Episode 96

The debris from the explosion at the time bore traces of an explosion magic circle.

Eveline also discovered traces of the magic circle and immediately realized it was the work of a mage.

If this incident is connected to that, then without a doubt, traces of a magic circle must have been found in the rubble.

[Inferno Engulfs East District Alleyways. The Worst Explosion Incident in History.]

I carefully read through the newspaper article that filled the front page, detailing the explosion in the southern East District.

For now, the investigation team suspected that the perpetrator of the explosion was from the West District.

Ever since the reform that unified the West and East Districts, hate crimes targeting the impoverished residents of the East District had been increasing.

It was too soon to conclude the culprit’s identity, but it seemed they had already almost decided it was the work of someone from the West District.

At the bottom of the newspaper, I found a black-and-white photograph.

It was an image of a broken stone fragment, seemingly from a collapsed wall.

Part of the fragment was engraved with a dark, charred pattern.

‘It’s exactly the same as what I saw back then.’

This wasn’t an explosion caused by gunpowder—it was the work of a mage.

And most likely, the culprit was the same person as before.

“……”

The damage was severe.

Many residents of the East District had been affected, and the fire was still spreading.

They had only recently been freed from the grip of a devastating plague, and now they were caught up in a disaster like this….

The faces of the East District couple who had thanked me with bright smiles surfaced in my mind.

“Are you alright, my lady…?”

Nella asked me worriedly.

Before I realized it, my hands were trembling as I gripped the newspaper so tightly it was nearly crumpled.

“It must be a shock to hear such news so soon after you returned. You worked so hard to end the plague, too….”

Nella spoke with a sorrowful expression.

“Since it’s under Karsian’s jurisdiction, the Grand Duke’s household has already begun relief efforts. The fire will be extinguished soon.”

If Karsian had taken action, there would be no further damage.

But half of the East District was already in ruins.

Who on earth could have done this?

* * *

The unidentified explosion turned the entire empire upside down in a single day.

The imperial family dispatched an investigative team to look into the incident, and the southern region was nearly sealed off to prevent the culprit from escaping.

And I was currently accompanying Ludwig, who was heading south for the investigation at my request.

“Are you sure about this? The scene may be even more devastating than expected.”

“I’m fine. I need to confirm whether this is connected to the explosion I was caught in before.”

At my words, Ludwig eventually nodded.

“There seem to be multiple magic circles that have yet to detonate. The area is under lockdown, but be cautious around the danger zones.”

“I understand.”

As before, the Karsian carriage was enhanced with high-speed travel magic, making the outside world blur past us as we moved rapidly.

“You must have heard from Eveline that Queensbury was dispatched to another country.”

“Yes, I heard it was under your orders, Ludwig.”

“It was to investigate the explosion incident that Sierra was caught in last time.”

At Ludwig’s words, I shifted my gaze from the window to him.

“Following the traces of magic, Queensbury managed to track down the culprit near the border of the Creta Empire.”

“They caught the culprit?”

I widened my eyes in shock.

Ludwig nodded.

“I didn’t mention it earlier because it wasn’t confirmed yet.”

“Who was the culprit…?”

“Just an ordinary elderly woman, well past her prime. She was in a comatose state, so interrogation was impossible.”

Ludwig sighed lightly before continuing.

“But soon, we realized we had been deceived by the real culprit. The old woman was merely a decoy.”

“A decoy…?”

“The culprit had placed a double-layered explosion activation spell on the woman—to cover their tracks.”

“…So they deliberately used a barely alive old woman in a foreign land as bait?”

“That’s right. It was all to buy time.”

Before I knew it, the carriage had entered the southern region.

Ludwig spoke in a low voice.

“I also believe that the explosion Sierra was caught in before and this incident are connected. It’s the work of the same person.”

That meant tracking the culprit would once again be nearly impossible.

Even if Queensbury followed the traces of magic, the culprit would have likely set another decoy, just like before.

To find the real culprit, we needed to analyze the layered magic placed on the bait—but that would consume their life force. If we tried it on someone barely clinging to life, like the old woman, she would undoubtedly die instantly.

“I thought that explosion back then was aimed at me. That it was a childish scheme by someone who despised me for helping unify the West and East Districts.”

But this time, the East District incident wasn’t targeting me.

“This time, the target was the entire population of the East District. I have no idea what the culprit’s true objective is.”

My head throbbed.

Large-scale magic inflicted significant strain even on the caster.

There had to be a reason they went through with this despite the consequences.

Was it truly just an act of rebellion against the integration reforms, as the newspapers suggested?

That was the most straightforward assumption.

Yet at the same time, I felt an uneasy suspicion that we were being led exactly as the culprit intended.

Before long, the carriage slowed as it entered the alleyways of the East District.

When I stepped out, the sight before me was nothing but desolation, with smoke rising in every direction.

It was a completely different scene from what I had seen before.

The walls of the alleys had all collapsed from the explosion, leaving nothing but an open wasteland.

A patrolling officer, struggling to manage the chaos, spotted Ludwig and rushed over to greet him.

“You’re here, Your Grace!”

“What’s the situation?”

“Thanks to the relief forces sent by Karsian, the fires have been completely contained.”

The officer reported the situation to Ludwig.

“We’re currently gathering testimonies from the survivors.”

Following his gaze, I saw a group of disheveled, shaken people huddled together.

“According to their statements, strange magic circle patterns suddenly appeared on the walls before a series of explosions erupted.”

As expected, Ludwig nodded.

“Any other testimonies?”

“Most survivors are still in shock… We haven’t been able to get detailed statements yet.”

Just as the officer finished speaking—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted from a distance.

“……!”

A knight came running toward us in urgency.

“Additional explosions, sir!”

Flames surged fiercely from the site of the explosion.

“We don’t have enough water to put it out.”

The officer’s face darkened at the knight’s words.

The East District wasn’t near the sea, meaning it would take considerable time to bring in a sufficient water supply.

“For now, do whatever it takes to bring in more water as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, sir!”

But the fire continued to spread at an alarming rate.

“……”

Quietly, I gathered the essence of water in my hands.

Before long, transparent water rippled into existence in the air.

“Sierra?”

Sensing the surge of supernatural energy, Ludwig turned toward me.

I was not Thergon Drenihan.

I did not possess the kind of power that could extinguish an inferno of this magnitude.

But at the very least, I could slow the fire’s advance.

A luminous blue crystal formed in my palm, gleaming brilliantly.

With a concentrated motion, I unleashed the gathered water energy into the air.

The sweltering heat from the spreading flames was replaced by a cooling sensation.

‘This feels… different from usual.’

For the first time, I sensed an overwhelming surge of water energy.

Before I could even process it, rain began pouring down from the sky, shimmering in an ethereal blue light.

The torrential downpour struck precisely where the fires raged, extinguishing them instantly.

I slowly widened my eyes.

Rain blanketed the vast, burning area.

Just like the miracle of Thergon Drenihan I had once heard about.

Faced with this unbelievable sight, everyone around me stood frozen, staring at me in stunned silence.

 

 

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