novelraw Chapter 179 : Chapter 179
Chapter 179 : Chapter 179
Chapter 179
No matter how small a kingdom, one born as the first prince was bound to endure the envy and jealousy of those around them.
In that regard, from the moment of his birth, Crusty Heinrich had to bear countless gazes as the First Prince of the Empire.
Among those around him, some even sought the opportunity to surpass him and become the next emperor.
Fortunately for him, he was exceedingly clever, and the power of his maternal relatives who supported him as emperor was immense.
Moreover, Crusty had a remarkable understanding of mana, achieving great accomplishments at a young age.
He chose to be a mage rather than a knight because there was no need to move his body.
Even just sitting still and lifting a finger, everything unfolded as he thought.
The wall of the 7-star, which was said to be formidable, felt to him like a mere matter of time, and indeed, it turned out that way.
“The Prince’s talent surpasses my own.”
The White Duke.
The Master of the White Magic Tower and one of the five 8-star mages in the Empire’s possession.
And the man who was also his master spoke calmly.
Although Crusty was his disciple, he knew he was also being watched.
The White Duke was a person sent by the Emperor to monitor his movements.
The same was true for others.
The Emperor had placed the Black Duke behind the Second Prince, Isaac, and had assigned suitable patrons to anyone with even the slightest claim to the throne.
Even in this war for the throne, fraught with numerous secret struggles, Crusty was unrivaled.
The princesses and princes surrendered to him, and the superhumans they commanded became his.
He, too, reached the 7-star under the guidance of the White Duke.
“How long will it take to reach the 8-star?”
One day, Crusty asked his master a rather provocative question.
The White Duke pondered for a moment.
Then he answered in a dry tone.
“At the earliest, it seems it would take 20 years.”
For someone who had highly praised his talent, it was an overly realistic outlook.
“Not all walls are the same.”
The wall of the 7-star could not be compared to the wall of the 8-star, the White Duke said calmly.
The White Duke was not so incompetent as to misjudge his opponent's level, nor was he a man of such small caliber as to be jealous of his disciple's achievements.
In other words, his assessment was accurate.
Crusty was extremely dissatisfied with that period.
If he became an 8-star, the war for the throne could be settled immediately without dragging on.
One of the research lists of the White Magic Tower came to his mind.
“What if I use your research?”
“I do not know what you mean.”
“There’s no need to feign ignorance. I know about the list of what the White Magic Tower is researching.”
“……”
“Isn’t the Black Magic Tower experimenting with interpreting the Curses of Grotesquery through magic, while the White Magic Tower is doing the same with the Authority of the Gods?”
It was information provided by an intelligence guild that had pledged allegiance to him.
As if it were an unexpected question, the White Duke remained silent.
“There must be some results from that experiment, wouldn’t there?”
“Your Highness.”
After a long silence, the White Duke met his eyes and opened his mouth.
“Mana and divine power are opposing forces.”
He said that during the experiments, many had become invalids or fallen into a reflux, shattering their Mana Hearts.
“Among them are superhumans.”
It was a warning.
A warning about the worst that could happen if one coveted excessive power.
“Are you not also trying to borrow that power to reach the 9-star?”
He, too, was a mage, so he could tell.
“You are aiming to reach the 9-star. That must be why you are playing the role of a nanny, which does not suit you.”
“……”
“What did His Majesty the Emperor promise you?”
“Do you truly wish to know?”
Crusty Heinrich smiled.
How could he not?
“I want to know. What is it that you seek to gain, to the point of becoming my patron under the order of His Majesty the Emperor?”
At the spirited reply, the White Duke nodded.
“A tower.”
“A tower? Are you referring to a Magic Tower?”
“That is correct.”
There were numerous Magic Towers in the world.
Among them, the foremost were the White Magic Tower and the Black Magic Tower.
‘Yet he was promised a tower?’
As if reading his thoughts, the White Duke added an explanation.
“The more towers, the better. Just as the White Magic Tower is specialized in researching white magic, the Black Magic Tower is specialized in researching black magic. As Your Highness is aware. However, that is not enough.”
The White Magic Tower, which interprets the Authority of the Gods, and the Black Magic Tower, which interprets the Curses of Grotesquery.
In addition to those.
“One more tower of an equivalent level is needed.”
“If there is no tower, one can be built. If even that is not possible, one can be taken.”
“If it were possible, it would have been done already.”
“……”
“Your Highness, it took hundreds of years to build the White and Black Magic Towers.”
He explained that countless failures had followed in the process, and the blood of nearly ten million people had been shed as the price.
The White and Black Magic Towers were hard-won achievements from that process.
“What about taking one?”
“Currently, there are two identified towers that could show progress in our research.”
The ‘Holy Tower’ of Luminescia and Cornelia’s ‘Violet Magic Tower’ located on the western frontier.
The Holy Nation, which professed neutrality, would be as unwilling to give up its tower as its closed-off nature suggested.
“What about Cornelia? Aren’t they nothing more than a family from the frontier?”
Even if they were the rulers of the western frontier, they were a fallen lot who couldn't even become a kingdom.
If the Empire decided to push them, they would eventually have to yield.
Moreover, Cornelia had no 8-star mage.
But the White Duke’s answer was unexpected.
“Cornelia is special.”
He said they possessed a repository of knowledge built up over generations.
He also mentioned that an attempt to subjugate them was made during the Emperor's time, but it was not easy.
“You keep repeating that it cannot be done. I did not ask to hear such things.”
“I apologize for not being of help.”
“No, there is no need to apologize. You have been helpful.”
“……?”
“Did you not say it yourself? That if you could obtain an equivalent Magic Tower, you could make progress in the research of the 9-star.”
“What does that…?”
“Let’s go with the Holy Tower.”
“……!!”
“To aid both your purpose and mine, the Holy Tower would be better.”
He declared that he would walk the path with him, without postponing the reward promised by the Emperor.
“Isaac has the Black Duke. That fellow is no fool, so he will be aiming for a new Magic Tower to reach the 8-star.”
“……”
“Aren’t you curious? A knight who has dabbled in the Curses of Grotesquery and a mage who has dabbled in the Authority of the Gods. Whose choice between the two will be the right one?”
The White Duke bowed his head.
Prince Crusty knew exactly what he wanted.
If so, there was no need to push him away.
“I will follow Your Highness’s will.”
The master who had always drawn a line pledged his obedience.
How pleasing that sight was to him.
“Now it feels like we’re in the same boat.”
Not long after the day the White Duke pledged complete loyalty.
Crusty became an Arch Mage who had mastered the 7-star.
‘That is all in the past.’
Walking through the corridors of the Imperial Castle, he recalled the things he had done with the White Duke.
In the Holy Nation, they had bribed the king, cardinals, and a considerable number of high-ranking priests over the years.
Thanks to the long effort, they were able to create a golden opportunity, but Pope Claudio de Cronis.
The fatal flaw was that his ‘Foresight’ was more intact than they had thought.
Though a lesson was learned, Crusty ultimately failed to seize the Holy Tower. Isaac, as he had predicted, also aimed for Cornelia’s Magic Tower but failed.
However, it was not without results.
Using the bribed priests, there had been progress in the White Magic Tower’s research.
By accepting divine power, he became able to aspire to the 8-star at an early age.
At this rate, he would be recorded as the youngest person to reach the 8-star, and the Empire would greet a new era of prosperity.
‘If only the Elvenheim matter had been resolved, this moment of audience with His Majesty would not be so nerve-wracking.’
The plan to construct a new Magic Tower using Elvenheim’s Yggdrasil.
Although it failed, he would execute it again the moment he became Emperor.
‘The end of the war for the throne.’
A faint smirk.
The corner of his lips curled up.
The White Duke had told him this morning.
That the Emperor was seeking him to discuss the succession.
That was why he had hurriedly returned to the Imperial Palace from the battlefield.
‘The Holy Tower of Luminescia, the Magic Tower of Cornelia, and the Divine Tree of Elvenheim… The future reign will be quite interesting.’
The thought that he might also reach the 9-star made his body tingle with anticipation already.
Soon, he arrived at the place where the Emperor resided.
“……”
The knight guarding the Emperor’s space stared at him silently.
It was an act that would have been deemed presumptuous if it were anyone else, but he was a guardian knight personally selected by the Emperor.
They were the ones who held the authority within the Imperial Palace to execute members of the royal family on the spot.
As the door opened, a spacious area was revealed.
Huge stone pillars lined both sides, and a black marble floor that reflected light came into view.
‘It’s cold.’
Staying in a place like this for long would surely wear down even one’s mind.
One individual who had ascended to a superhuman seemed unfazed, sitting on a golden throne.
His father, and the man unofficially known to have mastered the 8-star.
Crusty advanced before the throne and knelt on one knee.
“A member of the great Imperial Family, Crusty Heinrich, greets the Sun of the Empire.”
He felt a cold gaze sweep over him.
And then.
“You’ve ripened beautifully.”
The Emperor said something incomprehensible.
***
“Esteemed guests have arrived.”
Pale de Silvana greeted Rundel and Killian with a calm smile.
“It seems you’ve been visiting frequently of late.”
Rundel and Pale exchanged greetings as if they were old friends, while Killian watched them from a slight distance.
“To send the Guardian of the Forest as a guide. It seems the Queen has taken quite a liking to you, hasn't she?”
Pale said, looking at Killian and Hazard.
His voice was gentle, but it seemed to hold some deep meaning.
“Hoh.”
Pale, who was slowly scanning Killian as if sensing a change, let out a small sound of admiration.
“Have you reached the 8-star?”
At Pale’s reaction, Killian nodded his head.
To gauge an opponent’s level with just a glance.
‘As expected, this man is no ordinary person either.’
Just as Killian was admiring Pale’s perceptive abilities.
Rundel stepped forward and stated their business.
“Send Killian Eurasia to the Pantera Temple.”
News had just arrived that Eurasia’s war situation was not good.
It was necessary for Killian to join the battlefield as soon as possible.
Pale looked at Killian as if for confirmation.
“I request permission to use a Warp stone.”
Previously, he had been granted permission to use the Warp Gate, but now that the war had started, it would be right to use a Warp stone, considering his position.
“……”
Hearing Killian’s request, Pale fell silent for a moment.
A troubled expression flickered across his face.
As Killian was feeling puzzled by the unexpected reaction.
“Is there a problem?”
Rundel asked.
Pale bowed his head slightly.
“I apologize. The use of the Warp Gate and Warp stones is impossible.”
“……”
Killian’s eyes narrowed.
“Is it because of your position as a neutral nation?”
“No, it’s not that. The Warp Gate might be a different story, but allowing a benefactor of the clan to use a Warp stone is no problem at all. However.”
Pale slowly opened his mouth.
“A short while ago, an unknown power distorted the flow of divine power and mana.”
Warping was something achieved through the delicate flow of divine power or mana.
However, Pale said that the flow was now so tangled that not only warping but also transmission through magic tools was impossible.
“I apologize. The temple is still in the process of assessing the situation.”
It was an event that had occurred at a truly exquisite time.
‘Did something happen in the Holy Nation?’
With the war situation being unfavorable, for a problem to arise with the fastest way to return.
This was the southern frontier.
To return to Eurasia without using a Warp stone would take at least two months.