Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 26.
On a quiet afternoon, sunlight streamed through the high windows of the laboratory, casting mottled patches of light across a table covered with precision components and blueprints.
Logaris West was concentrating on adjusting a miniature component designed to stabilize the flow of mana, while Lilith sat idly in the corner, nibbling on an apple.
Suddenly, an inconspicuous obsidian badge in his pocket trembled slightly and emitted a faint chill that was almost impossible to detect.
This was an encrypted magical beacon whose frequency was known only to a handful of people.
Logaris set down the tool in his hand and walked into the soundproof chamber of the laboratory.
He lightly tapped the badge with his finger and infused a trace of mana into it.
The badge floated into the air as light circulated around it, and a firm voice emerged from within.
“Logaris, my student.”
It was his mentor from the prophecy department, Professor Celes of Saint Arcadia Academy.
“The special gold bar you asked me to investigate has produced results.”
Celes paused briefly, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.
“I used the ‘Astrolabe Trajectory’ and ‘Material Tracing.’ All the clues were unusually clear and showed no sign of interference.”
Logaris felt his heart skip a beat.
No interference—within the investigations of the prophecy school, that itself was the greatest anomaly.
“They all point to the same source,” Celes said in a low voice. “The Valeria Empire, the third royal mint directly under the control of the royal family.”
The Valeria Empire.
The century-long enemy of the Astrelia Kingdom.
The result was almost too clean.
“I know what you are thinking,” Celes said, as though he could read his mind. “The evidence is too direct, as if someone deliberately placed the answer right in front of you.”
“Yes, Professor.” Logaris did not conceal his suspicion. “An organization capable of planning an assassination attempt on a princess with such precision would never leave such an obvious trail. It feels more like a frame-up.”
“I agree,” Celes replied. “Astrology is not omnipotent. Even non-magical methods can easily mislead astrological divination.”
“There is another question,” Logaris said, raising the key issue. “How did they know Sylvia’s travel route? That route was decided at the last minute, and only a few of the most trusted figures in the royal capital knew about it.”
Silence lingered for a moment on the other end of the communication.
“An insider,” Celes finally said.
“A high-ranking insider who wishes for war to erupt. He leaked the princess' movements to the assassins and used imperial gold bars as tools for framing, hoping to direct Astrelia’s fury toward Valeria.”
Logaris' mind began racing.
If a war between the two nations erupted, who would benefit the most?
Was it a prince coveting the throne, or those arms merchants and nobles who longed to amass enormous fortunes during wartime?
Or perhaps the true mastermind was hidden within the Valeria Empire itself, deliberately using such a crude method precisely so that Astrelia would believe it to be an internal frame-up and lower its vigilance toward the empire.
One scheme layered upon another, making truth and deception nearly impossible to distinguish.
“Be careful, Logaris,” Celes warned in the end. “The storm in the Northern Territory is only the beginning. The path you have chosen is ten thousand times more dangerous than conducting research within the academy.”
The communication ended, and the obsidian badge returned to stillness.
Logaris stepped out of the soundproof chamber with a deeply furrowed brow.
He took out a black book from his coat.
The Book of Prophecy.
The last time he had checked, it seemed to refresh roughly once every ten days, and by his calculation, the time was about right.
He opened the book, and upon the previously blank page, a line of text formed slowly out of pure mana.
“One week later, the one who will overturn the world shall appear within the Dragon Mountain Range.”
The Dragon Mountain Range?
That was a natural barrier stretching between the kingdom and the northern barbarian wilderness, perpetually covered in snow and said to have once been the resting place of dragons.
The one who would overturn the world…
Who could it be?
Meanwhile, in the lower district of Winter City.
Compared to the lifeless atmosphere of half a month ago, the area was now filled with vitality.
Josen hoisted a sack of coal onto a handcart with all his strength. Sweat soaked his short gray hair, yet there was no trace of fatigue on his face—only determination.
He was a laborer at the “Heart of Winter” Industrial Park. He worked ten hours a day. Although the work was exhausting, the pay was generous.
The factory also provided two meals every day. Though it was only black bread and meat soup, the portions were filling, and the soup truly contained bits of meat.
In a single day, he could earn more than he used to make in an entire month of farming.
“Hey, Josen! The wages are being distributed!”
The foreman’s voice rang out as he began handing out pay, and the workers immediately gathered around him, their faces filled with joy.
Josen received a small, heavy pouch of Copper Sparrow Coins along with several Silver Stag Coins.
He carefully stored the money away. It was what his family would rely on for the next half month.
On the way home, the streets looked much cleaner. The newly appointed city hall had sent workers to clear away garbage that had piled up for years.
The previously lazy patrolmen who used to linger at street corners had vanished, replaced by energetic squads of soldiers constantly marching back and forth on patrol.
The aroma of freshly baked bread drifted out from a bakery. After hesitating for a moment, Josen stepped inside and spent five copper coins to buy a white loaf mixed with wheat bran.
In the past, such a thing had been an unimaginable luxury for him.
People everywhere were talking about the princess.
Some said she was ruthless and had executed seven great nobles in a single night.
But more people, in private, referred to her as “the true ruler of the Northern Territory.”
She had abolished the deadly agricultural tax and given everyone work and food.
For commoners struggling at the bottom of society, it did not matter who sat in the duke’s seat.
Anyone who allowed them to fill their stomachs was a good person.
Josen pushed open the creaking wooden door of his home.
“Dad, you’re back!”
A small figure rushed forward. It was his seven-year-old son, Jory.
His wife was busy beside the stove, and when she saw the white bread in his hand, she covered her mouth in surprise.
“You… got paid today?”
“Yes.” Josen smiled as he handed the bread to his son. “Go on, eat.”
But Jory did not devour it like other children would.
He carefully broke the bread into three pieces, handing one piece to Josen and another to his mother, leaving the smallest portion for himself.
After dinner, Josen noticed that his son did not go outside to play the usual stone-throwing game with the neighbor’s children.
Instead, he sat there reading a worn-out book.
Josen had picked it up from a trash heap. It was an introductory church booklet containing only a few dozen basic characters and simple prayers.
Jory had read it dozens of times already and recognized every single word in it.
“Dad.” Jory looked up, his eyes shining with longing. “I want to go to school.”
Josen felt his heart tighten sharply.
School?
No matter where it was, education was an expensive privilege.
Nobles had private tutors. Wealthy citizens could send their children to knight academies.
Those with exceptional talent might even enter the legendary Saint Arcadia Academy.
For commoners, the only chance to encounter written words was through church schools. Even then, they had to pay a substantial “offering fee,” and what they learned consisted only of doctrine and prayers.
A family like theirs simply could not afford it.
“Jory,” Josen said as he crouched down and gently rubbed his son’s head. His voice was slightly hoarse. “We… we don’t have the money.”
Jory’s eyes dimmed, and he lowered his head as he softly said, “I heard some people say that knowledge is power. They said that Lord Logaris beside the princess is a great scholar, which is why he can build such amazing factories.”
He paused, then continued in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
“I want to become someone with power too.”