Eugene couldn’t help but wear a half-dazed expression.
Presently, he was floating above the Royal Castle of Aroth, Abram itself. The magic sealing formation embedded in the entire massive fortress rendered all wizards powerless except the royal family and the court magicians. Moreover, its power extended not just inside the fortress but also outside.
Other wizards couldn’t fly above Abram. All magical attacks from outside were also nullified by the magic sealing formation. But despite that, Eugene was hovering in the airspace above Abram effortlessly.
The reason he could do so was simple. It was Sienna who had created the magic sealing formation and the surrounding lake.
Sienna extended Akasha forward and closed her eyes.
The Eternal Hole activated, and the boundless mana contained within Akasha was guided into it. Ignoring the sealing magic circle, Sienna captured the chunk of land known as Abram with her spell.
Kugugung…!
The entire fortress “jumped” and moved. Massive ripples began to form on the previously calm surface of the lake. The ripples soon became waves, which started to swash against the fortress.
“Hey, hey. You’re still recovering, don’t push yourself,” Eugene reminded.
“This isn’t straining at all,” Sienna chuckled, lifting Akasha a little higher.
It would have taken a definite toll if she were to use a completely new spell. However, moving Abram was not particularly difficult for Sienna. The magic she had cast hundreds of years ago was still intact. The same was true for the magic sealing formation, as well as the magic that allowed the fortress to float above the lake. This was all the magic Sienna had cast and engraved in the past.
The formulae she had inscribed hundreds of years ago had barely changed. Future generations of wizards had come to comprehend and develop the magic sealing formation to a certain extent, but no one had directly interfered with the dense inscriptions etched onto the huge fortress. It was a daunting, dangerous task even for Archwizards.
What if they inadvertently triggered a fatal error??A mistake like that would cost even an Archwizard their life.
Abram began to sink, though very, very slowly.
This was precisely why she had said it wouldn’t be straining for her. Lifting an object of such weight into the air would definitely have been strenuous, but subtly altering the preexisting magic that made the object float to make it sink into the lake wasn’t a huge task.
As Abram slowly sank, the waves of the lake became more violent. The overflowing waves battered the pristine white castle walls and the open castle gates connected to the river.
It was literally a water burial.
It was a joke that had been made in the past during a hearing. But clearly, Sienna actually intended to bury Abram underwater.
Shouldn’t he stop her at this point? Eugene thought as he glanced at Sienna’s face.
If Sienna was wearing an emotional expression, he would have tried to stop her, verbally at least. But on the contrary, Sienna’s face was incredibly calm.
She looked nonchalant, almost as if she were just carrying out an ordinary chore.
She wasn’t doing this out of shallow excitement or anger. Sienna was extremely calm and composed. She had first heard about it from Eugene a few years ago. Then she had contemplated once more after being released from her seal a month ago. However, the conclusion was unchanged.
Converting her mansion into a tourist site? Clearing the small forest and filling up the river? Such things were annoying, but it was somewhat inevitable, considering that two hundred years had passed since she went into seclusion without a word.
Merdein?Square and the statue??They were embarrassing, indeed… but not a cause for anger.
However….
Having persecuted Mer was something to be angered about. It was an unforgivable act. What Sienna could not tolerate the most was that despite proclaiming her as the Wise Sienna and making her the idol of wizards over hundreds of years, they had not treated Mer, the familiar she personally created, with the respect she deserved.
Of course, Sienna was not blameless in this matter either. She had linked Mer with Witch Craft in Akron. So ultimately, it was technically Sienna’s fault that Mer had been trapped in Akron for hundreds of years.
‘Even so, dissecting her?’
The least they could have done was to modify the hall for Mer’s convenience, but instead, they had dared to dissect the small familiar to uncover the secrets of Witch Craft!
That was something Sienna simply could not forgive.
“Oh, I’m fine…. Hehe…,” Mer said from Sienna’s side half-heartedly.
The one who had led the dissection of Mer was the former master of the green tower. It was a past she didn’t particularly wish to recall. Though, thinking about it didn’t cause her any significant distress. That was because Mer had not felt any physical pain during the dissection. Even so, she had still suffered a fair amount of psychological damage. She recalled feelings of humiliation and anger. It had happened over a hundred years ago, but being dissected while fully conscious and alive was not an experience one could easily endure.
“It’s not fine with me,” Sienna spat grimly. “The former Head of the Green Tower? That bastard should be grateful he’s already dead.”
Sienna had taken three disciples in the past during her time in Aroth: Theodore Throne, Vice Osman, and Frilla Helen. Among them, Theodore became the Head of the Red Tower, while Vice and Frilla married. After Sienna retired as the Green Tower Master, Vice succeeded her.
The child of the pair was Roland Osman, the father of the current Head of the Green Tower, Jeneric Osman, and the one responsible for carrying out Mer’s dissection.
Sienna had never even heard of his name, but she was still filled with fierce anger. How had Vice and Frilla educated their child? How could he have even entertained the insane idea of dissecting a familiar belonging to his grandmaster?
The royal family of Aroth wasn’t blameless in this matter either since such a thing could not have taken place without their permission.
“Stop immediately!”
By the time the palace gardens had become submerged in water, someone had shot up into the sky from a building within the castle walls. It was the commander of Aroth’s court magicians, Trempel Vizardo, and Melkith El-Hayah. Melkith was currently bound.
“Stop right now, I said!”
Trying to submerge the royal palace of Abram??This was an unprecedented act of terrorism in the history of Aroth. Trempel’s hair stood on end due to his immense anger.
“How dare you!”
Trempel stared at the terrorists, no, the rebels, with wide, furious eyes.
Despite not wearing a hood, their faces were not visible. It was a very high-level spell that was interfering with his perception. Trempel concentrated mana in his eyes and cast a spell.
“Impossible…. I never imagined I would encounter such a ridiculous situation during my time…!” shouted Trempel.
He could see three adversaries at the moment, but there were bound to be more. It was impossible that a mere group of three was launching an attack against Aroth. Was this a rebellion? Or was it an attack from another nation??Trempel was leaning towards the latter possibility.
“Your spy, Melkith El-Hayah, has already been captured. Halt your attacks immediately, and—”
“What are you saying? I’ve already told you I’m not a spy! I have no idea about any of this!” Melkith screamed while squirming in the air.
Eugene sighed at the sight. Trempel’s rage and misunderstanding were understandable, but still, he couldn’t comprehend why he had captured Melkith and deemed her a spy.
Trempel wasn’t the only one who had flown up into the sky.
Among the court wizards, hundred elite, combat-specialized wizards rose into the air to block Sienna’s path. Moreover, other wizards and knights were lining up on the ground, which was slowly being submerged in water.
“Well, well.”
It wasn’t only their front and the ground that was slowly being lined with opposition. Wizards were beginning to gather in the back as well. They consisted of wizards of the capital, the Heads of the Towers, excluding Melkith and Balzac, as well as wizards belonging to the guild. They didn’t rashly approach due to the magic sealing formation around Abram, but they blocked Sienna’s retreat path with determined resolve.
“Is the king not coming out?” Sienna asked. The king in her memories would be long dead, but she still asked.
To summon a nation’s king like a common dog…! Trempel felt a surge of anger and lifted his hand high. The staff that appeared with a flash absorbed Trempel’s rage and mana. With a rumble, a whirlwind of intense mana began to form in the sky above Trempel’s head.
“It seems the Crown Prince is here, though… Lady Sienna,” Eugene whispered to Sienna, tilting his head slightly. .
It was Crown Prince Honein Abram. His face was distorted by confusion and anger as he approached Trempel.
“Why are you suddenly being formal…. Ah, um, hmm, well…. I see.” Sienna stopped herself and cleared her throat awkwardly with understanding. It wasn’t yet known to the world that Eugene Lionheart was the reincarnation of Hamel. Hence, Sienna could not treat Eugene as Hamel in a public space.
‘This might be nice. It’ll be like a secret romance,’ Sienna entertained the thought for a moment but quickly composed her expression, reminding herself that this wasn’t the time for such feelings.
“You all,” said Sienna. Her voice carried mana.
A powerful vibration resonated through the air as her voice echoed, amplified by Akasha and the Eternal Hole. Trempel stiffened when he saw how easily his spell was deflected.
‘A voice capable of unsettling the very foundations of magic?’
Was it possible? Was this a realization of Draconic, the legendary magic of the dragons…?
‘Could it be…?’
Dragon. How had he missed it??What other existence was capable of ignoring the magic sealing formation which the Wise Sienna had left behind? What other existence was capable of causing the mana in the air to fluctuate with just their voice?
After all, why did they assume that such an entity had to be human? Were they against a dragon, an entity who had vanished since the era of the wars?
Trempel swallowed hard, his voice hardly above a whisper, “Are you… a dragon?”
Those words sent a significant shockwave throughout the crowd. The court wizards, headed by Trempel, hardened their faces in shared suspicion. Crown Prince Honein also appeared as if he had been struck hard from behind, his mouth hanging open. Even the beleaguered ground forces echoed with groans of discomfort.
“Hmm….”
The tower heads responsible for the rear defense had also heard Trempel’s words. Like Trempel, the Green Tower Master and the Blue Tower Master suspected the mysterious entity to be a dragon. Yet, the face of Lovellian, the Red Tower Master, was locked with a different emotion.
“Could it be…?”
The interference from the perception-altering magic was too strong. Moreover, the magic sealing formation made direct intervention difficult. With narrowed eyes, Lovellian stared at the trio sinking Abram into the water. A single possibility spun in Lovellian’s mind, growing steadily into a conviction. But the terrifying truth was something Lovellian couldn’t bring himself to voice.
“A dragon, what nonsense.” Sienna furrowed her eyebrows and shook Akasha. The perception-altering magic disappeared, and the obscured figures now appeared more distinct.
Too much surprise could render one incapable of even being shocked, unable to utter even a groan or a cry of surprise.
This was the state of the hundreds of people now looking at Sienna. Their eyes were wide and jaws agape as they stared at her.
They knew from portraits that captured the past, as well as statues across Pentagon. The unmistakable image from three hundred years ago was still hanging in Akron. Her attire had changed. The clothes and the cloak were different.
But her violet hair and Akasha, which she held in one hand, were identical to the image from three hundred years ago.
“Sir… Eugene…?” Trempel managed to stutter out a few words, barely squeezing out his voice. Thanks to the disappearance of the perception-altering magic, Eugene’s figure was also visible now.
He had called Eugene’s name because he felt more comfortable calling him than calling out ‘Sienna Merdein.’
“Th… at… umm….”
But uttering Eugene’s name did not change the situation or what they saw. Trempel couldn’t even think to calm himself. He could barely move his eyes.
“The Wise Lady Sienna… is it really you?” he called out.
“Can’t you tell?” Sienna retorted while raising a finger high. All one hundred court wizards stepped back in unison at her simple movement.
Prince Honein was no different. Unsure of what to do, he alternated between staring at the sinking Abram and Sienna.
“Are you not going to dismiss it?” said Sienna.
“Ex… cuse me?” responded Trempel.
“I said, aren’t you going to dismiss it, kid!” Sienna yelled angrily while pointing at the magical vortex that Trempel had conjured. Without a moment’s hesitation, Trempel instantly dispelled the magic and lowered his staff. No, thinking that it would be rude to hold a staff in her presence, he also dispelled the staff and respectfully held his hands at the navel.
“I-It’s… an honor to meet you…. My, my name is Trempel Vizardo. I currently serve as the Chief Court Magician of Arot….”
Trempel found it difficult to steady his trembling voice. To all wizards after the age of war, The Wise Sienna was practically a religion. Almost all wizards used the Circles Formula. The formula established by Sienna was the backbone of the basics for the wizards of this age, the maxims she left were sacred scriptures, and Sienna herself was an idol akin to a god.
“Eugene!” Melkith screamed. She was still confined, wriggling like a caterpillar, squealing. “Help me! L-Lady Sienna! My name is Melkith El-Hayah! I also played a big role in finding you!”
Melkith respected the Wise Sienna as well. But unlike Trempel, she was not nervous or terrified. Rather, she was very confident.
Who had freed Sienna sealed in the World Tree? Eugene Lionheart? No. It was everyone who fought alongside Eugene in the forest at the time. In fact, if Melkith hadn’t supplied her mana, the battle with Raizakia would have ended with Eugene’s death long ago.
Sienna didn’t immediately turn her attention to Melkith’s desperate cry. With a grimace, Sienna listened to Mer’s whispering.
“Lady Sienna, that’s the guy. The bastard with the beard and the green robe.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That guy is Jeneric Osman, the current Head of the Green Tower. The guy who dissected me was his father, but he died decades ago.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But you know, Lady Sienna. As I told you yesterday, that Jeneric bastard also tortured me a lot. Whenever he came to your hall, he would tell me that I was useless. He said he couldn’t interpret Witch Craft because I was useless.”
“That’s a bastard talking nonsense,” Sienna said furiously.
“Yes, really. He couldn’t understand Witch Craft because he was stupid and incompetent, so why did he scold me? I’m really curious about that.”
“I’m very curious too.” Sienna nodded while stroking Mer’s head. “So, I’ll ask him directly.”
“Ehe… You don’t have to go that far.”
“No, I really want to.” With that, Sienna turned towards Trempel and Honein. “Stay there.”
“Ye… yes?”
“Don’t interfere and mess things up; just stay there.”
She didn’t wait for an answer. Sienna raised Mer in her arms, then handed her over to Eugene. Mer giggled the entire time.
“Ehem… Eugene, you too. Just stand there holding Mer… be still… won’t you?”
It was a simple sentence, but it seemed to tickle her throat. Sienna coughed a few times and turned around.
“Hey.” She turned her fierce gaze towards Jeneric. Jeneric was still floating in the air without any understanding of his current predicament. “Come here. No, never mind. Just stay there.”
“Ye… yes?”
“Stay there, you bastard.”
Anger and desire for slaughter turned into magic.
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