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~Chapter 19~
What’s Left
Startled, Regina grabbed Conrad’s head.
“Regina.”
His quiet voice sounded like he was asking for permission, and Regina loosened her grip. Conrad sat up.
“We can’t transfer magic properly if you’re like this.”
He spoke softly, as if to calm her, and kissed her on the calf.
His lips bit gently, leaving marks as they moved lower and lower.
Conrad couldn’t look away, watching Regina as she trembled, taking in the sensation.
“Ha…!”
A moan slipped from Regina’s lips.
The sound was so tempting, Conrad couldn’t hold back anymore.
With heat spreading through her body, Regina could hardly make a sound. The unfamiliar touch made her squeeze the sheets tighter.
“Are you planning to bite me to death?”
Conrad let out a low groan too.
“Ugh!”
The sheet in Regina’s hands got twisted and wrinkled, but Conrad pressed down even harder.
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I told you… if you keep teasing me, I won’t be able to stop.”
His rough, husky voice tickled Regina’s ear.
She tried to endure her excitement, biting her lip as her eyes turned red at the corners.
Regina’s blurry eyes sparkled with fire, and seeing that, Conrad’s eyes softened a little.
“Good girl.”
“Ah…!”
Conrad bit her red lips deeply.
Her moan was swallowed up by his mouth, and all her senses focused on the growing heat.
“……”
Her moan was cut off, and Conrad moved even rougher.
Their passion didn’t stop until morning.
Meanwhile, the Permang Empire’s palace was as noisy as ever with nobles discussing affairs.
The meeting room was full of worried nobles talking about current issues.
“We’ve managed to drive out all the monsters in the country… but now it’s become too hard for our workers to cross the monster zone.”
“Where are we supposed to get magic stones now?”
Magic stones were the main energy source for magitech and were usually mined from the monster zone or smuggled in from Fredericks.
But with the magic barrier up, they needed to find a whole new supply.
Now that the monsters were gone and life was safer, people missed what they had lost in the process.
“I’ve heard that, with special magic circles, it’s possible to make a small passage in the barrier for a short time. But even then, only two or three people can pass, and it’s expensive…”
A noble cleared his throat uncomfortably.
Only Prince Heraeis, who invented the barrier, knew how to make openings in it.
He’d started taking bribes from desperate nobles who needed magic stones.
Some people suggested just using mages, but having a mage pour magic into every magitech device was very inefficient.
Then, a man stood up and bowed to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty.”
“Do you have a suggestion, Count?”
It was Count Daniel Wallas.
He was the only “Swordmaster” in the Permang Empire—actually just an aura user, but since Permang was a country of mages, no one could tell the difference.
Count Wallas was the brother of Regina’s mother, the Empress.
He should have died with his disgraced family when Regina was exiled for allegedly killing the Empress, but he survived by siding with Heraeis.
He pretended it was to support the imperial bloodline, but he had his own secrets.
Because of this deal, he survived.
“Why not make the mage corps, once led by that traitor, work for us? They can use magic and are experts with monsters.”
The Permang Empire had grown by relying on magic. Without mages, the country couldn’t run.
Regina’s mage corps, filled with the best, did more than just fight—they handled resource supply, research, and distribution.
It was hard to find a part of the economy they didn’t touch.
The real issue was whether the corps would obey after losing their leader.
The Emperor stroked his chin, thinking.
“Any good ideas?”
He had always relied on Regina’s corps. Even though he’d had to get rid of Regina for political reasons, he regretted it.
She was a criminal who killed the Empress, so she couldn’t be spared—but the corps were different.
There were too many useful talents to waste, and their low status made them even more useful as tools.
“How about putting magic restraints on them to limit their powers, and then only letting them use magic under supervision?”
“But each one is a powerful mage.”
Listening to this, Heraeis started to get annoyed.
He thought once Regina was gone, people would stop talking about “great mages.”
But the Emperor still relied on her corps and didn’t ask for Heraeis’s opinion.
Struggling to hide his irritation, Heraeis stepped forward.
“I can handle that problem.”
“Oh, you can?”
“I’ve already made magic restraints. We can use those.”
Strictly speaking, it was Regina who invented them, but Heraeis took all the credit.
All his accomplishments so far came from using the corps—collecting monster parts, making magitech items, and so on.
None of it was possible without Regina, but Heraeis felt no guilt.
“That’s a good idea!”
“If the traitor’s people refuse orders or try to run, we can just kill them.”
Heraeis showed his cruelty openly, making the Emperor click his tongue.
“Tsk! A real ruler should have some mercy, too.”
The Emperor pressed down Heraeis’s arrogance but soon nodded in agreement.
“But you’re not wrong. We don’t need tools that won’t obey.”
The Emperor was known for being even more ruthless than his son. Looking around, he felt satisfied to see the nobles lower their heads.
“Order the mage corps to manage the empire’s industry. Make them keep powering magitech. Prince, you’ll be in charge.”
“I accept, Your Majesty.”
Just like that, Heraeis got control of the most powerful tool in Permang.
As the Emperor left, the nobles hurried to congratulate Heraeis.
“You solved His Majesty’s problem in one move! Brilliant, Your Highness.”
“Congratulations. Now you can use the corps as tools and make even more magitech.”
“You could even use their magic to make magic bullets.”
The more magic, the more weapons they could make, so the nobles praised Heraeis nonstop.
Basking in their flattery, Heraeis left the meeting room.
Someone followed him out.
But the nobles were too busy worrying about their own future to notice.
In a dark corridor, Heraeis turned around. The count who approached bowed deeply.
“Your Highness, Prince.”
“Count Wallas.”
The count folded his hands, a sly smile on his lips.
“Now all that’s left is the crown.”
“Of course. Do you know how hard I’ve worked for this?”
Heraeis thought back to everything he’d done to get this far.
Ever since he was a child, he knew he had no great magical talent, so he made a survival plan.
Part of that plan was to keep pushing Regina down. But when she showed even greater power, he felt threatened.
That’s why Heraeis sent Regina to the border with the mage corps,
hoping that, away from the Emperor’s eyes, her talents would be hidden.
