My Magical System

Inside the Imperial Castle, everything appeared peaceful.

The halls were quiet. The servants continued with their duties, the guards stood at their assigned positions, and the nobles who remained inside the palace spoke among themselves as though nothing unusual had happened.

However, the calm within the castle did not mean that the entire empire was peaceful.

While the people inside the capital continued with their daily lives, trouble was spreading through the empire like a slow fire.

The recent duel had just ended, but the emperor barely had time to think before another report arrived.

A messenger hurried into the emperor's private chamber and immediately knelt before him.

"Your Majesty, we have an urgent report."

The emperor raised his eyes.

"What happened?"

The messenger lowered his head, his expression solemn.

"One of our allied noble families from the northwest district, the Lushao Family, has suffered a terrible incident. Their estate was burned to the ground several nights ago."

The emperor's expression immediately darkened.

"Burned?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Was it an attack?"

"We believe so."

The emperor leaned back against his chair and slowly closed his eyes. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he opened them again.

"They are finally becoming bolder."

There was no surprise in his voice. Only anger.

The emperor had already suspected that something like this would happen sooner or later.

For months, the enemies of the Imperial Family had been working quietly behind the scenes. They had not openly declared war, nor had they launched a direct attack against the palace.

Instead, they had been slowly weakening everything surrounding the Imperial Family.

The empire had many powerful noble families. Some were loyal to the emperor because of tradition, while others remained loyal because they believed that the Imperial Family was still the best force capable of maintaining stability throughout the empire.

Those families were like walls surrounding the Imperial Palace. As long as those walls remained standing, the emperor could continue to rule. But his enemies had realized that attacking the palace directly would be foolish.

The Imperial Capital was heavily protected. The palace possessed powerful mysterious defenses, capable of responding to an attack. It was already tested when they sent assassins to end the emperor's life. The assassin's attempt failed. Meaning… the imperial family still has capable elite soldiers.

There was also another problem.

The Parliamentary Group.

The thirteen great noble families formed the most powerful political body outside the Imperial Family. The leader of the parliament was the Thirteenth Great Noble Family, a family that had remained neutral in the conflict between the emperor and his political enemies.

Their neutrality was one of the main reasons the opposing faction had not openly attacked the Imperial Palace.

They knew that if they launched an obvious attack without sufficient justification, the parliament could be forced to intervene. So instead, they had chosen another method.

They were destroying the emperor's support one family at a time. The Lushao Family was simply the latest victim.

"Have we confirmed the number of casualties?" The emperor asked.

The messenger hesitated.

"Your Majesty…"

"Speak."

"We cannot confirm the exact number."

The emperor frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"The estate was destroyed several nights ago. When our people arrived, nothing remained. Only ruins."

The emperor's eyes narrowed.

"Did you think they were attacked by bandits or wandering beasts?"

"That… we're not sure, Your Majesty."

The emperor knitted his brows.

"Useless fool! You can't even perform an initial investigation?"

"Sorry, Your Majesty. It's because…"

The messenger lowered his head even further.

"We searched the entire estate and there were no bodies."

The emperor stared at him.

"Aren't they burned to ashes?"

"Your Majesty…"

The messenger's voice became quieter.

"There were no ashes either."

The room suddenly became silent.

The emperor's expression changed.

"What do you mean?"

"We do not understand it ourselves."

The messenger swallowed.

"The estate was completely destroyed. Buildings were burned, furniture was destroyed, and several parts of the surrounding land were damaged. However, we found no remains belonging to the Lushao Family."

The emperor slowly stood from his chair.

"How many people lived there?"

"Approximately two hundred, Your Majesty."

"Two hundred people."

"Yes."

"And you are telling me that not a single body was found?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The emperor's face became colder.

"What happened to the guards?"

"None were found."

"The servants?"

"None."

"The members of the family?"

"None."

The emperor's hands tightened.

This was no ordinary attack.

If the entire estate had been attacked by hostile beasts or assassins, there should have been bodies. If the attackers had killed everyone and burned the estate afterward, there should have been ashes.

Even if someone had deliberately removed the bodies, moving the remains of an entire household without leaving any evidence would have been extremely difficult.

Yet the Lushao Family had simply vanished.

It was as if more than two hundred people had disappeared from the world.

"Have you investigated the surrounding villages?"

"Yes."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing unusual."

"Nothing?"

"The villagers heard fighting during the night, but no one dared to approach the estate. By morning, the fire had already spread throughout the property."

The emperor walked toward the window. From there, he could see the distant towers of the Imperial Capital.

The city looked peaceful. People were walking through the streets. Merchants were opening their shops. Carriages were moving through the roads. Children were playing. To an ordinary person, the empire appeared stable.

But the emperor knew better. The empire was standing on unstable ground. Ever since his enemies failed to silence him directly, they had changed their strategy.

They no longer aimed for the emperor himself. Instead, they targeted the people around him.

First came political pressure. Then came attacks on important supply routes. Several shipments of food and weapons had mysteriously disappeared.

Some merchants who had supplied the Imperial Army for generations suddenly refused to continue their contracts. Others were found to have suffered financial losses after their warehouses were sabotaged.

Even some mining operations had encountered unexpected problems. At first, each incident appeared unrelated. But when the emperor placed all the reports together, a pattern became obvious.

Someone was slowly cutting away the foundations supporting the Imperial Family. And now they had begun attacking noble families directly.

The emperor's eyes became cold.

"The academy incident…"

He muttered to himself. There was no way he could believe that the recent conflict between the Red Tyrant Clan and the Blue Serpent Clan was simply a personal dispute. Too many things had happened at the same time.

The conflict had threatened the Olivius Family, one of the largest suppliers of minerals to the Imperial Palace.

If the Olivius Family became unable to operate, the Imperial Family would lose an important source of materials.

Weapons required minerals. Defensive formations required minerals. Magic tools required minerals. The Imperial Army also depended on materials supplied by families such as the Olivius Family.

Destroying such a family would therefore hurt the Imperial Treasury and the military at the same time.

It was a clever move. And that was what worried the emperor the most. His enemies were becoming more cunning. It was as if someone had strategized from the shadows.

The greatest problem was that the Imperial Family no longer possessed enough strength to suppress them.

The emperor's strongest soldiers had been sent to the border during the previous war against the demon army. All of those soldiers had never returned.

The empire had won the battle, that's what they said, but victory had come at an enormous cost. The best soldiers had been lost. The surviving troops were now mostly stationed around the Imperial Capital.

They were enough to protect the palace. They were not enough to launch a large campaign against powerful noble families scattered throughout the empire, especially against Duke Lucci.

If the emperor attempted to move his remaining army against his enemies, he would risk leaving the capital vulnerable.

That was exactly what his enemies wanted. The emperor knew this. His opponents knew this as well. There was another reason he could not simply ask the parliament for help.

The Parliamentary Group had deliberately remained neutral.

If the emperor openly requested military assistance from them, it would mean admitting that the Imperial Army could no longer handle the situation alone.

That would weaken the emperor's position. His enemies would immediately use that weakness against him.

They could claim that the Imperial Family had lost control of the empire. Once that argument gained enough support, the parliament could legally intervene.

And if the parliament decided that the emperor was no longer capable of ruling, removing him would become a real possibility. The emperor did not fear losing his position because he was obsessed with power. He feared what would happen afterward.

The people waiting to replace him could not be trusted. Some of them were ambitious. Some were willing to sacrifice innocent people to obtain power. Others had their own interests and cared little about the stability of the empire. The nobles who remained loyal to the emperor understood this.

That was why they continued supporting him. But there was a limit to their loyalty. If every noble and great noble family eventually withdrew their support, the emperor would have no way to stop the opposing faction.

The Thirteenth Great Noble Family, as the leader of the parliament, would then become the only major power capable of helping the palace. But they could not ask for that help without solid evidence.

That was why the emperor needed someone outside the political struggle. Someone who could investigate without immediately attracting suspicion. Someone strong enough to survive if the enemy discovered the investigation.

And that was where Eman came in.

The emperor looked at the messenger.

"You may leave."

The messenger bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After the messenger left, the emperor immediately ordered another servant to summon Eman.

Fortunately, Eman had not yet left the palace.

The princess had insisted that he and Mina stay for at least one night. Eman had originally planned to leave. However, he had eventually agreed. Part of the reason was simple. He wanted to learn more about the heroes.

The duel had already given him an opportunity to observe them. Staying inside the palace for another night would allow him to gather more information.

He had not expected the emperor to summon him so soon.

When Eman entered the emperor's chamber, Mina and Princess Liya followed behind him.

He had expected Eman but he had not expected his daughter and the daughter of the Skyblaze Family to come also.

However, he did not complain.

"Eman."

"Your Majesty."

Eman bowed politely.

The emperor gestured toward the chairs.

"Sit."

Eman and the others sat down.

The emperor did not waste time.

"I have a request."

Eman raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of request?"

"I want you to investigate the destruction of the Lushao Family first."

The room became quiet. But when Mina heard it, she became curious and excited. Eman looked at the emperor.

"What happened to them?"

The emperor briefly explained everything. The estate had been destroyed. There had been signs of a violent incident. Yet there were no bodies. No ashes, no survivors. Nothing that could explain where the members of the family had gone.

Eman listened carefully. The more he heard, the more strange the situation became.

"How long ago did this happen?"

"Several nights ago."

"And no one has found anything since?"

"No."

"That's strange indeed?"

"Right?"

"So what do you think?"

Eman narrowed his eyes.

Either way, he understood why the emperor had chosen him. He could investigate without appearing to represent the emperor.

Eman finally nodded.

"Understood."

Princess Liya looked at him.

"You are really going?"

Eman glanced at her.

"Yes."

The princess looked at the emperor. "Father, Your Majesty, we'll accompany him. Right, Big sis?"

"Eh? Y-yes."

Seeing his daughter's excited expression, the emperor seemed to have headaches.

"If everyone is going, I don't want to stay behind," Mina also said. But she was looking at Eman instead of the emperor.

Eman stared at the emperor for a moment.

"Well, Your Majesty. What do you think?"

"Alright, but, bring Hero Emily with you. That girl's ability might be helpful to you."

"That's right!" Princess Liya exclaimed excitedly.

And that's how Eman found himself traveling with them. Not only Emily but Eline and the guy with the apple-like haircut came as well.