Seongguk – Change

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-Help me.

“Help… me?”

A short but intense phrase.

It blew away all the other thoughts Annie had been having.

Because a person who would say such a thing. A woman came to her mind.

“C, calm down.”

Let’s read to the end and then decide.

Annie calmed her surprised heart and read the letter again.

-This is all the Pope’s doing. I really need your help.

That was the end of the letter.

“This is…”

The letter was very short and unkind.

It didn’t even have a sender or recipient.

But Annie couldn’t help but know who sent it.

Because there was only one person who would ask her for help now.

“Lena. What on earth is going on…?”

-Thud. Thud.

The round gem of the Wand bumps into Annie’s small forehead.

Annie sat in her chair, waving her Wand with one hand and staring at the paper.

“…”

She looked like she was going to burn the paper with her eyes alone.

Of course, all that did was deepen Annie’s worries.

Annie was very confused by the current situation.

‘Wasn’t everything wrapped up with Lena betraying us?’

But suddenly she’s asking for help like this.

Until just a few days ago, Annie believed that Lena was innocent.

Despite the Goddess’ Revelation and the Holy Knights’ testimony.

That’s how much Annie trusted Lena, her friend and colleague.

When she heard that Jade was going to meet Lena soon,

‘Soon all the misunderstandings will be resolved, right?’

She even had hoped that all the problems would be solved and things would return to normal.

On the day Jade went to meet Lena, Annie was alone in her room, praying that things would go well.

The news that Jade brought to Annie… was a memory she didn’t even want to think about again.

‘It was really… terrible.’

Lena admitted to Jade that she was in league with the Demons in front of her.

She even tried to eliminate Jade, the Hero, as if to prove it.

When Annie heard the news, it felt like the sky was falling.

In the end, even Annie had no choice but to give up on Lena.

But out of the blue, Lena asked Annie for help today, claiming that this whole situation was the Pope’s scheme.

“I’m going crazy. What’s going on…”

She hurt Jade so much in front of her face, and now she’s doing this?

She clearly said with her own mouth that she was in league with the Demons.

Now, the only two possibilities that Annie could think of were:

Either the Pope orchestrated everything and made Lena perjure herself, or…

Lena was trying to deceive and use her.

“Ugh…”

You want me to make this important choice?

Annie ruffled her hair like crazy with the pressure and frustration.

If the former is true, she should do something right away, but if it’s the latter, she’ll be used by Lena and the Demons once again.

“Oh, I don’t know. Let’s trust Lena.”

Annie made a decision faster than she thought, despite her worries.

The reason was simple.

‘It’s okay, I’ve already been betrayed anyway. There’s nothing more to be hurt.’

Being betrayed again after being betrayed once is definitely painful. But you can somehow endure or forget it.

But what if it’s true that Lena is being framed and suffering?

If Annie ignores the request for help in this case…

The regret and guilt about this will be with her for a long time, or even for the rest of her life.

So it was right to make a choice that she wouldn’t regret.

‘Okay. Let’s talk to Jade first.’

Because there’s not much I can do on my own.

Annie grabbed the doorknob to go outside.

“…Wait a minute.”

Suddenly, a question popped into Annie’s head.

‘Why did she send this letter to me?’

Come to think of it, it was a bit strange. If she needed help, she should have sent it to Jade before me.

The Hero, Jade, had more ways to help Lena than Annie, a mere 5-Star Mage.

Why did Lena ask me for help instead of Jade?

She must be locked up in prison, so who delivered this paper?

Is there someone helping Lena?

Come to think of it, do I have to fight Veronica as well as the Pope? My sister must be on the Pope’s side.

As soon as one question came to mind, many more questions followed one after another.

In the end, Annie let go of the doorknob.

‘I should keep this to myself for now.’

She decided that it was right not to tell Jade right now.

Lena is the most intelligent and wise person Annie has ever seen.

There was no way that Lena would have asked Annie for help instead of Jade for no reason.

Come to think of it, even if I told Jade about this, Jade would be angry and tell me not to be fooled by Lena, given Jade’s current state.

In the worst case, she might even tell the Pope about this.

“First, I’ll get information, and then I’ll help Lena based on that.”

If I gather information, I’ll know what the truth is.

‘Okay. I think I’ve made a calm and good decision this time.’

If I had made a hasty decision, Lena’s situation would have worsened.

Good job, me.

Annie nodded, praising her decision.

Annie, who was about to move forward with firm determination, was…

‘But what can I do…?’

She was blocked from the first step.

She was not a Hero like Jade, but only a 5-Star Mage who was good at magic.

To put it harshly, she was like a sidekick next to the Hero.

It didn’t seem like the people of the Holy Kingdom would help if I asked them about Lena.

But.

There was only one person in the Holy Kingdom who could help Annie in many ways.

Annie never dreamed that she would see him here.

“Ugh… I really don’t want to see him. But the situation is urgent now…”

Annie grumbled and left the room and started heading somewhere.

**

-Top graduate of Rain Academy.

-Genius Wizard.

-Disciple of the Magic Tower Lord.

-Candidate for the next Magic Tower Lord.

-Rude and arrogant guy.

Ian, the protagonist of those many titles, was now tidying up his clothes in front of the Papal Chamber.

‘I need to finish this quickly and go back.’

As if he didn’t like the current situation, his face was full of annoyance and irritation.

The reason why he had to come to the Holy Kingdom had to go back a little to the past.

**

A few days ago, Ian, who was staying in the Magic Tower, headed to the Magic Tower Lord’s room.

Because the Magic Tower Lord, who had now become his teacher, had suddenly summoned him.

But the first thing the Magic Tower Lord said to Ian made him frown.

“Go to the Holy Kingdom for a while.”

“…The Holy Kingdom, you say?”

“That’s right.”

“Is it because of the Hero’s inauguration ceremony that suddenly appeared?”

“An official invitation has arrived from the Holy Kingdom. You’re my disciple now, and you might become the Magic Tower Lord later, so how about going to such an event at least once?”

“…”

Ian crossed his arms and pondered for a moment.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Master, do I really have to go to the Holy Kingdom? You know that I have a lot of work to do right now. First of all, I have to finish my paper on the new Earth magic.”

The Magic Tower Lord sighed as he looked at Ian, who was rebelling against him. Considering Ian’s usual behavior, the Magic Tower Lord had expected this reaction.

“Hoo… Ian, sending you to the Holy Kingdom is not just because of the Hero. Negotiations on the Potion are still ongoing. If you’re smart, you can figure out the Pope’s intentions, right? Potion is one of the Magic Tower’s most important businesses. Come to think of it, I need to know the research results of the Magic Stone that we sent to the Holy Kingdom.”

“Has the Holy Kingdom’s position not changed yet? They’re already making huge profits from Potion, but they’re doing this. Is the Pope already senile…”

“It would be a relief if he was senile. I’m worried that he might be plotting something dangerous. And while you’re visiting the Holy Kingdom, be sure to meet the Hero who’s staying there. Maybe he’s someone you’ll like.”

“I don’t have any expectations. He’s just a kid who couldn’t even graduate from the Academy and came out into the world, and he’s just running around believing in the Hero’s Power. I don’t have time to waste on such childish games right now.”

Ian wasn’t particularly interested in the Hero.

Rather, he didn’t even want to be involved.

In his opinion, the fate of the fledgling Hero Party was obvious in a time when even the Demons were quiet.

They were sure to be used as pawns by the higher-ups and go through all sorts of hardships.

“Do you really think so? The Hero has tremendous potential. You may not admit it, but he’ll probably surpass you in a few years. And the world is on the verge of exploding. Everyone from the Empire to the Beastmen’s kingdom is looking for an opportunity. The Hero will be at the center of that chaos. You need to experience and understand the world. And get rid of that arrogant attitude.”

The Magic Tower Lord acknowledged Ian’s outstanding magical talent, but he was worried about his excessive confidence and arrogance.

The world was wide and full of unexpected strong people and threats.

If a disciple with Ian’s personality encountered a disaster one day, everything might be broken in front of it.

“The world? I know the world very well. I know how great people’s desires are. That’s why I came to the Magic Tower, which tries to maintain neutrality.”

“So you’re not going? Do you want me, the owner of the Magic Tower, to go and argue with the Pope myself?”

“…”

Ian looked at his master, who had his hand on his forehead, for a moment, and then nodded.

He looked like he was reluctantly accepting.

“…Well, I’ll go because it’s your request, Master. I hate it even more if you send stupid guys instead of me and ruin things.”

“Okay. I’m glad you’re being polite to me.”

“You’re worthy of it, Master. ‘For now’, that is.”

“Fo, for now?”

‘So you’re saying you’ll ignore me later?’

Whether the Magic Tower Lord was dumbfounded or not, Ian lightly drew a circle in the air with his right hand.

-Swish.

Then, a blue Magic circle appeared beneath him.

“I’ll be back as soon as I’m done. I believe you’ll tell me something ‘very’ great then.”

“…Okay.”

-Whoosh!

In an instant, Ian’s figure disappeared from the room.