"Rudy, I think it's around here."

Priscilla lifted her head, sniffing the ground.

"Yeah, I can sense it too."

A strong flow of mana was in the vicinity.

Multiple spells were at work.

"Has she given up on fleeing?"

Then, Astina, who had been scouting from the sky, descended.

"There were no signs of a cart or horse nearby, and no other movements either."

"Thank you for your efforts."

We looked ahead.

A powerful mana was felt there.

It was so intense that anyone could feel it without even trying to sense the flow.

Priscilla looked at me and spoke.

"Rudy, are we going in?"

"...We have to."

I had already contacted the academy.

I wasn't sure how long they would take, but Gracie or McGuire would come here.

However, we couldn't wait for them.

We had to catch Jefrin quickly.

If she's entrenched here, someone might come to help him.

She was right in front of the enemy's base; it's impossible to escape alone without help.

It was one of two possibilities.

Either she was making a desperate last stand or waiting for someone's help.

I prepared for the worst-case scenario.

I didn't want to lose such a chance.

"Astina."

I looked at Astina.

"Let's go. We can't wait."

Astina, seemingly sharing my thoughts, didn't say much and started moving.

"Oh, wait a moment."

I stopped Astina in her tracks and extended my hand.

She looked at my hand, puzzled.

"What's this?"

"Hold it."

"...What?"

Astina's expression, which had been stoic until now, changed.

"Let's hold hands."

"Why hold hands?"

"To avoid confusing each other for the enemy if we enter the illusion spell. If we're holding hands, we won't get separated."

Astina cleared her throat and then tightly grasped my hand.

I felt the warmth from her hand.

She looked at our clasped hands and smiled.

"Your hand is bigger than I thought."

"Is it?"

I smiled at Astina and headed forward.

"Let's go in."

"Alright."

Together, we advanced towards the illusion magic, with Priscilla following behind.

As we stepped towards the magic's origin, the surroundings started to change.

The green leaves clinging to the trees began to wither, and the leaves disappeared.

The area grew darker than usual, and an eerie aura enveloped us.

Despite wearing plain clothes and a hood to cover our faces, it felt colder.

"An illusion spell?"

Astina seemed to feel the cold too, shivering slightly.

Seeing this, I held her hand even more firmly.

Our bodies were cold, but our hands shared warmth.

"Priscilla, how about you?"

"I'm a spirit, so I don't really feel things like cold."

It was hard to tell if the chill was real or part of the illusion.

"We might have to endure it for a while. It's better to save mana..."

If it's an illusion spell, using magic wouldn't warm our bodies as it manipulates sensations, possibly rendering it ineffective after a slight initial warmth.

It was better to conserve mana and quickly defeat the enemy.

"Yeah. Let's finish this quickly and get out."

Relying on the warmth of our hands, we walked forward.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a stairway resembling an altar appeared ahead.

There sat a woman.

She wore a witch's pointed hat, sitting cross-legged.

She was a woman of mature beauty.

Different from the appearance I had seen before, but I could tell she was Jefrin.

"Welcome~. Did you have any trouble getting here?"

Jefrin waved at us with a seductive smile.

"There's nothing around to make it difficult."

"Oh? Weren't you cold? It must have been quite chilly."

Jefrin stood up.

"This space was created with the help of necromancers. It's not just ordinary cold. It's combined with several abilities."

I narrowed my eyes.

It was unclear whether this cold was due to a real drop in temperature or a sensation created by an illusion.

Even if I could determine it, it wouldn't make much difference.

Human sensations are not something we control but automatically and relatively judge.

Seeing Astina, who seemed to feel the cold more than I did, it was easy to tell.

To Astina, who hadn't experienced much cold, it seemed to feel intensely cold.

"Astina, let's finish this quickly."

"Right."

Astina raised her hand.

"Gravity."

The surrounding trees were uprooted, and stones erupted and floated in the air.

The stones and trees flew towards Jefrin.

"I haven't finished talking yet. You're quite rude, aren't you?"

Jefrin didn't lose her smile even as the trees and stones flew at her, just slightly twisting her body to dodge.

But she didn't completely avoid them.

A tree branch grazed Jefrin's cheek.

"Huh?"

Simultaneously, I felt a sting on my cheek.

I sensed something odd and touched my cheek.

"...Blood?"

I looked at the blood on my hand and then at Astina.

Blood was also flowing down her cheek.

"Astina! Stop!"

"Hmm?"

Astina stopped her magic at my call.

Various things flying towards Jefrin fell to the ground.

However, Astina's attacks had already happened several times.

"Ugh..."

Both Astina and I were wounded, bleeding.

The wounds on our bodies matched exactly with those on Jefrin's body.

Jefrin, wiping the blood from her cheek, spoke.

"You see, you should listen to the whole story."

"The same wounds are inflicted on us?"

The location of Jefrin's wounds matched ours.

This alone made the situation clear.

Our attacks were harming us as well.

It seemed like a spell crafted by Jefrin.

"If you want to kill me, you'll have to die too~."

Jefrin spoke leisurely.

"Or, freeze to death."

As Jefrin said this, the cold intensified.

The stronger cold made my body shiver.

"Ugh..."

As the cold grew more intense, Astina frowned.

Then Priscilla approached Astina's side.

Priscilla wrapped Astina in her warm fur.

Looking at Priscilla, she too bore wounds in the same locations as ours.

Even as a spirit, currently materialized, she could be wounded.

I looked at Astina.

Though shivering from the cold, her condition didn't seem too bad as she hadn't used much mana yet.

She was in a state fit for battle.

I pondered slowly.

There was a clear contradiction in Jefrin's words.

She imposed two choices on us: endure the cold or kill her and die together.

If I were here alone, I might not know what choice to make.

Conserving strength and securing victory would mean attacking Jefrin.

If all this were an illusion, attacking the opponent might break the illusion.

It could just be an action inducing fear, and she might be preparing another move.

First, the best way to understand the situation was to attack the opponent.

But, it looked like a trap.

What if these wounds and the cold were real?

What if Jefrin deliberately incited us to attack her?

Despite much deliberation, no clear answer emerged.

"...Forget it."

There was no reason to ponder this much.

Astina kept shivering in the cold, and by the time this situation ended, professors from the academy would arrive.

"Shall we just take a brute force approach?"

"What?"

"That altar... or rather, everything around here."

I smiled.

"Can you destroy it?"

I could distinctly feel the flow of mana here.

The mana flowing throughout this entire land.

The whole land was functioning like a magical device.

While it seemed plausible to think an illusion spell was at play here, I thought further.

Sensing mana flow isn't just about feeling the mana.

It involves understanding the situation and the opponent.

The opponent is an illusionist.

An illusionist we have already faced once.

The effectiveness of an illusionist's magic diminishes significantly after the first encounter.

So, there was a chance that Jefrin had set a trap.

The mana spread around wasn't due to the illusion magic but was actually utilizing the entire land as a magical device.

That's what I assumed.

But even if that wasn't the case, it didn't matter.

If this was an illusion spell, there would be a magical device at its center.

Destroying everything around would also destroy that device.

After a moment of contemplation, Astina nodded.

"Let's do as you say."

Astina moved her mana.

"Hoo..."

Rumble─

As Astina raised her hand, the surroundings reverberated.

The earth itself seemed to shift.

The ground began to split open, and the shockwaves reached the altar.

Whatever the opponent was planning, it didn't matter.

The fact that I had been contemplating was only about what to do after causing a commotion, not about breaking the current situation, which wasn't difficult.

With Astina's overwhelming power, she could suppress all other forces.

"..."

Jefrin's eyes widened as she watched the crumbling altar and splitting earth.

I looked at her and smiled.

"Hey, you gave us a choice, right?"

I shrugged.

"What will you do now? Will you try to stop us? Or just stand there and watch?"

2/5 Enjoy the chappy!

==Chapter 201: Jefrin (7)==

The altar crumbled and the ground around it split open.

"Huh..."

Jefrin looked on with a disbelieving expression.

The space she had enchanted with her magic was not small.

It was large enough to encompass an entire corner of the forest.

Jefrin had engraved magic into the ground of that vast area.

Now, Astina was destroying it all.

Jefrin's spell wasn't an illusion.

It was a spell that caused every living being in the area to suffer the same damage if someone attacked her.

A magic circle created with the help of necromancy.

She had added the illusion of cold to confuse her opponents.

Her plan was to force them into a desperate situation, making them kill her and die alongside.

Of course, this wasn't her only preparation.

She had anticipated that if the opponents remained calm, they might dispel the magic in this area.

Therefore, she had used various tricks to deceive them.

But all that was futile against overwhelming power.

Even though she had prepared multiple contingencies to prevent the dispelling of her magic, destroying the very ground where the magic was inscribed left her no room to maneuver.

'I can't let it end like this...'

Jefrin controlled her mana.

She began to release the time magic Aryandor had cast on her.

The time magic had made her younger in exchange for continuously consuming her mana.

That was why Jefrin, once a great wizard, couldn't exert her full power.

As Jefrin slightly released the time magic, she appeared more mature than her current form.

If the original Jefrin was a teenage girl, now she looked more like a woman in her thirties.

'The mana is returning.'

Feeling the increase in her mana, Jefrin immediately directed it towards Astina.

Flames formed around and flew towards Astina.

However, the attack didn't reach its target.

"Priscilla."

At Rudy's command, Priscilla stepped forward.

Priscilla created an ice wall, shielding them.

Jefrin's magic was effortlessly blocked by Priscilla's simple action.

But Jefrin did not give up.

"You brats..."

Jefrin moved her body directly.

She surrounded herself with illusion magic, splitting into dozens of figures.

Then, she rushed towards them.

Rudy watched Jefrin's approach and casually gestured.

Following his cue, Priscilla created ice spears that flew towards the charging Jefrin.

Even though she had split into dozens, Priscilla targeted all the approaching figures.

"Argh...!"

Jefrin twisted her body to dodge the ice spears.

The illusions she created with her magic also moved as much as they could, but not all could evade.

The illusions hit by the ice spears vanished with a blur of smoke.

The dozens of illusions were now reduced to half, and as Priscilla moved again, another half disappeared.

"Invisible..."

This time, Jefrin used an invisibility spell.

Jefrin blurred her form, hiding her presence.

Then Rudy closed his eyes.

'What's happening?'

Jefrin looked puzzled as Rudy suddenly closed his eyes.

She attempted to rush at Rudy.

"Priscilla, over there."

As Jefrin prepared to charge, Rudy accurately pointed to her location.

Priscilla launched ice towards where Rudy pointed.

'How did he know?'

Despite being invisible, Rudy had precisely located her.

Jefrin gritted her teeth and dodged the incoming ice spears.

She couldn't approach.

Nor did her magic seem effective.

The fact that Astina and Rudy were holding hands was also a problem.

She couldn't create confusion by making them fight each other.

To deceive with illusion magic, the environment had to be right, but the environment she had prepared was already destroyed by Astina.

Using instant illusion magic at this point would only momentarily deceive the opponents without being truly effective.

'Beaten by mere brats...'

Jefrin's appearance began to change.

From a woman in her 30s to her 40s, then to her 50s.

Wrinkles deepened on her face, and her back bent.

She was reverting to her original appearance.

The mana had returned, but her movements became more difficult.

"You... brats..."

Jefrin shouted with all her might, but her voice was frail and cracked.

She gasped for air and collapsed to the ground.

The surroundings were a mess.

The altar where Jefrin stood had crumbled, and the ground was split, making it hard to find a solid footing.

"Hoo..."

As the situation seemed to conclude, Astina stopped her magic.

Rudy, still holding Astina's hand, walked forward.

"That's enough, Jefrin. Surrender, and we can spare your life."

"...My life?"

Jefrin laughed hollowly at Rudy's words.

"If you spare me, what will you do? Ask about the rebels?"

Rudy didn't respond directly.

Jefrin had lived as long as she could.

She had far exceeded the average lifespan.

Of course, she feared death.

More precisely, she feared what would happen after death.

Jefrin's first life, as a wizard, was a failure.

Far from surpassing Levian, she ended up alone and abandoned by the empire.

Although praised as a great wizard, it was a life devoid of meaning.

But Jefrin's second life was different.

She lived to the fullest as a rebel, helping Aryandor.

This life was much more valuable than her decades as the empire's wizard.

Following the rebels' ideology, she killed corrupt nobles and helped the commoners beneath them.

She had taken many lives, but she also saved many.

She witnessed those saved by her actions.

Their lives became peaceful and prosperous.

Gratitude filled the air, ringing in her ears with heartfelt thanks.

The sincere appreciation of the people resonated deeply within Jefrin, giving her a new purpose.

'It's a pity I won't see such a world.'

It was a world she had longed to see.

But, what truly frightened her was not missing out on that world, but the possibility of it never coming to pass.

Jefrin had seen people striving to create that world, reminiscent of how she had once strived to surpass Levian.

Having failed once, she knew too well the weight of their potential failure.

"There are things scarier than death."

At her words, Rudy and Astina's expressions hardened.

Jefrin laughed at Rudy's face, manipulating her mana.

Her body aged rapidly.

"Urgh..."

Rudy's eyes widened in shock.

"Priscilla! Block it!"

Priscilla moved swiftly, trying to freeze Jefrin in her tracks.

Jefrin began to freeze from her toes upwards, yet she laughed.

"Such things... cannot stop me. Urgh..."

Blood spilled from Jefrin's mouth.

Her mana became tumultuous.

Not self-aware, but she let go of the controlled mana, letting it rage wildly.

Rudy recognized the phenomenon.

A mana explosion from black magic.

A phenomenon where magic fails and mana becomes uncontrollable.

Jefrin had deliberately triggered this event.

Rudy moved his mana, knowing he had to act.

"Finger of the Demon."

Thud─

"Ah..."

Rudy's magic pierced Jefrin's abdomen.

It didn't kill her instantly.

Jefrin looked at the spike that had pierced her, then laughed.

Rumble─

A black circle formed around Jefrin.

It grew larger, engulfing its surroundings.

Quickly, it approached Rudy and Astina.

"We need to escape..."

The speed was too fast to react.

"Hold on tight, Rudy!"

Astina firmly grasped Rudy's hand as they were swept into the black orb.

After being engulfed by the black orb, Rudy opened his eyes.

He saw nothing but darkness.

His body, his hands, even Astina, who was swept away with him, were invisible.

Rudy felt something was wrong and spoke.

'What's happening?'

His voice didn't reach his ears.

"...?"

No sense was perceptible.

Smell, touch, taste, sight, hearing.

Nothing felt alive.

Rudy pondered slowly.

Jefrin's last actions.

She had deliberately caused her mana to explode.

The only mana rampage I knew of was caused by dark magic, so I had no idea how this one had been triggered.

However, having witnessed Luna's rampage before, I knew what it felt like.

So, what exactly had happened now?

It seemed like magic that blocked senses had been activated, but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what kind of magic it was.

A blockage of the senses...

No.

Was it something that caused confusion in the senses?

Hallucination magic interfered with a person's senses.

Such magic was indeed possible.

'The problem is how to resolve this...'

I tried to think calmly, but a strange feeling began to overwhelm me.

Not feeling any senses at all was enough to make one anxious.

Just a few hours in this state could drive a person mad.

Being able to think meant... could I still use magic?

I tried to mobilize mana.

I felt the flow of mana within my body.

Feeling the movement of mana calmed me a bit, as I had felt nothing else.

'My physical senses are blocked, but my mana isn't...'

I was certain that this phenomenon was caused by hallucination magic.

Hallucination magic interfered with senses, not mana.

The question now was how to escape from here.

I recalled the situation where I was engulfed in a black sphere.

Astina had grabbed my hand and wrapped us in a circle.

So, was I still holding hands with Astina?

I read the flow of mana.

A massive flow of mana was right beside me.

'Astina...'

It seemed like we were lying down together.

'Fortunately, it looks like there's no problem yet...'

Astina's mana was still stable.

She appeared to be calmly assessing the situation.

But that didn't mean I could relax.

'If this is hallucination magic, then it must have a core.'

Escaping hallucination magic involved either breaking or touching its core.

However, that core was likely Jefrin's body.

I slowly expanded my area of mana reading.

As I widened the range, I sensed two mana sources.

One was probably Jefrin, and the other seemed like Priscilla.

'Is the fluctuating mana... Jefrin...?'

One was stable, while the other's mana flow was in disarray.

So, I had to attack the disrupted one.

But I had no way to attack.

The magic I used mostly involved directing it in a specific way.

However, currently, I was lying down, and it wasn't easy to determine that direction.

Normally, I would extend my hand in one direction or visually confirm the exact location before using magic.

If I got the coordinates wrong, I couldn't predict where the magic would go.

Misusing magic could also engulf our bodies in its wake.

'Then...'

I concentrated and quietly said,

'Priscilla.'

At that, Priscilla's voice echoed.

"Rudy, are you okay? I can't feel anything. How about you?"

"Yeah, I can't feel anything either."

Being able to communicate with Priscilla brought me a sense of stability.

I pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Is there a way to solve this?"

"Yes, there's something you need to do."

It was about handling spirits, something I had practiced with Serina.

What we practiced was sharing mental strength.

To share mental strength, I needed to have a proper connection with Priscilla.

Sharing each other's minds.

We could already communicate through thoughts, but we practiced sharing more than that.

We trained to transfer images or information in our heads, but I had never successfully done it before.

However, now it felt like it might work.

With all senses blocked, I felt more connected to Priscilla.

"Transferring information..."

I passed on my thoughts to Priscilla, with whom I was connected.

Like handing over an object.

I focused and transferred the information to Priscilla.

"Huh...?"

"Did it work?"

"...Attack that mana?"

Priscilla had received what I was thinking and spoke my thoughts.

"It seems to be working."

"I can feel it. It's a strange sensation."

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

Priscilla's ability, unlike dark magic which is difficult to handle and has a fixed scale, allowed for fine adjustments.

Priscilla could use ice as if it were her own body.

"Let's try it."

Listening to Priscilla, I moved my body.

I wasn't sure exactly how my body was moving, but I moved as much as I could, feeling the flow of mana.

I moved as close as possible to Astina, who was lying next to me.

Priscilla's attack might spread and reach Astina.

I could withstand the attack to some extent, but Astina couldn't.

So, I tried to cover Astina with my body.

"Here I go, Rudy."

It felt as if Priscilla's body was my own, and I could feel my mana moving.

It was a feeling of unity.

"Ah..."

Is this what it feels like to share mental strength?

I could feel exactly how Priscilla was moving her mana, from the amount to the method.

Priscilla's ice slowly approached in the direction of Jefrin.

"...Stretch out there!"

The ice, moving slowly, stretched out towards the direction of Jefrin's mana.

3/5 Enjoy the chappy!

==Chapter 202: Jefrin (8)==

It was a dark space.

Nothing could be felt.

Astina slowly pondered in that darkness.

She realized, like Rudy, that this magic was related to hallucinatory phenomena and wondered what to do about it.

As she pondered, she felt a warm heat on her hand.

"Hmm?"

This time, she heard her own voice.

Touch and hearing had returned.

But it wasn't completely back.

It was like the numbness from anesthesia was still partially there.

"Uh..."

As her sense of touch was returning,

Squeeze─

Something was pressing down on Astina's nose.

"...What's this?"

Astina cautiously opened her eyes.

In her blurry vision, she saw a mix of white and gold.

Her sight gradually returned.

"Ah?"

It was Rudy who was pressing on her nose.

"Ah... Ahh...!"

However, the manner in which he was pressing was problematic.

Rudy, with his eyes closed, was lying on top of Astina.

His face was right in front of Astina's eyes.

It was Rudy's nose that had been pressing on hers.

They lay there, noses pressed together in this awkward position.

The situation became awkward due to the prominent hill on Astina's chest.

Rudy's body was lifted slightly because of her chest.

Thus, their noses were touching, and had Astina's chest been smaller, it would have been their lips instead.

"Uh...!"

Astina's face turned red.

Although she often showed a confident senior figure in front of Rudy, she was a girl who knew nothing about men.

"Se...nior."

That's when Rudy opened his mouth.

Rudy's breath touched Astina.

"Ah..."

Not just her face, but Astina's ears also turned red as if they were about to burst.

Even then, she couldn't take her eyes off Rudy's face.

Rudy, still not fully conscious, tossed and turned.

He moved his body to the side, positioning his face next to Astina's head, almost as if embracing her.

"...Just for a moment."

Astina tightly closed her eyes and raised her hand, then hugged Rudy tightly.

"Hmm..."

Astina cleared her throat as if nothing had happened, but she couldn't hide her expression.

Her lips curved into a delighted smile, and her hand gently stroked Rudy's back.

During that brief moment of happiness,

"How long are you planning to stay like this?"

"────!!!!"

Startled by the sudden voice, Astina quickly pushed Rudy away and sprang to her feet.

Standing in front of her was a wolf shining with silver fur.

"Pr...Priscilla?"

"Sorry to interrupt your pleasant time, but we need to clean up, don't we?"

"Pl, pleasant time? I was just trying to make Rudy comfortable after his hard work..."

"That's enough of that. Catch that guy."

Priscilla gestured with her head towards Jefrin.

Astina, her face still red, covered it with her hand and looked in that direction.

Jefrin lay on the grass, aged and defeated.

Surrounded by chunks of ice, her punctured belly was sealed with ice.

"Is she alive?"

"She's breathing, but it doesn't seem like she'll last long."

Astina gazed intently at Jefrin.

She lay sprawled on the ground, aged.

Dust and dirt clung to her body.

"This isn't how she should meet her end, considering all she's done."

Astina approached Jefrin, taking out a small mana stone.

When she brought it to her, her wounds slowly started to heal.

Astina, with a cold gaze, turned to Priscilla, who was looking at Jefrin, and spoke.

"Priscilla, can you check if any professors are nearby? If not, bring them here as quickly as possible."

"Understood."

Astina had no intention of letting Jefrin meet such an end.

------

Priscilla arrived with Mcguire at the place where Astina was.

Mcguire looked at Jefrin, lying on the ground.

"It seems you were successful."

"Yes, Rudy managed to do it."

Astina greeted Mcguire, laying Rudy on her lap.

"How is Rudy...?"

"His condition doesn't seem too bad. He just hasn't regained consciousness yet."

"That's good to hear."

Mcguire nodded and looked at Jefrin.

"She doesn't look like she'll last much longer."

Jefrin was barely breathing, gasping for air.

"Even if we save her, it won't make much difference. She went into mana overload on her own, so her mind must be half gone."

Mana overload was essentially a suicidal act.

If mana overload is caused by other magic, the body's defense mechanisms provide some protection.

But deliberately causing a mana overload bypasses these mechanisms, damaging not just the mind but the entire body.

Jefrin was, in essence, more dead than alive.

"Still, I don't plan to let her go easily."

The conversation Astina couldn't have in front of Rudy.

The Rebels had invaded the Academy, and Rudy had spoken of the possibility of his death.

Astina had laughed it off then, but she had pondered it deeply.

The Rebels killing her.

It might not happen, but it wasn't something to be ignored.

She had to prepare.

Astina trained to defy fate.

In doing so, she distanced herself from those around her.

She avoided Rudy, whom she cherished.

In another timeline, Rudy had changed for the worse after her death.

To prevent that, Astina distanced herself from Rudy for a while.

Distance in body leads to distance in heart.

She would do her best against the Rebels, but she also had to consider the possibility of not escaping death.

Even if she died, she stepped back to ensure Rudy wouldn't fall apart.

Luna and Rie accompanying Rudy was unavoidable.

Astina, thinking that she would be in their place if she could just survive this ordeal, endured patiently.

She was focused solely on finding a way to oppose the Rebels.

And now.

Astina had formed a definitive plan.

With Jefrin captured, Astina saw a possibility.

The Empire was currently embroiled in internal strife.

The Rebels were active, but not a major concern for the Empire.

For her own protection, the Empire's assistance was essential.

There was something she needed to do to create this situation.

"Then, I leave Rudy in your care."

Astina handed Rudy to Priscilla and lifted Jefrin with magic.

"Astina, where are you going...?"

"I'm heading to the capital."

"The capital?"

Astina pointed at Jefrin and looked at Mcguire.

"I intend to put this woman on the execution block."

------

Despite it being the time for Jefrin's return, she hadn't shown up, and they learned she had been captured.

The Rebel leaders convened a meeting.

"What do you plan to do, leader?"

"..."

Aryandor held his head in his hands.

The Rebels were unaware of Jefrin's whereabouts.

They knew she was defeated at the Academy, but her movements thereafter were a mystery.

They wondered if she had escaped and searched around the Academy, but to no avail.

"For now, we wait..."

Waiting was all Aryandor could do.

"Leader!!!"

A man suddenly burst into the meeting room.

"There's going to be a public execution in the capital of the Empire...!"

"A public execution?"

"It's... It's Jefrin's public execution...!"

At these words, Aryandor's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? Jefrin disappeared less than a day ago. It doesn't make sense..."

The Empire generally advocated non-violence.

They upheld the principle of reforming rather than killing.

Of course, many were killed behind the scenes, but to the common people, this was the stance they projected.

Still, a public execution meant extensive deliberation and a compelling reason to proceed.

But it had only been a day since Jefrin's disappearance.

The idea that all these events transpired in such a short time was implausible.

It takes a full day just to travel from the Academy to the capital.

The details of how this unfolded were puzzling.

"Leader, what will you do?"

"...I will go alone."

The Rebels were at a critical juncture.

With their influence spreading, they couldn't afford to spare other leaders.

"Contact Daemon in the capital."

Daemon was currently in the capital due to matters involving the Astria family and the necromancers.

Aryandor planned to meet Daemon, observe the situation, and if an opportunity arose during the execution, attempt to rescue Jefrin.

------

However...

"Sigh..."

Aryandor arrived in the capital just in time to witness the execution.

Before the execution platform, there was a large crowd.

Public executions weren't a common occurrence, so many had gathered out of curiosity.

On the execution platform, an aged Jefrin knelt, covered in wounds, with Astina standing in front of her.

But that wasn't all.

Beside Astina stood Cromwell and the Empire's Chancellor, Jason Ophillius.

Nearby were Ian Astria and several nobles.

It was a gathering of the Empire's central figures.

The security was too tight for Aryandor to breach alone.

"Leader, have you arrived?"

Daemon, hooded, approached the prearranged meeting spot.

"What's happened here?"

"I heard that during a meeting of the Empire, Astina Persia arrived and brought about this situation."

"Astina?"

"Yes, she brought Jefrin from the Academy to the meeting."

Aryandor gazed at Astina, standing highest amongst the surrounding nobility.

Her presence there among the high nobility implied she had achieved a significant feat.

"That girl captured Jefrin...?"

As Aryandor muttered to himself, the time for the execution arrived.

Astina stepped forward, unfolding a scroll in her hand.

"The accused, a member of the Rebel faction and its leadership, conspired against the Empire's core and committed numerous atrocities. Thus, she is sentenced to death for the crime of national treason."

Her statement was concise and deeply summarized.

Treason was one of the most severely punished crimes in the Empire.

Lengthy explanations were unnecessary.

Astina read the charges and set the scroll down.

She then looked at the crowd in front of her.

"This criminal orchestrated a national rebellion, killing over a hundred people alone."

Astina continued.

"Not only that, but with his magical artifacts and soldiers, she killed countless more. Under the pretext of purging corrupt nobles, thousands of families were destroyed. Some lost sons, others husbands, and still others fathers. Those people were innocent. They were merely defending their families against the Rebels."

Astina extended her hand.

"To the Rebels listening somewhere, I ask: Do you really believe the world you're trying to create justifies killing innocent people? Can you claim to be better than the corrupt nobles you've killed? Is the world you're building truly ideal?"

Astina had investigated the Rebels to protect herself and those around her.

And she was prepared.

She could explain to the Empire the danger posed by the Rebels and the contradictions in their actions.

She had prepared in advance, seizing this opportunity.

Astina had barely kept Jefrin alive and headed for the Empire.

Instead of a normal carriage, she used magic to fly at high speed and arrived at the Empire.

This challenging journey was to participate in the ongoing conference in the Empire.

Astina attended the conference of the Empire and pleaded the case she had prepared.

She argued that now was not the time for the Emperor's faction and the nobility to fight.

The Rebels were planning to bring down the Empire.

It was not the time to just watch.

As a result, this moment had arrived.

Astina's efforts were not in vain.

Hearing her words, both the nobility and the Emperor's faction resolved to deal with the Rebels first.

"This act will be a declaration of war, a direct confrontation between you, the Rebels, and the Empire. People, do not be deceived by the Rebels sharing a bit of food. They are murderers who killed your families, your neighbors. The bread they give you is made from the flesh of your family, the wine from their blood. These are not goods sprung from the earth. Never forget that."

Astina, with piercing eyes, looked at the crowd and declared.

"Astina Persia..."

Aryandor gritted his teeth as he looked at Astina.

Then he turned his gaze to Jefrin beside her.

Jefrin looked even more haggard and miserable than when he first saw her.

She was practically half-dead already.

As Aryandor watched Jefrin, a soldier standing next to Astina shouted.

"The execution will proceed!"

Hearing this, Aryandor turned away.

Daemon watched Aryandor's reaction.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

Aryandor clenched his fist tightly, repeating a name in his mind.

"Astina Persia."

4/5 Enjoy the chappy!