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Chapter 17
At the sudden, chilling sensation, Kallian sharply turned his body around.
“Is something wrong, Commander?”
It felt like something terribly ominous.
After staring intently at one spot, he shook his head as if it were nothing.
The distance between the Imperial Palace and the Elopez estate wasn’t exactly short. He must just be being overly sensitive.
“It’s nothing. For a moment, I had the feeling that that bastard Tien was causing trouble again.”
At the mention of Tien, some members of the Black Knights flinched.
Most of them were the ones who had challenged Tien to a duel disguised as a confession… and had been thoroughly defeated.
The Black Knight Order was the Emperor’s personal knight order, made up of only the most elite among the imperial knights.
And yet, not a single one of them had ever beaten Tien Elopez.
For knights who had been chosen for their skill and admitted into such an elite order, it should have been quite humiliating.
“Ah… I see…”
But because of who their opponent was, no one could criticize them.
Not even the Emperor himself.
In the first place, those who had confessed—no, challenged Tien—weren’t limited to the Black Knights.
The Red Knights under the First Prince, the Blue Knights under the Second Prince, and even the White Knights under the Princess…
More than half of them had experienced being flown all the way to the borderlands.
“You’ve experienced the ‘flight’ too?”
“…Yes, well. I got flown all the way to the peak of a northern mountain and back. It took a full two weeks.”
“Tsk tsk. That’s why you should’ve listened when I warned you.”
Clicking his tongue, Kallian looked at one Black Knight with pity.
Though Tien Elopez appeared dazzling thanks to inheriting the Duke and Duchess’s looks, he was nothing more than a gilded poison chalice.
If only he’d keep his irritating mouth shut, he was quite handsome—though Kallian hated to admit it.
But they had all been completely fooled by that appearance.
No wonder more than half of them hesitated whenever Tien was mentioned.
“Still… I feel a bit wronged…”
Another knight muttered cautiously, watching Kallian’s reaction.
Kallian shifted his gaze toward him, narrowing his eyes.
“I… wasn’t after the young lady of the Duke’s house. It was Lady Arvid…”
Only then did Kallian let out a sigh of understanding.
…You really picked the wrong person to mess with.
Everyone knew how fiercely Tien protected Leila.
It didn’t even need to be said. That idiot had probably been thrown beyond the border and into another country.
“He got so furious. I still see it in my dreams sometimes.”
A knight who had witnessed it shuddered violently.
Several others nodded in intense agreement.
“No.”
Kallian’s face hardened as he denied it firmly.
Crushing someone with words and sending them flying into the sky didn’t even count as true anger.
“You’ve never actually seen him truly angry.”
“…Huh?”
The knights tilted their heads, confused by Kallian’s grave expression.
“When he’s really angry… he goes silent.”
Kallian had only seen it a few times in his life.
“About three years ago… Leila—Lady Arvid—was badly injured once.”
He could never forget Tien’s expression that day.
He thought Tien would cause an uproar, but instead he was eerily quiet, like the calm before a storm.
His gaze was so cold that it wouldn’t have been strange if someone died.
Recalling the memory, Kallian spoke without a trace of humor.
“He may be my little brother, but when he’s truly angry… pride and everything else go out the window. He’s terrifying.”
“My lady, you haven’t even eaten lunch… Where are you going?”
“I have somewhere to go for a moment.”
Anna, who was about to ask the destination as usual, read my expression and quickly stepped aside.
Then she swiftly scooped up Bell, who had been following behind me.
“I’ll explain everything properly to the master and mistress.”
Knowing she wasn’t expecting an answer, I left the estate without a word.
Gripping tightly the artifact I had prepared in advance, I was instantly transported to the Mage Tower.
As soon as I appeared, the mages gathered on the first floor inhaled sharply.
“Hii—why is Lady Elopez here…?”
“H-hide first…!”
Everywhere I looked, people were trying to conceal themselves from my sight.
They must have had guilty consciences.
But they weren’t the ones I was looking for.
“Some of you look like you already know why I’m here.”
“……”
“Come out while I’m still speaking politely.”
Not that I intended to let them off just because they came out themselves. But I wanted there to be at least a difference.
Yet no one confessed—only nervously avoided my gaze.
‘Because word spread through the Mage Tower that I lost my mana.’
“So no one’s coming out.”
I drew the sword I’d worn from the estate.
As expected, mages were not the kind of people you could reason with through words.
When I pointed my sword at them, the mages only stared at each other in panic, neither running nor screaming.
Of course.
Only the Elopez ducal family and the Arvid count’s family knew that I had reached the level of a Sword Expert.
I hadn’t wanted to reveal it unnecessarily.
Lionel’s goal was to weaken me and separate me from Leila.
There was no need to let him know I had hidden my true strength.
But…
‘So what?’
I had already prepared as much as possible.
It would be better not to reveal my full power, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be revealed.
Without hesitation, I wrapped aura around my blade.
With a light swing, the sword energy flew out and completely destroyed one side of the wall.
“H-hiik…!”
The mages who barely dodged collapsed to the floor, letting out shocked gasps.
Their eyes, filled with horror, turned toward me.
Only now did they truly understand the situation.
Too late.
Gripping my sword tighter, I walked straight through the center of the Mage Tower.
There was no need to question who was involved.
“I warned you again and again.”
I lowered myself toward one mage who was trembling violently.
As if preparing to attack, the mage’s mana surged wildly.
Just before the spell activated, I mixed mana into my aura unnoticed and slashed through the air.
CRACK—
With a sound like shattering glass, the magic circle broke into pieces.
The tip of my sword grazed the mage’s cheek, and red blood trickled down.
“Why? Did you think this was your chance now that I’ve lost my mana?”
“T-that’s…”
“What excuse are you trying to make?”
“……”
“That’s why you left the traces on Leila’s body. You thought I wouldn’t notice.”
The pounding of their frantic heartbeat was loud enough for me to hear.
“How stupid. Did you really think losing mana meant I couldn’t distinguish yours?”
The air grew heavy.
I swept my gaze over their pale faces.
One mage, carrying the same mana I’d felt from Leila, shouted indignantly:
“The Saintess came first! She was the one who suggested the deal—!”
“So?”
Who came first didn’t matter.
What mattered was whether you did it or not.
One mage who seemed quicker than the rest suddenly bowed low, begging.
“P-please spare us…”
“Why should I?”
“……”
“You knew how dangerous mana contact is for someone with holy power.”
Wiping the filth from my sword on the hem of my dress, I continued.
“And yet you dare beg for your lives?”
“Hic—!”
In the silence, someone’s hiccup echoed.
Slowly, I stood up.
“Then let’s do this. We’ll conduct the kind of experiment you mages love so much. The subject is…”
“……”
“What happens when aura settles into a mage’s core?”
The mages turned ashen, frozen in place.
If something other than mana fused into the mana core, the core would shatter.
Not only would they lose their magic, but their lives would also be at risk.
“What? Don’t like it? I’m offering to help personally. It’s a rare opportunity. After all, I’m a Sword Expert.”
“……”
“Oh, of course it’ll hurt. If you’re unlucky, you might die. Well… that’s fine, isn’t it? It’s an experiment.”
