CHAPTER 75: THE SECOND PRINCESS OF TIRMAG 1

(Third Person POV)

He closed his eyes and began to sense the mana particles behind his back.

He forced them into alignment, slowly rearranging them until the wings behind his back looked different from before.

This time, they appeared slightly smaller, but much more solid and stable.

"This will work."

He tried moving the wings—and unlike before, when he had to use control magic to assist his flight—

The wings moved on their own, without any external help.

"Alright, here I come."

Boom!

The sound barrier shattered as he launched at full speed.

He pierced through the air at incredible velocity, and if it weren’t for the mana shielding his eyes, keeping them open would have been impossible.

’I’m flying faster than before. This will be extremely useful in battle.’

He saw Elena in the distance, already nearing the palace.

"Well, it seems I lost and won at the same time."

He saw Elena had already landed in the palace garden, and he arrived just a few moments later.

"I won,"

Elena’s face lit up with a joyful smile, proud of her victory in the race.

"Congratulations,"

Orlax wasn’t bothered by the loss—he hadn’t cared much about it anyway.

"Thank you. Now, I believe it’s time to get to work, isn’t it?"

Elena stretched a little, preparing for what came next.

"Yes, let’s go to my office first."

They both started walking through the garden toward Orlax’s office.

He slowly sat in his chair, and Elena stood behind him, watching the tablet he held in his hand.

"Alright, we’ve gathered all the evidence against the Twelve Court Members. Nothing stands in our way now. Once we finish building the shield that will protect every city, we’ll launch the strike that will erase the Court’s presence from the Empire."

Elena nodded as she listened, before opening her mouth to speak.

"This will be a powerful strike, for sure."

"No, it won’t be a powerful strike."

Elena tilted her head, looking at Orlax, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the tablet screen.

"What do you mean?"

"It won’t be a powerful strike. It will be a decisive blow—one that will erase the Court from this Empire."

A subtle smile appeared on Elena’s lips as she nodded in agreement.

"Alright. We’ll start working on the dome that will protect the Empire today. We must finish it in less than a month with our current manpower."

Orlax opened his desk drawer and took out a carefully preserved piece of paper in a folder.

"This is the spell we need to use. Make sure to keep it safe so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Understood?"

He turned his head sharply and stared at Elena with intensity to remind her just how important the spell was.

Elena silently read the paper for a moment before raising her index finger and producing a small flame that consumed the document.

"You don’t need to worry now. I’ve already memorized it."

Orlax’s lips twitched slightly, his eyes narrowing at her with faint irritation.

"Yes, well done. But i haven’t memorized it yet. And that was the only copy I had. Thanks to you, now I’ll need to request another."

A faint blush appeared on Elena’s face as she heard those words, making her want to bury her head in the ground.

"Ahem... sorry about that. You don’t need to request another—I’ll recite it for you."

Elena began reciting the spell she had just memorized, ensuring Orlax understood it fully.

"Hmm. You memorized it on the first try! That’s impressive. I thought I had a remarkable memory, but it seems you do as well."

’That’s because we share similar traits. Of course we’d have similar memory speed.’

He shook his head, clearing the thought, then focused the corner of his vision. A transparent blue screen appeared in front of him.

[Name: Elena

Age: 15

Health: 100% (Feeling energetic)

Mana: 100%

Aura: 100%

Attributes:

- Strength: 91 (Affects physical power overall)

- Speed: 90 (Affects movement speed and reaction speed)

- Wisdom: 93 (Affects mana control, aura management, and response speed)

- Intelligence: 94 (Affects mana capacity, aura levels, and overall intelligence)

- Endurance: 91 (Affects stamina and defense)

- Charm: 100 (Affects appearance and aura)

(The average person has a score of 5 in each attribute.)

Status: Active, Healthy

Personality Traits:

[Pride]

[Cold-blooded]

[Patience]

[Genius]

[Order]

Skills:

- Sword Skills: Level 7

- Shadow Magic: Level 7

- Hand Combat: Level 3

- Fire Magic: Level 1

Unique Abilities:

- Hyper Focus

- Shadow Realm

]

’She just learned fire magic a few days ago while reading in the library, and now it’s been added here.’

He stared at the screen hovering in front of him. From Elena’s perspective, it just looked like he was staring into space, but she said nothing and let him drown in thought.

’Alright. I’ll help her a little.’

- Fire Magic: Level 1 -- Level (1/7)

[Skill Points: 51 -- 30]

’Skill point costs increase with each level, but I still have plenty—so it’s not a big issue right now.’

"Elena, try to train your fire magic during this period. It’ll be very helpful in the future."

Elena looked at him, surprised by the sudden instruction.

"Alright."

She nodded, though a slightly confused expression crossed her face at the unexpected request.

’The rest is up to her. Now it’s time to work.’

Orlax rose from his chair and left the office, followed by Elena, both heading off to complete their respective tasks.

Meanwhile, on the western side of the continent.

inside the Western Empire, the Empire of Tirmag.

In the southwestern part of the Empire, there was a medium-sized city.

People walked the streets with clear signs of malnutrition and stress written on their faces.

Some buildings still lay in ruins from missile strikes or enemy attacks. The rubble hadn’t been cleared yet.

In a small alley on the city’s edge, three people stood wearing cloaks that hid their faces and bodies.

One of them, however, was so massive that the cloak couldn’t fully conceal his size.

"Alright, insect. Tell me what you know about the Second Princess—what’s her personality like?"

The voice came from the figure leaning against the wall.

It sounded gentle and fresh—if you ignored the insults embedded within it.

"My lady, as I said before, she’s extremely arrogant. She’s foolish and no good in battle."

The man speaking removed the hood over his head, revealing blue hair and a face that looked to be in his forties.

However, something strange encircled his neck—a collar resembling those worn by slaves.

His body trembled slightly, his face pale, and the dark circles beneath his eyes revealed his exhaustion.

"Hmm... I’ll judge her myself. I used to hear rumors that you were a kind man. Turns out, you’re just trash. Isn’t that right?"

"Haha, of course, my lady. I’m nothing but trash."

The blue-haired man laughed, oddly pleased by the insult, showing no trace of anger on his face.

"Hahaha, you’ve completely broken him, little Alice. If anyone saw him now, they’d never believe he was the second prince of the Western Empire. You’re a bit terrifying."

Despite his laughter, Tiran shuddered as he recalled the days past—the methods Alice used to break Prince Lucas.

’I need to be careful around this girl. She’s far crueler than her outward appearance suggests.’

"Oh come on, Uncle Tiran. I didn’t do anything to him. He became this obedient all on his own. Isn’t that right?"

She removed the hood from her head, revealing her beautiful white hair and a warm, pleasant smile.

"Of course, of course. You never harmed me, my lady. I follow your orders out of respect."

Alice looked at Tiran as if to say, See? I didn’t do anything.

"But... I’m still curious. How did you make him like this?"

Tiran glanced at Prince Lucas, who had kept his head bowed the entire time.

"Oh, I made him live in an illusion for several years. It broke his sense of self and made him see me as his mistress. That simple."

Tiran shuddered again, a chill running through him as he looked at Lucas with a touch of pity.

"Remind me never to mess with you."

"Hahaha, don’t worry, Uncle Tiran. I’d never do that to anyone—unless they deserve it."

Alice waved her hand and chuckled before turning her head toward a large palace in the distance.

"Alright. Shall we go visit the second name on our list?"

"Hahaha, sure. Let’s go."

Tiran and Alice walked toward the palace, followed cautiously by Prince Lucas, who still kept his head bowed.