OHNIR – Chapter 109
Chapter 109: The Gathering
The situation in Seaside Town was far too strange. Kevit’s deliberate delays had already aroused Starangui’s deepest suspicions. Coupled with the constant urging from the Goddess of Deceit, the queen simply led her remaining forces out of the royal capital to personally conquer Seaside Town.
She had no need to handle any state affairs, nor did she need to placate the restless populace of the capital—because in her plan, “helping Persedoro obtain the Holy Force Source” was undoubtedly the highest priority.
Starangui did not need the people’s love; she only needed their absolute obedience.
Meanwhile, after she left the capital, Satrick, who had not dared to act rashly, finally found his opening. Even though the Royal Palace was heavily guarded and difficult to breach, the astute and capable prince still managed to gather the vast majority of his forces outside the palace in the shortest time possible.
Once assembled, Satrick ordered his officers to stand by while he himself rushed to the Amirium Ducal estate, trying to seize the moment to discuss their next move with Kelusta.
Unexpectedly, he found she wasn’t there.
“I’m very sorry, Your Highness, but Ruth probably cannot see you.”
The one who intercepted Satrick was the current head of the Amirium family, Madam Isabella.
The elderly woman stood before him, leaning on a cane, and calmly blocked his path. Her eyes, belonging to one in their twilight years, showed not a hint of cloudiness; instead, they were filled with endless wisdom and resolve.
“Ruth cannot be disturbed right now. She is engaged in a very important task,” Isabella said lightly. “No matter how urgent your business is, you cannot see her.”
Satrick subconsciously frowned, his sky-blue eyes darkening like a clouded sky. His expression grew somber. “What could be more important than Seaside Town? That’s her hometown!”
“In fact, she is busy working for her hometown.”
The old woman sighed, offering this ambiguous explanation.
Just as Satrick was about to press further, she looked up, her gaze fixed on the blond prince, and spoke in a tone that could only be described as firm. “According to you, the Queen left the capital not long ago with troops to support the long-stalled Royal Knight Legion outside Seaside Town. May I ask, have you gathered all the troops you possess?”
Duchess Isabella had been the proper master of the Amirium family for many years.
When she adopted the air of a person in power, even Satrick felt a jolt, and his previously somewhat relaxed posture immediately tensed.
“I’ve gathered seventy percent,” Satrick said. “The other thirty percent are still in the Royal Palace… As long as my sister doesn’t empty out all the forces stationed in the palace, it’s difficult for me to contact them, no matter how capable I am.”
“Seventy percent…” Isabella mused for a moment. “Including the heir’s army?”
The Royal Knight Legion was different from the heir’s army.
The former belonged directly to the ruler and only obeyed the person on the throne, while the latter was an elite force, approved by successive kings, specifically to serve the heir.
The old king had placed them entirely in Satrick’s hands many years ago.
Thus, the prince nodded slightly, giving an affirmative answer. “Including the heir’s army.”
“That makes things much easier,” Isabella nodded, analyzing the situation. “The combined army brought by the Silentdis family, though well-equipped, is ultimately less cohesive… It’s one thing to fight against the Royal Knight Legion, which is outnumbered and has an insider helping us, but once the Queen’s reinforcements arrive and deal with our insider, our original advantage will vanish.”
Satrick froze, staring at her in astonishment.
Although he was shocked by the news that “Amirium even managed to plant a spy in the Royal Knight Legion,” now was clearly not the time to dwell on it.
He frowned deeply. “Defending a town is much easier than attacking one, but Seaside Town clearly lacks adequate defensive conditions…”
“When at a disadvantage, the only defense is a good offense,” Isabella said calmly. “Seaside Town needs your help, Your Highness.”
“But Kelusta…”
“As soon as she finishes her task, she will rendezvous with you immediately. Before that, please lead your men to the west coast quickly and continue to buy time for Ruth with Lord Reginald and the others.”
The white-haired old woman looked up, staring intently at the hesitant Satrick, her voice heavy. “Please trust the judgment of this old woman, Your Highness—”
“Because what Ruth is doing now is the key to turning the entire situation around.”
Starangui’s departure was like unlocking a series of interconnected mechanisms. Not only did it allow Satrick to regain control of his army, but it also caused a stir at the previously silent Holy Light Magic Academy.
As the only officially recognized academy in the kingdom, built by the Goddess of Light herself, its importance was greater than most people imagined. After all, nearly all the top scholars and experts in various fields in the Nobili Kingdom were gathered at this academy.
And these people were one of the core forces that kept the country running.
Just two days after the prince agreed to lead his troops to Seaside Town, Duchess Isabella, in the not-so-close Amirium estate, once again received several unusual guests.
They were Herbology Professor Master Lysa, Potions Professor Master Noah, the Academy’s chief physician Madam Lechena, the Silentdis family’s exclusive physician Mr. Dite, and… the elusive principal of Holy Light Magic Academy, Mr. Kata Love.
Facing these top-tier figures of Nobili’s academic world, even a high-ranking noble like Isabella, who had seen her share of grand occasions, could not help but look shocked.
Master-level scholars like Lysa in their respective fields needed no introduction, but Principal Love alone was astounding. He was the great mage who had created the most spells of this era and had published countless works on magic research in his youth!
Each of these books was a classic, treasured by the former king. He kept them all in the deepest part of the royal library, rarely showing them to anyone.
Even the Amirium family, as an old and powerful noble house, had only obtained two or three of Principal Love’s works from the royal family over the years.
It was worth mentioning that the book Musen had once requested from Tina Hippol, The Essential Attributes of Magic by K.L., was a work from Principal Love’s youth.
In the ducal estate, the kind old man, who looked not much younger than Isabella, pushed up the glasses on his nose, stepped forward, and became the representative of the professorial supergroup.
He bowed with a polite smile and nodded to the duchess. “Good afternoon, Madam Amirium. Given the urgency of the situation, we had to take the liberty of visiting unannounced. I hope you can forgive us.”
“Oh, Mr. Love, you don’t have to be so polite,” Isabella said gently. “If there’s anything urgent, please speak freely. After all, given the current situation, we don’t have much time left, do we?”
The words sounded subtle and clever, but their implication was so clear it was almost laid bare.
And Principal Love, who had chosen to visit with the masters at this juncture of the “Queen leaving the palace,” naturally understood the hidden meaning in her words.
He nodded meaningfully, no longer wasting time on pointless pleasantries, and said straightforwardly, “In that case, I’ll be direct.”
“—Lysa told me not long ago that Lord Reginald and his daughter Gloria had entrusted her to visit Miss Amirium when ‘something’ was completed… Excuse me, Madam, is she available to meet with us now?”
Sensing the urgency in the principal’s voice, Isabella frowned slightly and hesitated. “I’m sorry, sir, Kelusta is engaged in some very important work. I’m afraid she can’t—”
However, before she could finish, her sentence was interrupted by a voice from behind her.
“…I’m here, Mr. Principal.”
Isabella was startled and spun around to see a haggard-looking Kelusta standing behind her, giving her a reassuring smile.
“Oh, Ruth, you look terrible…”
“It’s alright, Grandmother,” the brown-haired girl rubbed her temples and sighed wearily. “I just finished my task. I’m just a little tired.”
After speaking, she looked up, mustered her energy, and said politely to Principal Love, “Good afternoon, professors. I wonder, what matter did Gloria ask you all to come and inform me of?”
“Oh! Miss Amirium,” Principal Love nodded kindly to her, his tone concerned. “I’m sorry to disturb you at this time. Are you alright?”
“More or less,” Kelusta sighed helplessly but didn’t elaborate to her principal, simply repeating, “I’m sorry, may I ask the purpose of your visit?—”
Perhaps seeing the brown-haired girl’s fatigue and urgency, the principal thoughtfully refrained from saying more.
He turned to Professor Lysa behind him and gave her a slight, indicative nod.
Upon receiving the principal’s signal, the gentle and beautiful herbology master stepped forward, naturally taking his place, and said solemnly to Kelusta, “Allow me, Classmate Kelusta.”
Comments
Post a Comment