect Your Highness's special eyes..."
I have terrible sleeping habits, though.
I toss and turn if someone's next to me.
'Ugh... I can't ruin the reputation I've built up.'
I laughed heartily on purpose, as if it had all been a joke.
"Hahaha, truthfully, it'd be nice for everyone to sleep comfortably on soft beds, but I didn't want it to look like I had ulterior motives. My bed is big and wide, so no problem."
Deep sleep is out of the question starting tonight.
Last night, I barely got light sleep because I was hugging Object.
Home sweet home.
The moment I returned to the palace, I headed straight for the bath.
Scrubbing off with hot water and soaking in the vast marble tub—this was pure dopamine.
'Time to allocate my skills.'
On the airship, I'd been too busy planning countermeasures against Caron with Canelian and Object.
[Ragna Volter Arcana: Prince (Arcana)]
[Class: Lightning Mage]
[Level: 30]
Lightning Mage—a class specialized purely in electricity.
Fire excels in raw destructive power, ice in PvP.
Fire's great in winter, ice in summer.
In the original game, only about 20% of mage users picked Lightning Mage.
Fire and ice each took around 40%.
But I'm the sovereign of a nation, not rolling around on battlefields, so I chose Lightning Mage.
'That hidden side quest I completed right before getting dragged here.'
While hunting for hidden content, I'd once received an odd quest from a mage NPC deep in the mountains.
"Please bring 10kg of copper."
"Please bring 10kg of high-purity magnetite."
"Please bring 10kg of wood."
"I'm hungry, so silkfish, salt, pepper, and..."
After running every errand under the sun and completing it...
The reward was...
I still remembered the NPC's deadpan disappointment.
"Ah, it failed again. Dispose of it however you like."
After all that effort, all I got was a broken souvenir.
I'd fumed at the time, thinking what a typical NPC stunt.
But looking back, it hinted at magitech civilization—items and crafting using magic as an energy source instead of mana stones.
Probably expansion pack content.
'I can force it forward. I'm the ruler, after all.'
As a modern person, I knew how great electricity was.
Fire had clear limits, but electricity had none.
'And lightning has better cost-performance for farming than fire.'
On battlefields, soldiers and knights are all clad in metal armor and weapons.
Just spamming low-level zaps is enough to cripple them en masse.
Fire mages farm flashy, but can't match lightning's mana efficiency.
'First, max out the beginner skills given before job change.'
My beginner skill tree had invested everything in fire and ice, skipping lightning.
Now I couldn't learn intermediate or higher in those.
Intermediate Skill (Lightning)Thunder Chain
Deals chain damage to target and adjacent enemies.
Volta Explosion
Releases charged electricity to create a wide-area shockwave.
Luminous Shutter
Inflicts intense flash damage and blinds enemies.
Luminous Shutter counters assassins well.
Volta Explosion is the flashy AoE that stirs men's hearts.
But for me...
'Thunder Chain first.'
Among the three, Thunder Chain is strongest in small-scale PvP.
'Above all, it's best for use as a generator or charger.'
Strength and such stats rise automatically with levels, so no need to touch them.
In the game, you could reset skill trees at the Magic Tower—I'll try that later.
"Let me test a skill... No, this is the bath, so later."
Using lightning magic in water is suicide.
In-game, you were immune to your own spells, but this was reality now.
After my bath, I summoned Canelian and Object.
Both had bathed and changed clothes like me.
"To the training grounds. I have something to show you."
"What is it?"
"Have you attained enlightenment, Your Highness?"
I led the curious pair to the empty training grounds.
No one dared spy.
"I've finally made the enlightenment bestowed by the Ancestor my own."
Convenient excuse—our Ancestral Dragon God.
No Lumière de Ver handy, so I'd pour some fine wine later.
I extended both hands toward a large wooden dummy.
'What is he trying to do?'
Canelian suppressed her curiosity and waited.
Prince Ragna extended his hands with a focused expression.
'No way, magic? But the Prince has no talent for it.'
Many believed his wayward youth stemmed from that.
His little sister, Princess Raisha, was a genius mage without peer, while the Prince had none.
Pzzt!
Sparks flew wildly from the Prince's hands, nearly making Canelian jump.
"Thunderbolt magic!"
"Your Highness!"
Even Professor Silvret covered her mouth in shock.
Thunderbolt magic—the pinnacle branch that could summon thunder and lightning.
Silvret could use it too.
She had yesterday against the Wyvern Lord.
But Silvret wasn't shocked that he'd used thunderbolt magic.
"How can you cast thunderbolt magic with just intent, without a magic circle?"
Thunderbolt magic was notoriously hard to control.
Thus, it required meticulously pre-drawn magic circles.
Even simple incantations needed over 20 minutes prep.
Yet the Prince hadn't even traced a casting circle in the air.
He'd simply gathered mana in his hand and shaped thunderbolt energy.
'As if his hand itself was the magic circle...!'
At that instant, a bolt from the Prince's hand struck the dummy.
Even in broad daylight, the blinding flash electrified it spectacularly.
Sizzle...
Smoke rose from the charred spots on the dummy.
'A thunderbolt on wood did that much. If it were a person...'
Canelian swallowed hard.
"Hm, so that's how it feels."
A nonchalant attitude, like light post-meal exercise.
Canelian approached and asked in a trembling voice.
"How? You were hopeless at magic, Your Highness..."
"All thanks to the Ancestor."
Silvret's pale face lit up as she asked eagerly.
"To unleash thunderbolt magic of that power requires at least 30 minutes to draw a circle. Did you obtain an artifact that stores one?"
"No. I just cast it."
"How..."
"I just thought 'cast magic' and it worked."
"..."
"..."
"And this isn't thunderbolt magic—it's lightning magic."
"Lightning? What's that? Different from thunderbolt?"
"Precisely, thunderbolt is one form of lightning. So..."
The Prince and Silvret launched into a serious magic discussion standing there.
Feeling awkward, Canelian moved beside the dummy, finally drawing the Prince's attention.
"Duchess?"
"Attack me with that spell just now. I want to gauge its power."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"It's fine. Don't you need to know its power in PvP too, Your Highness?"
Truthfully, she just hated being left out of their conversation.