Chapter 102

As soon as the day dawned, Kael and Adeline took the portal to the capital. They were greeted by all the people guarding the capital’s mansion.
It was also the middle of winter in the capital. There was no one on the streets today because of the strong blizzard.

“I guess I became a northerner now.”

Adeline said to Kael as she looked at the empty streets.

“If it had been before, I would have been surprised to see the current weather, and I would have been trembling because it was cold. But looking at it now, I think a blizzard like this is alright. It’s not too cold today.”

She looked quite proud while talking about the change. Kael laughed out loud.
Kael was really happy that the woman he loved more than anything in the world liked the place he cherished so much.

“Just a little more and I might be able to walk on the eastern beaches during winter without wearing a coat. Just like you.”
“Do you want that to happen?”
“Yeah. It’s about being stronger.”

Adeline replied with a slightly mischievous face. Kael approached Adeline and gently took her hand.

“How long are you planning to stay in the capital?”
“We can’t stay for too long. I’m going to visit His Majesty as soon as I find the mage. When I solve the problem, we’ll go back to the North right away.”
“Is it because of Repositio?”
“Yes. I don’t know when the blue moon will appear.”

It was the middle of winter when Repositio, the repository of time, appeared. It would be bad if they missed the time when the blue moon rose, so they had to reduce the time they spent in places outside the north as much as possible.

“Still, I’m expecting to stay for at least three days. If there’s a place in the capital that you really need to visit, just let me know. I’ll go with you.”
“Ah, then, Sir Sita’s bookstore…”

The moment she spoke of going to the bookstore that collected a lot of rare books, there was a knock that felt urgent.
When Kael ordered them to enter, Zion and Vero opened the door and entered the room.

“Your Grace.”
“Did you find it?”
“Yes. We discovered who the mage is.”

Hearing Zion’s answer, both Kael and Adeline looked at him with surprised eyes. They found it much faster than expected.

“Who is it? You found it quickly.”
“We couldn’t help but to do so. He was going around a lot, talking about it.”
“Did he frequent the imperial palace?”
“Yes. The imperial family seems to have paid close attention to keeping his mouth shut, but this mage is too light-mouthed. He drinks in the back alley bar and keeps grabbing anyone passing by and asking them if they’ve ever seen the Emperor’s face up close.”

Zion looked very unhappy.

“Are you sure he’s not just bluffing?”
“Yes. He is the mage who came to work for His Majesty. I’m certain. I also found him to be a mage with a very high mana. Vero has also confirmed it.”
“It is him, Your Grace,” Vero added, strengthening Zion’s words.
“What should we do now?”
“Get him right away. I’ll drag him to His Majesty as soon as you catch him.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”

Kael did not doubt Zion and Vero’s information. The two were never wrong.
As the two tacticians went out to follow his orders, Adeline held Kael’s hand and met his eyes.

“I know you’re angry, but don’t push yourself too hard. As long as the imperial family and the North continue to grow apart, we’ll only be playing into the hands of the person we’re looking for.”
“I will do that. Though it will be very difficult.”

Kael let out a faint sigh as if his head was already hurting.

“It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry too much.”

As Adeline cheered heartily, Kael embraced her. Adeline’s words were like a spell. It was as if everything she said in her sweet voice would be fulfilled.

“Yeah. All will be well because you said so.”

Kael hugged Adeline tighter and closed his eyes for a moment.
Adeline was so perfect, so lovely. She was his sanctuary.

***

“You made the decision faster than I thought. I thought you’d only come after a full week.”

Sitting in a more arrogant posture than usual, the emperor greeted Kael. His voice was also full of sarcasm.

“At least I thought you would kill the knight first. Why didn’t you do the easiest thing beforehand? Had it been me, I would have negotiated by killing the knight and bringing his neck. I would have asked for either the East or the mine to be left alone since the person who caused the accident was killed.”

It was an infinitely shallow idea. Ramon’s life was the heaviest of the emperor’s three proposals.
There was a great deal of anger at the fact that the person sitting on the throne regarded people’s lives like flies, but as Adeline said, they couldn’t play into the hands of an unidentified culprit. He had to endure it.

“For me, a knight’s life is worth more than a few mines, Your Majesty.”
“How can you live like that? Are you really the guy who used to go to the battlefield every day? I wonder if it was someone else who killed the general instead of you and you just took credit for it.”
“Because I was on the battlefield every day, this is my message to you. Nothing is more precious than a human life. Don’t ridicule life, Your Majesty.”

He held back his anger and spoke as gently as he could, but no matter what Kael said, the emperor wouldn’t like it. His face turned all kinds of colors.

“Do you dare to discipline me now? Huh? When you’re the one who slashed people and killed them when you got the chance! It’s not wrong to say you’re the best murderer in the Empire! Are you arguing about what life means for me when you’re like that?”
“…”
“Kael, are you here not to apologize, but to reject my offer? Didn’t you hear? If you don’t give me all three, it will be a full-scale war. Do you think I can’t do it? So, ignoring my dignity like this…”

Kael’s eyes turned fierce as the emperor continued speaking.
His cold blue-grey eyes contained a blue flame that burned with rage, so just facing him gave goosebumps.
The frightened emperor trailed off, slightly avoiding his gaze. Just looking into Kael’s eyes seemed to cut his body somewhere, so he couldn’t face him directly.

“I have come to give Your Majesty one last chance.”
“O-one last chance?! How dare you give the emperor one last chance! Are you not supposed to say that life is funny or anything? Do you think I’m ridiculous like this?”

The emperor continued to lose his composure and scream in a fit of rage.
However, Kael remained calm and glanced at Zion, who was standing next to him.
Zion immediately signaled to the knight guarding the entrance, and as the door opened, Ramon entered.

“What is this? Why did you let the criminal go free like that?”

Seeing Ramon approaching with pride, the emperor became angry again.
According to the emperor’s order, Ramon was to be confined in a dungeon in the north. If he came out, he had to have shackles on his hands and feet.
But right now, Ramon was wearing the armor of the Knights of Neave and acting as usual, as a free man. He did not appear to be a criminal at all.

“Are you making fun of me?” The emperor asked Kael, grinding his teeth.
“How could I bring in someone who is not a criminal as if they were? And not just someone, but a knight belonging to my order.”
“Not a criminal? Don’t you know the meaning of the imperial knights who guard the emperor? It’s safe to say that they’re my hands and feet, the ones that protect me. It’s like he cut off one of my fingers. But you’re saying he’s innocent? Kael, are you kidding me right now?”

He wondered how he could make him lose his life so easily if he really regarded them as his hands and feet, but Kael held back.
He was not someone you could have a conversation with, nor did he want to stall for time for no reason.

Kael ignored the emperor’s words and gave Zion another glance. Then, another knight dressed in the same armor of the Knights of the Neave, approached Kael and the emperor, carrying a huge sack.
The knight threw the sack down on the floor.

“W-what is this?! W-what did you bring? Are you trying to blackmail me with a monster? Rather, why was this object not verified before being brought inside? Are the imperial guards so lax? Huh?”

As the sack wriggled, the emperor took a step back, terrified.
Kael looked at him pathetically. As he gave a signal, the knight untied the sack.

“Mmmph! Mmph!”

The moment it was revealed what was inside, the emperor’s face turned pale.

“Do you know who this is, Your Majesty?”

Inside the sack was the mage Zion and Vero had found, blindfolded and with his hands and feet bound.

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