Chapter 58
At her words, nearby servants and awaiting nobles were both astounded.
However, the most stupefied of them all was the Emperor.
“No, my God….”
His eyes and mouth were wide open.
“Such an impressive wizard. Perchance, are you one of the towers’ owners?
“No. But I am the chief researcher there.”
“Unbelievable. At such a young age, you’ve already shown how marvelous you are.”
The Emperor truly admired it.
“Haha, it’s nothing.”
“It’s nothing to be humble about. You’re my benefactor. Let’s see, this is not the time. Even the jewels in the royal vault….”
The Emperor was prepared to give Elena a gift right away.
But Elena stopped him.
“I am fine, Your Majesty. There are more pressing matters that need your attention right now.”
“Pressing matters?”
“Yes. I bear with me the message from the Archmage.”
When the word “Archmage” came out of Elena’s mouth, the hall fell into silence.
The overjoyed Emperor also regained his original composure.
“I see. You came here according to the Archmage’s order.”
“Yes, I am. If you don’t mind, may I come closer to His Majesty?”
When Elena took a step, a servant tried to stop her.
But the Emperor raised his hand, stopping them.
“It’s all right.”
“Thank you.”
Elena drew closer to the Emperor.
From here on out, her message could cause unnecessary distress to the citizens of the Empire if it was recklessly spread to the nobles.
Thus, she spoke in a voice that only the Emperor could hear.
“A suspicious movement has occurred in the Black Continent.”
“… Is this true?”
“We are investigating it, but it’s almost certain.”
The Emperor softly sighed.
Elena added.
“In the next few months, there may be a war with the demons of the Black Continent, so be prepared.”
“A war with the demons…”
It seemed that the Emperor was fond of wars.
However, the territorial war and the war with monsters were clearly different.
While his expression hardened, Elena took out the magic stone for communication from the pocket she had kept inside the sleeve of her dress.
And handed it to the Emperor.
“This Magic Stone is an item that will enable you to communicate with the Archmage. The Archmage will contact you soon.”
The Emperor stared at Elena once he received the magic crystal.
“If this is a war that will happen near the Magic Tower… Aren’t you going to participate?”
There was a look of anxiety in the Emperor’s eyes.
The war against those terrible demons would not be an easy feat for ordinary people to win.
Of course, there were knights in the Empire; but between them and the wizards, there was a huge disparity.
If they choose not to partake, absolute defeat would not be far.
So the Emperor could not help but ask, anxiously grasping the magic stone.
Contrariwise, Elena replied with a bright smile.
“The Magic Tower…will fight with you.”
A relieved smile bloomed on the Emperor’s face.
*****
After her audience with the Emperor – which was the whole purpose of her attendance at the party – Elena immediately left the party since she was already exhausted.
Meanwhile, Lexion was following her.
“Lexion, is it okay if I come with you? However, there appears to be a lot of people looking for Lexion.”
After getting into the carriage of the Halos family, Elena asked Lexion.
Lexion replied with a smile as if it didn’t matter at all.
“They didn’t seem to care. I’m a little tired too.”
“Ah. That’s right.”
“Yes. So Elena should just rest comfortably.”
At his words, Elena leaned back against her seat a little more comfortably.
Lexion, who was sitting opposite her, carefully got up and sat down next to her.
And naturally, he took Elena’s hand.
“You worked hard today.”
“I did.”
Elena answered softly and closed her eyes.
Since she had been running like crazy from early morning until now, weariness came surging at this moment.
In an instant, deep, stable breathing resounded in the carriage, indicating that Elena was fast asleep.
Lexion rested Elena’s head on his shoulder so that she could sleep comfortably.
Gently, he stroked Elena’s cheek so as not to wake her up.
Those eyelashes of hers were quite long.
Unknowingly, his hand went toward it, but he managed to stop himself.
Lexion didn’t want to disrupt her peaceful slumber.
So he lowered the hand that was touching Elena and faithfully played his role as her pillow.
He quelled the impulse with another thought.
Today, seeing her at the party caused his heart to flutter.
Her solemn demeanor when she was surrounded by those nobles remained unchanged even before the Emperor’s presence.
With confidence and an upright posture, she remained unyielding.
‘She’s a strong and fearless woman.’
From when they were kids until now, Elena did not change.
‘So I can’t help but fall in love with her.’
A blush appeared on Lexion’s cheeks.
****
The carriage finally stopped in front of the Halos estate, causing Elena to drowsily wake up from her sleep.
Escorted by Lexion, they entered the mansion.
“You must be very tired today, how about going to bed?”
Lexion asked as they climbed the stairs.
But Elena shook her head.
“I would love to, but I have to immediately give my report to the Archmage.”
The Archmage would want to hear what had happened now that the party was over, even if it was late.
At her words, Lexion was deeply saddened.
“I see. Well, Elena should get ready with her return and go to my office when you’re set.”
“Okay.”
Elena answered with a smile and then headed to her room.
Afterward, the nearby maids quickly attended to her.
Once her clothes were changed and her makeup removed, the maids withdrew.
Elena then headed straight to Lexion’s office.
Lexion was busily looking at some documents without changing his clothes.
“Are you working as soon as you get back from the party?”
Elena asked, her eyes wide open.
Lexion smiled softly and nodded.
Then he got up and walked over to Elena.
“If I do the work ahead of time, I will have more time with you.”
At Lexion’s words, Elena became shy.
Then, she suddenly came to her senses.
‘I can’t go any further!’
Elena stepped back from Lexion, who was trying to hold her hand, and urgently said to him.
“I’m busy, so I’ll get going.”
“Oh, yes. That’s good. Sleep well, Elena.”
Lexion saw her off with a face full of regret.
Elena nodded and crossed the portal.
She quickly passed the laboratory, walked down the hallway, and headed towards the Central Tower.
Although she could ride a broomstick like the other wizards, she didn’t like the feeling of her feet dangling above the floor.
She didn’t plan on using it unless it was really urgent.
As she hurriedly arrived in front of the Archmage’s office, the door opened by itself.
“I’m here, Archmage.”
The Archmage was nonchalantly lying on a chaise lounge.
And right in front of her, several papers were floating in the air.
However, as soon as Elena’s voice was heard, the papers flew away with a flick of her hand.
“Yeah, how have you been?”
“I’m good. I have delivered your message to the Emperor as the Archmage ordered me.”
Karen nodded.
“I see.”
Elena looked at the Archmage as usual.
She told the Emperor to prepare for war, but the Magic Tower was no different than usual.
Wondering if this was okay, Elena cautiously opened her mouth.
“I… Archmage…”
Karen looked at Elena instead of answering.
Elena continued.
“Are we also… Ready for war now?”
Karen stared at Elena with a firm expression on her face and then smiled.
Elena could only blink at this sudden smile.
Subsequently, Karen got up and said:
“Do you think we should prepare for war?”
“Yes, of course…”
Elena was dumbfounded.
Karen’s eyes shone brightly.
“You seem to have forgotten because you were so engrossed in your research.”
Karen tapped her desk.
“We are always ready. Whatever it is.”
“Ah.”
Elena gave a soft sigh.
As the Archmage had said, she seemed to have temporarily forgotten about it because she was engrossed in her research.
There were only a small group of wizards devoted to research in the Magic Tower.
On the other hand, the remaining wizards always trained and researched actual magic.
Although the fields were different, their continued efforts could not be ignored.
Therefore, the Magic Tower had always been ready.
It was also the same when it came to wars.
“Elena. You’ve been so focused on your research, you have little to no practice with real magic lately.”
“Ah, yes.”
Karen added, her expression grave.
“If you want to protect yourself and those around you, it would be best if you turn your attention to magic training for the time being.”
Karen’s caution made Elena nervous.
There was nothing wrong with the Archmage’s words.
To survive in a war, one has to equip themselves to guarantee safety.
Elena answered with determined eyes.
“Yes, Archmage.”
Now was the time to become a real wizard.
