At the time when King Zed's birthday celebration changed to a nightmare because of the Magic Bomb Terror Incident in the Roan Kingdom…
Something big had happened in the Breck Kingdom as well.
"…You couldn't find traces of Rosalyn?"
"That is the case, your Majesty!"
The king clenched the hand that was holding the throne as the head of the intelligence agency lowered his head with a stiff expression.
Only the king and a few of his vassals were in the meeting room right now. The king did not hide his emotions.
"…How, how could this be?"
Princess Rosalyn had left from the Breck Kingdom and was headed toward the Magic Tower in the Whipper Kingdom.
She contacted the royal family at least once a day. However, that had stopped at some point.
The last thing they got from her was an emergency rescue signal.
"…Roan."
"That is the case, your Majesty."
The coordinates from where they received her last signal was in the Roan Kingdom.
In order to go from the Breck Kingdom to the Whipper Kingdom, going through the Roan Kingdom was the quickest path unless they went through the Empire.
'…Did the Roan Kingdom-?'
The king wondered for a moment if the Roan Kingdom had attacked Rosalyn, but he soon realized it was a useless thought.
'The Roan Kingdom has no reason to mess with a neighboring kingdom. That is a place that seeks peace unless somebody attacks them first.'
He was aware of the nature of the oldest kingdom on the continent. It was a kingdom that lived quietly if nobody attacked them, but it was an extremely disgustingly persistent kingdom that would survive through everything and go after anybody who attacked them.
The Breck Kingdom was extremely aware of this as it was the oldest kingdom after the Roan Kingdom and the Jungle.
'Then what happened?'
No, most importantly…
'Only a few people knew that Rosalyn was headed toward the Whipper Kingdom's Magic Tower.'
There was no way for a foreign kingdom to figure it out when only a few people within the Breck Kingdom knew about it.
'But that doesn't mean that there are no ways for them to figure it out.'
If one of those extremely few people from the inside leaked that information to a foreign kingdom…
'Or if there are no connections to a foreign kingdom…'
Furthermore, the fact that Rosalyn stopped contacting them…
'Someone on the inside is responsible.'
Someone in the Breck Kingdom or maybe some faction in the kingdom must have attacked Rosalyn.
"Your Majesty."
The head of the intelligence agency noticed the king's face darken and cautiously started speaking.
"It is possible that only her magic video communication device was destroyed by a monster or a sudden unexpected situation."
"Do you really mean that?"
"…My apologies, your Majesty."
Unlike the other vassals who were in here, the head of the intelligence agency was decently aware of Rosalyn's abilities. Furthermore, the people who left with Rosalyn were from the kingdom's shadow brigade and were skilled enough to even protect the king.
Those people were taken down by a monster or couldn't contact them because of an unexpected situation?
The chances of that were extremely low.
The king sat on the throne and looked down at his vassals who did not dare to look at him and eventually spoke in a low voice.
"Send an official request for assistance to the Roan Kingdom."
"Your Majesty, that!"
The vassal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urgently responded.
"The entire continent might find out about this if something goes wrong! If that happens, the dignity of the kingdom-"
"Enough!"
Bang!
The king slammed his hand down on the throne.
"Do you think that I would say something like this without knowing that the dignity of the kingdom might fall or that it might open up some other issue with diplomacy?"
A kingdom's most likely candidate for the throne, who was almost at the point of being officially confirmed, had disappeared. They were uncertain as to whether she was alive or dead and the kingdom didn't even know where she was.
The dignity of the kingdom would definitely fall if others found out about this, and if things went wrong, some kingdoms may send forces to find this potential future queen in order to negotiate or threaten the kingdom. It could even lead to even worse diplomatic situations for the kingdom.
However, it had been a long time since they had been unable to contact her.
Any longer…
The king could not leave this fact alone any longer.
"Am I doing this just to find my child?"
The vassal urgently lowered his head after seeing the king's cold gaze. The king looked at the vassals who were his hands and feet and asked.
"Who is Rosalyn?"
The Chief of Staff bowed and responded.
"She is the future of the Breck Kingdom, your Majesty."
"That is correct."
Nobody here spoke up to oppose what the Chief of Staff said.
The king was looking at Rosalyn, not as his daughter, but as the future of the Breck Kingdom.
"This king, the former king, and the former queen before that… No, even if we go up a few more generations… There is no heir to the throne with Rosalyn's level of abilities."
The king was well aware of his own plate. He also knew about the former king, his father, and the queen before him, his grandmother.
The royal family had not had anybody who had an especially talented brain or special ability.
They had all had decent intelligence and average talents.
Of course, they had been sincere people who had worked their hardest to maintain the kingdom well within their limits.
However, they had been unable to raise the Breck Kingdom to an even higher level.
However, Rosalyn…
That child…
"That child is a talented child. I'm certain that she can raise the Breck Kingdom to new heights."
The Rosalyn that the king had observed had shown talent in Disciplines of Kingship and administration, but that child's talents did not stop there.
Military science, tactics… And magic.
The king thought about the areas in which Rosalyn's talents shone bright as well as the Western continent that had maintained peace for too long.
'A long period of peace is bound to bring forth something ominous.'
Of course, it was fine if something ominous like a war did not happen.
In fact, it was even better if those kinds of situations did not appear.
The king felt this way because he knew.
As a father, he knew that Rosalyn was a warm person. That child would be able to add warmth to her wisdom to use it for maintaining the peace even longer.
The king organized his thoughts and opened his mouth.
"Are you all scared of the Breck Kingdom's dignity falling?"
Dignity falling temporarily was nothing.
"I am scared that the future of the Breck Kingdom would disappear."
The king was afraid of the future disappearing.
"Your Majesty."
The head of Administration calmly responded.
"However, the citizens of the kingdom will fall into chaos if they learn that her highness is missing."
"…Mm."
"I believe we need to deeply consider that aspect, your Majesty."
"…Yes, I understand."
The citizens of the Breck Kingdom called Rosalyn the rose of the sun and affectionately praised her talents and beauty.
There was a moment of silence before the king gave his vassals an order.
"One day. We will look for her one more day and look for a new direction if there are no changes."
With that, another meeting without any progress came to an end.
Screeeech.
The king, who had been in his study alone, opened his mouth after hearing the door open.
"I said not to let anybody in-"
"Royal Father."
"…Oh, it's you, John."
First princess Rosalyn's younger brother, first prince John. The king straightened his shoulders and raised his head. But his shoulders slumped a bit again after seeing the concerned look in his child's eyes.
"Are you okay, Royal Father?"
The king weakly smiled at his son's gaze that was full of warmth like his mother's. He then shared a bit of his honest sentiments.
"…It is a bit difficult. But I guess I can't let it show, right?"
"…Royal Father."
If Rosalyn was like the sun, John was like the moon. He was someone who made you feel at peace when he was with you and someone you felt as if you could lean on.
"I'm sorry. I know you must be anxious as well and that I should not be showing this side to you."
"It's okay, Royal Father."
Prince John understood why the king was like this right now.
Maybe he was the only one for his father to lean on right now since his sister Rosalyn was not here. He would usually show this weak side to his mother and seek out her opinion for the typical issues, but he only showed his resolute self in front of her for this issue.
John felt as if he could understand him a bit.
"But, Royal Father."
"Yes? You may speak."
"I have a slightly different thought."
John closed his eyes.
His struggling parents and his anxious younger siblings…
The chief executives who were at a loss for words…
The palace that was falling into chaos as the news about Rosalyn's disappearance slowly spread despite their best efforts to contain it…
His thoughts ended with his sister.
His sister Rosalyn's face.
"Royal Father. I'm certain that my sister is alive and well."
"…John."
"We would have heard something about her in some shape or form by now if something had happened to her."
If it was his sister, his sister Rosalyn…
"No news is good news. You know what sister is like, Royal Father."
It was possible that John was more aware of his older sister's personality than his Royal Father.
That was why John spoke honestly despite it potentially sounding a bit cold.
"Sister's corpse has not been found."
"John, corpse?! How could you use such a word-?!"
"That means that she is alive, Royal Father."
"…John."
"Royal Father. Sister is definitely alive. She is probably looking for it."
A gentle smile appeared on John's face.
He then continued speaking to the king.
"Sister should be looking into the reason or the evil person responsible for putting her in this 'missing' status. And once she finds it…"
He heard about how the citizens of the kingdom called his sister the rose of the sun.
"She will definitely return."
However, John did not agree with that.
"She is that kind of person."
She was fire.
His sister was like fire.
Fire symbolized warmth to some but brought fear to others. She was that kind of person. She was more like the sun itself than the rose of the sun.
"Royal Father. So please don't worry."
"Yes, thank you."
John simply smiled despite noticing that the king seemed to take his words just as hopeful words to console him.
'John. Please take good care of things while I am gone.'
'Please be safe, noonim.'
'Oh come on. Do you really think that something would happen to me?'
John recalled the moment he said goodbye to Rosalyn before she left for the Whipper Kingdom.
'I'm sure there won't be. Of course, it's a different story if we are talking about you causing some issues…'
'…John, you know me so well. It's amazing.'
How could he not know?
He was probably the person who looked at Rosalyn's back the most and followed behind her.
'Noonim.'
That was why John knew what his sister was thinking and what she wanted.
"Huuuuuu."
He let out a deep breath to calm himself. He walked out of the king's study and headed toward his palace as he thought to himself.
'No matter what happened, please come back soon, noonim. Please come back before a seed of doubt inside me sprouts.'
He had shown a look of certainty in front of his Royal Father, but doubt was also roaming around a person's heart, looking for an opening to sprout.
Squeeze.
John pushed down on his chest with his hand before taking out his video communication device.
He was waiting for Rosalyn's call.
That night, the night that the news about the Roan Kingdom's Magic Bomb Terror Incident reached the Breck Kingdom and all of the Western continent…
John stealthily went to visit his mother and father in the middle of the night.
"Royal Father, Royal Mother!"
It was rare to hear John's usually calm voice sound so urgent or excited.
"…John?"
John pulled out a video communication device from his pocket as even the Queen looked at him in shock. The video communication device was already off but it was still warm as if it had been in use until just moments ago.
"Noonim called me!"
"What?"
"R, really?"
John motioned to the Chief of Staff as the king and queen asked in shock. The king quickly snapped back to his senses and sent a signal to someone.
Chhh-
A thorough barrier was created around the area. John grabbed the king and queen's hands as he spoke.
"Noonim called from the Roan Kingdom."
"Did she really?"
"What about her health? Did she seem okay?"
John gently clenched his hands to calm the king and queen who were throwing question after question at him.
"I thought that she looked healthy, Royal Mother. She said that she met a good friend and is in a safe place right now. However…"
'However?'
The king's heart sank at John's last word while the Queen's heart sank at John's now stiff face.
John looked at his parents and calmly continued speaking.
"However, she asked me to keep her status a secret."
"…Why would she…?"
"She also said that she would be here soon. But she is going to travel in secret."
John stopped talking for a moment before continuing.
"She also asked if the Archduke was doing fine."
The king and the queen looked at John's eyes at that moment.
They realized the emotions behind each other's gazes.
Quietly…
Extremely stealthily…
The king's guards left the palace and started moving.
This was the first time something like this had happened since the current king became king.
Clunk.
The carriage gently rocked. The impact was faint, probably because this was a highest-grade carriage.
"Rosalyn."
"Hmm?"
Rosalyn looked up from the document toward the person seated across from her. Choi Han was looking at the dark night sky as he spoke.
"I agreed to come because you said you needed help. But I haven't heard any details about our plan."
"Mm. I guess that's true."
Rosalyn nodded her head and smiled after noticing Lock timidly looking at her.
Choi Han and Lock.
She was thankful that the two of them agreed to go with her to the Breck Kingdom without any hesitation.
"Mm."
Rosalyn organized her thoughts and resumed speaking.
"First, the Breck Kingdom has one Archduke's household. It was given the title about 200 years ago. We're going to destroy it."
And…
"I'm also going to abdicate my position as princess."
"Gasp."
Lock covered his mouth with both hands.
"Haaaaa."
Choi Han sighed deeply before speaking.
"I'm pretty sure the vague plan you gave before is exactly what you just told us?"
"That's it."
Rosalyn responded refreshingly and Choi Han looked at her for a bit before nodding his head.
"I see."
"That's right."
Lock watched the calm Choi Han and the smiling Rosalyn and quietly lowered his head. He then nodded his head as well after a bit.
'I see. Mm… I guess that's it if hyung and noona says it is.'
Lock decided not to think deeply about it. He looked down at his hands instead.
'I need to get stronger.'
He thought about someone. He fixed his thoughts while recalling that person's back.
'No. It's not getting stronger.'
That person did not seem strong at all. He did not have some exceptional powers.
But looking at that person's back oddly made his anxiety disappear.
'I need to become like that too.'
He needed to do that so that somebody, such as his young siblings, could look at his back and have the same thoughts.
Lock closed his eyes as he firmed his resolve. Although he didn't know what was going to happen in the Breck Kingdom, he knew that it would go well because he was with his hyung and noona.
Furthermore, it should help him grow stronger as well.
The Breck Kingdom had many secret passages for potential emergency situations.
One of those secret passages was in an isolated house in a part of the forest that doesn't get much traffic.
The door to the basement of that house opened.
"…Noonim."
"John, long time no see."
John stopped walking out of the basement for a moment to look at Rosalyn.
'She really is alive.'
John's heart was finally at peace. He had trusted that she was alive, but it was different from being able to confirm his sister's health with his own eyes. However, his face did not show that relief.
'Who is it?'
The kitchen was connected to the basement.
There was a four person dining table in the kitchen. Rosalyn was sitting down at the table, pointing to the seat across from her for John.
And behind her…
"H, hello."
There was a feeble but quite tall guy. The face that was visible thanks to the magic light on top of the dining table and the voice he heard let John know that this guy was a young boy.
'Mm.'
However, there was someone who was more eye-catching than that young boy.
It was the person who was seated on the kitchen window ledge looking outside. He bowed his head when he and John made eye contact.
He then looked outside again.
'…Something is odd.'
This person seemed a bit older than the other tall young boy, but he also seemed too young to be called a young man. However, the person's expression that was visible thanks to the moonlight shining into the window was bleak, unlike his oddly innocent-looking face.
Was it because John kept looking at him?
"My name is Choi Han."
"Ah, I see."
The person introduced himself as Choi Han.
"And this is Lock. They are both my important friends."
"Ah. Hello, Prince John."
Rosalyn introduced Lock and Lock awkwardly greeted John with the Breck Kingdom's style of respectful greeting.
John finally smiled and sat across from his sister.
"Please sit down as well, Lock-nim."
Lock rapidly waved his hand as John pointed to an empty seat.
"Ah, I am okay, your highness! And t, there is no need to be so respectful to me."
"That is not true, Lock-nim. You are my noonim's friend."
"…Thank you very much."
Lock shyly smiled before moving to Choi Han's side.
John watched him with a smile on his face before turning his head to look at Rosalyn. This was his sister, whose red hair was even more splendid than the light from this magic light.
"Noonim. Was it the Archduke?"
"Yeah."
A twisted smile appeared on Rosalyn's face.
"…The Archduke did something quite daring."
The House of Richardson, the only Archduke's household in the Breck Kingdom.
That house's history could be traced back about 200 years. The king at the time had two children. The second child, who had shown special talent, was made king while the first child was given the title of Archduke Richardson.
It was said that the first child accepted that situation at the time, however, the situation changed as the generations passed.
The current Archduke's House of Richardson was the leader of the noble faction and was always in political conflict with the king.
"Noonim, it seems as if the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs leaked your travel path to the Archduke."
"Really? Royal Father must have been disappointed."
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was one of the king's close confidants.
Rosalyn looked down at the table that was lit by the magic light and opened her mouth.
"The current Archduke must really desire the king's position. However, it is not a position he could get because I die."
"He must trust his child and the future."
Rosalyn looked at John. John looked at the magic light as he continued to speak.
"The Archduke's first child is said to be a genius who is only second to you, Noonim, at least when it comes to administration and finance. Because of that-"
Rosalyn finished the sentence as John could not do so.
"Because of that, if nobody knows that it was the Archduke who was responsible for my death in a foreign kingdom… Even if the current Archduke cannot become king, his son or maybe his son's descendants could achieve that dream?"
"That's right."
The Archduke must have determined that it would be much more difficult to find an opening to take the throne if Rosalyn became Queen.
He must have done this because he believed that if Rosalyn was not there, then there were only average candidates for the throne, making a better future possible.
"However, the Archduke failed because he wasn't fully aware of your magic abilities. He's probably extremely anxious right now."
"The Archduke is probably uncertain as to whether I am dead or alive."
John looked at Rosalyn's eyes after hearing her cold voice.
"…The people who were with me either died or were seriously injured."
"Mm."
Lock groaned but John only looked at Rosalyn.
'Noonim, she…'
His sister was angry right now.
She was also sad.
"One of the people who were with me was a traitor."
"…Was it the diplomat?"
"John, you truly are smart."
"Not at all."
John knew that he was not smart.
However, he simply guessed that someone from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be the traitor since the head of that ministry was serving the Archduke.
There were only a few people accompanying Rosalyn to the Whipper Kingdom. The king's shadows, a diplomat, an attendant, and a few knights were with her so that they could move stealthily and efficiently.
Naturally, Rosalyn and the king felt that they were all confidants they could trust.
"A paralyzing poison was put into my food and the food of some of the shadows. It wasn't too strong, but we were unable to properly react to the sudden attack."
Rosalyn recalled the moment when she was attacked.
She had recalled this memory tens, no, hundreds of times.
Hundreds of people suddenly surrounded their carriage and group. Then the attack started.
Rosalyn thought about the people who protected her until the end.
"All of the bastards the Archduke sent are dead."
She did not leave even one bastard alive. The few who started running away to inform the Archduke about Rosalyn's magic abilities all died as well.
It had been a dark night. Rosalyn, who was thinking about that time when she thoroughly searched through the forest, opened her mouth.
"The Archduke's household broke the fundamental rule."
John thought about the ironclad rule that had been in place since the birth of the Archduke's household.
"The Archduke's household…"
The royal family could deny the existence of the Archduke's household if they broke this rule.
The Archduke's household…
"Is not allowed to have troops."
The king from 200 years ago prohibited the Archduke's household from having troops because he was worried that it might hinder or threaten the second child. Surprisingly, it was the older son who asked for that first.
The Archduke's household was a good partner and rival to the royal family at that time. The Archduke gathered the opinions of the nobles and scholars to make suggestions or confront the royal family in politics and administration.
That was why the Breck Kingdom was able to be maintained so well until now. However, that confrontation slowly changed.
Rosalyn calmly commented.
"The Archduke's household broke the fundamental rule."
John recalled what the king had said.
'There was a reason the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't want us to reveal that Rosalyn was missing. The Archduke's side wanted to find Rosalyn first. They wanted to find her first and-!'
He couldn't finish the sentence as he couldn't forget the wrath on the king's face nor the queen's pale face.
"John. I'm going to take down the Archduke's household."
"…Noonim."
John called out to Rosalyn in a low voice after hearing what he thought she might say. However, Rosalyn's gaze was that of someone who had made up their mind.
"There will be internal conflict in the Breck Kingdom if we leave the Archduke's household as is. But this is not the time to let something like that happen."
The plaza in the Roan Kingdom's capital… The attack and Magic Bomb Terror Incident that happened in the middle of the day…
The enemy behind it was an unknown being.
'The peace was long.'
Rosalyn thought that the peace on the Western continent had been too long and that battles might happen to go against this peace.
Actually, she was almost certain about it.
'An internal conflict in such a situation would only be cutting away at the kingdom's lifeline.'
Rosalyn wanted to protect her kingdom, her home.
'But I am lacking when it comes to doing that.'
There was something she wanted to do, something she treasured as much as the kingdom.
"My friends and I will soon deal with the Archduke's house."
"Noonim, the nobles will riot if you do that."
John thought that Rosalyn would have proof that the Archduke was responsible for the attack.
However, even the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in the Archduke's hands. The noble faction followed the Archduke.
Taking care of the Archduke's household quickly without even talking to the nobles about it in such a situation was likely to cause the noble faction to riot in some form or fashion.
And that riot…
"Noonim, you know how it would be. If the nobles riot-"
"My position might be in danger? You're trying to say that they might make me their enemy because they can't turn the royal family into their enemy?"
"…That's right."
"It doesn't matter."
Rosalyn looked at John.
"I'm not going to become Queen."
"Noonim!"
John jumped up from the chair.
Rosalyn gently smiled.
"John. I love this kingdom. I love this land and its citizens. They are important to me. I treasure them."
She closed her eyes.
She recalled the sight of the capital as she looked down from the highest spot in the palace.
"However."
'Yes, even while looking at the sight, I…'
"It is not my dream."
'I want to do magic that will let me fly in the sky.'
"Can you understand the difference?"
John looked into Rosalyn's eyes before sitting back down. He then sighed as he responded.
"Of course I do."
John spoke freely to his sister as he used to do when he was younger.
"…I understand it very well."
During that time in the past when Rosalyn was thinking about doing magic that would let her fly in the sky, John had been next to her taking in the view of the Breck Kingdom from the capital to the horizon. He couldn't forget the sight of the yellow wheat from the good harvest and the citizens working on the farms in the distance.
"John, your dream is the kingdom, right?"
"…."
Rosalyn knew about her brother's dream.
While she finished everything she needed to learn as a member of the royal family and studied magic deep into the night… The light in the study in John's Palace was always lit.
"John. You are most like me among all of our siblings."
"Because I too only look toward my dreams as I live."
"Yeah."
The two of them were silent for a moment.
Lock was observing Rosalyn, who seemed oddly different from her usual self, before turning away. Choi Han was looking out the window with an odd smile on his face.
"I will somehow convince Royal Father and Royal Mother."
"…Huuuuuu."
John let out a short sigh at Rosalyn's comment. Rosalyn smiled before continuing to speak.
"First, I'm going to be very loud while taking care of the Archduke's household. It won't take very long."
She was planning on making it such a big deal that the whole kingdom would be talking about it.
"While I do that, John, you-"
"Take care of the palace?"
"Yes, that's right."
Rosalyn couldn't hide her pleasure at John who understood what she wanted right away. John looked away after seeing Rosalyn's gaze and added on.
"I'm not going to get rid of everybody who followed the Archduke. I will only capture the ones who lied to the royal family and tried to trick us; the ones who show potential signs of causing internal conflict."
"You already have a list?"
"I don't have an accurate list yet. It looks like you'll have to help me a bit."
"Okay. Let's do it together."
Rosalyn extended her hand and John grabbed it.
Rosalyn looked at how the hands that had been smaller than hers had now grown larger. Her young brother's hands had so many scars.
John had gone to the border military training a few years ago and she heard that he was still dutiful to his sword arts training.
"You have to become the next king."
"…Haaa."
Rosalyn chuckled while watching John sigh.
She knew that although her brother was sighing like this, he would be better than anybody at being king.
People said that she had a lot of talents.
She did not deny that.
She thankfully had quite a lot of talent.
However, she could not agree with them saying that she should take the throne and not her brother.
Rosalyn could not forget how, when they were looking out the window at a high spot in the palace, her brother's eyes had sparkled not because he was looking at the sky, but because he was looking at the Breck Kingdom.
He looked as if he was shining.
"I will take care of the Archduke's household and denounce my position as a candidate for the throne. They shouldn't say much about it if I leave the kingdom right after that. People will make their own judgments if I leave as quietly and quickly as possible.
"Noona, that's not good."
"Why not?"
Rosalyn could feel her brother's hands tighten around hers.
"Noona, you have to denounce it while looking cool."
"…"
"Something dishonorable doesn't suit you."
Rosalyn casually responded.
"Then it might put your position in peril. People might keep looking for me."
A smile appeared on John's face.
Rosalyn truly felt as if her younger brother had grown up.
"Noona."
John continued in a low voice.
"Things like that are for me to take care of as well. Knowing that I have a sister I can be proud of is enough to give me strength."
Rosalyn clenched her eyes shut.
'This kingdom, this land, the citizens, and my family…
I really love them.'
"…It really is right for you to become king."
Rosalyn opened her eyes again and they were sparkling brightly as if a weight had been lifted off of them.
However, those eyes soon sank down with an odd glow.
It was the moment John asked this question.
"Noona, but, mm, is it okay for just the three of you to go to the Archduke? You don't need any of the Royal Knights? We also have the Royal Mage-nim."
"Mm."
Rosalyn seemed to debate for a bit before looking toward her friends and responding.
"I think we should be enough. Isn't that right?"
"Huh? T, that-"
Lock hesitated while Choi Han stood up and calmly responded.
"It is."
That was Choi Han's answer after already having visited the Archduke's Estate earlier in the day.
"This is crazy…!"
"I can't deny that. But who do you think is the crazy one?"
The person peeking out the window stopped talking for a moment after hearing his friend's comment. His friend continued to speak.
"Is it the Archduke who messed with a throne candidate who was traveling to another kingdom? Or is it Princess Rosalyn who said that the Archduke's family name will disappear from the list of nobles if they do not seal their doors for 500 years?"
"…Seriously, why the hell did something like this happen in the Breck Kingdom?!"
The man and the woman… The two reporters were in a residence near the Archduke's Estate looking out the window to see what was going on.
"Princess Rosalyn is amazing. I heard she sent the message to the Archduke's Estate regarding sealing its door yesterday evening?"
"It was more of a declaration of war than a message."
"…And the royal family?"
"They're calm."
The palace was completely silent.
However, all sorts of things were being said throughout the Breck Kingdom starting from the capital.
Most people were not even aware of Princess Rosalyn being missing.
That was why all sorts of theories were being created about her mysterious disappearance and the Archduke who attacked her.
"…The Archduke's household gathered troops? The proof the princess brought with her was thorough. The Archduke's seal was on the document ordering the troops to attack the princess."
"It's a clear violation of the fundamental rule."
The missing Rosalyn suddenly appeared in the kingdom and attacked the Archduke's Estate while revealing the fact that the Archduke had gathered troops.
Anybody who had even the slightest interest in the royal family knew that the Archduke's household was not allowed to gather troops.
"The nobles are quiet as well, right?"
"Who knows? The royal family and the nobles both look quiet on the outside but I'm sure it is quite vicious there right now."
"…There might be a huge political strife between the throne faction and the noble faction if something goes wrong."
"It'd be a blessing if it ended in just political strife."
One of the reporters could not hide their anxiety.
There was only one reason for it.
"It might go beyond political strife to a bloody battle. If that happens, the peace in the Breck Kingdom will break."
"…Groan."
It was at that moment.
Screeeech-
The large iron gate that blocked the entrance to the Archduke's Estate slowly opened.
Clack, clack, clack.
They could hear the sound of hooves getting louder.
"Son of a."
"…Looks like there is no going back now."
A Knights Brigade arrived in front of the wide open gate. They were all riding horses and gave off a vicious aura that showed that they had not only been training for a day or two.
They could see soldiers behind the Knights Brigade as well. They too looked as if they had been trained for a long time.
"…I'm sure that is not all of the troops that the Archduke has been hiding, right?"
"Of course not."
The woman looked at the clock.
"It's soon. Princess Rosalyn will be here soon."
"Will she come with the Royal Knights Brigade? But there was no news about the Knights Brigade leaving the palace!"
"I don't know. I'm sure she'll do some-!"
The reporter who was speaking could not finish the sentence and could only blankly look at something with his jaws dropped.
The path to the Archduke's household.
There were some people walking toward it from a distance.
"W, what is that?"
Just three people.
The knight couldn't take his eyes off of the person in front of the trio.
"…T, that is the princess, right?"
His friend did not respond.
She was also looking at one place with shock.
It was red.
The sky was grey and cloudy as if the spring rain would soon come. It was a day when the freshness of spring was not visible at all.
People were mumbling about how the weather was fitting for a day with a vicious incident.
Through the grey sky and the similarly drab colors of the city…
A red fog was rising up.
No, it was heading toward the Archduke's Estate.
"…That's mana, right?"
"…Yeah…"
It looked like a fire burning up.
Not only was Rosalyn's red mana wrapped around her body, she was releasing it all around her as she leisurely headed toward the Archduke's Estate.
She then looked around with a smile on her face.
'There are quite a lot of hidden spectators.'
She peeked at her wrist. There was a bracelet on it.
'Take it.'
'Royal Father, doesn't this belong to the Royal Mage?'
'He said for you to have it.'
It was a bracelet made of middle-grade magic stones.
'Rosalyn.'
'Yes, Royal Father?'
'If you're going to go down that path anyway, it is okay if you do not become the best. I just hope you grow enough to achieve your dreams.'
'But Rosalyn, your health must be your top priority. Do you understand?'
'Thank you very much, Royal Father. Royal Mother.'
Rosalyn's mother was touching Rosalyn's clothes and asked a question.
'By the way, do you have a place to stay?'
'Yes, Royal Mother. I do.'
She spoke to the concerned Queen and King.
'I have great friends. I have a lot to learn from them in many ways.'
Of course, she also had non-human friends, such as the Dragon who was her friend in magic.
Rosalyn thought about her parents who had finally smiled in relief after hearing that comment before stopping in front of the gates of the Archduke's Estate.
Clack.
The Knights Brigade split down the middle and a person appeared.
It was a man who seemed to be similar in age to the king.
It was the Archduke.
"Your magic abilities are much greater than I imagined. You are quite the skilled mage."
Rosalyn lightly responded back.
"That's why I didn't die."
"Pffft." The Archduke chuckled but the mood of the Knights Brigade behind him sank even lower.
Rosalyn looked at the Knights Brigade, the soldiers, and the Estate before commenting.
"It looks like you have no plans on sealing your doors."
The Archduke shook his head.
"Seal our doors for five hundred years? Isn't that basically telling us to be destroyed?"
"I won't deny that."
"However."
One corner of the Archduke's lips curled up.
"What are you planning on doing with just three people? Will the Royal Knights Brigade be here soon?"
"The Royal Knights Brigade has things to do."
Rosalyn and the Archduke's conversation was not heavy and continued peacefully. However, the Knights Brigade still had their hands on their scabbards and Rosalyn released even more red mana than before and did not decrease it.
"I wonder what the Royal Knights Brigade has to do."
"I'm pretty sure you have an idea?"
"Who knows?"
The Royal Knights Brigade was probably moving to find the nobles who plotted with the Archduke, find the Archduke's hidden troops, or take them down after having found them.
"Then princess, you plan on destroying my family with just the three of you?"
Rosalyn put on a smile instead of responding.
The Archduke smiled as well.
"How arrogant. No matter how skilled you are as a mage, my troops are not chumps who were gathered overnight. It looks like you made some friends while moving alone in a foreign kingdom, but playing house is very different from the realities of battle."
"…My goodness."
'My goodness, he talks so much.'
Rosalyn simply raised a hand instead of saying the rest of that sentence.
As the Knights Brigade flinched and tensed up thinking that she was about to cast a spell…
Choi Han walked up next to Rosalyn.
Clang.
He pulled out his sword.
Black aura appeared at the tip of his sword.
"… Sword master!"
The Archduke frowned once someone was unable to hold back and shouted.
The Knights' faces stiffened.
"Mm."
Lock hesitated a bit before slowly moving to Rosalyn's other side.
Rosalyn stretched her hand toward the sky at that moment. Red mana shot out of her fingertips and headed toward the ash-like sky.
It looked as if a small sun was rising.
However, it was not the sun.
Shaaaaaaaaaa-
A breeze blew by them.
The red mana gathered together and Rosalyn smiled.
The Archduke retreated back while motioning to the Knights Brigade.
"Get them!"
The Knights Brigade started moving.
Rosalyn looked at the red mana floating in the sky for a moment.
My country.
My kingdom.
Princess Rosalyn would withdraw from this land starting today.
'Royal Father. Here's the thing…'
She recalled what the king had said to her.
He said that he wanted her to grow enough to achieve her dreams.
But her dreams were quite vast.
'I want to become the greatest mage.'
She wanted to be a mage who was not lacking even when up against a Dragon.
Although Princess Rosalyn of the Breck Kingdom would disappear starting today, Rosalyn, the mage from the Breck Kingdom was just getting started.
"Rosalyn."
"Noona."
Choi Han and Lock. Her friends were calling her.
Rosalyn thought about how she was simply mage Rosalyn to them and opened her mouth.
"Let's go."
The red mana shot forward toward the Archduke's Estate, a power that was beyond human limits destroyed the Archduke's Estate and a black aura swept through the Archduke's Estate.
At the end, the Archduke's family was no longer a noble family and the people who followed the Archduke and delivered information about the Breck Kingdom to them either silently lost their positions or titles.
"Let's go back. Lock, you come too."
"Okay, hyung."
"…Yes, let's go back."
Rosalyn then left the Breck Kingdom for her new home.
However, she would return to the Breck Kingdom in a little bit.
She would come back to help the Breck Kingdom from the war that would spread throughout the Western continent.
Of course, she was a mage when she returned to her hometown for the first time in a while. It would be just like the dream she had in the corner of her heart since she was a young girl.