[CHAPTER 142]
“Get up, quickly.”
“Answer me first.”
“Ah, alright. I will accept Your Highness’s apology. I forgive you. So please, get up.”
“Really?”
He curled one side of his lips into a smirk. Somehow, despite the mischievous look, I had missed him, and he was too handsome to resent.
“Really. Please, get up.”
I urged him, holding out my hand. If anyone saw the crown prince of a nation like this—
Bang!
As if in response to my worry, the door swung open and someone came in.
“Princess, are you alright? The magic circle was activated, and the window was open—”
It was Derek. He must have rushed in thinking there was an intruder in my room. But upon seeing the scene, he froze on the spot.
I panicked further and tugged Vincent’s hand.
“Quickly, quickly, get up.”
Vincent, however, simply held my hand and stood up slowly, unfazed.
“You’re late, Derek. At this pace, something serious may have already happened to the princess.”
He even scolded Derek in the meantime.
Derek, unable to hide his embarrassment, flushed and went pale repeatedly, finally bowing quickly.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I thought you might have come.”
“Excuses.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Enough already.”
What use was there in blaming Derek at this point? At my sudden remark, Vincent turned his head and gently tugged my hand.
“If you say so.”
I looked at him incredulously, and Vincent narrowed his beautiful eyes slightly.
“Really… is it okay for me to come like this?”
“Hmm.”
“Yes?”
“Someone else is coming.”
Just as I was about to press Vincent for an answer, someone really did run in.
“Princess, the magic circle…! Huh?”
It was Sylvia. Behind her followed two young mages.
Sylvia hesitated when she saw Vincent.
“It was Your Highness who used the magic circle.”
While Sylvia calmed herself and spoke, one of the two behind her muttered with interest.
“Wow, it’s my first time seeing the crown prince in person.”
“Hey, it’s not ‘crown prince,’ it’s Your Highness, you ignorant fool.”
“Ah, right. Your Highness, the crown prince.”
“Who are those two?”
Vincent gave them a sharp look while they bickered, and Sylvia quickly introduced them.
“Ah, they’re my fellow mages. They recently left the Mage Tower. This is Ian Crawford, and this is Linnen Esclaye. Both oppose the Mage Tower’s head, and I asked them to help with my research on magic stones.”
With their presence so noticeable, how could I ignore them? I looked back in disbelief, and Vincent gave me a soft smile.
“Come on, even if I say ignore them.”
“Hmm, alright… Sylvia, how did your visit to the magic stone cave go? Any results?”
“Ah… yes, there were.”
The immediate answer raised my expectations.
“What kind of results?”
But the answer came from Ian Crawford, not Sylvia.
“We set a trap perfectly to catch the Mage Tower head.”
“A trap?”
Linnen corrected Ian’s explanation.
“It is a trap, but more accurately, it’s a barrier and a magic circle.”
All eyes focused on that explanation. Especially Vincent, arms crossed, waiting quietly for further details.
Ian continued, drawing some formula in the air with his fingertips.
“From experiments, the magic stones not only amplify mana but also have a purifying property. The closer they are to their raw state, the more they emit pure mana and neutralize surrounding distorted mana.”
As the explanation continued, Ian’s expression grew serious. He seemed earnest about magic.
Sylvia added further detail.
“The forbidden magic the Mage Tower head uses comes mostly from abnormally twisted mana. It exists against life. If we lure him into a space filled with magic stones, it may be possible to interfere with his mana.”
Ian continued her explanation.
“Exactly. Our plan is to carve a huge magic circle from the floor to the ceiling of the cave. The circle isn’t just a seal; it uses the power and mana amplification of the magic stones to induce ‘forced purification.’”
As he spoke, everyone, including me, focused intently.
Linnen finally spoke quietly.
“Ian’s ‘forced purification’ is literal. It will purify the Mage Tower head’s mana and block his forbidden magic.”
I clasped my hands and thought carefully.
I can’t understand everything, but I get that they intend to purify the Mage Tower head using the magic stones’ purifying function.
“At least three mages are needed. While activating and maintaining the magic circle, mana must be supplied continuously. Fortunately, if the beginning is managed well, the magic stones will maintain that mana. Without a space surrounded by magic stones, such an attempt against the Mage Tower head wouldn’t even be possible.”
Vincent quietly raised an eyebrow and spoke in a low voice.
“If you fail, you could be killed by the Mage Tower head. You three are taking that role? Is it feasible?”
The three nodded at each other in response to Vincent’s serious question. Sylvia answered more clearly.
“We must stop the Mage Tower head. And after multiple calculations, if everything goes as planned, we will succeed. It requires some more research, but it’s possible. And there’s another problem….”
“What problem?”
Actually, I knew the answer. In the original story, Sylvia and three other mages appear. That means one more mage is normally needed. Because Sylvia’s role isn’t only to defeat him; she has another responsibility. But if Sylvia must fully act as a ‘mage,’ that role is left empty.
