A few days later, the Matap Lord looked like a completely different person.

At the top floor of the Matap, the young Archmage was hunched over a desk piled high with treatment records of the comatose patients. He looked as worn out and exhausted as the old pages of the ancient book he was reading.

Popo, slumped over his shoulder and dozing off, looked to be in no better shape.

“Lord Matap, shall I give you a quick acupuncture treatment?”

Without thinking, my hand went to the dress pocket holding my portable acupuncture case.

“No, it’s fine.”

He didn’t look fine at all, but I couldn’t press further.

The eyes that always smiled warmly at me were now sharp as a well-honed blade.

“The Matap is in no state to receive guests at the moment. Please come back after the situation has been dealt with.”

“We’re not here as guests. And we’re definitely not here to be suspected as the culprits.”

Frowning, the Grand Duke strode up to the Matap Lord.

Startled by the Grand Duke’s menacing aura, Popo floated up to block his path.

[Did you not hear him telling you to leave?]

As if to protect its master, Popo drew upon the energy of the earth, causing the walls to rumble and the floor to shake.

“Now that we know we’re suspected to be behind this, we must get involved in resolving the situation too.”

The gazes of the Grand Duke and the Matap Lord clashed fiercely in midair.

As the tightly shut wooden shutters rattled open, dust swirling around the barrier outside blew into the room along with the wind.

I hastily grabbed the arm of the Grand Duke, who looked ready to draw his Iello at any moment, and pleaded with the Matap Lord.

“You know we can’t go back without understanding the situation here when the North is under suspicion. We want to avoid building up unnecessary misunderstandings.”

The Matap Lord glared at the Grand Duke for a moment before sighing and calming Popo.

[Popo. That’s enough.]

Popo meekly returned to perch on his shoulder. But the anger in its eyes as it glowered at the Grand Duke who had threatened its master was palpable.

“Follow me.”

The Matap Lord led us to the training grounds located underground.

Passing through large wooden doors, we entered a training hall about three times the size of the Grand Duke’s martial arts hall.

“We’re short on space to use as a morgue, so for now, we’ve laid the victims to rest here.”

In the center of the training grounds, over thirty wooden coffins were lined up in a row. Inside the coffins were the mangled remains of the victims, mismatched body parts haphazardly pieced together.

My clenched fists trembled involuntarily at the gruesome sight.

“I’d like to meet and talk to the suspects.”

The Grand Duke’s low, rumbling voice cracked at the end, likely feeling the same way I did.

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“They’re in no state for that.”

The Matap Lord raised his hand, pointing to the coffins at the far end.

“They took poison. All of the suspects.”

The Grand Duke and I walked over to the coffins holding the bodies of the Northerners who had been named as suspects.

Unlike the victims, their bodies were intact. Only the blood staining the corners of their mouths and their ghastly pale complexions indicated that life had left them.

“This one was a high-ranking mage. Next to him, a professor we brought in from the academy. The other two were caregivers. They were all personnel from the North that we had to hastily recruit to care for the comatose patients.”

“Any connections to the Empress Dowager?”

“None. We searched thoroughly but they’re clean.”

“Search again. No, we’ll investigate. There must be a link connecting them to the Empress Dowager.”

“No matter how much we look, we only find connections to the North. They’re all Northerners. The high-ranking mage designed the barrier for His Highness’s Northern palace. That professor is from a branch family of His Highness. One of the caregivers has a son who was a student His Highness personally awarded a scholarship to this time. The other caregiver once worked as a maid for the previous Grand Duchess.”

“You think that counts as evidence?”

“Handwritten suicide notes were found as well. I’ll have Chief Assistant Nektan arrange for you to examine them.”

Unable to hold back any longer, Guard Captain Leo, who had been silent since we arrived at the Matap, burst out angrily.

“This is maddening. Why would we Northerners attack the Matap?! This is the Empress Dowager’s doing! Your enemy is not us, it’s the Emperor! Why are you falling for such an obvious scheme to drive a wedge between us when you should know better!”

“If we acted on mere suspicion, the Matap would have launched a preemptive strike on the North the day the Grand Duke introduced Lewis to the Assembly of Nobles. It was the North who first threatened the peace of the Empire.”

The Matap Lord’s chapped lips twisted in a sneer.

“If you were planning an uprising, you should have known who you were up against and prepared more meticulously! How many more innocent lives must be sacrificed just to replace one Emperor?!”

Cough. The Matap Lord crumpled forward, coughing up blood.

[Rion!]

Popo cried out its child’s name like a scream and drew up the earth of the training grounds to catch him.

After moving the Matap Lord to the bedroom, I inserted the acupuncture needles while Aeri assisted. Popo paced anxiously, not taking its eyes off its master for a single moment.

[Ricarion pushed himself to the limit, drawing upon his energy to stop the comatose patients’ explosion magic. I warned him to rest but he kept overexerting himself…] [Popo, you rest too. You look terrible yourself.]

Aeri summoned a gentle breeze to wipe the tears and rheum from Popo’s face and soothe its swollen, fatigued eyes.

[This one is fine. Perfectly fine.]

Its speech was solemn and stern as always, but the small head starting to droop indicated that even the spirit of the sacred sword Gaius had been pushed to its limits.

The Matap Lord’s eyelids fluttered open.

Confusion flashed briefly in the violet eyes as they scanned the room before settling on me as I removed the needles from his neck and shoulders.

“Yuriella…?”

The Grand Duke, leaning against the window, frowned at the familiar form of address, but refrained from showing displeasure in front of the patient.

“Are you awake?”

As I moved to support the Matap Lord trying to sit up, the Grand Duke was quicker, propping him up and helping him lean against the bed.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Blunt words and cold gazes were exchanged.

“I went too far earlier. I apologize.”

“As long as you realize.”

I handed the Matap Lord the medicinal tea I had prepared in advance.

“You’re seeing me in quite a sorry state.”

“You need to recover quickly. When the Matap Lord is shaken, the Matap is shaken too.”

“I’m the Matap Lord in name only.”

There seemed to be many emotions flashing in the eyes of the Matap Lord as he smiled awkwardly.

“There was an emergency meeting with the Matap elders and chief assistants yesterday.”

According to the Matap Lord, the Matap leadership and elders do not wish to take an adversarial stance against the imperial family.

While the Emperor and Empress Dowager’s movements are suspicious, there is trust built on the alliances forged with previous emperors.

They judged that the Emperor has no reason to turn the Matap and the West into enemies at this point. Rather, they have defined the North as the current destabilizing factor for the Empire and the Matap.

Hiding Lewis in the North for three years, presenting him as the only heir of House Vendeli at the Assembly of Nobles – these are treasonous acts that lack justification and only cause disruption.

Now that evidence has emerged suggesting the Northerners amongst the comatose patients’ caretakers are responsible for this incident, there is even a hardline faction saying they will designate the North as the main enemy and are prepared for all-out war if a satisfactory explanation is not provided.

“It’s not mere black magic that the Emperor and Empress Dowager have dabbled in, but ancient black magic. And you lot, who have long boasted of being experts in magic, can’t even properly solve it.”

“Compared to the latest black magic that has undergone countless revisions and refinements, ancient black magic is overly complicated. It’s nothing more than an ancient relic that belongs in a museum. The general consensus is that the coma simply puts them to sleep and poses no danger to their lives-”

“Unbelievable. To say such things right in front of the victims you showed us-”

“Give us proof. Clear evidence that the North is not behind this. Conversely, if evidence emerges proving the North’s involvement, the Matap will exact a price.”

The Grand Duke clicked his tongue and cursed.

I felt the same way, though I didn’t voice it aloud.

In a battlefield rife with unpredictable variables where you can’t see an inch in front of you, it’s impossible to indulge in the luxury of establishing reasonable doubt and comparing various circumstances and evidence to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

Instinct and intuition can sometimes provide a more definite breakthrough than any evidence or theory.

This was one such case.

In a situation where we don’t know what other secret cards the Emperor and Empress Dowager may be preparing to threaten us with, it’s imperative that we join forces to find the enemy’s weakness and strike first.

“You said His Highness Lewis desires a peaceful transfer of imperial power? Do you believe that’s possible?”

The Matap Lord looked at the Grand Duke with a faint sneer.

“I hear he has been making appearances, both officially and unofficially, to court the nobles.”

As the Matap Lord said, His Highness Lewis was making efforts to win over the nobles and local lords from all over the Empire.

“Consolidating power, and then what? It will eventually lead to civil war. We at the Matap cannot stand by and let that happen.”

“We don’t want to replace the Emperor to destroy, but to protect. At this rate, the Empire will rot from within and crumble.”

“Empty rhetoric commonly used by those seeking to seize power. If you truly believe that, you are under a foolish delusion.”

“Now listen here, Matap Lord!”

“In our eyes, the military might of the North and South appears to pose an even greater threat to the Empire. We have no choice but to prevent the East and West from becoming the next Collina Rosa because of you.”

“Ridiculous! You are the ones who are gravely mistaken.”

The Grand Duke sneered.

“Your claim of preparing for danger to maintain balance actually means neglecting the real danger. Suppressing the stronger side regardless of who they are, simply to maintain balance, is akin to nurturing destruction with your own hands.”

“That also requires evidence. Clear proof that the current balance is disadvantageous to you. Then the Matap can side with the North.”

Damn balance. The Grand Duke let out a sigh mixed with a curse.

We were back to square one.

Without evidence to completely dispel the reasonable doubts raised by the Matap leadership, further conversation seemed pointless.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

Guard Captain Leo, who had been waiting outside the bedroom, burst in. His expression was grim.

“A message from Duke Grande. The Donodio mines have collapsed. Rochia and Perona too… The Dea mines as well… All at once, in an instant…!”

Leo clenched his fists, unable to continue. If I recall correctly, his younger brother worked as a manager at the Perona iron mines.

I was stunned, looking at Leo’s bloodshot, teary eyes.

We had just seen the torn apart bodies of the comatose patients. And now, a mine collapse in the North…

How many more had bled and died there?

The simultaneous collapse of so many mines couldn’t possibly be a mere accident.

“…I’m going.”

As I gritted my teeth and tried to follow, the Grand Duke grabbed my arm to stop me.

“You return to Jedo. Only Leo and I will go.”

“No. I’m going too. There may be patients who need my help.”

The Grand Duke placed both hands on my shoulders and bent down to meet my eyes.

“I can’t rest easy. I need to check the situation in my territory first, see if it’s safe.”

“I’m not someone you need to protect-”

“Please. I’m begging you. Keeping you safe is keeping myself safe.”

The Grand Duke buried his head in my shoulder. I could feel the hot anger and impatience in his low sigh, making it difficult for me to insist further.

“I will escort Her Highness safely back to Jedo.”

The Grand Duke raised his head and looked coldly at the Matap Lord.

“Why would I entrust my precious princess to a damned believer in balance?”

“Because to this damned believer in balance, Her Highness is the sole exception. Do you not trust me?”

The Grand Duke muttered curses under his breath, as if more annoyed that the Matap Lord was trustworthy.

As he left the Matap, the Grand Duke repeatedly entreated me.

“I’ll be back soon. Stay at the residence until then. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Yes.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“You’ll keep your promise, right?”

“How many times do I have to answer? Yes, I’ll stay put at home like a good girl.”

The Grand Duke gave strict instructions via magic communicator to the head maid and butler of Jedo to spare no effort in my protection and to keep a close watch so I couldn’t go anywhere. Only then did he depart for the North.

And I’m sorry to say, I did not keep my promise.

Immediately upon arriving in Jedo, I slipped away from the strict supervision of the head butler and maid and the escort of the knights, sneaking into the imperial palace with Aeri.

There were matters weighing on my mind that I had to take care of.

I had to find Nero, whom the Grand Duke had lost in the palace, and meet the black mage Cassandra, who was serving as the Empress Dowager’s maid in the Swan Palace.