MNINAV Chapter 87

 

 

 

As Ian was leaving the banquet hall, he turned around.

 

He noticed Katrina, who had been playing with Rose until just now.

 

“What is this?”

 

She had clearly said her farewells earlier, so why was she looking for Rose?

 

“Rose.

 

“…I will protect my pink!”

 

Black smoke began to seep out of Katrina’s body.

 

Sensing danger, Ian hugged Rose tightly.

 

“What, what is that!”

 

“On Lady Katrina’s body!”

 

“Katrina!”

 

The Marquess of Hayant urgently ran toward his youngest daughter and embraced her.

 

“Katrina! Katrina! What is this! Katrina!”

 

With unexpected strength, Katrina violently pushed the Marquess away and screamed as she charged toward Rose.

 

“I’ll kill you!”

 

Ian stepped back, and Edelmar stepped in front of him.

 

“Knights!”

 

At Edelmar’s command, armored knights quickly blocked his path.

 

“I’ll kill you!!!”

 

The black smoke flowing out of Katrina’s body grew thicker until it completely obscured her figure.

 

Now, she was just a black mass emitting a distorted groan,

 

“Ughhh.”

 

“Stop her!”

 

The knights rushed toward the black mass to stop it.

 

But as soon as they made contact with it, they screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

 

“Aahhh!!”

 

“Run!”

 

Sensing something amiss, the nobles screamed and started running toward the garden.

 

The knights moved in perfect formation, first surrounding the imperial family and evacuating them.

 

“Katrina!!”

 

Despite the Marquess’s desperate cries, the mass continued to corrupt the knights as it advanced.

 

Ian spoke to Edelmar.

 

“We’re escaping.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Since the target was Rose, this situation confirmed it was the work of a dark mage.

 

To prevent the situation from worsening, they needed to escape far away, but teleportation wasn’t allowed within the palace.

 

“Rose. Wrap your arms around Uncle’s neck.”

 

Rose clung tightly to Ian’s neck.

 

Ian tightened his grip on her to ensure she wouldn’t fall and ran toward the exit.

 

“I’ll kill you!”

 

At that moment, the black smoke flowing from the mass turned into sharp arrows and flew toward Ian.

 

“Block it!”

 

At Edelmar’s command, the knights immediately raised their shields.

 

“Ugh!”

 

“Argh!”

 

They couldn’t block all the countless arrows.

 

Some of the knights hit by the arrows let out brief screams before collapsing to the ground.

 

At that moment, the knights who had been corrupted by the black mass earlier suddenly stood up.

 

“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”

 

“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”

 

“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”

 

With their faces stained black, the corrupted knights stretched out their hands and ran toward the exit.

 

Edelmar bit his lip hard and shouted,

 

“Cut them down!”

 

The knights, who had only been defending until now, drew their swords.

 

They began cutting down the charging corrupted knights.

 

However, the black-stained knights didn’t seem to feel any pain even when their arms were cut off.

 

Even with their stomachs pierced or legs severed, they didn’t die and kept advancing.

 

“Grand Duke! It’s too late!”

 

Hearing the news, the mages arrived.

 

The lead mage, standing at the front, greeted Edelmar and said,

 

“This magic…! What in the world is happening?”

 

“Before asking, deal with that thing first.”

 

The lead mage raised his hands.

 

“All shall return to nothingness!”

 

Mana spread from beneath the lead mage’s feet, sweeping over the blackened knights.

 

But that was all.

 

The corrupted knights continued moving swiftly, and the black mass kept corrupting more people.

 

“No way. Why isn’t this working?”

 

The lead mage couldn’t hide his panic.

 

The spell had clearly activated properly, but those tainted with the black mana didn’t revert to their original state.

 

“Grand Duke!”

 

At that moment, Ian, who had escaped earlier, returned holding Rose.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

Edelmar’s face twisted in anger.

 

“The outside is even more chaotic.”

 

Ian briefly explained the situation outside.

 

The corrupted servants had blocked the entrance, and as soon as they spotted Ian among the people, they had swarmed toward him.

 

“Was it a trap?”

 

“That’s not important right now. Is there any exit we can use?”

 

“There isn’t. Even the emergency passage near His Majesty has likely been blocked.”

 

The knights’ top priority was protecting the imperial family.

 

Considering the situation, they would have sealed the passage after the evacuation was complete.

 

Just then, a small explosion was heard, proving Edelmar’s words.

 

“…It’s blocked now.”

 

Ian furrowed his brow.

 

“What about the mages?”

 

The lead mage, who had been listening to the conversation, replied,

 

“We tried using magic, but it didn’t work.”

 

“Damn it.”

 

Ian, who usually refrained from swearing in front of children, couldn’t help but curse under the current circumstances.

 

At that moment, screams erupted from the nobles who had fled to the garden.

 

“Aah! Help us!”

 

“Save us!!”

 

The people who couldn’t make it to the garden and were hiding in a corner started trembling.

 

Ian, biting his lip, spoke.

 

“Is there any way to allow magic use inside the palace?”

 

The lead mage shook his head.

 

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”

 

“Is it impossible, or are you just unwilling to try? People are dying, and all you’re saying is that it can’t be done?”

 

The lead mage tightly closed his eyes.

 

“It’s impossible. It’s not something that can be resolved with a simple spell. The magic ban is controlled by a magic circle in the palace’s underground. Unless we dismantle that, the restriction cannot be lifted.”

 

“Then can we make an exception for some people?”

 

The lead mage shook his head again.

 

“It’s the same. To allow magic usage, the mage would have to be taken to the magic circle for registration.”

 

If neither option was feasible, what could they do?

 

Though the knights were holding the line for now, the damage was steadily increasing.

 

Rose needed to leave this place for the situation to calm down.

 

“I’ll kill you! Rose, I’ll kill you!”

 

The mass shouted in a distorted voice.

 

“We’ll have to eliminate that thing first.”

 

Edelmar drew his salute sword from his waist.

 

The blade, tinged with a bloody hue, shimmered with aura.

 

“You can’t.”

 

Ian grabbed Edelmar’s hand.

 

“What?”

 

Ian firmly shook his head at Edelmar.

 

“This isn’t a situation that can be resolved with aura.”

 

Ian pointed to a scene.

 

One of the knights attacking the mass wielded a sword imbued with aura, perhaps out of desperation.

 

But as soon as the black smoke touched the aura, it seemed to consume it, making the aura vanish at the point of contact.

 

“What about your sword?”

 

At Edelmar’s question, Ian shook his head.

 

“Fragarach can only be used by me.”

 

Fragarach was a sword that chose its master.

 

If someone other than its master tried to wield it, they wouldn’t even be able to lift it, let alone unlock its seal.

 

“Uncle…”

 

Amid the screams and wailing, Rose, sounding like a frightened kitten, called out to Ian.

 

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

q

Ian patted Rose’s back.

 

“…I’m scared.”

 

“Scared? What is there to be scared of when Uncle is here?”

 

“Uhh.”

 

Tears welled up in Rose’s rosy eyes.

 

Looking down at Rose, Ian summoned Fragarach.

 

Even summoning it made his heart throb.

 

He knew that if he unsealed it, he wouldn’t just cough up blood—it could be far worse.

 

But without Fragarach, there was no way to resolve this situation.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“There’s no other choice if we’re to fix this mess.”

 

Ian whispered gently to Rose.

 

“Uncle will finish this quickly and be back, okay? Rose, go to Uncle Edel.”

 

“Nooo. I don’t want to.”

 

“It’s okay. If you’re scared, just close your eyes tight, okay?”

 

“Nooo. Uncleee.”

 

Rose, overwhelmed with fear, burst into tears.

 

Ian handed Rose over to Edelmar.

 

“Please take care of her.”

 

“…Understood.”

 

Edelmar held the crying Rose in his arms, for the first time feeling utterly powerless.

 

At that moment, someone shouted.

 

“Hand over Lady Rose!”

 

Ian glared toward the direction of the voice.

 

However, the person who had yelled was nowhere to be seen, perhaps hiding.

 

“It’s after Lady Rose!! Just hand her over! If we do, maybe we can survive!!”

 

“You dare—”

 

Ian clenched his teeth in anger.

 

“Yes, yes! It’s all because of Lady Rose, isn’t it?”

 

“That’s right! It’s Lady Rose’s fault! Hand her over!”

 

“If we just hand her over, we can live! Just hand her over! Are you trying to get us all killed?!”

 

Like a dam breaking through a tiny crack, frightened people began shouting in a frenzy.

 

Edelmar quickly pressed Rose closer to his chest, covering one of her ears.

 

Ian tightened his grip on Fragarach, trying to suppress the surge of rage.

 

He then opened his mouth to break the seal.

 

“Fragarach, unseal—”

 

“Humans are as selfish as ever.”

 

A voice suddenly came from above.

 

When Ian looked up, he saw a child wearing a robe, their silvery-white hair billowing in the air.

 

‘That child…’

 

“Tsk. To think the palace would end up like this.”

 

The child clicked his tongue and raised his hand.

 

Suddenly, a white magic circle appeared on the ground, emitting a burst of light.

 

The light spread from the banquet hall, eventually enveloping the entire palace.

 

“Aaah!!”

 

“Ughhh!!”

 

“Nooo!!”

 

The mass and the corrupted people screamed piercingly.

 

Black smoke was expelled from those writhing in pain, as if it symbolized their suffering.

 

Then, the smoke vanished into thin air, dissipating into the light.

 

As the dazzling light slowly faded and disappeared completely, the corrupted people collapsed to the ground one by one.

 

Katrina, who had turned into the mass, also regained her original form and fell to the floor.

 

Stunned by the sudden turn of events, everyone was left speechless, staring at the child floating in mid-air.

 

The child, however, seemed unbothered by their gazes, only showing a displeased expression.

 

“Knights!”

 

Edelmar was the first to recover his composure.

 

True to his lineage as a imperial descendant, he immediately began organizing the situation.

 

“Move the injured to the infirmary and send Lady Katrina to the prison!”

 

“You can’t!”

 

The Marquess of Hayant, who had been staring blankly at his youngest daughter, shouted in protest.

 

“My daughter!!”

 

“Silence! Even knowing that this started with your daughter, how dare you say such a thing!”

 

The Marquess of Hayant turned pale and lowered his head.

 

“Those uninjured will be escorted home promptly! Knights, move!”

 

At his command, the knights sprang into action, assisting the injured to the infirmary and leading the uninjured out of the palace.

 

Ian unsummoned Fragarach and picked Rose up in his arms.

 

“Rose, were you scared? Uncle is here now.”

 

Ian comforted Rose, patting her back, before turning to Edelmar.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“It’s fine. Duke, you should return to the townhouse. I’ll come over once everything is settled.”

 

Ian nodded.

 

“Understood. I’ll see you at the townhouse. Rose, let’s go.”

 

Ian, eager to leave the palace as quickly as possible, turned to depart.

 

But the floating child called out to him.

 

“You there.”