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[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 218
The Blue Tower Master.
Emperadion Sazaris.
Sharin's mother’s former lover—and a man who doesn't remember the woman who bore his child.
One couldn’t help but be awestruck by his extraordinary achievements.
To be fair, it's not entirely incomprehensible.
He slept with every woman who showed potential for magic, solely to give birth to a child who could inherit his talents.
There was not a shred of love involved.
Only the act of conception.
That’s why he didn’t remember Sharin’s mother.
Things he deemed unnecessary weren’t worth storing in his mind.
“She’s my mother.”
Sharin spoke up.
The Blue Tower Master raised an eyebrow and looked at the woman.
“I heard she was dead.”
“I don’t know either. That’s why I brought her here—to find out.”
The conversation was cold and impersonal—hardly fitting for a parent and child.
“Ah… Uh… Uhh…”
Then, Sharin’s mother reacted at the sight of the Blue Tower Master.
Her eyes widened, and she suddenly ran toward him.
“Em... Emperadion! Emperadion!”
She clutched at his pants leg, sobbing his name.
The Blue Tower Master looked down at her without showing any particular emotion.
“I’ll have to investigate.”
All he thought was that he needed to find out how she had come back to life.
Sharin watched quietly.
To a woman who’d had nothing in her eyes until now, the Blue Tower Master—her only chance at elevating her status—was someone she remembered vividly.
So much so that the lifelessness in her gaze slowly began to fade.
If she stayed in the Blue Tower, it seemed she might regain her senses soon.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
Sharin pressed on, clearly uninterested in witnessing more of her mother’s display.
“Hardin.”
At his call, a mage quickly stepped forward.
“Yes, sir?”
“She’s Sharin’s mother. Take care of her.”
“Sh-Sharin’s mother?”
The mage widened his eyes at the woman, then carefully assisted her without asking questions.
That’s what made him a capable servant.
Once she was taken away, the Blue Tower Master gave her no further thought and walked on.
Sharin lingered her gaze briefly, then followed him.
The place he led us to was his private room.
Though neatly organized, his desk was piled with documents.
He picked up one file and handed it to us.
“It’ll be easier to understand if you read it yourself.”
Sharin took it, and I leaned in to see.
Then she pulled me onto her lap, settling me there on the chair.
“This way it’s easier to read, right?”
Even in front of the Blue Tower Master, she showed no hesitation with physical affection.
I glanced at him, but he showed no visible reaction—though a peculiar expression did flicker across his face, as if remembering something I had said before.
I turned away from him and looked at the file.
Gradually, my expression began to harden.
“…There’s been movement among the ancient dragons?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, Lord Duke of Whitewood is quite busy these days.”
I stared in disbelief at the Blue Tower Master’s response.
The ancient dragons, though dangerous, had always kept to themselves.
Why were they moving now?
Each of them was a national-level threat.
The consequences of their movement were unimaginable.
I was reminded of the time when the earth dragon had stirred during the Vulcan War.
“Blue Tower Master, could it be that the reason they’re moving is…”
“Probably something similar to that earth dragon case.”
As I suspected, he had come to the same conclusion.
Someone was deliberately stirring the dragons.
Then who?
Celestial Grace.
It came to mind that he could be using remnants of the Mystic Order to move the dragons.
But why?
I frowned.
If he had a reason, it was likely to keep Duke of Whitewood occupied.
Duke of Whitewood had become highly active recently.
And I was the cause of that.
After witnessing threats to the world firsthand through me—starting with the Mystic Order—she had been working tirelessly.
To Celestial Grace, Duke of Whitewood must have been a threat.
So he stirred the dragons to force her attention outward.
Then what was Celestial Grace trying to do while Duke of Whitewood was distracted?
There were rumors circulating among the nobility.
‘A power that brings people back to life.’
Just like Sharin’s mother was resurrected—this power was clearly tied to mystical forces.
Celestial Grace likely moved the dragons to keep Duke of Whitewood from interfering with that.
Moreover, he had some kind of objective to fulfill through all this.
‘Political domination?’
Offering to resurrect someone’s beloved dead is an irresistible temptation.
Surely there were nobles who had lost loved ones.
He might be using this to draw them into the First Prince’s faction.
No, that can’t be right.
We’re dealing with Celestial Grace—we have to think differently.
There were people who had lost loved ones, yes.
But that’s still a minority.
People who value the present don’t dwell on the dead.
Some might even take offense at the idea of bringing the dead back to life.
The nobles near the First Prince are mostly present-focused.
The First Prince himself is that way, so naturally those around him would be, too.
Birds of a feather flock together.
So even if offered the return of a lost loved one, they’d likely refuse.
But—
What if their most precious person in the present were taken away?
Kidnapping takes time, resources, and carries risk.
But assassination is different.
Even if the culprit is caught, they still succeed in taking that precious person.
Then, to the one left behind, a whisper follows:
‘I have the power to bring them back.’
‘If you want them returned, remember what you must do.’
Someone drowning in the immediate grief of losing their most beloved person—could they really resist such a proposal?
Unless they’re emotionally numb like me, it’s impossible.
‘Besides, assassins can be found anywhere.’
There are even those who beg to trade their own life to save someone they cherish.
This tendency is even stronger when it comes to relationships between parents and children.
If the condition is to kill someone in exchange for saving a loved one, there will always be someone willing to step forward.
Some might call this a pessimistic way of thinking.
But the opponent is Celestial Grace.
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[Translator - Night]
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If it’s Celestial Grace, he’s more than capable of doing worse than what I imagined, not less.
‘I need to call Duke of Whitewood.’
As I am now, I can’t do anything to Celestial Grace.
He holds half the Empire in his grasp.
If I strike too hastily, I’ll just be branded a traitor.
‘And I only have circumstantial evidence linking him to the Demon Sovereign.’
Celestial Grace hasn’t left even a trace of his connection with the Demon Sovereign.
Even if I push forward with suspicion alone, all I’ll accomplish is causing a commotion and provoking him to rebel with his loyal followers.
And more than anything, there are dangerous individuals under his command.
The Echoes of Heaven — a monstrous group secretly raised by Celestial Grace.
They were opponents that only the final, completed hero party could face in the ultimate scenario.
‘I’m lacking.’
At my current level, only Sharin could go toe-to-toe with the Echoes of Heaven.
She’s already a completed mage.
But even for her, it’s questionable whether she could actually land a spell.
Her firepower is complete, but landing a hit is a whole different story.
‘And it’s my job to create that opportunity.’
That’s why to check Celestial Grace, I absolutely need the strength of Duke of Whitewood and the First Prince.
Once I pass on the message to the First Prince, I’ll have to go find Duke of Whitewood right away.
‘But even if I do find Duke of Whitewood…’
If I don’t deal with the ancient dragon, I’ll just bring about another threat from another world.
“Is this why you called meee?”
“You engraved the Flame Dragon’s magic into him, right, Sharin?”
Sharin tightly pressed her lips together.
The magic of the ancient dragon is forbidden.
The moment she engraved that magic into me, she too had crossed the line of taboo.
“Do you know why Zerion was called the Celestial Dragon and was the most feared of all?”
The Blue Tower Master asked as he turned his gaze to me.
And I finally realized why he had called Sharin.
Given the situation, he probably also predicted I would follow if she was summoned.
“Because the Celestial Dragon’s magic was the only one that worked against other ancient dragons.”
Ancient dragons had absurdly powerful bodies immune to all magic.
But the magic Zerion created — the Celestial Dragon’s Magic — was different.
It was the only magic capable of killing an ancient dragon.
In the past, when ancient dragons rampaged across the world,
Zerion personally punished them and instilled a deep-rooted fear.
So they’d never again think to invade the human realm.
But as time passed, Zerion became nothing more than a distant memory for the ancient dragons.
They still retained some instinctive fear, but in reality, they could rise again at any time and threaten humanity.
‘But with my current magic, it’s impossible.’
Zerion was on a completely different level.
What I wield as Celestial Dragon Magic pales in comparison to his sheer power.
At best, it might remind the ancient dragons of unpleasant memories — but it wouldn’t make them consider me a threat.
“That’s why I called you and Sharin.”
The Blue Tower Master brought out another set of documents.
Again, he handed them to Sharin.
The documents were filled with complex writing.
All I could tell was that it was some kind of magical formula.
It was beyond my understanding.
But not for Sharin.
At first, she read it with disinterest, but slowly began to lean in.
She would’ve fallen over if I hadn’t held her — that’s how focused she became.
After reading everything, she frowned and raised her head.
“Father, are you out of your mind? I’m not letting my husband dieee.”
He wants me dead.
Hearing that, I demanded an explanation from the two of them.
Sharin slammed the documents on the table and spoke.
“This is a high-output lightning spell formula far beyond the Divine Lightning my husband uses. It’s on par with celestial-tier magic!”
On par with celestial-tier magic?
What kind of magic did they make?
“The natural lightning wielded by the goddess has a clear limit. Especially the lightning that strikes the ground — its power has to be reduced.”
The Blue Tower Master continued his explanation.
“In reality, Zerion’s Celestial Dragon Magic likely didn’t consist of ordinary lightning.
He surely supplemented it with celestial-tier magic.”
“If you do this, my husband will burn to a crisp. Even the current lightning spell is pushing it.”
Sharin firmly opposed him.
But the Blue Tower Master's blue eyes gleamed as he looked at her.
“No, it’s possible. If you and I work together to engrave the spell and create a vessel that can contain the lightning, it’s not impossible.”
Sharin’s eyes narrowed sharply.
The Blue Tower Master spoke as if this was the only choice, for the sake of stopping the ancient dragons.
But in truth, it was different.
All he wanted was for Zerion’s Celestial Dragon Magic to be perfected.
“You’re spouting nonse—”
“Let’s do it.”
Just as Sharin was about to object, I answered in her place.
She turned to me, eyes wide.
But I couldn’t reject the offer either.
“On one condition: Sharin must oversee everything.”
“Honeyyy!”
“Sharin, the ancient dragon’s rampage is too dangerous.”
I gently held her arms to calm her.
“And the imperial court is in turmoil. No one knows what might happen next.”
I must become stronger.
The sixth act is approaching fast.
In that sixth act, I must defeat the nightmares conjured by Celestial Grace and the Demon Sovereign.
Perfecting the Celestial Dragon Magic is also a path toward that goal.
“…This won’t be easyyy. The more precisely we refine the dragon’s magic, the higher the risk of a backlash from the dragon’s remnants.”
“I’ve got a genius mage by my side, don’t I?”
As I smiled softly, Sharin stared at me intently.
Then, with a long sigh, she turned to the Blue Tower Master.
“Since my husband insists, fine. But if he’s in danger, I’ll stop everything right awayyy.”
“As you should.”
The Blue Tower Master responded indifferently.
He didn’t care about the risks — he only wanted to see the Celestial Dragon Magic perfected.
A truly single-minded man.
“Before that, I must visit the imperial palace. I need an audience with the First Prince.”
“I’ll arrange it for you.”
Thank goodness.
On my own, I wouldn’t have had the authority to meet him.
Sharin looked at me with dissatisfaction, so I soothed her by patting her head.
She really does act like a grumbling fox.
The plan to deal with the ancient dragon is set.
What remains is an audience with the First Prince—
And finding out why Iris hasn’t made contact.
Those two tasks are next.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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