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"Archmage, a horde of monsters is heading towards the Ducal Palace."
At Johan's words, Mule asked with a cold glint in his eyes.
"Then, are you saying the intermediate fortress has been breached?"
The intermediate fortress was a wall built between villages, Ervin's secondary line of defense.
"Yes. Mage Lyman came and said so."
Johan replied with a dark expression.
Mule hurriedly tried to leave the lab but stopped.
"Wait, isn't Lyman the mage who came from the capital? Why is a mage who should be at the intermediate fortress here first?"
"That's..."
As Johan trailed off, Iana asked.
"Did the new mage get injured?"
Johan opened his mouth with a troubled look.
"It's not that, he came with the messengers, terrified."
'Could it be that the mage ran away?'
Iana looked at Mule with surprised eyes.
"That crazy bastard!"
Mule, clearly enraged, shouted.
"What kind of mage runs away without even evacuating the territory's citizens? Where is that guy now?"
"He's, he's in front of the gate."
Startled by Mule's momentum, Johan became frightened.
Mule roughly opened the door and quickly descended the Spire. Iana and Johan followed behind him.
✦ ✦ ✦
Boo. Booooo.
As the three arrived in front of the gate, the horn sounded once again.
Dark storm clouds gathered in the sky, as if it were about to rain.
The Grand Ducal Palace's knights, mages, and magic trainees moved in an orderly fashion.
"There's Mage Lyman..."
Johan pointed to where people were gathered.
There, a plump Mage Lyman, wearing a Wizard Robe, was arguing with a high-ranking knight.
"Get out of my way! I said move!"
Lyman pushed away the knights blocking him like a half-crazed person.
"How can a mage flee when monsters are approaching?"
"I, I don't know."
Mule walked towards him and shouted fiercely.
"Are you even a mage acting like this? How dare you even think of hiding after running away?"
Mage Lyman sat down on the ground and muttered like a person who had lost their soul.
"I, I've never seen monsters like that before. They broke through the barrier as soon as it was made."
"And a mage like you ran away, thinking only of saving himself, leaving those monsters behind!"
At Mule's words, Lyman glanced around and shook his head vehemently.
"Mage Rosso is there. I didn't run away without any countermeasures."
"What? Is a high-ranking mage using that as an excuse?"
As Mule grabbed his collar, Lyman jumped up and shouted.
"That's why I said I wouldn't come!"
"......!"
"Do you think I wanted to come to this wretched Ervin?"
"What did you say?"
"I, I'm going back to the capital. I'd rather die in the capital!"
Iana thought as she watched Lyman shout desperately.
The mage, who had lived a comfortable life in the capital where monsters did not appear, seemed to have lost even his sense of duty.
It was then.
A knight in silver armor and helmet brushed past Iana.
An imposing physique and fierce eyes.
It was Charles, fully armed.
Clang-.
He immediately pointed his sharp sword at Lyman's neck.
"The place where your corpse will be buried is here! In this wretched Ervin."
"Your Highness..."
Lyman trembled in surprise.
"Your Highness, I will go to the intermediate fortress. Johan, you stay and guard the Spire against the Krikan attack!"
After Mule spoke to Johan, he gestured to Iana. It seemed he wanted her to go to the top of the Spire with Johan.
"Yes, Archmage."
As Johan replied, Mule mounted a prepared horse and galloped out of the castle with the knights.
"You are subject to immediate judgment for deserting the battlefield in violation of military orders."
Charles said firmly.
"Your Highness, please listen to me..."
"Seize him tightly."
Iana and Johan watched the scene with surprised eyes.
The knights forced the wailing Lyman to kneel and grabbed his hair to straighten his back.
Lyman's face was covered in tears as he wailed.
"Your Highness! I have an elderly mother in the capital. That's why I was trying to go back alive. And, and my younger sibling is sick. Also..."
"I will ensure that your body is properly delivered to your family."
Charles raised his sword high with a cold expression.
The knights and magic trainees around them began to stir.
'Is he really going to kill him?'
Iana watched with bated breath.
"I, I'll go back! I'll go to the intermediate fortress and fight to the death!"
At Lyman's desperate cry, Charles slowly lowered his sword.
"Then, from now on, stay alert and protect the Grand Ducal Palace. That is the only way you can survive."
"Yes! Yes! Your Highness."
As the knights released him, a magic trainee nearby supported him.
Charles shouted loudly to the people gathered.
"Everyone here, continue doing what you were doing. There is no need to be particularly more nervous or solemn."
"Yes!"
With a resounding response, those around them moved in an orderly fashion.
Only then did Iana realize.
'He must have been acting so strongly because he was worried that the people of the Grand Ducal Palace would be shaken by the terrified Mage Lyman.'
At that moment, Charles passed by Iana and pressed her forehead with his long finger.
"......!"
Iana was flustered by Charles' sudden action and stared blankly at him.
"Unwrinkle your brow. Anyone would think something serious was happening."
He whispered softly as he passed by.
Knowing that his action was meant to ease her tension, Iana smiled faintly.
The fact that he, who had reacted sharply to the news that Riel would become the Empress, was now showing a smile made her feel a little relieved.
Drip.
Raindrops fell from the sky. The rain gradually grew heavier.
Iana ran towards the Spire with Johan in the rain.
Swish-.
Iana's body was soaked by the cool rain.
It was a first.
She had never felt the rain on her body and run so hard before.
As they approached the Spire, Carrion and Riel, along with the investigation team, were heading towards the main castle's underground shelter under the escort of the Imperial Army.
Carrion was walking under an umbrella held by an escort knight, with a displeased look on his face.
"Shouldn't the Imperial Army be fighting together at least? The shelter will be crowded."
Johan grumbled.
Iana glared at Carrion with a displeased expression.
At that moment, Carrion stopped in his tracks and stared at Iana.
'Why is he looking at me like that?'
Perhaps Carrion was surprised because it was the first time he had seen her running and getting rained on.
Riel, who was next to him, also watched her.
Iana deliberately increased her speed and ran towards the Spire.
✦ ✦ ✦
Creak-.
Iana and Johan opened the door to the Spire and entered.
Just then, a magic trainee was moving the Petal Rabbits from the backyard into a small cart.
"We'll help too. Where should we move them to?"
"The healer told me to move them to the treatment room. It's soundproofed, so the Petal Rabbits will be less startled."
The magic trainee replied.
"I'll go up to the top of the Spire first, so please help Tail, Scribe."
Johan quickly climbed the stairs. Iana and the magic trainee moved the Petal Rabbits to the treatment room.
Karen was nowhere to be seen, and Ru was eating hay in the Luman Rabbit cage.
Iana put up a folding wooden fence near the wall and herded Ru and the Petal Rabbits inside. Then, she stroked Ru's head and whispered.
"Ru, you have to be good with your friends."
Boo. Boo. Boo.
An urgent horn sounded.
"Krikan! A horde of Krikan has appeared!"
Soldiers shouted loudly outside.
Iana and the magic trainee were startled and looked out the window.
Kuaak-.
Hordes of black Krikan, swarming from all directions, attacked the blue shield surrounding the Grand Ducal Palace, colliding with it.
The shield, which was gradually losing its blue light, disappeared in an instant.
"The barrier has been breached..."
Iana and the magic trainee covered their mouths in surprise.
The Petal Rabbits, frightened by the Krikan's cries, huddled in one corner.
A Krikan with large wings spread out descended at a terrifying speed.
Swoosh- Thud! Thud!
Arrows pierced its body, but the Krikan flew even faster as if it didn't matter.
'I have to get to the top of the Spire quickly.'
It was the moment Iana headed for the door.
"A Krikan is falling!"
A soldier's shout was heard from outside the window.
Bang-.
With a loud crash against the Spire, the Krikan fell straight to the ground.
Crash-.
The falling Krikan flapped its large wings, shattering the treatment room's glass window.
Iana turned her body to protect the rabbits from the flying glass shards.
A huge cloud of gray dust rose beyond the window.
"Cough, cough."
Iana and the magic trainee coughed repeatedly.
The fallen magic trainee got up and asked her, who was protecting the rabbits.
"Are you alright, Scribe?"
"Cough! I'm fine."
It was then.
"S, Scribe, behind, behind you..."
The magic trainee sat down in place with a pale face.
Ru and the Petal Rabbits were tangled up, trying to escape in fear.
Iana felt a chill and slowly turned her head.
As the hazy gray dust completely cleared, a Krikan with an arrow stuck in its left eye was looking into the room in front of the window.
Drip, drip.
With blood dripping from the eye with the arrow stuck in it, with the eyes of a predator who had found its prey.
At Johan's words, Mule asked with a cold glint in his eyes.
"Then, are you saying the intermediate fortress has been breached?"
The intermediate fortress was a wall built between villages, Ervin's secondary line of defense.
"Yes. Mage Lyman came and said so."
Johan replied with a dark expression.
Mule hurriedly tried to leave the lab but stopped.
"Wait, isn't Lyman the mage who came from the capital? Why is a mage who should be at the intermediate fortress here first?"
"That's..."
As Johan trailed off, Iana asked.
"Did the new mage get injured?"
Johan opened his mouth with a troubled look.
"It's not that, he came with the messengers, terrified."
'Could it be that the mage ran away?'
Iana looked at Mule with surprised eyes.
"That crazy bastard!"
Mule, clearly enraged, shouted.
"What kind of mage runs away without even evacuating the territory's citizens? Where is that guy now?"
"He's, he's in front of the gate."
Startled by Mule's momentum, Johan became frightened.
Mule roughly opened the door and quickly descended the Spire. Iana and Johan followed behind him.
✦ ✦ ✦
Boo. Booooo.
As the three arrived in front of the gate, the horn sounded once again.
Dark storm clouds gathered in the sky, as if it were about to rain.
The Grand Ducal Palace's knights, mages, and magic trainees moved in an orderly fashion.
"There's Mage Lyman..."
Johan pointed to where people were gathered.
There, a plump Mage Lyman, wearing a Wizard Robe, was arguing with a high-ranking knight.
"Get out of my way! I said move!"
Lyman pushed away the knights blocking him like a half-crazed person.
"How can a mage flee when monsters are approaching?"
"I, I don't know."
Mule walked towards him and shouted fiercely.
"Are you even a mage acting like this? How dare you even think of hiding after running away?"
Mage Lyman sat down on the ground and muttered like a person who had lost their soul.
"I, I've never seen monsters like that before. They broke through the barrier as soon as it was made."
"And a mage like you ran away, thinking only of saving himself, leaving those monsters behind!"
At Mule's words, Lyman glanced around and shook his head vehemently.
"Mage Rosso is there. I didn't run away without any countermeasures."
"What? Is a high-ranking mage using that as an excuse?"
As Mule grabbed his collar, Lyman jumped up and shouted.
"That's why I said I wouldn't come!"
"......!"
"Do you think I wanted to come to this wretched Ervin?"
"What did you say?"
"I, I'm going back to the capital. I'd rather die in the capital!"
Iana thought as she watched Lyman shout desperately.
The mage, who had lived a comfortable life in the capital where monsters did not appear, seemed to have lost even his sense of duty.
It was then.
A knight in silver armor and helmet brushed past Iana.
An imposing physique and fierce eyes.
It was Charles, fully armed.
Clang-.
He immediately pointed his sharp sword at Lyman's neck.
"The place where your corpse will be buried is here! In this wretched Ervin."
"Your Highness..."
Lyman trembled in surprise.
"Your Highness, I will go to the intermediate fortress. Johan, you stay and guard the Spire against the Krikan attack!"
After Mule spoke to Johan, he gestured to Iana. It seemed he wanted her to go to the top of the Spire with Johan.
"Yes, Archmage."
As Johan replied, Mule mounted a prepared horse and galloped out of the castle with the knights.
"You are subject to immediate judgment for deserting the battlefield in violation of military orders."
Charles said firmly.
"Your Highness, please listen to me..."
"Seize him tightly."
Iana and Johan watched the scene with surprised eyes.
The knights forced the wailing Lyman to kneel and grabbed his hair to straighten his back.
Lyman's face was covered in tears as he wailed.
"Your Highness! I have an elderly mother in the capital. That's why I was trying to go back alive. And, and my younger sibling is sick. Also..."
"I will ensure that your body is properly delivered to your family."
Charles raised his sword high with a cold expression.
The knights and magic trainees around them began to stir.
'Is he really going to kill him?'
Iana watched with bated breath.
"I, I'll go back! I'll go to the intermediate fortress and fight to the death!"
At Lyman's desperate cry, Charles slowly lowered his sword.
"Then, from now on, stay alert and protect the Grand Ducal Palace. That is the only way you can survive."
"Yes! Yes! Your Highness."
As the knights released him, a magic trainee nearby supported him.
Charles shouted loudly to the people gathered.
"Everyone here, continue doing what you were doing. There is no need to be particularly more nervous or solemn."
"Yes!"
With a resounding response, those around them moved in an orderly fashion.
Only then did Iana realize.
'He must have been acting so strongly because he was worried that the people of the Grand Ducal Palace would be shaken by the terrified Mage Lyman.'
At that moment, Charles passed by Iana and pressed her forehead with his long finger.
"......!"
Iana was flustered by Charles' sudden action and stared blankly at him.
"Unwrinkle your brow. Anyone would think something serious was happening."
He whispered softly as he passed by.
Knowing that his action was meant to ease her tension, Iana smiled faintly.
The fact that he, who had reacted sharply to the news that Riel would become the Empress, was now showing a smile made her feel a little relieved.
Drip.
Raindrops fell from the sky. The rain gradually grew heavier.
Iana ran towards the Spire with Johan in the rain.
Swish-.
Iana's body was soaked by the cool rain.
It was a first.
She had never felt the rain on her body and run so hard before.
As they approached the Spire, Carrion and Riel, along with the investigation team, were heading towards the main castle's underground shelter under the escort of the Imperial Army.
Carrion was walking under an umbrella held by an escort knight, with a displeased look on his face.
"Shouldn't the Imperial Army be fighting together at least? The shelter will be crowded."
Johan grumbled.
Iana glared at Carrion with a displeased expression.
At that moment, Carrion stopped in his tracks and stared at Iana.
'Why is he looking at me like that?'
Perhaps Carrion was surprised because it was the first time he had seen her running and getting rained on.
Riel, who was next to him, also watched her.
Iana deliberately increased her speed and ran towards the Spire.
✦ ✦ ✦
Creak-.
Iana and Johan opened the door to the Spire and entered.
Just then, a magic trainee was moving the Petal Rabbits from the backyard into a small cart.
"We'll help too. Where should we move them to?"
"The healer told me to move them to the treatment room. It's soundproofed, so the Petal Rabbits will be less startled."
The magic trainee replied.
"I'll go up to the top of the Spire first, so please help Tail, Scribe."
Johan quickly climbed the stairs. Iana and the magic trainee moved the Petal Rabbits to the treatment room.
Karen was nowhere to be seen, and Ru was eating hay in the Luman Rabbit cage.
Iana put up a folding wooden fence near the wall and herded Ru and the Petal Rabbits inside. Then, she stroked Ru's head and whispered.
"Ru, you have to be good with your friends."
Boo. Boo. Boo.
An urgent horn sounded.
"Krikan! A horde of Krikan has appeared!"
Soldiers shouted loudly outside.
Iana and the magic trainee were startled and looked out the window.
Kuaak-.
Hordes of black Krikan, swarming from all directions, attacked the blue shield surrounding the Grand Ducal Palace, colliding with it.
The shield, which was gradually losing its blue light, disappeared in an instant.
"The barrier has been breached..."
Iana and the magic trainee covered their mouths in surprise.
The Petal Rabbits, frightened by the Krikan's cries, huddled in one corner.
A Krikan with large wings spread out descended at a terrifying speed.
Swoosh- Thud! Thud!
Arrows pierced its body, but the Krikan flew even faster as if it didn't matter.
'I have to get to the top of the Spire quickly.'
It was the moment Iana headed for the door.
"A Krikan is falling!"
A soldier's shout was heard from outside the window.
Bang-.
With a loud crash against the Spire, the Krikan fell straight to the ground.
Crash-.
The falling Krikan flapped its large wings, shattering the treatment room's glass window.
Iana turned her body to protect the rabbits from the flying glass shards.
A huge cloud of gray dust rose beyond the window.
"Cough, cough."
Iana and the magic trainee coughed repeatedly.
The fallen magic trainee got up and asked her, who was protecting the rabbits.
"Are you alright, Scribe?"
"Cough! I'm fine."
It was then.
"S, Scribe, behind, behind you..."
The magic trainee sat down in place with a pale face.
Ru and the Petal Rabbits were tangled up, trying to escape in fear.
Iana felt a chill and slowly turned her head.
As the hazy gray dust completely cleared, a Krikan with an arrow stuck in its left eye was looking into the room in front of the window.
Drip, drip.
With blood dripping from the eye with the arrow stuck in it, with the eyes of a predator who had found its prey.
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