MTIC 01

Chapter 01

 The Sacrifice of Miel

“Coward!”

Richard’s shout echoed through the castle hall.

 

“To stoop to such vile tricks! And you still dare call yourself the revered Tower Master of the Mage Tower?!”

 

His voice trembled with rage. His warm brown eyes, once filled with kindness, now blazed with fury.

 

At the end of Goehart’s gaze stood two people.

 

A sword pressed against the throat of the woman he loved, and a man shielding himself behind her like a coward. Richard gritted his teeth.

 

“Let her go right now! Isn’t it my life you want?”

 

Jade, the man pointing his sword at Loen, smirked.

 

“You understand well. But first, there’s something I need to do. If you obey me, I’ll release her.”

 

Richard gripped his sword tightly, anxiety bubbling inside him as he looked at Loen.

 

Her usually vibrant face was pale with fear, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

 

If only he had arrived a little earlier—would it have changed anything?

 

If he had realized the situation sooner, could this have been avoided?

 

He deeply regretted it.

 

Despite his title as the Imperial Knight Commander, he couldn’t protect the woman he loved.

 

He had learned of her kidnapping far too late. But regret changed nothing now.

 

He forced himself to think rationally.

 

The enemy was a mage—and this old, ominous castle was practically his home ground.

 

To challenge a mage in his own domain was sheer recklessness.

 

Undoubtedly, before his sword could even reach the man, blood would already be shed.

 

“Damn it…”

 

Richard cursed under his breath and dropped his sword.

 

Clang—the metal rang as it hit the ground. A satisfied smirk tugged at Jade’s lips.

 

He crooked a finger at Richard, who slowly stepped forward.

 

Before Richard could close the distance fully, Jade raised his hand.

 

“Stop there.”

 

Richard obeyed. Jade opened his mouth again, smirking mockingly.

 

“Kneel.”

 

Richard’s clenched fist trembled. Humiliation gnawed at his pride.

 

But his pride couldn’t outweigh the life of the woman he loved.

 

At last, Richard dropped to his knees.

 

Then, it happened.

 

A red light surged from the ancient marble floor beneath him, splitting into eight streams.

 

From behind a support pillar that held up the castle’s tall ceiling, a faint light glinted.

 

Hidden behind that pillar stood a robed girl, completely unnoticed.

 

With wide golden eyes, Miel watched the scene unfold below.

 

“This is it!” she thought, swallowing hard and checking her invisibility spell once more.

 

With her black robe and silenced presence, no one would notice her.

 

But the characters in this original story were incredibly powerful—so she stayed cautious.

 

There stood the strongest knight commander in the empire and the most fearsome mage of this generation, facing off over one woman.

 

Thankfully, the two men were so focused on each other that they hadn’t noticed Miel.

 

She breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Truthfully, she hadn’t planned to eavesdrop on this scene. She had simply sensed her master’s magical presence while passing nearby and approached out of concern.

 

But in that moment, a vivid memory from her past life surged back into her mind—the final scene of the novel.

 

Miel had relived her life and almost forgotten the ending.

 

Driven by obsession and madness, Jade, the villain, had kidnapped the heroine, Loen.

 

Richard, arriving too late, knelt before Jade. The humiliation was unbearable.

 

Miel winced as she observed, recalling how the red magic circle had overtaken the floor.

 

Massive magical energy flowed outward, its red glow visibly swallowing Richard.

 

His arms and legs were soon bound by the crimson force.

 

Everything unfolded just as Miel remembered.

 

Richard was tortured by Jade, and Loen wept through her gag, her emotions plain to see.

 

Tension was mounting—but Miel grew uneasy.

 

“Why can’t I remember the ending clearly?”

 

She remembered up until the castle’s final confrontation and the happy ending that followed, but the final moments were foggy.

 

“How did it end again?”

 

Just then, Richard’s scream snapped her back to reality. She focused on the scene again.

 

While Jade was focused solely on torturing Richard, Loen escaped her restraints.

 

With holy power awakening within her, she threw herself into the magic circle and embraced Richard.

 

The red magic vanished—her divine power had cleansed it.

 

Richard, now free, grabbed his sword.

 

When Loen touched it, the blade was imbued with sacred energy—stronger and purer than Jade’s dark magic.

 

Sensing danger, Jade unleashed his full magical power.

 

“Ah, I remember now.”

 

At last, the mist in Miel’s mind cleared.

 

“Right… he dies here.”

 

Her gaze locked onto Richard’s sword, now glowing with divine energy.

 

Combining his sacred force with Loen’s awakened strength, it became a weapon of overwhelming might.

 

Jade’s crimson hair and eyes now shone with unleashed power, but he was still pushed back.

 

“No matter how powerful the villain, he can’t beat the protagonists.”

 

Had Jade avoided them, he might have been the strongest being in this world.

 

Miel sighed bitterly, recalling what happened next.

 

As with all stories, the villain met a tragic end.

 

Blood spilled from Jade’s lips. Defeated and drained, he spread his arms as if to accept death.

 

“It’s over,” he said with a bitter smile.

 

He had known this moment would come the moment Loen was freed.

 

Miel closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer.

 

“Master… you were never much of a mentor to me, but may you rest in peace. May your next life be as a peaceful civilian.”

 

When she opened her eyes again, Richard’s divine blade had begun its final move.

 

Sacred energy burst forth in the form of a giant dragon.

 

Winds strong enough to bend trees surged through the castle.

 

Miel clutched her robe and struggled to stay balanced—but the force was too great.

 

She lost her footing and started to fall.

 

Miel stretched her arm out to grab the support beam.

 

Just then—

 

“Huh?”

 

Crack!

 

A strange sound filled the air. Jade’s eyes widened in shock.

 

The holy energy meant for him suddenly shifted course—straight into the falling girl.

 

Miel, struck directly by the divine power, fell limply.

 

“Miel?!”

 

Jade was stunned. His student, whom he barely acknowledged, had suddenly appeared and taken the blow for him.

 

Her silver hair was scorched, her eyes—once indifferent and sharp—now lifeless.

 

Her small body, pierced by sacred force, was burning away.

 

Without realizing it, Jade reached out and caught her hand.

 

She was still warm—but her life was slipping away.

 

His mind raced.

 

“Why…? Why would you do this?”

 

“Ah…”

 

A soft groan escaped her lips. She looked up at him, as if she had something to say.

 

Jade waited for her next words.

 

But her eyes soon closed, and her life flickered out.

 

“You lost a precious life, all because someone sacrificed herself for scum like you.”

 

Before Jade could even process his confusion, Richard approached coldly.

 

He gave Miel a brief glance, then pointed his sword at Jade again.

 

But even as he stood on the brink of death, Jade couldn’t tear his eyes away from Miel.

 

That one word—sacrifice—kept echoing in his mind.

 

“Miel sacrificed herself for me? No… it couldn’t be…”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

Before he could finish his thought, the sacred sword pierced his body.

 

Pain exploded from his abdomen and ripped through his mind.

 

As his consciousness faded, blood gushing from his wound, Jade’s hand still held tightly onto Miel’s.

 

And then… time reversed for him.

 

But Jade never realized—Miel’s final thoughts were nothing like what he imagined.

 

Just before she died, Miel had thought:

 

“Ugh… I really messed this up…”