Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The War Has Not Ended (3)
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"Lady Desia hasn't been seen for several days now, Your Majesty the Emperor."
Count Denitz inquired.
He had been frequently visiting the emperor's office in recent days over personnel assignments for boarding the imperial fleet. Each time, Desia's absence piqued his curiosity.
Desia was normally one of Raymond's close escorts, always by his side. But she'd grown scarce lately, and in the past few days, she had vanished entirely.
"I've given her a few days' leave."
"I see."
Count Denitz nodded slowly, accepting Raymond's reply. It made sense; things had been relentless, so granting her some rest wasn't unusual.
The day passed without incident. But trouble arose a week later. Despite her official leave ending, Desia still hadn't returned.
Even amid frantic preparations for the expedition to the Haipel Empire, Raymond couldn't ignore her whereabouts. Finally, he visited her quarters for the first time.
"It's locked."
Marquis Blizzard reported calmly.
"Not just physically—there's a magical seal as well."
Raymond nodded at Marquis Blizzard's words and channeled mana over the door handle.
A high-level locking spell guarded the door, but fortunately, it was woven from Desia's own mana, not a stranger's.
That meant at least that she had sealed it herself.
"Typical Desia..."
The sealing spell's sophistication drew a quiet admiration from Raymond. Even for a swordmaster of his caliber, it was no simple matter to dispel alone.
"Marquis Blizzard. Can you break it?"
"It would be challenging for me as well, Your Majesty."
Marquis Blizzard's response was negative.
In the end, Raymond summoned Risefield Dior. The elderly Azure Tower Lord hurried over, clearly worried about Desia's mysterious absence.
"Can you dispel it?"
The same question. But unlike Marquis Blizzard, Risefield nodded confidently and spoke.
"It'll take some time, but yes. Her skill has advanced remarkably. To handle advanced spells like this already..."
Risefield smiled fondly as he began dispelling the lock. Contrary to his initial estimate, it didn't take long.
After about thirty minutes, the seal unraveled. As Risefield stepped back, Raymond flung the door open and rushed inside.
The tidy room was empty. Raymond's eyes scanned rapidly.
Avoiding disturbing the neat items, he searched for traces of her and eventually found a single book.
Unlike the others, it lay open and disheveled. He closed it and read the title aloud.
"'High Mage Forced Awakening Plan'...?"
The ominous title belonged to Baron Legacy. A sudden unease gripped him. Raymond snapped the book shut and left her quarters.
"Your Majesty!"
Gestain hurried after the emperor's abrupt departure, followed by a rush of Royal Guards.
"Where to?"
"Baron Legacy's magitech lab."
Raymond spat coldly. The baron likely knew Desia's whereabouts.
He quickened his pace and soon reached the magitech lab.
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
The Imperial Knights guarding the lab saluted crisply. Raymond acknowledged them as he headed to the top-secret sector.
No one obstructed him. Who would dare block the emperor in the Philius Empire's capital?
Pressing on, he finally arrived at the ultimate restricted zone.
Not even the 142nd Unit's magitechs were present. Two living armors crafted by Baron Legacy himself guarded the heavy iron door.
"By imperial command—stand aside."
Count Alphonse of the Royal Guard stepped forward, hand on his sword hilt, voice icy.
The living armors, possessing will yet bound to their creator or contractor, understood and stepped aside with heavy footfalls.
Clank!
While three Royal Guards watched the armors for threats, Count Alphonse opened the sealed door.
It swung wide, revealing pitch-black darkness within. Raymond entered slowly with Gestain.
"Your Majesty. Have you come to see me?"
From the shadows emerged Baron Legacy, pale-faced with gold-rimmed glasses, a magitech rod in hand—clearly mid-experiment.
"Baron Legacy. What were you doing?"
"As you see... conducting magitech research. Care to observe?"
The baron smiled faintly, gesturing to guide him somewhere.
Suspicion flared in Raymond at the gesture. As he opened his mouth with a stern expression—
A torrent of explosive mana erupted from behind the baron.
"Your Majesty!"
The Royal Guards surged forward as shields.
Raymond remained calm amid their panic. The mana bursting from behind the baron felt intimately familiar.
"Stand aside!"
No hostility laced the mana surge. The guards realized belatedly and parted at his command.
Raymond dashed toward the source. Desia had to be at the end of this familiar mana storm.
Desia...!
Calling her name inwardly, he raced on. Past dark corridors, he reached an iron door leaking brilliant light.
He tried the handle, but a high-level seal like her quarters' barred it. Brute force failed; he called Gestain forward.
"Gestain! Shatter it!"
A sword saint's aura blade could cleave the entire door in one stroke.
At Raymond's order, the one-armed sword saint advanced silently, drawing his blade.
A vivid aura blade formed along the sharp edge. Gestain swung powerfully, and the door shattered instantly.
The seal was etched, but no defensive wards protected it.
A vast chamber revealed itself, strewn with magitech gear. At the central iron workbench sat Desia in her blue robe.
Mana particles glittered around her.
The scene matched the grand mage awakening described in the novel Empire of the Dead.
"Desia..."
Raymond called softly. She was drenched in sweat, her breaths laced with dense mana.
The glowing particles and her mana-rich exhalations marked her ascension to grand mage.
"Your Majesty..."
Desia replied weakly.
Seeing her, Raymond suppressed curses of praise and forced calm before speaking slowly.
"Why did you do it?"
A heavy reprimand.
Raymond knew the settings for Baron Legacy's forced awakening ritual.
Whatever the baron told her, its success rate was low, and failure carried grave risks.
He knew better than anyone, so her reckless solo act infuriated him.
"Why, Desia Heli?"
No answer. He asked again quietly. After a brief silence, she spoke cautiously.
"I wanted to be a greater asset to you before the Haipel expedition begins."
A clear reason, but unsatisfying to Raymond.
"You could have died, Desia. If my close escort falls, my shield weakens. Did you think I wouldn't know that?"
"I knew the risks, but I didn't think I'd lose my life. I'd researched it myself and had ways to minimize the dangers when I approached Baron Legacy."
She explained calmly to his cold query. Since it succeeded as planned, reaching grand mage realm, harsh rebuke felt unwarranted.
Raymond shook his head with a short sigh.
"Don't do it again. Report major matters like this to me first."
Desia nodded slowly but seemed unconvinced.
"Don't worry so much, Your Majesty. It won't happen again."
Her soft voice carried fatigue, but her face shone bright-eyed. He couldn't press further.
"Congratulations on becoming a grand mage, Desia."
Only well-wishes remained.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! Bishops Gustav and Lisiver of the Imperial Church request an audience!"
Squire Alex's booming voice echoed through the audience chamber.
Raymond nodded slightly, and the doors opened. The bishops entered in ornate Imperial Church vestments, bowing formally.
"Bishop Gustav, Bishop Lisiver. Welcome. I've been expecting you."
Raymond said.
He had commanded the Imperial Church to root out heretics—Doomsday Association minions—in the capital's heart.
Their audience meant results.
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
The bishops cheered. Gustav stepped forward.
"Your Majesty! We report: We've uncovered and imprisoned two thousand heretics in the central prison!"
By ancient Imperial Church rites, heretics were executed on capture.
But Raymond wasn't so ruthless, and knowing their loose definition of heresy, he ordered capture and imprisonment first.
Only those proven linked to the Doomsday Association would face execution after thorough investigation.
"Well done. Better to investigate ties to the Doomsday Association meticulously before acting hastily."
"We shall obey!"
"Proceed swiftly."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Gustav replied vigorously and left with Lisiver. They headed straight to the central prison.
With aid from Central Intelligence Director Count Potas and Haipel Special Affairs Philius Branch Chief Lancer, the Church probed the captives' Doomsday links.
A week later, half of the two thousand proved indirect spies or direct members. With imperial approval, they were executed.
"A thousand in the capital alone..."
Receiving the report in his office, Raymond sipped as he pondered deeply.
"Think we've eradicated them all?"
He asked calmly. Count Potas emerged from shadows, bowing.
"We operated covertly, and though the Doomsday Association uses cell structures, many likely went underground. The capital's heart isn't safe yet."
Cold truth. Raymond bit his lip bitterly.
"With the Church's help, can't we catch more?"
"It won't be easy."
"Damn it."
The curse escaped.
"No good news at all...?"
"One. Thirty minutes ago, a formal request for national aid arrived from Haipel Special Affairs."
Haipel had finally asked. Philius now had justification to intervene officially.
"Finally... the time has come."
A smile curved Raymond's lips.