I Will Become the Queen of the Enemy Country

“Everyone was helpless against Ragnaros’s magic attack. So the Ivory Tower will take the lead.”

Ember expressed her opinion more actively than yesterday.

“Nonsense! You all saw it earlier! The magicians putting up shields just to save themselves! Who’s to say they won’t do that again when it really matters?”

Ilaria’s opposition grew stronger.

“Magicians aren’t only in the Ivory Tower.”

Karan, who had already been revealed as a magician, freely expressed his opinion.

“You seem to have just learned to use magic, aren’t you being too arrogant? Magic isn’t that simple.”

When Ember scolded him, Karan snorted.

Could Ember not feel the mana overflowing within him?

“Why don’t you check whether it’s arrogance or not.”

Karan arrogantly folded his arms and raised the corner of his mouth. Ember slammed the table. Sparks flew between the two.

“We didn’t gather here to fight.”

Once again, Elise calmed the atmosphere.

“Elise is right.”

As David agreed while rubbing his forehead, Ilaria and Ember, who had been fuming, calmed their excitement.

Karan wasn’t excited to begin with. He was just poking at Ember like a cat playing with a mouse.

“As we saw earlier, Ragnaros exerts tremendous power even with just his thought form. We need to finish our job before Ragnaros regains his body.”

Everyone focused on Elise’s words.

Elise spread out a prepared map on the table. The continent and each gate entrance were marked.

“Connecting each gate entrance forms a star shape.”

Elise’s finger crossed the map.

“Ragnaros’s body is at the center of the star. We can reach that body through each gate.”

“Are you saying there’s a further path from where we dealt with the gate’s owner?”

Elise nodded.

“The magicians just need to open the door for us.”

“See? You can’t do anything without us magicians.”

Ember boasted.

“No. We don’t need magicians. I can draw the magic circle to open the door.”

Ember closed her mouth. Her eyes were filled with obvious irritation.

“When the door opens, Ragnaros will resist strongly. We need to block each gate simultaneously. If even one place is breached, Ragnaros will try to escape that way. Even if his body isn’t whole, he’ll try to move. He’ll think that a body with half-awakened abilities is better than lying still and dying.”

In reality, even with just half awakened, he would exert tremendous power.

“So we can’t let any place be breached. We must advance without fail and find Ragnaros’s body to incapacitate him.”

“What methods are there to incapacitate the main body?”

David asked.

“What else is there besides putting it to sleep? Just like now.”

Ember said casually.

“Then this will keep repeating in the future. How about we finish off Ragnaros for good this time?”

Ilaria suggested.

“I agree. However, Ragnaros is known to be a being with infinite life. Is there a way to kill him?”

David looked at Elise with gleaming eyes. People naturally recognized Elise as the leader of this group.

It couldn’t be helped, as Elise was the only one who could control Karan.

She knew how to handle the hot-tempered Ilaria, and David had no desire for leadership from the start.

Ember’s acknowledgment wasn’t important. The principle in meetings was to follow the majority opinion.

“We’ll have to find a way.”

Ember let out an obvious sigh. It was a sigh mixed with dismissal and relief.

If she had known how to kill Ragnaros as well, she would have completely lost the initiative.

“We’ll be able to find a way.”

Ragnaros wasn’t a god. Beings that aren’t gods eventually die. The belief in Ragnaros’s immortality was due to his long life, not because it was endless.

At least, that’s what Elise thought.

“When can we find this method? Given the power of the thought form, we should carry out the operation quickly.”

“Wait a moment.”

Ember interrupted David and stepped forward.

“Are we carrying out the operation as Elise said? Wouldn’t it be better if the Ivory Tower took the lead…”

“Let’s have a show of hands for those who will participate in Elise’s plan.”

David also interrupted Ember. Karan, Ilaria, and David raised their hands.

Ember tightened her lips.

“Any objections?”

“Without the Ivory Tower…”

“Are you a parrot? Repeating the same thing over and over. Things are going well without the Ivory Tower, so why don’t you step back.”

When Karan, unable to hold back, made a comment, Ember’s face turned red.

Ember wanted to quit and tell them to do well without the magicians.

However, Ember couldn’t do that as she came as a representative of the Ivory Tower. The Ivory Tower wanted to play a key role in subjugating Ragnaros.

The Ivory Tower wanted to widely promote the status of magicians through this subjugation campaign. And they wanted to solidify the Ivory Tower’s unique position.

Currently, while the kings of each country supported them, they were always pushed back to second place after the king in official settings.

The sages of the Ivory Tower wanted to stand above the kings. They already had more than enough ability.

What they lacked were citizens who would support them as kings.

The admiration for magicians and recognition as kings were different.

However, if they made great achievements in subjugating Ragnaros, they would receive enthusiastic support from the continent.

Naturally, their status would become higher than the kings.

People would voluntarily suggest enthroning magicians as kings.

That was the Ivory Tower’s ultimate goal – to rule the continent.

So they had to remain in the alliance. It would be difficult for the Ivory Tower alone to subjugate Ragnaros, and even if they could, significant damage was expected.

“No objections.”

Ember answered through gritted teeth.

“Good. Let’s move on.”

David passed the floor to Elise.

“The Ivory Tower will take Gate 1, Bedrokka Gate 2, Magnus Gate 3, Your Highness Karan Gate 4, and I’ll take Gate 5.”

“Why is Tetris taking two gates?”

Ember raised another objection.

“If there’s another country with the capacity, or if the Ivory Tower wants to take over, I’m willing to concede.”

Ilaria and David immediately shook their heads. Ember, seeing the reactions around her, mumbled and then closed her mouth.

“Then let’s consider this decided and end today’s meeting.”

David declared the meeting closed while pressing his brow.

“In the third meeting, we’ll set the date for the subjugation. Thank you for your hard work.”

Karan nodded slightly, helped Elise up, and immediately left the meeting room.

“Elise, I agreed already, but can’t we reconsider you taking Gate 5?”

Karan and Elise had many conversations about this issue.

“Karan, I have to do it. You agreed to assign Haltbin to me, remember? And Uls is also there.”

“It’s still too dangerous.”

“Trust me. I’ve done well, haven’t I?”

“It’s not that you can’t do it… Sigh.”

Karan always loses when Elise is stubborn. He held the face of Elise, who was smiling broadly at him.

He didn’t want to see this beautiful face distorted, so he should back down, but he also felt disappointed that she wouldn’t follow his wishes.

Noticing Karan’s concern, Elise put her arms around his waist.

“Shall we sleep together tonight?”

Ragnaros had overexerted himself with his thought form today, so he would be quiet for a while.

Having finished her calculations, Elise tempted him with her eyes curved like bows.

“What about Uls?”

“Haltbin agreed to watch him for a while.”

Karan’s eyes narrowed. The pupils visible through those narrowed slits were full of affection.

Since when had she been planning to spend the night with him?

She’s so clever indeed.

A woman who knows how to act prettily is truly dangerous.

“A while won’t be enough. I won’t let you sleep at all tonight.”

Karan lifted Elise in his arms.

****

On a starry night, Ember, under an invisibility spell, left the campsite.

“Sage.”

And she met Iris. Iris was fearlessly wandering around the campsite without even an invisibility spell.

“Iris! How are you? What on earth happened?”

Ember examined various parts of Iris’s body. Although she was thinner than before, there were no major injuries.

“Sage, I fell into a trap. A trap set by Elise and His Highness Karan. I… was sincerely trying to help them…”

Iris recounted the events at Gate 3, embellishing the story as she saw fit. She claimed that when she had almost caught the master of Gate 3, Karan and Elise appeared and attacked her to steal the credit.

“At that time, I was completely drained and couldn’t respond. The other magicians were already in no state to help me. Escaping was the best option.”

Iris’s story was full of contradictions, but Ember believed it unquestioningly. Iris had been Ember’s absolute supporter. Ember had felt a great void after Iris disappeared.

Ember needed Iris to continue her successful streak. And if Iris’s words were true, they could also clear the Ivory Tower’s disgrace.

“Let’s go to the Ivory Tower right away, Iris.”

Iris shook her head with a pitiful expression.

“We can’t, Sage. Not now.”

“Why not?”

“Elise won’t leave me alone. And… although you believe me, most people won’t.”

“Iris, I’ll defend you.”

“Thank you, Sage. But I need forgiveness not just from the Ivory Tower, but also from His Majesty Lange, right?”

Ember let out a small sigh. Strictly speaking, Iris was a citizen of the Kingdom of Bedrokka. And she was Chase’s fiancée.

She needed to not only regain her position in the Ivory Tower but also find her place in Bedrokka.

“I miss my family so much.”

As Ember hesitated, Iris began to cry. With her thin face, dropping tears, she looked like a hopeless mermaid. Beautiful and pitiful, it tugged at one’s heartstrings.

“I’ll help you. What can I do to help?”

“I don’t want you to get into trouble, Sage. I came here just because I felt sorry for worrying you. You cared for me like a daughter… I felt guilty for being a burden to you. I couldn’t bear it…”

“Iris, you’ve never been a burden to me. And you never will be. So stop crying and tell me. What can I do to help?”

Seeing the determination in Ember’s eyes, Iris smiled inwardly.

However, her outward appearance remained deeply immersed in sadness.

“The way for me to return to the Ivory Tower and Bedrokka is…”

Iris whispered into Ember’s ear. And black smoke emanating from Iris’s mouth flowed into Ember’s ear.