SWNOVELXO Chapter 4
Chapter 4: An Unexpected Opportunity (1)
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
The second prince of the empire, Jess, frowned as he read the incident report in his office early in the morning.
The content was, by all standards, impossible to comprehend. Kendrick, the head of the Imperial Mage Corps, wiped the sweat from his forehead as he continued his report.
“The explosion that destroyed the upper levels of the Green Stag Palace—namely the 8th, 7th, and part of the 6th floor—was confirmed to have been caused by a ‘Tempest-level’ fire magic spell, with its power reduced as much as possible.”
“Fire of Tempest? Are you serious right now?”
Jess tossed the report onto the table.
“Was this your doing? Did you blow up the palace?”
“W-what? Absolutely not! How could I even think of committing such a treasonous act in the imperial palace, especially in a prince’s quarters?”
Kendrick shook his head vigorously, horrified. Jess squinted at him, probing further.
“You said it was Tempest magic, right? There’s only one person capable of casting that spell around here: you.”
“I… I’m sorry, Your Highness, but even I am incapable of that. Tempest can only be cast by an Archmage or someone close to that level of mastery.”
“How easily you admit your incompetence.”
The general consensus was that while the Imperial Mage Corps was impressive in numbers, it was lacking in quality.
Jess tapped the table with his fingers, watching the silent head of the corps.
“Summon all the Archmages within the empire’s territories immediately. How many are there?”
“Two, Your Highness. However, there is no guarantee they will answer the summons…”
“If they refuse or try to flee, place an imperial bounty on their heads. I’ll make sure they have nowhere to hide. Use as many anti-magic knights as you need, but bring them here.”
“…Understood.”
The anti-magic knights were an elite force equipped with special Magap designed to neutralize magic. Kendrick, still uneasy, added cautiously.
“Your Highness, based on our investigation, it seems the mage responsible escaped without a trace, likely using flight magic.”
“Flight magic is also an advanced spell reserved for Archmages, isn’t it? So, in the end, the culprit is one of them.”
“Not exactly… Upon further examination, we discovered that the Tempest explosion originated from inside the palace tower, not outside.”
“And that matters because…?”
“That means the attacker was already inside the palace. Since there are no windows above the 5th floor of Green Stag, they must have entered through one of the 4th-floor windows and ascended to the 7th floor where Prince Albert was staying. So…”
“Get to the point.”
“Such proximity would make it nearly impossible for the caster to escape unscathed after unleashing a spell as powerful as Tempest.”
“What?”
“To survive an explosion like that, they would have had to cast a high-level defense spell almost simultaneously. Even then, it’s doubtful they would have emerged unharmed, as Tempest is notoriously relentless in engulfing everything around it, even through advanced elemental barriers.”
“So, they weakened the spell to survive, didn’t they?”
Jess cut him off, frowning deeper.
“Regardless, your assessment only reinforces my belief that an Archmage is responsible. Do you disagree?”
“No, Your Highness…”
What Kendrick had really wanted to say was that even for an Archmage, this would have been a difficult feat to pull off.
But even he knew how pointless such comments were. What could be beyond an Archmage, after all?
Kendrick bowed his head in silence and left Jess’ office. After a moment of contemplation, Jess turned to the knight standing beside him.
“Firen.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Double the number of guards from today onwards. Use the anti-magic knights as well.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
The knight saluted, placing his fist over the three-star insignia engraved on his chest armor. Jess nodded approvingly.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. Having even one knight master should be enough. But one can never be too careful.”
“Your concerns are well-founded. After all, the imperial palace itself was attacked.”
“Indeed. But for them to strike so openly… and of all people, Albert. I can’t figure out what their goal is. Did Albert make enemies without me knowing?”
Two of the empire’s four Archmages had the same “patron” as Jess.
Most likely, one of those two had orchestrated the attack. Since they often acted independently of their patron’s intentions, it was impossible to discern their motives without direct confrontation.
“They’re enemies that I’ll have to eliminate eventually. Firen, what do you think would happen if you fought an Archmage one-on-one?”
“I would win.”
The knight, fully clad in armor that covered even his face, responded without hesitation.
“I am no longer who I once was. Thanks to the grace you bestowed upon me, I’ve been reborn.”
“I didn’t bestow that upon you. My patron did.”
“You were the one who connected us, so it’s the same. No matter what powers they wield, if it’s a one-on-one fight, no one can defeat me.”
“Good. I’ll be counting on you if things go south, at least until I ascend to the throne.”
“The empire is already moving by your hand. Your rise to the throne is inevitable.”
Firen bowed his head deeply. Jess smiled with satisfaction.
“I heard Fennel was with Albert at Green Stag last night?”
“According to the servants, yes. He arrived at the palace about an hour before the explosion.”
“Perhaps this attack wasn’t aimed at Albert but at Fennel instead. That man has his own skeletons in the closet… or maybe they were after both of them. What’s the connection between those two, aside from being useless?”
“Your Highness! Urgent news!”
At that moment, a messenger burst into the room, delivering a report with great haste.
“Urgent news from The Elston County! The county’s defense forces have suffered another defeat against the necromancer’s army. The count requests immediate reinforcements!”
“So they’ve fallen.”
Jess’ lips curled into a faint smile before quickly returning to his usual stoic expression.
“If we delay, the necromancer’s army will only grow larger, right?”
“Correct. The enemy is raising the bodies of fallen soldiers as undead, further swelling their ranks.”
“I see. Organize reinforcements immediately, but first, return to the count and inform him of our intentions.”
“At once!”
The messenger saluted and hurried out. As he left, Firen lowered his voice.
“Count Elston is a noble who deliberately distances himself from the royal family. Perhaps we should use this opportunity to discipline him?”
“That’s not a bad idea. If we delay reinforcements for about a year, he’ll be begging me for help, offering up everything he has.”
“Then why…?”
“Didn’t I say I’m summoning Claude to the palace today?”
“…You plan to finish him off completely.”
A quiet chuckle echoed from Firen’s helmet. Jess smiled and nodded in agreement.
“I’ve enjoyed toying with him long enough. It’s time for the grand finale.”
Thanks to Jess’ long-term schemes, Claude was already infamous as a reckless villain and a disgrace to the empire.
But that wasn’t enough. Jess needed something more—a legendary disgrace that would overshadow everything Claude had done so far.
—
The moment I woke up, I groaned in pain.
“Ugh… ugh… I’m going to die…”
It’s not an exaggeration—I really feel like I’m dying!
Every muscle in my body is sore, my throat is parched, and my temples are pounding with a vicious migraine.
Looks like last night’s activities took a bigger toll than I expected. All I did was fly back and forth for about an hour.
I knew my body was a mess after the regression, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad.
In previous lives, I usually spent the first week, or at least the first few days, detoxing and resting to recover.
But this time, the schedule’s a lot tighter. That’s why I chose magic and divine magic as my marks.
The problem is that my body is still a disaster… So how am I going to get through this immediate physical challenge?
Bless.
I cast a divine spell to temporarily restore my depleted stamina.
Pain Killer.
I followed up with a divine spell to block the pain.
“Ahh…”
Finally, my body began to move, albeit slowly.
Whew, it feels like I’m oiling a rusty old machine.