Chapter 79

Translator: Yonnee

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And that reason was that in Ophelia’s room, there was the scent that he hated the most.

‘It reeks of heresy.’

Mages used magic that was contrary to the laws of nature, unlike how divine power was something that adhered to nature. Perhaps because of this, he could sense a certain, peculiarly offensive stench from anyone who used magic.

The unpleasant odor of heresy was something that couldn’t be sensed by ordinary people, but it was palpable to anyone who wielded divine power.

Therefore, it was easy to pinpoint the reason for why mages were called heretics.

It was because the way they smelled set them apart, making it clear that they were not like other humans though they looked like them.

The more skilled a mage was at wielding magic, the more this stench clung to them.

Therefore, in the eyes of those who used divine power, it’s obvious what kind of existence mages had.

Those who covet power. Those who betrayed God. Those who betrayed humanity.

‘Why in God’s name does Her Highness’ room smell so strongly of it?’

As soon as he entered the room, he almost suffocated. Even Ophelia had that smell wafting around her.

It’s as if she was very closely interacting with monsters, or something beyond what could be considered human—like a non-human entity itself.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s not just from Her Highness.’

The entire castle was full of such an odor.

If it hadn’t been for the temporary temple, he could have struggled a lot from staying here.

And this fact alone soon sparked a sense of duty in Verlan.

It was a sense of duty to eradicate all sources of this stench of heresy that was prevalent in this castle.

Verlan returned to the temporary temple and headed towards his room.

On the way there, a low-ranking priest saw Verlan and called his attention.

“Come to think of it, Bishop, a letter has arrived.”

“So abruptly. What do you mean by a letter? Who is the sender?”

“I am not sure? There’s nothing written outside the envelope. I went into your room to arrange some things for you, sir, and I saw it on the desk, so I informed you.”

“…Is that right?”

With Verlan’s sharp intuition, he sensed that something was suspicious.

Distractedly excusing himself from the priest who delivered the message, Verlan hurried into the room.

Whooosh. The wind came in and fluttered the curtains.

The envelope on the desk caught his eye.

Just as the priest said a while ago, it was an envelope that had nothing written on it regarding the sender or the recipient.

Without any hesitation, Verlan opened it.

Contrasting the urgency he felt, the contents of the letter were plain. It was also a piece of paper that contained neither magic nor divine power.

And with how short its contents were, it rather should be called a note than a letter.

The problem was that its contents were strange.

「 The true identity of the mage, Alei – he is the lord of the magic tower who was exiled from the tower due to an involvement in black magic. His memories have also been erased. 」

Alei, the mage.

Verlan knew that name.

In the past, he happened to have gone deeper into the imperial palace because he took notice of the suspiciously strong stench on the mage who was of the lowest rank.

And he was also the one who Verlan considered to be the main cause for the terrible stench that permeated the entirety of Ladeen Castle.

‘He’s the lord of the magic tower?’

The lord of the magic tower known as Siren Tower, that place where everything was veiled?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it. Verlan read the note once, twice, and then again.

If he was the lord of the magic tower, then surely he was someone who had the kind of aura that no one would be able to reach. But then that mage named Alei was just a mage of the lowest rank.

‘No. No, it can’t be.’

Come to think of it, he heard that despite him having enough capabilities for it, Alei wasn’t given a promotion because of his ambiguous identity.

And the cause of that ambiguous identity.

‘Memory loss.’

Verlan’s hands trembled as he held the letter.

But it wasn’t a shudder of fear.

It was from delight.

Delight about the contents of the letter and Alei’s questionable identity.

‘If he smells that dreadful, then I suppose.’

Since he had used black magic, and if even fellow mages had ostracized him, then it fit almost too perfectly.

Although he was the lord of the magic tower, it was impossible for a human to smell like that—unless he had truly broken away from humanity.

‘Filthy heretic wretches.’

If he were to take advantage of this situation, then he might just be able to drive away all those disgusting mages out of the imperial palace.

After capturing Alei and announcing just what kind of danger mages who had dabbled in black magic could pose, he could call for the eradication of all heretics in this way. It’s clear that the Milescet Imperial Family would have no choice but to take the temple’s side if this happened.

Though the note was believable, and he could go ahead and take action, there were many knots to untangle.

First of all, who sent the note.

‘Though it’s still unclear whether what’s written on this note is true or not.’

The authenticity of this note could be confirmed if only the identity of the sender was revealed. Unfortunately, right now, the note only aroused suspicions.

In the end, he couldn’t proceed blindly as long as it’s not confirmed whether the note’s claims were true.

‘Should I set a trap?’

Just before, Verlan’s gaze was filled with disgust, but now like a steep cliff, there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Then, the door opened with a slam.

“Verlan!”

“Your Highness Cadelia?”

Verlan’s expression was once again a harmless slate. He set down the note and turned towards Cadelia, who came running in as if she had learned not an ounce of etiquette.

“Why have you come to look for me so urgently?”

“T-That scoundrel, I saw him! The one I told you about!”

“What scoundrel, Your Highness?”

“The mage who flung me away, that one!”

Cadelia cried with such haste. However, rather than her usual infuriated appearance, she looked as though she was about to burst into tears.

“I told you, didn’t I! He really exists! I wasn’t imagining things!”

“With all due respect, I don’t recall ever saying much to Your Highness at the time.”

“I know! That’s why I came to look for you, Verlan!”

As she spoke, Cadelia rubbed her eyes roughly to wipe away her tears.

Indeed, it looked like she had really shed some tears.

She must have been quite distressed that no one believed what she had said.

It’s no wonder, considering how she ran straight to Verlan instead of how she should have confided first in her ladies-in-waiting, who were supposedly her closest friends.

Perhaps, of course, it might also be because Verlan had a reputation for being kind and benevolent. But anyway.

There were other more important things.

“No one believed what I said. I’m sure—I’m sure that the silver-haired mage flung me and dumped me in who knows where inside the palace. I told you so!”

And it was with these words that something lit up in Verlan’s mind.

As far as he knew, Alei had silver hair.

And if he truly did use black magic in pursuit of an immoral power,

If he had a higher level of power than he seemed to have, but kept silent about it in order to avoid his black magic from being detected…

‘I was told that a teleportation spell isn’t something that a mage of the lowest rank could do.’

Since that was the case, then the contents of the note now seemed somewhat credible.

“That mage scoundrel, I won’t let him go. I’ll make sure that he’ll kneel before me!”

Cadelia shrieked with a huffing breath. As if she would really make Alei pay for all the humiliation she had experienced.

Watching her like this, Verlan’s eyes shone.

A trap to capture Alei. At this moment, he decided that Cadelia fit the bill exactly.

“…Your Highness is right. The one who dared scorn Milescet’s legitimate daughter must of course be properly condemned. Perhaps, do you have any plans?”

“Is there even a need for a plan? With just a single command of mine, he’ll be captured at once.”

“As Your Highness knows, that scoundrel is an excellent mage. He has even hidden his abilities and his true identity. Even if there’s a lot of people who’d rush in to capture him, if the scoundrel just uses his magic, then it would be difficult to deal with him.”

While Verlan explained, Cadelia’s expression became muted. As if she really never thought of this possibility.

The matter of Cadelia’s slow-wittedness was something that Verlan had already gotten used to and experienced many times while he was teaching her theology.

This also meant that Verlan was also quite adept at spinning Cadelia to his whims.

With a gentle smile, Verlan offered Cadelia a seat and spoke.

“Your Highness must also be aware of it as well, but the temple has many tools that could deal with mages. There are some tools that could suppress their magical power.”

A mage who had their magical power sealed was nothing more than an ordinary human being.

“Suppress the scoundrel’s magical power and then imprison him. After that, Your Highness will then be able to do as you please.”