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Chapter 24
Deep beneath the main palace of the imperial palace.
There weren’t many people who came and went here, and since it was already evening, not a single soul passed through now.
However, the guards stationed in front of the large iron door deep inside showed no signs of relaxing their vigilance.
Their demeanor alone made it clear.
That something extremely valuable lay beyond that door.
What they were guarding was magic stones.
As the name suggests, magic stones were stones imbued with magical power.
With them, mages could cast greater and more powerful spells.
Depending on the type, they could even allow someone to use magic they hadn’t learned.
Because of their immense power, most magic stones were collected after the war and stored deep within the imperial palace.
Naturally, no one could access this place without the Emperor’s permission.
On top of that, a long time ago, an imperial mage had buried a stone so deep underground that it rendered most mages unable to use magic here.
In other words, stealing a magic stone from this place was virtually impossible.
Even so, the guards could not afford to be lax.
Among the stones kept here were those capable of wiping out thousands of lives at once during the war.
Therefore, the guards protected the place as if a monster that could awaken and rampage at any moment lurked within.
It seemed today would pass quietly like any other day.
But then the entrance suddenly became noisy, and soon a group of people appeared.
“Who… Your Majesty!”
The head guard underground was about to take a defensive stance but quickly recognized Clois at the front and hurriedly saluted.
The guards behind him, startled, quickly followed suit with their own salutes.
They were bewildered. The magic stones were indeed precious, but never before had the Emperor visited personally.
“What brings Your Majesty all the way here…?”
The head guard’s expression hardened with concern, wondering if something serious had happened.
Though more than seven years had passed since the war ended, and the empire had regained stability, remnants of the enemy still stirred in distant regions.
Could they have caused some kind of trouble? Maybe even attacked the palace…?
Just as the head guard’s expression turned more grim—
“Please open the door. Quickly. Huff, huff.”
A woman emerged from behind the Emperor and hurriedly urged him.
“Ah… this person is…?”
“She’s Seraphina Ridem, Director of the Academy for Gifted Youth. She has authorization to access the magic stone vault. Open the door immediately.”
“Seraphina Ridem…”
The head guard stiffened even more.
Despite being young, she was a genius who had never once failed to graduate top of her class, from the Academy for Gifted Youth to the capital’s Magic Academy.
She was also the most powerful mage alive—and the Emperor’s closest confidant.
After the succession war ended, she didn’t settle in any one place but roamed all over the empire.
Rumors abounded—some said she was tracking down enemy remnants on the Emperor’s orders, others claimed the Emperor feared her power and exiled her.
But now, she had appeared suddenly with the Emperor, heading to the magic stone vault together.
“Has something happened?”
The head guard asked firmly, looking up.
He didn’t believe there could be a problem, but if a rebellion had occurred within the palace, he would do whatever it took to protect the Emperor.
Clois answered with a serious tone.
“A child has gone missing.”
“…Pardon?”
The head guard momentarily doubted his ears.
A child had gone missing?
“That’s why we urgently need to use a tracking spell. It’ll need to cover a wide range and overcome the nullification spell woven into the palace itself, so we need a magic stone. Open it now.”
“Y-Yes! Understood!”
Flustered, but duty-bound, the head guard and his team approached the iron door, grabbed the handles, and pulled with all their strength.
Creeeeak.
The heavy door slowly opened, revealing the storage room within.
Seraphina couldn’t hide her grin.
Normally, this process would involve endless procedures and take a very long time.
In fact, her request to borrow a magic stone would most likely have been denied.
But today, thanks to the Emperor’s presence, she was able to access the vault immediately.
As the door fully opened, countless magic stones stored inside came into view.
“As expected of the imperial collection… This is amazing…”
Her expression practically drooled, prompting the head guard and soldiers to take a cautious step back, clearly uncomfortable.
“Find the stone you need quickly.”
“Yes, sir!”
Afraid Clois might change his mind, Seraphina busily moved among the stones.
“I thought he’d just send soldiers to help.”
That would take more time but allow her to carry this out quietly.
Normally, even if a child went missing, palace security would take priority.
But when Clois heard the name of the missing child, he panicked so badly that Seraphina was taken aback—and immediately granted her permission to use the stones.
“Anyway, let’s find the child first.”
As an accomplished mage, she placed her hand on each stone, searching for one that resonated with her and held powerful magic.
While Seraphina searched, Clois also looked around the storage room.
Not all the stones here were powerful just because they were in the palace.
Many were decorative stones that had since lost their energy or held only faint power.
Then his gaze stopped on one stone—smooth as glass, almost like crystal.
“This is…”
It wasn’t particularly powerful. It only emitted a faint glow.
“So this is still here.”
With a nostalgic expression, he picked it up.
It was a round stone, about the size of two adult fists.
Not powerful—just faintly glowing.
There was only one reason he remembered it.
“Isn’t it cute?”
Long ago, Lillian had shown him the stone, saying she’d found a useful one.
It wasn’t even something particularly sentimental.
In fact, Lillian didn’t use it very often either.
“Still, it’s a valuable magic stone, so I feel bad just using it freely. I’ll stick to a lamp. This one seems better for little kids.”
“Alright, then when our child is born, we’ll give it to them.”
To that, Lillian had smiled and shaken her head in exasperation.
After saying that, she’d told him to keep it, knowing she’d forget it anyway.
“So this is where it ended up.”
Clois brushed the surface with his fingers.
Sensing human touch, the stone softly glowed from within.
But that was all.
It emitted a light and faded again with each touch.
As he quietly watched the stone’s gentle glow, Seraphina called out.
“Found it! It resonates well with me, and I think it’ll be more than enough to cast a tracking spell over the entire palace!”
Clois turned his eyes away from the stone at her voice.
Seraphina, struggling, came out carrying a large stone.
“Give it to me.”
Unable to watch her struggle any longer, Clois reached out and took the stone from her.
What she had struggled to lift with both arms, he held effortlessly in one hand.
Seeing that, Seraphina was reminded—though he now stayed mostly within the palace, he had once been the most powerful knight on the battlefield.
As Clois emerged with the stone, the guards offered to carry it, but he waved them off with his free hand.
“Hurry.”
And with that, he immediately ascended the stairs.
Seraphina quickly followed.
Once they were aboveground, Clois instructed the guards to ensure no one approached, then headed to the rear garden with Seraphina.
At this late hour, the palace’s rear garden was empty.
He placed the magic stone on the ground and looked at Seraphina.
“This should be fine. Begin right away.”
Seraphina nodded.
She didn’t know why Clois was going to such lengths over one missing child, but it wasn’t a bad thing.
“More importantly, this is a rare chance to use such powerful magic openly inside the palace.”
Seraphina stepped closer to the stone and spoke to Clois.
“Hopefully we succeed on the first try.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you know, magic inside the palace is often disrupted due to various interference barriers. Spells frequently lose their flow.”
Then she muttered to herself without realizing it.
“…If Lillian were here to help like before, it would’ve been much easier.”
