Chapter 10

Monica continued as nobody would interfere her now.

"I have read quite some books about magic and from what I have learned, something like this isn't what a normal magician can handle and, in this Empire, only the emperor has authority over the magicians. Ruling out the possibility of imperial magicians leaves the option of a third party"

"The Western Empire", Harold muttered.

"But we still have another five years left in the peace and trade treaty", another noble spoke up.

The two empires sharing borders had disputes and skirmishes going on but when the current Emperor had ascended the throne with tremendous power, he had formed a peace treaty. That is how, Empress Cecilia had been able to focus so much on development of the Empire. Later on, when the ill Emperor of the West had died and the Empress had taken over, their power had decreased. Taking advantage of its state, the Emperor of East had pressured them into a peace and trade treaty by threatening them with possible war over the past grudges. The Empress of West had no choice but to give in.

"It must be their barbaric blood that forces them to shed blood", another spoke up.

The Eastern Empire had gained the upper hand for a while but it wasn't for too long. For that past years, the Empress had been gaining power rapidly. The Western Empire had always warred to gain Eastern land that was much more fertile than their rocky and mountainous land, that's also why they had better warfare technology and were thus known in the Eastern Empire as barbarians who crazed for war and blood.

"We will need to carry out an in-depth investigation on the magician before deciding that. We cannot decide such an important matter with mere speculations", the emperor concluded the discussion regarding the magician.

The meeting had continued on for a while after that. As soon as the meeting ended, the emperor left with the chancellor and the Head Mage.

"Then, I will look up regarding this incident with the Magic Association although it might be hard to get information if that person is not part of the Association. I will give my report as soon as I get results"

The Emperor nodded, giving him permission to leave. Head Mage Simon turned around and head towards his office. Now, the Emperor was alone with the chancellor, Duke Hughes.

"Your majesty, at least I should know what you are planning", the duke complained.

"The rightful heir should get the throne of their own free will"

The duke scoffed at his words.

Meanwhile, Monica returned to her palace. Jason was waiting in front of the staircase leading to inside the palace.

"Princess, Alissa shifted Alistair to her quarter"

Monica nodded. She was deep in thought. She went to the garden and began strolling around aimlessly. Jason stood by and watched this for a while. Sun was going to rise sometime soon. He was sure that she must be tired after such a long day.

"What happened there?", he finally asked.

Monica stopped, she glanced at Jason and then at the sky that was turning lighter.

"Their conclusion is the same as mine. To get definite answers, investigation will be done"

She paused for a while and looked back at Jason again.

"Something is weird"

Jason gave her a questioning look.

"Remember the magician that attacked us while we were outside? I'm not sure who sent him"

At first, she had thought that Sofia had coerced him into attacking her by making a favorable deal like offering him position as soon as Harold ascends the throne.

Magicians who didn't like research or just wanted something different would accept such deals and sometimes make outrageous demands as well. If it was just that, she should've gotten a reply by now. It wouldn't have been a big deal for him.

"I am going to visit master"

As she said this, she turned around to go inside.

"Right now? How about resting for some time?"

She shook her head sideways. She had to address the unsettling feeling she was having.

She walked up to her study. There, she handed Jason a pocket mirror with some instructions and disappeared using a teleportation scroll.

As soon as the flash disappeared, she could see his office; her master's office. It was neat and tidy just as she had remembered this place to be. However, it was currently empty.

She looked around for any traces he had left behind but she couldn't find any. So, she exited the office room and entered the hallway. Then, she walked to another hallway and entered the nearest room.

"What the heck, knock befo-", a young girl looked up, "Mona!"

She jumped up towards Monica and hugged her tightly.

"You rarely ever come here. I missed you so much!"

"ugh Wendy back off, its stifling"

Wendy let go of Monica. She was Zion's niece whom she had met for the first time when she had visited the association. They would often study and play together in the past.

"Where is Master?"

Wendy pouted and looked away.

"It is urgent"

Wendy peeked at Monica and sighed.

"Then make a deal!"

Her eyes were sparkling. Monica gestured her to go on.

"Go on a date with me!"

"Sure, when I'm free. Now, the answer."

"He didn't tell me but he said he was leaving for somewhere. However, he did say "my disciple is causing quite the trouble". I guess you know what he meant"

What she had asked shouldn't have been a big deal, it was just a normal mage…that is, if it really was a normal mage.

"Hah"

She had fallen right into their trap. However, she couldn't be sure about her conclusions. Was that just to cause an internal strife? She was thinking while biting on to her nail, just then she remembered the black cat she had left in her room. He was the one who gave the information regarding the arrow.

"You still have that habit of-"

"See you later, Wendy. Ah! And send me a message when Master comes"

Monica hurried back to her Master's room and grabbed her transportation scroll. She transported back to her study and rushed out towards her room.

Alissa saw Monica coming.

"Princess, your breakfast?"

"Bring it to my room"

She hurriedly entered the room and made sure to close it properly. She undid the invisibility magic as she ripped the scroll. The blanket was not in its place and the vines were cut off.

"How did that bastard escape?!"

Monica believed in her skills. She took a deep breath and whispered a few profanities which made her feel calmer.

She opened the window and gave shadow a signal. She wasn't sure if he would come but she gave it a shot anyway. Then, she came back and sat on her bed. She waited for a while but he didn't show up. She used a traction spell that covered limited area of the palace but she couldn't detect him at all.

However, she still wasn't sure if he was really there or not as she hadn't been able to detect him before either. When she had received him and he was told to hide, she hadn't been able to detect his presence at all but she had given herself the doubt of whether he was really there or not. However, seeing how he had escaped the vines; he had some exceptional skills and ways to deal with magic.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was Alissa. She came inside with the serving cart and set the breakfast for her.

"Princess, you should rest before lunch. Another meeting will be called on a later date. I'm sure they are tiring"

"I will keep that in mind. How is the kid?"

"He had a high fever for a while but he cooled down. He's still asleep though"

She was very thankful.

"I need you to do something for me. After lunch, call the captain of the knights"

"Yes, your highness"

Alissa bowed and left the room.

Monica sighed as she thought of the worst possibilities but then gave up. Speculating won't get her anywhere. She needed evidence. There were possibilities of getting some results from the investigation going on.

She elegantly picked up her cutlery and took a bite out of her bruschetta.

She should just deal with the troubles later on.

"Maybe I should be thankful that he won't be bringing up marriage anytime soon…I should check up on the kid after that"

She got up and fetched herself a book from her study. She needed to look up ways he could've used to avoid her magic so that next time he can't escape.

"If they know that I can use magic, it might cause trouble for me again"

After she finished eating her breakfast, she rung the bell. Alissa came to pick up the dishes and clean up.

"I need you to secretly prepare a few things. I will be making my first move"

She explained to her what had to be prepared. Alissa listened carefully and left after cleaning up.

Since Monica had a lot to do afterwards, she went to bed to take a nap.