Chapter 148

Episode 148

My heart sank.

‘This might be even more dangerous than facing Arthur.’

The Lady of Kalisto and the Imperial Princess had a few things in common.

Both were captivatingly beautiful and cherished individuals who grew up receiving much love in their respective domains.

Moreover, they shared a similar genius. The Lady excelled in academics and history, while the Princess excelled in martial arts, specifically spear-wielding, not swordsmanship.

In a way, there were many points that could bring them together. But they would never become close.

Because Princess Beatrice had feelings for me.

Not as a friend, but as a woman.

I had heard that she considered Lady Lucia a rival after seeing us dance at the Imperial Palace banquet.

In other words, Princess Beatrice saw Lady Lucia as a romantic competitor.

I wanted to stop this.

Darius, who tried to recruit me into the Azure Dragon Knights, almost lost his knighthood. The mastermind of this world held grudges.

“Why are you spacing out? Come and sit.”

Lucia said.

Thankfully, my seat was predetermined. Since Lady Lucia occupied the head of the table, I naturally sat to her left.

‘If I had to choose between sitting next to one of them… It’s a horrifying thought.’

I calmed myself and sat down. The servants began preparing the meal.

Looking closely, they were seated in opposition. The introverted Lucia and the extroverted Beatrice.

But the atmosphere in the dining hall wasn’t bad. It seemed they had become closer while I was in Alpheon.

As proof, the princess called Lucia by her nickname.

“You’re not misunderstanding, are you? Don’t think I’m forcing myself into this dinner. Lucy invited me. I didn’t initiate this.”

“How could I think that, Your Highness?”

“Stop calling me that! Lucy and I are friends now. Aren’t friends of friends also friends?”

She was saying that since I was friends with the princess, and the princess was friends with Lucia, then Lucia and I must also be friends.

Goosebumps ran down my spine. I felt cold sweat forming.

I desperately avoided Lucia’s gaze and pleaded with the princess.

“I’m just a servant who serves the Lady. A friend? That’s absurd. Please retract your words.”

“Honestly, Aubrey, you look fine on the outside, but you’re as stuffy as my father on the inside.”

I wished Lucia would intervene, but she was just watching us with a bright smile.

Ah, this is why office workers hate company dinners.

My only experience with office life was working at a private investigation agency, so every moment felt like a new world to me.

I just hoped the Lady wouldn’t ask me to call her by her nickname too.

“Anyway, this is nice. Having dinner together like this… But Aubrey, when did you learn magic? I had no idea during our spar. Now I understand why I lost. How can I win against someone who’s not only skilled in swordsmanship but also uses magic?”

Beatrice looked at me with undisguised interest. I coughed, trying to signal her, but she responded with a “whatever” expression.

I changed the mood with a single sentence.

“Who told you that I learned magic?”

“Lucy did. Ah, I also heard why you kept it a secret. It made me realize that the Empire is suppressing the freedom of magicians. They must have wanted to use magic for good.”

I bowed slightly to Lucia, expressing my gratitude.

It wasn’t because she had become my friend, but because of her sophisticated political strategy.

Beatrice was at the center of controversy due to this incident. Having her, a member of the Imperial Family, on our side would help sway public opinion.

She must have said those words with that calculation in mind.

“Things will change for the better in the future. Jericho and I, as well as Duke Kalisto, the master of Kalisto, will help. If unreasonable situations continue to pile up without being resolved, it’s inevitable that impure individuals like Muon will emerge. Suppression isn’t the best solution.”

Beatrice put down her fork and knife and sighed.

“You’re right. Father entrusted the handling of this matter to my brother Karma. Can I ask what you plan to demand? I have a rough idea.”

“Did the prince ask you to do so?”

“No. I’m asking because I want to see if there’s anything I can do to help, even though I’m a member of the Imperial Family.”

Then there was no need to hide it. I would have told her even if the prince had asked.

“Although this incident involves me and Arthur, on a larger scale, it’s no different from the Imperial Family attacking House Kalisto. I’ll request compensation at the family level, rather than personal compensation.”

“What kind of compensation do you want specifically?”

“I plan to request His Majesty to grant House Kalisto the legal right to possess magical forces.”

That was just the first step.

If Kalisto received this privilege, all the nobles in the Empire would complain. That would naturally lead to the relaxation of magical regulations.

That’s the situation I was aiming for.

Some might say that it would be dangerous if everyone possessed magical forces. But that’s a problem for the Empire and the Imperial Family to deal with, not me.

As the possessor of this body, I had no intention of neglecting my training, so what was the problem?

It could even lead to the creation of a new magic community centered around me.

“As expected. Well, there’s nothing to say since this happened in the Imperial Family, which should be setting an example… My brother Karma will understand.”

“Your support would be a great help, Your Highness.”

“Alright, I’ll try.”

“I think we’ve been talking about heavy topics for too long. Have your injuries fully healed?”

The princess waved her arms. She was a truly positive person.

“I’m all healed! Sir Jericho is really skilled, isn’t he? Being a top graduate of Kalisto Academy makes a difference. I wanted to make him the Imperial physician. I’m completely fine now. I even resumed training a few days ago.”

“You should still rest a bit more.”

“How can I rest when I know you can use magic? I’ll never be able to defeat you if I do.”

After that, we continued our meal, chatting about lighter topics. Beatrice was not only a skilled knight but also a talented storyteller.

We lost track of time, even after finishing our meal, and only stood up late at night.

Selendis was waiting outside.

“My lord, Prince Karma has summoned you.”

“I’ll go right away.”

I had completed the basic investigation while bringing Arthur’s body here.

The top graduate of Kalisto had immediately deciphered the mechanism of the circuit transplant. He also discovered that the circuit had been extracted from an archmage-level individual.

The only uncertainty was whether the corruption was caused by Muon or Arthur himself.

Prince Karma would probably understand everything just by listening to the explanation.

“I apologize for summoning you repeatedly after your arduous journey.”

“It’s alright. I would have finished dinner earlier if I knew you were calling. I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“No, have a seat.”

I sat facing the prince. He looked ten years older than the last time I saw him. He must have been through a lot of agonizing thoughts.

“There’s something I haven’t told you or Duke Kalisto. I think it’s time I shared it.”

“If I may, before that, could I ask how you concluded the investigation?”

“You still don’t trust me, do you?”

Prince Karma smiled bitterly. I replied that it wasn’t the case, but his expression didn’t change.

“I can guess your intentions. The fact that you were hiding your magical abilities means you were waiting for something like this to happen. Am I right?”

“That’s impossible. If I had revealed my ability to use magic, I wouldn’t be here. That’s the only reason.”

“Whatever the reason, the Imperial Family must make its stance clear on this matter. Well, I’ll discuss that with the Duke later. People from the church are coming here.”

“By people from the church, do you mean Inquisitors?”

“Yes. The one in charge of this region is named Godfrey. You’re acquainted with him, right?”

“Not exactly acquainted. I was personally interrogated by him in Caribe before. We’ve been doing business since then, and he acts as an intermediary representing the church.”

Prince Karma had made a bold move.

Honestly, I hadn’t thought of this.

The prince could investigate the magical experiment himself, but there were specialists for investigating demonic corruption. They were the ‘Inquisitors.’

‘If the church investigates on our behalf, no one will accuse us of framing the Third Prince. In fact, it would bring him closer to the crown prince position.’

It seemed the prince chose a stable succession over the Imperial Family’s honor.

I didn’t blame him for his choice.

If it was Godfrey, he would be on our side as much as possible.

“Business? It must have been difficult to get close to someone who interrogated you.”

“Personal feelings should be excluded from business. I was just thinking about the trading company’s profits.”

“So you’re saying you’re not close to Godfrey?”

Why was he asking this?

A plausible scenario suddenly came to mind.

“Do you need my help?”

“Your eyes are still sharp. You’re right. I plan to borrow the church’s power, but I want to minimize the damage to the Imperial Family’s reputation.”

“You’re going to make a deal with the church.”

My prediction was correct.

He wanted to use the specialist’s hand but keep the cost within the Imperial Family.

‘It won’t be easy.’

The actions of Inquisitors are strictly shared within the church. Manipulating the results is considered an act against divine providence and would result in more than just excommunication.

But I didn’t think it was impossible.

There must be a compromise.

“It will be difficult to persuade Sir Godfrey. This is not a light matter.”

“Are you saying it’s difficult even for you?”

“Well, if we think outside the box, it’s not entirely impossible.”

The prince’s face brightened. He looked like he was willing to hear anything, but I wasn’t going to do it for free.

“I have a request for Your Highness.”

“Granted.”

“The fact that His Majesty entrusted you with this investigation means that it will significantly impact the next emperor.”

“…”

I didn’t need to confirm the answer. I continued with the main point.

“My biggest concern in this case is that I didn’t report to the Magic Tower despite being able to use magic. The same goes for my subordinate, Jericho. If Your Highness can cover up our past, I’ll present a new plan.”