Chapter 17

“I need to report to the king.”

Master Elara left the library after saying that. She did say before that she was sent to chase after Edmund Blackwell, the mage who made a contract with one of the Seven Kings of Hell. Was this country’s king the one who ordered her?

Well, that doesn’t have anything to do with me.

I looked at the piles of books on top of the table in front of me, and a sigh involuntarily came out.

I better start now.

I picked up the book with the title “Basic Magic Theory I” and started reading it from the beginning.

…

Elara Veynes POV

“Lady Elara, welcome. His Majesty has been waiting for you.”

I nodded to the Captain of the Royal Guard who had been waiting for my arrival right at the gate of the palace. At the Captain’s order, the palace’s gate was opened, and the luxurious horse carriage I was in made its way to the palace’s main door with the Captain leading the way on his horse.

We walked past the garden full of blooming flowers with many colours and a fountain carved from white marble. The carriage stopped once we reached the front of the palace built with white limestone.

Stepping down from the carriage, I walked towards the captain who had already gotten down from his horse and let one of the palace guards take the horse to the stable. Without saying anything, he led the way into the palace with me following closely behind him.

It’s been almost two years since I last saw him, but this man is as stiff as usual.

I’ve known Sir Cedric for years, since before I got the title of an Archmage and was still just a Master Class mage, and Sir Cedric was still the Vice-Captain of the Royal Guard. As far as I remember, he has always been the very image of a loyal, chivalrous knight.

His tall height, wide and strong back and shoulders, and thick arms show how much time he dedicates to his discipline. His sharp eyes, crew-cut hair, sharp jawline, and slightly tanned skin really give off the image of a very capable, strong, and protective man.

I can feel heat rising to my face.

Damn it. This man is as hot as usual.

Actually, did he get even hotter? I didn’t see him for a long time, so maybe this is just in my head. I’m surprised that a man like this is still not married.

He’s not married yet, right? Don’t tell me that in the time I was gone, he got married.

No, no. Sir Cedric never showed any interest in marriage.

But what if there’s a woman who got his heart while I was away?

It’s not strange after all. Sir Cedric was always popular among the ladies.

With that thought swirling in my mind, my mood turned for the worse, and I just started glaring at the back of his head. Maybe because he felt that I was staring daggers at him, he sighed.

“Lady Elara, please stop glaring at me.”

“…I’m not.”

“Did I do something?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s a ‘me’ problem. Don’t concern yourself with it, Sir Cedric.”

“I see.”

After that, we just kept quiet while making our way to the King’s office.

…

“We’re here.”

Knock, knock.

A voice saying “Enter” could be heard from behind the door. Sir Cedric turned the handle of the door and pushed it open, then walked in before bowing respectfully. The King’s office was very simple. There was a low table surrounded by cushioned seats, resting on top of a large carpet. At the far end of the room stood a large wooden desk with documents stacked on top of it. Bookshelves stood on either side of the room, filled with important documents of the kingdom, and two windows were set into the wall behind and to either side of the desk, letting the sunlight illuminate the whole room.

“Your Majesty, Lady Elara has arrived.”

“Hm. Thank you, Sir Cedric.”

Sir Cedric stepped to the side, opening a path for me to walk inside before I gave a respectful bow to the ruler of this kingdom.

“Archmage Elara Veynes has returned, Your Majesty.”

“At ease, Lady Elara. There’s no need to be so formal when we’re not in the audience chamber. It’s just us here.”

I straightened myself and looked at the elderly King, who looked like he was about to be buried under stacks of documents earlier than buried under the ground.

“I’m glad you look healthy, Your Majesty.”

“Hoho. If you want to lie, make it believable. I feel like the cause of my death will not be assassination, a coup, or a war, but overwork.”

“How about leaving some of it to the princes?”

“This is the amount of my work after delegating it to the princes and ministers.”

Sigh.

After a sigh, His Majesty looked straight at me, and the air in the room turned serious.

“What’s the result of the chase?”

I stood up straight and shook my head.

“After we found him hiding in Baghdad, we chased him outside the city walls. We managed to corner him, and a battle happened. In the end, we managed to give him serious injuries, but we also took too much damage to pursue him. I sent the others back to Veynes Magic Tower using the Teleportation Magic Circle and stayed in Baghdad for a while to recuperate before continuing the chase. The last of his traces led me to a country in the far east called China. From there, I searched for him everywhere and even asked the local influential family for help, but there’s no sign of him anywhere.”

“I see. That’s too bad.”

His Majesty rested his elbows on the desk as he held his forehead while sighing.

“What a disaster. To think someone like that would appear among my subjects.”

“Your Majesty, if you don’t mind me asking, how is the reaction of the other kingdoms while I’m gone?”

“In one word, bad.”

“The fact that a Master Mage like Edmund became a Dark Mage is already bad enough, but he was also a mage from this kingdom, made a contract with one of the Seven Kings of Hell, and many of the people he sacrificed were from our allied kingdoms, which makes the situation even worse.”

Sir Cedric quipped in from behind.

“They are already pressuring us to take responsibility and have even stopped their trade with us. They demand we pay reparations for the damages Edmund caused.”

My brows creased as I heard that.

“How about the Mages Association, Your Majesty? What did they do?”

“Thanks to them stepping in, we’re safe for now. They made it clear that it’s not this kingdom’s fault that Edmund chose to become a Dark Mage, but they also expect us to help the Association eliminate him.”

“Then I will stop by the Association later to give them my report directly.”

“Thank you, Lady Elara.”

“Think nothing of it, Your Majesty. It’s the least I can do.”

“Well, that’s enough of the heavy stuff. For now, can I ask you to return to your post as the Head of the Royal Arcane Bureau?”

“I have to ask you for more time, Your Majesty. I still have a lot of work to do after being away for so long. Everything should already be settled in a month, so please give me time until then.”

“I see. I understand. After all, you also hold the position of Tower Master, so you must be very busy on top of this Edmund business.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“By the way, Lady Elara. I’ve heard something very interesting.”

“I heard you took in a disciple? And that your disciple is someone you picked up from a faraway place?”

“News sure travels fast. Yes, Your Majesty. While I was in China searching for Edmund, I found a young boy with a very monstrous magical talent. It would be a shame to let his talent rot, so I made him my disciple.”

“Ho? To think there is someone Lady Elara, the youngest Archmage, would acknowledge as talented. What kind of boy is he?”

“He’s the son of the influential family that helped me search for Edmund in China. He was the heir of his family, but got his position taken by his younger cousin because he was too weak in martial arts.”

“Untalented in martial arts but very talented in magic, and he came with you to a place completely foreign to him and so far from home just to learn magic? You didn’t kidnap him, did you?”

A chuckle came out of my mouth when I heard his question. I’ve known His Majesty even longer than I’ve known Sir Cedric, since I was still a seven-year-old apprentice mage learning magic under my master, so he knew my personality so well.

“If he didn’t want to come with me, then I would kidnap him, but fortunately, both of his parents and the boy himself agreed to come with me. Actually, my disciple was so excited to come to this kingdom and further his studies in magic that there’s been no trouble at all, even after two months of being here.”

“That’s good. Having more talented mages in this kingdom is always welcome.”

My report is done for now, so it’s time for me to excuse myself.

“Well, that’s all from me. Is there anything else I can do for you, Your Majesty?”

“Hmmm…”

He was thinking for a while before he spoke.

“I do have a favour.”

“What is it?”

“Will you let me meet with your disciple?”