Crazy Like a Fox

Chapter 7

A sharp blade came slicing down.

Until the very last, Lisbelle’s bloodshot eyes had remained fixed on the golden light, which had enveloped her upper body before she realized what was happening.

Boom!

In the next moment, a deafening roar—a sound quite different from of a slender neck being pierced—echoed throughout the hall.

Lisbelle couldn’t fully comprehend what had just happened to her. All she knew was that something very thin, yet solid had surrounded her body like a shield, erupting forcefully from behind her. The pure and radiant golden light enveloped her body, curled in on itself as it was.

In her final moments of consciousness, Lisbelle glimpsed Jekyll’s contorted face, Rodges bursting through the dining room doors, and the giant chandelier on the ceiling swayed ominously. Then the golden light filled her vision completely, and Lisbelle lost consciousness.

* * *

At that moment, a crimson flag fluttered near the western border of Valdimar.

Crimson was the color symbolizing the Western Rattaeh Empire. Beneath this flag stood the delegation from the great Rattaeh Empire in the western part of the continent. The delegation was scheduled to enter Valdimar’s royal castle ten days later, according to the official schedule, but they had crossed the border earlier than anticipated to inspect Valdimar.

Valdimar was a kingdom with many problems. Originally a kingdom with a strong belligerent nature, it had become even worse since the year Lucife Valdimar ascended to the throne. It frequently clashed with neighboring countries to the point where the term “powder keg of the continent” became perfectly fitting. That was why western Rattaeh sent a supervisory delegation to Valdimar once a decade.

This is really annoying, the man thought indifferently.

The emperor suspected that something was going on with the Valdimar royal family, so the man had no choice but to be included in the delegation. Normally, he would have refused such an annoying task, but this time, a strange intuition had driven him, and it turned out to be spot-on. Sensing the unusual energy in the air, the man glanced back to see Duke Narnak, head of the delegation, was issuing orders.

“We’ll take a short break here and move again after nightfall. Getting caught by the royal family would spell trouble, so proceed with extreme caution!”

The delegation had just arrived at the very edge of Valdimar’s border via the magic circle he had created, and it hadn’t taken them long to cross over.

Ignoring the duke’s orders to take a short break, the man began to walk slowly. After a while, he stopped at a spot slightly away from a majestically fluttering flag in this foreign land. His jet-black hair danced in the warm summer night breeze, and, behind his thin silver glasses, his gray eyes remained indifferently calm. The atmosphere around him felt strangely different. However, this wasn’t something to arouse suspicion as he was the head of the Magic Tower of Rattaeh.

He was a genius, the kind born once every few centuries, and a grand magician who had made a name for himself across the continent at the young age of twenty-three; his spirit was bound to be different. Moreover, he was not the type to hide himself—not that his remarkable appearance could be easily concealed anyway. While his magical abilities were the main reason the Grand Magician of Rattaeh was famous across the continent, his exceptionally striking appearance undoubtedly played a part as well.

“Asius.”

Duke Narnak had called for him.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As soon as he turned around, the duke appeared slightly surprised.

“You’re quite handsome, even at night,” he said.

“So I’ve heard,” Asius answered indifferently.

His bone structure and features were so exquisite that they were almost intimidating, and his lips, tinged with a reddish hue, gave him a somewhat seductive allure. Even those who were quite familiar with him were often startled when they saw his face straight on. It was to the extent that even the emperor of Rattaeh always seemed to jest that Asius’ silver-rimmed glasses somewhat diminished the intimidating qualities of that face. Yet, there was almost no femininity about him, owing perhaps to his tall stature and a physique that was surprisingly well-toned—something quite uncharacteristic for a magician.

Duke Narnak grumbled, “I’d also like to go through life with a face like yours. You could conquer the continent even if you weren’t a grand magician.”

“I get that a lot,” Asius said, maintaining his nonchalant demeanor.

Duke Narnak began to speak, but Asius was no longer listening. His attention had refocused on the energy he had been feeling earlier. His keen senses had easily caught the energy spreading through the land of Valdimar.

Slowly, he raised his hand.

“Vaille.”

His fingertips ran over the three small jewels embedded in his left ear, one by one. He tapped the small black ball stud pierced through the top of his ear. Simultaneously, a gray smoke rose from under Asius’ feet. Although the color was faint and obscured by the hem of his black cloak, it was clearly visible to his eyes.

Asius muttered under his breath, “Find it.”

The gray smoke quietly seeped into the ground. His third spirit servant, a formless spirit, swiftly rode through the lands of Valdimar, searching for what its master had commanded it to.

Duke Narnak’s conversation now shifted to the mission assigned to the delegation.

“So, for now, we’ll gather information about the royal castle first. Even though we’ve just crossed the border, the reports given to His Majesty so far seem completely off. It’s also suspicious how people are strangely hesitant to talk about the royal family.”

“The wind feels cold.”

“Indeed. I wonder what those rotten royals are hid— What did you say?” Duke Narnak paused in his harsh words and turned to look at him. “The wind feels cold? But it’s so hot. Don’t tell me you’re using some kind of cooling spell all for yourself? You’re not that inhumane, are you?”

Asius didn’t bother to reply. However, it was true that the air had become chilly for a moment. He knew very well what this energy was—the divine power of the goddess Hellare. He could sense the direction clearly, and Vaille was already pulling him along.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

Asius half-turned and lightly tapped Duke Narnak’s shoulder. At the same time, the beads of sweat on the duke’s forehead evaporated instantly. A cold so intense it could freeze one to the bone seeped into his clothes.

The duke shouted in shock, “Oh, come on! I was just saying. I wasn’t asking you to summon winter…”

“Please follow me slowly. There’s plenty of time.”

“What? What does that even mean?”

Asius had no intention of answering the duke’s questions. A blue magical circle had already appeared beneath his feet. The duke, who noticed the magic circle too late, reached out his hand urgently.

“Wait. How on earth am I supposed to move without you...”

Of course, the duke failed spectacularly in reaching the magician, and so, unfortunately, his outstretched hand merely swiped through empty air.

“Asius!”

The head of the Magic Tower of Rattaeh, regarded as one of the best grand magicians on the entire continent, vanished into thin air near Valdimar’s border, almost as if he had never been there at all.

* * *

Valdimar’s capital city, Krieg, which would normally have been quiet and settled, was trembling with unprecedented noise and vibrations unlike anytime before. The people still awake witnessed a golden gust of wind rising from the royal castle and raised their voices in excitement.

“What’s happening?! Is there a fire in the castle?”

“Does that look like a fire to you? It’s finally begun—the succession ceremony!”

There was not a trace of fear on the faces or in the voices of the people as they contemplated the unexpected situation. Even the common folk found the bloody battles in this belligerent kingdom to be quite an entertaining spectacle. It went without saying that the royals were embroiled in the succession war for the throne.

“I’ll bet on the first prince. Are you going to bet on the second prince?”

“Isn’t there anyone crazy enough to bet on the fifth princess, the disgrace of our kingdom?”

Sporadic laughter broke out.

Asius passed through the crowd without hesitation. Even though he freely exposed his face—he wasn’t even wearing a hood—no gaze seemed to follow him. In truth, there were no humans who could see him. Such minor magic came as easily to him as breathing.

He passed through the packed plaza and entered a narrow, dim alley. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. Someone—a woman—lay collapsed at the entrance of the alley. Blonde hair, haphazard and disheveled, gleamed faintly. Her slender body was still enveloped in a mysterious aura. Seeing no movement, it appeared that she had lost consciousness.

In two steps, the man was right in front of the unconscious woman. Her pallid face was devoid of color, and her eyes were peacefully closed. The back of her dress had been torn to shreds by something sharp, and her feet were bloody. But… Though she was not in good condition, her breathing was steady.

Asius’ lips, unchanged the whole time, slowly formed a smile. Like a marble sculpture, beautiful yet cold and austere, his face gradually became suffused with an irresistible excitement. He bent down, reaching out toward the blonde woman.

“I’ve found you. Hellare’s daughter.”

And thus, on that night, Asius Rieken, the Grand Magician of Rattaeh, found the last princess of Valdimar.