The man spat out coldly, stirring up Chiara's memories.
The hazy energy flowing from the man's black fingers began to forcibly erase her memories. Chiara struggled violently in the scorching pain in her brain.
"Ugh, ugh!"
"There is no need for a dog that disobeys its owner..."
BAM! CRACK!
Before he could finish speaking, a sword flew in.
The man, who couldn't even turn his head, instinctively dodged. Chiara lost consciousness and fell to the ground, and the stone wall where the sword had barely escaped split apart.
"I wondered where the bad smell was coming from..."
Clumps of dust and gravel rose. Heavy footsteps approached beyond the bars. The man turned around, closing his black hood.
"You came to me on your own."
Endymion grumbled with indifferent eyes.
The man with his teeth clenched, under the shadow of his hood, tried to use magic, but was soon caught by a groan and a grip on his shoulder.
"Ugh."
"Get on your knees."
Endymion took out the key and inserted it into the lock. The lock, which was as big as a child's head and had been locked by magic, began to turn with a clank.
The man, who was becoming anxious, tried to use teleportation magic. However, the magic broke every time he tried. In addition, extreme pain surged from the wound on his shoulder that he had received while dodging the sword.
'Magic Blocker!'
A potion that temporarily blocks magical power. It was a rare item that was produced in very small quantities at the Magic Tower.
The effect varies depending on the concentration, and for wizards, it is like a poison that paralyzes the limbs. It seemed that the sword was contaminated with a magic blocker.
The man turned pale and clenched his teeth.
"Confess your sins and ask for mercy."
"Huh!"
The last level of security was being dismantled. The man tried to escape by using magic repeatedly, but the more he tried, the stronger the magic-blocking effect became.
It seemed to be a rather concentrated potion. Neither the magic power within his body nor the magic power of nature responded to his will.
"Of course, I will not give you any mercy."
Endymion drew another sword from his belt and aimed it. He felt the cold blade freeze his skin. His body shrank against the wall of anger.
Clang!
All the locks were released. At the same time, in the blink of an eye, Endymion's sword rushed right in front of his eyes.
Finally, the man closed his eyes tightly. And just before the blade was stabbed into his shoulder, the scroll in his arms was torn and disappeared.
***
The morning dawned.
The coming-of-age ceremony of King Semele and the Queen has come to a close. The final ceremony, a breakfast, was held simply as usual.
Julia ended the breakfast with a final bow with Endymion. Everyone was satisfied with the splendid and successful coming-of-age ceremony and looked forward to meeting again.
With that, the formal ceremony was completely over. Now, one by one, the ambassadors began to leave the Semele palace and begin their journey back home.
Endymion went to the council chamber to negotiate a final trade deal with some of the envoys. Julia returned to the Queen's palace to change out of her heavy robes and rest.
"Your Majesty."
In front of the Queen's Palace reception room, Killian was waiting for her. Julia approached with a gentle smile.
"Brother."
Julia, who had pushed the maids back, stopped gracefully. Then, Killian, whose eyes had been wavering, knelt down.
"...I'm sorry. I'm shameless, but I sincerely apologize."
Julia smiled awkwardly. Killian seemed to have suffered a lot already. His face had become rough, and his eyes had a pained look in them within a day.
"You don't have to apologize that much."
"I didn't mean it. I was foolish and in the moment..."
"Yes. I know."
Julia cut off the confession that was about to get longer. Killian looked up at her with a slightly shocked expression and sad eyes. Julia smiled elegantly and motioned for him to get up.
"I know you must have been scared. I was scared too, but I'm sure you were even more scared than me."
Julia personally helped Killian up, who was frozen as if nailed to the ground. Killian, who had been hanging his head in shame, had no choice but to get up.
"But it shouldn't have been like that. No matter what happened to my body, I had to save the Queen. Until I saw you in such good health today, I regretted and blamed myself countless times, wondering what I would do if the Queen couldn't get up.
"It's already over. Don't worry about it."
Julia shook her head as if she was really okay. However, her attitude seemed to have only made him feel more guilty. The sadness on Killian's face began to grow even deeper.
"I can't tell you how thankful I am that you recovered completely in just one day. However, I am worried that you recovered too quickly. Please take care and be very careful in the future. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Killian seemed to be burdened by the fact that he had not been able to put the ring on her in the garden. His eyes were earnest, as if he wanted to protect her, even if it was late.
'Hmm, it's really okay.'
Boris said he would look after her, and she was fine, with no pain.
'Of course, I did regret that Killian didn't help me at that time. But what can I do? Everyone's life is more precious than others'.
"Furthermore."
Because Endymion had saved her, paradoxically, her disappointment in Killian was not so great. What filled Julia's heart now was not disappointment in her old relationship, but something else.
Her feelings for Endymion, who risked his life for her.
Heartwarming gratitude. Strong trust. Warm and fuzzy affection.
It was such a threatening situation that Julia wondered if she would have been able to step forward without hesitation. but he didn't even hesitate.
That action overturned the very obvious truth that one's life is more precious than others. That's why Julia was actually much more fascinated by Endymion than she realized.
Compared to such deep emotions, her feelings toward Killian were simple. It was just a momentary resentment, and it didn't linger in her heart like a grudge. Because her feelings for Endymion were already so full, there was no room for other emotions to creep in.
"Really, don't take it to heart. I don't know what happened, but I'm really okay, and above all, everything worked out well."
'If you're so sorry, please do better next time', Julia whispered softly, winking.
Then, Killian's gloomy expression finally lifted. When Julia smiled brightly, Killian's stiff face slowly returned to its usual state.
"I understand that a wizard appeared after the Queen collapsed. I was very surprised when I saw him in front of the Queen's Palace yesterday."
“Ah.”
"Are you okay? I couldn't sleep at night because I was worried that maybe he hadn't noticed."
Killian asked worriedly. Not knowing anything about the negotiations with Boris, it made sense.
Julia thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly. Then, Killian looked shocked. Julia opened her mouth and showed the ring neatly placed on her left ring finger.
"It was revealed that I was a wizard."
"... Yes?"
"I was almost forcibly repatriated, but I decided to go to the Magic Tower myself and try to negotiate an agreement, so don't worry. The only people who know my secret are me, His Majesty, and the wizard."
Julia quickly added as Killian's face turned pale. But, of course, Killian was shocked.
"No, Your Majesty! You must never go to the Magic Tower!"
Killian took a step closer and shook his head. His reaction was serious, as if he had witnessed Julia clipping her own wings.
"The Magic Tower is the very embodiment of greed. They do not want to share even a single drop of magic power, so they forcibly control the lives of dozens of magicians. They are ruthless beings who ignore the thoughts of each individual magician and maintain their power through endless brainwashing."
Killian's affectionate face hardened. Julia was surprised by the anger in his voice and tried to calm him down.
"Brother, don't worry too much. Of course, I understand how you feel. But I also have a good reason..."
"No, they are a people who will definitely covet you if they see Your Majesty. Absolutely, absolutely not! If you go to the Magic Tower, you might be locked up for the rest of your life!"
"I didn't know there were guests."
A cold voice was heard. Killian, who had been excited, flinched and came to his senses. Julia looked surprised as she saw Endymion approaching.
"Your Majesty? How is it already?"
"The meeting ended quickly."
Endymion naturally came between the two.
Julia, who had stepped back in surprise, was obscured by Endymion's size. Naturally, Killian was also unable to see her clearly.
'Huh? Why did you have to come here?'
Julia tilted her head. Endymion's back, blocking her as if protecting her, was like a defensive wall.
"I unintentionally showed you a shameful appearance. I apologize to both of you."
Meanwhile, Killian apologized. His voice was so calm and composed that it made you wonder when he had been so excited. Endymion nodded.
"I have no need to apologize, as I am concerned about my Queen."
"...Thank you for your understanding."
"But that's interesting. I didn't know you had such a strong aversion to the Magic Tower."
Julia turned slightly to the side and opened her lips with a look of surprise. Endymion stretched out his arm and spoke.
"Well, not all wizards want to belong to the Magic Tower."
"...!"
Killian flinched and tried to step back. But Endymion squeezed his shoulder hard. Killian wiggled his eyebrows and cautiously opened his mouth.
"Your Majesty, I do not understand what you are saying..."
"If you don't want to belong to the Magic Tower, then be careful not to lose your ring."
Killian's silver eyes widened at Endymion's advice. And almost at the same time, his gaze shifted to Julia. Julia took a step closer with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry. Brother. When His Majesty learned about my abilities and the ring, I told him stories from my childhood..."
The source of the magic ring. As they were talking about how she could hide her status as a wizard, it was a story he couldn't hide.
Killian's face clouded with shock and betrayal. Julia was startled and quickly comforted him.
"Don't worry! There will be no repatriation to the Magic Tower that my brother doesn't want. His Majesty has also promised to keep it a secret."
Julia nodded as if to say, "Isn't that so?" Endymion nodded with a blank expression. Only then did Killian quietly respond.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Don't worry, really. It's a secret that only the three of us know, so it will never get out. I swear it on my name."
Julia, who knew Killian's feelings well, desperately tried to reassure him. Killian nodded slowly and muttered.
"Since Your Majesty trusts His Majesty so much, there will be no problem."
"Sure!"
Julia nodded with a bright face. Then Killian met her gaze and smiled faintly.
"I envy His Majesty."
"Yes?"
"You say I can entrust His Majesty with the secrets of magic even though His Majesty is not a magician. I think His Majesty is an amazing person."
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